On June first at the stroke of midnight, Shanghai officially lifted its two-month lockdown. Two very long months of not leaving the apartment, thousands of daily COVID-19 cases, and boredom, so much boredom. But now, praise Mao and Buddha, the lockdown is over. Kind of.
Shanghai Ends the Lockdown, But Will it Ever be Normal Again? Read Post »
Shanghai is under lockdown. As I write this, I’m sitting in my apartment, awaiting the call to go downstairs and take my twelfth COVID-19 test. These nucleic acid tests are the only time I’ve been through my front door for eight days straight. I haven’t left my apartment complex since… sometime in March? The days
The Great Shanghai Shutdown Read Post »
Just when you thought it was safe to take off the mask and go outside, COVID-19 is back with a vengeance in China. This time, though, it’s the highly contagious Omicron variant running amok and causing havoc in the Middle-Kingdom. That means travel restrictions, lockdowns, and mandatory testing. Is this the virus’s last gasp? Or
COVID-19 Strikes Again in China: This Time it’s Omicron Read Post »
China is a country of rule breakers. It’s a nation of criminals, scofflaws, delinquents, lawbreakers, and ne’er do wells who are constantly engaged in a convoluted game of cat and mouse with the authorities. This flagrant disregard for the rules and regulations was one of the biggest things that shocked me about China. Don’t believe
Breaking the Law in China Read Post »
Despite China’s best efforts, the dreaded Delta variant of COVID-19 recently slammed into the country with a vengeance. The total cases in the country are now sitting around 121,837. That may not sound like much compared to the United States or elsewhere, but it’s a lot for China. This is after administering nearly one and
How China’s COVID-19 Delta Variant Outbreak Ruined My Summer Vacation Read Post »
July 1st marked the hundredth anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party. Love it or hate it, the Chinese Communist Party is the largest political organization in the world, and arguably one of the most powerful. The CCP has around 90 million members, ten times the population of New York City. The party
It’s the 100 Year Anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party Read Post »
The Dragon Boat Festival is a national holiday in China that takes place on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. Usually near the beginning of summer. The holiday is famous for the dragon boat races, where people race cool-looking boats carved into the shape of dragons. I’ve lived in China for almost three
What is the Dragon Boat Festival? Read Post »
As the world grows smaller, it’s more important than ever to learn how to talk with people who don’t speak English as a first language. My fellow Americans, I have some disappointing truth to share with you. Not everyone in the world speaks English as their first language. I know, I know, it’s shameful and
How to Talk to People Who Don’t Speak English Good Read Post »
There’s water everywhere, but in China, it isn’t safe to drink. It rained all day yesterday. Even though I had an umbrella with me, my shoes are still soggy from trudging through a downpour. This isn’t even the rainy season. Sometimes it rains non-stop for two weeks straight. Everyone’s walls have water damage and sometimes
You Can’t Drink the Water in China Read Post »
Culture shock can be a real pain in the ass. But it’s something you just have to deal with if you want to spend more than a two-weeks vacation worth of time in a foreign country. Culture shock is more than just a vague feeling of “wow I can’t believe people do that or eat
What is Culture Shock? My Personal Experience in China Read Post »
