small town laowai

an Americanish life in backwater China

Page 17 of 19

Grandfather’s Journey (Review)

Grandfather’s Journey by Allen Say This has got to be my all-time favorite book for those of us who call a foreign country home. Although this is a picture book intended for children, it is a treasure for adults, too.

50 signs you’re an American expat in China

There’s fifty nifty U-ni-ted States, and 50 ways to tell you’re from one of them.

Flipping switches

I wish there was just one big button to press. “Activate China Mode!” And it would be done. I would instantly fit in perfectly here. My brain would switch to Mandarin, my digestive system would immediately be used to handling… Continue Reading →

Insulting the elderly (Taking Route)

The swell gals over at Taking Route have been running a series called “31 Tips for Surviving (Not Crying) in a New Country.” This month, they and guest contributors are sharing all kinds of humorous tales of language and culture… Continue Reading →

A week at our table – Day 1

So, what do we eat here in China? We get asked this all the time by people here, who assume we eat nothing but this, all night, all day. If I had to eat these “Western” dishes every day, it… Continue Reading →

7 things we took overseas that were so worth the luggage space

As baggage allowances shrink, we have had to get pickier and pickier about what takes up our precious 50 pounds per person. Here are 7 items that easily made the cut. 1. Shoes for me I wear a women’s size… Continue Reading →

On apple pie and contentment

  Once a week, on Sunday nights, I make dessert. Unless we’ve just gotten a care package that includes brownie mix, making dessert means baking from scratch. And I mean super-duper, Laura Ingalls Wilder-style scratch. Yesterday, I was thinking: it’s… Continue Reading →

Life on the 2nd floor

We just moved back into our 2nd floor apartment here in the little town of Jingxi. This is a true 2nd floor (at least true to how Americans number the floors of a building), not the sneaky 2nd floor where… Continue Reading →

Taquito daydreams

Every once in a while, I get a food daydream. Not a food craving, but a daydream, where just for a split-second, I am suddenly imagining myself eating something I could never get here in rural China. Today’s dream was… Continue Reading →

What in the Middle Kingdom? Electric mosquito racquet

This little beauty is a great addition to your bug-killing arsenal. Shaped like a tennis racquet, it uses an electrical current to fry whatever flying insect comes in contact with its wires. There is a loud crackling/popping sound when the… Continue Reading →

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