One day while travelling through my husband’s home province Jilin in July 2013, we come by a city called Tonghua. My husband’s friend is living there and my husband has promised to pay her and her mother, who is seriously ill, a visit. My phone got stolen a few days before on our train ride […]
Monthly Archives: September 2013
In January 2013, my then fiancé (now husband) and I take a cab. The cab driver starts a conversation with my fiancé, not knowing that I understand everything they say. Cab driver (pointing at the pineapple in my fiancé’s hand): “I love eating these too.” Y: “It’s probably not the right season for it.” CD: […]
Ever since we met, Y and I have spent every single day together. It’s hard not to when you sit right next to each other in the office. This doesn’t mean that there weren’t times when we were apart, but it was always only for so long. There was one time when Y had to […]
Today I’m featuring a guest post by Sarah, fellow Shenzhen-expat and the face behind the blog Reclaim Your Fearlessnesss that gives tips on how to live the life you want to live and not let others dictate it. I love her blog and have nominated her for the Liebster Award last month (see her answers here). Sarah has grown up […]
One day in July 2013, Y and I visit his 9-year-old niece in Changchun. At dinner, she asks me: “Are there any positive aspects of having a different citizenship?” I: “There are. If you hold a Chinese citizenship it’s not very easy to go abroad. You’ll need a visa for almost every country. If you’re […]
Y is different from most Chinese I know. Well, I know, of course he is – to me, right? What I mean is that his eating habits are different from most other Chinese people I know. He loves eating raw vegetables. He had never been to Europe before our wedding, but he still loved eating […]
One day not too long after our wedding and honeymoon, Y and I are at work. When we finish with work that day, one of our coworkers talks with Y. I can’t hear what they talk about, but Y tells me a bit later. Here goes: Coworker: “So, when is it due?” Y: “When is […]
Many of my friends from Northeast China tell me: “We don’t really have a dialect, we do speak a very intelligible Mandarin. Maybe there are some words that are different, but that’s about it.” Oh, the beloved “er” Northerners use in any possible way one can imagine! Having learned Chinese in Austria and in Kunming […]
After having traveled around Jilin province and meeting my in-laws in July 2013, Y and I take the train back to Shenzhen. We spend 36 hours on the train. Y shares his 6-bed compartment (there are no doors, so I’m not sure if you can really call it that) with three ladies in their 50s […]
Today I’m featuring a guest post written by Dan Clarke. Dan has been living in China for more than 6 years, first working as an English teacher and now focusing on writing and coaching, while looking after his daughter as a work-at-home dad. You can read more about him and China on his website Living […]
A few weeks before our wedding my mother-in-law takes a train to Beijing to help us with some of the red tape. Since it is her first time in Beijing, she also decides to visit the great wall. All the while, my fiancé and me are at work in Shenzhen, waiting for her to tell […]
We take the train from Changchun in Northeast China to Shenzhen in Southeast China. Taking more than 36 hours, it’s the longest train ride for me so far. At one of the stops a woman gets on the train. She puts her luggage beneath one of the beds of the 6-bed compartment Y is sharing […]
China elevator stories 