Living in China, I’ve had some encounters with other American’s over here to “teach English” who are in fact protestant Christians who feel they must convert, “save”, these lowly Chinese savages and inject bible-speak into every conversation they can. This despite the fact that Confucious, who is 500 years older than the “Christ child”, has had a more lasting effect upon the morality of China than the impact Holy J seems to have had upon t... Read Full Story

Bookmark this category So right now this is just Bob Pollard style fake band and fake album/fake song titles, but the new roommate Dean is on the way from the UK and is a bass player. So maybe I’ll get a classical acoustic as are so cheap in a nearby shop, a better mike for the software and we’ll actually record some of these songs… Band: Qilin(chi lien) Album: Liaocheng Shien Tsi side A- Buddha was a hippie, Lao Tzu was punk rock I beat a little Emperor, then another one ... Read Full Story

So things are going on: Halloween parties, frustrations with uber-chaste Chinese cuties, roommates moving out and new ones on the way from England, but none of that is the focus here. Today I had my first Tai Chi lesson in the park. I needed an “introduction” which took time to arrange, but now apparently I am welcome to come by any morning whenever I can between 8-11. Tai Chi is one of the main things I’ve wanted to check out while over here, and would have liked to star... Read Full Story

So there where some holidays right after I arrived, followed by a busy week of all the students making up the English School classes they had missed (how exactly is this a holiday?), when they weren’t in their normal school, which also had to make up it’s missed days. So I am just now experiencing my first standard work week. Students here have it rough: I see high school age kids riding bikes home at 10PM, to get in and do hours of homework, then up early as can be and start it... Read Full Story

In the midst of moving to and adjusting within the lifestyle of China, I haven’t had a chance before now to give proper memorial for an old friend who recently past. Thom was a totally swell guy I hung with quite a bit in the late 80’s/early 90’s. In high school, I had a friend who’s Mom moved to Canada for several months leaving his older sister in charge. No surprise, this became a party house of sorts, during what we now refer to as “Salad Days”(I... Read Full Story

*The Town* So I’ve been in Liaocheng for about a week now, though it seems much longer. Here I intend to describe the journey and the town, next time I will go into the teaching job. I left ATL just as some sort of 100 year flood was hitting, though this wasn’t obvious at the time. Raining, yes, but as a nervous flyer, I wasn’t troubled at all during the flight to JFK. Obviously it rained harder later in the day. Had a six hour layover in JFK to contemplate what I ... Read Full Story

So I’m off to China in the morning. When I was over there in ‘06, I could not access this blog. But my “producer” is gonna make updates for me from time to time via HTML emails. The first will probably be in a while, as I want to get well set up in my teacher’s routine and save major exploration of Jinan, Shandong and elsewhere in China after the homesickness kicks in. Stay tuned! Read Full Story

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Missed out on an obit. last Friday, and this one is a little different as I actually once “met” and interacted with him. He read on the UGA campus in what I’ll guess was ‘95, but I can’t reference a month right now. Some friends and I owned a bookstore in Athens at the time and when I walked up to him after the reading, maybe I was being a bit “glory”, but I couldn’t help but throw out the idea that, had he time, it might be cool if he came by... Read Full Story

So if all goes according to plan, I’m off soon for Jinan (G nan), China. Many people have been asking me about this, assuming since they’ve never heard of the city it might be some rural place. So I found this video tour. It has mellow Chinese muzak, I’m sure gives an overly serene impression of the City of Springs, slightly funky English that I as teacher will be out to mend, but the maker does thank you for watching at the end. Nothing wrong with being polite. Read Full Story