Natalie currently lives and works in China, but before that, she taught EFL (English as a Foreign Language) in Romania for three years with the Peace Corps before serving as a Peace Corps Response Volunteer in Tonga! Teaching English in various capacities across three foreign countries over five years is no small feat, so I…
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Breand and her husband had the unique experience of living on ‘Eua island as part of their Peace Corps service. ‘Eua is a two-hour ferry ride from Tongatapu (Tonga’s capital island and where Sam and I lived during our two years in Tonga). It is also the oldest (30 million years older to be exact!) and…
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Xi’an China is probably best known for being the base from which to see China’s famous Terracotta Warriors. What isn’t as well known is that Xi’an (formerly known as Chang’an) ranks right along with the likes of Rome and Constantinople as one of the 10 Ancient Capitals of the World … and, and … the…
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Sam and I have been in China four months now! One-third of a year! One hundred and twenty-two days! Basic greetings, conjunctions, taxi directions, numbers 1 to 100 and bartering banter learned thus far in Mandarin! And for me, this also coincides nicely with having finished my draft of The Orphan of Torundi! To celebrate our…
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Tianjin is well-known for its shopping. Malls are everywhere here, and that is no exaggeration. Sam and I marvel at how so many stores and so many mega-buildings — with new shopping malls going up every month — manage to stay in business. If I were sixteen with some cash to blow, I’d be in…
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Just to the west of Tianjin’s famous pedestrian shopping street of Binjiang Dao, lies Tianjin’s Antique Market (called “Guwan Shichang”). While the traditionally-styled wooden shops and street-side stands that make up the antique market are often identified as beginning at the cross roads of Shandong Lu (“Lu” means street) and Shanyang Dao (“Dao” means road), it…
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When all you have is a bicycle, getting those few western groceries in China can be a challenge. Especially if you have unfortunate predilections towards real coffee that isn’t instant, Splenda and non-melamine milk. Some stores deliver of course, such as D-Mart or the Good Friends Store, but to see what is actually in stock,…
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It isn’t really the sort of thing one expects to see in a sprawling, congested city just south of Beijing, China: a pocket of (albeit slightly confused) western Europe, complete with cobblestone streets, kegs of dark beer, Roman fountains and alfresco dining — with red checkered table cloths of course!
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China deserves an entire feature on the unique edible flora found in these realms. Fruit that comes straight from science-fiction, veggies that look completely contrived and flowers that, while ornamental back home, prove unexpected sources of nutrition here. I’ll use this page from time to time to feature some of the unique produce found here.
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Michael Hassett is a Peace Corps Volunteer currently serving in Ha’utu, Tonga. Ha’utu is a tiny village on the southwestern side of Tonga’s main island, Tongatapu. So, what’s it like to move from Pittsburgh to the middle of Oceania where you will spend the next two years of your life integrating into a culture about…
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