Not just word evolution—now it’s punctuation’s time I’m not super huge into social media. I use my Twitter account to follow others and but I rarely tweet, and my Facebook account is much the same: I love following people, but I don’t really love having my own stuff
Why China? and the struggle for answers Only three months until I leave for China, which means it’s time for a countdown post. I was planning on sharing my preparation checklist, but then I decided that’s boring (I need to get a visa and some travel insurance and go to the travel clin
Thoughts on giving to travellers My sister is travelling to Peru next summer, and for Christmas I want to get her something that will help her prepare for the journey. Books are always a go-to gift for me, but when I browsed the travel section of my local bookstore all I saw were tra
Dumplings, please! When I was living in Hefei as a student I wrote a Facebook post called “Things I haven’t eaten in almost a year and will delight in soon.” This was over five years ago, and the list includes some items that are baffling to me now (salami with mayo on rye bread…?), b
The unique nature of international friendships I have super friends. All my closest friends in Vancouver I made in grad school, which means that we bonded over language. We’ve all lived abroad, learned other languages, and continue to travel. The friends I made in Chinese class in my
Thoughts on planning my (yet-to-exist) children’s linguistic futures My life has entered baby season. My Facebook news feed is filled with pictures of toddlers dressed up for Halloween and sitting on Santa’s lap. I’ve been spending time with a close friend’s newborn, and&
A language I thought I’d forgotten Last week I wrote about my insecurities about my Chinese proficiency and my fear that my skills won’t hold up when I go back to China in the spring. People I’ve spoken to since, who have been in similar positions in the past, assure me that it
Thinking of trains and facing language fear Only five months to go until I leave for China. I’m excited to travel to China, to visit a new part of the country and feel that inexplicable thrill I get whenever I step off the plane in Beijing. But as I start to think more about my
Plugging in for listening comprehension My work is all done on the computer, which means I spend between 5 and 9 hours a day staring at a computer screen. I love my work, but at the end of the day I almost always have sore eyes and a pounding headache—which means that I can̵
Thoughts on adding to my heritage language It’s been years since I’ve lived in my parents’ home, but—I’m slightly embarrassed to say—my childhood bedroom is still full of my old things. Recently, my parents sent me a box of stuff, mostly books, and
