Category Archives: Chengdu Daily Life

             This week has been the first week of vacation for most students.  So, what exactly do Chinese kids do to keep busy in the summer?  Well, a number of parents enroll them in swimming lessons.  One of my … Continue reading →

              Saturday’s blue skies, sticky heat and wickedly hot sun brought everyone out of their homes.             In America, summer has us  imprisoned in the cool comforts of our air-conditioned houses.  But in Sichuan, air-conditioners still remain off.  We haven’t … Continue reading →

              This morning, I ate my last sesame seed bread roll for breakfast.  It was definitely time for another run to the best bread place in town.  This would have to be the nearest restaurant of our Muslim friends from … Continue reading →

  The Olympic Torch Arrives Near Jason’s University             Jason’s email was full of excitement concerning the biggest event ever to hit his university town, Xining in Qing Hai Province: “Ouyun Huide Sheng Huo laile!  The Olympic Sacred Fire (Torch) … Continue reading →

                The all-night rain and constant drizzle for most of the day gave Sichuan University a wet day for sending off their graduates.             The graduation ceremonies had to be moved from outside to in after the first … Continue reading →

                The Sichuan University campus has been buzzing with activity all week.             Everywhere LF and I turned on our walks around the campus, we met with clusters of students pulling out from carrying bags their graduation cap-and-gown … Continue reading →

              The quiet, narrow side street that hugs my apartment complex is like many hundreds in the city.  Despite its semi-secluded location, it touts three roadside medical and physical therapy (massage) clinics, an Internet bar, a vegetable market,  flower … Continue reading →

              Chinese love openings of anything.  Crowds will gather  to await the grand opening of any department store, grocery, restaurant or even small snack shop along the street.  Everyone is afraid of missing out on the excitement of the … Continue reading →

               “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men / gang aft a-gley /               An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain, / For promis’d joy!”                                                                                                   Robert Burns (from To a Mouse)                          The telephone … Continue reading →

              Despite what people think, Chinese is a kind language.  English is cluttered with articles, verb tenses, word derivations, idioms and a slew of  grammatical rules and regulations.  But Chinese has the ability to express one’s thoughts and feelings … Continue reading →