Category Archives: Chengdu Daily Life

                  With the year 2008 came some interesting changes concerning holidays in China.                         There used to be only 3 holidays in this country:  Spring Festival (Chinese New Year), which was during the school’s 5-week winter break but … Continue reading →

              My Chinese is O.K. but I wouldn’t stake my life on it, or anyone elses’, for that matter.             This is why, when it came to transferring  funds into Jason’s (Ji Ke’s) banking account, I asked for assistance.   … Continue reading →

                In my small U.S. town, a visit to the bank is a quick affair.             There are no lines to wait in and no numbers to take.  It’s a breezy in-and-out, just under 5 or 10 minutes. … Continue reading →

                China’s cold-weather swimmers are suffering here in Chengdu.            All winter, they’ve been enjoying frigid water temperatures of  40 to 55 degrees Farenhieght.  Every day, from October to April, I’ve watched these winter swimming  friends of mine … Continue reading →

              I’m not very much of a tourist.             Drop me off in any Chinese city and my first order of business is where to find a 50-meter swimming pool.   Years of competitive swimming are not about to be … Continue reading →

              The strong tremor this morning caught all of us by surprise.              After several days of very little “felt” ground activity, the rumble at around 11:30 will most likely be yet another excuse to keep our Chengdu tent … Continue reading →

              Thursday afternoon had my dresser drawer full of Chinese bills, each one 100 yuan ($14.00).  I had just been to the bank to cash travelers checks.  Friday morning, I was returning to the vet and needed to pay … Continue reading →

              Yesterday, while going through pictures to post of our neighborhood pets, I came across a few photos from  the Chengdu Theological Seminary which I visited last September.  I had a short feature in a past newsletter about the seminary, but … Continue reading →

               In Chengdu (pop. 20 million), my apartment building’s complex  is nestled in the bustling part of  a famous Chinese university.  The school’s west gate is merely a 2-minute walk down a narrow alleyway from my apartment, making this … Continue reading →

SPRING ARRIVES   Our current spring weather is proving to be quite the luxury after the unusually frigid cold of winter.  Although our skies are still overcast  a majority of the time, we are now experiencing  refreshing warmer temperatures and … Continue reading →