Okay, look. China is kicking my you-know-what right now. It’s spring break for me and this should be a joyous occasion. Right? Instead, it’s become a comedy of errors that was topped off by a blinding toothache last night. Just to put it into a nutshell, it was a weekend of miscommunications, friends going through some major rough patches, air pollution so bad that I could drink it (burning eyes included), late buses, missed taxis, broken wallets, mean waitresses, ruined Chole (fake) sunglasses, shaky internet, rude children in a coffee house, and two bad mochas. And it’s only Monday. It…

I went to pay the taxi driver tonight and realized I have four currencies in my wallet: China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Singapore.  I got home and there is no food in the fridge, my place is a mess, and I need to unpack. My passport needs a nap.

$1,650 Hong Kong dollars (HKD) on the line.  My hands are sweating.  Bobby Lee couldn’t even watch.  He was smart enough to get up from the table and pace – I just sat there, legs shaking, about to pull my fingers off from the stress. By the way, $1,650HKD is about $215US and that was just the beginning. When I told people that my friend Bobby Lee was coming to town and we were going to Macau; everyone said I should gamble and that I was going to love the food there.  They got half right. As far as the…

I conquered Hong Kong yesterday!  Again, I put on my big girl pants and went it alone.  The funny thing was however; I wasn’t so alone. Once I got my bearings and a mocha, I headed out in search of an area of Hong Kong called SoHo (south of Hollywood Road) – it’s also known as Central.  This is where the Central-Mid-Level Escalators are and where there is a huge concentration of shops, restaurants, bars, antique stores, and art galleries.  I have been here almost every time I have been to HK (it’s fabulous) but someone else has always been…

Yesterday, I headed into Hong Kong with some friends from school.  Each of us had some specific things we needed so off we went. Now, any chance I have to go to Hong Kong; I try to go because well, I love it there. So as we were walking around, we passed a fantastic breakfast place called The Frying Pan.  It’s really a bit of home with good prices and good food.  I really wasn’t even that hungry, but as soon as I saw that sign, I suddenly had a craving for a good, hearty American breakfast.  Unfortunately, some others…

It’s difficult to imagine that a little more than 24 hours ago; I was relaxing in the warm waters of the Andaman Sea off of the Phi Phi Islands. I didn’t realize how much I missed a sunny blue sky, or the white cotton clouds that are a rarity here in China until I saw them both again in Thailand. My first day in Bangkok was a bit shaky. Two of my traveling companions were under the weather, while the other two were in a conference.  However, we decided to go to the Chatuchak Weekend Market.  Think of about 1,000…

Sleep in or go to my photography class in Hong Kong?  Believe it or not, this was a difficult choice to make last Sunday morning as I laid in my warm bed on a chilly morning. The night before, I had this great foot rub at a place called Medu. I have heard raves about it, but never went.  I ended up going with a couple of friends of mine and it was completely relaxing.  So getting up in the morning just wasn’t ideal.  As I boarded the 7:45am ferry though, my motivation began to quickly rise. For me, there…

I would like to take a moment to share with my friends and family a sad break up of a beautiful relationship. This particular relationship was with a soul mate that has been with me since I arrived in China.  You could say that he got me through some tough times.  I mean, he offered me sweetness and comfort when I was new to this unfamiliar place.  He went with me to school and shopping trips.  He was even with me on several death defying cab rides.  I can’t tell you what how much I depended upon him.  We were…

Last week in Bangkok was one of the annual job fairs for international teaching.  I did not go as I already have a two-year contract, but it’s been fun to hear where other people are going.  It got me thinking about where I want to go next. One of my teaching partners got a job at a school in India.  It made me think about the job fair last year in Boston. It was bitterly cold.  I had no idea the temperature on Earth could drop that low and on top of that, I had absolutely no idea what I was…