“Me no English,” states the girl with enough grammar to ape Tarzan. She does this in spite of speaking full sentences and writing them in her book. I’ve heard her say fluent and complete ones before. She and the others use this as a joke. “I’m not asking you to speak English,” I growl. “I’m…
Tag: Education
Science Class, Or How I Reconcile My Educational Demons
I’m $$36,711.73 in debt. It is a huge issue for me and my life. I made a huge mistake. I believed what people have always told me about education. I went to grad school. I went to grad school in London. Big, big, fat mistake. Maybe. I cried a lot a couple of nights ago…
My Most Chinese Day So Far
Today has been my second favourite day in Shanghai, only to our three year ‘meet-a-versary’ on the 26 of May. I spent my morning at the Chinese Cooking Workshop near Hengshan Road, and had an absolutely wonderful time. I learned, in meditative silence due to the language barrier with the friendly and helpful ayi (auntie),…
Like Lambs To The Slaughter, Or At Least To The Multiple Choice
They are looking at me with beads of sweat running down their faces. The sheer exhaustion of the test is running out of their pores and down their noses, falling on desks and tests. The TAs, both of them, are pressing handfuls of paper towels to their wet foreheads, telling them to focus. This is…
How to Quit Your Job and Move Abroad
I haven’t lived full-time in the USA since 2009. Each new adventure seems to be longer, and to pull me further away from staying permanently in the States. I now have a binational marriage, and moving abroad will always be a part of my life. It’s been readily apparent recently that this lifestyle is unconventional….
