Well, it’s been a while since I’ve written (that’s putting it mildly!). Here’s why: To recap: my wife, Gienah, and I went to Yunnan Province, China in August of 2014 to spend 2 years studying Mandarin language and Chinese culture full-time. That part of the plan went well and our 2 years ended in late June 2016. The next part of the plan was to buy, start or join a…
Read MoreTop 10 Things I will Miss
As you may have noticed from my previous blog posting, we will be returning to the U.S. following our 2 year language and culture studies in China. In fact, our departure date is today! While it would be foolish to believe I can anticipate exactly how reverse culture-shock will impact me, there are several things I “think” will be true. Here’s my best estimate for a Top 10 List of…
Read MoreWhat is it like living in China?
We get this question periodically and I thought it might be fun to share just a few (Top 10) items that have been on my mind the last few weeks. It’s been just over 6 months since my last blog posting, so it seems about time to post an entry. Language learning has been my primary focus for the past several months (in addition to soaking up culture) so things have…
Read MoreBy the Numbers:
How far is it to your nearest Starbucks? What do you typically pay for your favorite drink at Starbucks? Here’s a breakdown on my Starbucks stats: The Journey: 15 minutes – Walk from apartment to bus 15 minutes – Wait for bus 30-40 minutes – Bus ride to train station 60 minutes – Wait for train 5 hours – Train ride from Dali (Xiaguan) to Kunming There is an 8-9…
Read MoreSeeing Red
Did you celebrate the Chinese (Lunar) New Year last week? Well, you can be sure all 1.4B people here in China did. In fact, this holiday (aka “Spring Festival”) is China’s biggest and most important holiday of the year and dominates the local culture for at least 1 entire month…something like Christmas and New Year’s holidays on steroids! Spring Festival represents the world’s largest migration, with more than 3 Billion passenger…
Read MoreMichelin Challenge Bibendum – 2014 Chengdu, China
OK, I admit it…I needed a “study break” from learning Chinese vocabulary and writing characters! So, I made a quick trip from Dali to Chengdu to attend the 12th Michelin Challenge Bibendum, a global event aimed at bringing together many of the world’s experts in sustainable mobility. Michelin released their Green Paper report yesterday – outlining 5 Global Challenges, 5 Game Changers and 5 Actionable Levers. This week’s Bibendum is focused…
Read MoreIt’s a Small World!
Trash Collection in Dali Ancient Town, China – In most civilized cultures, the issue of collecting and disposing of garbage is a challenge that community leaders must face. In our own personal experience, we’ve seen good policies (Fort Collins, CO has a great system) and bad policies (let’s just say “a typical Midwest town”). In our most recent neighborhood in Michigan, it was not uncommon to see as many as…
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