Most of the time, I belong to the category of people who, when they are visiting a place as a tourist, do everything in their power to not appear to be a tourist. That includes not walking around with a camera dangling from my neck or wrist, not taking snapshots of every damn thing with … More Tourist Me
As with all good things, so also did my supply of Western deodorant come to an end seven months after I arrived here with a small drugstore’s worth of Secret Invisible Baby Powder zip locked in the toiletries compartment of my suitcase. So, brimming with the usual joy of going in search for one more … More Monkey’s Secret
As I enter the final third of my life here after the ushering in of the Year of the Dragon, I thought it would be a good idea to sprinkle this here blog with a little bit about what on earth I’m doing here in the first place. Wednesdays are my Mondays, the beginning of … More Wednesday in the life of…
A friend of mine ordered some fresh juice off a tempting full-color menu trapped under the plastic covering of our restaurant table. It arrived as all juice should: tall glass, twirly straw…steaming hot and tasting like dust would if you blended it in water with purple food coloring and set it to simmer. Ordering food is … More Mystery Food
Five days a week, traveling on the 41, 71 or 108, I find myself dreading what’s at the other end of my trip (work) and wishing that the bus ride would last just a little longer, but of course it never does. Extra stops don’t materialize. Road doesn’t magically elongate itself. Never any decent traffic … More For Monday Mornings: Why The Way There Is Better Than The There
You know what they say: you can take the (habesha) out of (ET) but you can’t take the (ET) out of (habesha), which is why in my short time here I’ve learned the Chinese character for “beef”. I put this knowledge to good use one day as I waited for my chicken burger combo at a … More On the Truth About Burgers.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Amen. From among the perks of living in an English-friendly environment, I already knew that I missed opening letter mail, for example. You know, the routine bills, advertisements, tax returns, surveys and whatnot. I’m not even blessed with junk mail here. But it wasn’t until I had to call … More Hold Me Music
It’s been a week now. The pain in my calves has gone away, so I feel that I can write about this with some amount of perspective other than “IT HURTS! IT HURTS! IT HURTS!” or the more elaborate “SWEET LORD OF HEAVEN WHEN IS THIS GOING TO END?!!!” Wenzhou is surrounded by mountains. If … More Don’t Look Up (or, What Moses Felt)
Here, bring together the world short time Can span several country Choose to suit his way of life Because here, I have the world! Fashion is not something that exists in dresses in dresses onlg fashion isin the sky in the street fashion has to do with ideas the way welive You gave me a … More Chinglish Poetry Collection, Vol.2
Slow mover that I am, I’ve always been into yoga. Too, I’ve always been curious about an even slower-motion form of health-seeking: Tai Chi. During the few times I’ve been to one of Wenzhou’s dense parks… and climbed the network of their steep stairways (that’s not me)… I’ve often come across open spaces, where young … More A Tai Chi Kind of Morning
Rebecca Fisseha, Writer. 