One of the best perks about being an expat in China is that the spa parlors that the average Chinese person goes to are cheap. You should expect to spend between 35-120RMB ($5-$10). My husband and I can't read characters in Mandarin so we didn't know that this place...
The biggest obstacle with products in China is not being able to read the labels if you are concern about the ingredients. Even if a product is in English the ingredient label is covered with a Chinese label that employees will tell you not to take off in the...
If you are the traveling adventurer or would like to be, then you quickly (need to) learn that "things" mean less and it's the experiences you value. I believe this personally to be a true statement but if you decide to live in a country for a few months or a year...
HALF-WAY DONE on the 10,000 Smiles Project (Counting this post there is 5,000 Smiles in the 10,000 Smiles Project.) Some Highlights thus far.... The 10,000 Smiles Project is bigger than me, people are being impacted. On my project I sometimes come across people who...
Living in a foreign country has a lot of positive traits: adventure and growth. BUT, there is one thing living abroad can't offer, personal face-to-face bonding experiences with loved ones. From the past 10 months of living in China I have come to learn of some clever...
Recently I was having a discussion with a non-believer about our conscious surrounding good and evil. I was using terms like “shame” and “guilt”. My husband kindly reminded me that the words shame and guilt are terms Christians use. The general population that...
There are some crazy stories in China. In recent news thousands of pigs were found in the Shanghai river. The infected pigs were believed to be dropped in the Northern part of China and carried downstream. (NY Daily News and BBC's news concerning this news.) Yes,...
When Americans think of Chinese cooking they think of Panda Express or that it's complicated. On the contrary, in China Chinese cuisine is famous for being simple. To make Chinese dishes you really don't need that many kitchen appliances or ingredients (a wok, chop...
Traveling: How to Arrive to Penang, Malaysia (From Kuala Lumpur you have to go to Buttersworth to get to Penang, which is an island.) 3 Tips when traveling by train to Buttersworth, Malaysia 1. Don't travel Southeast Asia during the Spring Festival in February or book...
Living overseas you are more aware of your surroundings, people, culture and manners. As an expat I am always observing the Chinese culture and how they react to me. I have to remind myself whether I have a positive or negative encounter it doesn't...
