Category: Teaching and Learning
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Do As I Say, Not As I Do: On Learning Chinese/ Teaching English
I’ve been told I’m a good teacher. I’ve been teaching English for nearly a decade now and know how to nurture a reluctant super-low beginner out of their speechless shell and into proud conversations in English. I’ve taught study skills using write synonym sheets and audio files, so many times that I could teach a…
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On Language Burnout After a few too Many Countries
It’s a funny thing starting an expat/travel blog sixteen years after you started travelling/living elsewhere and failed to do anything else with your adult life except, well, travel and be an expat. For one, you’re not as freshly enthusiastic as those who are venturing out on their first big trip or landing in their first…
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(101 Things about Shanghai) Work/Learn/Chocolate
Things have been somewhat unsettled here on the Eastern Front since getting back from Myanmar. Aside from the unnervingly deafening death rattle of the cicadas everywhere above you in the trees, the heat has been hovering in the late 30s with a bazillion percent humidity. We bought one of the top 5 small dehumidifiers,…
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What I Do
I haven’t spoken much about my job here. I have another site for that; if you want to subject yourself to much rending of garments and gnashing of teeth you can go there for the finer details. On a much broader level, I thought I’d introduce you to what I do. There is a widely…
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Decoding the Putonghua Parallel Universe
A few months ago I was in the middle of a speaking exam with a very capable university student who was explaining at great length to me the plot of his favourite novel. The plot sounded familiar to me, though I didn’t recognize the name of the author at all- I figured it was a…
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Rose Petals and Orange Peel
Sometimes a girl just needs a jam jam jar filled with steeping, fragrant blossoms