Phil and Matt enjoying dinner after I insisted (again) on going to my favorite Xinjiang restaurant.

Awhile back, I wrote a post that turned out to basically be the top 10 reasons why China drives me crazy and the US is so much better. But whatever, I was jet lagged and missing US public bathrooms. After…

Various versions of our lives recently

It’s been entirely too long since we’ve had time to send a mass update email, so rather than continue to wallow in guilt, I will at least write a blog post. (It takes a lot less time.) You may have…

Apparently all of the electronic products from this brand have this cartoon sticker of two speedo-wearing boys hugging and eating ice cream. Kind of creepy, IMO.

OKAY, maybe it’s not big news to you, but it was for Chai. Our Foreign Affairs Officer (FAO), Chai, handles all of our day-too-day living and visa arrangements. He was so ecstatic to tell everyone that we would get new…

Puppy Envy: Jonathan, Sue Ellen, and Mr. Snuggles

Last night, Angel and I went to our friends’ apartment to watch a movie. To our surprise, they added a new member to their family! Mr. Snuggles is a 3-month-old toy poodle. He weighs about one pound, and holding him…

By far the most polite and friendliest vegetable salesperson. She's helped me to learn how to say almost every kind of vegetable in Mandarin.

Here are a few images from our local market. I wish I could also encapsulate the smell of it and share that with you…but you might never come back to the blog. Let’s just say the place is a combination…