Adventures in Asia

Oh, how times have changed. I once only watched Korean dramas, content with the innocent modern romance of witty bickering, occasional wrist grabbing, and oh-so-sweet back hugs. Everything I had heard about Chinese dramas was negative: they're dozens of episodes long, poorly written with little plot movement, pretty actors who can't really act, etc. But in the last few months, everything changed. I've fallen for Chinese fantasy dramas. The Untamed , a low-budget BL drama based on an online novel that has become incredibly popular in China and abroad But I have not succumbed to this new genre without assistance! As it turns out, the magical norms of Lord of the Rings / Narnia / Harry Potter do not apply to Chinese fantasy, and while watching some new shows I was often confused -- and not by the translation. My Chinese husband had to explain a lot in the beginning, and I am here to tell you the secrets... How Heroes get their Magic (or, Who are Cultivators and what in the wo...

Longing to travel the world? Interested in teaching? Looking for a different, new adventure? It may have crossed your mind: What about teaching English in Asia…? Rural area of Zhejiang province You aren’t the only one. It’s incredibly easy to get a teaching job in several Asian countries, including China. All you need to apply is… -Be a native English speaker -Have a bachelor’s degree (any field) -Be willing to commit for a year -Have an “aptitude” for teaching (literally the wording they used on my first application) You do not have to speak the local language. You do not have to find your own housing. Your flight will be reimbursed upon the completion of your contract. You can literally just go. It’s the wanderlust dream of my generation. On top of that, many teaching jobs pay very well. Even if the salary doesn’t look like much in US dollars, it can go a long way in a place like China that has much lower living costs. I’ve been able to...

Having lived abroad for about five years now, I’ve encountered a few (understatement) preconceived ideas about me/people from my country. Recently I came across a book called “Survival Kit for Overseas Living” that actually lists the stereotypes many people from around the world hold about Americans. Fascinating! I then shared a partial list of these stereotypes on my Chinese social media to see what my international friends thought. (I should mention that I have friends from all over the world on that app, and the responses / these stereotypes do not exclusively represent the Chinese perspective.) I have now come up with a slightly modified list based on their comments. So without further ado, I’ll end the suspense and share it here: Americans are usually… -Friendly, outgoing -Optimistic -Casual -Loud -Rude -Hardworking -Aggressive, confrontational -Wasteful, extravagant -Confident -Uninformed, ignorant -Privileged -Impatient -Ge...