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2025 on Tumblr: Trends That Defined the Year
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let's talk about Bridgerton tea, my ask is open
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@thisamericanteacher
I’ve been asked to post a picture of Oliver and I together but I don’t have one! I’m always behind the camera so there aren’t any pictures of him and I together. I’ll try to take a selfie of us and put it up. That’s hard because he hates getting his picture taken.
This is my dog, Oliver! He’s 11 years old now but has a birthday in October.This was taken a few years ago but he hasn’t changed much.
Finally got around to getting a bike; so far so good.
Well, that was easy.
You just learned 8 Chinese words in the cutest way possible.
When TED speaker ShaoLan Hsueh tried to teach her children Chinese, she realized just how hard it is for new learners to grasp. So she created a series of illustrations to make the beautiful, often complex characters easier to remember. It makes learning Chinese … wait for it … Chineasy.
Try Chineasy for yourself and watch her full talk here »
Do you also wonder what people in China do with the pictures they take of you?
Meeting in the Middle turned 1 today!
What a difference a year makes.
Day 2 in Beijing was full on bilk the tourist day; um, I mean sightseeing day. We grabbed a tour deal that turned out to be too good to be true. On the other hand, my traveling companion was so good at negotiating and so determined not to be swindled too much, that mostly the trip just left a bad taste in my mouth. This is the second bad experience with organized tours in China and I'm inclined to dissuade anyone from using one should they visit China. On the other hand, leaving the transportation to experienced drivers may make up for the aggravation. May. Nope. Come to think of it, no it wouldn't.
Anyhow, we did get to see a couple of things we wouldn't have got to otherwise. Our first stop was a freshwater pearl store where we weren't permitted to take pictures. Lots of pretty pearls. You'll just have to take my word for it.
Our second stop was a tea house. Definite tourist trap. And despite the tour guide's insistence we didn't have to buy anything we sure did get the heavy sell. It must be where car dealers go for training.
We sampled some tea and learned about the health benefits of various kinds. While the tea was delicious, I'm inclined to stick to plain old green and black teas.
Tienanmen Square in Beijing.
I wasn't particularly impressed. The giant portrait of Chairman Mao on the front was neat, but otherwise it was a space enclosed by walls with a ton of construction going on. Why should I have been surprised by the construction? The entire country of China is under construction.
We arrived late in the afternoon. It was hot. I was exhausted from walking 4,000 miles (okay, that may be a slight exaggeration). There was nothing to see. There was so much not to see that I decided to forgo sightseeing on my own during my third day in Beijing.
I see all these really cool places on other people's blogs or on news sites and think I should have visited, but the reality was, I was exhausted from a two week push to give final exams, get grades done, pack, and clean the apartment. All I really wanted was to board a plane and fly back to America.
That said, I'm glad I spent the time in Beijing. It certainly gave me a new perspective on not only China, but my own ten-month experience as well.
I'm having trouble sitting down doing one or two long posts about Beijing so I've decided to do one photo at a time... and apparently drag this out for forever. This photo was taken from a bridge we traversed during an exceptionally long walk through the city looking for Tienanmen Square. Beijing is a beautiful, modern, clean, sophisticated, culturally diverse city that wasn't nearly as polluted as I expected. Which may mean that Gongyi was even more polluted than I thought. Certainly it is a garbage dump compared to Beijing.
Hi, I am a 19 year old French student. I am studying in a field I hate and feel constantly drown by (the way it is taught in my town), I double my second year, but I can't change for now. I know what I want to do, and know that I'll have to move to the UK or the US, which I am terrified of (for several reasons). How did you manage to live far from home, in a place you didn't know a lot about? Thank you.
Skype! Talking to my mom and seeing my dog twice a week really helped me to feel not so alienated from life at home. I was rarely homesick, but I did miss my dog a lot and being able to see him, and talking to mom about normal home stuff, helped me feel grounded. One of the great things about China was that it wasn't home. I loved the adventure of living in a place so different than home. There wasn't a lot of western influence where I was, and spending a few days in Beijing showed me that had I been in a more westernized part of China I would have had a very different (probably easier) experience. By the time I left, it was not knowing the language that was the biggest issue, and the biggest reason I wanted to leave. I'm not sure I answered your question, but I guess I can sum it up with, I just took it one day at a time and tried to appreciate everything and the experience in general as much as possible. That was sometimes a difficult attitude to have, but when I could appreciate both China and the experience for what it was, life was not only easier but I was happier. I hope that helps. If you have any other questions, please ask. And good luck. I hope you get to do what you want to do, even if it does mean moving. Facing fears can be liberating.
Hi, I wanted to know what you had to do to get your English teaching job. Did you need special certification or anything? Thanks.
Hi. I have no certifications and the school at where I taught does not require them. Some schools do. Chenggong does require that you have at least a Bachelor's degree, but it can be in anything. All I did was email copies of my degrees, passport, and resume. I'm happy to answer any other questions, so ask away if you have them.
Computer problems are making pictures a problem. But, caught the launching of two hot air balloons tonight, up close and personal. Was driving over a bridge, saw a balloon on its side, drove down into the park, and there they were, blowing them up and launching them into the beautiful blue sky. Amazing. Gotta do that one of these days, and soon. Life is too short to put off the things you want to do.
I was at the zoo yesterday and heard a mom tell her young son that he couldn't pee outside because there were people around.
I laughed.
This is America.
I've spent the last week eating.
I have an almost fearful reaction to Chinese food. Mom went out for Chinese food with a friend and brought some home. "Here, do you want to taste the (sweet and sour) sauce?" I nearly retched at the mere suggestion. I think I shall never eat Chinese food again in my life.
What I have not done is post pictures from the Beijing tourism stopover I made before coming back to the States. Stay tuned and check in again. One of these days, soon too, I will get my photos and thoughts together on the educational and enlightening few days I spent in the big city.
First though I need to have a slice of the peach pie I made this afternoon. Yum. I love American food.
Cloak of invisibility
A dog is the perfect cloak of invisibility. People stare at him instead of me.
Exchanging hellos with people on our walk today I realized the difference between here and China. Here people are being friendly and polite. In China people are being friendly and polite and practicing their one word of English on the escaped circus freak.
Culture Shock? Pah!
They say that readjusting to life in your home country can be worse than the culture shock of a new country.
Other than being amazed that I can read street signs and menus, it feels like I never left.
Friday morning class number two: Freshmen Financial Management majors.
