CHINA
Country Overview:
“Love the food, hate the government”
I arrived in China in May 2013 and left August 2020. I taught English for awhile, did my master’s of politics & foreign policy at Tsinghua University, worked for a year at China Today, and then two years at Xinhua News Agency. I spent most of my time in Beijing, but also traveled to Shanghai, Wuhan, Inner Mongolia, Shenzhen, Panjin, Guangzhou, Tianjin, Qingdao, Xi’an, Sanya, Macau, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.
The family I spent Christmas with got me a painting of the Plaza de Armas here in Arequipa
I couldn’t have been happier to tear away the wrapping paper to reveal such a great piece of art.
Everyday for the last 3 months, through my 2nd story window, I have been saying hi to the cute neighbor who lives next to my school. I’m guessing she’s upper 20’s, but with Peruvians, it’s difficult to tell. On the last day of class, my students suggested I give her my number. Thinking quickly, I scribbled it on a piece of paper, folded it up into an airplane, and sent it sailing over to her patio. Guess who’s got a date tonight? Moral of the story: Paper airplanes serve a purpose after all.