I arrived in Shanghai last night around 9pm. After an overwhelming experience at the Hangzhou train station (which felt more like an airport terminal, but without any English anywhere), we finally boarded the bullet train. This train went up to about 330km/hr— around 205mph!!!! So, the train from Hangzhou to Shanghai was only about an hour long… and we even got to sit down! I am feeling incredibly grateful for the friends I have made on this trip. Without Marc (and his Man

Heat/ Fatigue / Loss of Appetite With a constant heat index of over 100 degrees (today it is 117), it is hard to survive when you’re not used to it. I find myself sleeping in as late as possible, just to avoid the first half of the day. It’s safe to say that my depression has been triggered here-- between the heat, the fatigue, and loss of appetite that the heat brings with it. I am not someone who gets hot easily, but here it’s impossible to walk outside for even 5 minutes

In any profession, we are thankful for the weekend. Teaching at a boarding school, and living with my students/coworkers for 2 years, I feel I am especially thankful for the weekend… It’s the only time I can actually leave work (if it’s a weekend I’m not working of course…). Here in Hangzhou, I don’t think I have ever been more thankful for the weekend in my life. Monday through Friday I wake up abnormally early because of jet lag, and have a good 3 hours to kill between br

I have officially made it through week 1 in Hangzhou, China. The program I am working for is an absolute nightmare, and I wouldn't recommend any teacher to sign up. However, instead of getting into those details (which I have already complained far too much about to Fitz… Thank you!!!), I want to just talk about China, and how much I actually love exploring here. China is a funny place, because some parts are so over-the-top-city, covered in grey smog, tall buildings and kno

I have been in Hangzhou since Sunday morning around 1am… Traveling since Friday when Adam dropped me off at the airport around 2:30pm. I still haven’t beaten the jet-lag… I woke up at 3 in the morning and have been up since. Luckily, my “hotel room,” which is more like a fancy studio apartment, has a balcony that looks out over a lovely scene of construction and more hotels, and in the distance you can see the city skyline… sort of… through the smog. The days here in Hangzh