One hundred and ninety-two hours.

Or 11520 seconds.

Or eight days.

That is how long before my next weekend. Our band of merry teachers must work eight days straight this week. May 1 thru 7 is the national holiday for international labour day (May 1). As is the case with most holidays in China, employees are required to work extra days to make up for the time incurred by the holiday. 

i need sleep

It’s painful, but there are seven, unmolested days of rest at the end of the eight day stretch. More than my co-workers that had six weeks off for the winter break (I had 4 days) I really need a holiday. My lao po and I had planned on going to Thailand for a few days on the beach. Fate, that quirky bitch that makes it her lot to create misery in my existence, has dictated Thailand is out of the question.

Why? Read the full story

I won’t lie; I miss giant, North American-sized appliances. After two years in the Middle Kingdom I am sick of small things. Microscopic dogs, tiny sandwiches, and itty-bitty apartments, can drive you to the brink of insanity. Add to this less-than-adequately-sized appliances and you start to feel like a big laowai in a very little pond.

When I lived alone I had few problems. My fridge was my own. It held beer, cold cuts, cheese and the condiments needed to consume the previously listed items. The dastardly icebox stands five-feet high and is 24 inches wide. This would seem ample room, until you add a wife to the equation.My refrigerator now holds items I cannot name in English or Chinese. There are condiments so hot that even looking at the bottles requires protective eyewear. Trying to jam these items and my stock of foreigner basics into one, cooled box can present problems.

At the local appliance superstore I saw a gleaming, stainless steel fridge. I was broad and sturdy. It had an ice maker in the door and was the diameter of an ancient redwood. I nearly wept when my gaze fell accidentally on the marvel of engineering. Who knew there was such a beast in China? It was almost worth the three months salary. It could replace the television, I told myself, it was far more interesting.

Luckily, the women that packs my formerly bachelor refrigerator with questionable Chinese delicacies was on-hand and dragged my away before my wallet rose above the horizon of my pocket.

Married life, sharing essentially, something I failed in kindergarten, is not easy. If I could base a fridge buying argument on that truth perhaps I could justify the purchase?

Perhaps not. The fridge is too large to fit in my kitchen. There’s only room in the bedroom and I think someone would draw the line at that.

April 21, 2007, 7:27 am, Shenzhen, Guangdong, PRC.

A nice uniform. I blame the Americans and their marching band madness for this young lad’s ridiculous get up. Why, I ask myself, Why?! In a country with a long and proud heritage why is there a need to dress young people like Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band?

A rare glimpse of a blue sky in Shenzhen, Guangdong, PRC.

Nathan Road, Hong Kong SAR, March 2007.