Values vs. Re-adjusting

Lately I’ve been feeling like there is some disconnect between me and many of the people I know in Janesville, WI, where I live now. I couldn’t place the cause of it or even define precisely what it was. But then an old friend from school, who herself is from Taiwan, left a comment on [...]

Beijing 2008 in Wisconsin

It’s just a normal day for my colleagues. The biggest thing in the news is Brett Favre’s trade to the NY Jets. But today is 8-8-08! The Beijing Olympics opening ceremony is taking place right now! They couldn’t care less. For me, it’s a series of sighs. Five years in China. Five years listening to [...]

The Ethnocentricity of the Holidays

Around Chinese New Year I would often be asked by Chinese friends whether I’d go home for the holiday and what my family would do for it. At first I was a little taken aback by these questions. “Um,” I would reply, “Americans don’t celebrate Chinese New Year. If I went home all my family [...]

Egalitarian Haircut

I was at the haircutters today and got to thinking about the job of a haircutter. In China* this job is pretty low on the social hierarchy and people who do this job tend to stay pretty low on the social hierarchy their entire lives.
In the US this job, at least to me, doesn’t seem [...]

American Midwest and Chinese Hinting-hua

Real examples from my own experience:
American Midwest:
“I guess the newspaper will be here by now.”
Translation: “Go get the newspaper.”
Chinese:
“I wonder what’s in the news today.”
Translation: “Go get the newspaper.”
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Tags China, American Midwest, Language, Hinting