珍珠奶茶 – Pearl Milk Tea (with red bean!) Living abroad feels a lot like being a baby. I’m inordinately proud of the stupidest things for absolutely no good reason. Kind of how people gawk at toddlers for taking a few steps…
Never drink the tap water and 4 other things I learned on my first day in Shanghai
1. I broke the no. 1 rule about visiting China just one day in. I accidentally drank the tap water – a decision I regretted almost immediately. The next few hours were markedly unpleasant, largely because my stomach has much…
My 24-hour United nightmare, or how I finally got to Shanghai
Things that went wrong with my flight to Shanghai Would it be unfair to say everything? I think there was something to my bad omens about Shanghai. Having a shouting match at 3am in Laguardia with the United check-in lady, who…
Frat houses, America, and my downward-facing dog
It feels almost fitting that I will spend my last few days at Yale living in a frat house. So here I am, living out my final two nights in New Haven, sleeping on the fourth floor of ∑AE, which…
Paris est pour les amants
Four years ago, I spent a magical summer in Paris, capturing memories in a long-forgotten blog. Every Thursday, I’ll post my favorite entries from that blog. This is reprinted from 7-4-10. So now I know why they call Paris…
My life in two suitcases
I’m going insane trying to pack. When I found out a few weeks ago that United was going to charge me $100 to check in a second bag (seriously, who does that?), I took that as a challenge. Get 22…
Paris without a map
Four years ago, I spent a magical summer in Paris, capturing memories in a long-forgotten blog. Every Thursday, I’ll post my favorite entries from that blog. This is reprinted from 7-7-10. Today, I decided to be brave and face…
maria and macaroni
I miss carbs. Ever since the gastronomical nightmare that was my last trip to China (thinking about all of the unidentifiable things I put into my mouth to appease old Chinese women still makes me cringe), I’ve been trying to…
My last hours in Boston and encounters with complete strangers
I didn’t think my trip to Boston would end in tears on the stoop of a house at 5am on a Sunday morning. But there I was, mascara running over my red eyes, half in delirium from sleeping less than two…
Cultural Barriers
Four years ago, I spent a magical summer in Paris, capturing memories in a long-forgotten blog. Every Thursday, I’ll post my favorite entries from that blog. This is reprinted from 7-8-10. The average French man differs significantly from the…