Last Saturday, I went to Dianshan Lake, an oasis right on the border of Shanghai and Suzhou. It was so nice to get away from the city and feel like you were in nature, and in some ways feel normal…
What it’s like to travel in China in 2020
We left Shanghai this past weekend, for the first time since arriving in March. Actually, that’s a lie. I left for a weekend in Moganshan back in May, which was a two-hour drive away into the mountains of Zhejiang. But…
Recovery
I am officially entering month 8 of surgery recovery. I feel like I lost an entire year of my life to my back. More than two years if I count the way my back limited me beforehand. I hate how…
What it means to start fresh in 2020
Next month, I am starting a new job. A part of me still doesn’t feel like it’s real – mostly because there are still so many steps in the bureaucratic process that I still have to get through. And I…
Plum Rain Season
It’s been raining in Shanghai for the last month. The thing about rain in Shanghai, is that no matter how often it rains (all the goddamn time), everyone acts as if they have never seen rain in their entire life….
What to write about when there is nothing to write about
Lately every single phone call home has been the same – “How are you?” “The same. Fewer people are wearing masks” “Here too”. “Okay, don’t get covid, love you bye’ It feels like we are stagnating here. Life in Shanghai…