CHINA

Here are all my pics from the first three weeks in China. I'm in the south east corner, across from Taiwan in Nanping, Fujian.

Weekly awards at one of the kindergartens where I'm teaching (and living next to)

Cuties!

My swanky new apartment.

I had to unwrap all the appliances, including the toilet seat, as I am the first person to live here!

These fish reminded me of the Yin/Yang symbol

WuYi Mountain - a popular tourist destination near where I live

Bloody Bamboo

I remember this was one of those meals that was so fulfilling, especially to the heart, that my eyes started tearing up. Have you ever had a meal so good you started to cry? I've only experienced that with Chinese food and Italian food, maybe Japanese too.

Water test from the kitchen sink in my apartment.

25 PPM is EXTREMELY clean, probably cleaner than a lot of bottled water available.

One of the many experiences I've had in three weeks that makes me think China has changed enormously in just three years.

Howbout that air quality!
I must be in one of the best regions in the country.

Really hot and humid though.

Best. Fruit. Ever.

Google translate calls it a "gooseberry fruit"

it's basically a not-hairy kiwi that has a pink center

#cleanshaven #pinkcenter #fruitisfemale #evenbananas

Traditional Chinese breakfast at my hotel the first few days.

REALLY good. One of my favorite breakfasts, it's basically 80% healthy simple vegetarian food, with the reminder being sweet soy milk and fried dough. Perfect way to start the day. Like all Chinese food, you have to think about it in terms of eating the same thing every day for many decades, not just having it once then trying another food; that's not how it has evolved over thousands of years...Sure Western breakfast is more elegant and pretty and delicious, but this is sustainable (by definition, as it hasn't changed in who knows how many centuries/millennia and still is great!)

One of the many feasts I was treated to with my coworkers for the first few days. As always I was completely distracted by the little angels running around

Boston/Cape Cod '18

I've already left the U.S. to teach kindergarten full-time in China, and was too lazy to post all these photos until now, hope someone enjoys them.

First glance at the U.S. after a year and a half;

so damn pretty! 

Boston Common.

The majority of other people I saw walking around here were Chinese tourists (or immigrants more likely) with innocent smiles on their faces taking selfies. They probably have no knowledge or understanding of the history of these revolutionary heroes. What's worse; the people who DO have knowledge (and probably NOT understanding) have no problem letting their country fall into the rubbish bin without contest over many decades. This has been going on since before I was born for sure. I remember in the 5th grade I learned about the founding fathers, and then I enacted that same part of history in the lunchroom, and was promptly suspended by my teachers and the principal. This is merely my story from my perspective, do with it what you will.

Apparently each of these subway stops has a handicapped person waiting to greet you 😜😄

Turkeys everywhere...

Eggplant Parmigiana at Gina's by the Sea

From the Whydah pirate museum, apparently one of the most authentic and expansive pirate museum in existence today. 

Possibly the oldest Masonic artifact in existence.

Did you know that I am a free mason?

It's not fake news I promise 😁😎

ISKCON Boston

the only ISKCON where I wasn't the only white person

Using the 5th known state of matter, "super-critical" these guys put carbon dioxide in a chamber at very high pressures, 5,000 PSI or so, to make hop and cannabis oil extract! So cool! #science

Provincetown and Cape Cod with friends

Lobster Savannah

The stuffing inside the lobster was insanely delicious

My Brazilian ESL students 

Really loved being a teacher here Tuesday/Thursday

Free homemade Brazilian food!

Highlights include; yuca (the tastiest potato-like vegetable I've had) and passion-fruit mousse.

Saw this walking around Allston, beautiful example of the polarization destroying the U.S.

I simply see it as karma; we have earned everything that happens in our lives. After understanding that wisdom, the next phase is simply accepting it with grace and detachment.

This is one of the highest state offices in one of the highest buildings in the center of Boston. I came here to authenticate my documents to get a Chinese work visa. This is probably one of the oldest and most magnificent stamping machine in the U.S. Guess what they didn't use at all. The "authentication process" of the "State of Massachusetts" was some intern barely glancing at my documents and putting a $0.25 fake gold stamp on them.

Midgees!

DATS WAISIS!

#nostalgia

I love my students

and they love me!

The way he expresses this truth using simple and plain language that any child can understand does not mean that he is simple or childish, it means he is a genius. If you don't understand this, then you are not capable of leading or following, and it's best you get out of the way.

Cape Cod with Milly, a Chinese New-Yorker I met in Thailand

Hokum Rock in Dennis, MA is many tens of millions of years old.

#dope

WHY WOULD ANYONE MANUFACTURE OR BUY SUCH A STUPID THING!!!

Best Oysters of all the Oysters

#rockefeller

New addition to the Cape Cod rail trail

Seen a lot of cute dogs in America, and even more humans wildly obsessed with dogs, in a fanatic religious kind of way (they'll never admit that), but these two pups were the ONLY dogs I saw in America cute enough to validate taking pictures of. It's no coincidence that their owner is a gay man in Provincetown. The cleanliness of the American gay man is only outdone by a Japanese person, especially an elderly male sushi chef.

I was super surprised to see a successful altar here, in the middle of nowhere on a bike path.