When I wrote my “foreigner favourite” Chinese food post I didn’t expect it to be so popular! So I asked people which of their favourites I’d missed. While I wasn’t able to include all of them, here are some of YOUR favourite Chinese dishes.
To learn language well means going beyond translating English thoughts into Chinese, instead expressing myself in wholly Chinese thoughts – to see the world through that lens. To not be chained to “front” as “future” and “behind” as “past”.
He was short and wiry and wrinkled, wearing loose clothes and a cloth cap. He looked like a peasant grandfather, the kindly type who smile a lot. As it turned out, Mr Zhao was nothing like I initially assumed.
I bought a one-way plane ticket out of China. There’s something so FINAL about having paid for a plane ticket, about having a concrete date. About knowing exactly how much time I have left here. I suspect that’s why I put it off so long.
Two of the first characters Chinese children are taught to write in school are 上 and 下. Both words are used all day, every day, in many different ways. 上 is on, over, above, up; 下 is under, below, down. But wait, there’s more!
These are dishes foreigners learn to order soon after arriving. I’ve avoided highlighting them as many miss out on the other awesome food in China. But I give in – they are pretty yummy, and many of you who have left China miss them.
My fourth year in China was hard, but it was a pivot point. I learned more about what I wanted from life. In some ways it was the end of youthful angst. My attitude was shifting, and my direction in life becoming more clear.
Yumen Scenic Area is in the desert about 90km (55mi) northwest of Dunhuang and was my favourite spot in the area. The remnants of wall still visible are over 2,000 years old; I was astounded by how much remains after centuries of erosion.
I was surprised at all the emotions stirred in me my when my flight landed in Beijing. I’m back – but I’m not staying. I’m home – but it won’t be my home for much longer. As I looked down I realised that I am about to become home-less.
The Cameron Highlands, about 200km north of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, has lots of tea estates and strawberry farms – the two most famous products of the area. I didn’t try the tea, but the strawberries were delicious!
17 days ago I received some terrible news. A girl from my youth group had passed away overnight. She was a beautiful girl, a beautiful person, and she will be missed. It’s been a long fortnight for me. I have been exhausted – mind, body and soul.
My third year in China had highs and lows, but I wasn’t going through the tumult alone. And while there was pain, challenge, disappointment, stress and strain – it was all laying a foundation for who I would be in the years that followed.
Stories From Tanya 