drawing in chalk

I just wanted to share with you an extra story from my month. The other week our office had a charity day – we spent the morning at two foster homes, playing with kids and helping clean windows etc. This is something the company does four times a year. The morning concludes with the staff…

Magnolias at the Summer Palace

Tanya’s Crazy April

Hi everybody! It’s been over a month since my last update and a LOT has changed in that time. April is the one and only month of Spring we get in China so there are dramatic changes in weather and scenery. During April I… went to the Summer Palace for a digital camera scavenger hunt with…

I have a new apartment!

Thanks for all the prayers and well-wishes! I wanted to share my good news with you all :) I found a place! It’s much bigger than I need but I can afford it and there is so much about it that I love! I spoke to my new landlord this morning and will move in…

a BIG change

Hi everyone, As I’d told you before, I have been running the youth ministry at BICF over the past 6 months while a new youth pastor was found and hired and moved to Beijing. The new guy and his wife arrived last night and we’re having a welcome party for them tomorrow night. YAY!!! I’m…

Summing up 2007

Wow! It’s almost Christmas again! It creeps up on me so quickly here. It’s hard to remember that it’s Christmas when it’s not the end of the school year. It doesn’t quite feel right. Anyway, here’s a short summary of my year. It’s been a crazy one! I spent New Year’s Eve with friends in…

random China photo

Tanya’s World – Nov/Dec 2007

Hi everyone! So I’ve been meaning to write an update for over a month… but then again I’ve also been sick for over a month. I got a cold just as I was recovering from my camp cold and I’ve been close enough to house bound for the past ten days or so. I’ve been…

Ever heard of a lock-in?

So I am writing this email from my bedroom. That’s not hugely unusual. What is unusual is that my computer got to my bedroom through the balcony window. Odd, I grant you. The computer came through the window because my flatmate passed it to me through the living room window, over the 7 storey gap,…

Crazy Changes in the Land of Tanya

Hi everyone! If you’re not planning to read this, you might want to skip to the last paragraph for some biggish news. (If you’re new to my odd little updates, what with having moved half way across the world to a city so transient that half my friends leave every year, I find it hard…

Pondering some exposed wiring...

Back in Beijing!!

Hello from Beijing, everyone! So, before I forget, a note about my updates. This goes to over 200 people now, and I don’t expect that you all actually read them all! I know I write copious amounts, and I doubt you all have time to read them all! There is a catch, however – no…

reflections on Houhai

Last update before I go on holiday!

Hi again, I’ve been doing good with the updates this month, huh? This is three in a month! Go me! Then again, I also do not have a job, youth ministry is winding down for the year, and there have been lots of end-of-year events to take cool pictures at, so that explains it. So!…

June Update

Hi everyone! Well, here is the update email I have promised a bunch of you! Complete with photos and stories from the last two weeks. Well, not so much this week as the busy week that preceded it. So let us go back to Friday, May 25 th… In the afternoon I went to the graduation…