The second leg of my trip was spent in Western Australia. For those unfamiliar with Australian geography, WA is twice the size of Alaska, more than three times the size of Texas, more than ten times the size of the UK. And it is home to less than two and a half million people. If there…
I am currently travelling, and I’m dividing up my stories into three parts. Also, I have a new camera! I have finally replaced the one that died in Buatong Waterfall (Chiangmai) last July :) On April 26th, 2012, my maternal grandparents celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. Quite the achievement! I planned a trip home to…
This week the Spring weather suddenly came upon us here in Beijing. The daytime temperatures soared to 13, 15, 20 degrees! It’s finally warmer outside than inside! And the overnight temps are almost always above zero. It’s very exciting. My puffy coats are back in storage til next winter, which is a very lovely thing.…
I woke this morning to find a layer of wet, white snow on everything. Last night’s rain turned to snow around 11pm as the temperature dropped. Gotta love snow after a week of warm weather (warm meaning tops of 12 or so several days in a row). The drive to church was so pretty! The…
So I’ve taught my two classes for four weeks now. Life is really busy, and I’m seeing the stress on my body in the form of extra headaches. That said, I’m seeing so much good in being around the students more. They’re such an awesome bunch. And the double-time work is just for a short…
Recently I alluded to an upcoming change in my normal schedule. Now let me explain. I’ve talked about IAB before – the Christian international school in Beijing. I also mentioned that there have been some problems at the school this year, including the loss of some excellent teachers and a lot of students. For the…
Chinese new year in Beijing is something quite difficult to relate second-hand. It’s something I recommend experiencing in person! Yes, there are plenty of annoying things about it, but I enjoy it anyway. I arrived in China just after Chinese new year 2004 and I was out of the country for the start of 2005,…
I wasn’t going to do another what-I-did-this-week email so soon but, given recent developments, my schedule may be less typical for the rest of the semester. Last week was a short week because of Chinese New Year. Normal “work” included 2 singing lessons (with girls from youth group), 2 youth groups (a record of 50…
On the way to church this morning the taxi I was in had to travel by a circuitous route as the main expressway was closed. There was no explanation, just a guy with a police car and cones blocking the on-ramp. The driver and I both assumed that some dignitary was travelling that road in…
I am frequently asked what a “typical day” looks like for me. I never know what to say. It’s a legitimate question, and I appreciate the interest in what I do. While youth work is the most natural thing in the world to me, I understand that many of you have no idea how it…
I’m in Bangkok airport with a long layover before continuing on to the cold of Beijing. I’m actually looking forward to the winter weather. A little miffed that it snowed in Beijng 36 hours before my return, though! This was my 5th trip to Cambodia, so I’ve written about it before. (Like here, here and…
Last week I, along with best friend and youth pastor Christina, ran the first annual EPIC conference for TCKs. There were 60 people plus a bunch of parent volunteers who helped out over the three days. It was a great time and a fantastic start to what we hope is the first of many EPIC…
Stories From Tanya 