Vanishing Shanghai
November 2, 2014
Shanghai has been unseasonably warm this fall. Yesterday was the first of November, yet I was still strolling around the city in a t-shirt and a scarf. Days of rain had subsided, and I went for a stroll with a friend. It was still somewhat overcast, combined with pollution made for a rather interesting mood. We walked to the Jing’an…
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Ordinary Life
October 9, 2014
It was a rather ordinary day here in Shanghai. I struggled out of bed at 6am and went to work. It was the 2nd week in a row of beautiful weather, so I took note of the clear Shanghai skyline from my 25th floor office, with floor to ceiling windows. It was an ordinary day. I did my work, but…
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Posh Corps Shanghai
October 7, 2014
Today is the last day of October break; what a whirlwind of a week it has been! I put my girls in a taxi to the airport this morning, and am now sitting at a café reflecting, and taking in this blissful week. On their last evening, we experienced a classic night of Shanghai outing, completed with bar hopping, street food,…
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28 Gratitude
September 9, 2014
It is with immense gratitude that I welcome another new year of my life. Within merely 36 hours, I traveled 8,237 miles from St. Louis to Shanghai, caught up with friends who have been in my life for over a decade, as well as celebrated this milestone with new friends whom I’ve met over these past two years. In between, flurries…
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Home Again
September 5, 2014
Amongst my travels, people seem to be the most impressed by my stint in Cameroon with the Peace Corps. People often asked, “What was it like adjusting to the culture?” Surely, something so different would have been massively difficult. Yet what most people don’t realize is that moving to a village in Cameroon where I didn’t speak the language was…
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California Surprises
August 25, 2014
Last year, during my trip to Cali, I discovered my love for mountains. I love the surprises that the mountain tops reveal after a good climb. After being trapped in the concrete jungle of Shanghai for the past few months, I was dying for a good climb. This afternoon, my sister and I got in a car and headed for…
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San Francisco Beauty
August 24, 2014
This summer, I’m back in the Bay Area again for work. Last year, I was in the area for about a month, yet didn’t spend much time in San Francisco. This year, my sister was visiting over the weekend, and I played tourist with her. San Francisco is a small and manageable city; we were able to see most things…
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24hr Vacay
July 20, 2014
Recently, I’ve been getting back into running. I’m not a good runner by any means, but I enjoy the process. I enjoy the meditative nature of zoning out to music and having time totally to myself. Since being introduced to Runnershai, a running group in Shanghai, I’ve been going to the Tuesday night run when I can. Recently, the group…
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China Cameroon Connection in Luoyang
June 9, 2014
In August 2008, I visited Bafoussam, the provincial city of Cameroon’s West Province for the first time. A volunteer whom I would replace, showed me around this city that is a 30-min bush taxi ride from our village. This is where I could bank, buy essentials, and splurge on good meals. He mentioned that there is a Chinese store, and led me there. That was the first time...
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Shanghai Social Run
May 20, 2014
A relatively new co-worker of mine is really into running, and has been trying to get the office to join in on various runs around town. I’m not a serious runner, but I do enjoy the occasional jog. I used to run a lot more when I lived in places where air quality was less of a concern. In London,…
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