An American Expat in China

Life has been mostly uneventful since my last post.  There are a few things of note. I cut back on drinking substantially in an effort to lose weight. Over the course of 20 days I only had 2 drinks (a beer and a small glass of wine) and managed to lose the 2kilos I gained over my last vacation but cannot seem to get below 85kg.  On January 6th I went to the bank to apply for a credit card.  I took a walk on Lianhuashan (lotus mountain) afterward.  On January 9th I recorded a mitosis rap for my class. I wrote this rap in 2015 and haven't performed it since. I was far more appreciated by my Chinese students than it was by my US students.  I went to Shenzhen Bay Port on January 13th to register for the e-channel.   This way I don't have to get my passport stamped every time I leave and enter China.  They had a hard time recognizing me and thought I was some kind of imposter because I had a beard in my passport photo but I had recently shaved.  I...

My winter break took place between December 20th and January 1st.  I have made a point of going skiing eat least once a year every year since 2016.  This year, like last year, I went to northern China.  Unlike my trip to Lake Songhua Ski resort last year, this year I went to Yabuli Ski Resort.  Yabuli is even farther north than Songhua.  It is about a 3 hour drive outside of Harbin.   On December 20th I hopped on a plane to Harbin and then took a taxi to Yabuli.  I had arranged my trip through the same tour agency I had booked with last year so everything was already sorted.  My hotel was right beside the slopes and my reservation included lift passes. ski/equipment rentals, and clothing rentals.  I had brought my own clothing but made use of the rental equipment.   Yabuli was fun.  The temperature was between -20 and -30C (-4 to -22F) most of the time with wind.  The accommodation, trails, and snow conditions were ho...