Two important Chinese holidays were held this past week (Mid-Autumn Festival, a.k.a. Moon Festival, and National Holiday). I celebrated Mid-Autumn Festival by going to my friend Ellen’s apartment (she’s staying with a host family for the semester) and having dinner with her host family and some other friends. We even got to help her family make dumplings – they turned out pretty good! It was amazing getting to celebrate this traditional Chinese holiday with a Chinese family in their home. It felt a lot like a family gathering back home [...]

Today, Michael and I said our goodbyes to his mother and brother who were visiting Beijing.  They arrived last week on Thursday, and we’ve been running about the city everyday since.  It’s been great fun, and they’re really wonderful people.  Michael’s mother is a professor at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.  She’s been all over the world and once even lived in Thailand and India, so I’ve just adored hearing her stories and anticipating my own adventures as I too delve into academia. Here are a few photos from our week [...]