LAST photos from China.

Posted on February 22, 2017 by theatrejunkiehm2012

Here are the last of the photos from my 18-month-stint in Zhongshan, Guangdong, China. NEXT: Chile!

: Happy New Year!

: And New Year’s means EVERYTHING in the shops is RED!

: I mean EVERYTHING.

: SEE?

: Korean BBQ.

: Tekbokki!!

: Me in my cheongsam

: The high school I taught at turned 260 years old.

: Kai Yin primary school.

: The science garden of Kai Yin.

: At our year-end dinner…

: Map of a city during a lesson.

: Zhongshan as seen from the top of Lihe Plaza.

: The garden of my complex, seen from the 116th floor.

: Mmm mmm! Dried duck neck!

: Look!

: These…are…fruit. Yeah.

: Party favour from co-worker’s wedding.

: Some of the beauty products are really cute…

: …and some are unsettling. Skin bleaching is common in China.

: Taro – purple sweet potato – latte.

: Spicy fish paste for squeezing onto nori.

Photos from China: RAIN

Posted on June 27, 2016 by theatrejunkiehm2012

In may snails post, I mistakenly said it appeared Zhongshan’s rainy season was nearly over. BWA HA HA.

Apologies for the picture being on its side — I turned my Android for the filming, but it didn’t follow me.

Photos from China: Food and Drink

Gallery

Posted on June 22, 2016 by theatrejunkiehm2012

This gallery contains 16 photos.

Photos from China: WARNING. SNAILS.

Posted on June 22, 2016 by theatrejunkiehm2012

Lots and lots of snails. We’re coming to the end of Zhongshan’s wet season (or one of many), and I’ve seen dozens of snails out every day, everywhere. And butterflies as big as my hand. One hummingbird, one lizard (both too fast for my camera).

And…a squirrel. Yeah.

: I logically know how they do this, but it’s so WEIRD to see.

: On the fence of the middle school I teach at.

: Butterfly-to-be.

: HI!

: Small snail, big snail. On a Wall.

: I’m pretty sure these two are…gettin’ it on?

: This is ONE FLOWER from a tree in our garden.

: One of our neighbourhood cats. She recently had kittens.

: That’s a snail…and that’s the toe of my shoe.

: Close-up of THE tiniest snail I’ve ever seen.

Photos from China: Seeing where food comes from.

Posted on March 13, 2016 by theatrejunkiehm2012

For International Women’s Day, our school’s staff went on an outing to a fruit farm just outside Zhongshan. In Alberta, Canada, you see canola and wheat. Here, in a subtropical zone, you can see, and immediately EAT, these:

: Sunflower!

: Photo by my co-worker Vicky.

: STARFRUIT TREE!

: The farm’s owner picked this starfruit just for me, and asked to take my photo with it.

: Closeup of the ripest starfruit I’ve ever seen. At home they’re usually tiny, and green.

: TOMATOES.

: Not sure…sadly, not ripe enough to try.

: Green dates! They tasted like mealy apples.

: Me eating starfruit. Juice all over my face, hands, and shirt.

: Field of dragonfruit.

: Closer on dragonfruit plant — don’t they like cacti?

: That’s a BANANA TREE!

: Papaya tree.

: Fresh. Cut. Papaya. Indescribable.

: A very attractive photo of me masticating on a piece of newly cut SUGAR CANE.

: Watchdog!

: And THEN, we had dinner.

: All the meat. ALL.

: This is meant to cool you down during smoky barbecues. Vanilla flavoured chrysanthemum milk won’t replace beer for me.

Chinese New Year, IN China! Part 3: Zhongshan Flower Fair

Posted on February 11, 2016 by theatrejunkiehm2012

I was very kindly invited to New Year’s dinner by the family of Becky, one of my middle-school students. Before dinner, though, Becky’s mother had to get some new flowers. THIS is the Flower Fair.