Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Recent Comments:
Band on the Run: Trippin' in O'Hare Airport {Gadling}
Aug 21st 2007 11:36PM P.S. It took me ten minutes to figure out what POTUS meant. I am SOOO Canadian!
Band on the Run: Trippin' in O'Hare Airport {Gadling}
Aug 21st 2007 11:35PM Hey everyone,
Yup, I don't really have an opinion about whether the reports were lies or truth. In fact, they were most likely a mix of both, as with all information! I was simply recounting what my friend said to me (who isn't insane, by the way, but definitely opinionated -- a reason I love her, even if I don't always agree with her!) and I really appreciate all the feedback here, regardless of tone.
I'm especially sorry that you found my writing rude, Kathy, because I truly wasn't intending for it to be. I suppose, like my friend, you're entitled to your opinion here about my delivery. Please let me know if you ever think my writing is rude in the future because it will be a great learning tool for how to convey my thoughts without offending people.
I am a travel writer because I'm a traveller. I appreciate this forum to express what it's like to be a traveller FOR ME, but I can only express that. My journey is mine. Everyone else has a different one. That's what makes travelling so interesting.
Thanks for reading and for commenting!
Ember
Chinese Buffet - Part 15: Suzhou Museum & Gardens {Gadling}
Aug 20th 2007 5:51AM Hey there. What a cool way to experience something that I also experienced: through someone else's eyes. My trip to Suzhuo wasn't as productive as yours, but thanks to you I have finally seen some of the gardens!
Thanks!
(Link to my trip: http://www.gadling.com/2007/05/03/a-canadian-in-beijing-suzhous-hidden-gardens/)
The Dangers of Street Food: Cardboard Pork Rolls Discovered in Beijing {Gadling}
Jul 16th 2007 5:05PM AHHHHH~~ I so hope that my favourite baozi maker wasn't part of this cardboard movement! (cough, cough, wretch!)
A Canadian in Beijing: Floating at Bloody Sunday {Gadling}
May 31st 2007 8:36AM Hi Lou,
No, I have no idea why it's called "Bloody Sunday" and, as usual, I failed to ask the most obvious question! Oh well, I'll send an email off to Pauline and see what she says.
A Canadian in Beijing: Naked Baby Bums Everywhere! {Gadling}
May 22nd 2007 12:48AM Hello everyone. I am the author of this post and I seem to have given everyone the wrong impression of China and (specifically) Beijing.
I have officially NEVER seen a child defecate in public, although I'm sure it happens. Many of you have assumed that human waste is everywhere in this city and that is simply not the case. I have been told by my Chinese friends that when a child defecates in a place that isn't a restroom, parents DO clean it up.
They must, because I have likewise NEVER seen evidence of a child having defecated, i.e. leftover kiddie poo on the sidewalk, for example. In fact, after six weeks, I cannot even recall seeing any feces (from any creature) on the ground or in public spaces. That's a lot more than I can say for North America where parks are often FULL of dog droppings. I was well-trained as a child to look down when walking on any public grass!
Speaking of training, I have been told by several sources that Chinese children learn how to use facilities much sooner than North American children and perhaps it's related to this technique. Here in China, a child learns early that to relieve oneself, he or she must perform a squatting action, which is in-line with what one must do in the toilets here (i.e the Chinese squat toilet design.) In North America, children learn that relieving oneself can happen unconsciously because someone will eventually change their diapers for them. Trying to instill a consciousness about going to the bathroom after two or three years of wearing diapers is quite possibly what takes so much time. Just a thought!
Finally, I have so much respect for the Chinese culture and people and I learn something new every day. Sometimes these new learnings are surprising to me (like this one!), but I always assume that such an ancient and thriving culture has something to teach me and not the other way around.
- Ember Swift
A Canadian in Beijing: Naked Baby Bums Everywhere! {Gadling}
May 18th 2007 10:19PM Lou,
The fact that the kids make messes everywhere is the point - the don't wear diapers and the families just expect them to squat and go wherever they are. That makes for quite a lot of messes, of course, and it's amazing to me that this just the way it is done.
I don't think they poop on your lap, though, because they're at least trained to squat and go and if one is sitting then it's really hard to squat. So, they'd probably get off your lap or stand up in the car or something. Still, maybe kids are also let their parents know when they have to go so that at least they can pull the car over? Let's hope, or else there would be a huge market for upholstery cleaner here in China!
I'm sure there's a lot of kids who wet themselves too. Maybe Chinese Moms and Dads carry a lot of extra pants around with them?! Those gaps are pretty wide, though, so it's possible that nothing ever actually gets on the clothes.
Good questions!
A Canadian in Beijing: The Inevitability of Karaoke {Gadling}
May 18th 2007 10:02PM Hi Hank - Sorry to hear that this blog is losing your interest. I hope you find another blog to grab it.
A Canadian in Beijing: A Must Do = A Shidu Picnic {Gadling}
May 8th 2007 12:52AM Hi there -- Such great comments. Thank you! Well, first of all, Lou, there are holes in the plastic balls to both let the water out and the air in! So, no fear there!!
And re: smog and blue skies. I find that weekends and holidays are always more blue because they have shut down the factories. Often the sky is blue in the morning and then grey in the afternoon on working days.
You might find it interesting that one thing lacking here are sporadic clouds like we have at home. The Beijing sky is either completely blue (because the wind has blown away the pollution and also the clouds) or it's completely grey (or smog-filled). I haven't seen almost any clouds in Beijing, which has been quite odd for me.
Feel free to ask any sporadic questions you like!
- Ember
A Canadian in Beijing: Floating Billboards on The Bund {Gadling}
Apr 30th 2007 7:45AM Hi there Ian,
Thanks for the note there. It'll teach me not to trust single websites for their information -- a naive mistake to be sure. I've edited it above to reflect that it's "one of the" tallest buildings in the world. Thanks again!
- Ember
