A Year in Qingdaohttp://ayearinqingdao.postach.io/feed.xml2017-12-18T00:28:24.749000ZWerkzeug回家https://ayearinqingdao.postach.io/post/hui-jia2017-12-18T00:28:24.749000Z2017-12-17T02:58:21ZErin & Jon Kinnear<div>So, just in case you didn't know, I love words. Not only books and such, but just plain words. I think they are often beautiful, potentially powerful, and generally fascinating.</div>
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<div>I have a favorite Chinese word (Mandarin Chinese, in case you are curious). The word is 家. In pinyin its jia, pronounced with the first tone, a somewhat high, clear, singing tone. It's beautiful spoken and easy to say. It's gorgeous written as well. You can trace this character back 3,000 years to a depiction of a pig in a house. May not sound glamorous, but let me tie it to the meaning of the word, then maybe you will get it. 家 means home. So back when this character started, the practices of animal husbandry meant people kept their pigs in the house. So a pig in a house was indicative of the home.</div>
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<div>Now that's already awesome, but it gets better. The reason why this word is my favorite is because in those 3,000 years, it has taken on more meaning. 家 means "home" and at the same time "family." For me, it is completely perfect that home and family are not just synonymous but inextricable. I have been blessed with an upbringing that has left me with a healthy set of roots. Growing up we would fly to CA every year to visit the family, spending a week living in Grandma's house on Oakland Ave. The aunts and uncles and cousins would come stay and we would fill the house with all the laughter, games, food, bickering, companionship, and chatter of a healthy family. I know virtually nothing of CA beyond the few blocks on my running route from that house. That place <i>was </i>family. When we sold the house, we were afraid we would lose that. But we needn't have feared. A home is not the same as a house.</div>
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<div>My immediate family has the same chemistry, the ability to create a new kind of space by being together in it. I think many families do. It has created me and others just like me: deeply rooted homebodies with wanderlust.</div>
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<div>But getting back to the word itself, this symbiosis of meaning creates an interesting phenomenon for me. When I tell people that I will 回家 (hui jia, return home) my Chinese friends understand far better than my foreigner friends. I have had almost all my foriegner friends object, thinking they can produce the perfect argument to make us change our mind and stay in China. My Chinese friends are sad, but they awknowledge the importance of family and don't imagine that this (wonderful, fabulous, inspiring) place could be 家 just because they say it is. 家 is not just a place. I listen to the forgieners' arguments and my restless wings ache. But my roots are calling me back.</div>
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<div>At least, for now.</div>
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A Dong'e Thanksgivinghttps://ayearinqingdao.postach.io/post/a-dong-e-thanksgiving2017-12-02T13:19:35.458000Z2017-11-28T10:50:32ZErin & Jon Kinnear<div>Last weekend, we had the pleasure of a brief vacation to celebrate Thanksgiving. We went to a small town outside of Jinan called Dong'e. Jinan is about a 3 hr train ride inland and a bit north and Dong'e is a further two hour ride into nowhere. My excoworker, Wendy from Ohio, lives there now and Jon, I, and Erwin (friend and coworker, I'm sure I've mentioned him as he is AWESOME) were looking forward to our reunion.</div>
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<div>The trip was everything I hoped for and more. On Friday we walked around town and then went out for donkey hotpot, which was soooo good!</div>
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<div>The next day was all cooking, getting too familiar with a turkey, and then the feast. Wendy's lovely teaching assistant joined us and we got to share her first Thanksgiving.</div>
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<div>Finally we decorated a tree and fell asleep watching Christmas movies. Technically no family, but it still felt all homey. Happy holidays guys!</div>
More Christmas songs!https://ayearinqingdao.postach.io/post/more-christmas-songs2017-12-02T13:19:38.434000Z2017-11-12T23:19:19ZErin & Jon Kinnear<div>So in reality I am banned from listening to Christmas music before Thanksgiving. But there is one song that has been playing in my head these days...<br /></div>
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<div>"I'll be home for Christmas, you can count on me..."</div>
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<div>Yep! We bought our tickets and we are coming home.</div>
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<div>This has been an incredibly difficult decision to make and even though its been made for roughly 2 months now, I still change feelings on it pretty much every hour. But there you go. Now its a rush of trying to cram as much of everything we love about China into this last 39 days.</div>
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Oh right, I live in Chinahttps://ayearinqingdao.postach.io/post/oh-right-i-live-in-china2017-10-22T06:46:20.621000Z2017-10-22T01:59:38ZErin & Jon Kinnear<div>Sometimes I forget what a foreign country China is from my home because Qingdao, especially downtown where I live, it is so very easy to access all the western comforts I am used to. I can spend the day with coffee at starbucks, shopping at H & M, an afternoon session at the gym watching Friends, grab my peanut butter, boneless skinless chicken breasts, and ice cream at the grocery store, and order Papa Johns for dinner. Okay, it might be a crappy dinner, but sometimes one craves bad pizza.</div>
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<div>Of course, despite the Western trappings China is still wonderfully different and Chinese, hence my continued love of being here. Papa Johns is not only significantly worse than at home, but they have many many pizzas with shrimp available. The grocery store does carry many western products, but it is mostly a true Chinese establishment with live turtles and frogs in the butchers. The gym includes both an "opperating room" and a "private parish" as well as an advertising poster outside covered in pictures of an entirely different gym. H & M is still H & M but I prefer to shop in the underground tunnel market anyway. And Starbucks, brace yourselves guys.... Starbucks does not have pumpkin spice lattes.</div>
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<div>Now, I don't actually like pumpkin spice lattes (too sweet, and also Starbucks is not that good) but thats not really the point. When I went in to Starbucks and discovered not a single pumpkin poster, picture of a orange leaf, or red cup to be found, I was reminded of the fact that the difference between these places is more than just trappings.</div>
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<div>At home, October is all about pumpkin spice and kids is costumes. In China, October was all about the National Day and Mid-Autum festival. Now that is is over, it mostly seems to be preparing for cold weather and drinking enough hot water to stave off illness until the Spring Festival. Okay, so that's a major and purposeful over simplification. But the point is, the basic schemas of our cultures are fundamentally different. (Please don't criticize me for arguing Halloween is a core part of our schema and just accept that the basic idea still translates) And that can be seen in something as supposedly ordinanry and apparently ubiquitous as a Starbucks cup.</div>
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Well, color me Chinesehttps://ayearinqingdao.postach.io/post/well-color-me-chinese2017-10-11T08:46:47.769000Z2017-10-08T03:08:33ZErin & Jon Kinnear<div>So, I have been thinking and coloring and have come to a mental image. The places that we live color in our insides, like an intricately doodled adult coloring book. I have lived in 4 places (that i can reminder) and each one has left a different pattern ans color scheme behind.</div>
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<div>Now everyone knows that the Chinese love lucky red, but they have symbolism for many other colors as well. Unfortunately, trying to nail down exactly what these mean is rather difficult. So I made my own.</div>
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<div>Home for me, is the Puget Sound area. I spent years letting this place paint me in greens, and greys, and blues. Which actually matches pretty well with the Chinese meanings for nature, peace, and my own addition: that cozy comfortable safe feeling of home.</div>
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<div>Southern MD college life added earthy tones, like brown. The Chinese don't seem to have an element to go with brown though, since yellow is associated with earth instead. But the closest I got to chinese culture in college was ordering absurdly large quanities of cheap and greasy, innauthentic chinese.</div>
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<div>Gambia is bright, riotious colors. According to some sources on Chinese color symboloism orange can symbolize spontinaity, change, and adaptability - all things I gained from my time in Africa. (Believe it or not :-p those traits are in me somewhere). So, lets say Gambia painted me orange.</div>
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<div>Lastly we have China. To the rest of the world red may mean China and communism, but here it symbolizes luck, good fortune, and joy. I don't know that those are all things I can say we have in spades here, but nonetheless, China would have to have some red. And maybe white and black as well, for the yin-yang.</div>
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<div>And now, some unrelated pictures :-)</div>
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Field Trip!https://ayearinqingdao.postach.io/post/field-trip2017-10-01T02:56:39.322000Z2017-09-24T12:37:06ZErin & Jon Kinnear<div> My school had a field trip on Friday and I got to go :-)</div>
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<div>First we went to a really pretty cool cultural center where the kids practiced some ancient customs <img src="https://cdn-images.postach.io/9a1427d9-0146-4404-9306-195eb07ba9d3/55ca570e-1638-4c01-a2b6-d79ee361ab79/f84ca3ca-2949-4d3b-a275-7a93b9588507.jpg" /></div>
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<div>Then we took a long bus ride out to a farm for lunch. This is very typical traditional chinese. The farm provides lunch. There is no menu, just whatever they harvested/killed recently. Our whole lunch had faces. We ate pork face, chicken soup with the floating head, and fish with the head on. The pork had teeth and an eye ball which one father leveraged out with his chop stick to eat the tasty meat beneath. </div>
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<div>Alicia and I were saying that one thing we enjoy about China is the honest frank-ness of it. This may be a harsh reality to adjust to when it comes to protein choices (though an important one I think) but it is easily and quickly rewarding in terms of delicious veggies and tue wonderful green tea. What I loved most about the meal was the utter lack of pretense. Even the city born wealthy parents relaxed and looked completely at home.</div>
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<div>Lastly, we went to a grape farm (is it still a vineyard if they don't make wine?) And sat beneath trellises on tiny stools eating fresh grapes cut mere inches from our heads.</div>
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<div>Yeah, it was a lovely day. And a firm reminder that while I love food and the theater, I am not a city girl.</div>
Fall has arrived, and so has my sister!https://ayearinqingdao.postach.io/post/fall-has-arrived-and-so-has-my-sister2017-09-06T08:22:13.142000Z2017-09-01T03:05:10ZErin & Jon Kinnear<div>Woohoo! My sister is in town! This marks the last of a series of planned visit that I was very much looking forward to. We have already played contact and done animal puns. The reunion is complete.</div>
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<div>She actually did eat a scorpion. And really liked it!</div>
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<div>And we played with doggies :-)</div>
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<div>And bought beer in bags, a very Qingdao thing.</div>
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<div>I'll give you better updates when we get around to doing conventionally interesting stuff :-P</div>
Signagehttps://ayearinqingdao.postach.io/post/signage2017-08-23T04:01:29.875000Z2017-08-20T01:43:32ZErin & Jon Kinnear<div>I know there are just a few bazillion funny translation books/posts/what have you out there. But the fact remains that they are one of the constant and hilarious things about living in China. The cultures and the languages are so different that proper translation between the two is quite difficult. And while I know many Chinese with excellent English, it's not as wide spread as in Europe. And who can blame them? There are more native Mandarin speakers than any other language on the planet. So, without any intent to mock, here are a few signs I passed this week that made me giggle:</div>
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<div>Try saying, "For all you stomatological needs!" It's just funny.</div>
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<div>This one is from a classroom at my kindergarten. I can't decide of I should tell them that "You're ballin'" is probably not the best phrase for 4 year olds....</div>
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<div>I wonder what the guestation period is....</div>
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Fine, how are you?https://ayearinqingdao.postach.io/post/fine-how-are-you2017-07-21T16:35:07.579000Z2017-07-16T08:51:13ZErin & Jon Kinnear<div>Oh dear guys! I am so sorry, I didn't realize how long it'd been. I wish I had all sorts of exciting updates to tell you about, but really..... I've been working. I work a lot. No summer break in kindergarten here <span style="-evernote-sentoj-emoticon:true">😔</span> But, my bestie flew all the way here to see us! So we'll have some fun and 9 days off, Woohoo! What can I tell you about? Frankly, life here is probably about the same as it is at home for all of you. A bit more humid for you west coasters. We hear a good deal more Chinese. It might smell a little more and be a little more crowded. But really, there reaches a point in living abroad where its just...living. I hope you all are having a wonderful summer. I hope the barbecue is delicious, the friends abundant, and the nights warm. We love you all!</div><br /><div><img src="https://cdn-images.postach.io/9a1427d9-0146-4404-9306-195eb07ba9d3/398d08a4-edcd-4478-a44c-05c1b5c923dd/c8fb1826-d452-4105-a730-6fbd2a054347.jpg" /></div>
<div><br /></div><br /><img src="https://cdn-images.postach.io/9a1427d9-0146-4404-9306-195eb07ba9d3/398d08a4-edcd-4478-a44c-05c1b5c923dd/63356bab-ef0a-433e-a781-45d59d12d3b7.jpg" />Something I did NOT eathttps://ayearinqingdao.postach.io/post/something-i-did-not-eat2017-06-25T11:24:22.735000Z2017-06-25T11:18:38ZErin & Jon Kinnear<div>I know, new right? What could it be? This week has been stressful,and this weekend was a much needed escape from doing pretty much anything. But I did take these pictures for you on Tuesday. For the last 2-3 months I have had to pleasure of walking past this everytime I go to the gym:</div>
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<div>Yes, those are scorpions. Yes, they are alive. The man in the blue shirt stabs you selections with a skewer, sticks them in the metal pot full of hot oil, and then transfers them to a dixie cup for you to snack on. Yes, there are frequently customers there. No, thanks. I think I'll pass on this one.</div>
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<div>Yep.</div>
A few words, and an assortment of pictureshttps://ayearinqingdao.postach.io/post/a-few-words-and-an-assortment-of-pictures2017-06-18T10:51:56.731000Z2017-06-18T06:16:24ZErin & Jon Kinnear<div>In today's episode of Erin Eats Weird Things in China we bring you: Sea Cucumber.</div>
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<div>Apparently the Friday dinners for my work staff are continuing. This week we walked along the waterfront to a buffet place. Buffet in China is MUCH better than any similar place I went in the US. I also really enjoy the Chinese culture around sharing a meal. They do not do things small. The host orders food for everyone, no concern is given to price, and lots of food is provided. Everyone enjoys themselves fully and eats like maniacs. In a typical dinner, all the food is in big platters in the middle of the table. You have chop sticks and a small plate to catch drips, but mostly people just share and pick out of a bazillion communal bowls.</div>
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<div>After stuffing ourselves silly, the restaurant staff brought around small bowls of the local delicacy: sea cucumber. There are sold in nice grocery stores out of fancy cases with a special sales person to assist you. The walls are painted gold and red to emphasize the elegance and luxury. Well, I cannot pass up the opportunity to try weird food so....</div>
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<div>The verdict: tastes kinda like bike tire and BO. Not something I would try again.</div>
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<div>Oh yeah, this is my class (well, some of them. Actually 7 were absent that day).</div>
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<div>Shi Lao Ren Beach in Laoshan, I like this place.</div>
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<div>Elevator shot of a group of friends</div>
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<div>Sunrise on my walk to work (this is in the middle of winter so nothing is green)</div><img src="https://cdn-images.postach.io/9a1427d9-0146-4404-9306-195eb07ba9d3/ed3383be-5711-4b70-a691-e6088b2ebb6e/16fe40e9-a8bf-4da1-9215-abac6edc7bfa.jpg" /><div><br /></div>
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<div>This terribly edifying mural on the wall at a bathroom. </div><img src="https://cdn-images.postach.io/9a1427d9-0146-4404-9306-195eb07ba9d3/ed3383be-5711-4b70-a691-e6088b2ebb6e/71641b90-370c-4cca-85aa-46b7463f9fdd.jpg" />KTVhttps://ayearinqingdao.postach.io/post/ktv2017-06-12T15:23:29.411000Z2017-06-12T12:28:24ZErin & Jon Kinnear<div>So, China has a popular (to put it mildly) pastime known as KTV. I dunno what it stands for, but it is basically karaoke, in a small room. Just a group of your friends, a couple of bad microphones, and a tv or two with a karaoke game. You go in there and sing at each other for hours.</div>
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<div>I know, sounds just like me right? I swore I would never do it, no matter how classically Chinese. So guess where I ended up on Friday night?</div>
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<div>The vice principal of my school invited the whole staff out for dinner as a sort of moral building activity. But then as we're heading there I learn this is KTV. </div>
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<div>The food was surprisingly good. Except this...</div>
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<div>Yes, that is indeed, fruit salad, covered in mayonnaise, with sprinkles on top.</div>
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<div>The KTV experience itself was not so bad. Yes, I did sing, it was a group thing, and I avoided the microphones.</div>
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<div>And for more pretty pictures, on Sunday we hiked another "mountain."</div>
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<div><br /></div><img src="https://cdn-images.postach.io/9a1427d9-0146-4404-9306-195eb07ba9d3/9707b5c9-308b-4338-8262-9da0fc990a4c/a6efaf38-b8f5-4cde-bc58-a5f6b427f5ce.jpg" /><img src="https://cdn-images.postach.io/9a1427d9-0146-4404-9306-195eb07ba9d3/9707b5c9-308b-4338-8262-9da0fc990a4c/833b2bd7-1f6f-4b43-bbe5-e272d66bebfc.jpg" /><img src="https://cdn-images.postach.io/9a1427d9-0146-4404-9306-195eb07ba9d3/9707b5c9-308b-4338-8262-9da0fc990a4c/fbec9116-bc45-435d-88e2-f692326cbb2c.jpg" />Dragon Boat Festival!https://ayearinqingdao.postach.io/post/dragon-boat-festival2017-06-03T13:51:51.910000Z2017-06-03T13:26:01ZErin & Jon Kinnear<div>I feel that you should know that the street sweepers in Qingdao play "It's a Small World" just like an ice cream truck. Since there is a whole army of actual people employed to sweep the streets with actual brooms, I have come to believe that they use the trucks just to amuse themselves and confuse foreigners.</div>
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<div>I was super excited for our Dragon Boat Festival! It occurred over the same weekend as Memorial Day (this year), we got 3 days off, and I was told that festivities involved boat races with famous people. (Incidentally, that is actually exactly how it was explained to me, with those exact words).</div>
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<div>It was a wonderful weekend, mostly because I desperately needed a break. But also fun things! We walked on the water front, went to the beach, and enjoyed a music festival. Not Folklife, but pretty fabulous nonetheless. Though I was informed by my Chinese friend that there would be no boat races because these only occur in rivers and in rural areas. So Dragon Boat festival is basically when everyone goes to the beach. Yeah, it's good here.</div>
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<div>Also, I ate a moth chrysalis. It tasted surprisingly okay, kind of like grease and stinky cheese. They were served as part of the wedding reception dinner for my co-worker.</div>
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Land of the Rising Sunhttps://ayearinqingdao.postach.io/post/land-of-the-rising-sun2017-05-07T13:22:57.922000Z2017-05-07T08:16:54ZErin & Jon Kinnear<div>Over the lovely long Labor Day weekend Jon and I took a jaunt over to Japan! This was number one on my Asian countries bucket list so I was super duper excited. And, when it comes down to it, Japan delivered. What a delightful country filled with, you guessed it: fabulous food!</div>
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<div>We flew in to Osaka. It is super close to Qingdao and cheap flying. Plus, the modern day Japanese culture there makes it a great city for people looking to get a feel for the country without having to deal with the insanity of Tokyo just yet. It is also a very short train ride from Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan, so we could do a double whammy visit.</div>
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<div>Our first day I was not appropriately planned ,so we mostly spent time wandering around the endless, and endlessly entertaining covered market streets. I had done enough research to take my husband's inner high school nerd to the computer and anime pop culture neighborhood, which racked me up some brownie points <span style="-evernote-sentoj-emoticon:true">😃</span> Points which I promptly cashed in, enjoying the great street fashion and a wonderfully quirky dinner joint with no English speaking staff or menu.</div>
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<div>The next day we took the 20 minute train (told you it was a short trip) to Kyoto, my favorite city in Asia so far (cause I've seen so many :-P). There was a lovely canal side stroll it absolutely perfect weather, my first sushi eating experience (OMG is that raw fish good) and a pleasant afternoon wasted and the worlds first national manga museum and library. A fun fact about Kyoto: the canal was hassled by unique animal pests. Large flocks of hawks would descend to steal food scraps from the pigeons and extremely burly crows (seriously, I have never seen a bird who looked more like mob-muscle than these Kyoto crows).</div>
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<div>Our last full day was trip to the aquarium, because I am a child. I love the aquarium; I want to be a seal or at least take one home as a pet. And nothing is cuter than a sea otter. This aquarium also has whale sharks..... They are extremely small for whale sharks so I don't know if that makes it okay or what.....</div>
<div>After the aquarium Jon and I climbed a mountain. Yes, really.</div>
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<div>.....well okay, only sort of. Mt. Tempozan is officially recognized as the smallest mountain in Japan. But we still climbed all 4.53 meters of it.</div>
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<div>As pathetic as that may be, I couldn't resist the opportunity to celebrate with souffle! This wonderful coffee shop has nothing but coffee, tea, and souflee, I think that is just perfect. I mean, what more could you want at 3:00 in the afternoon? Well, maybe you would want more, but I was a happy girl. Nothing left to do but return to the hotel neighborhood for a late meal in a local kitchy dive-like joint and a late night game session at the foreigner run and frequented space station bar.</div>
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<div>So that was Japan. Wonderful, a little weird, and crooowded. But so totally worth it.</div>
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<div>Food worth noting:</div>
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<div>Traditional:</div>
<div>Real Japanese Ramen</div>
<div>Udon Noodles</div>
<div>Actual sushi</div>
<div>assortment of tapas like japanese small plates with sake</div>
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<div>Not so traditional:</div>
<div>pizza</div>
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<div>cheese plate</div>
<div>carmel soufle</div>
<div>Annnnnnnd (surprise entrant) UNSWEETENED yogurt!!!! (they had it at the continental breakfast, squee! We do not get that in China.</div>
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Book Club Updatehttps://ayearinqingdao.postach.io/post/book-club-update2017-04-24T12:48:09.256000Z2017-04-23T08:27:42ZErin & Jon Kinnear<div>
<p>A brief book club update since I haven’t done this in a
loooooong time.</p>
<p>I haven’t had a chance to do as much reading as I would
like, but really, when can one ever read as much as one would like?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Really, books are the best.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I also fell in to a somewhat embarrassing
teen dystopia romance phase shortly after arriving…..</p>
<p>All that to say that my bingo board is somewhat shy on
filled out squares, but I have a few.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I
have also been listening to a ton of audio books lately, which I thoroughly
enjoy, but it’s not quite the same.</p>
<p><u>Midnight’s Children</u> was very interesting.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It took me forever to read, which is usually
a sign that I don’t like a book.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Not the
case.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I actually loved this book.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was interesting, complex (sometimes too
complex) and the language was beautiful (a sure way to make me love a book is
to write prose that occasionally borders on poetry.)<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It won the Booker Prize, which I then had to
go look up.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And the setting of India is
a sure way to hook me.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I love India.</p>
</div><div><br /></div><div>I’m now knee deep in a collection of short stories called <u>Rogues</u>
edited and contributed to by various mystery and fantasy writers.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It’s a mixed bag, like most such
collections.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But I found a couple that
were good enough that I would like to look up those authors elsewhere, so we’re
calling it a win.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Have you all read
something good lately?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Share with me
your travels into the wonderful world of books!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">
</span>(and hum the reading rainbow theme song under your breath)</div><div><br /></div>
<div><br /></div><br/><img src="https://cdn-images.postach.io/9a1427d9-0146-4404-9306-195eb07ba9d3/422cbae6-ab50-45dc-bc29-820cc55be3f0/ecfe99bf-07d4-4b35-986a-8afb3fc50620.jpg" />Oh yeah, Beijing...https://ayearinqingdao.postach.io/post/oh-yeah-beijing2017-04-18T14:11:08.269000Z2017-04-09T00:22:05ZErin & Jon Kinnear<div>Hello all! Sorry I have been absent lately, but my wonderful parents journeyed across the seas and ran through airports and came to visit us in China! It was great fun.</div>
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<div>We showed them around Qingdao, and then we all headed to Beijing for some touristy sightseeing. First on my bucket list of things to do in China was visit the Great Wall so this was literally a dream come true. Ultimately, the Great Wall is awesome, but Beijing is not as comfortable for me as Qingdao. I kept wanting to tell people, "I'm not a total noob; I live here (kind of)" And the city is just so gosh darned BIG. Like woah big. Chinese cities include the suburbs as a part of the big city, same name and they account in the population. By these standards here are how the cities stack up. At roughly 9 million people, Qingdao is already stretching my comfort level with big cities. My beloved hometown of Seattle has 6-700 thousand. Beijing clocks in around 21.5 million. I mean, dude.</div>
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<div>However, one of the reasons Beijing is so large and fascinating is that it has been an established city for about 2-3,000 years (thank you wikipedia and the brief bit of encyclopedia brittanica you can get before signing up for a trial). This means the history is fabulous and beautiful. The first thing we saw (also incidentally my favorite) was the Temple of Heaven. In the morning it is filled with Beijing's senior residents socializing, getting exercise, playing cards, and walking their birds. The buildings are bright and colorful and some are riddled with bullet holes from WWII. Most trees are often 100-500 years old. There is a blue line painted on the ground marking the 2008 Olympic marathon route.</div>
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<div>(Oh, also, I went truely Chinese tourist and used a selfie stick for the first time ever)</div><img src="https://cdn-images.postach.io/11ddcaa23e7e921e36cc52489de03934.gif" /><div><br /></div>
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<div>My internet has pooped out for the weekend as it often does. And I have to finish my report cards. Sorry about the lack of pictures. I'll try again next weekend. Tootles!</div>
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Another Stamp in the Passporthttps://ayearinqingdao.postach.io/post/another-stamp-in-the-passport2017-03-20T01:41:46.314000Z2017-03-19T09:17:44ZErin & Jon Kinnear<div>Last weekend we went to Seoul, South Korea. I have attatched some pictures to show you all a little about our trip. </div>
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<div>We spent Saturday dodging through markets and protests. I loved all the goodies in the market, and how Korea feels a lot like China, but more empty. Everyone seems to speak English, there are foriegners everywhere, and I saw a taco bell. However, the donuts are as disappointing as ever.</div>
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<div>This guy was selling women's clothing in the market. He joked and hammed it up for the picture.</div>
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<div>We stumbled across a Korean barbeque place for dinner. If you haven't had Korean barbeque stop reading now and go eat. It is fabulous!</div>
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<div>The next morning we poked around the wonderful university district where we found good coffee and tacos! </div>
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<div>Then we went sightseeing at Gyeongbokgung palace. It was beautiful and peaceful. Plus there were a bunch of highschool students acting as free tour guides for a class project and at least half the Korean tourists there were in costume. </div>
<div><img src="https://cdn-images.postach.io/9a1427d9-0146-4404-9306-195eb07ba9d3/99e4cf54-8bbf-4dd0-9f81-36e560d38d52/8dd94284-0474-40ee-8c5b-781f4941aa5d.jpg" /></div>
<div><img src="https://cdn-images.postach.io/9a1427d9-0146-4404-9306-195eb07ba9d3/99e4cf54-8bbf-4dd0-9f81-36e560d38d52/41b05993-568b-41b0-a12f-d797ed32a02d.jpg" /></div>
<div><img src="https://cdn-images.postach.io/9a1427d9-0146-4404-9306-195eb07ba9d3/99e4cf54-8bbf-4dd0-9f81-36e560d38d52/ddee1a57-69ab-4178-9224-d382d4982c14.jpg" />And that was Korea. Lovely times were had by all. We will be returning for more tacos for sure. But first I want a few more colorful stamps... </div>
International Women's Dayhttps://ayearinqingdao.postach.io/post/international-womens-day2017-03-09T01:28:57.631000Z2017-03-08T13:18:16ZErin & Jon Kinnear<div>So, I had no idea that it was International Women's Day. I had no idea that this meant huge strikes as the USA tries to deal with a day without women (ha, good luck, dudes). And I had absolutely no idea that this a holiday actually recognized and (sort of) celebrated her in China.</div>
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<div>Today I was taken out of lunch because we had to "go to hit the bowl." This means dribble a basketball. What this has to do with women's day, I still have no idea But it was the chosen activity to celebrate women's day at my bizarre preschool. After a speech, a cleverly manipulative game, and the aforementioned bowl hitting we were all given a box set of shampoo and sent on our way.</div>
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<div style="font-family:gotham, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;">Jon and I celebrated with the best thing yet, Indian food!!!! I had foolishly though that since India and China are neighbors, that Indian food would be accessible here. I was sadly mistaken. It has been a long, curry-lacking 3 months, but then I learned that there is a wonderful Indian lady living in Qingdao who will make homemade Indian dinners to order! She is an angel, and she has samosas!</div>
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<div>(I was going to attach a photo here, but Instagram queen, I am not, so the food photo did not turn out yummy)</div>
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<div>So, yes,, happy women's day to the AMAZING women in my life. You are all incredible people, fabulous humans, and my very favorite friends, aunts, cousins, sisters, and moms. Love you all!</div>
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<div>And finally, some amusing selfies taken with FaceU (basically Chinese SnapChat)</div>
<div><br /></div><img src="https://cdn-images.postach.io/9a1427d9-0146-4404-9306-195eb07ba9d3/407401ef-6180-4cec-a12a-42f66456707d/9188cb12-7c5b-45df-889e-814edc438195.jpg" /><div><img src="https://cdn-images.postach.io/9a1427d9-0146-4404-9306-195eb07ba9d3/407401ef-6180-4cec-a12a-42f66456707d/df91e8b3-75ab-42e4-a935-37c6b46d73ba.jpg" /></div>
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<div>Sooooo, this one doesn't actually have a filter on it, but maybe you should pretend it does....</div>
<div><img src="https://cdn-images.postach.io/9a1427d9-0146-4404-9306-195eb07ba9d3/407401ef-6180-4cec-a12a-42f66456707d/78499382-105a-4ed0-af32-671633362669.jpg" /></div>
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<div>And this is Emma, a future fabulous woman and an excellent little girl in my class. </div>
<div><br /></div><img src="https://cdn-images.postach.io/9a1427d9-0146-4404-9306-195eb07ba9d3/407401ef-6180-4cec-a12a-42f66456707d/83be3a39-009f-434e-80b2-7be91b5e2067.jpg" />Spring is cominghttps://ayearinqingdao.postach.io/post/spring-is-coming2017-03-01T10:57:48.429000Z2017-02-28T10:13:27ZErin & Jon Kinnear<div>Sunday was a gorgeous day! It was basically spring. I worked an open house at school, which means I played and sang songs with strange 2 year olds and their parents for a couple of hours. When that was over I walked across the street to the seaside. It was a balmy almost 60 degrees out, sun was warm, people were everywhere. I only needed one pair of pants! It was grand. Jonny joined me and we strolled down the boardwalk snapping pictures of the lovely city enjoying the day.</div>
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<div><br /></div>Music Square<div><img src="https://cdn-images.postach.io/9a1427d9-0146-4404-9306-195eb07ba9d3/ac86cda5-8343-45a9-802e-57ec9d1e9dae/708eaa26-7507-4df2-90a7-3b4244bfe565.jpg" /></div>
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<div>Flying kites at May Fourth Square</div>
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<div>Necessary Selfie</div>
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<div><br /></div>Freshly harvested sea cucumbers being sold by the guy still in his diving gear<br /><img src="https://cdn-images.postach.io/9a1427d9-0146-4404-9306-195eb07ba9d3/ac86cda5-8343-45a9-802e-57ec9d1e9dae/4c60ad8e-d8a2-4885-b26c-de5c21cd565f.jpg" />Xiashanhttps://ayearinqingdao.postach.io/post/xiashan2017-02-19T15:31:21.471000Z2017-02-18T07:40:15ZErin & Jon Kinnear<div>Hello world! How many people are actually reading this? I think it may be only 3, but I like you guys. This week I bring you some pictures from last weekend. We went with friends out to a small village called Xiashan for the lantern festival. Lantern festival is a small festival at the end of the Chinese New Year (Spring Festival). The village has all these awesome and HUGE lanterns set up on display in a park. It was fun to walk around, enjoy the music and get pulled into many "sneaky" videos and photographs taken by people who rarely or never see foreigners. The next day we walked around the market and then climbed the small mountain nearby. The mountain is halfway covered in village, halfway covered in a sort of temple park. There are caves with old statues and temples going up.</div>
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<div>It was cold. Like really, really cold. I am wearing 3 pairs of pants. Jon was wearing 4. Also these are our friends, Wendy and Erwin.</div><img src="https://cdn-images.postach.io/9a1427d9-0146-4404-9306-195eb07ba9d3/23e6fef9-2fd0-4e32-932e-e0cb83cd9255/51bee9f7-5950-4358-aeb3-b52060130fcd.jpg" /><div><br /></div>
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<div>Panorama of the moon rising red over the festival.<img src="https://cdn-images.postach.io/9a1427d9-0146-4404-9306-195eb07ba9d3/23e6fef9-2fd0-4e32-932e-e0cb83cd9255/d3824c90-6bed-4ea5-9fec-026bf9c1a2d3.jpg" /></div>
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<div>Shot in the village the next morning.</div>
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<div>Hiking on the small mountain.</div>
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<div>Half of the village has been demolished. Sometimes you are walking through someones old kitchen as you walk down the street.</div>
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<div>Back on the small mountain, goofing around in a gazebo.</div>
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<div>Enjoying some well earned noodles.</div>
<div><img src="https://cdn-images.postach.io/9a1427d9-0146-4404-9306-195eb07ba9d3/23e6fef9-2fd0-4e32-932e-e0cb83cd9255/e10b543e-c749-4a25-94ce-7aad6ab1fff8.jpg" /></div>
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<div>And this is back at the lantern festival: an entire field of glowing white roses..</div>
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<div>Okay, these are severely out of order, but this is from the caves on the small mountain.</div><img src="https://cdn-images.postach.io/9a1427d9-0146-4404-9306-195eb07ba9d3/23e6fef9-2fd0-4e32-932e-e0cb83cd9255/2166f1bb-acd0-4a46-99d9-4f20be2703d1.jpg" />we're not deadhttps://ayearinqingdao.postach.io/post/untitled-note2017-02-07T10:37:32.035000Z2017-02-07T07:17:57ZErin & Jon Kinnear<div>In the midst of another epicly long meeting. We're approaching 5 hours, and my bum is going numb. I was feeling guilty for not having posted so I thought I'd say hi and inform you all that we are indeed still alive and well. We have just come back to real life after the New Years break. I have pictures to show you of that. Except really Jon has them, so that will have to come later. Excuse me, they are using English again. I should go. Goodbye friends!</div>
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<div>P.S. I forgot I actually do have a few photos from the hike. Here are 3</div>
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<div><img src="https://cdn-images.postach.io/9a1427d9-0146-4404-9306-195eb07ba9d3/fa7d7615-6abc-420a-9487-dad3b65e3239/a8ac6a17-dac8-4ae5-87d2-55642db685ab.jpg" /></div>
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<div>P.P.S. the meeting is finally over. It took 6 hours</div>
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It's beginning to look a lot like...https://ayearinqingdao.postach.io/post/its-beginning-to-look-a-lot-like2017-01-27T10:54:58.508000Z2017-01-24T23:28:00ZErin & Jon Kinnear<div>Things I could have blogged about recently:</div><ul><li>Chinese New Year preparations</li><li>My walk to work</li><li>Chinese meetings</li><li>Gettin' paid! (Finally)</li><li>Chinese Tea</li><li>Yogurt</li></ul><div>I wrote little blogs about all of these things (yes, even yogurt) in my head, I even took pictures to support some of them. But the actually committing them to paper (or pixels as the case may be) didn't happen. So today you can have a post about Chinese New Year (and maybe some ranting about meetings) and look forward to my witty remarks on yogurt in the future :-P</div>
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<div>Chinese New Year is the biggest holiday in the country. In fact, by some standards it is the biggest holiday event in the world. For instance one fifth of the worlds pipulation celebrates and about 200 million Chinese travel long distances for the holiday. For comparison, about less than 100 million people travel more than 50 miles during the Christmas season. The New Years Eve variety show broadcast is the most watched TV program in the world, though everyone will tell you it is not as good as it used to be.</div>
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<div>The holiday unofficially starts on January first, which the Chinese people have embraced as another small festival on their extravaganza of parties. From this point on, fireworks are pretty much fair game, with most kicking in around last Friday. From our apartment we have a spectacular view of the nightly show.</div>
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<div> A number if small festivals mark the weeks up to Spring Festival. Mostly they seem to involve eating special food and fireworks. Chiba produces about 90% of the worlds fireworks. Decorations go up about 10 days to a week before the New Years Eve. Everything is red and sparkly and the western Christmas music which has been playing since December 20th has been replaced by more traditional Chinese tunes. Chinese New Year has about a million different associations for decorations. Fish (this word sounds like prosperity), red, animated and stuffed chickens (it is the year of the rooster) and lots of Chinese characters are the most apparent.</div>
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<div>People are all heading home to family now. The elevator is much less full headed to work, and the subway is crowded with people's suitcases and packages of goodies for family. My employers have sent me home with boxes of milk and apples. And they stocked the break room with tons of candy.</div>
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<div>I was a little surprised to find myself getting caught up in the holiday spirit. I mean, it feels like Christmas. People are happy and buying gifts, things are pretty, and people are celebrating hope and new life in the midst of winter.</div>
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<div>My school had a very important (9 hr) meeting with the CEO of our company on Sunday. I got to attend because they all wanted to meet the new teacher and I have a fancy college degree. After 4 hours of sharing reports (almost exclusively in untranslated Chinese), we went downstairs for the party that was to follow.</div>
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<div><img src="https://cdn-images.postach.io/9a1427d9-0146-4404-9306-195eb07ba9d3/d8efab3c-fbff-452a-9c6b-27c9d5acf756/1e7a9452-5f54-4458-bbf6-0694bd47cc9b.jpg" /></div>
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<div>After waiting for 2 hours, our fearless leader was still nowhere to be found. Rumblings of mutiny and of hungry bellies finally convinced the hosts to let us eat. After dinner, I was pulled in to another meeting just for me. I finally got home at 10:20. The thing that gets me is, this seems to be standard meeting protocol on China. Everyone sits around a table, drinking tea and taking turns sharing slideshows. The only opinion that matters belongs to the most senior person in the room. This person says basically the same thing over and over again with varying degrees of emphasis. I don't know if this is corporate America, but it is not me.</div>
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<div>Now the holiday will begin in earnest. I have 9 days off to hang out and see what is still open. I'll keep you updated on the rousing parties. Who knows what will happen, but I can tell you, everyone there will be wearing red underwear.</div>
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Go Hawks!!https://ayearinqingdao.postach.io/post/go-hawks2017-01-09T03:49:31.443000Z2017-01-08T04:17:49ZErin & Jon Kinnear<div>Um, so in case you aren't aware, the Seahawks just won their first playoff game for the season. This matters. Mostly because: Go Hawks, but also because I actually got to hear it live! Thank you, Steve Raibel.</div>
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<div>As you can probably imagine, in a country of 1.3 billion people and a tiny studio apartment with an unemployed roommate, alone time is scarce. Basically nonexistent. So those 3 hours alone with my homemade cinnamon pear pancakes, Jai Ming Buddha tea, and the Hawks kicking some Lions butt, those were paradise!</div>
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<div>We have been making a concerted effort to take more pictures of our daily life. Yesterday it was rainy and nasty, so we didn't go much farther than the mall downstairs for entertainment. Happily, China is filled with new and amusing nuggets every day. You shouldn't be surprised to hear fireworks on a Tuesday afternoon, or see an inflatable pig on your way to lunch. Here are some pictures of our daily outing:</div>
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<div>We had fried chicken for lunch. They kindly provided plastic gloves to keep out hands clean <span style="-evernote-sentoj-emoticon:true">😃</span></div>
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<div>Salads in China apparently consist of cabbage, mayo, and ketchup...yum?</div>
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<div>In the middle of the mall, the inflatable pig, as promised. He was dancing with his oh so uncomfortable sidekicks. At one point he started to deflate, so he had to stand to the side while his suit filled up with air again. Also, yes, he had a snot drip purposefully on his nose. No, I don't know why.</div>
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<div><img src="https://cdn-images.postach.io/9a1427d9-0146-4404-9306-195eb07ba9d3/e3fe63df-c678-4c18-86b3-cb1f85a71d1b/461db69e-cb5e-41ec-9486-6ca7cc713b6d.jpg" /></div>
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<div>And finally, we ended the afternoon with a side-by-side cheesecake taste test. Rich bakery won, if you care.</div>
<div><br /></div><img src="https://cdn-images.postach.io/9a1427d9-0146-4404-9306-195eb07ba9d3/e3fe63df-c678-4c18-86b3-cb1f85a71d1b/65171a75-5b92-4a34-a3a3-b26f68837742.jpg" />Happy New Yearhttps://ayearinqingdao.postach.io/post/happy-new-year2017-01-02T12:55:13.151000Z2017-01-02T10:47:52ZErin & Jon Kinnear<div>Sorry I didn't post last week. I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and a very happy New Year! Christmas in China was pretty low key. And we spent our New Year's Eve dancing to Latin music with a party of Eastern Europeans and Latin Americans and Spaniards. It was fabulous. Now we are gearing up for the true Chinese winter holiday: Spring Festival (which occurs in January this year) otherwise known as Chinese New Year.</div>
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<div>As a preemptive celebration we had a dumpling making party at my kindergarten Getting to watch a roomful of moms, grandmas, and grandpas expertly roll and fill jiaozi like they've done it a million times (which they probably have) was grand fun. Getting to join in, and then finish the job with our school kitchen ayis downstairs, that was even better. I have had multiple requests for more photos. So instead of continuing to ramble on, I will just post some fun pics and call it a night.</div>
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Let's talk about the food!https://ayearinqingdao.postach.io/post/lets-talk-about-the-food2016-12-17T12:27:00.296000Z2016-12-17T06:02:20ZErin & Jon Kinnear<div>So, in case you forgot: I LOVE FOOD!! And I am pleased to report that our new base of operations has some pretty excellent food! For your reading pleasure today, some occasionally delicious, perhaps alarming tidbits about food.</div>
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<div>1) PIZZA! People. Qingdao has pizza! It is actually widely available which is kind of unexpected but fabulous. Pizza Hut is popular and common and at least as bad as it is in the States. However, we went to a lovely Italian restaurant in town that has pretty darn good pizza and it was MASSIVE. We did order the extra large so perhaps that should have tipped us off. But despite the US love for all things jumbo-sized, I was not prepared for and XL pizza roughly the size of a hula hoop. Yum yum yum.</div>
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<div>2) Street food here is awesome! We went wandering last night and got basically a Chinese crepe. They make the pancake, just like when making typical crepes, then put on an egg that they fry, 2 kinds of sauces (one spicy, one hoisin-y), some sort of relish like thing, lettuce, crispy wontons, meat (hot dog or chicken or meat floss (no I haven't tried meat floss yet)). They fold it all up and you pay 7 yuan for the whole package (about the size of a large sandwich). 7 yuan is about $1.00.</div>
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<div>3) They were selling live shrimp today at the grocery store. They kept hopping about. It was not my favorite. Our grocery store also has most of your typical products: good bakery, produce, peanut butter, 500 different types of soy sauce, no butter at all, and a special section for their wide variety of sea cucumbers.</div>
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<div>4) And last but not least I leave you with a few amusing translations errors (we hope) from the menu in a very good restaurant we tried lately. Among the selections that we asked Google translate to read us we found:</div><ul><li>Eggplant cannabis</li><li>Product of fear</li><li>AIDS department items</li></ul><div>and my personal favorite...</div><ul><li>tongue lesions</li></ul><div><br /></div>
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Book Clubhttps://ayearinqingdao.postach.io/post/book-club2016-12-11T05:40:43.961000Z2016-12-11T05:41:01ZErin & Jon Kinnear<div>So I really do intend to write a real blog post today. But first this: If you would like to play with me, I am declaring the start to The Trans-Pacific Book Club! Play for bingo or blackout or whatever. Send me pictures and we'll read good books and chat. So before I sign off, let me take my free space and recommend a book. It recently came to my attention that not everyone has read <u>The Poisonwood Bible</u>. If you are one of those people, please go now and read! <img src="https://cdn-images.postach.io/9a1427d9-0146-4404-9306-195eb07ba9d3/411dd53c-49d5-4584-bd46-07eebd5106f5/f1a3eab0-a4db-45c3-9c14-6fa0267e8828.jpg" /></div>
Pictureshttps://ayearinqingdao.postach.io/post/pictures2016-12-05T05:39:36.119000Z2016-12-04T06:54:46ZErin & Jon Kinnear<div>Hello friends! I am coming to you live from Starbucks. Yes, really. We are mooching off their WiFi since ours won't be installed until tomorrow. Life in Qingdao is nice so far. I have seen very few pandas. We moved in to the apartment on Friday and have spent the weekend getting settled. We live on the 41st floor so the view is great . We can watch the sun coming up over mountains. Yesterday we bought a tree and decorated it while listening to Christmas music and eating Kelly's awesome cookies. (Yes, those are my earings). This morning we attended a fellowship meeting recommended by a new friend we met in line at the grocery store. All the expats we met have been super friendly, including a couple from UD.</div>
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<div>It's hard to be terribly witty in Starbucks. (I think it's the canned atmosphere) so I'll just leave you with these photos. </div>
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<div>P.S. If we haven't responded to you on Skype/email/whatever I am sorry. Be assured that moving to a new country is fun but time consuming. We will be able to respond to you more personally later this week. </div>
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Tallyho!!https://ayearinqingdao.postach.io/post/tallyho2016-11-27T22:58:19.922000Z2016-11-27T22:11:53ZErin & Jon Kinnear<div>So, we are officially starting this insane journey and journal. A life long dream, a year long search, a two month wait, and now just 22 hours to life in a different country. I've been answering questions from friends and family for weeks about what life will look like there. Details about where we'll work, how we'll play, what we'll do with our free time; all these I shared with a semblance of confidence and hopefully an illusion of certainty.</div>
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<div>Truth? I have no idea what we are doing.</div>
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<div>But, I still think, and hope, and believe that it is going to be good. We will learn courage, trust, humility, and a sense of humor. (Well hopefully we have those things already, but I bet they are going to grow.) We will also learn Mandarin, delicious recipes, and some great vacation spots; come visit!</div>
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<div>If you would like to have a peek into our life, this blog should be a place you can do that. The thought is that we will post at least a little something here every week or so. It should give you a laugh and a peace of mind that we are safe and sound on the other side of the world.</div>
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<div>We love you all; we'll miss you I'm sure. But for now I gotta sign off, the 2nd half just started and the Hawks need all the help they can get!</div>
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