Pucks on Ponds in Beijing

A couple weekends ago, Scott played in a pond hockey tournament at Houhai, which is a huge lake in the middle of Beijing. In the winter, the lake becomes an outdoor playground, with speed skaters mingling with teenagers zipping by on ice sleds and children playing in bouncy castles put up on the ice.

Pond hockey + cold weather = Wings hat all day.

Thanksgiving in Thailand (I know, it's belated)

As an early birthday present for Scott, and a much-needed vacation, we went to Thailand for six days at the end of November. We started out in Bangkok and then made our way to the island of Koh Lanta.

The beaches of Thailand. Can it be any prettier? I think not.

The Three-Week Tour

I'm taking advantage of my jet lag to catch up on blogging. Scott and I just returned from a three-week tour of the U.S., going from Chicago to Detroit to Denver to New York. It was the longest stint we've had back in America since moving abroad.

It's things like this -- iPads for ordering and browsing the web, leading to no socialization whatsoever at meal time and waiters wanting tips for not doing anything -- that make me disillusioned with America.

The Land Down Under

The past four weeks have been nuts with travel to Australia, Hong Kong and Thailand, plus a slew of assignments, so I've been a VERY tardy blogger. I'm trying to play catch up now.

Hiking in Australia. 

When Leaders Come to Town, Beijing Puts on a Good Face

This week Beijing is hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, a big meeting of CEOs and world leaders. Obama is coming to town, Putin is on his way and John Kerry already has been here.

Beijing makes the skies turn blue for APEC. 

Losing face is a huge no-no in Chinese tradition and many individuals will do anything to save face. And that's just what the Beijing government has done leading up to APEC.

Scott bought (a new) moped

About a month after we moved here last year, Scott bought a used moped from a French expat for pretty cheap. He convinced me that it was safe, with helmets, and that it would pay for itself in a matter of months because he'd use it every day to go to work and sometimes on the weekends.

On our new purchase (don't worry, the helmets just aren't pictured). 

The First Year

A year ago today, Scott and I landed in Beijing on a sunny, polluted afternoon. I remember driving through the city, the drab buildings and Chinese billboards seeming completely alien. I feared I never would feel at home here and that all I'd be doing was missing New York for three, long years.

My very first pollution mask, circa Oct. 2013.