These past two weeks I have been in Taiwan at a conference for Fulbright, getting a chance to meet up my fellow Fulbrighters from Taiwan as well as see what the island had to offer in terms of culture and scenery. While the latter was breathtaking—Taroko Gorge, in particular, might be the most beautiful […]
New York Times reports on first-generation immigrant comedians
March 6, 2013 by
This week I’m in Taiwan for a Fulbright conference, and myself and most of the other scholars are taking advantage of the non-censored internet to catch up on the world by reading the New York Times. One morning at breakfast I found myself bombarded by about ten of my colleagues, each recommending I read the […]
LaughBeijing has a website!
March 3, 2013 by
I know what you’re thinking. I know because I’ve received many letters in the mail, and they are all more or less the same. “Jesse!” they all read. “Every day there’s not a post on the LaughBeijing tumblr I break out in a cold sweat. I find myself refreshing the page twenty, thirty, forty times a day. […]
Beijing Improv
February 26, 2013 by
My friends at BeijingImprov.org perform in English and Bilingually as well! See what’s on tap for Improv in Beijing.
if you lived here…
February 26, 2013 by
I saw that there was an apartment complex that was called 和平新成. Underneath they had a big neon sign that said “New Peaceful Village.” I thought that might be a nice place to live. But then I reconsidered. If this is New Peaceful Village, what happed to Old Peaceful Village? Perhaps it got destroyed by […]
close enough
February 26, 2013 by
The same word “yin you” with different tones could mean: 1) A buddhist predestined relationship 2) A secret concern 3) To seduce 4) To wander as a minstrel Which is perfect because I want to say, “My secret concern is that I will be seduced away from my predestined buddhist relationship into becoming a wandering […]
Territorial Dispute SWAG
February 11, 2013 by
For the past few months, a decades-old territorial dispute between China and Japan over the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands has flared up again, inciting bad blood in East Asia. Now, I know what you’re expecting. Some sort of geopolitical article, perhaps, about the history and legitimacy of both claims. But, there are other friends of mine who […]
Finally, an English Language TV program about what I’ve been doing here!
February 6, 2013 by
Finally, an English Language TV program about what I’ve been doing here! Many thanks to Nikki Aaron and the rest of the team at China View for making this piece! I’m glad to be able to share my story in the language of my birth! 2/5/12
Futility and Productivity
February 3, 2013 by
Futility and Productivity What makes a day productive in China varies. Some things that should be simple are hard. Some things that are hard are surprisingly simple. Especially as Fulbright provides no structure for my time, I often ask myself: “Was I productive today?” This is very different from asking, “What did I get done […]