As I watch the last hours of 2020 ticking away, I have no feelings of excitement or gratitude or hope or even relief. I know nothing will change. In the absence of hope, my tired trust and belief will have to be enough. Because I do believe that I will get through whatever 2021 throws my way. We’ll get through it together.
I went for a walk this evening, and it was glorious! This is the most at peace I’ve felt in a long time and oh, am I thankful!
Lately I’ve been feeling the need to write again – to write my own stories, not just “work” writing. Several ideas have come to mind in the past few days, but I think it’s time to tell you a particular story: the night I went to the emergency room in China in the middle of…
Today is Australia Day, and I have so many mixed feelings about it – about being an expatriate, and about the date itself.
I’ve been fiddling with a recipe for Balsamic Pulled Pork and I promised when I was done fiddling with the recipe I’d share it – so here it is!
In this post I’m sharing my own recipes for six different dumpling filling recipes, which I’ve developed over the past few years.
Yesterday I visited a Chinese doctor, and since that’s a local experience not many of you have had I thought I would share the story with you.
Going for walks around our neighbourhood is helping me. It helps calm my mind. It helps stretch my body. It helps ground me, and give me a sense of connection rather than isolation.
Recently Beijing had a full week of truly blue skies – amazing! Blue sky days bring hope to the grey days. Blue sky days are a reminder that grey is not the way life should be.
“Your worst You is coming”… I remember the very moment this hit home for me. I’ve decided to tell you the story. It’s a story that most people enjoy – except me! … This wasn’t my worst “China day”. This was my worst ME day in China.
A list of seven names for the Chinese language in Mandarin, and decoding them all! I thought this would be a nice way to ease back into thinking (and writing) about Chinese language and linguistics.
Grocery shopping yesterday was relaxing. So I decided to deconstruct what made it nice. I succeeded in being a local member of my community, for a few minutes on a sunny Monday morning. Time to celebrate a small success!
Recently I’ve written several drafts on cross-cultural life for my ‘work’ blog that are more personal in nature, more emotional in style. I think the decision to make writing my outlet again somehow overflowed naturally.
How do I create forward momentum in my life when that provokes physical pain? I don’t know who I am, so I want to do something, but doing makes me sore, and pain stops me doing, which I feel emotional about because who am I if I can’t do anything?? It’s such a vicious cycle.
I’m settling into a new place, a new routine, a new identity – and chronic pain is in the forefront again. I feel the limitations of my body constraining me near constantly. It is frustrating. So very frustrating.
Blogging is a discipline that reminds me to connect – to look around, to notice, to appreciate. To focus on small details. To tell small stories about real life. I used to write those sorts of small stories about my life in China. I think it’s time to start telling them again.
I’ve spent over three years working on a book about Third Culture Kids – and it is finally being released on August 15th!! Misunderstood: The Impact of Growing Up Overseas in the 21st Century will be available on Amazon (paperback and Kindle) as well as other ebook formats, and I will also be selling paperbacks in person.
Stories From Tanya 