china Archives - Page 3 of 5

Why I Travel

January 19, 2015 rubymary Comments 10 comments

There’s a scene in the movie Wild that stuck with me.

The protagonist is on the road. She’s exhausted. She has only taken the first few footsteps into her journey, but already she feels the weight of the road. Can I do this? Is this what I’m supposed to be doing? Have I gone crazy?

And then she stoops down, pulls some sagebrush from the road, rubs it in her fingers, closes her eyes and deeply inhales the scent.

The scent of the Earth. The scent of the journey. The scent of the world itself. read more

How I Learned to Speak Mandarin in 6 Months

January 12, 2015 rubymary Comments 46 comments

This isn’t a post about how great I am at languages. I’m not like some jerk on the internet claiming to achieve fluency in three months.

This is a post about the blood, sweat and tears I spent to learn Chinese.

I never thought I would learn how to speak Chinese: The tones, the characters, and the proverbs were frustrating. The task of learning Mandarin was daunting and overwhelming–and honestly, there were many moments I thought I was just not meant to learn this language.

Yet somehow, I did it. I learned Chinese in less than a year. read more

Resolutions for 2015 and my Favorite Posts of 2014

January 2, 2015 rubymary Comments 6 comments

Before I delve into 2015, let’s look back at the resolutions I kept (and dropped) in 2014:

Learn French.
Take a class in web design and economics.
~~Find an amazing job in the USA~~ (although it’s not very amazing)
~~Keep up the habit of going to the gym 3 times a week, aim to run for an hour nonstop (can do 30 mins now, up the score!)~~
Take the GRE.
~~Grow out my hair. It looks good short I must admit, but I do miss having my long black locks.~~
Continue to write, and publish an article!
~~Volunteer! Find an organization in Shanghai or the USA, sign up, and go help others!~~ (volunteered on Thanksgiving and have joined a volunteer Meetup group in my neighborhood).
Practice J-E interpreting 3 times a week, C-E once a week
~~Learn how to properly, and effectively, invest money~~ (I purchased my first stocks this year)
~~Travel somewhere new (have plans of Thailand in March, so this one’s definitely going to happen!)~~ (Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore–you were amazing!)

Alright, Time for 2015 Resolutions:

Lose 20 pounds–and more importantly, lead a healthier life. I know. It’s a typical resolution, but this year it means even more. I gained a lot of weight since moving back to the United States. I want to blame the unhealthy food, the portion sizes and the lack of physical activity (I used to walk everywhere in Shanghai–now, I drive). But still, I can’t just blame America. I already downloaded MyFitnessPal and I have a plan set in motion. If this doesn’t work, I’ll join weight watchers. Either way, I need to take control of my weight, my health, and my life.
Learn Italian and Sign up for an Italian Class. I tried to learn French and my god, it just didn’t stick. Since most of my friends are Italian, I’ll take this as a divine sign from heaven and just learn what I love: Italian.
Learn Advanced CSS, HTML, and Javascript; as well as Photoshop, Illustrator and In-Design. I love drawing, coloring, and creating. I have always loved web design and I want to teach myself more so I can make creativity my source of income instead of just a hobby.
Publish an Article (or ten). While I did continue to write (as this blog so clearly showcases), I have yet to publish my work. I want 2015 to be that year.
Update this Blog Once a Week and Really Commit to The Ruby Ronin. I love this blog. It’s my baby. I love the people I meet through this blog, and I love writing. I didn’t start to really invest time in this thing until 2014, and I want to go even further in 2015. I know life gets in the way and sometimes I only update once a month–but that’s just ridiculous. I need to show this blog, and my readers, that I’m serious about this thing.
Become an Irish Citizen. I know, random. I’ll write a post about how to apply for Irish Citizenship later, but for the time being, I just want to make this happen in 2015.
Pay Off My Student Loans. After almost ten years of paying my stupid loans, this year will finally be the year where I write my final paycheck to the Federal Government.
Visit at Least One National Park. Here’s lookin at you, Yosemite.
Run a 5k. While this isn’t #1 priority, I’d really like to make it happen!

Realizations from 2014 to Push me Forward in 2015

I didn't just leave friends in Shanghai--I left a family. — I didn’t just leave friends in Shanghai–I left a family.

I will forever remember 2014 as the year of great change. I moved back to the United States from my wonderful life in Shanghai and experienced some of the worst reverse culture shock to ever grace an American. It was truly a painful and difficult experience. Even a year later, I cannot say with confidence that I have fully adjusted. read more

Merry Christmas from Salt Lake City!

December 29, 2014 rubymary Comments 8 comments

For the first time in five years, I’m spending Christmas at home. I’m not flying in on a 13 hour flight from Tokyo or Shanghai. I’m not spending Christmas in China and Lunar New Years in the states. I’m actually home during the holidays, and it’s a wonderful feeling.

I flew into Salt Lake City on Christmas eve and was greeted to a white blanket of snow on Christmas morning. It was the perfect Christmas present to my morning.

Although I’m spending the holidays in the United States, the month of December hasn’t felt much like Christmas because of Los Angeles. read more

Dealing with Loneliness Abroad (and at home)

December 8, 2014 rubymary Comments 10 comments

2009042918250000 — Living in Niigata, although very memorable, was sometimes extremely lonely

When living abroad, it’s very easy to feel alone and isolated. Living in a new environment, being surrounded by a new language and living in a place where you know no one—it’s something few people sign up for voluntarily.

When I moved to Japan, I underwent some of the loneliest months of my life. The Japanese countryside was the ultimate test to enduring loneliness.

Surprisingly, I also felt loneliness upon returning to the United States. Although the U.S. was my ‘home,’ most of my friends from high school and college had already moved to other states and cities. The combination of reverse culture shock and being in a new environment (Los Angeles) had me feel more alone than I had ever felt in Shanghai. read more

How to Get An Asian Boyfriend in China and Japan

December 1, 2014 rubymary Comments 29 comments

I’ve dated men all across Asia—Korea, Japan, China, and even Vietnam. Although I was told that western women weren’t the rage in Asia, I proved the non-believers wrong. With just three easy steps, I was able to score a slew of dates, a few boyfriends and even two proposals.

A Little Background…

In a village far, far away... — In a village far, far away…

I was living abroad for the first time ever in Japan at the ripe age of 22, newly single and ready to try the dating scene in Asia. The appeal of dating a local not only for the cultural and language benefits, but also for the novelty, was exciting. What would my friends and family say if I dated a Japanese person—or, better yet, married one? read more

Is Living in Big City America Worth it?

November 16, 2014 rubymary Comments 27 comments

photo credit: Pranav Bhatt via photopin cc

Why Big City L.A. Sucks… Traffic

I apologize, I haven’t updated in almost a month. Aside from my terrible job and daily four hour commute (yes, you read that correctly, four hours), I have been busy with my favorite hobby:

Traveling.

When I was younger, all I could think about was how to get out of the United States rather than travel in it. The arches of Moab are nothing compared to the Great Wall of China, I sighed. The Grand Canyon simply pales in comparison to the intellectual beauty of Paris’ Eiffel Tower and the Champs Elysses. read more

How To Get a Full Ride Scholarship in China (then throw it away)

October 15, 2014 rubymary Comments 24 comments

If learning how to speak Mandarin and living in China is your dream, or even a plausible next step in your life, then you’ve got great timing—because China wants you, and wants you now.

China is allocating tons of money so it can lure 100,000 foreign students to China for the sole purpose of teaching them Mandarin. The United States and China created this 100,000 strong incentive to provide money for young American hopefuls to go abroad, study Chinese, love it, and give China some (hopefully) good PR. read more

American Misconceptions about China

October 3, 2014 rubymary Comments 17 comments

Here are some common China misconceptions I noticed from my fellow Americans:

It’s like 1984

photo credit: jellymc - urbansnaps via photopin cc — photo credit: jellymc – urbansnaps via photopin cc

“So Mary, how is life in China?” my friend calling from America asked.

“It’s ok, but the Internet here is terrible,” I sigh. “The Chinese government sucks and they block everything. I’m surprised they even allow Skype to work.”

Silence.

“…Mary…” I could feel my friend’s eyes searching the room, almost like he was looking for someone behind the wall wiretapping our conversation. “Are you sure you can… you know… talk like that? What if the government is listening now?” read more

Afternoon Tea in Shanghai

September 14, 2014 rubymary Comments 3 comments

It was one of those perfect Sunday mornings. I woke up naturally from a deep, full slumber to those rare, precious rays of sunshine pouring through my tiny one bedroom apartment in Shanghai. I heard my neighbor, a Shanghainese Ayi, conversing boisterously in Shanghainese with fellow friends on the balcony. The bike peddler downstairs made the rounds for scrap metal, his stereo box continually repeating the words “computers, TVs, radios..” into the early morning.

I pulled myself out of bed to the coffee maker where I brewed a fresh pot of coffee, fried up some eggs and looked out the window to my city-sprawl view of the Jing’an district. read more

The Ruby Ronin

Connecting China, Japan, and the World

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