#Fire drill! #China style! π£ Because we take your security seriously – we use real #smoke bombs to stink the building up, train you to go through usually locked doors, and ask that you guess when a fire starts because we have no smoke alarms. But you know, security! Β At least now maybe they’ll stop padlocking all the outside doors at night π
Who needs a Road when you have crops to dry out? #Farming – #China style. π
If you pay any attention to my blog, you’ll know that for the last 3 years I have been living abroad. The worldΒ has many wonderful aspects to it (the mountains are GORGEOUS!), but stable and safeΒ internet service is not one of those. My friend recently took her computer back to the States after a trip abroad to be repaired and the tech guy said she had more than 200 viruses on her system. Β
So if you aren’t looking to break firewalls and get into sites you shouldn’t be getting into, why would you want a VPN? Β You can find my list of the pros and cons of a VPN here. In general,Β IΒ like the security a VPN provides to me, whether at home or abroad. I still use myΒ VPNs in the US, especially if at a public location to avoid the same hacks, viruses, and trojans I worry about while traveling. Β A VPN can help keep you fast and safe. Sometimes. Depending on which VPN you choose. Β Also, it sometimes helps me bypass technical issues in the system. For example, my university uses Blackboard, but it does have random glitches that drop it a lot. Β About 25% of the time, it only works if the teachers use aΒ VPN. Β When other teachers are down and out, those with a VPN can still get on.
To be honest, I actually go back and forth between Astrill and VyprVPNΒ which runs at about $80/year for 1 device or $100/year for 2 device. Another one recommended to be was ExpressVPNΒ which runs at about $100/year for 1 device and 1 phone/ipad (I’ve never tried them so I have nothing to give you for Express). Β Β
After more than 3Β yearsΒ as an Astrill user, I thought I would offer you a report on how itβs going.Β Continue reading
Lemon 7-up is absolutely delicious! They call it ningmengqi or ζ ζͺ¬δΈ.
ζ ζͺ¬ (lemon) + δΈ (7). It’s basically 7-up with squeezed lemon in it. Delicious!
I usually order it ε€ε€ε° (duo duo bing). ε€means more/extra. In Chinese, saying something twice makes it stronger – so ε€ε€ means ‘a lot extra’. ε° means ‘ice’.
So I get ζ ζͺ¬δΈε€ε€ε° (ningmenqi duoduobing) or lemon 7-up with lots of ice. It’s possible I’m supposed to say the Ice first- my grammar isn’t that good. π But they understand me! It cost me 7οΏ₯ or about 1$.
If you visit #China. you should try it. Very Good and super refreshing!
As always, I’m actually a supporter of people using VPNs to protect themselves when on the internet. Β Although a VPN is never completely anonymous, it does go a long way towards protecting your identity and computer from people who want to hack and steal your data. Β For those of youΒ interested in how a VPN can help you or hurt you, I thought I’d compile a list of benefits and problems I’ve run into with my 3 years of VPN experience π
Continue readingYay! Not! 4 students at my University have been confirmed to have #tb π· We’ve had an outbreak before and it isn’t pretty. 20,000 students and more teachers have to be tested and checked. π±
#Diseases like this aren’t uncommon in some countries still. We’ve now had #Cholera, TB, and some other issues in the 3 years I’ve lived abroad.
So if you #travel or #studyabroad or #teach internationally, be careful. Wash your handsπ, wear the #masks π·, Avoid coughing or sneezing people π. Only eat food you’ve seen cleaned or well-cooked foodπ΄. Drink bottled or boiled water β. Wash any dishes in boiling water, even at restaurants where dishes come wrapped! Sleep, take your vitamins, and drink orange juice!
#tourist #sick #health #safety #travelsafety #stayhealthy
Wanna climb the pagoda? π The beautiful sight greeted me on the way to classes. It’s a lovely pagoda up on the hill and part of a park in the middle of our campus. Β I love all the #colors!
**Just don’t go up there at night. π Β It’s pretty much destined to live as a kind of ‘kissing kastle’ sort of place at night. Β When all the students have 7 other kids in their rooms, couples find privacy here π
#cooking in #China π When you live in a #itsybitsy apartment with no counter space and definitely nooven, you have to do a little engineering for #baking #chocolatechipcookies π So instead we use an old #target game board and a table oven. My life is so much fun!
#foodie #Cookies #lifeisfun #travel #lifeabroad #international
βShe was free in her wildness. She was a wanderess, a drop of free water. She belonged to no man and to no cityβ ~ Roman Payne
Language Translation
Deceptively Blonde 