Photo of the Week: Dancing Queen

Things I've Learned 2010

Ever since I was a little girl, I've been a curious person, investigating my world to find out why things are the way they are. I'm the kind of person who learns best by doing. So when I decided that I wanted to know how the rest of the world lives, I just moved there.

I now live in Shanghai, China. I still can't believe it really. I live in China! With a billion Chinese people! Cool, huh?

Cooler still is that I've learned so much from my Global Experience in the last year. I've learned how to wash laundry by hand, & how best to hang it so it dries quickly. I've learned to speak a little bit of Chinese. I've learned to be okay with not understanding, even as I understand more & more. I've learned a lot about Chinese culture & how Chinese people view my culture. I've learned to go with the flow a little more, to let things happen as they may. I've learned that it's a very small world, & that we all have so much in common. & I've learned that I'm a writer with a story to tell.

What about you? What have you learned this year?

10 of My Favorite Posts of 2010

Now it's my turn. Here are ten of my favorite posts from this year. I hope you like them as much as I do.

1. Medical Check
2. Me No Speak Chinese
3. It's Hard But Wonderful
4. Mid-Autumn Festival
5. Nostalgia
6. Face
7. Bored Laowai
8. 10 Things Chinese Students Think About Life in the US
9. Giving Thanks
10.Photo of the Week: Dreaming of Christmas

10 Most Popular Posts of 2010

I've had a great time sharing my stories with you this year, & feel honored (& not a little bit amazed) that you have taken the time to read them. I took a look at what you've been reading most & came up with a list of the most popular posts from 2010.

1. Shanghai Rock Climbing Gym
2. Dear Monkey!
3. Women Wandering Solo: Elena Sevastiani
4. Qi Xi Festival: Chinese Valentine's Day
5. One Month Birthday
6. Women Wandering Solo: Linda Redman
7. I See Tall People!
8. 10 Things Chinese Students Think About Life in the US
9. Bored Laowai
10. Split Pants

The Best Gifts I Ever Got

I was a pretty fortunate kid. Santa always left a heap of toys & presents at our house. Being a military family, we moved around quite a bit, but Santa was always able to find us & he was always very generous.

For the most part, we lived in houses with chimneys when I was a little girl, but when we moved to Thailand, we moved into a house without a fireplace. I was so worried that Santa wouldn't be able to bring us gifts if he didn't have a way in, but my mother assured me not to worry - she would leave the door unlocked for him. Thank goodness!

Over the years, my brother & I got so many presents, most of them now long forgotten. There were a few, though, that I still remember, ones that brought me so much joy over the years to come.

One year, I wished & wished for a Barbie Townhouse. It had three floors & an elevator on a string, & was the coolest thing ever. I was so excited to find one on Christmas morning in my pile of loot! After that, Barbie & G.I. Joe (visiting from my brother's room) had lots & lots of dates, going up & down the elevator together, or lounging on the plastic sofa, G.I. Joe with his bendable wrist around Barbie's shoulders, Barbie with her high-heeled shoes kicked off.

One Christmas gift that probably altered the course of my life was an Atari Game System. Oooh! We were so excited that Christmas morning! My parents said they played Space Invaders & Asteroids all night long on  Christmas Eve while my brother & I were dreaming of reindeer & elves. That was probably the only time they really got a crack at it, though. For the next several years, my brother & I were glued to our little black & white TV as we fought off aliens & pulverized space rocks.

But the most memorable gift of all - by far - was being together with my family on Christmas. Seriously. 

I listen to other people talk about their holiday memories. Many of them say that they hate Christmas time because it reminds them of family problems they had growing up, or of family problems they have now.

But the worst thing that ever happened to *me* at Christmas time was that I didn't get that Hungry Hippos game set I'd been hoping for. & if I had, it would probably now be long forgotten.

Instead, I had the gift of spending Christmas Day with my family, watching football, eating my mother's delicious cooking, sharing gifts, making jokes together, listening to Christmas songs, complaining together about the traffic or the weather or the commercials between football downs. We always had a warm house & warm hearts, & our biggest worry was deciding who would do the dishes after dinner.

Now, I still have those happy memories of Christmas time with my family, & even though they are far away on the other side of the world, they are still in my heart, & that is the best gift of all.