Rebecca A. Foster

A couple of people have asked me privately what I think about the current news in Chonqing, specifically the downfall of Bo XiLai and the investigation into the British citizen's death last November. I'm going to answer here. 1. Chongqing isn't just a place I served as a Peace Corps volunteer; it became my home, a place I remember fondly, and I still have close friends there, so I can't be completely objective. 2. My Chinese friends in Chongqing spoke highly of what Bo XiLai did for the city, specifically allowing people with rural hukou access to medical care at the better hospitals and the chance to change their hukou from rural to city. Also, they spoke highly of the crackdown of the Chongqing mafia and attempts to weed out corruption in the police force. 3. My opinion is that Bo XiLai made the Party lose face when his underling tried to get asylum at the U.S. Consulate and for that reason was removed. In my experience in China, the real reasons for things ar...

Found in Flushing, Queens. I bought the skirt, but pretty sure I can't pull off the rest. Drat! I'm losing my mala girl touch.

An IT guy in my office noticed my work board hanging on my office wall and alerted me to Trello, an online digital bulletin board with 'cards' you can customize and sort into categories. I really like it. I set up a page for work, but I also made a page for my personal projects. You can give other people access to your boards if you want to collaborate. If you are visual like me, you'll appreciate that you can see all your cards at one time. I also like that I can add checklists, web links and photos to the cards, especially for my art project cards. I also like that you can archive cards, and even whole boards, so I can go back and review a completed project. I don't get anything for the recommendations I make! I just like sharing things I enjoy or have found useful. trello.com

The older I get, the more I value non-judgmental trust from my friends and loved ones. I under-appreciated this quality in my earlier life, instead basing friendships and relationships mostly on things like dancing ability, tastes, attraction, and similar life interests. These things are still important! (Okay, maybe not so much the dancing.) But those I feel close to now, it's because in addition to compatibility, I trust them to not judge me when I share my honest self with them. The older I get, the more comfortable I feel saying, "You are totally free to not appreciate, like or love who I really am. No harm, no foul, but who I am is okay, and I'm not going to stop loving myself to make you love me instead." The older I get, the more I appreciate a friend like I have in T., who I tell things no one else knows, because I know there is nothing I can say that will make him stop loving who I am. And his example inspires me to want to be that non-judgmental, trustin...

I was really excited to run across bubble tea in Queens! My friend had never had it and wasn't too sure about it, but decided it was "interesting." (This is mango flavored.) My favorite was the milk coffee bubble tea in China. So fun to find these small pieces of China over here.

I saw these nitrogen tanks on the street in Times Square; living in China has made me somewhat curious about these things, because you never knew what was going to inadvertently kill you. I assumed NYC safety standards meant these were safe, but I was still curious about them. Googling reveals they are used to keep underground phone cables dry. The nitrogen drives out moisture. Who knew? (Not me, I failed high school chemistry.)

I had a fantastic time in NYC in part because every day I did something new, and doing new things is exhilirating! Not a complete list, but a sampling of my new things: ~Stayed in a new hotel, in a new part of town. ~Went to Cloisters. ~Walked through Ft. Tyron park. ~Walked across Central Park. ~Saw the new Middle Eastern and Byzantine art wings at the Met. ~Saw what an FDNY Mobile Command Center looks like and learned about what it can do. ~Learned other interesting things about FDNY capabilities. ~Found out what a cigar tastes like. ~Walked and took pictures on the High Line. ~Rode three new subway lines. ~Went to the Jewish Museum for the photography exhibit. ~Sang along (by invitation) in a small Sunday afternoon service at Trinity Church on Church Street. ~Visited the 9/11 Memorial. ~Met Fiona, my friend's new daughter. ~Stayed a few days in Bushwick with old friends and explored the area. ~Got asked by a Egyptian halal vendor "Are you Arab?" When I ...

Shopping in Flushing, Queens. Did I buy this skirt to wear while Latin dancing and Belly dancing in my living room? Yes, yes I did.

A friend recommended the NYCMate app to me, and I found it so useful I am sharing the recommendation. The app has maps and info for all of the subway, trains and bus lines, and the great thing is that it downloads onto your phone so you can still access it undergound, no internet connection needed. I used it a lot to check where I could switch to a different train line. A couple of times strangers asked me for help getting on the right train and each time I just pulled out my phone. So, you can also do good deeds with it! It's free and available for Apple and Android. http://matemate.com/citymates/nycmate

I have made a goal to have a body shape I am more comfortable with by July 1st. 3 months is a reasonable amount of time to achieve my goal in a mentally and physically healthy way. I have been afraid of becoming stressfully obsessive like I was before about my body, but all that counseling I believe will help me avoid those old patterns. It's time to show myself I can do this and still be the happy, relaxed person I am today.

My friend S. and I were buying falafel sandwiches and she laughed when the Halal vendor started chatting with me, because she knows I am shy about new people but strangers chat me up all the time anyway. (He was a good looking Egyptian guy who asked if I was Arab. When I told him no, Chilean-American, he said, "Ah, well that's close enough.") As I told S., I think strangers talk to me in public because I'm a little chubby, so I seem pleasant in a non-threatening way. Also, I have little chipmunk cheeks when I smile, which makes me look friendly I guess. (I inherited my cheeks from my dad, so I don't mind them at all!) I don't really aspire to be the person stranges talk to, but I have to admit I do meet some very interesting people that way! This halal guy is 30, owns several carts, graduated from Alexandria University and was a teacher there and here, but he makes more money with the carts. I loved hearing his story about how he ended up selling halal food i...

Even at 65% off, La Perla is still outside my budget*. *Barring some very special occasion; then, it's on.

I have mixed feelings about memorials; I don't visit my dad's grave because I don't believe he's there and I never had any connection to him in that spot. But I remember as a child at the Vietnam Memorial, watching people cry at the wall. And the reverence at the spot of the underwater grave at Pearl Harbor. At the WWII memorial, I saw an elderly man in a veteran's hat, tears streaming down his face. Memorials might not help us remember, but I can see how they give us a place to collectively remember, to remind us we are not alone. I wasn't sure I wanted to visit the 9/11 memorial. While there, I was struck by the names engraved in the stone: so many different nationalities and cultures, some with the phrase "and unborn child" after their name. The firefighters who gave their lives (and I believe the others who died that day had their lives taken from them, but the responders gave their lives trying to save others) are listed by company. Others ar...

My small but cute room at the Hotel Belleclaire on the Upper West Side. A very bland, but convenient part of town. No bed bugs!

I also bought 'Living in Bali' and a book on industrial design, another fave topic. Shipped them back home so I won't get them for a few days. Can't wait to devour them. The Strand at Union Square always has a great selection of Taschen design books on sale. A must-stop for me when I'm in the city.

Taken from the lookout off of 181st Street in Washington Heights, NYC.

Today I walked around a puddle of pee on the sidewalk and wrinkled my nose in disgust. Then my internal dialogue kicked in: "Oh wait, that's probably dog pee."

Recently I was walking out of Target and saw a couple of police officers huddled near the front door, trying to remain out of sight. I heard the mic of one of the officers go off with the words, "He's walking out right now." I'M walking out right now, too! My body went into alert status and I quickly walked away from the door area, not sure what was about to go down. Sure enough, a few seconds later, a huge ruckus behind me and I see a guy fleeing away from the doors, several officers in pursuit. My first instinct was to put as many cars as possible between me and suspect/officers, just in case this dude started shooting; I wanted something to hide behind. This action didn't take me long to decide, it was a split second decision that I needed a way to protect myself in case of gunfire. And I remember all the times I was wandering about in China and saw scuffles of different sorts, I never once thought I needed to protect myself. And really, I didn't. I was a...

I've been thinking about what I've learned as an adult and I guess it boils down to this: life isn't fair and things don't always work out.  My dad would have turned 65 this year and he and my step-mom had a lot of retirement plans and it's not fair he isn't here to do them. It's not fair the youngest grandkids will grow up without Grandpa Bob.  It's not fair that you can't always get a job where you want to live or the housing you want.  It's not fair some people struggle with poor health or body image and others have perfect health.  It's not fair that being outgoing and comfortable in all situations come so easily to some people, while others struggle with anxiety or lack of confidence.  It's not fair when that guy you really like isn't available*. It's not fair that two people can love each other but be at different places in life and experience.   Nope, life isn't fair, but a lot of really good things can still ...

I'm staying my first few nights in NYC at the Hotel Belleclaire. I was really glad to find this hotel because: 1. It's on the 1 line, which goes to Cloisters and down to Penn and stops near the George Washington Bridge on 181st. Convenient. 2. It's near the 76th St. path across Central Park, which I have never crossed before; I'm looking forward to walking across the park to the Met and Jewish Museum. 3. It's adorable. 4. No bed bugs! I'm not very familiar with this area so I'm looking forward to exploring and doing things I've never done before, like Cloisters and walking the park. That's what I love about NYC: no matter how many times I've been, there's always something new to do.

My phone is lost. Not missing, lost. Or I've entered another dimension.

This is a test. Also, this is how I wear my hair in the bathtub. I call it 'The Pebbles. '