Rebecca A. Foster

Is there any age when the death of a parent doesn't pierce your heart and affect every facet of your life? My dad was in the hospital room when I was born, and I was there when he died. I know many people don't believe in an afterlife, so I don't know if they would have the same feeling I do about helping someone transition out of life into death. But for me, to be there with him was an honor. My heart aches for those who lose their loved ones to accident or trauma, who never experience holding someone's hand as their body breaks down and their heart and lungs labor to beat and breathe and even though it breaks your heart, you're glad they aren't doing this alone, and you believe under that labored breathing and unconsciousness they know you're there with them, supporting them, loving them, telling them it's okay to let go and move on, that you'll be okay. It's taken me these years to see the beauty in living; not just the appreciation, or ...

I bought this cinnamon and frankincense candle  and loved it so much I went back and got the fragrance oil. It smells very warm and spicy and reminds me of the smell in the Buddhist temples. I bought the oil both for the oil burner I keep in my study/meditation spot and for adding a few drops to a hot bath. I'm about to be so meditative and relaxed. I recommend it, if you like spa-y, spicy smells. ____________ I've been working on putting my memorabilia from China in some sort of organized format. For my small papery souvenirs, I chose these cardstock cards, with a plastic cover on the front side and heavy cardbard backing on the back side. Here's what it looks like fanned out a bit:  I don't like that ring, so I'm going to get a leather string and use that to tie it off instead. I'll use another peace of leather through the bottom holes but tie it in a bow so it an be untied for viewing. Another project: I asked all my students to give me 'name ca...

I've had this little pig since I was a toddler. As you can see, it's been broken a few times. I loved this pig so much, I'd carry it around like it was a stuffed animal. I got very upset when I'd drop and break it, and even though it was just a worthless, cheap ceramic pig, my dad glued it back together each time. I've saved it as a reminder of one of the qualities I admire most about my dad: if it was important to you, it was important to him. Another thrift store find: my vintage Pendleton wool, double-breasted peacoat. Very heavy, very warm. I got it for $15 about ten years ago. It's been in storage for years and years because I didn't need a coat after I moved to San Antonio. I considered taking it to China, but it's so heavy it would have taken up precious weight in my luggage. But, the coat is back! The first time my mom saw it, she said, "Ew, it looks like something an old grandpa would wear." I KNOW, that's why it's awesome! ...

In the past I've only purchased souvenirs for friends and family, so this weekend I splurged a bit and bought something for myself. I need something to remember China by, right? I found this beautiful Buddhist icon fabric wall scroll, and I couldn't resist. I'm so happy to have this to bring home with me. It's just perfect for me. Just for comparison's sake, this scroll cost the equivalent of $40 USD. I have no idea what something like this would cost in America, but I am guessing more than $40. This scroll and really good oolong tea will be my two splurges to bring back with me to America. J. came down for the weekend, so we had a little get together last night with friends. Bugles on the fingertips never stops being funny, right? (My hand-- I'm silly, I know.) And here is what we had for lunch yesterday, a Uyghur dish called Chao Mian Pian 炒面片. It's a tomato based spicy sauce, with freshly made noodles, tomato, green pepper, onion, cabbage and bee...

(Click pics to enlarge) I've mentioned before, due to the number of factories in the area, there is very little natural sunlight in Chongqing. I can count on two hands the sunny days in a year. So I made my own sunshine out of paper for my living room wall. Lack of sunshine is a tough thing about living in this city, but the locals say it makes Chongqing girls the most beautiful of all Chinese girls because their skin stays very white. However, I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to detox my skin of pollutants when I leave this place. Here are the other rays of sunshine in my life: all the thoughtful, funny and wonderful cards people send to me. I put every single one of them up on my wall to remind me I am not alone over here. Some of you reading this are on my wall; I was serious about how much it meant to me that you took the time and energy to send me packages and cards. Thank you. I thought you might also like to see where I sit everyday to talk to you and write th...

I'm kind of a dork. Also, I'm lazy. I have fake hardwood floors in my apartment and windows don't seal shut here, so they get very dirty and dusty; it's dust bunny heaven in here, I'm constantly sweeping. Also, I spill things. I hate mopping because my arms and back get tired, so yesterday I thought, hey, my legs are the strongest muscles in my body, why not use my feet? So I tied the mop cloths around my shoes, secured them with rubber bands, and skate mopped the rest of my apartment. It worked great!  And for those of you who have kids, Tom Sawyer them into it! They'll love it. Mops here don't wring out, they're just cloths on the end of poles, so I wasn't losing any funcationality doing it this way. I filled a large dishpan with soapy water and scooted it around the apartment with me. Like I said, I'm a dork. But like my dad always said, it isn't stupid if it works! I did my bathroom and kitchen on my hands and knees though, not enough ...

I went a-wandering today and came across a small shop selling "hip hop" fashion (their words, not mine). A few of the items for sale: An Obama 'Hope' belt buckle: $100 bill belt buckles: And of course, the Yankees: You could also buy a Mao bags, Che Guevera bags, big fake diamond earring studs and fake gold rings with "50 Cent" printed on them. And this Paul Frank monkey, wearing a military uniform and waving a flag: I really want to go back and buy something from this store, just for the fact it exists in China. While wandering I also found these fake eyelashes with little diamond studs at the lashline: A very productive day!

Bunnies and hamsters and turtles, oh my! The stairs at my neighborhood metro station, painted as an ad for Mountain Dew. Grrr... (see post below) Two of my cutie-pie students, Sabrina and Vivian. (They choose their own English names.) I love my students, they are the light of my life here. I'll probably never have kids of my own, so I'm sure I'll never know how it feels to be a parent, but I feel very protective of my students. I think I'm going to worry and wonder about and wish good things for them all the rest of my life. (And I can actually read all those characters on the wall behind them. Can you believe it?  It still shocks me I can speak and read any Chinese at all.)

Saw this t-shirt today in the 'junior girls' section of a local department store. I did a double take when I saw the word 'heroin.' Today I also saw an an adult woman wearing a shirt that said "Virgn" across the front in glitter letters. But I think the heroin shirt wins.

There is a Chinese character that means "Chinese character." I think it would be hilarious to get a tattoo of this character; kinda poke fun at all those "peace, love, harmony" character tattoos. Of course, only other Chinese speakers would get the joke, but I'd laugh pretty hard if I saw someone with this tattoo.

The hospital where my father was treated for cancer, Hunstman Cancer Institute, has an artwork donation program. A few weeks ago my stepmom and my sister picked out a painting to buy and donate to the hospital in my father's name. (The hospital pre-approves artwork; they chose one by artist Minerva Teichert.) While I was home, we were notified the painting had been hung in the Special Care Unit wing where my father had been treated. We stopped by to see it in its new home. My father loved the outdoors, so I'm glad they chose an outdoor scene. I think he'd really like it. A small plaque will be added below the painting identifying it as being in his memory. It was a little strange going back to the hospital after spending so much time there while he was being treated, but it was good, too. A bit of closure. 

I'm a big advocoate of learning a second language, even if you don't think you'll need to use it very often, because I believe it expands your creativity and cognitive ability.  I'm studying Mandarin while living in China, and although it is extremely difficult for me to master, I'm learning to appreciate the beauty of this language.  I'm a minimalist, and what I love about Mandarin is its ability to use spareness and logic to convey complex meanings. They don't use three words when one or two will do. The library of sounds is much smaller than in English, which can cause a lot of confusion for me; my ears are not yet skilled at differentiating such minute differences, but the preciseness has a simple beauty I am learning to appreciate. Those one or two words can convey a more complex understanding than our three, due to the artistry of the written language.  Reading Chinese characters involves a lot of memorization. A lot, a lot, a lot. Every night before b...

I am in love with whoever did this. Street art in the East Village, NYC, via Gawker, via somewhere else .

I love World War II pin-up girl art, so I got a kick out of these hand towels I found while shopping online for indie artist Christmas gifts for my friends. Too pricey for me to justify buying, but cute. And she has some other great items, including unique laptop satchels and Guinness and Pabst beer can rings. You gotta see 'em to believe 'em. Another great indie artist find: these fun luggage tags. The blue, pink and orange ones are on my various bags right now. Towels, shanalogic.com, $20 each (laptop satchels $80, rings $40) Luggage tags, pamelabarsky.com, $12 for the set

You know that sound pencil makes when it's moving rapidly across paper? That rough, scratching sound? I love that sound. It's the sound of thoughts and ideas. It's why I keep a box of sharpened pencils in my desk and use them to write in my journal. I like hearing what my brain is thinking. (I also use them to keep my address book updated.) I buy pencils in art museum gift shops, they usually sell interesting ones. It's one of the few places I see pencils that aren't school-bus yellow or Jr. High-glitter. And I got a nice box of them from an Xpedx paper show vendor a few years back, pretty matte shades of blues and browns. I keep my eye out for neat pencils. But kinda sad they've become an artist's tool, curiosity and gift shop item. Such a wonderful sound.

Who sends real mail anymore? Exactly. So double the shock factor to your postperson and recipient by making your own saucy envelopes. 11 x 17 magazine pages work well for this. Just pull apart a standard sized envelope and use it as a pattern for cutting the magazine page. Fold the cut magazine page along the pattern fold lines, tape everything but the top flap together, insert mail contents, tape the top flap down, and then I recommend covering the whole thing with packing tape so it doesn't rip in transit. Cut up an index card or business card for the To and From. Tape those down too. If you need Martha Stewart-like instructions, ask and I'll try my best. I made these two envelopes for male friends. The one on the left is an ad for something or other from 'W' magazine and the full text says, 'God Save Queens, NY'. The one on the right is from a photo spread of Eva Mendes and inside it included, among other things, a condom lolly. I know, I'm pretty much th...

Two items I collect while traveling: 1. Art prints depicting women reading. (This is by Fragonard, it hangs in the National Gallery of Art in D.C.) 2. Little meditating Buddhas. I started my collection when I was in Thailand. These remind me to take a step back, chill out, think things through, be more peaceful and enjoy the journey.