Rebecca A. Foster

Who are your people? I come from hardscrabble, independent Texans and outspoken, fun-loving Chileans. What impact do our people have on us? Are characteristics inherited, or just a function of nurturing? I have no idea. But here are two of my people: My Grandpa Foster (on the far left; I'm the little scowly one below him), who as a young man had a Model-T and hauled ice in a secret compartment for bootleggers during Prohibition in exchange for gas for his car. How cool was he? He was also a rock/mineral hound and used to take us out rock hunting when we were kids. I was determined to find a geode and always asked, "Is that a geode, Grandpa?" "No, that's a leaveitright. Leave it right there." But he would take home my rocks and cut them open with his rock saw. (No geodes!) I appreciate now all those rocks he cut open for me. My great-grandma Abby, who died when I was about a year old: Her husband (my great-grandpa) in this photo died away from ho...

If you have ever met someone for the first time and been asked, "What are you?", I think we could be friends. It's a perfectly logical question, really. What I hear: "You look different than what I expect and I need to have a category to place you in, so I want to know: what are you?" I usually explain that my father is (was) American, my mother is Chilean, and yes I look like my American father but with the coloring of my Chilean mother, no I don't speak Spanish as my first language, yes I can speak some Spanish but it is Chilean Spanish, yes I prefer wearing dresses not pants, no I don't go anywhere without lipstick on, yes I dress a little formally, no I'm not Catholic, yes I have been to Chile and can make manjar and pebre and empanadas, no I am not expected to date or marry a Chilean. These are some of the common questions I am asked and I'm not offended by them.(Okay, it is a little embarrassing when I meet someone and they begin spea...

R. had the great idea yesterday that we should write a book together about our daily life experiences in China. I said this sentence to R. while we were video chatting: "It was when you were in Tibet, the night we had all the gin and tonics and got sprayed down in the street by the paint truck..." and I wasn't even telling all of that as the story, it was just the setup to the story. And she stopped me with a "Do you hear yourself? Our lives are never going to be like that again. When will you ever get the experiences to say a sentence like that again?" And she's right. Our remarkable lives became common place and ordinary to us. So we watch to recapture our now-remarkable-again experiences for posterity. She's the editor; we'll both contribute. I'm really excited to start this project. I picked up a new sketchpad tonight to start collecting things I'll include as inspiration and illustration. Even if we only publish it for two people, i...

When I was in China, I was asked to write an article for the Peace Corps China wiki about what it's like being a female volunteer in China. I guess I seemed well-adjusted? Ha, little did they know the hardships I still dealt with on a daily basis. It does get easier over time, but the challenges never fully go away. I forgot about it, but the other day I searched for it and there it is! My name isn't attached, but if you want to read what I had to say about being a female Peace Corps volunteer in China, you can read it here . It was interesting to me to read it again, after being home for these months. Gosh, it wasn't easy to live there. ___________________ My grandpa has pancreatic and liver cancer; cancer sucks. I was in denial for a while about this. I think after everything I went through with my dad, I couldn't go through this again. I think I'm still in denial about it. Dealing with cancer never gets easier. He's not doing treatment, but being treated f...

1. My Mandarin teacher is from Taiwan, which means I am learning some of the cultural differences of how Mandarin is spoken on the Mainland vs. Taiwan. For example, where I lived, every baby was called ‘erzi’ (boy child) regardless of gender. In fact, when I tried to use the gender neutral ‘haizi’, I was corrected to just use erzi. So yesterday in class I had to use the word ‘child’ and I said ‘erzi’ as I had been taught. My teacher said, “No, that means boy, use ‘haizi.’” I said, “That’s interesting. I was corrected to say erzi where I lived.” My teacher, knowing I lived on the Mainland: “Yeah…I don’t like that.” It was a private, friendly exchange between me and my teacher, but it was one example of the way in which language can reflect culture. (I don’t need to go into details, do I?) 2. I’ve been watching a lot of rerun tv (Seinfeld: still funny!), and hence watching a lot of advertisements, something new again to me. And I’ve realized over the past two years that if I really nee...

It is harder to adjust to coming home than I imagined. A few things: 1. Reacclimating to American culture is stressful, because I don't always know how to act. And the cultural diversity I love so much (and missed so much) is unexpectedly stressful to deal with. R. and I have had some conversations about this and luckily I'm not just weird, it's hard for her too. It's comforting to know it's common, but still: it sucks. I'll write about some specific things when I have a chance. 2. I still dream every night I'm in China. My brain hasn't caught up with the fact I'm not going back to China. When this finally sinks in, I expect to have a little meltdown about it. 3. I'm on the road right now visiting friends out of state. I really needed this. Pardon my silence. 4. Some American friends I made in China have been very easy and natural to keep in touch with. Others have not. And without saying too much publicly, these categories are not popula...

March 2nd is my dad’s birthday. (I use the word ‘is’ not ‘was’ because I decided dying doesn’t cancel your birth.) When I was in the U.S., I stayed the night with my step-mom in their house. It was hard to be so reminded of him. The things I inherited from him are currently in storage. It reminded me it’s going to still be hard to go through all those things, even three years later. My step-sister made this photo collage of my dad with pictures of him and his grandchildren. I thought it was really beautiful and want to share it with those of you who knew my dad. Those of you who didn’t know him, maybe now you will “know” him a little. (Click to enlarge) March 11th is the anniversary of his death. It is hard not to think about all the days leading up to the day: the last meal, the last time he was coherent, the last words we said to each other. They've been on my mind a lot lately, as well as all of the repercussions of that day. I’m still trying to make sense of them. In som...

Most Unusual Food Eaten : ‘Drunken Shrimp,’ or, raw shrimp soaking in a bowl of Chinese rice wine. The wine gets the shrimp drunk/dead, and they are eaten raw. I ate one (1). It wasn’t too bad, but I wouldn’t eat one (1) again. We also ate this yummy stuff, which we picked out beforehand from the live menu: Most Ego Gratifying Moment : Andrew bowing down to my awesome genetic makeup, which allowed me to spend days on the beach without burning. (He spent... minutes before turning red.) Most Comfortable Moment : Beach chair, blue sky, sunshine, the gentle waves of the South China Sea. Ahhhh… (Picture taken by Andrew.) Most Life-Affirming Moment : Stepping out of the airport into the clear, fresh air of Hainan Island. After the smoggy, sunblocking cauldron of Chongqing, I could almost feel the oxygen rushing back into my brain. And the lingering skin rashes I’ve been having? Gone. Pollution sucks, yo. Most Regretted Missed Tour Opportunity : The ‘Archaic Sacred Beast Fa...

First of all, I read back over my recent Spiderman post , and I cringed. I am so mouthy sometimes. I've been working on controlling myself when I "get my Latin up" as one of my friends puts it, but sometimes I say things without thinking. I sounded harsh, and I didn't mean to. I made a goal not to talk about my personal life here, and I feel like I kinda violated that on that post. So, apologies, I'll refrain from future discourse like this. Toasts: it's not just what's for breakfast. During formal dinners, either family or business, it's traditional to give toasts to each other throughout the meal. I don't really enjoy this tradition, because I just wanna eat all the delicious food, you know? But it's an important part of the culture here. (During our training period, we even had a banquet to teach us this custom. It's that important.) You must give the toasts in the proper order, or it's a big faux pas; the most honored person in t...

My new favorite hat: You might think this looks silly, but animal hats are all the fashion here. I'm so wearing it when I go to the U.S. in February to see my grandma; she is going to crack up when she sees it, and I can't wait. It's a great hat, btw, it feels like you're wearing a blanket on your head. I've started wearing it to bed to keep warm. New Year's Eve turned out to be much more fun than I anticipated. My friend T. organized a trip up a mountain to ring in the new year, but as I told him, not only do I not climb mountains in the dark in the dead of winter, I don't even pretend I want to. So instead I went to my friend V.'s house. V. is awesome, because A: he is from the South, so we speak the same social language, and B: he loves brie and baguettes, tomato salad and nutella as much as I do. We ate these yummy things for dinner, then went downtown to meet up with a few friends. We watched fireworks and rang in the New Year at midnight in a beer ...

The English says 'dogmeat', but the Chinese says 'ground meat.' Not sure if it's a euphemism or a mistranslation. (And I think we'd say 'black eyed peas' but that is perhaps a regional English thing.) In any case, I didn't buy it. Random Transformers character outside a club chain called '88.' (8 is a lucky number in Chinese culture.) There was a sign next to him but all I could make out is that he was some kind of party monster from another planet who was coming here to throw the best party of all time. Might be a New Year's Eve thing. There were still too many characters I didn't know. (I hate that, but good study motivation!) Chinese grandparents are the nation's babysitters. All day long, it is common to see babies and grandparents, shooting the breeze, feeding some pigeons, etc. This picture is a little bit blurry, I know, but check out those mouse ears and stocky legs. Chinese babies are delicious little butterballs in the...

My grandma is not doing well. So, I am no longer going to Bali and Beijing over my break; instead, I'll be flying back to the U.S. to spend time with her and other family. I was looking forward to these trips, but Bali and Beijing will be there for a long while. Grandma comes first. I am sure those of you reading can understand and would do the same thing. Now, a few things to share about daily life in China: 1. Street cleaning trucks in my city play "Happy Birthday" in a high-pitched tone, over and over and over. There is also a techno version of Happy Birthday they play in clubs. How "Happy Birthday" became both of these things, I have no idea, but I never want to hear "Happy Birthday" again. 2. Overheard yesterday as I was walking home: a clothing store blasting "Jingle Bells" set to a disco-esque beat, including the phrases "Jingle all the way, oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleee." Sleigh IS spelled like Leigh, I...

(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...

Turns out my tummyache was merely the incubation period for giardia, an intestinal parasite you get from dirty water or poorly cooked food. I'll spare you the details, you can read about it here if you want , but all I have to say is thank goodness for medicine. I took a large dose this morning, and the Peace Corps doctor said I should start feeling better in three to four days, but it takes several weeks to fully recover. (And giardia sometimes relapses; the gift that keeps on giving!) When we go to our sites, we are given a bag of prescription medications to keep in our apartments. This way, we don't have to have it sent to us, we can just take it under the direction of our doctor as soon as we need it. The Peace Corps takes good care of us. I have to admit, I was pretty ticked when my symptoms got worse and I realized this wasn't just a passing tummyache. At this time of year, I really miss my dad; holidays are the hardest time to be without him. And I am so far away...

Last night I was taking the bus to a friend's campus and sat down next to a grandma. Now, in the words of my friend Patrick, "Chinese grandmas are the sh*t." It's true: they can do anything and exude a quiet confidence I aspire to. (Also, they can totally snake all the good veggies at the market before anyone realizes what's happening.) They rule with a silk fist. You don't mess with a Chinese grandma. And to a Chinese grandma, all the world's a grandchild, especially a lone foreign girl. I sat down next to grandma in my short skirt and knee-high boots, sans stockings, and she immediately began chastising me for being bare-legged. I explained I don't have stockings, and she started running her hands up and down the bare-showing parts of my thighs, trying to warm me up. After a year and a half here, this didn't faze me (haha, I first wrote "phase" me), but I still had to laugh at the image of a Chinese grandma feeling up a random foreig...

I love the notebooks in China. I don't know why, but almost all of them have some kind of Chinglish phrase on the cover. Here are a few I saw in a school supply shop near my campus: I love the 'My baby grows up in this way' tagline: For when you need to announce your life strategy: 'I never really try to be positive.' Nothing says 'Season's Greeting' like a stack of folded towels. Btw, a candle that close to the towels is a fire hazard. 'Goes the sound which the balcony listens to spend.' HUH? No really, I love these. But this one is still my all time favorite: In other news, I have to go out of town to this weekend for a medical test. I have two spots on my back that keep scabbing over and won't heal, so I have to get them checked out. Sunshine, I love you so much, why do you hurt me like this? And in still further news, I only have 9 months left in China. 9 months! Where has the time gone? I feel like I have survive...

Something I Love: www.awkwardfamilyphotos.com . If you haven't seen this site, you should go there as fast as your little fingers will type you there. (Bonus China points for scrolling through the site in your underwear, licking frosting off a knife, like I did last night.)  This one is hands down my favorite one . That disembodied pacifier head! Runner up favorite: The Nativity.  And a special thanks to my mom and dad, who never subjected us to this kind of thing. We owe you one!

The other day I was really wishing I could talk to my dad about something that happened here, because I thought he'd be interested in it. And a few days later, I had a dream I went to his office but he wasn't there; I left a note. I kinda like thinking that my dad knows when I want to talk to him. Maybe he gets the 'notes.' And since we both loved The Daily Show and Colbert Report , I still sometimes want to send him clips of funny moments like we used to do. I wonder if he misses that too. I don't get homesick too often here, but sometimes I do feel like I'm missing out on things back home. My awesome step-mom and step-siblings, who have been so supportive and are good friends. Their kids are  getting older, wiser and more fun, and I wonder if the little ones will remember me when I get back.  I miss my grandma, who has health problems. Every time I call her, she says, "I'm going to try to live until you come home again." I always tell her, ...

1. There are no solely left-handed Chinese. All kids have to be right-handed. Some kids who start out left-handed surreptitiously maintain the skill and are ambidextrous, but no one is just left-handed. 2. My Chinese to English dictionary (no English to Chinese) is 2,139 pages long. If I want to look up a character and I don't know the pinyin (alphabetized spelling), I first use a paper radical index to find the pinyin, then look up the word alphabetically in the dictionary. There are often pages and pages of characters that share the same pinyin. It gets easier with practice, it takes me less than a minute now to find a new character. 3. The standard greeting here is "Have you eaten yet?" This is because for so long there has not been enough food. Being able to eat is a big deal. 4. Most advertisements for Chinese products have elderly people in them because in Chinese culture the elderly are respected and admired for their wisdom. The exceptions: some Western products...

I'm back home for a week. I'll be leaving this Sunday for a trip to another province with friends for a week or so. A few things I want to share: 1. I went to get my new cell phone the day I returned. The sales lady was very nice and we had the usual spiel you have here: I'm American, I'm a teacher, I've been here a year, I go home next year, etc. etc. But then she asked me if I had any kids. I told her no, and she asked if I would have kids when I returned to America. It struck me I don't really know how to talk about my reproductive decisions in Chinese. I didn't expect to be asked. But then I thought about it, and it makes sense it's totally acceptable to ask a stranger when they're having kids. The fact someone might not want kids isn't part of the local culture, so there's no reason not to ask. Anyway, it was one of those moments that really illuminates the differences between Chinese and Western culture and concepts of privacy. 2. ...