Rebecca A. Foster

1. The Guggenheim building is far more interesting than the Guggenheim collection. 2. I thought St. Pat's Day in Boston would be cra-zay. Maybe for New England, it is. I would like to invite all Bostonians to San Antonio for Fiesta . Cra-zay! I really liked Boston, but I am far too spirited and not nearly preppy enough to ever live there. 3. We went back to a friend-of-a-friend's apartment, where I accidentally left behind my McSorley's mug when leaving to go home for the night. The friend-of-a-friend had to walk me back to his pad to get it. Pretty sure he (and his doorman) thought this was as ploy for me to stay the night. Nope, I just really am that absent-minded. On the way to the subway (again), he asked me "You're not going to tweet about this, are you?" (Meaning everything that went down that night. He's an actor.) I was caught off guard by his question; is that really a thing people say now??? No. No I'm not. 4. NYC, please get a mag-lev ...

When I have to sum up this past year? FUN! (This picture is from when I lived in San Antonio, before my dad got sick. I was really happy and carefree. I think it shows on my face. I'd take a new picture but I lost my camera in the move. So, this old one will have to do.) Probably some of the most fun times of my life. Okay, coming home from China and transitioning back to America was tough, but it was worth it for all the fun times that caused the big letdown. I mean, you can't go that low unless you've been that high, right? I was that high. (Not literally.) Probably the two biggest lessons I learned this year are: 1. Ain't nothing wrong with a good time. It's okay to just be happy. I'm a lucky, lucky girl. 2. Forgiveness is not about the other person at all, it's about you. I used to be reluctant to let go of those bad feelings that happen when someone hurts you a lot because it was like letting them win. Well, *I'm* the one carrying t...

Those of you who have been reading this blog a while know that in San Antonio I lived across the street from a firehouse. Most homes in my neighborhood were gated estates set back from the road, but I walked everywhere I could and ran in my neighborhood at night, so the firefighters would often see me outside and we'd say hello, and then chat a bit, and then we became friends. One year I couldn't go home for Thanksgiving and when they found out, invited me over to have Thanksgiving dinner with them. I brought pumpkin pound cake and we had a delicious dinner. (Firefighters are awesome cooks.) I was pretty honored they'd ask me to join them, and it remains a memorable Thanksgiving. I'm sure it's the only Thanksgiving I'll ever spend in a firehouse. I feel like firehouses are special places; they are setup up just to protect and help. Especially after living overseas, I appreciate that we have these places, and people willing to serve in them. I think nothing rea...

It is not an exaggeration to say I would not have made it through my Peace Corps experience without the support of folks back home. So many people did so much for me. I'm putting together this week care packages for Thanksgiving/Christmas for some folks over in China; it means a lot for me to be able to give back for all the kindness shown towards me. It's so fun picking stuff out, knowing it'll be a treat for them. Thanks again to everyone who supported me, with packages and warm thoughts and kind words. I'm paying it forward in your honor.

I get along well with youngest children; most of my best friends and men I've been out with are youngest kids. I'm an oldest, so perhaps it's just an easy paradigm to fall into. My second year, most of the new volunteers assigned to Chongqing were guys. (New volunteers arrive every July; because we serve for two years, you serve with a different group your first and second years.) And almost all of them were youngest children. Because I'd already been in Chongqing a year when the new volunteers arrived, I was happy to take on the role of 411 if they needed it. I told them about getting around the city and food and shopping and whatever else they needed to know. But then I started getting calls from restaurants, asking me to talk to their server to order their dinner. One of the girls sometimes called me and she was always "Hey, can you help me out? I've tried and it's not working." But the boys were like, "Hi, order my food, 'k thanks bye....

My birthday weekend in Vegas was awesome! Thanks for all the birthday wishes. I forgot my camera (again!) but I have been to Vegas several times. Here are some of my favorite pictures from past trips: A view of Las Vegas Blvd: Me and a friend I met there: A bride waiting at a bus stop at 2:00 AM: Kids playing a joke on David: Vegas, there really is no place like it in the world. I had a great time at Sephora, Rebecca bought some super strong pigment silver eye shadow ( Urban Decay in Vapor ) and nail polish ( Sephora OPI in Queen of Everything ) for my birthday. I'm really into strong metals these days. My little brother got me this awesome Michael Kors costume jewelry perfume ring from Sephora. I love it! My friend and I had a good time, and I ate many delicious foods. (That is Chinglish, btw; they aways say 'delicious foods' to describe all foods.) I'd say more, but you know the rule! Haha. I have a few more days left here, I'm trying to get everything done. Time...

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...

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 ...

An hour ago, I got a call from my boss at our University inviting me to go on a trip with his family for the weekend to another province. We leave tomorrow at noon. (This is how things happen in China: at the last minute. I have no idea if other teachers are going too, or just me. I'll find out when the car arrives.) I have two sets of plans for New Year's Eve this evening, and I'm not sure which yet I'll choose. But tomorrow I'll be leaving town, so let me tell you all now: Happy New Year!  新年快乐！ Btw,I'm still waiting for students to send me pictures they took of our night hosting the pageant. I'll post some as soon as I get them. They are in the middle of finals, so I'm not pushing for them yet. (I forgot my camera, of course.) I ended up wearing a long black fitted skirt and a "sexy" (their words) matte silver/gray top, with some fun accessories. A student loaned me a diamond hair thingy to wear my hair pulled up into in the front, then fl...

Hope you all had a nice Christmas; I ate lots of foods I am not used to anymore (read: dairy and processed meats and sugary treats sent by our various fams) and got a tummy ache, which made it seem like kid Christmas all over again, so that was kind of awesome. I got together with friends and bought myself some lavender/silvery eye shadow, so it was a great Christmas! And yes, I now get excited about eye shadow, it's a luxury purchase for me here. China: helping you find joy in the little things all over again. Andrew and I hosted the Christmas pageant on Wednesday night. Here is my report: -I didn't get to wear the dress! And the reason is very Chinese: they told me the shop had made a mistake and didn't reserve the dress after all, and someone else had rented it out. But I was not asked to go pick out another one instead. So I think they went over budget and no longer had the money to pay for it, but they couldn't admit that to me, it would be 'losing face...

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...

That Christmas Pageant Andrew and I are hosting? Turns out it's a much bigger production than I anticipated. We'll be doing the introduction and closing, as well as making commentary between each act. Watch out, Dick Clark?? Pageant hosting in China is a really big deal, so yesterday my school took me to a dress rental shop to find a ballgown length pageant dress to wear. We found a beautiful cranberry gown that actually fit me (I am a giant here), I was shocked. And happy. I love wearing beautiful dresses! It's being held outdoors and I can't wear a coat while I'm onstage, brrr, but even so, I'm pretty excited to get to wear the dress. (And because my gown is floor-length, I'm totally going to be rocking some legwarmers. Shhh...) Definitely a new experience in my Rebecca Life Handbook. Btw, a cultural note: variety shows are extremely popular here, and the girls who host the shows on tv are known for being charming and beautiful. If you are a variety show...

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...

Today I went running out at T's and took a few pictures along the way: A power line worker having a nap in the trees: An elderly man sitting on his porch reading a book: Just for you, Techno, a Chinese chicken coop: A woman doing the wash, and two de-feathered ducks for dinner (hanging on the pole): Pretty much everyone thought I was crazy for running for no reason. I stopped to talk to a few people along the way. I could see it in their eyes, "Why are you running if no one is chasing you?" One guy stopped on his motorcycle and backed up to offer me a ride back to town. So last year's Thanksgiving was not great. I taught all day, and then we had possibly the worst Thanksgiving dinner ever of dry chicken. So, this year, my thoughtful mom sent me money to go to a hotel in the city serving Thanksgiving dinner for expats. Really good food, and I am so excited!! 10 of us are going, and I am going to eat and eat and eat to my heart's content. I...

First the fun: We had an expat Halloween party at a friend's house with lots of refreshments, glowsticks, cookies and candles, what could be more fun than that? Here's a picture of me in-costume (as old-school Britney Spears, with 'Rambo'): A few of us crashed at the party site instead of going home that early in the morning. I fell asleep around 4:30 a.m., which wouldn't be a big deal except someone started pipe construction at 6 a.m., right outside the bedroom window. On a Sunday morning, are you kidding me? I hate it when Chinese work ethics collide with my sleep time! Now the awkward: Later in the morning, we decided to get Chinese brunch (which here is just 'lunch' early, there are no brunch foods, that's a little joke) but all I had to wear was my Halloween costume. And here's the thing I learned: Halloween costumes are like Cinderella's pumpkin carriage: good for one night only. That getup, which had been so fun only a few hours ...

I was just asleep, but now awake due to my shaking bed: a  mild earthquake, which probably wouldn't be felt in a building with Western construction standards, but is very noticeable here. And the shaking itself doesn't freak me out, but these things do: 1. No fire escapes in Chinese apartment buildings. 2. My front door opens onto an outside balcony, not a secure hallway. 3. I'm on the 4th floor. 4. The past few days, and I am not making this up, I've been thinking about earthquakes and what I would do if there were another big one here. It's been a year and a half since the big earthquake hit this area, the likelihood of another big one isn't high, but still...am I paranoid or psychic? (The answer is: paranoid. I hope.) UPDATE: I checked the USGS website this morning and yes, there was a minor earthquake last night centered about 200 miles from where I live. You know how it's hard to sleep after an adrenaline rush? Yeah. So because I'm awake, h...

Well, this has been quite a week. I guess what happens when you actually start having fun in China is that you lose the time to write about it. It's Saturday night here and I am blissfully staying home and going to bed early. It was a great holiday week, but super-busy. I'm glad for a night off from the fun and frivolity. So many parts of my Chinese life that were different and unexpected are now normal to me, to the extent that I forget to write about them!  But here's one I was reminded of today: in a public bathroom with multiple stalls, instead of waiting at the head of the stall line for the next available stall, you have to go stand in front of a stall and wait for it to become empty. And it seems like I always choose the wrong stall and have to wait longer than someone who came in behind me. I have bad bathroom stall karma! There must be some secret to determining which stall will be empty next, but I have yet to figure it out. Maybe by the time I go home next year...

Tim lives on the edge between Chongqing and the countryside, so he invited us to his house to go biking and spend the day in the fresh air we never get in the city. We got there in the morning and rented mountain bikes; I haven't been on a bike since I was about 13, so this was quite an adventure for me. We did some off-road biking and I was in last place, but I did make it up the hills! Here's a picture of me on my bike (yes, I did wear a helmet, just not for the photo): Tim has a Chinese student friend who grew up in a small village near Tim's school, and one of the villagers was having his 30th birthday party. We got invited to the party, so we biked to the village. It was pretty incredible to spend the day there and see what village life is like. Their village is a collection of homes built around an old temple that was bombed by the Japanese during the Chinese/Japanese conflict in WWII. Two families now live in the old temple, and the rest built homes surrounding the t...

Last week Tristan made an astute observation: "In China, we're like D-list celebrities." It's true: people don't know our names, but they recognize us and want to know what we're doing, buying and eating. And they want to be our friend. (I think Tristan said this because some kids came to our table during dinner to stare/talk to us while we were eating; he's a tall, muscular, tough-looking guy who shaves his head. I love watching people spot him on the sidewalk, then get out of the way.) People treat us like we're living in our own little reality show, and they want to be a part of it. This isn't a bad thing, but after over a year here, I am still not comfortable with being treated differently. However, it does make for some interesting and/or unusual interactions. For example, this past week, I got a random call from a girl I didn't remember but evidently sat next to on the bus going to school. People here are always asking for our phone num...

Happy 4th of July! My grades are all turned in, I'm going this afternoon to have cute flowers painted on my toenails, tonight is a 1 year anniversary homemade pizza party, and tomorrow a 4th of July BBQ on the roof to celebrate. Hope y'all have a great weekend, too! (This is the cake the Peace Corps Chinese staff bought us last year for the 4th of July, our 3rd day in country. It was so sweet of them to get it for us.)