Rebecca A. Foster

Over the weekend, I was eating dinner at an Indian restaurant with some friends and when I lifted my fork to my mouth for the first bite, I misjudged and stabbed myself in the lip with it. D'oh!  I felt like a real idiot. I guess that's how you know you've been in China for a while, you forget how to eat with a fork without hurting yourself. No wonder baby forks are plastic. Chopsticks are pretty cool, though. Once you get the hang of it, they are pretty easy to eat with, and force you to take smaller bites. And they strengthen your hand muscles and improve dexterity. I used to carry a pair of chopsticks in my bag, because most places don't have sanitary chopsticks for you to use; there is just a communal chopstick holder on the table. But I got lazy and now just suck it up and use their chopsticks. I figure at least I am building up germ immunity. HOWEVER, I was looking for a picture of chopsticks to use for this story and found this picture. It's a bra that can ...

This week I did a lesson for my classes on 'utopia' vs. 'dystopia.' I showed them a short clip from the film Children of Men , but I knew it wouldn't have the same impact on them it had on me the first time I saw it; our city streets are not so different from the scenes depicted in the movie. I doubt they realized London had been changed for the movie to resemble a dystopic nightmare, and I didn't point it out to them. (Click on the link above for a short advertisement for the film which shows what I am referring to.) I also showed them this video . I debated with myself as to whether I should, but I ultimately did because I think the overall message of the song is powerful. (It's something I can't speak about openly here, but if you watch the video, and remember where I am, you'll perhaps understand why I hesitated.) There are certain topics we have been "asked" not to discuss here, under any circumstances. I look forward to the day I...

(See English text on the packaging): Skincare in China = weight loss in America. A national obsession. Beauty masks like this one are very popular here and cost only around $.50 each. My favorites are infused with green tea, tea tree oil or red wine. And I hate to brag, but my skin looks like a baby's butt after I wear one. Here's what they look like out of the package: Yes, you look like a burn victim while wearing it. It's worth it. You can't find diet foods here, but you can stick all kinds of things on your face. I'm now addicted to glowing skin. Also, I'm pretty and charming. Thanks, China!

A shot of the daytime skyline in Chongqing, or as we call it 'The Chonx.'  No, that isn't a storm or fog, it's pollution. Because the sun's rays can't penetrate the pollution, the sun rarely shines here. The Peace Corps provides us with in-home air purifiers, so it's all good, unless you want to go outside; then it's headaches, coughing, and blowing black stuff out of your nose. I run outside here, but not more than three miles or so at a time. I miss long distance running. Two years here shouldn't hurt us long-term, but I worry about the kids growing up here.

Rob Pattinson: that perfect jawline, that sexy scruff,  those green eyes. *sigh* Still lickable.  He's the male equivalent of marshmallow cream, and sometimes, a girl needs cream. (Next post, we return to our regularly scheduled Chinese adventures.) (Picture via vanityfair.com  )

Some days are really tough here. It can be very lonely and discouraging to live in such an alienating-to-foreigners culture so far away from friends and family, to be illiterate, to experience the loss of friendships. To get through the tough times, I try to focus on goals. Here are a few of mine: 1. Lose at least 30 lbs. (This shouldn't be number one, but it is.) 2. Speak Chinese at the Advanced Intermediate level. 3. Understand at least 2,000 Chinese characters. 4. Get back the self-esteem I lost. Feeling used and mislead: it doesn't do a body (or mind) good. 5. Let go without anger or resentment those who don't want my love. 6. Decide whether to pursue the Columbia fellowship. 7. Stop judging my accomplishments by whether I am married and have kids (as my church and society advocate). 8. Be grateful for what I have. 9. Quit whining about what I don't have. 10. Find gainful employment again, at some point.

This is where I buy my vegetables. It's not clean, but you can't eat veggies without decontaminating them in some way anyway, so it really doesn't matter. (And 100% organic!  A bit different from Whole Foods or Trader Joe's though.) You can buy produce from the supermarket, but it's 3x as expensive and has to be weighed at a weigh station rather than at checkout like in Western grocery stores. There are no lines, so you have to fight your way to the front, push other's bags of produce out of the way, and get your food weighed by a sullen faced girl who doesn't acknowledge you. It sucks. So I come here instead. This type of market is the most common way to buy vegetables in China. Here you can see potatoes, onions, and different kinds of greens for sale. The quality varies depending on the day and what they are able to get. But you can usually get these basics, along with tomatoes, garlic and mushrooms. Sometimes they have radishes, lettuce, broccoli and caul...