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 ...