Why That's...

…very Chinese of you. To assume those two words can be synonymous.

Ahh, the glorious People's Revolution.

Birthday Girl

On Stacy's birthday, she wanted to go on a walk and take a selfie in front of one of the beautiful peaks near our dorm.

The result? She's absolutely gorgeous. Oh, and I think there's a mountain in the picture somewhere, too.

USMNT!!!

I am currently pretty jacked up on World Cup soccer. Like "missing-sleep-to-watch-games" into it.

Five years ago, I could have cared less, but Stacy and I watched most of the games of the 2010 FIFA World Cup (we had just gotten married and I was… mildly… employed at that time) and ended up really liking it.

Now, we're loving it.


First of all, it's America. On the world stage. So you know I dig it.

Second, our team is looking pretty good this year, despite being in a round-robin group labeled "The Group of Death." Actually, as this post goes live, we are in the midst of a match with Portugal that could decide whether we make it to the Round of 16.

The US Men's National Soccer Team. Doin' work.

Let's GO USA!!! I believe that we will win!

Then Begins the End

These days of beautiful high altitude landscapes are (too) quickly drawing to a close. We're trying to soak up every minute.

Boston Rob

The other lone American in our class is named Rob. 

He's a really nice guy from Boston who is always good for a joke, sharing a movie, and on your wife's birthday - arranging a surprise party for Stace with all the students after class, complete with a tiramisu cake (all ingredients brought in his luggage from thousands of miles away) - topped with CHERRIES (coming in at $10/pound).

What a guy.

Academic Blood Sport

I was unaware, when we registered for language school, that we were enrolling at some sort of Jean Claude Van Damme School of Language for Cage Fighters.

Not to worry, I'm sure these phrases will come in handy some day...

When You Marry a Man-Child...

You have to be very intentional. For his sake.

She loves me well.

Australia

I made a video for our time in Australia, finally.  We spent 3 days in Australia on our way to New Zealand, and made it just in time to catch the New Years Eve fireworks at the Sydney Harbor.

$20

The other day I went out to the market and the Nepali store and actually paid attention to how much I was spending in US dollars, not just Chinese yuan.

This is what I was able to get for right under $20 (about $18):

For $18 we got 4 bananas, 2 lbs of Chicken breasts, cereal, broccoli, orange juice, sweetened condensed milk, 3 apples, 3 oranges, 2 cucumbers, green lettuce, and a small bag of dried peaches.

We'll be in America in the fall, and I have no idea what to expect the cost of food will be.  I'm hoping this picture will bring me perspective about something then (like maybe this is a lot for $18, or maybe I'll just remember how good it was when we could get corn flakes with mango?)

Blue Jays and Leprechauns

It's May, Division 1 lacrosse tournament time. This past weekend was the Quarter Finals, with 2 games that I couldn't wait to see:

1. Albany versus Notre Dame



The Thompsons. Straight baller.

2. Duke versus Johns Hopkins

I was pumped about the first game because Albany has three Native American players (2 brothers and their cousin) who are absolutely mind-blowing to watch.

They are, for lack of a better word, dazzling. Plus, I love Notre Dame.

In that game, I was pulling for the Dame, who was losing 12-7 in the 4th quarter. 

However, to cap off the greatest lacrosse game I've ever seen, the Fighting Irish clawed back to tie it at the end of regulation, and then scored in Sudden Victory Overtime. 

For. The. Win!

The Fighting! Irish! Win!

This picture really grosses me out.
It's someone with (almost) my last
name 1) playing for Duke and
2) hugging Duke's coach. Worst.

The following game was Dook against one of the schools I wanted to go to - the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays. 

Though historically Hopkins has been the powerhouse in collegiate lacrosse, recently Dook has been dominant. 

Unfortunately, the trend continued this year and my beloved (2nd only to the Tar Heels) Jays fell in rather drab fashion.

So here's what we're looking at, going into Championship Weekend:

99 Problems

Oh, you don't dry your clothes by hanging them in the window?

I feel bad for you, son.

True Love

We were clearly made for each other.

Groundhog Day

In the Spring, there are two things I look forward to with eager anticipation:

1. The first weekend in April, when I hope to see the UNC Tar Heel men's basketball team cutting down the nets after a national championship, and,
2. The last weekend in May, when I hope to see the UNC Tar Heels men's lacrosse team hoisting the national championship trophy.

However, on Saturday this happened:

Like a recurring nightmare, the Tar Heels play the Pioneers of Denver University in the tournament, and every time they win. FOR THE LAST 3 YEARS IN A ROW.

It's like Kansas is for our basketball team.

Maddening.

Useless

I always thought that authors of introductory language learning textbooks would try to find useful example sentences. You know, takeaways to help the novice.

Apparently, I was wrong.

Under Control

A week ago, I reported that I had let things get… rustic… in the facial hair department. Well, I realized it was time for a change.

So, with a pair of clippers, I got to work. Here's where we started:

Bold. Glorious.

Our first stop: the General Burnside.

Spot on. Nailed it.

From there, it felt necessary to class it up a bit.

In case you missed it...

Of course, my brother Josh was inspired...

I never really thought the Eye of the Tiger could get any classier. Clearly, I was wrong.

It's For the Kids

I'm sure most of you are familiar with Toms shoes - you know, the cloth shoes that were wildly popular a few years ago. Well, the company allegedly does good in the world by providing shoes to underprivileged folks around the world, a program called "One for One."

The idea behind it is simple: you buy a pair of Toms, then Toms gives a pair away. Simple.

So, obviously it brought a huge smile to my face when I saw this:

The smile was not a "Oh that's nice, more impoverished kids will be receiving shoes now that China's selling Toms." It was a "Ah, another hilarious reminder that China could care less about philanthropy or original ideas. Or intellectual property."

If you look closely, you'll realize that these aren't Toms. They are Toms-esque shoes from a company called "One for One."

That's right, it's all here folks: the exact design of Toms' shoes, the exact logo, and the name of Toms' philanthropy. Only I'm sure these folks don't give any shoes away for free.

(I zoomed in as close as I could to the back of one of the shoes, so you could see that they aren't Toms)

This One Time...

… we fit Stacy in a Burger King cup.

Out of Control

So, apparently my facial hair has gotten a little out of control.

Obviously, I'm not apologizing, just recognizing it for the first time.

In early March, when things were "full but well-kempt."

More recently…

Full gnar, no apologies.

I live in the mountains, what did you expect?


Sorry most of y'all aren't around to enjoy this glorious Charles Wesley-esque facial mane.

T-hehe (Pun Intended)

Because I'm immature.

C&C - No, NOT the Music Factory

I'm sorry, who told you this was a good name for a restaurant?

No, I am not interested in knowing the blue plate special, thanks.

Manao!

In Thai, the word for lime is 'manao.' They also have a carbonated beverage, made by Schweppes, simply called "Manao." Or as it's known in the O'Hare household, "Yes-I'll-have-another-please."

Textbook ZING!

Looks like the author of our textbook is serving up ZING-bombs.

Unfortunately, as is often the case with out textbook, it looks like the author has unintentionally roasted himself during the course of the roast.

McYes Please!

My brother Isaac has a very… refined… palette. He selects only the finest ingredients and doesn't like to venture too far from the "big 3" - cheddar cheese, ground beef, and bacon. Obviously, such stringent demands can make international travel a bit of a challenge. Or at least an unpleasant prospect.

Well, never you fear. While we were in New Zealand, I noticed that McDonald's NZ was apparently catering to his exact palette:

Well done, New Zealand - thank you for helping us get one step closer to convincing Isaac to visit us!

Swimming Hole

While we were in Chiang Mai in January, we took a day trip out to the Bua Tong Waterfalls with some friends. Stacy and I had been there before, so I decided to venture out on my own to see what I could discover.

Standing in the falls

What I discovered, down a lonely trail, was a swimming hole in the middle of the jungle.

There was no one else around, so I jumped in for a nice, refreshing, jungle-paradise swim.

When I said "crystal clear," I meant crystal:

So, when are you coming to Thailand with us??

That Dog Just Ain't Gonna Hunt

We have a saying in the South - "That dog just ain't gonna hunt." It means, "I'm sorry, but that's not going to work," or "no, no, that's just really not a good idea." I'll give you an example:

Did you just use "luxurious" and "possum fiber" in the same sentence? No, New Zealand. Just, no.

I'll Tell You Who's Not...

The author of our textbook, that's who.

Beware the Slippery Ninja

Spotted on the mountain trails outside of Queenstown, New Zealand: the Slippery Ninja.

If you should happen to encounter the Slippery Ninja while in the wilds of New Zealand, do not make direct eye contact and slowly back away.

Bonus - Footage of the SN tearing up the trail:

Thailand's "normal" is awesome

In Thailand, even the discount, off-brand shampoos are exotic. Ahh, Thailand.

Optimism

Not only is our textbook teaching a new language, it's teaching a little optimism, as well.

When Cultures Collide (in the Porta-John)

As countries rise to economic affluence, more of their citizens are enabled to travel abroad, bringing two cultures into contact. Often, with a host of frustrations. 

Sixty years ago, it was the rise of American affluence and the birth of the "ugly American" - a loud, demanding, oblivious world traveler who rubbed almost everyone he (or she) came into contact with the wrong way.

Not long after that, the rise of the Soviet Union paralleling the US gave way to a wave of Russian globe trotters, who brought the same abrasiveness and lack of cultural awareness.

Over the last 30 years, travelers from the US and Russia have learned to listen, tone their own cultures down a bit, and study up on cultural cues before traveling. And we also handed the baton of "ugly traveler" off to the Chinese.

For the last 5 years or so, the growing Chinese middle class has been venturing past their borders, but often they are "first generation wealthy" who have rocketed up from village poverty to cosmopolitan riches. As they enjoy their new-found wealth, they often expect those around them to accommodate their preferences and "village mentalities," leading to a host of (often comical) misunderstandings.

Exhibit A, from Sydney, Australia (a favorite destination for Chinese travelers):

Apparently, the Aussies are not fans of the… collateral damage… caused by Chinese tourists trying to use toilets as squatties.