The Suzhou Zoo

Last Sunday we went to the Suzhou Zoo. Up until a few years ago, it was located inside a park in the old town and it was very small, based on what I’ve… Continue reading →

September: New beginnings

For many people, September feels more like the start of a new year than January. And for me too! I guess I got that feeling when I was a child, as school started… Continue reading →

Holidays in Sanya

I should be in Spain right now, but you know what happened with the plans we had for 2020: They all went down the drain. So Spain was off the table, but because… Continue reading →

A stroll around Soochow University

Soochow University is one of the oldest universities in China and it’s located in the heart of Suzhou, within walking distance of Pingjiang old street (Soochow is the old romanization of the name… Continue reading →

Rainy summer

In Suzhou, the rainy season usually starts in the middle of June and lasts for about 3 weeks. This period of rainy weather is called 梅雨, which literally means “plum rain”. This year… Continue reading →

Why I want my son to learn Suzhou dialect

Did you know that there are many different languages in China? Many people are only familiar with two: Mandarin, or what is known simply as “Chinese” and is the country’s official language, and… Continue reading →

The clothes swapping event

Do you remember the post I wrote last month about how I hadn’t bought any clothes in a year? I’m still keeping at it and I haven’t bought anything, except for underwear which… Continue reading →

Am I jinxed?

I don’t know what’s going on with me lately, but it seems I only have to say something on the blog to make the situation I’m writing about change radically. If this is… Continue reading →

The economic impact of COVID-19

The post title might be misleading! I’m not going to analyse the current state of the global economy here, but merely wanted to note a few changes I’ve been seeing in Suzhou these… Continue reading →

Baby inside vs baby outside

There’s something that I find very puzzling in China and that is the difference in attitude towards children that are still in the womb and the ones that are already outside. Let me… Continue reading →