All posts filed under: Blog

Staying Positive

Published by Sula H.

Holidays. Winter break. That means 1 1/2 month of solitary confinement on a campus that is nearly completely deserted. Sounds dull? Well … but there are some positive things about that, if you just look hard enough. Like the internet. I can finally do stuff online now after 4 pm in the afternoon without getting stuck on a website that takes like an hour to open. Why? Because the students are gone. Because no one is watching online soap operas and plays computer games anymore as soon as class is over. Because there simply aren’t enough people on campus to slow down the internet so much that no one can do anything online at all anymore! So, that’s great, right? After all, it is “yay” for winter holidays that give me a break!

Last Day of School

Published by Sula H.

I can’t believe another semester of school is officially over – as of today. Most of my foreign colleagues have deserted the campus already, and the vast majority has left as well. For the next couple of weeks, I’ll have to be content with quiet solitude! Or maybe not? We’ll see …

We Are Moving …

Published by Sula H.

Just thought I’d let you know that MistyHilltops.com is moving. No, not to a new address. We’re just switching servers, since we’ve reached the limit of our traffic allowance with our current webhosting service – in other words, you guys are giving me too much traffic, lol! But that’s a good thing, I guess. So, I’m not complaining at all that there’s actually enough people out there who think to stop by MistyHilltops every once in a while. But, we have to move. And I’m only glad that I don’t have to pack up a lot of things, and carry lots of boxes and what not. But then, our last move with MistyHilltops was a nightmare just the same, as it took a couple of days to figure out what was wrong. Anyways, all I’m saying is that, if things get a bit wonky with MistyHilltops in the next couple of days, just beware that there’s stuff going on behind the scenes here, and that we’ll try to get everything worked out as quickly as …

Food Corner: Potatoes & Meat

Published by Sula H.

Potatoes are very common in China. Except that the way they are prepared in China is quite different from what I knew about cooking potatoes when I grew up. While (at least in Germany) potatoes usually are boiled in water and salt, like most everything here they’re fried in the wok (without ever boiling them beforehand). This specific potato dish comes diced and mixed with meat, onion and spices. And it’s quite delicious, too!

Keeping Up

Published by Sula H.

Can you tell I’m behind? Life just keeps coming at me, interfering with my plans and making things a little challenging. But then, I guess it’s a good thing to stay busy with real life. After all, a week from now, the students will be gone and life around campus will turn real quiet. So, I’d rather take that chance of extra time with my friends before I’ll have to go into hibernation!

Last Week of Classes

Published by Sula H.

The last week of classes today officially begins. Most students are taking final exams throughout the week, by Wednesday the first wave of students leaving for home will begin, and by the end of this week, our campus will be deserted yet once more!

Another Normal Night

Published by Sula H.

I’m saying good-bye … to the old year that is. Not that this has any special meaning here in China! New Year’s Eve here is just another night like every other – who cares that with the stroke of midnight the number of the year changes? The real new year here begins with Spring Festival, which isn’t for another couple of weeks. Tonight, students will go to bed at the usual time, and the campus remain quiet. Like I said, it’s just another normal night …

What Apples Have to Do With Christmas

Published by Sula H.

Well, traditionally apples have been part of the Christmas decoration, at least in Germany, where I grew up. The typical vintage Christmas tree would include apple ornaments. And then there are the baked apples, of course. But those can be eaten any time in the winter, they’re not really a Christmas specific treat. But if you look for apples on modernly decorated Christmas trees, you’ll look in vain. Here, on the other hand, a Christmas without apples can’t be a real Christmas, as I was sternly reminded by one of my students on Christmas Eve who insisted I had to eat the apple he gave me that night. The apple farmers in China surely will stress the fact that apples belong to Christmas like a white beard to Santa Clause. After all, they’re making a ton of extra business, producing apples that have grown ripe with pictures on them, or season’s greetings. And those special Christmas apples, of course, sell for special prices that most of all make those apple farmers happy. But I’m sure, …