"Let China Sleep, for When the Dragon Awakes, She will Shake the World."

KTV Karaoke Booths INSIDE a SUPERMARKET?! WTF - Only in China

2017-08-18T19:34:00.001-05:00

Wait, WHAT IS THIS? Why are there KTV (karaoke) booths inside this
Carrefour complex in Chengdu, Sichuan, China? This is one of the weirdest, strangest, most random and hilarious things I have seen in China. My WTF China radar went off like crazy when I saw this, and I had to make a video - there was no way I was going to just walk aby it!

You guys have seen gaming booths inside Chinese malls, right? Same kind of idea, I guess. Maybe guys or girls, while waiting on their significant others, can sing a song or two! Seems like it's 5 yuan, which, while less than one USD, is more than I'd want to say for singing in a glorified telephone booth in a Chinese supermarket.

Anyway - what are your thoughts on sitting in a KTV / karaoke booth in the middle of a supermarket in China? Sound like fun? Or completely lame?

My Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/austinguidry

Feel free to subscribe to see more videos about what it is like to be an American (or any kind of foreigner) in China! All are welcome!

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/letchinasleep2
Twitter: @LetChinaSleep
我的微博：@懒惰老外

To Neijiang! We're doing WHAT??!!! Daily-Life Vlogging in China

2017-08-15T11:09:00.001-05:00

Today, we're on the road - for a bit, anyway. My wife and in-laws are headed to Neijiang, a small town in Sichuan province, China. Why are we going there for the morning? Oh, wouldn't you like to know....! Haha well, if you watch, you'll find out!

I'll give you a hint - it might have to do with the purchase of the automobile persuasion...

My Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/austinguidry

Feel free to subscribe to see more videos about what it is like to be an American (or any kind of foreigner) in China! All are welcome!

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/letchinasleep2
Twitter: @LetChinaSleep
我的微博：@懒惰老外

WTF China Stories | FAKE MEDICINE Girl | A Consequence of 'Leftover' Wom...

2017-08-15T01:56:00.001-05:00

Welcome back to another episode of WTF China Stories! In this episode, we are going to discuss two phenomena in modern-day China: leftover women, and fake medicine.

You see, in China, nearly all women are put under enormous pressure to get married and have children as soon as possible, and after 27-28 years old, they are considered unmarriable and spinsters by Chinese society, which in my opinion is fucking ridiculous. Oh, well - this is China.

Anyway, I had a friend who was 24/25 and was on the cusp of getting married when her boyfriend dumped her, seemingly out of the blue...the rest of the story continues in the video!

My Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/austinguidry

Feel free to subscribe to see more videos about what it is like to be an American (or any kind of foreigner) in China! All are welcome!

Self Harm Resources - you are NOT ALONE http://www.seventeen.com/health/advice/a4533/cutting-resources/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/letchinasleep2

Twitter: @LetChinaSleep

我的微博：@懒惰老外

Taking the Train in China | Going Back to Longchang Again

2017-08-13T11:46:00.001-05:00

Ah, yes - the train! Possibly my favorite mode of transportation in China. Yes, seriously! I really like taking the train here. It's just a nice way to get around. Convenient, never late, plenty of space to move around - I love it! Snarky (White Guy) made a great video about taking the high-speed train from Shenzhen to Shanghai! Check it out!

Snarky's video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoWs2...

My Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/austinguidry

Feel free to subscribe to see more videos about what it is like to be an American (or any kind of foreigner) in China! All are welcome!

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/letchinasleep2
Twitter: @LetChinaSleep
我的微博：@懒惰老外

TOP 5 China Vloggers I Watch EVERY Time They Upload | Most Underrated Ch...

2017-08-12T11:21:00.001-05:00

Far West China: https://www.youtube.com/user/farwestc...

Snarkyguy: https://www.youtube.com/user/snarkywh...

Raising Shanghai: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt3K...

Living in China: https://www.youtube.com/user/JasonLig...

Lenaaround: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiNV...

Jerry Capital: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZI1...

Here's the deal - there are a ton of vloggers in China now. It's so different in 2017 compared to 2011. When I came here, it was just SerpentZA , laowhy86, and me - nobody else was making videos at the time (that I know of), so vlogging in China has obviously taken off as more people come here to live and work. China vloggers unite! Haha

However, not everyone is getting the exposure that they deserve, so I've put together some of the best vloggers in China that I think are underrated and under appreciated. Beijing, Guizhou, Xi'an, Dongguan, Hong Kong, (and Chengdu? haha) - they're all over the place!

There's something for everyone, I think. There's daily-life vlogging, Chinese culture, only in China stuff, WTF China, drones, married people, traveling in China, working in China, and so much more. Please subscribe to them!

I think if you spend some time with these guys, then you'll see that China's way more than just Shenzhen or Chengdu. China's a huge country with so much to offer in so many ways - that's what vlogging is for! To share experiences - so let's do it!

My Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/austinguidry

Feel free to subscribe to see more videos about what it is like to be an American (or any kind of foreigner) in China! All are welcome!

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/letchinasleep2
Twitter: @LetChinaSleep
我的微博：@懒惰老外

WTF China Stories: The 8-MONTH-OLD English Student | REAL TIGER PARENTS

2017-08-11T11:26:00.001-05:00

This is a 100% true China story. Think of this like the Chinese version of Charlie Murphy's True Hollywood Stories, except without Hollywood and with a fat, white guy who's not really famous for anything. Anyway....on with the story!

I used to work at a Chinese English training school, which is basically an after-school school for kids to take an extra-curricular English class or two in order to give them an edge over the competition here in China. I've mentioned competition before on this channel in one of my "This is China" videos, which you can find on my channel.

I've taught plenty of children in China - early education is a very strongly emphasized facet of education here in China, and foreigners are usually called in to teach children the foundations of English.

This training school was called i2, and the kids usually ranged in age from 6-12 years old. However, one time, a couple came in with a baby and asked if we could teach her child. We said, "Sure, where's the child?" "What do you mean? He's here," she said, gesturing to the infant in her arms.

Bish, what??? An Eight-month-old student?! Oh, wow....my poor co-worker. Now, the story begins....

My Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/austinguidry

Feel free to subscribe to see more videos about what it is like to be an American (or any kind of foreigner) in China! All are welcome!

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/letchinasleep2

Twitter: @LetChinaSleep
我的微博：@懒惰老外

I'm a CAM GIRL Now?! China's Multi Billion Yuan Industry | Live Streaming

2017-08-07T11:36:00.001-05:00

Live streaming in China has really taken off in the past year or so! It's insane the amount of people and the amount of money that can be made by sitting in front of a camera in your home entertaining people! So I am trying my hand at it. China has its own version of YouTube, Vine, Facebook, Whatsapp, and more - so why not Twitch or any of those other live-streaming platforms?

My Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/austinguidry

Feel free to subscribe to see more videos about what it is like to be an American (or any kind of foreigner) in China! All are welcome!

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/letchinasleep2

Twitter: @LetChinaSleep

我的微博：@懒惰老外

Typical Vegetable Market in China | Buying Groceries in China

2017-08-06T12:10:00.001-05:00

So, you're living in China, yeah? You need to buy groceries, yeah? Don't want to spend a ton of money in those Chinese supermarkets? You're in luck! You can go to a farmer's market where things are brought in fresh every day! THIS is how we do it here in China!

My Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/austinguidry

Feel free to subscribe to see more videos about what it is like to be an American (or any kind of foreigner) in China! All are welcome!

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/letchinasleep2

Twitter: @LetChinaSleep

我的微博：@懒惰老外

China Stories | An Unexpected Party

2017-06-08T17:08:00.001-05:00

In China, there's a fascinating phenomenon I call the "Unexpected Party Effect," which almost exclusively occurs when a foreigner goes out into a less-traveled place in a small town without many foreigners or out in the countryside where there are no foreigners. When off the beaten path, you'll have some unexpected invitations and meet some new people you'd never have met otherwise! And here are just two examples of the many I have experienced:

Visiting Longchi Village: A Poignant Reminder of the Wenchuan Earthquake

2017-05-22T19:15:00.001-05:00

What started as an innocent enough daytrip to Longchi Village just north of Dujiangyan turned into a much more eerie and contemplative time than I expected.

It turns out that not everyone and everything is all well and good in some areas after the Wenchuan Earthquake struck....even ten years later. I was quite sad during some parts of this tour, and I'm not really sure how I feel about making a video about it.

Your thoughts?

Teaching In China | Training Schools vs. Universities: Pros and Cons

2017-05-08T19:19:00.001-05:00

So, you want to teach in China? Here are some tips!

My Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/austinguidry

Working at a training school, you will have:

- Longer working hours. Many, if not most, training schools will sign you for something around 22-25 teaching hours a week, not including “non-teaching hours.” This includes: English First, i2 International Education, Wall Street English, Disney English, New Oriental, Meten English. You can sign part-time contracts with most of these companies, but generally speaking, if you want a living wage, a full-time job, and a Z visa (work visa), you’re gonna put in the hours.

- Higher pay. You’re working longer hours, so you will get paid more. Salaries range from 140/hr to 200+/hr. If you’re teaching 25 hours a week, you can work that out. Some training schools give housing stipends/other compensation, so you’ll be making 10-15k yuan/month.

- No experience / credentials needed, depending on where and which company you teach at.

- No housing included. You’re on your own for a place.

- Lots of young students and annoying parents with abnormally high expectations.

- Fairly rigid curriculums to follow and little freedom to teach what you like.

- Not a normal social life. You’ll be working weekends.

Working at a university, you will have:

- Shorter working hours. Most university contracts are for between 12-18 teaching hours a week, with 16 being the most common. However, each “hour” is usually 45 or 50 minutes, followed by a break, then another “hour,” so you’re not teaching the whole time.

- Lower pay. Working less = less money, of course.

- Experience / credentials needed. This also depends on where you’re going to be. If you want to be at a university and you don’t have any experience, you’ll have to start small. You’ll at least need your original degree, and sometimes they’ll want to see your transcripts as well! They’re cutting down on fake degrees.

- More free time!!

- Housing included (most of the time) or a housing stipend.

- Complete freedom to teach what you like, sometimes to a fault.

- Older students, often (not always) with better English, so you don’t need to teach from the ground up.

Good luck!

American Cooks Kung Pao Chicken For the First Time

2017-05-02T20:37:00.001-05:00

Here we go! I, Austin Guidry, am embarking on an experiment: expanding my arsenal of Chinese dishes that I cook. Today, I'm trying Kung Pao Chicken.

If you want to cook this, you'll need this!

Authentic Kung Pao Chicken Recipe:

Kung Pao Chicken Recipe

- A little less than 1lb of chicken breasts (400g is okay)
- 1 cup diced leeks (1.5 cm)
- 1 cup peanuts, skins removed
- 4 large cloves sliced garlic
- 10 round decent-sized slices of ginger
- Oil (preferably peanut), Salt, Sugar, Starch, Water, Cooking Wine (料酒 Liaojiu),
    - (Optional, but recommended) Huajiao (Sichuan peppercorn)

- Wash all ingredients before beginning.
- Prepare one bowl of marinade
    - 1 tbsp water, 1 tbsp starch, 1 tbsp soy sauce
- Dice chicken breasts into 1.5cm cubes and transfer into the marinade. Marinate for 20 minutes minimum
- In another small bowl, mix: 1tbsp water, 1 tbsp starch, 1 tsp salt, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp cooking wine / liquor (料酒 liaojiu).
    - This is your flavor base

(If using Sichuan Peppercorn)
- Heat oil to medium heat, and when hot, add 1-2 tbsp of peppercorn. Let cook and stir until peppercorns visibly darken. Remove. (The flavor will remain in the oil)

- Prepare to fry your peanuts. Put enough oil for the peanuts to sit in and fully fry, but fully submerging them is unnecessary
- Fry until the color changes and gets darker
- Remove the peanuts and set aside

- Once your chicken has marinated for 20 minutes, heat up the oil to medium high and add the chicken and stir until nearly done.

- When the chicken’s nearly done, turn down to medium and add ginger, garlic, leeks, peanuts, and flavor base.

- Cook for 2 minutes then add dried peppers, stirring continuously. After 1-2 minutes, plate and enjoy! :)

How I Came To China

2016-04-23T10:52:00.001-05:00

In this video, I talk about how I arrived in China and why I moved to China! It's been a wild ride, living in China as an American for five years, but it's been the best ride I could have ever asked for.

I hope you all like it! :)

This is China: White Monkey Jobs

2015-10-22T18:49:00.001-05:00

Tianjin, What To Do? - Ghost Mall

2015-04-18T10:32:00.001-05:00

China's ghost cities are a hot topic, but they're often located in newly-constructed, remote places that nobody wants to go to. What if I told you that there was a small taste of a ghost city in the middle of a huge, prosperous city 30 minutes from Beijing? Well, there is!

The 5th Avenue Business Street is one such ghost mall. It's located right in the middle of downtown Tianjin, China. It's not a nice place, but it's still a place I'd recommend checking out just to creep yourself out a little bit. It's weird - in China, you're always surrounded by tons of people and, in the big cities at least, you're surrounded by flashing lights and the signs of prosperity. Not here. This place is falling apart. It's creepy, and it might even be dangerous....I don't know!

The point is....if you're interested in Chinese ghost cities, but don't have the time to visit one, this is the place to go get a taste. Good luck to you!

Just a Daily Vlog: Guangzhou!

2015-04-11T10:09:00.003-05:00

Just a Daily Vlog: Guangzhou!

2015-04-11T10:09:00.001-05:00

Announcement: LIVE Google Hangout!!!

2013-10-13T22:04:00.002-05:00

Hey, guys!

First of all, I've reached 575 subscribers! (Maybe more by the time you've read this). Thanks so much - everyone who's been reading here and watching me on YouTube, I just want to say thank you, thank you, thank you!

----------------------------------------------------

I'm gonna be doing a Google Hangout (it will be on my YouTube and Google Plus account at the same time LIVE) with you guys - here's all the information you need!

October 19th at 8:00pm

USA Central Standard Time (My hometown is Dallas).

-------------------------------------------------

But if you want to chat face-to-face with me in the Hangout (I can add up to seven or eight people), here's what you do.

Get a Google Plus account and add me in your circles. Get Google Plus here and see my profile here.

Download the Google Hangouts plugin here.

Wait until the appropriate time, check your Google Plus or my Google Plus, and you should be able to join!

--------------------------------------------------

If you want to just watch on YouTube, that's great! It should be good! See you then! :)

Austin

Frustrated, Busy, and Excited!

2013-09-08T09:04:00.000-05:00

Wow, it has been a long time since I posted on here! I don't really bother much with blogging any more, because of my shift towards video blogging.

So.......what's going on?

Well, tomorrow is the first day of my second year of teaching at Lanzhou Jiaotong University. I'm excited - things will be a little different this year! I am teaching a writing class this semester, and I have complete freedom to do whatever I want in that class. My co-teacher and I are the first ones to teach writing to non-English majors at Lanzhou Jiaotong University, so we are both excited and nervous about it. We've chatted a lot and shared our ideas, and I believe that it will be a good thing for me. I have no experience in creating any kind of real curriculum, so I am excited about what this could do for me in the future.

There's only a few other things going on worth mentioning. One is my video blogging, which most of you are familiar with, and that is simultaneously the most frustrating and difficult and satisfying thing that I have been doing in these past few months. I have a whole queue of videos already finished and queued at the moment, but the one that I've been working on at the moment is about the One Child Policy.

The One Child Policy video is driving me crazy at the moment - it's such a charged topic, emotionally and politically, and there are a lot of ugly things that have arisen out its implementation. The hard part is presenting it objectively, without too much bias, talking about the major points of it, and also trying to do it under 10 minutes. That's pretty tough. I filmed one, edited it, thought it was good......but after I slept on it, I researched further and found out that a few things I said were just totally wrong and naive. Oh, well, at least I didn't put it up.

Well, what else? Not much, really.......just Ultimate Frisbee games on Sundays, which is always a great part of my week! There's been a lot of fun had, and a lot of great friends and memories have been made because of Ultimate Frisbee. It's surprisingly popular here - once students get started on it, they seem to just latch on!

It's a shame that I don't utilize this site more. I suppose I could use it to promote videos or something. I logged back on today and said, "Wow, this is a great page! How did I do that?" Haha

Well, I suppose that's about it. I think I WILL start posting on here more. Writing this was fun and it felt good to be doing it again. I don't need to put in as much time as I do for a video!

Anyway, I'll talk to you guys later - much love!

Austin

Click here to go to my YouTube Channel!

Video Blogging

2012-12-27T20:57:00.001-06:00

Hello, everyone!

So, yeah......I don't post much anymore. I've been shifting my focus away from blogging to video blogging. It's easier to film and edit a video than to write a blog post..........or at least, I think it is.

It's much easier to get people interested in watching a short video than reading a really long blog post. Plus, I feel like it's better because you can see/hear me and the inflections in my voice rather than just reading a blog post where the tone can be misconstrued.

Anyway, all this to say that I won't be posting on here as much anymore.

You can check me out on YouTube here.

You can check me out on Youku here.

So, yeah, there you go! I hope you'll subscribe to my YouTube - I check it more than my Youku, but either way, it'll make me happy! Comments and subscriptions are always welcome :)

Thank you guys so much for sticking with me - I'll be posting on here from time to time :)

Bye!

What's Up? (Videos and More)

2012-12-13T09:13:00.002-06:00

So, as you might have noticed, I've been away from my keyboard lately --- I've been given an extra assignment by my boss which has kept me pretty busy these days.

She wants to demonstrate her "co-teaching" system to the Gansu Province Ministry of Education, so she's making me prepare a couple of special classes that she'll film and send to the Ministry. Basically, there's me and a Chinese teacher who teach a combined speaking/listening class. We take turns teaching, and we help each other out during the 2-hour class. I talk some, they talk some. It's a pretty neat system, and as far as I'm concerned, it's great!

Because this is China, they want to endlessly prepare and make everything as perfect and artificial and fake as it could possibly be. That way it'll look good. It doesn't matter if it's the real thing or not. If it looks good, it sells, you know? I'm fighting against that, and I made my boss a little unhappy with how I did things today.

We just had the first one today --- it went pretty well. She had a couple of suggestions, but I'm debating on whether I actually care or not about what she says.

My students love my class (80-90%, anyway), and my co-teachers love me, and that's enough for me to keep my job. My boss doesn't have to like me hahahaha

I'll try to get a copy of one, and I'll make my own little video with splices of teaching in it. I hope you guys will enjoy that -- you'll get to see what I actually do for a living.

--------------------
Okay, now for a shock. I've started running, exercising, and "eating right" in a general effort to be healthy.
WHAT???? GREAT ODIN'S RAVEN, WHO HAVE YOU BECOME, AUSTIN GUIDRY????

I know.....it's a shock. I've been that person who always made fun of healthy people, but now I'm starting to possibly, maybe, sort of......be one.

I'm not gonna be vegetarian or vegan --- no freaking way, but I've had some recent health episodes that I don't want to talk about, and it's kind of scared me straight in the past couple of months, and I really just want to treat my body well. I'm only gonna have one life, so I should try to make it good and worth living.

...........Plus, it'd be nice if I could play Ultimate Frisbee or football (soccer) for more than 5 minutes without stopping for air.

------------------------

In my next post, there'll be a couple of videos, and I'll be talking about teaching and cultural differences! I've got a lot to talk about. I'll be traveling soon, and I've got some great news I'll be sharing sometime before my birthday (January 31st).

Anyway, until next time!

Austin

New Videos and Thank You!

2012-11-29T23:08:00.000-06:00

Followers and subscribers are slowly trickling into the site and my YouTube, so I want to say "Thank You!" to everyone! I have people coming here from the US, Iraq, Fiji, South Africa, Australia, China, Ecuador, Indonesia, Thailand, Canada, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Italy.......the list goes on.

I'm so humbled that so many people have come by -- It's amazing, and I absolutely love getting comments and emails from you guys. I've even been recognized in Lanzhou a couple of times by other foreigners --- that's insanity!

My numbers may be low to some, but I'm catering to a small market -- people interested in China, Lanzhou in particular. So, low numbers are okay! I'm just happy when people leave comments. It makes it all worth it!

So, I just want to say THANK YOU!

Well, the next order of business is my new videos! I have been on a vlogging streak lately, and I've made a lot of videos lately -- it's been great!

This first video is about me going to a local park on the north side of the Yellow River. It's called the "Idiom Park" by some because it has different sculptures which come from cultural stories throughout the little park. These cultural stories have lessons and morals, and have evolved into idioms that are used by the Chinese to this day! Check it out! If YouTube is blocked in your country, click here to watch the first video!

So, let's talk about it!

I've forgotten how much I like to walk and vlog --- it's really great! That way, I can say whatever comes to my mind, and then edit out the stupid stuff or whatever doesn't fit within the "storyline" of the video. It's also a good way for you guys to get a sense of what's around me (or at least behind me).

I love living here for many reasons, but one reason is the depth of culture and tradition that this country has. And one result of that is this little cultural park with statues dedicated to idioms. People going around with their children can (and do, actually) stop and tell their children these stories while they're walking in the park. I actually got to listen to a bit of one, so that was great! It's just something that America doesn't have....or at least not in that same depth.

I said in the video that one of the most important things you have to do in a new culture is just to GET OUTSIDE and LOOK AROUND! It doesn't really matter if you completely understand it or not -- you just have to get out there.

-------------------------------

Now, the second video is about my encounter with prostitution in Xi'an.......some of you guys might know that story --- it's my most-commented post, and also one of the most popular. You can find it here.

Now, this second video might be hard to watch on Youku because of the censoring that happens in China. It's already been taken down once, so I don't know if it'll stay up. If it doesn't work, leave a comment, and I'll put it up again! Anyway, click here if YouTube is blocked in your country.

So, yeah --- if that was your first time to hear/read that story, then great! Now you've learned a valuable lesson in preparing for China! If you want to come here, then it's best to be aware of this. Technically, it's illegal, but it's tolerated. Kind of like weed in Jamaica.

I don't really want to say much more on that subject haha I think the video and the former blog post are more than enough!

----------------------------------

In other news, I've made some changes to my YouTube Channel - namely in the form of a couple of playlists, and they'll be updated every now and then.

As time goes on, I keep finding little ways to tweak and update my pages, and it's great! They're subtle changes, but I think they'll make a difference.

----------------------------------

As always, feel free to leave comments and subscribe to the blog or to my YouTube! I'm always interested in what you guys have to say!

Until next time,

Austin Guidry

Snow, Shoes, and the Solstice

2012-11-23T08:34:00.000-06:00

Okay, great - a new video! The title is above! If you'd like, you can subscribe to my YouTube or my Youku account - it's no hassle, and you'll get updated whenever I post a new video! You'll also get to see it before anyone else; videos always go up on YouTube/Youku a few days before I share them in a post.

Anyway, that's one shameless plug for today. On to the video!

Yes, I'd like very much not to turn into an ear-less monster, so I will be eating dumplings on that day :)

Not much else is going on - I have another video in the pipe that I've gotta edit. I went to a park along the Yellow River that has statues from traditional Chinese stories, and I talk a little bit about those stories and about the walk. I hope you like that video!

I'll also be continuing my "Preparing for China" series in a few videos regarding Culture Shock and a few crazy stories I have about it. It's been getting really cold here, and I'm even less willing to go outside now than I was before hahaha

I hope you guys are doing well! Feel free to comment and subscribe or whatever! I'm always happy to get feedback, no matter the place!

Twitter: @LetChinaSleep
Weibo: @懒惰老外

New Video Series and Other Stuff

2012-11-16T22:31:00.001-06:00

Well, I've been trying to find the balance between my video blogging and my blogging-blogging. I still don't know what I should do.

I think I'm gonna continue putting my videos up on my blog, but it feels weird that when I have made a video and have nothing to say, I just put videos up on the blog and post it. I dunno, it feels incomplete.

Anyway, here's some recent videos that I've made - the first few in a series. I have some more stuff to say below, so keep reading.

IF YOUTUBE IS BLOCKED IN YOUR COUNTRY, CLICK here TO SEE IT ON YOUKU

IF YOUTUBE IS BLOCKED IN YOUR COUNTRY, CLICK here TO SEE IT ON YOUKU

IF YOUTUBE IS BLOCKED IN YOUR COUNTRY, CLICK here TO SEE IT ON YOUKU

----------------

All right, so there are my recent videos!

I wanted to start a series called "Preparing for China" that deals with how to prepare yourself physically and mentally for coming to China - for travel, study, or work.

I'll be talking about different culture shock stories, cultural differences in many different areas of life, and just all kinds of cultural-related stuff that you'll want to know.

It'll be really interesting! I think the next video I shoot (I've got one in the pipe that will go up first) will be a re-telling of that classic story of my incident with Chinese prostitution. Go to my Favorite Posts/Stories page to read that one.

Later!

Advice and a Foreign Restaurant!

2012-11-12T05:44:00.004-06:00

Okay, first: watch this video.

I get a lot of emails from people asking me for advice, so I made this video, for which there's a sequel in the works. By the way, YouTube really hates me right now, so all the stuff I upload looks like total crap. Watch the first embed- it's HD quality on Youku.

If you have no plans to come to China, then this video's not really for you -- but you can always watch it if you want. If you don't want to, skip to the next bit down below!

By the way, if you want to contact me, you can email me at letchinasleep@gmail.com or send me a message on YouTube or leave a comment.

Okay, now onto other things.

I went to a real American restaurant today! It's run by this American guy named Josh who's studying aeronautical engineering or something crazy like that.

He's got his own family recipes for the menu, which includes hot dogs, hamburgers, fries, and salad.....I can't remember much else.

There's not much in the way of food, but I got the burger, which was really awesome!

There's a ton of cocktails and drinks you can order, and the main waitress there has devised some way of creating her own version of Dr. Pepper...........WHICH IS AWESOME!!! It tastes just like it --- how does she do it??

Anyway, I went with a couple of friends and one of their husbands, and it was pretty cool. It was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

As you can see, it's called "Charlie's Kitchen" (Charlie is Josh's dad), and here's the address: 城关甘南路中段，1881酒吧旁边. Anyway, there it is! If you're a Lanzhou Laowai, you might want to check this out - you can also find it on Weibo, @查理的厨房.

A cool thing that they have is this map of the States - if you're from the States, you can sign your name there and draw a line to where you're from.

They also said you can draw a picture or something, but I can't do that, so I didn't.....

East Texas represent!

One funny thing about the restaurant is the menus -- they're just cheap, black, paper menus that are written on in silver sharpie.

But that's cool! It adds to the charm of the simple little restaurant. It's a great place run by the American guy and this American-born Chinese girl, who are both bilingual, so it's no problem if you're the lone Laowai.

It's nice to be back in a restaurant with that good old home food, you know? Sometimes you feel like a fish out of water in all this Chinese-ness. I don't want to (and can't) eat this every day, but it's definitely something I want to introduce to my friends and students and my internet people.

They have a chili cheese dog with sausage they bring in from the US! And real cheese and all that - pretty cool! Anyway, see you guys later!

"Charlie's Kitchen"'s address is: 城关甘南路中段，1881酒吧旁边. If you're a Lanzhou Laowai, you might want to check this out - you can also find it on Weibo, @查理的厨房.