TBD - an open-ended travel blog by Bridget Riley

Here’s a collection from my first two days at my new job: teaching 2-3 year olds. Since class only started Tuesday, though, my job has mostly been shutting up the kids wailing “mama” without end. I’m going to wait until the shock of being with small children for 7 hours a day wears off to write anything further on this. Here are the moments that didn’t suck in picture form. (Fun note: I now hear crying children and repetitive children’s songs in my head, long after I’ve left school. In the gym. Getting yogurt. They haunt me.)

A wise friend once said, “Everything cool in China belongs to the old people.” The old people do the Tai Chi in the morning (badass) and the nighttime commie dances (flag waving included); they gamble irresponsibly at all hours of the day, and mark their turf by wearing PJ’s in the street.

They also ride the best, built-to-last bicycles. In America, these would draw top dollar from the hipster contingent. The youth here, however, don’t have the same notions of cool. Brand names are more important, it seems.

Years of resting handle bars and tires have created a peculiar sort of wallpaper in my apartment’s hallway. Here’s my American homage.

People always ask me, “How do you stay vegetarian in China?” Answer: By not eating meat.

My students say things that fascinate me, tickle me and straight up offend my American sensibilities.

Let me share. Today a young girl, aged about 13 years old, did not know who Hitler or the Nazis were. She did, however, know the word “vampire.” If only her knowledge of American culture came from “True Blood” and not “Twilight,” she would have known about Nazi vampires.