Winter Treats...
There are, from time to time, things that I miss about China. One of them is the winter treats that are found everywhere, called "tang2 hu2lu2" (糖葫芦).
These are little crab apple type things, that are usually stuffed with some sort of bean paste (red, green, or black), then covered with melted sugar. They're crunchy and chewy, sweet and a bit bitter. Plus they cost only a yuan or two ($0.15 to $0.30) for a whole stick of them.

Thanks to "A Modern Lei Feng" for the photo, since I can't seem to find my China photos at the moment.

Busy Stress...
It's been a busy and stressful few weeks, with everything going on at school and work. Exams are almost done, and it'll be nice to have a break over the Christmas holidays.

Try the Great Chinese FireWall at Home Now!
I found this on the China Law Blog and Sinosplice. There's a new Firefox add-on that allows users to experience what it's like to surf the web in China. I haven't tried it myself, having lived in China a year and experienced the frustration first hand.
Apparently the web situation is better now (apart from spying on Skype users, etc.) and it's possible to access parts of Wikipedia and more blogs from within China than it was a few years ago.
From the add-on description:

The Firefox add-on China Channel offers internet users outside of China the ability to surf the web as if they were inside mainland China. Take an unforgetable virtual trip to China and experience the technical expertise of the Chinese Ministry of Information Industry (supported by western companies). It's open source, free and easy.

"Religious Freedom"...
China likes to tell people that they promote religious freedom within their country. For example, it was thought that putting Bibles into Beijing hotel rooms during the Olympics would help promote the idea that China is tolerant of religion (China Daily: Hotels told to stock Bibles for Olympic visitors).
It's currently the month of Ramadan, when Muslims around the world fast as an expression of their faith and religion. Except in China, where Uyghur Muslims in government buildings are being offered free lunches during the month of Ramadan, restaurants are being forced to stay open, Uyghur government officials forced to sign "letters of responsibility" to not fast or pray, and special groups to "educate" Muslims against fasting have been set up.

Back to Uni...
It's hard to believe that I'm back in classes again after a truly great summer travelling around. And the profs decided not to waste any time getting back into the swing of things, so I'm already in the thick of the readings, research, and job searching process. Lots to keep me busy.

Devon (England)...
After Sweden, I headed to Devon the Southwest of England (of Devon cream tea and clotted cream fame). It's a really beautiful part of England, with lots of green fields, and huge hedges that grow so tall you can't see anything while driving the one lane roads in the countryside. Got to spend a bit of time too seeing some other villages, and the seaside resort town of Dawlish before heading to London to visit another friend from China and fly back to Canada.
I was there visiting my friend Kim who taught in the same city as me in China. So, of course, one of the things we had to do was make 'jiaozi' (Chinese dumplings) with pork and green onion. Surprisingly, or not, they actually turned out really well and tasted like the ones we had in China!

Sweden...
I spent two weeks in Sweden after being in Scotland. I've been once before, years ago, but this time I was in the country to visit a friend for his 30th. Arriving in Stockholm, the weather was much better than in Scotland. Sun! I spent a few days there before heading west.
Sweden is a really beautiful country, full of red and white barns, lakes, and lots of coffee. Swedes consume one of the highest rates of coffee in the world; clearly this is a country that I like. There's even a verb in Swedish 'fika', which means something like "to chat with friends over coffee and pastries".
I spent a few days on the west coast of Sweden too, visiting a beautiful island as well as Gothenburg and Liseberg (a large amusement parks).

Free Press...
Due to the Olympic Games, China has promised that reporters would have free access to the internet. They've promised this for several years, and made the promise again only a few days before the Olympics start.
Never mind though, they still block internet access for reporters to scary sites like Amnesty International, Reporters Without Borders, dissidents, human rights, and pro-T1bet@n groups. Part of this is explained in that the officials are just following Chinese law forbidding access to such sites.
Reuters video (in English)
Read the full story (in French)
And also here (in French)

Bonnie Scotland...
It's been a while since I've updated my blog, but a lot has happened since I left Paris. I travelled to Glasgow/Prestwick with my family. We rented a car to drive around, since it was cheaper than taking trains/buses for four people. The first adventure was my Dad driving on the other side of the road (KEEP LEFT!!!!). We visited many relatives -some we'd seen recently, some a long time ago, and others we'd never met- all over Scotland. Everyone was incredibly welcoming, and we were all stuffed full of tea, cakes, and cookies. Not even mentioning all the amazing meals we had.
Instead of trying to write about the past two weeks, I thought I'd show them briefly in a few photos.
A view of Edinburgh











Stirling Castle











Loch Ness











Whisky distillery











Family pub/music night










Eilean Donan Castle










Fishing











Gaelic/English sign in Uig
Isle of Lewis











Isle of Lewis











Isle of Lewis











Calanais standing stones (older than Stonehenge)
Stornaway harbour











Scottish thistle

Marrakesh...
A-Ssalaam âlikum fi Mrkesh. I'd love to be able to write this post in Arabic, but clearly 3 weeks of language classes just isn't enough to become fluent in a language! I spent only 3 nights in Marrakesh, just off the Jmaâ el Fna which is the main square in Marrakesh. The 'in the shade' temperature was around 43C (109F), and in the sun it was closer to 48C (119F). Needless to say there was a lot of sweating, and even after drinking 3.5L of water and juice a day I was still thirsty.
Marrakesh is one of the main cities in Morocco, and also the most touristed. It's clear from all the hassle given to the tourists in the souqs and main areas that people in Marrakesh are used to ('stupid') tourists. I must admit that I was able to pick out the new arrivals by the fact that 1)despite the 48C heat they continued to walk in the middle of the road instead of in the shade (where it was only 43C) and 2)the gawking that was done when a donkey would go by carrying a big load of some product. Not to say that I didn't stand out as a tourist having light skin.
I'd been in Morocco for long enough that I was able to enjoy the cheap food at night, and the $0.30 orange juice served in the main square. I think I probably would've gotten very sick otherwise. The main square, the Jmaâ el Fna, is a hive of activity especially when the sun starts to go down, probably because it's just too hot to do anything while the sun is out. The square is full of orange juice sellers (drink with caution if you're new to Morocco), date sellers, food stalls that sell everything from tajine to harira soup to goat brain, snake charmers, musicians of all types, fortune tellers, magicians, Tuareg traders from the Sub-Sahara selling all sorts of eggs, skins, and traditional medicine, monkeys, Gnaoua musicians/dancers, story tellers, henna painters, and even a man who pulls teeth! It really is a site to behold, and continues until people leave, sometimes as late as 4AM. UNESCO has even declared the site and "Intangible Heritage Site".
Marrakesh really is a fascinating city, and I can see why it's so popular for tourists. It has the 'exotic' Orient feel, but also the Western comforts if that's what one is looking for. I'll be back to Marrakesh, and to see more of Morocco, Insha'allah.

A Paris...
C'est encore la Semaine de langue (Language Week), quand on devrait essayer de blogger dans une langue autre que d`habitude. Alors, comme je suis à Paris encore une fois, je vais blogger un peu en français.
Après mon voyage au Maroc, je suis venu à Paris (très tard, alors j'ai passé la nuit au sol de l'aéroport) rendre visite à ma soeur. Je suis à Paris pendant trois ou quatres jours, avant d'aller en Ecosse avec toute la famille.