Our pre-wedding photo pub’d on WWAM Bam

Jocelyn of Speaking of China put together a rather exquisite post of Photos of WWAM couples who got married. It’s amazing how many Western women marry Asian men and you’ll surely find some new ladies captured in marital bliss in the article.

Most are pre-wedding photos, a popular tradition in Asia where couples go to photo studios, dress up in formal attire so pictures of the bride and grrom can then be displayed at the wedding ceremony. Read all about our low-key pre-wedding photo shoot.

If you check out Jocelyn’s article, try to avoid self-promoting your photography business as that completely misses the point of the post…I’ll let you decipher that message all on your own 😄

Guest Posting

In case you missed my second attempt at guest posting over at Jocelyn’s Speaking of China, where I disclose advice on repatriation:

Staying connected to China, however you see fit. I read Chinese several times a week, picking up children’s books, written in Chinese, from the public library. The librarian bequeathed a stack of books to me, saying the library had no room or real need for them. Among them was Eric CarIe’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar, a children’s story I had a copy of and had my sister purchased for one of my nephews. I also read literature by Chinese authors, in translation of course, or books, fiction and nonfiction alike, interweaving China into their narratives. Keeping up with your spoken Chinese, even if, like me, you are merely conversational, proves as yet another way to stay connected. Talk to your in-laws, even if saying hello, how are you, and wishing them good health is all you can muster. Nag your husband to keep in touch with his family, friends, and acquaintances; it is easy and free to connect on WeChat. Watch Chinese films and TV shows together (we fawned over Jia Zhangke films and Hunan TV’s 爸爸去哪儿第三季…kudos to readers who uncover why 😉 ), partake in Chinese chess 象棋, mahjong 麻将, and Chinese card games. Find your area’s most authentic Chinese restaurant, frequent it, making sure to use the visit as a chance to practice Chinese with people other than your spouse.

Double Happiness story

I wrote ZJ and I’s story for Speaking of China the day after we celebrated our one year of marital bliss 😉 Jocelyn’s introduction does a superb job of capturing the post in all its glory:

“I’d never dated or been attracted to Chinese men before,” writes Marissa Kluger — not until she met ZJ in Xi’an, a city that stole her heart away.

Marissa’s blog Xiananigans has been a pleasure to follow over the years (right down to her “explosive” Chinese wedding, where she dons the most gorgeous red wedding gown I’ve ever seen). Here’s the story behind it all, from how she discovered Xi’an and ZJ to how they eventually moved it to her hometown in New Jersey.

A few photos and an excerpt from the story to whet your appetite:

South Lake in Xi’an

Near the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi’an

Lijiang’s Old Town, Yunnan

Shuang Lang, Dali, Yunnan

Dali’s Old Town, Yunnan

My first trip to China, in 2007, happened to be a three week intensive course abroad, a general education requirement instituted by Goucher College, my alma mater. Xi’an ended up being one of our destinations. Besides inspecting the soldiers at the Terracotta Warriors, bicycling around the Xi’an City Wall, and navigating the alleys of the Muslim Quarter, we met with an alumnus teaching at Xi’an International Studies University.

The city of Xi’an compelled me to return four years later to teach at Xi’an International Studies University.

[…]

I arrived in Xi’an in late August 2010, and luckily I had the first month of September free, as I had been assigned freshman. Freshman have mandatory military training, and four years ago, this lasted an entire month. I took this chance to meet up with a very good friend of my former private drum instructor and his Chinese wife. Lu Min Lu, I called her Daphney, helped me settle in and introduced me to the nightlife Xi’an offered. She took me to Park Qin, a bar frequented by Xi’an expats. ZJ worked at Park Qin.

Head on over to Speaking of China for the full story to read how Goucher College, my alma mater, played an integral role in leading me to find ZJ. I tell that backstory, details about our time in Xi’an, what we’re doing now and reveal what I love about him. Feel free to leave comments on the post or here.

Guest Post: Q & A with Speaking of China

I’m excited to have “virtually” sat down with Jocelyn, the writer, blogger, and creator behind Speaking of China. She’s inspired me to pursue topics that haven’t always been the easiest to put pen to paper. 

We discussed how she ended up in China, learned the language, the places and foods that delight her, also sneaking in an inquiry about Xi’an, her AMWF marriage, juggling the blogging-work-life balance, and what she’s been working on recently. 

Want to say or share something on Xiananigans? Head over to the guidelines for submitting a guest post. 

On the streets of Zhengzhou, where Jocelyn first lived in China