(This was sent to all my friends on August 23rd, 2005 ... 2 days before I boarded the plane bound for Beijing) What can I say? I'm a schmuck! Pick the most difficult language on the planet where 5 different pronunciations turns the same word into 5 wildly...

It might not come as a big shock, but when I returned to Norway I was a changed man. I had been smitten and decided to return as soon as possible. Within one month I was back in China, which I guess shows just how certain I was. Moving to China meant...