It's the first week of 2024, and I thought I would set some intentions, reconnect with my values, and be more intentional about how I use...

I don’t know how many people know that if Alaya had been born a boy, her name would have been Everett Max Yixin Xie, though the Yixin...

I think the title says it all. What else do I write? My blog posts thus far have brought up some of the difficulties we have had with our...

Bochuan Bochuan is currently finishing up his final intensive Finnish course. His current level is about a B2 on the CEFR framework. What...

“Paying yourself first” is a financial technique that encourages saving and investing by setting aside money for one’s financial goals...

I’m listening to the Gabor Maté’s When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress. Oh, boy. That book. I’m still processing it. What I...

I started this post at the end of November, but I became overwhelmed with starting work, packing, moving, unpacking, the holidays,...

Thursday, the morning of September 1st, I wrapped up my internship. I sent off this 18-tab Excel spreadsheet filled with charts,...

We have decided to expand our family with the addition of a puppy, Miska. Specifically, we got a suomenlapinkoira, or a Finnish Lapphund....

So, I guess my blog took a summer break too. I had to go back and check the content of my last post because it had been so long. First,...

My first academic year as a Bachelor of Science student in Technology and Engineering Science is finished! It’s finished! But we’ll get...

I started my March blog a different way initially. I started by stating why this post came so late (now it’s actually April). It relates...

I often know it’s a time to write, when all my emotions are caught up in my chest and pulling in a new breath feels difficult. My...

So, it's been almost two months since my last post. My personal goal is one a month, but I couldn't make either November or December...

I’m here for my family, and from a family perspective, we’re doing well. I’ll start with the most amazing thing that has happened to us...

If you read my blog post about my fall classes, you'll know that the first week of classes was overwhelming. It took me a good 15+ hours...

My first class of the semester was Engineering Mechanics. You can still see the charred ends of my hair from when my brain exploded. I’m...

I kept being surprised by the level of trust, patience, persistence, and kindness I saw. It all seemed wrapped up in one word: compassion.

We’ve left China. In a way, this won’t come as a surprise. I’ve been trying to leave the country since 2018, and I have talked...

August 25th Classes start on Friday, which is just a few days from now. I spent some of the day working on my syllabus, which was mostly...