More and more our passion is to serve and support businesses that are fighting human trafficking. To see businesses solutions addressing this awful issue. We see so much potential in these businesses. Join our story at www.kairostraders.com!
According to this website he did.
A reader sent me some good questions the other day and I wanted to pass them and my answers on to anyone who could use this information. If you have any questions about Xian, feel free to write me.
Enjoy this day,
Matt
1- Is there any kind of nursery school? In which language (English, French, Chinese)? At what age? At what cost? We have a one-year-old boy and we might stay in China until he’s 4 or 5.
There are a couple of school options for you. We send our kids to a small community center where they have classes 3 times a week in Chinese. It’s VERY affordable depending on how much your child goes it costs anywhere from 1800RMB to 3000RMB a semester ($265USD - $450USD). Our girls started when they were 2 1/2 , going twice a week.
There’s also an International School here where many foreigners send their children, it’s just quite a bit more expensive (I wanna say it’s like $10,000USD a semester).
2- Is it easy to get a nanny/maid to take care of the house and children? Does she have to sleep at home or is it possible not to have her sleep at home? How much does it cost?
Yes, it is very easy to hire a nanny to watch kids, cook and clean your house. And no, they DO NOT have to live with you. In fact, most do not live with the people who’ve hired them. It’s also very cheap to hire this kind of help. It’s changing a little bit right now, but you can find help for between 10RMB and 15RMB an hour ($1.50 to $2.30 an hour).
3- Are there some activities for little children: parks, other activities?
Yes. We have 3 kids (5 year old, 3 year old and a 8 month old) and we’re foster caring a Chinese orphan (she’s 3 ½) and there’s a lot to do with them. Not only do most of the apartment complexes have playgrounds, but also most of the grocery stores have bigger indoor playgrounds. Cleanliness can be an issue with some of these options.
4- Is it easy and cheap to buy some usual objects necessary for kids (childcare like strollers, car seats, …, clothes, furniture)?
I think it’s relatively cheap. For example we bought a stroller for around $75USD a couple years ago and it’s worked out well for us (and I’m sure there are cheaper options). There are plenty of children’s stores to get these kind of things at. Finding good clothes isn’t always easy. Before you come you should check out a website called taobao.com, it’s an online Chinese store that ships all over China. It’s very reasonably priced and a big selection. It’s in Chinese, but if you use Google Chrome it will translate it for you.
5- Do you both take Chinese lessons? If yes, how and what does it cost?
Yes. Both my wife and I go to school. I go to a private Chinese school and it costs me around $1300USD a semester for 6 hours a week of one-on-one. You can go to a local college to study Chinese for cheaper than that, but it demands more hours. My wife has a tutor -which is helpful for her and her schedule- and that costs 30RMB an hour (around $4USD). Having even survival Chinese can make life here so much more convenient and I would recommend getting even a little if you can.
6- Are there many foreigners living in Xian
Yes and no. For example, in Beijing you will see foreigners pretty often, maybe every time you leave your home. Here in Xian that’s not the case. You could be out all day and not once see another foreigner. But at the same time if you live in a nicer community and apartment complex, there’s a better chance of foreigners living around you. Also, there is a good ex=pat community here. Once you’re plugged in you will find many people to build friendships with.
7- Do I need a car for me to move around the city? Or is it easy to move with buses, subway, little cabs?
You can absolutely live life here without a car. I don’t know any foreigner families here who have a car and all of us use exactly what you mentioned, buses, taxis, bikes, even walking can get you to most of your errand locations. I personally would rather skip the hassle and instead use the public transportation.
Thanks again for the great questions, keep them coming.
A friend of mine recently lent me this book and I’m super glad that he did. I found it to be incredibly useful as it tackles the most important issue of all, relationships. It’s written specifically from a business point of view and how we can improve our business relationships.
The author makes three main points to improving your business relationships, add knowledge (read books and invest into your wealth of knowledge), add to your network (add people and then connect those people to other people in your network), and finally be compassionate.
I love this approach to relationships. In a world where “More me now” seems to be the dominating paradigm it’s amazing to see someone successful saying that there’s another way. By giving away what you know and championing others you can find success. It was a good read.
I did feel that the first 1/3 of the book was where I took most of my notes and that the rest of it wasn’t as impactful (but that was only my opinion). It’s a short, quick read and I would encourage anyone who’s in the business world, wants to be in the business world, or simply anyone who’s looking for a healthy way to relate to others, to pick this book up.
Enjoy this day,
Matt
The NFL season kicks off today! And what better way than a rematch of last year’s NFC Championship game. As a Vikings fan, I have mixed feelings about this game. It makes me nervous to think of Brett Favre getting teed off on all game long, but on the other hand, we lost in overtime AFTER TURNING THE BALL OVER 7 TIMES! If a team can’t put a game away in 4 quarters after getting 7 turnovers, they’re not a good team. So if the Vikes can come out and play their game without the turnovers, I think we can win. My prediction:
Vikings 31 Saints 20
Post your comments below as we follow the game:
SKOL VIKINGS!
One Man’s Wilderness is a book about Robert L. Proenneke and his adventures in moving to the Alaskan wilderness. It’s a work of non-fiction, which makes it so much more enjoyable. And although Robert successfully moves to the wilderness and lives for the last thirty years of his life; the book is mostly about the first year of him living there. How he managed to build his own cabin as well as how he sustains life in the wilderness, were things I loved reading about. What makes this remarkable true story even more amazing is that Robert moved to the wilderness and built his own cabin when he was 50 years old!
Things I liked about this book:
The adventure of Robert’s life was such an interesting thing to read about. I also loved seeing a person following their loves/passions even to the extreme measures of living in the wilderness, alone. Hearing how he did it was also something that I found fascinating and knowing that it was a true story made it a real fun read. I think part of the reason I like this book stems from my childhood love of “The Hatchet”.
Things I didn’t like about this book:
A lot of attention was given to building details that I can’t follow or envision so it left me lost. As much as I found it interesting that he built everything by hand, it was hard to follow the writer in his descriptions of the process. Also, not much background was given as to why Robert decided to make this his life’s goal. I really wanted to hear more about his experience and things he learned/gained from being there for thirty years. (Although a lot of this is addressed in a small section at the end of the book)
My favorite quote from this book was “I don’t think a man knows what he can actually do until he is challenged”.
I enjoyed reading this book. But I also realize not many people would enjoy reading about a guy living by himself in the middle of Alaska.
Enjoy this day,
Matt
Are you coming to Xian on business, to study or see the sites? Are you looking for more information about this lovely city? Then check out this site http://talkxian.com/, which has lots of information and is a place to connect with local Chinese people as well as expats.
Hope that helps!
Enjoy this day,
Matt
Well. If you don’t know it already, I love all the Toy Story movies. You can read my top ten kids movies list, here and the worst kids movies, here. But I wrote my top ten list before going to see Toy Story 3 in 3D with my daughter. To be honest, I loved this movie and thought it was a great fit with the previous two movies.
But when considering a kids movie -it doesn’t really matter if I liked- what matters is if my kids enjoyed it. And I can say that, yes, my daughter did love this movie. It was especially fun getting to go see it in a movie theater, a first for her. The movie wasn’t very scary which is important to consider when you have young kids and I felt that it was appropriate for her age (She’s four years old).
The only downside to our experience was that it was in 3D. Here’s what I don’t like about 3D. First, it seems super trendy right now, which means that movies that don’t need to be in 3D end up in it, because they have to be. I didn’t see a need for this movie to be in 3D, and would have preferred seeing it without 3D. Second, it’s more expensive. And I know that I’m a cheap person, but it adds up if you have a few people in your family seeing the movie. Lastly, my daughter wasn’t really digging wearing the glasses. She would take them off and we would try to get her to put them back on. Although that didn’t happen the whole movie, it is something to think about when taking your kid to a movie in 3D.
Overall, I didn’t like the 3D, but I loved the movie, more importantly my daughter did and we will have good memories of our time together.
Enjoy this day,
Matt
I haven't done all of these, but if you're heading to Xian here's a list of some things you can do. In the future I would like to expand on each of these, but for now, it's just a list.
1. Go to the Terracotta Warriors
2. See the Big Goose Pagoda
3. Ride a bike on the old city wall
4. Hit a drum in the drum tower at the center of the city
5. Hit the bell in the bell tower found in the center of the city
6. Eat Pao Mo
7. Walk through the Great Mosque
8. Eat Xian roast duck
9. Shop in the Muslim quarter
10. See the Banpo village remains
11. Come visit me and my family
Enjoy this day,
Matt
I’ve needed this information twice in the past two weeks, which means, that maybe there are others who also need this info also. So here are the Chinese New Year dates and animal signs for the next 10 years. The Chinese New Year is the most important holiday in Chinese culture. It signifies the start of the lunar calendar year.
Chinese New Year 2010-2019
YEAR STARTING DATE ANIMAL SIGN
2010 February 14th Tiger
2011 February 3rd Rabbit
2012 January 23rd Dragon
2013 February 10th Snake
2014 January 31st Horse
2015 February 19th Sheep
2016 February 8th Monkey
2017 January 28th Rooster
2018 February 16th Dog
2019 February 5th Pig
I’m looking to write a guest blog post for anyone who’s interested. I can write about; travel, China, Xian, Teaching English, Studying Chinese, blogging, or parenting. If you’re interested, leave a comment or email me.
Enjoy this day,
Matt
So I was recently given a weight lose tip that I now fully support (I was a skeptic at first). The tip is that when you’re hungry at night, chug a glass of Citrucel.
Citrucel is a fiber substitute (they call it Smartfiber) that you add to water. The thing is, it turns into a thick jello (If you don’t drink it fast enough you will see if happen in your glass). It’s supposed to help you stay regular, but it also leaves you feeling full.
So at night, when that late night snack craving monster comes around, just drink a glass of Citrucel and you’ll feel full and be able to resist the urge to eat a big snack before bed. Or at least it’s helped me in a big way to do this.
Hope that this tip helps you succeed in losing some weight.
Enjoy this day,
Matt
I recently came by the best deal of my life; a bottle of the vitamin B6 for only $3. Where can you get an amazing deal like this? Wal-Mart. Here’s the problem. I also have a friend, a Miss Jae Van Winkle, tell me, “Not all vitamins are made equal”, or something like that. She told me that the vitamins at Wal-Mart just flush through your system. So does anyone out there have an opinion on this, because I don’t want to take these vitamins if they really don’t do anything for me.
Enjoy this day,
Matt
Personally I think my friend is crazy.
So I was recently asked if I would be willing to write a guest blog post about Xian, China for a travel website. “Of course!” was my answer. I love telling people about my lovely city! So anyways, you can find it on this site:
http://onetravel.wordpress.com
It should be up today or so. Let me know what you think about it. And if you want me to write a guest blog post for your blog, I write about… well, anything, and would love to.
Enjoy this day,
Matt
cheap flights
So you wanna go to China? Well to get into China you need to get a visa. And there are three types of visas you can choose from. Each has their own pro’s and con’s. So what you first need to do is figure out how long you want to be in China for and what you want to do. Once you know what you’re looking for you can decide which route is best for suiting your needs.
Travel visa - This is the most basic visa for getting into any country that requires you to have a visa. It’s nice because you have no time commitments with this visa (Student and Work visas both have time commitments). So you can do whatever you want, wanna travel to Beijing for a week? Done. Want to check out Shanghai for a few days? No problem. The downside to getting into China with a travel visa is that you’re only allowed to stay in the country for 3 months at a time. So if you want to learn the language, build relationships and study the culture, you’ll find that three months isn’t going to be long enough.
Student visa - Another option is to get a student visa. You do this by finding a Chinese college or language school that you would like to study at and you enroll with their school. When you do this you’ll also apply for a student visa. What’s nice about a student visa is that it’s good for as long as you’re studying at that school. So you can stay in the country for years without having to leave. So it’s nice if your plans are to study Chinese and be there for a while, because with this visa you will be able to stay a while. The downside to this visa is that you’re required to attend the school. This isn’t a huge time commitment (maybe 15 hours or so a week), but it isn’t like you can just travel the whole time and not attend school.
Work visa - This is another option for getting into China. It requires you to first find a job that offers a visa (in most cases this will be a college or school looking for native English speakers to teach) and through that job you can apply for a work visa. What’s nice about this visa is that you can stay in China for as long as your work contract allows you. So if you want to be in China for a while, this is a great option. You can also make a little money while you’re in China, which is nice. The downside is similar to the Student visa, you’re required to show up at your work and teach (usually demanding 12-40 hours a week). So you can’t just pick up and go to Beijing for a few weeks whenever you want.
If you need more information on; China, Xian, teaching English, or living in China, feel free to look over my site or write me your questions. I’ll do my best to answer them. Thanks for reading this.
Enjoy this day,
Matt
Let me start by telling you my dilemma. I have three kids -all under the age of five- and I’m 50-60 pounds overweight. Well although it might seem obvious what my dilemma is, let me lay it out for you. If I fail in my work life, if I never achieve anything, never have a nice new home, car and huge bank account, it doesn’t matter. If I fail as a Father and Husband… it matters. Raising our children is the most important job any of us will ever have, and part of that job is the responsibility of teaching our kids how to live a healthy life as well as being there for them when they need us.
And how can I teach them how to live healthy and be there for them if I’m not living a healthy life and on my way to an early exit in life? I can’t.
So something needs to change. And it starts with me. But if you’re reading this and nodding in agreement, you also know something else about losing weight while having a family, it’s MUCH more difficult than if you were single and had no responsibilities. I mean, your family needs you and your time and it’s impossible to find the time to exercise.
In fact, I would guess most of us are the same, by the time our kids go to bed all we can think of is laying in bed or on the couch and watching TV. But I have some tips for you and me to implement to make weight lose a reality, while not striping our families of our time/attention.
I’m new to this (dieting and losing weight that is) so my list will be incomplete, but I would love for you to send me your tips if you have the time. So here are my tips:
Eat proper portions - This is obvious, right? Well this becomes even more important when you have a family, because IT TAKES NO TIME TO DO! Why spend hours in a gym working off all the junk food and massive portions we eat, when we can just simply eat smarter. I would guess if ALL you did was this, you could promote a healthy lifestyle to your children and not be away from them at the gym.
Incorporate kids into workout - What’s more important to a kid then your love, time and attention… nothing. So why not make playing with your kids a time in your day when you can also burn some calories? Try doing a push up with a two year old on your back, it will burn. Or how about lunges while carrying your four year old, ouch! Even just lying on your back and lifting them up can get your heart rate going. Make it fun for your kids to be involved and teach them that exercise is important in life.
Walk/Jog with a stroller - This one’s obvious, but my personal favorite. I love getting my kids out of the house (which also provides a great way for them to learn about plants/animals outside that you see as you walk). So when you need a walk, throw your kids in the stroller and bust that walk out.
Don’t drink soda - Again, why work out in the gym what you can work off by simply not drinking it. Soda is a killer and the easiest thing to drop. I LOVE my soda, but after a few weeks of not drinking it, it’s gotten a lot easier to not need. The hardest part (As is with any addiction) is getting through your trigger moments. For me it’s; pizza, burgers, popcorn and a movie, and anytime I’m; depressed, sad, happy or celebrating. OK. That’s a long list, but as you push through those moments without your trusted sidekick, soda, you will begin to not crave it as much in those times.
Drink water - I’ve always hated drinking water. But a few weeks ago I made a bet with a couple of my relatives. The bet was to see how long we can go drinking only water and nothing else (Not even milk or juice). And it sucks. A lot. But after a few weeks I now find myself craving water. So make a choice today and drink your water. I heard of a family friend who lost 25 pounds by drinking 100 ounces of water a day. And if all you’re drinking is water, that number will become very reachable.
No snacking after 7 - This is obvious to anyone who reads anything about dieting and losing weight, but it’s so hard to adhere to. Remember though, work smarter, not harder. Why kill yourself all day by not eating junk food and working out, only to cave at the end of the night with a snack that stops you from losing weight that day? If you’re hungry, chug some water. Stay strong!
10,000 steps a day - I have a close relative who recently had a doctor tell him to walk 10,000 steps a day and 8 months later he’s lost 40 pounds. To be honest, I hate running, but I LOVE to walk. It’s peaceful and not to strenuous. Like I mentioned earlier, grab the kids, a stroller, and you’re in business.
Nap time - If losing weight is important to you, you will be willing to sacrifice the most treasured part of your day, nap time. Get a workout video going or some free weights at your house to do some exercises when your kiddos are all asleep.
Late night/early morning - Another great time to work out is when your kids are asleep. Get your spouse to stay with them and that will free you up to go to the gym or get a walk in. Make it happen.
Remind yourself of what’s important - Are your kids important to you? Is your time with them and future with them something you think about? Well if it is, keep that in mind as you start to make changes in your diet and time spent, they are our motivation!
Well this is it for now, if you have a tip or comment, feel free to post it at the bottom of this. Thanks for taking the time to read this. Remember that your job as a parent is more important than anything else you do in your life, so live healthy, live long and teach good habits to your children.
Enjoy this day,
Matt
Hey everyone! How are you doing today? I hope that you’re doing well.
So I wanted to take a moment to share my opinion on the 40 hour course I just took online to get my TEFL certificate (Teaching English as a Foreign Language). I went with TEFLonline.com, which is sponsored by BridgeTEFL. The course was a basic 40 hour one, but you can find many more options on their website. The course costs $185 and certifies you to teach English all around the world.
Here are some things I liked about the website and the Basic 40 hour course I took. First off, the website is designed well and laid out in a very easy to follow way. I can’t stress how important this is, if you’re going to spend 40 some hours on the website, it makes a big difference if you can navigate it well and your eyes don’t bleed every time you look at the site. But hey, that’s just my opinion. I also like that they have instructional videos included with the material they present. They lay out a lot of material that will help you manage a classroom and to teach English in an effective way.
It I had any criticism of this particular course; it would be that it didn’t seem like I learned a TON. I mean, maybe my expectations were to high, but I just don’t feel a whole lot more equipped to teach. But hey, that’s just me.
I do feel like I came away with a lot of resources to help me teach better and help my students. In the end, I’m glad I took the course -I had too- but still I’m glad I did. Getting your TEFL certificate is VERY important when getting a teaching job overseas. If you have any more questions, feel free to comment on here or write me.
Enjoy this day,
Matt
This movie disappointed me. I say that as a fan of Will Ferrell and most of the movies he makes. I enjoyed everything from; Anchorman, Talladega Nights, Blades of Glory, to Step brothers. I just flat out didn’t think this movie was all that funny. It had a couple laughs, but had a lot of clunky scenes that weren’t funny and we’re just awkward. But that’s just my opinion. If I were you and I were deciding on going to this movie, I would just save my money and stay at home.
Enjoy this day,
Matt
As you prepare for the Fantasy Football season, here are some tips to consider. Some of them are more basic, but hopefully some of them help you.
Handcuff your number one RB - This one is a tip that’s been around for a while and isn’t going to be anything new to any long time Fantasy Football gamers. But the tip is this, if you draft a running back, make sure you draft his back-up. Why would you do this? Because if your RB goes down, SOMEONE has to pick up his carries, so make sure you have the running back that does.
Know the depth of each position and draft accordingly - Every draft year is different and one strategy that worked last year, might not necessarily work this year. For example, there have been years where there are TONS of good Running Backs and then there are years where there are none. So if you think “I’ll just wait to get a running back, since that’s what I did last year”, you could be outta luck if the depth at the Running back position is less than the year before.
No RBs after 30 years old - This one is a bit new to me, but seems to hold water. It doesn’t need much explanation, be careful when drafting a RB who’s 30 years or older. Why is that? Because there have only been 4 RB’s that have had more than 1,000 rushing yards in a season after they turned 30. So be careful of the oldies.
Contract year - The old school theory goes like this, if a player is in the last year of his contract he will play harder to ensure his next contract is larger. This is one that has been around for a while and I’m not sure if it’s a lock or not. I guess what I mean is, I wouldn’t let a contract year be a huge factor in deciding on a player, but maybe I would use it if I think both players are even and I need to decide on one of them.
Don’t draft RB-RB in rounds 1 and 2 - It’s an OLD SCHOOL fantasy football myth that you NEED to draft two RB’s in the first two rounds. I just don’t think that it’s a Fantasy Football truth anymore. This is mainly because there are a lot LESS running backs who get the bulk of the carries for a team. So instead of risking one of your top picks on a running back who isn’t guaranteed a lot of carries, instead grab a top wide receiver or quarterback.
Wait on a QB - This is something I have implemented in my draft day strategy. The way I see it is like this, there really isn’t a HUGE gap between the top QB and the 10th one. So why waste a top pick on a quarterback when you can get a solid one in the later rounds? The answer is that you don’t.
Is it a PPR format? - PPR stands for Points Per Reception and is a format most leagues have shifted too. It’s important to look at how many catches a wide receiver gets and not just his yards/touchdowns.
Strength of schedule - This one can make a huge difference. Let’s say you’re looking at two QB’s, you like both of them and their situations. How do you decide on one? Look at the schedule of teams they will face. Sometimes there are teams with a weak schedule, which translates into lots of scoring opportunities. And then there are other teams that face MUCH TOUGHER schedules. I wouldn’t always look at this when determining a player I wanna take, but I would use this to break up a tie between two players I’m looking at.
Don’t even look at bye weeks - For the past decade all I ever heard were people telling you to draft players that have different bye weeks. It hit me about a couple of years ago that bye weeks were the dumbest thing to let determine who you take draft day. Why? Because I’m not going to let my roster that I will use for a 16 week schedule be altered because of one week. It just doesn’t make sense. If half your team shares the same bye week, good, maybe you’ll lose that week, but you’ll have all those starters back the next week.
Be aware of past injuries, but not too aware - This has become less of an issue then, say, 10 years ago. Obviously that’s because of advancements in medicine and rehabbing injuries. So don’t be too worried about previous year injuries. I say that, but you can’t totally write off an injury past. Look at Ronnie Brown, he came off a major surgery last season and tore it up, that’s until he got injured again. So be aware, but don’t let an injury scare you away.
Ride the waiver wire - If you’re not active in the free agent market, you’re not going to win your league. It’s as simple as that. Some of the biggest performers you will have at the end of the season are players that you picked up during the season. Don’t fall asleep on the free agents out there, keep an eye on them.
That’s it for now.
Enjoy this day,
Matt
