Hi, I’m Joella! Thanks for stopping by my blog. I’m originally from a lovely, little town in England, but my thirst for adventure has led me to live all over the world. From summer camps in the USA, teaching English in South Korea (I met Justin, the Californian guy I’d later marry, on my first day in 2006!), working in Venezuela, backpacking South America, training to be a school teacher in London and teaching at an international school in Beijing– I’ve been living internationally on and off for over fourteen years!
Paper Crane Stories originally began life as This Beijing Life- a Beijing and China travel blog. We recently left Beijing and moved to sunny California where my husband grew up (lucky him!). I hope you’ll join me as I blog about my travels, expat life, the food I love (which is, errr, most of it!) and all the adventures I have.
Find me on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest or Bloglovin from the links below.
You can tweet Joella @joellaBjacobs
Instagram: @joellajacobs
Follow on Bloglovin: here
Pinterest: here
Email at: papercranestories@gmail.com
Read more about us and life in Beijing: here
Or you can add your email address in the box below to get updates straight to your inbox:
[mc4wp_form]
I’ve only ever visited China on work related trips, but an incredibly interesting (and confronting) place!
Hope you’re enjoying your time there and would love to get there and explore it properly sometime
Thanks Chris. We are having a great time here but you do have to put up with certain things- like the awful pollution! I definitely recommend getting out here and exploring! There’s so much to see. We are planning to travel the West (around the Tibetan regions) in the summer but it’s such a huge country!
Sounds like a great idea!
Of the little I’ve seen, Shanghai certainly felt the most cosmopolitan.
I did get quite shocked on a back road in Nanchang seeing stalls along the side of the road selling watermelons, pillows, small crossbows, handguns… the usual I suspect!
Haha I can’t say I’ve seen any guns or crossbows yet but I’ll keep an eye out. My favourite market stalls so far sell gross and badly dried out animal fur. There’s usually a head still attached and I’m sureI once saw a saber toothed tiger rug. It both repulses me and fascinates me at the same time!
I can understand the completely! 🙂
Southern California! I’m a little jealous! I’ve never visited California but a lot of the bloggers I follow live there and I would love to visit someday.
Oh believe me- I’m jealous of Justin growing up in California too haha! 🙂
Hi Joella. I’ve enjoyed stumbling upon your blog and am now following it. I have nominated you for The Liebster Award. Find out more here: http://itsahanoianlife.wordpress.com/2014/05/27/the-liebster-award/
Congratulations! 🙂
Thank you!! That’s so nice of you! I’m going to answer the questions soon and thank you for the nomination. But first I’m looking forward to reading a bit more of your blog. 🙂
Hi Joella, I absolutely love your blog and I’m also nominating you for the Liebster Award! Your site is great and I wanted to share it with others. Anyway, keep up the good work! You can learn more about the award here: http://travel-lush.com/2014/06/01/the-rewards-of-travel-blogging-the-liebster-award-2/
Thank you so much Justine! I really appreciate it. I’m looking forward to putting together a post answering the questions! x
You deserve it! And, again, there’s no pressure to participate. But I actually did have a fun time answering those questions!
Thank you, Justine! I am actually really quite looking forward to answering the questions too! 🙂
Hi Joella, I also love your blog and have nominated you for the Liebster Award. Heres my link http://onefootineurope.wordpress.com/2014/06/04/i-have-been-nominated-for-the-liebster-award-d/
Thank you so much! I am looking forward to writing my post answering all the questions!
You have a very nice blog Joella 😀 happy to have found you via Twitter!
Thank you so much! 🙂
You’re welcome 😀
So happy to connect with you! It’s never too late to dream a new dream.
Jessica, Turquoise Compass
Thank you, Jessica
I just discovered your blog and am enjoying it. What kind of work do you both do in Beijing?
Thanks Brian. I’m a teacher back in the UK so I teach at an International School here in Beijing. My husband is writing.
I LOVE the new name! Papercranestories is absolutely gorgeous!! What an awesome choice, how did you end up choosing that? Wow! xxxxx
Thanks so much, Lucy! The name “came to me” after buying origami paper to make paper cranes in Japan! xx
Hi! I just stumbled upon your blog – really glad I found it. Best of luck on your new adventures xx