About Firecrackers: The Exploits of an Expat in China:
Anna was nineteen years old when she moved from rural Indiana to China as a foreign exchange student. What was intended to be a five-month stay turned into a five-year adventure as Anna integrated herself into the culture of Jinan, Shandong. Firecrackers contains thirteen true and truly wild tales about life as an expat in the city, focusing on the manufactured expat culture.
You won’t find stories of enlightenment in these pages, nor does anyone climb the Great Wall. Instead, Anna reveals the underbelly of all Jinan had to offer its foreign residents, with no shortage of partying, police encounters, and nearly-missed disasters.
From navigating the local hospital system to long-distance online dating, from kitchen fires to escaping an attempted kidnapping, Firecrackers showcases stories of everyday humor and debauchery present in lives of the 2010’s foreigners.
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Author Bio:
Anna Keibler is a professional technical writer, youth worker, and traveler with a fervent passion for languages, art, and wildlife. As a nature lover with a master’s in natural resources, she has a passion for the ecological conservation of both the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and the Hoosier National Forest. Originally hailing from rural Indiana, Anna learned Mandarin while living and working in China for more than five years. With more than a decade of experience in teaching English, essay writing, and research strategies, she has built a strong foundation of creative writing experience in nonfiction and fiction spaces alike. In her spare time, Anna can often be found crafting, adventuring, enjoying Chinese folk music, and scouring either the night sky for unusual astral phenomena or her backyard for natural herbal remedies.