Starting Over

Now that I'm sedentary, I'm going to turn this blog into a booklist/showcase for some art whether it's mine or just stuff I find inspiring.

Back in the World by Tobias Wolff

This is a collection of short stories by Wolff which detail anecdotes from a whole array of characters. I have not yet read every short story in this book, but so far, I have been really impressed by what I have read. Wolff has a concise, compelling way of framing even the most plain dialogue and action into something more complex. Take for example, a six-page story where racism is brought up between a married couple while doing the dishes together. The woman tests her husband by asking if he would marry her, given she was black (it is assumed they are both white). After a number of times asking, he finally says yes. But, that is not enough. Or perhaps by the time he says yes, it is already too late.

PS. While I was looking for a photo of the book, I found the website of a couple who has done a pan-American bike tour as well as a small circuit around Asia: http://www.backintheworld.com/

As the deadline approaches...

...I get more and more stressed out.

Friends, imagine if you were doing a DR and then had to switch topics midway but still had to do the same amount of fieldwork. That is my situation where I switched organizations midway through since the first one gave me an over a week-long vacation to do nothing. My previous supervisors did not seem interested one bit in helping me develop my studies, so after waiting for them to return to the office (2-3 days after they said they would), I packed up my bags and left. Thankfully, another organization has taken me under their wing and are much more enthusiastic about helping. This, unfortunately, does not change my deadline.

My only solace is going to a cafe, a 4-yuan drive away, and sitting down amongst my thoughts and constant searching for useful articles.

---

Edit: OK, finally got out of my own world to address the earthquake that just happened. I guess I just feel relieved that my classmates and I are all OK. The organization I am working with is organizing a relief effort amongst ten universities in our province. Hopefully, I will be able to assist with the relief effort in any way I can. Condolences go out to anyone injured by the disaster or those who know people who have been.

End.

虎跳峡 - Tiger Leaping Gorge

I'm really glad I didn't have to wear these shoes when I went hiking. They died a while ago and the duct tape only lasted so long when the right sole is about to split in half. RIP Chacos.


Pictures from Tiger Leaping Gorge...(really quickly edited, sorry no time!)

The Yangze River


This one was sunbathing before I surprised it. Someone ID please?


View of the sunset from the guesthouse

Random mountain goats the next morning


Found this skinker while climbing back up the mountain after taking the wrong path. ID?


Local woman and her horses

All and all, TLG was worth the two-day hike. The 28 Bends (aka switchbacks) were a pain but offered great views of the gorge and the Yangze River. The first day was the hardest, a 6-hour hike mostly uphill on gravel road and dirt trails. The next day I accidentally took the wrong path down the mountain and had to go up again, adding two extra hours to the normally 3-4 hour traverse and then downhill. Could've been my poor map-reading skills or the lack of signs. Still worth it.

Next post - Meili Snow Mountain.

So clearly...

...it's not a good idea to drink before acclimating to a higher elevation. Unfortunately, I was too tired yesterday to be intelligible after a hard morning hike where I took the wrong path down a mountain and had to go up again. Well, after all that and a three-hour bus ride, I thought I well-deserved a cold beer. Later last night, I regretted it.

I spent all day recovering from a hard hike with I'm pretty sure 30lbs. I don't know why my backpack is that heavy. I will drop off some stuff before doing my next hike. Will post pictures soon. Hurray for Labor Day week off.

And if anyone's curious how my project is going, it's not!

Things that remind me of dry 07

... drinking a cold stubbie of VB on my birthday
... randomly seeing a Boney M CD in a music shop
... cringing at the mention of 'Balderdash'
... [possibly] hearing bats squabble at night
... reading the word 'acacia' in a book
... playing Spider Solitaire while waiting for the internet to load
... hearing a bunch of Aussies mention, 'The Great Australian Wave' on a bus ride
... noticing that an older man, from Queensland, in aforementioned group was wearing stubbies, a t-shirt, and a vest, Landcare-style....

...and may there be many more.

Chinese Animals

Animals in different contexts.

From the zoo:

Domestic life:



Restaurant window:

Skinker!

So a friend just found a lil skinker, probably on the street. Someone want to help ID it?

Cherry blossoms

So I’ve felt pretty restless the past month. I’ll admit that. Being in a large city that seems endless, boundary-less, is overwhelming at times. Disorientating. Even depressing.

I’m burning out pretty much. I’m done with academia. Done with group field trips. Done with a local who’s never been abroad but loves the US and doesn’t know why. Done with every person who thinks that way.

Unfortunately, that’s almost all young people here. Maybe I’m just sick of the gross romanticizing. People don’t realize that to earn money in the US, they have to be filthy rich to even get there. To even be able to live and eat there.

I’m ready for a change of pace and of scenery. I keep thinking about how much I want an easygoing lifestyle back. Everyday I watch my waistline grow as my host mother tries to get me to eat more and more. Normally, I wouldn’t care that much but here, I feel an insane amount of pressure to care about my self-image. To blend in. And while that sometimes happens, I don’t ever want that kind of blending in to happen. I never want to lose my own identity. I just don’t know how to keep it and not over-insist it. Sui bian. Sometimes I wonder what I’m doing with my life. Don’t we all?

Remember when your parents told you to look twice before crossing a road? Well, in China, you have an option. Either, you run for it and hope that that car speeding towards you doesn’t nick you at the last minute or, you check about five times each way. In any case, you have to be an opportunist if you ever want to get to the other side of the road.

Unlike in New England, drivers don’t stop for pedestrians. They don’t really care if you stand in the middle of the road, that is, with a whole row of other people. Cars will back up into a sidewalk, about a foot from where you’re sitting eating lunch, taxis will barely slow down if someone runs in front of them, and not to mention buses. Those buses, packed to the doorway with people, won’t break for anything. Everyone’s responsible for themselves and that goes for just about everything else you do in China. Certainly cuts down on the number of people suing each other.

Posting again

Welcome. I decided it would be nice to have a blog that actually has pictures. Hopefully I'll update this one more regularly than my last.

This is from my spring break travels...

An old street in town, a rare sight, that's being turned into...

...modern architecture! Seems like China is undergoing constant construction and reconstruction.

A pretty typical street full of garage-like shops and restaurants that don't have storefronts.

A father and daughter flying their kite in what we fondly call 'the rubble,' empty dirt lots found in every city.