Back to the journal I am because inspired I have been. I've decided that among my many well intentioned attempts and discarded journals, at least one will surpass a whopping 15 entries.
I started this online journal journey as a way for family and friends to stay up to date on our many adventures but that was when adventure took a different form. It's not that adventure won't always be dirt under my fingernails or adrenaline coursing through my veins, but perhaps it has many shapes and sizes. Lately just as much as it's been China shaped it's also fashioned itself as a 14 year old boy. Having Beau in China is truly a new experience. With very few western comforts to "hide behind" there's a certain sense of being seen and I don't think Beau always likes to be seen. While in many ways it's been emotionally harder on all of us to push into and through his feelings, we can only hope it will be worth it. Day by day we are trying to teach him how to do simple tasks. Brush your teeth, do your homework, don't be lazy, etc. There is a complete restructuring in the works and that, my friends, takes time. That's all I'll say on this topic because some things just need to be kept in the family :).
I wish I could give true insight on living life in Asia (I say Asia as a whole because it's so…different). It's basically akin to stripping every western thought from your mind and expecting the unexpected. I've been almost attacked by a swarm of bats, had to battle IBS combined with spicy food and eastern toilets, just missed running over a RAT with my bicycle (the first and only I've seen), among many others. All that to say I love it. Lacking cultural awareness allows you to simply be you. I walk around every day knowing there are no expectations on me because I am a foreigner. I love no expectations; it's never fun when you have to break them ;).
I've been thinking a lot about the government; living in a totalitarian society is so dissimilar to democracy. The government is everywhere. The ironic thing is that this is a society that builds high rises with bamboo platforms,and yet the government is advanced enough to have a handle on everything. There's a certain dichotomy of the mind that one encounters when pondering it all. I have a lot more thoughts on that, feel free to ask me if you're curious (the collective "you").
My students are amazing. We do something called "English corner" every Monday which is a time for the students to spend time with us as if we were friends and not teachers. I remember standing up on the desk to talk to everyone and looking down to see a girl hugging my leg (who wouldn't let go). That really got me thinking. I recognize the lack of intimacy in this culture (or perhaps lack of "intimacy" as I've always known it in the American way). The fact is that when you are kind and loving toward a Chinese child they seem to soak it up, at least in my experience. I am willing to be that for these kids, and hopefully in the "good" I try to teach them with every class lecture connections will be made. This week in class I'm teaching about careers yet have managed to rant for a good chunk of each class period on humanitarianism. I'm having them write papers on what they want to be when they grow up, perhaps I will have to post my favorites because they are worth reading. The education system here heavily emphasizes memorization so it's really interesting to see uncultivated creativity in many of the papers I've received.
I guess my last stop in this entry is a complaint. I am sooooore. I recently acquired a fantastic personal trainer who is teaching me the art of kick boxing and kung fu. I would get the most technically obsessed man ever. Doesn't he realize I've NEVER been good at the technical?? I'm trying to soak up every experience I can here though. Speaking of experiences, my favorite new Fritish girl (my new word for half British and half French) is teaching me how to cultivate the talent of drawing/painting. Even though she's a true artist and I'm the poo dizzle I'm hoping to incorporate poetry and art in some way that satisfies my soul.Because Beau is in Shenyang at a volleyball tournament, we are off to enjoy the "small" town of Huangshi. Zai jian!
