This, that, and other things
Something's up today, something with me. I can't call it a funk, a bad mood, or any specific mood for that matter. But I'm "too quiet and serious" as my desk-neighbor put it. Dark clouds have been hoovering all day right outside my window. Perhaps thats what it is, the threat of rain. At this point I'd welcome a storm.
A year ago on Saturday I went to Fiji. I was so excited about it, my first experience with a tropical island vacation, a place millions of people only dream about. I felt like the world lay before me, a single person with plenty of money at hand who's only purpose was to make me happy. It's strange though, that I can't remember specifically what I did for those two weeks. There were a few days in town, 3 spent traveling, and the resort, but everything we did was so layed back it was one long happy blurr.
This year I will have a completely different experience. On Saturday I'll be leaving for China: two weeks of constant sight-seeing, exploring, and big cities. The Forbidden City, Tiannemen Square, the Terricotta Warriors, Shaolin Temple with the orange-robbed kung-fu monks, the internationally acclaimed food of Shanghai, a walk along the Bund... I hope I'll be able to appreciate the scale of the cities I'll see (I usually hate big cities). I also hope I'll remember to relax once in a while along the way, as it is a vacation, not a race.
I am more anxious about traveling to China than I was to Fiji, probably due to ignorance. I had no idea Fiji had so many military coups or political problems- I know all about China. From reading newspapers, hearing people talk, and having studied it in uni, China is definitly a wild-card. It will do whatever is best for China, and do it without looking back. I have no doubt that the political prisoner labor camps are real, and the harsh treatment toward anything the government dislikes or is afraid of. Economically strong but jumpy. Being a foreigner in a jumpy country doesn't make me feel so safe. Yet at the same time, I suppose it'll just make for a grand-er adventure.
And I shall most surely be taking notes and observations as I travel along, and post all, relevent or not, upon my return. While I'm there, does anyone want anything?
A year ago on Saturday I went to Fiji. I was so excited about it, my first experience with a tropical island vacation, a place millions of people only dream about. I felt like the world lay before me, a single person with plenty of money at hand who's only purpose was to make me happy. It's strange though, that I can't remember specifically what I did for those two weeks. There were a few days in town, 3 spent traveling, and the resort, but everything we did was so layed back it was one long happy blurr.
This year I will have a completely different experience. On Saturday I'll be leaving for China: two weeks of constant sight-seeing, exploring, and big cities. The Forbidden City, Tiannemen Square, the Terricotta Warriors, Shaolin Temple with the orange-robbed kung-fu monks, the internationally acclaimed food of Shanghai, a walk along the Bund... I hope I'll be able to appreciate the scale of the cities I'll see (I usually hate big cities). I also hope I'll remember to relax once in a while along the way, as it is a vacation, not a race.
I am more anxious about traveling to China than I was to Fiji, probably due to ignorance. I had no idea Fiji had so many military coups or political problems- I know all about China. From reading newspapers, hearing people talk, and having studied it in uni, China is definitly a wild-card. It will do whatever is best for China, and do it without looking back. I have no doubt that the political prisoner labor camps are real, and the harsh treatment toward anything the government dislikes or is afraid of. Economically strong but jumpy. Being a foreigner in a jumpy country doesn't make me feel so safe. Yet at the same time, I suppose it'll just make for a grand-er adventure.
And I shall most surely be taking notes and observations as I travel along, and post all, relevent or not, upon my return. While I'm there, does anyone want anything?