Hunchun, China: Week 4, Pt. 2 (Being Not Myself)

[cswallow]

I don’t know how many people told me how cool my summer would be. Saving tigers! Living next to the Russia-North Korea border! Being different! But there is a seething gulf between being labeled cool, and living in a way that makes it actually cool. And right now, I am far from the edge of living. In fact, I am turning into the worst kind of

Comments

You're way too hard on yourself, Jennifer

[anonymous]

Aside from the work to be done, it doesn't sound to me as if there are "rules" to this--(other than self-imposed ones?) so just enjoy the moments, as they tumble out before you. I'm sure you're taking in much more than you even realize, just being there. You're already noticing everything: your surroundings, the people, their garb, their body language and speech, the vegetation, the birds, the roads, the transportation, the sounds, the smells...it's all a part of the experience. It doesn't mean you have to orchestrate elaborate experiences, but the simple day-to-day things you see will all become a part of "Jennifer" without you even realizing it