Mel and I, intrepid adventurers that we are, take the bus from Hunchun to a town called Er Dao Bai He (Second Arrival to White River - named so because it is the second town you come to as you head from the confluence of the area's three largest rivers and travel along White River). We leave early on Saturday morning, knowing we must be back by ( Read more... )

 Having already broken my resolution to write once every two days, I quickly fell into a routine of apathy. Instead I began to inhale books from the Arlington Library ecollection - at a rate of almost one a day. I felt I was trying to make meaning of these weary days. I realize now that the dull days are sometimes the best ones to write about. One' ( Read more... )

Today we go into YiLiHaDa village, located just below the old bird lady's house. 173 households in YiLiHaDa and we visit just 7. But the people are kind to us, let us sit with them and ask them questions, and in the end we have our first precious sampling of data ( Read more... )