A New Blog
Hello again from South China. This is the first official entry into my new China blog. I apologize to my friends and family, I'm sorry my last blog didn't work out. As it turned out the blog host was blocked by the Great Firewall and besides, I never seemed to find the time or have the energy to write anyway! I know that sounds like an apathetic excuse but between teaching, studying Chinese, finishing my Masters, photographic and writing assignments as well as a new puppy, it has been all I can do to keep my head above water. Anyway, I have been testing this site for a month now and have been able to access it everyday so I am optimistic. I'll try and post something on a regular basis. Many of you have been following along via my Flickr site and I will still post regularly there since it has taken on a life of its own. You can visit the Flickr photostream by clicking on the photos to the left or by following this link, http://www.flickr.com/photos/expatriategames. It's easy to sign up for a free Flickr account and you can see my photos and leave comments there as well.
So, hard to believe but I have been here six months already. Every day brings something new. I have at times been equally enthralled and frustrated, amazed and repulsed, amused and angered but very seldom bored. As I remember particular events from the past 6 months I will try and get you caught up and I am certain I'll continue to have plenty to relay in the future. When I was preparing to come to China I read as much as I could about others experiences here but nothing could have really prepared me. Regardless, I have no regrets. I am looking at this as an opportunity few of us get in life. To immerse yourself into a different culture, learn a new language, live and work in a community where you are viewed as an outsider and completely be out of your comfort zone. That's my life in nutshell, spending midlife in the Middle Kingdom, out of my comfort zone.
Pedestrian Mall in the City Center
I'll introduce you to Liuzhou and its people. The good, the bad, the beautiful and sometimes the ugly. I'll do my best to make it interesting. It shouldn't be difficult, it's a lot different here from life in the States. I am not the only foreigner, or "Laowai", to chronicle life in Liuzhou. Click on the Liuzhou Laowai link on the left of the page and you'll get a unique and often entertaining perspective of one man's experience in this small Chinese town of nearly 1.5 million. So, that's enough for now. It's been raining all day here and now it is well into the early morning hours. Chewbacca, my pup, is curled up next to my neck and I am fading fast. Please keep in touch. I would love to hear from each of you so leave your comments here and on the Flickr site and I will write again soon!
I really enjoyed your insights, I only spent 2 months in Liuzhou and
Shanghai, but your descriptions bring it all back to me. I remember being
chased through the lobby of the Hotel because the concier saw me headed
outside without my coat when it was only 60 degrees outside. They did not
want me to get sick from the cold. I can not imagine how the locals must
have suffered. Thank you for the reminder of such wonderful people.