Motorcycle Diaries

"What we had in common was our restlessness, our dreaming spirit."

"What is it that's lost when you cross a boarder? Each moment seems to be split in two. Melancholy for what what left behind and on the other hand all the enthusiasm at entering new lands."

"How is it possible that I feel nostalgia for a world I never knew?"

Shout out to Mr. Ken Davies for recommending this movie to me. If you haven't seen it already, I would put this at the top of your list.

Happiness is...

Hello Again!

Due to a couple factors (laziness and happy chaos) I have been completely neglecting my blogging for... eh, the last ten months / two years? So now with a complete facelift (the blog, not me), I'm going to force myself back into the habit of writing. Today marks DAY 1. Let's see how long this lasts!

I don't think I've ever written a post from the good old USA, but I currently find myself admitting that my stint back home might not be as fleeting as I thought it was going to be. So let's take it wayyy back and see how I've come to be blogging in the middle of a Monday in my sweats, while the rest of the world is working. I could take the easy way out and blame the economy.. but fortunately the story is a bit more interesting than that.

August 2010 was the month that veered my life in a drastically different direction from where it was heading. I went from working a normal 9 - 5 in Columbus, Ohio to playing in the sand & surf of Melbourne, Australia. The birthplace of this blog! I tried to keep up with the constant adventures, blunders, miscalculations / miscommunications, and LIFE in Oz... but more often than not, I wound up grabbing a pint (or three) with the amazing people I came to know instead of jotting down what was happening around me. But, believe me. I have thousands of photos from that year to remind me when this blog falls short.

Fast forward a year, and I'm stepping off the plane in Xi'an, China about to embark on the most challenging journey of my life. My world was quite literally flipped upside down as I stumbled into teaching, a completely new group of wonderful friends, and a life that made the word foreign laughable. If traveling Australia made me understand the joy of this world, traveling throughout China made me realize how little I know about everything. That is a great, and scary feeling.

Fifteen months later, I boarded a flight out of China and into Southeast Asia. Without a set plan, I spent a month exploring Thailand and Cambodia. Bangkok, Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, Sen Monorom, Hat Yai, and Koh Lipe were my jumping off points into cultures that I had very little knowledge of. The highlights were ::: bathing elephants, exploring Angkor Wat, snorkeling the reefs of the Thai Islands, drinking Singhas on Khao San Road, seeing the Killing Fields and S-21. The negatives were getting hustled in a Thai ping pong show by a madame and a slight motorcycle crash in Eastern Cambodia. But those are stories for another time. When the month was up, I dragged myself to the airport to catch my first flight (out of 5) to get home. Home. It was the first time in 2 1/2 years that I did not have a scheduled flight back to where I was coming from. How can I describe feeling comforted, excited, panicked, overwhelmed, sad, happy, claustrophobic, and unbelievably tired at once? It was a good thing there was complimentary wine on the flight and Starbucks at each airport.

I have been back for three months now, and have pretty much refused to sit still. I spent the month of January roadtripping around the Midwest visiting my favorite places, best friends, and family. In February I went down to Disney World finally was able to experience Harry Potter World in person! (Don't judge, that was high on my bucket list!) And most of March has been spent in the UK... So I can't claim that I have been sitting around with nothing to do! The traveling continues in a week to Las Vegas, The Grand Canyon, and Sedona! I realize I am a lucky, lucky girl.

So, that is the shortened version of why I am lounging about, blogging, and trying to figure out where my life is going on this typical Monday afternoon. Now what? Is probably the most frightening question on earth... but it is a bit exciting as well. Graduate School and teaching abroad once again is where I am leaning. But I am welcome literally any suggestions on what I should do, where I should go, how I can carve out a place in this hectic world!

This was just a starter post, one who's training wheels are obviously still firmly attached. We'll get into the nitty, gritty stories when I can write without using an obscene amount of adjectives and can form proper sentences!

In the meantime, my buddy JFOS (Jeremy Scott Foster) was nice enough to publish an article of mine on his website (Travelfreak.org). Check it out!
My Article!

XO
Em

4 Month Sabbatical - Nanjing

Okay, so after being away from writing and doing anything with this blog for 4 months I am officially back in action! I have less than 2 months left of teaching and living in Xi'an so it's time to get back on the horse and write about it. I've been lazy, busy, and my trusty computer has still not been fixed. The keyboard is okay minus the 6, Y, H, N, and Space Key. Let's see how fast and far I get blogging with that!

Anyway, my first Chinese summer has treated me very well. As always, it seemed to be go go go with different adventures and opportunities. After visiting Zack Ober (shout out Ohio!) in Nanjing, we finished off May with Adele's 22nd birthday and preparations for Jessica Stretchica (aka MacDonald) getting to Xi'an! The weeks literally flew by between train journeys, picnics, BBQs, birthday celebrations, welcoming celebrations, and unfortunately... saying good-bye to our very own Alexander Ambrose Akin. More 'Ups than Downs' in May and June but extremely sad to see one of us go nonetheless.

Since I have about a million things to say and stories to write I'm going to focus this particular blog on....

NANJING.

In one of my previous blog posts I had written about the Nanking (Nanjing) Massacre and how much I was learning by reading the book by Iris Chang. Well, I finished the book just as the train was pulling into the Nanjing station and it was nothing short of an amazing and eye-opening read. I'd suggest it to any history buffs or anybody that wants to learn something new.

Tom and I started off our May holiday trip to Nanjing by having some delicious food at a Muslim restaurant near the Xi'an train station and then sat around for a while waiting for our train... having purchased a bottle of whiskey for the train ride, we were a bit disappointed when it suspiciously tasted like... water. Making a mental note to never buy from the 'Alcohol Store' near our school, we ended up trading what was left for some horrendous North Western Chinese Bijou. Sitting with our new best friends on the train before getting some shut eye proved to be a little more than I bargained for, but Tom was in his element. Speaking Chinese with a couple of Chinese couples (say that 10 times fast) who had been on the train for almost 24 hours already, and being fed cup after cup of this noxious liquid I was left to my own defenses trying to communicate in broken English and body language with a Chinese doctor. After a hilarious couple of hours, and being yelled at by other passengers to keep it down, we climbed up onto our bunks and fell asleep.

Whiskey Flavored Water.

Ne Hao Nanjing!!!

We arrived into a rainy Nanjing the next morning sleepy-eyed and excited. We found our way through the subways and eventually straight into Mr. Zackary Ober. Zack worked at Kid Castle before I did and actually left Xi'an on the day that I arrived. Having never met this fellow American (and Ohio native) I was pumped to talk about Miami University - Ohio University rivalries and Columbus - Cleveland superiorities. Obviously, my vote was (and will always be) for Miami and Columbus. Shout out Redhawks!

MU!!!!

We went to lunch and had amazing food, but also something that resembled purple hair dye... it was chewy but not so bad. Then we dropped our stuff off at Zack's place and headed off to the Nanking Massacre Museum. It was one of the most intense experiences I've had.

Purple Hair Dye Veggies.

While I was studying in Europe I had the opportunity to go to many Holocaust museums and they were all unbelievably upsetting. It's something that you never get used to, and I hope nobody ever does. It's incredible the capacity of human evil... and this museum was no exception. The day was bleak and it was starting to rain hard. The line to get into the museum was long, and we were all waiting under a roof of umbrellas to see the monstrosities that had happened. While we were shuffling our feet trying to avoid the puddles, we were able to study the statues that lined the entrance. They were haunting and you almost had to look away. Each held a caption that made your heart hurt.

1st Statue.

The Helpless Struggle of a Dying Intellectual

The long line of people & statues.

A man carrying his baby.

Fighting.

The three of us spent hours in the museum studying the captions, facts, pictures, faces, and stories. I was actually ushered out as the staff made it clear that it was time for everyone to go home. The abrupt turning off the lights and shouting in Chinese made me come back to reality and start treading out. It's a weird period of time, the direct aftermath of baring witness to something so horrible. What do you do afterwards? Do you proceed on like you never saw what you just did? Is it okay to smile and laugh? How do you properly grieve for people that you never knew and who died years ago?

300,000 Victims.

Unbelievable painting.

Artwork.

Results of gas bombs.

Just outside of the museum there is a memorial park where people can sit and reflect on what they just saw... the most beautiful and startling view there is a large sign that says PEACE. I think that is the most important message you can take away from everything you just took in. Despite all the mistakes that humanity has made, and continues to make, we need to keep striving for peace... for coexistence... for more than what we have given each other in the past.

Stunning.

Peace.

After an intense couple of hours Tom, Zack, and I went out seeking refuge in Western restaurants. We came across a Paulander beer place, an Italian restaurant, and finally ended up on one of the top floors of the 8th highest building in the world. Yeah, yeah it's not the tallest building in the world but it's still pretty awesome. We crashed a wedding reception, bought the most expensive bottle of wine I've ever had, and pretended that we were high rollers for the night. Definitely a break from the usual day-to-day routine back in Xi'an. A big thanks to Zack for showing us around and being an excellent tour guide!

Good red wine.

Looking content and pompous.

Tom and I said good-bye to Zack the next day and made our way to the Nanjing wall, a Confucian temple, and a beautiful lake. We tried our hand in archery (I got a bull's eye!) and got ready for our 13 hour train ride back in seats. Although we were only in Nanjing for a day and a half we packed in tons of things and I was able to cross the Nanjing Museum off my bucket list. I'd recommend Nanjing to anyone traveling China. It's beautiful, a bit more Western than Xi'an, historical, and there's even guys dressed in all yellow that want to pull you around in a cart like a King or a Queen.

Trying to get a bull's eye.

Hanging out with my new buddies.

Taking a break on the wall.

Gorgeous!

Confucious.

What an absolutely amazing couple of days... A trip worth-while.

XO

Em

Ps - I'm famous :)

Check it!

Friday Afternoon with Katie, Wendy, and Cherry!

Xi'an City Wall & Musings.

A little while ago, Tom and I went for a stroll down the famous Xi'an City Wall. In my opinion, besides the food and the people, the wall is the coolest thing about my beloved Chinese city. It makes the city feel protected, ancient, and more managable. What makes the wall even COOLER (shout out to my Medival Times fans) is that it has an all-encompassing moat. That's right, in 2012 I live in a city that is surrounded by a moat AND a wall. No biggie. 

Anyway, we couldn't have picked a better spring day and the Chinese Gods of Weather blessed us with clear skies and hot temperatures. We decided against hiring bikes and casually wandered from South Gate to North Gate... passing some tourists, runners, locals out for a walk, and even some split bottom babies. Perfect!

It's an awesome feeling to be a tourist in the city that you live in. I don't know whether it's the location, language barrier, or what - but Xi'an above any other city that I've lived in has a vastness about it that doesn't seem obtainable. In Melbourne I loved giving various people impromptu tours around small alleyways, cafes, hidden bars, and side streets. Here, I get lost easily and am still piecing together where my favorite places are. It's definitely frustrating sometimes, but keeps things interesting to say the least.

Seeing the city from the wall was a view that I definitely hadn't taken in before. To think that for thousands of years this wall has been standing sturdy and strong is incredible. Back in the States we consider old to be a cannon ball stuck in the side of a house from the Revolutionary War (1775 - 1783). We're babies compared to this.

There were a couple of reasons why I decided to sign a contract to live in a country that I admit, I knew practically nothing about. Besides Disney's 'Mulan', the Beijing Olympics, and scatterings of history lessons from High School my knoweldge of China was minimal to say the least. But wasn't that the biggest draw? Isn't that the point to travel? To learn about another country, to experience a different language, to be overwhelmed and out of your comfort zone. Isn't that the most important part... to be able to override the judgements that you may have and open your mind? To keep learning...

It's easy to sit back at home and relish in the differences that supposively make the US - or wherever you are from - 'better' than 'the others'. It's also easy to be arrogant about a country that has been a dominate power for the majority of time since it's creation. But that's not saying too much compared to some civilizations and countries that have been around for ages and ages.

I'm not trying to send any political remarks or deeper meanings or whatnot. I'm just saying that after being here 9 months I can say that my decision to come to China has opened my eyes more than any other choice I've ever made.  There are some things that I'm definitely going to take away with me (the closeness and loyalty of friends & family as well as the fact that hot water cures everything) and some I'll probably leave to the Chinese (the spitting. everywhere). I've learned a lot, I'm still pretty bad at the language, but overall I've gained a lot of knowledge that I would have otherwise never had. And I'm super proud of myself for it.

This might be a slight reason I've talked my boss into extending my contract for an additional 3 months and my visa for another year. :) I'll be back for Thanksgiving and Christmas this year though everyone! So get excited! 6 more months to go here in the Land of Holidays (Tomb Cleaning Day) and Confusing Hellos!

xoxo

Em

ps - a BIG shout out to some of my best friends ::: Christa Rossell, Ali Frank, and Paul McDonald who all turn the big 2-5 and 2-6 today! YOU ARE SO OLD!

Christa and I at Byron Bay, Australia 2011

Ali and I in Centre Harbor, New Hampshire 2003

Paul and I in Danbury, Connecticut 2008

Day Off Anthem!

for all you lazy bums out there...

How long have you been in China?

It has recently occured to me that I have just sailed by my 2/3 mark in my contract, and year-long stay in China. It hit me last week when I woke up and realized that, crap - IT'S MAY?! 8 months down! When did that happen?!

Last year at this time my friends and I were finally getting settled down in Fremantle, WA, Australia. We were living in a ghetto/creepy side town called Hilton with an American couple in the house, and Mexican, German, and Dutch couples living in our driveway (well in their vans to be more specific). It was amazing. Super broke, still cleaning the cobwebs from our rooms, deciding to leave the massive spiders in the kitchen to catch the flies, and entertaining ourselves with international scrabble games and learning the 'soldiar boy' dance. Some of the best memories to date.

All of us on Josh's Birthday! Fremantle, WA - Australia

 Fast foward a year and after a brutally cold winter, I'm learning to come to terms with the 86 degree days and summertime in Xi'an. I'm still living with Alex (London, UK) but he will soon be going to start on his 'real life' after traveling around Asia for a bit. Replacing him will be one of my good friends from my travels through Oz, none other than Jess MacDonald! We're still waiting on the Chinese-Canadian consulate to accept her visa based on stupid-idiotic-unnecessary-ridiculous medical forms. Honestly, who has the Bubonic Plague these days? Nobody from Fredericton, NB I don't think?! But again, who knows with those Canadians up there... I kid. Anyway, we're crossing our fingers that she gets here by the end of May armed with her amazing accent and wealth of Canadian knowledge. Being outnumbered now 5-2 by Brits, Scott and I definitely need another North American in our corner. However, as pointed out by one of those smarty pants British boys, apparently Canadians and UK folk agree on important things such as the spelling of 'favourite' and 'colour'. Guess I'll continue to lose arguments on the spelling font. Lame.

Jess and I in St. Kilda, Victoria - Australia. Clearly, teacher material.

Adam is back in the UK at the moment catching up on everything that isn't sleep. Friends, partying, eating (specifically - SANDWICHES), moving house, and seeing family. Jealous. He'll be back around the same time Jess will get here and will either continue working at Kid Castle or move onto another job in the city. Charlie (short for Charlotte) just arrived a couple of weeks ago and is living with Adele in the 'nice apartment'. That makes FOUR from our group that calls the magical place of Milton Keynes home. Monopoly.

Adam and I at his going away party at Fantasy! Cigars and champagne!

Charlie and I at Fantasy for her first time! Welcome to Chinese clubs!

We've had TONS of visitors since the New Year has hit us (the Chinese one, that is). Matt Englander, Leo Siddle, and Rich Legasse have graced us with their precense at various points and provided with ample opportunities to 'live it up' and show them the nightlife, and in our defense - a bit of the day life, that Xi'an has to offer. All great guys who have known the Milton Keynes group for years... It was definitely refreshing to have new faces around. Rich is currently living in Hong Kong, Leo is London, and Matt is now in Australia! Crazy.

Hahah... Me, Tom, and Leo at Fantasy! Happiness.

Matt and Leo getting down with a regular.

Rich, Adele, and Adam at German Beer Bar!

What else has happened? Well Tom and I took a quick trip to Nanjing (see previous blog) to visit Zack Ober and to see the Nanjing Massacre Museum. Nanjing made my Chinese city count go up to SIX cities which I'm pretty excited about. Hong Kong, Xi'an, Beijing, Kunming, Jinghong, and Nanjing! Phew, so many N's and J's in those names! Anyway, I'll post a better blog about that trip with pictures next! It was amazing and so good to pack up a bag and get out of Xi'an for a couple of days.

Top 5 things I've done in the last 8 months (not in order) :::

1) Ate yummy foods like scorpians (big and small), cockroaches, and centipedes on sticks.
2) Did a 4 day trek through the boarder of China and Myanmar (Burma) with Tom Jamieson. We stayed in tiny villages where they didn't have running water and only minimal electricity. The older women's teeth were dyed brown for health purposes and beauty. It was amazing.
3) Nanjing / Nanking Massacre Museum. If you don't know about this, google it. It'll blow your mind that we weren't taught this growing up when learning about WW2. So unbelievably sad.
4) Made and ate my own dumplings. Kung pow!
5) Had an afternoon / evening BBQ on the side of a lake with most of my best friends here. Complete with lotus root, sausages, chicken wings, beer, and beijiou. It was absolutely beautiful and reminded me of camping, traveling, and living out of a van. I miss being near the water!

Okay, that's all for today! Still have to finish prepping for my open house I have today! Hopefully the parents will chalk the fact that I'll be sweating like mad up to me being just another silly foreigner. 'They are so strange, aren't they?'

Happy May ladies and gents! And to the ENORMOUS amount of people I know born in this hot month - HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I'm in China, so I'm sorry if you don't get anything besides a facebook post. I'll make it up next year, promise!

Love & miss you all. Every day!
xoxo
Em

Me at our Chinese BBQ!