The Finale

So I am currently sitting in a classroom looking at the lovely John
Callahan and one of our teachers bust out a song for our performance
tomorrow. Yes, I did say performance. I will be singing 北京欢迎你, Check
it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPiWsequAZw but unlike the
lucky John Callahan, I will be doing mine with my entire class of ten
as an accompaniment. Needless to say, it will be a good sight to see.
They have practiced this song about 30 times in the time I have been
sitting here. This is one of the reasons I will NEVER be able to marry
a chinese guy. This song performance is becoming too serious. Come on
China, relax a little.

Speaking of relaxing a little, I have never felt as relieved as I did
30 minutes ago. I have officially finished my studies in Shanghai. I
don't know if you have ever had that feeling of a massive burden being
lifted off but you should try it sometime. Honestly, I have never felt
so light on my feet than now. Too bad I am too exhausted to go
anywhere but my bed. I decided right now in my lightness to go over
things I have learned from Shanghai.

-Chinese people actually aren't that weird. I am kind of weirding
myself out by saying that but a lot of them are the same as we are.
-Asian girls like to dress like baby dolls. It's true. They told us
that is the way to look cute in China. We didn't comply. This time.
-American spicy is NOT even close to Chinese spicy. Be prepared if you
decide to go for "their spicy".
-Don't be afraid to go up to someone and start talking. The worst that
can happen is that they laugh at you and that happens anyways.
-Don't be afraid to ask someone something if a) you don't know where
you are or b) you don't know what you are doing
-practice some charades before you go anywhere in china. I am now a pro.
-Always use the american bathroom when you see it.
-There is nothing better than owning the season of a TV series. But
really. Gossip Girl is now on my list of favorites.
-Always bring more than one book with you if you plan on staying more
than a month.
-Tan isn't everything. Until you return to America.
-Egg is your best friend. So is Diet Coke.
-Study their cuisine BEFORE you come to China. That is by far the
hardest part of the place.
-Say Obama to Chinese people. And find out what happens. It turns out good.
-Eat dumplings as long as you can to save money for shopping. It's
worth it but I will not eat another dumpling for a LONG time.
-Rain is way better than the worst heat I have ever experienced.
-When China gives you lemons... I suggest you make some lemonade
because you can't find it anywhere here.
-Go to a track at night (they call them playgrounds...). It's a great
"family" experience seeing that every old person and their mom come
out.
-Get used to being stared out. Yesterday, the people beside me in KFC
just looked at us and didn't even eat their food. It's totally
normal...in China.
-Chinese Karaoke is NOT American Karaoke. Go for it. It's worth it.
And please choose one of the three: "Get Low", "Fergalicious", or
"Survivor".. they definitely were the favs of the night.
-Stay away from Bai Jiu at all costs, but it is unavoidable as the
night goes on.
and lastly...

Enjoy your life no matter where you are.

-A

When China Gives You Lemons...

...you freak out. But Really. 

Remember that part about me being freaked out by weird meat? Well keep that in mind for my next story. 

Sometimes it is very easy to forget that you are halfway across the world in a totally different culture. That is, until you step outside on the street. While we have people walking everywhere, texting, chatting, trying to get to their next lunch date, etc etc...China has a whole culture on the street. Street venders EVERYWHERE selling everything you can imagine (fake OPI? Check. Your newest dress? also check.), people playing with live chickens, beggars getting in your face asking for money, and so on. It is so vibrant, a totally different way of life and is just the thing that quickly puts you back into the real world. Food will also very quickly make you realize you aren't in Kansas anymore. It is possibly the hardest part of being here. You never quite know what you are getting into with dishes because you never quite know what you are order. (My previous post on the egg is a GREAT example as well as the bamboo I ate yesterday, and the weird rice-ball congealed soup that is actually really good. 

Okay, now that I have painted this picture...let me get back to my story.  Casually eating lunch with our teachers the other day (they always order THE BEST food), I decided to go for some sort of chicken dish. Back to a little explanation--if you didn't already know, chinese people always eat family-style in a restaurant. So mostly you use a spinning glass table for easy access and on occasion have to stand up to reach something. I stood up to reach this big dish so I couldn't see what I was grabbing. Not hearing what the chinese conversations were around me, I grabbed some meat and sat back down. Little did I know, one of the teachers and my friend were telling me something and I just wasn't listening. I GRABBED THE FOOT. Literally. There was a chicken foot on my plate. Thinking to American culture, that is NOT something that is associated with a chicken dish so I was not expecting to grab it. Let's just say I freaked out big time. Usually if I prepare myself, I can have a very calm reaction to something like that, but this was an utter freak out of surprise. I think the teachers were a wee bit scared.  

Lesson learned. Stay away from the foot. 

Double Post!

So I know I have been slacking on here so this is a post of all of those little things of China (bullet point-style).

1. My new motto--"Street Food: Just Do It". It is definitely iffy and more than likely going to make you sick at some point in your life but the key points of it's greatness are a) it is quick b) it is cheap and c) you make new best friends with the people selling it. They love us. I'll be sure to get a picture with them before we leave. Don't freak, there are absolutely no sanitation laws here so I can only imagine what I accidently eat. 
2. Eat the fruit in season. Right now it is Watermelon and Peaches--YUM! If it isn't in season, it's pretty gross. 
3. I found my dream Raybans. Story of the purchase later because while I do not own the yet, it is all in due time (and some really good bargaining). The starting price is 400, I am working for a 75% cut. 
4. Scarf count: 21
5. 3020 is ridiculous. Lot's of work. Lot's of studying. Still have my head above water. Barely. 
6. After a near death experience, my computer is still alive! I learned a new cultural thing through the experience: When giving money to a lady, put it in her hand. It took my a good 15 minutes to figure out what she was trying to tell me. I wanted to give her the money and she acted like she didn't want to take it. it was confusing and ridiculous. 
7. 23 degree Celsius-- premo temperature for your dorm room. It took us a little bit to figure that out. 
8. Quickly discovered it you miss out on the 12 o clock premier of Harry Potter it is actually not the end of the world. But can't wait to see it!
9. Somehow managed going in with an old chinese lady on buying shampoo when she saw I was looking at smaller bottles. It was something like buy one get one half off and she pretty much dragged me to the check out. I purchased Panteen... although what kind, I have noooo idea. Let's just say China is not for good hair. 
10. Thinking about Deb Ball Stuff? Nahhhh. Have a date yet? Nahhhhh. I'm working on it. China currently is taking the Southern culture out of my body. It is a good thing home is in 2 weeks! 

If I think of more, they will be posted but for now it is time to get to work!

-CAD

American Goggles

"鸭蛋“...

shit. 

That was the only word that could come to mind when I heard that lovely Chinese come out of my "chinese parent's" mouth. 

I recently went to do a "home-stay" with a Chinese family that lives a little outside of the center of Shanghai. They were unbelievably courteous and I ended up leaving with a fully stomach, some great tea, the knowledge of knowing how to make my own dumplings, a bag full of snacks, one coke, and a snoopy pencil case. I would say it was an overall success. I don't fully understand the whole idea of losing face but I do realize that when a guest comes to their house, the sacrifice everything to make that person overly contempt. It was amazing to experience that culture. 

Unfortunately with an extremely courteous culture, there also comes the part of you having to be extremely courteous as well. For those of you that know me, I am not the most liberal eater in the world. Weird meat creeps me out, and I pretty much grew up on chicken fingers and french fries with a lot of ketchup. I quickly discovered you kind of have to throw that out the door when you are in China. Especially at someone's else's house. So this brings me back to the lovely new phrase I heard at their house. 

鸭蛋 is the "ya dan" or duck egg. But these were not just any duck egg, they were the full on Chinese delicacy kind of duck egg. In English we like to call these Century Eggs. Let me help you understand why: 

Century eggs look like they have been fermenting in the earth for about a century or two. Don't worry... it is only a few months haha (I think they said since winter for these.. if I understood correctly). They wrap duck eggs in dirt, bark, lime and whatever else to make the eggs almost petrify. When you take the shell off, the white is actually a dark brown and the center resembles something that has been under your couch for way too long. Check it out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Century_egg. Yummy, huh? When I saw it on the table I didn't think much of it, thinking it was a normal chicken egg with soy sauce or something added. Little did I know...

The end of the tale is that it was already in my chopsticks when she said "鸭蛋“ so I had to get it down. As you can see, I am still alive to tell the tale and officially can say I tried something weird.

What really got me about this egg was that after doing some research, I discovered a story where CNN listed this delicacy as one of the grossest things to ever reach their mouths. Let's just say China didn't take that too well and CNN was forced to apologize. While it is definitely not tasty, why would our national news network post that? It got me thinking...

-Why are we so scared? 

For us to criticize other people's cultures is to criticize our own American culture. We may be a breed of our own, but we exist today because of other nations. Chinese people always ask me what American food is and I have to honestly say besides hamburgers and hot dogs, I have NO idea. Everything we eat is originated from somewhere else. Hummus? Greece. Pizza? Italy. Take Out Chinese (although Sesame Chicken does not exist in China...)? You guessed right, Smart Cookie-- China. 

I used my American Goggles when i was in that situation and I shouldn't have. So what if we don't ferment eggs in the ground for months? It is time to drop the barriers and just go for it. I think if I didn't know what this egg was, I still wouldn't be a fan of the taste but at least I wouldn't have been scared of it. It is when I drop the barriers of "trying to experience China" that I actually experience it the most. Just live the life of where you are and go with the flow. Take the Goggles off and don't judge them for their own culture. 

In terms of China, they are the only country in the world that doesn't have a definite start to their civilization. Cool, huh? So why be scared of a culture that has had centuries to try these things out? Bottom line is: if you get offered the egg (or full eel in some of my friend's cases...), take a deeeeeeeep deeeeeep breath and just go for it. Even if you end up gagging it up, at least it makes a good story hahaha

-CAD

Less than 2 weeks to go until sunshine, American food, and a good gym! 

Send Me on My Way

Shanghai is hot. I don't know how to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit but it is hot enough to know it's hot. I am currently sitting in a classroom in our building doing a little homework and also thinking about how unbelievably hot it is. They tell you the second month is hot but man, this is hot. Okay, enough about being hot. That is not why I decided to take a break from my studies to write a post. 

If you have never checked out http://8tracks.com... do it asap. It is a great way to find a great playlist that you don't have to make yourself and are able to find those songs you just needed in your life at that point in time. Isn't that great? Finding new songs is the best. This sort of discovery just happened to me. The title of this playlist says it all: "Why does anger exist when there is music like this?". "Send Me On My Way" by the Rusted Roots in on there. This means it's worth taking the time to find it. 

Sitting here listening to "Send Me On My Way" (a song I would never choose to listen to on my own, thank you 8 tracks..) gave me such an unreal thought. Ever had one of those? Where you are thinking woah, this is actually real. Take the time for those moments. Why do something great and exciting without taking the time to see the reality of the moment? I think we sometimes just do what we think we should be doing and don't notice the awesome-ness of the moment. Yeah, I am in China for studying which is kind of lame, but I am in China. How many people go to China and get to be personally involved with the real culture (even if the weather is similar to a sauna)? I never thought I would say this but I swear Chinese people are actually cool and don't studying all the time! Just ask the shirtless ping pong players we can see outside our hotel window. Okay, but really. They are pretty normal. 

To go on your own somewhere (figuratively speaking) is always hard. But as you grow up you kind of have to tell people "send me on my way" and pick up on your own path. By doing this, you will never be stuck in a "bubble" that most people find troubling... you expand your experiences to the rest of the world around you. Soon you will make the world your home, and you never feel too out of place if you take the time for those "reality moments" and of course a few DMCs (Deep Meaningful Conversations). DMCs are great. 

So the bottom line is take the time for "the moment" and don't forget to find a great playlist to go along with it. 

-CAD

Beijing

20 Things that I learned about Beijing: 

1. Do not fall asleep on a train. Even if it is at night. Let's just
say I may have developed a great relationship with motion sickness
here.
2. In note to the first lesson learned--Chinese traditional medicine
is great. Describing things to them is a little complicated, though.
3. In note of that: Chinese people love Americans that love to speak
to them... aka the people that can only speak Chinese. Although we
have the problem of forgetting this isn't our own secret language and
that the majority of people know exactly what we are saying.
4. We wish Chinese had a word that just sounded like an "a"
(consonant... not vowel) because with the Beijing accent they would
sound like pirates ("arrr").
5. The Forbidden City has 9 parts to it. Like giant parts. All of
those pictures you see people...That is just a part. As you can see,
they alllll look exactly the same. Our teachers gave us 3 ours to roam
this place. Let's just say we waited by the back gate for almost 2
hours.
6. That Square that is really famous for certain actions I shouldn't
talk about on the internet currently... it was pretty cool. Very
expansive... but really just a walk-through-and-see kind of place.
7. We discovered Chinese parent's love to put their children with us.
Don't stand somewhere too long--they will place their children beside
you. Although we really don't know what they do with those pictures.
Maybe I am on someone's mantle at home!
8. We went to an area called Houhai that was like bar city! I swear
every place was a bar (with some lovely chinese music). We had dinner
there. People also ate baby scorpions there.... I picked a puff pastry
similar to a funnel cake instead. You decide who is cooler.
9. Beijing has the second largest shopping mall in all of Asia. It was
amazing. They had a longchamp STORE. Too bad I am too Cheap in China
to buy anything over 150 kuai (until today.. dun dun dun..是我的秘密 aka
it's my secret until I return).
10. Mango is my new best friend. In 2 days I have had 3 different
mango things. Let's just say it wins in the competition against bean
popsicles.
11. Beijing food is wayyy weirder. We saw a street vender selling star
fish and snakes. I know I should step out while I am here, but the
normal meat is sometimes weird enough...
12. I experienced China's Underworld today at the underground tombs.
It was surprisingly a pretty nice place. No worries, I jumped through
the gate-way back to the real world so it was just a short visit.
13. Climbing giant animal statues at the Ming tombs was probably the
most fun we have had yet. Unfortunately that is not what they were
actually there for and we were probably defacing their gods or
emperors or something.
14. Yes, the Great Wall of China really does have that many steps.
Your legs will hate you but it is sooo worth it! We went to a
different part so no bobsled for me, but it was still really cool.
15. The Great Wall is also the only place you can evidently get a tan
here. Thank goodness I did, my body was suffering my Summer
paleness... no wonder Asians love being pale. They can't be any other
tone here.
16. We also managed to get lost at the Great Wall and take a massive
detour including walking on the Highway. Lesson learned: you are not
in "The Hangover" even if you look like it by the time you walk back
to the bus.
17. Chinese opera is an experience. Definitely. There are no other
words. I'll give you a presentation when I get home. Get ready. They
think I should go on tour.
18, If you see an American toilet, use it.
19. Watched a man make my personal noodles in front of me today.
Coolest thing in the world. I have no idea how he did it.
20. So I can't think of #20 but I just wanted it to be a solid 20
sooo...I have had McDonald's more times here in a month than in 2
years in America. Delivery makes all the difference in China. 

Enjoy!

-Abs

The Other Side of the Wall

This Sunday I met up with a family and went with them to a building with a 6 food electric fence and glass shards on top of the wall surrounding that. There was a beggar sitting outside that didn't have a leg and it seemed almost ominous. This wasn't some haunted house or government building in the middle of a war, it was a church. The first real church I have seen since I have been here. 

I didn't even bring a Bible to China because I didn't want to risk anything (risk what, I am not quite sure). Walking to this church was refreshing even with the massive shards of glass at the entrance protecting it. I didn't feel unsafe or like I would be attacked. it was pretty funny because I happened to be going to this church on the day of the 90th year of the Communist party. Ironic, huh? But I will have to admit, it was surreal going to this church. The bigger building was the "chinese service" and we were sent to the still pretty but smaller building for the English service. Even in the English service, white was by far the minority. I could possibly count the number of white people in about a minute even though there were about 150 people in the room. It was interesting even more that 2 American families were leaving after being there for 9 years. It seems that no one intends to stay in Shanghai for the rest of their lives. They requested to know at the end of the service who was there for their last summer. About 15 people raised their hand... 3/4 were white. 

Being in China has made me think that I could definitely live in Shanghai. It is not too different than the US in some areas. But being in the church made me think about my future more and more. Do I want to be that person that never expects to stay in one place for the rest of their life? This isn't the hour and half move that I did when I was 9, this is completely displacing yourself only to know that this isn't really home for the rest of your life. I know that if I went to China, it would not be for the rest of my life. The family that I stayed with was already talking about how they were going back to America in 4 years. But I don't want to grow a life and family in an area just to decide to totally move them after 7 years. 

The future is a scary one. Good thing I was able to go to church this week, because God only knows where I am going to end up. The same goes for whoever is reading this. 

On another note: Eating Mexican food in China... sooo surreal but a great change from chopsticks and chinese food. And in case anyone was wondering, no I still cannot use chopsticks very well. 

One month down. Beijing tomorrow!

-Abs

The Low Down

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Charlotte Decker <cadecker9@gmail.com>
Date: 2011/6/20
Subject: The Low Down
To: "cadecker9.china" <cadecker9.china@blogger.com>


So to summarize my trip of Hangzhou, I decided to make bullet points. I will use bullet points to explain why: 

• Bullet points are quick and efficient.
• If gives you a good summary of what you actually need to know.
• I have a problem with typing too much. 

That being said, here is the quick (bullet-pointed) summary of my trip to Hangzhou and today with a few pictures if it is actually working. I will continue hopefully posting real photos and not imaginary ones for a whole month. 

• I can officially check "Be in a Monsoon" off of my life bucket list. It was the most rain I have ever seen in my life. Really. 
• Hangzhou's Taxi Cabs hate Americans. It's official. We ran up to one and they drove an extra 30 feet ahead when we got there so they could pick up a Chinese woman instead. Mind you, this was in the monsoon. 
• Best way to get a cab in Hangzhou: We ended up turning around and letting my Korean (chinese-looking) friend flag down a cab. Little did they know they would be taking the enemy with them too. Got'cha!
• Xihu (West Lake) was the first place I can actually say was pretty in China. (Picture attached...hopefully).  
• We found a Sweet Frog-like place in Hangzhou! Little did we know our small cup would cost the same as our dinner for 2 people. Whoops
• 爆炸巧克力(baozha qiaokeli)=chocolate explosion: We found a great definition of this in Hangzhou in the form of something with the brand name Collon. Appetizing, right? All bad connotations with this will be erased once you try one of these things. 
• Hangzhou is world famous for their silk. While I did go to the Silk History Museum, I didn't actually buy any silk. It is probably for the best because I discovered today that the stuff my friends bought was fake. #winning
• Instead of going for a night out on the town, my room mate, another girl, and myself decided to take showers, don our bathrobes from the hotel, and watch American movies. It was fantastic. 
• The breakfast in the hotel was excellent! Complete with your choice of some form of egg rice, lo mein, watermelon, french fries with ketchup, and complete with hot orange juice. I swear it was a lot better than it sounds. 
• Yingli si was BY FAR my favorite place of the trip. It's a Buddhist Temple and I can only describe it as unbelievable. It has the biggest statue in China and the amount of work put into rebuilding this place blew me away. (Since its construction about 2000 years ago, it has been torn down and rebuilt about 16 times!) Also, the dedication of the people there was unbelievable. I liked it most because it was actually real. People were actually there worshipping and Monks were actually there. It was breath taking to watch. Not to mention, the architecture and design was amazing. I think I am starting to take after my mom more and more on the whole religion fascination. 
• We also went to TIger Springs, 6 Harmonies Pagoda, Hefang Jie and Xixi (a wetland of sorts). So much to see in such a little time. So exhausting and the first time I have felt like a tourist on this trip. 
• I have officially used a hole in the ground as a toilet at a rest stop. AWKWARD. 
• Don't ever watch China's Got Talent. It is god awful. I gave you full warning.
• Live eels were chilling in an aquarium in the lobby of the restaurant we ate in yesterday. Along with turtles and the rest of the fish and stuff that were going to be cooked once someone ordered them. Mind you, this is also the display in our college cafeteria here. Really a nice decorative touch. 
• With that being said I can't wait to go to Beijing and spend a whole week! Shopping galoreeeee so I hear! 

A note for my day today: 

The sky was actually blue today and we could see the sun!!! I think this is China's form of a rainbow from God since it is impossible to ever actually have a rainbow here. Lesson from today: even if the hardest rains occur, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. It was so nice and I was finally able to go for a run. Mind you, a run that I felt like I was being asphyxiated during but it was still a run none the less! Also, China's watermelon might just be better than America's. They give them a good run for their money. 

So this still ended up being pretty long, but hopefully the next will be better. It is a work in progress.

Good morning America, Good night to me! 

-Abs

Thought for the Day...

I will write about my weekend in Hangzhou later, but until then... some food for thought from one of my all time favorite songs that always makes me stop and think. Mind you, my favorite song is definitely "Mr. Jones" by Counting Crows (which has nothing inspirational and is a little drab), but this one is about a centimeter away and may surpass the first song at some point in my life. Thank you "No Such Thing" by John Mayer. 

"They love to tell you 

stay inside the lines.

But something's better 

on the other side." 

Preview photo of Hangzhou should be attached. If it isn't... I will have to post an array later... in a month. 

-Abs

PS. China is not too friendly with signatures so until my return to the motherland, plain jane font will have to suffice. 

Let the Rain Fall

This month in Shanghai is known as the rainy month and I know
precisely why now. It has not gone 2 days without rain since I have
been here. But this rain isn't the kind of summer thunderstorm you get
in the South where it comes violent and fast. These "showers" are long
and persistent, most of the time lasting the wholeeeee day. Bummer,
right? Not so much for me.

I don't know if people know this about me, but something about
listening and seeing rain just makes me a) so relaxed and b) so
unbelievably happy. During my hour one-on-one with my teacher, we got
on the discussion of rain (because I accidently overslept during my
afternoon nap) and it made me wonder, why DO I like rain so much?
China has helped me find this answer, and it is so simple.

It cleanses.

In a city that is soooo dirty and the air so muggy, the air is always
cleanest after these rain showers end. You can actually see a mile out
from my dorm window and it reveals the world as we should see it
without our own inhibitions. I can sit for hours and just think while
listening to the rain because it almost cleanses my mind of my own
inhibitions. Should I go for a run? What is going on downtown today?
Do I have to water the plants? It doesn't matter, because it is
raining. God has taken care of that decision for me (and we all know
I need help with decision making). It's great. Rain kind of makes you
realize what is important in at the present time. If the time arises
that you want to still go for that run, I don't know if you have ever
taken a run or a swim in your pool in a summer rain shower but it is
one of the best feelings. Ever.

So don't get all down because it may be raining. Rather, embrace it.
We all need a good cleansing every once in a while.

Ni Hao!

你知道吗? : This is one of the most frequent phrases spoken to me while I have been here. "Do you know this?" Chinese people don't expect an American to get in their Taxi or walk into their store and start speaking Chinese to them, especially a college student. Now imagine yourself in their shoes? This is the total opposite of Americans, who expect everyone to be able to speak English in our country. When have you walked up to someone and realized that they do not speak a lick of English? Were you mad? Chinese seem to expect the complete opposite, as well as the rest of the world. In the first few days this trip has taught me one huge thing besides Chinese: Open your eyes to the world around you. 

I do not even know how to describe China... It is modern and old, super dirty and pretty clean, has zero health regulations but has a huge government hold on society. It is everything bundled into one. We just started our language pledge and have almost been doing it for 24 hours but it seems like it has been forever already. Every day conversation is not too bad so far, but the classes here are really demanding and let's just say I have never had a greater desire to study for 7 hours a day than here (scary thought, huh?). I am not quite sure how I feel about being in China yet. It actually isn't as bad as I was expecting and I am not home sick, but it is similar to the feeling that you have when first staying at a friends house-- you are comfortable but at the same time it is missing certain comforts you expect in a home. Maybe the water tastes different or you take showers at a certain time. This is the exact same with China. Even Lay's Chips has a certain Asian taste about them. The restaurants appear different, the showers work differently, even the Google here pops up differently. It is those little comforts that make you realize just how important home is. There is nothing like home. Nada. 

While you should always open your eyes to the world around you, it is also important to appreciate where you come from. Home is always the place that will feel the same when you return from a long trip but, definitely the place we may no appreciate the most. 

On another note, China is the one place you have to let your sanitary guards down and eat whatever. Half of the time, I have no idea what I put into my mouth... let's just say sometimes it turns out great and sometimes not so great. Oh and if you are considering ever going for a run in China, I recommend doing it. I don't think they have ever seen an American running before.. 

Testing: One, Two, Three...

China is coming up so soon! 

With the smog, weird foods, 28 million people, and ridiculous heat....also comes censorship and communism. Facebook, Twitter, and The NY Times are all definitely blocked and rumor has it that Blogger is also blocked. I am really starting to wonder why I chose this instead of touring the Mediterranean on a boat getting class credit (and a tan) all summer. I must have been insane when committing to this. 

I just created an email account that will allow me to post on my blog via gmail (which is not blocked) so maybe that will work! If it does, the blogging will continue! If not, then it will continue via email drafts and will be posted at a later date (or sent via email if I have your address). I won't know until I try and hopefully it will not end up with me in a jail for breaking censorship. Countdown: 4 days. 

Don't Be Scurred!

Quirky.

With my trip to China (and no English) looming, I have begun to think about the amount of words that I use in English and which ones I will miss in my loss of the English language. It may be weird to do such a thing, but realizing that I don't know how to say so many adjectives in Chinese that I use normally or even phrases such as "what are you packing in your suitcase?" proved difficult when I contemplated calling a friend and asking her in Chinese for practice. The best I could get was "What clothes are you picking up and putting inside ____ so you can travel?" .... how do you describe a suitcase if you don't know the word?! The best I could come up with was a box or square and I don't even know how to say that! Clearly I am starting to freak out a little. Starting to think about English brought up thinking about what my favorite words are and thus, quirky.

While quirky is not my number one favorite word in the world of words (pamplemousse is definitely #1), it is unquestionably in the top 10. I feel like the person who created the word quirky was almost trying to create a cool-sense of the word "weird". Think about it.

The Webster's Dictionary Online defines quirky as a peculiar trait...

while weird is of strange or ordinary character. Pretty much the same.

But I always see quirky as having a better connotation compared to weird. Most people are always more scared with being defined as "weird" rather than quirky. Why? I doubt it is because people think they are akin to the "Weird Sisters" from Macbeth which is where early humans got the idea for the denotation of weird. But rather, I think some people are just afraid to be considered different. They don't want to branch out on their own and do something funky.

My Mom has some of the craziest glasses you have ever seen. Actually, I sometimes consider them on the bridge of ridiculous. Grey ones the size of her face, pink and purple ones with little horn rims, etc etc. We always say that the older she gets, the more "colorful" her style gets. She buys them from this shop in Charlotte and took me there one day to check them out. No wonder she purchased ridiculous glasses, that was all they owned! I ended up getting a pair and even though they are no where near my Mother's "color", they are definitely not my usual taste. It was possibly the best decision I have ever made. What is wrong with having crazy glasses? At first I thought everything but post-glasses purchases I think nothing at all. I realized that my Mom loves purchasing glasses because they could help her to express herself and show that she isn't afraid of being a little "weird". Why be grey when you can show a little color?

What I have discovered is that by showing your colors, you will never be forgotten. In fact, my Mom gets more compliments on her glasses that I have ever noticed with eye glasses.

My recommendation for the day is to take a little step out and do something quirky (weird)--buy a crazy pair of glasses or paint your toes a color you love but your friends would never approve of. Just be yourself and that is always the best you can be. "Don't be scurred"! Live a little and stop worrying about being weird. But please still use the word quirky whenever you can... it is just too fun.

A Little Different Easter

I did it.

I broke the Decker Easter bond. Out of all four children (two being older than me), I was the first one to miss an Easter. Preposterous...I know. You don't have to tell me twice.

Easter is one of those occasions where everyone in my family wakes up really early, dashes around the house to find the little Easter grass patches hidden everywhere that contain our dyed eggs, fake eggs, and a little extra candy on the side. Yes, my Dad did like to go all out for "the hunt". Then the family would always proceed to get decked out (no pun intended) in our new Sunday garb and prance over to church together. Although, I can't say all of our garb was the most fashionable... I clearly remember wearing an odd white hat that came with my dress from Dillards one year and I remember seeing a picture of my brother wearing a seer-sucker short suit (with complementary bow tie and suspenders) at the age of 3. Let's just say that one will be going in his wedding slideshow. But besides the weird fashions, it is a way of camaraderie--the fam tradition that probably correlates with everyone else's fam traditions.

On another note (in Chinese I would start this with a great ole' 反过来(fan guo lai: "on the other hand" --one of a few go-to phrases I have) this Easter there was no Easter Hunt, no new outfit, and most importantly no family with me. Instead my Easter consisted of one Cadbury egg (no more reese eggs existed on the Corner) and an Arnold Palmer to take with me on my Easter celebration in the library. Let's just say it was not the highlight of my week. While I was supposed to be celebrating Jesus' resurrection, I was dying in a library instead (at least I get props for it being a Christian one, right?). It was totally not what I was expecting for my first solo celebration of a holiday that my family usually spends eating all kinds of good food (KFC included) and sharing in laughter.

But it is funny how that sometimes happens in life. We always seem to get thrown that bone we are not expecting. What did I learn from spending Easter without my family this year? Besides the fact that Easter eggs clearly don't hide themselves, I learned that there are so many other ways to share the love of this holiday besides with just my family. For instance, with those people who were at the "Stud" spending this time the same way I was. When you feel like you are most alone--there is always someone around you that probably feels the same. Not to mention, I may not have been at a sunrise service with my family that morning, but I did get to see a beautiful sunrise from the top of a mountain in the middle of no where. Talk about beauty of a renewed day.

Whether it be not getting the major we always wanted, going somewhere we may not want to go or even having to pick a different sandwich because they are out of our favorite (it is a tough day when your go-to sandwich is not available)--those are the times that someone probably make the coolest and most life changing decisions in their life. Remember, the hardest decisions ALWAYS create the best memories because God is shining in more ways than the one you want. Yes, it may be hard at first to accept change, but an awesome quote always comes to mind with this:

"Barn's burnt down--

now

I can see the moon"

-Mizuta Masahide

So maybe I didn't get to spend Easter with my family. Maybe I was the only one of four to not get an Easter basket this year. Maybe I was the only one of seventeen not at my family gathering, and maybe I did have to spend my whole day in a library (along with the night), but I did meet a new friend, got to see the sunrise, laughed a lot, discovered some great music that I never knew was on my iTunes, finished a pretty darn good paper and still got to celebrate Easter. Just in a little different way. Hope you celebrated it as well, whichever way you could.

A Little Different Hello

This blog was started off of a whim. A slight inkling that maybe a blog was the perfect way to express those thoughts that never quite come out right when I am talking to someone, or the ones that I never even think to tell anyone in a conversation. That explanation probably sounds like the most selfish way to start a blog but maybe... just maybe by starting this blog, it will lead others to realize that they have a few things they want to express too. In a school where a majority of the students are DEFINITELY Type A, sometimes the important things get lost in the muddle of who is involved where and what date function or party is coming up. This blog is for that little time of meditation where you "lay it all down": the books, jobs, coffee dates, and frat shenanigans and actually think about where your life is going or what is important in the current moment instead of what will happen on your next week's exam.

It is hard to believe that this school year is about to be at a close. With the start of summer coming soon, that means that probably the weirdest decision I have ever made also looms. I remember clearly thinking my first year, "the people who sign up for the Shanghai Language Intensive Program have GOT to be crazy" and yet, here I am buying my plane ticket tonight for my longest time away from home yet. Not only is the time that is away from home worrisome, but it is not even similar to my home. It's China. That place that a picture of Mushu from Mulan pops in my head every time I think of it. I am not worried about Chinese people being mean (my brother and I were lovingly patted on the head by Chinese Sumo Wrestlers in Vancouver once when I was 7 so that is a good sign of future Asian relationships),but it is the fact it is simply...

different.

It is one of those times where you pick yourself up and put yourself in the most uncomfortable situation possible: similar to being lost in a theme park when you are six but imagine millions of Asians around you and writhing sea cucumbers that I just discovered they eat there. Not only that, but mainly I wonder if anyone will ever actually wonder how I am doing halfway across the world while I am gone. Will I have left a good impression on the people I love the most enough to think about me when I cannot be around all the time? Here is my point to this speal...

I almost wish God would show big flashing lights at the opportunities we take advantage of, especially with the ones we love. I admit that I am one of those people that nonchalantly does the "Hi! How are you? Great! How are you?" conversation in passing every single day. In our 21st Century who-can-get-to-the-top-first mind-set, are we really making time for those that we love and who love us too? Sometimes the time that you take to "lay it all down" and just sit with someone could be the most important part of their day and they could end up doing that for you when you need that time with them. We all need to take the time to just say "Hello" in a little different way. No.. that doesn't mean "hiya!" or "hola!"(which are great ways to say hello, I might add), but it means leave a lasting impression on everyone you meet. Actually care for them every time you see them and don't just add them to your agenda. It is something I have struggled with a lot in every aspect, but should be something on the top of my priorities. You never know when you are going to transplant yourself out of their life and really want them still there beside you even though it may not be literal. I guarantee people love you, just love them back with "a little different hello"...

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