Shanghai

Week two of my trip was spent in Shanghai. The pollution was a bit better. The city was far more westernized so the food was also more western and there for not as enjoyable and exciting in my mind. BUT, there were people who spoke some English, which I greatly appreciated because it is hard for me to not be able to chat up strangers. Should have mastered Mandarin before I went...



These are all photos of the Shanghai skyline during the day and at night. It was very lovely. And I couldn't help but photograph the bikes. I wish I could have gotten the Louis Vuitton in the background to show the stark contrasts in Chinese Society.



One of our cultural experiences was visiting the Temple of the City Gods. It is a Taoist temple with many alters where you can go and make offerings to many different Gods for wealth or health or whatever else one needs. All of the red ribbons were offered by people to the God that corresponds to their



Another attraction in Shanghai is the World Financial Center. I want to say it is the third tallest building in the world. There was an amazing view, though the glass floor hundreds of feet up freaked me out. It is a place of business but it also has an elevator for tourists that reminded me of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory, though we didn't break through the roof and they didn't seem to take kindly to licking the wallpaper...



I even found a Catholic Church in Shanghai! So, of course, I went to mass. Thankfully, you don't actually have to speak the language to know what to do in a Catholic Mass. And I met an English speaker from Brazil who is studying Mandarin in Shanghai who was sad that I was only there for a few days as she said she hadn't found many people who spoke English or Portuguese with which to socialize.

Just in case I had forgotten what a small world it truly is, I 'ran into' my friend James from Oregon while in Shanghai and we spent my day off sight seeing. The Yu Yuan Gardens, pictured below, were AMAZING! We also took the scenic route to the Bund - the ritz-ee waterfront district and got to see some of the back ally's and the normal everyday people that lived there. Our adventure ended with an interesting foot massage - something I was told I had to have done in China. It was only interesting because the guy in the chair next to me seemed to have some sort of ingrown toenail issue and the process of addressing that left him hold a pillow for dear life and writhing in pain. Needless to say, neither James nor I let them near our toenails :)


Other than a day trip to Wuxi - another Chinese town where lots of multinational tech companies are based - the only other adventure I had in Shanghai was visiting the sight of the 2010 world expo. There was not a lot of stuff left behind to see at the world expo grounds but the few buildings remaining were amazing, architecturally. And I encountered the most persistent hawkers of anywhere we had gone. I heard "lady, lady, I give you good price" more than at any other attraction and had a number of people grab my arm to try and stop me. More on the joys of shopping in China later...





I leave my Shanghai portion with a few amusing signs from my trip. Most of these were actually in Beijing, but I didn't want to bore you too much and that post was longer :) It really makes me worry what signs in the US say that have been translated into other languages since English is one of the most commonly used languages, I can't imagine what we do to Mandarin.

Beijing

One month ago today I got back to the USA from my three week trip to mainland China and Hong Kong. It was overall an amazing experience. If anyone knows of a job that will allow me to travel internationally with college students, let me know. :) I figure a month later, it is about time I share the experience with y'all - I tried to include a lot of photos as I have heard those are greatly enjoyed. So first, Beijing.


Exhibit A: I call this smog in Beijing. You may or may not be aware that China has a known pollution problem. This is the first photo I took in China, and my lungs that are still recovering will be the first to tell you Beijing has a pollution problem. I love first moments in a country, seeing signs all in other languages, observing how people dress, act, drive, etc.



Exhibit B. The Hutongs. These are the 'traditional' style of living in Beijing. Basically, there is a common courtyard type place with lots of tiny apartments all clustered around. Some of these were set up based on certain regions of China because people would come to study for the exam that allowed them to work in the government - an exam few passed and many committed suicide over. In USA terms, it would be as if there was one Hutong for people from NW who moved to DC. That way they could enjoy the food, company, and cultural traditions of other NW-ners - things like flannel, North Face jackets, and a 'work fleece' could be appreciated by all. I found these little back alleys fascinating - though jetlag fogs many of my memories there. This is where Chinese modernization is very present as many Hutongs are being destroyed to put in highrises that house China's ever growing population.



Exhibit C: Yes. I did walk on the great wall of China. I may have been singing the songs from Mulan for the entire day... It was simply amazing to think, 'I am walking on the great wall.' It is HUGE, though due to the fog/smog we could not truly appreciate the incredible size of it.



Exhibit D: These are my children. Also known as the students with which I traveled. These photos are at Baidu (the China google equivalent) and Peking University Campus. My students were amusing beyond belief and just happen to hail from all over the US and world - so I look forward to visiting...


Exhibit E: Summer Palace. This is the summer palace - where the emperor and family could go to get out of the hustle and bustle of the forbidden city... It is GORGEOUS!


Exhibit F: Olympic Torch and The Bird's Nest. I had to check out the 2008 Beijing Olympic attractions. The most fun part of this was getting there on the Subway and Bus. By myself. Very early in the morning. I love traveling on adventures with little real plan :)


Exhibit G: This is in front of the Forbidden City, with Mao's Picture. The Forbidden City is where the Emperor, his family, concubines, and eunuchs used to live. It WAS HUGE! And Beautiful. And we kept having conversations about where Mulan had been :) The second picture is of Tianamen Square, again, one of the places I had a 'I can't believe I am here' moment.

And those were the highlights of my week in Beijing. Stay tuned for Shanghai and Hong Kong.

From Walla Walla to China

Hi All!

As many of you have so kindly told me, too long between posts! :)

I had some deluded idea that since I am only working part-time I would get back to emails faster, blog more, in general, stay in touch with people better... I then realized, I am good at keeping myself busy :)

Since I last wrote, I have had many exciting adventures. The weekend of September 11, I went to State College to visit my friend Clair - I know her from my time in El Paso - and my friend Kendra - also studied at UP. Then Clair and I went to Mountain Craft Days with her friend Carrie, whose grandfather has a treadle powered lathe. So of course, we had to dress for the occasion. And I learned how to make bobbin lace :)


Carrie's mom was also instrumental in organizing the Flight 97 Memorial in Shanksville, so we went to the Luminaria Ceremony on Sept. 10 to pay our respects. It was a very beautiful ceremony with a Luminaria for ever person who died in the attacks on 9/11. It was very interesting to observe the various emotions present.

I also got to travel for work and do recruitment for the program which was lots of fun! I went to Meadville, Washington, New Wilmington and Pittsburgh, PA. All of which were new to me and a great adventure :) I went to a museum and learned all about Heinz Ketchup, the Steelers, the French Indian War, and the Pittsburgh population. I also went to a Slovakian store near New Wilmington and learned about tin work. This mural in Meadville was one of the coolest things I saw. It was a collaboration between Allegheny College and DOT.



The second part of my recruitment trip took me to the NW. I, of course, had no objection to being 'sent home' for work. I got to visit Walla Walla and Spokane, WA, as well as Portland, McMinville, and Salem, OR. And this great little town called Hillsboro where a bunch of people who share my DNA live :) It was so nice to be home again, after only being away for two months. Plus, I was able to return from Spokane via Seattle and visit family there (don't look at a map, it isn't 100% on the way back to Hillsboro :) ) And I got to see Amy (my sister) PR in her cross country meet! The long drives around WA were also beautiful and a great time to learn some Chinese, catch up on phone calls (with a blue tooth), and contemplate the meaning of life :-P



In the small amounts of time I have been home, I of course have been doing absolutely nothing :) Some of those highlights are going to a Redskins game - a neighbor gave me and my roommate tickets he couldn't use. It was a GREAT game.


My house has also been hosting weekly dinners for all our friends every Friday - often the highlight of my week! Just keeping my housewife skills up cooking for usually 15-20 people. It really becomes loaves and fishes and with all the food other people bring, my roommates and I eat left overs for the rest of the week - like these homemade fortune cookies that my friend Amanda made. We also have lots of adventures as a house. Like apple picking- we over course dressed for that occasion too - and monster making for Halloween :)


We have also had lots of visitors to our humble abode. My friend Kirsten that I know from church choir in Oregon spent a night with us, her mom Eileen came a few weeks later and we got to catch up over some amazing Macaroni Grill, and my friend Sara from El Paso came for a weekend and got to go to the Wider Circle 10 year anniversary gala with me :) We got all fancied up.



So at long last, there is an update on my life - I know it is long but at least there are pictures! It hasn't all been amazing, just so you all don't think I have some perfect life. A few of the scarier happenings were when my rental car stopped working (decelerated from 70 to 35 in about 10 seconds) on a highway or when I was hit by a car while biking (the bike and I are both fine, and I was not even doing anything crazy!) but the moral of the story is that when my life is in balance and I focus on all these positives, the negatives are just small speed bumps :)

Oh, and I almost forgot. I leave my house tomorrow at 4:00am to go to China for three weeks. :) I am chaperoning a student trip for work. There will be 25 of us - 23 students and one professor and me :). We get to go to Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Shenzhen. I AM SUPER EXCITED... Should probably pack... Will definitely update you on that adventure when I get back! And will probably not be responding to emails and such much while away, so no worries if I am AWOL. :)

Remember to smile and hug your loved ones,

~ Karen

Changes, changes, changes

For the first time in five years, I will be living in the same place for more than one year (The roommates are changing so it is not 100% the same situation). And I bought a couch and table and chairs (both used and from my former roommate). That is enough to make me have a minor panic attack. I guess, there is something nice about laying down 'roots', not moving, and 'knowing' an area. It is terrifying to me. 'I am too young to settle' rushes through my mind sometimes daily. And I don't like having this much stuff that I have to worry about (no comments from my mother who has to put up with my personal shrine of junk in my room at home). Don't worry though, the people I am renting from are moving back into their house in one year, so I am not too settled - or even if I am, I will be kicked out of the nest again soon enough. And both my roommates and my job have changed, so this change addict is still getting her fix :). I am still unsure why the thought of being committed to anything is so terrifying for me. I guess, I just feel like there is so much of the world to see. Everyone says, appreciate your age right now because you can go and do anything you want. Once you get married, have kids, have a mortgage, are climbing the ladder at work, etc. you can't adventure anymore. So, I am trying to accept the not moving as a nice stable place from which to jump off - easier to jump from a rock than quick sand.

To update you all on the job, as I know many of you have been wondering, I am going to be working part-time at the program that brought me to Washington, DC three and a half years ago. I will be assisting one of my former-professors and doing a plethora of random things. It will give me exposure to the inner-workings of University programs to some extent, who knows at times I have thought I might enjoy working at a university. Best, though, is that I will have time to better discern what my life's next steps are/try some things. Thanks to many teachers on a life of simplicity, I can fairly easily make ends meet on a part-time job and can recommit to the other tenants I learned last year of community, social justice, and spirituality. My life had become badly unbalanced over this past year, and I now am blessed with the opportunity to bring back that balance and stop and listen. I have time to really answer questions like, "When have you felt most energized?" "What topics most upset you?" and "What would you like to see change in the world?" All great questions from a 'discerning life's call' survey I recently used as a reflecting tool. So, in addition to again doing laundry regularly, cleaning up my yard, and running more, I hope to use this time to volunteer, network, do informational interviews, and catch up on the academic side of my interests.

As always, thanks for your prayers, thoughts, comments, critiques, and words of wisdom!

Be Everything That's You

"I want you to be everything that's you deep at the center of your being." - Confucius

These were the words on the calendar that my mom and dad gave me for Christmas that hit home. What is at the center of my being? Do any of us actually ever know what is at the center of our being? That is the journey of life, I guess.

"It is better to travel well than to arrive." - Buddha

That is another one of the quotes from said calendar. As a highly introspective person (I know you never would have guessed ;) ), I am a firm believer that all the answers to 'life,' if there are answers, are right in front of us, we just have to slow down to listen. The only problem is we live in a culture where everything is perceived in terms of deadlines, meeting others expectations, fitting into a role - What are you going to study? What will you be when you grow up? What will be your legacy? Sure, it is easier to put people in a box but if someone is in a box all you see is the outside of that box and what you think the label is, you never get to see the complexity of what is inside. These have been some of the many thoughts running through my head over the last year and especially last few months. I reached the conclusion that I was not being everything that was me at the center of my being and was not traveling well. So I did the only logical thing one can do, I left my job.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." - Gandhi

This quote has been one that was on the back of our sweatshirts in Key Club during high school, it was painted on the wall over one of the school exits, and has been painted on my being for years as well. I realized I was no longer living my life in a proactive way. I have learned in my 24 years that all I have control over, all I can really do is live the example of how I think the world should be.

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." - FDR

So with that quote in mind, I am starting a new chapter in my life. I am looking for a job in the DC area. I have come to the conclusion that, for now, I want to be working with the immigrant community, that is where my passion seems to be. I am hopeful to take up my studies of French again. With Spanish, French, and English I can speak to a large portion of the population. I also want to volunteer again, in some capacity. I am giving up control and having faith - or trying to suppress the control freak within me. I am trying to feel and not just think through everything. I am at the moment content in the uncertainty and excited for whatever is to come.

And since it wouldn't be a real Karen blog without it, I thank you all for your patience in hearing from me over the last few months and for all your thoughts, prayers, and messages - that largely said, "Where are you?" :-) Definitely, keep all three coming :)

I will keep you updated as I embark on this new chapter. I leave you with two of the quotes that are current mantras.

Micah 6:8: Act justly, love tenderly, and walk humbly with your God.

Confucius: Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart.