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So, I’ve been really trying to adjust, and maybe I should have been writing more to those who care. Atleast, I was reminded of this recently when my brother asked if I was alive. It’s hard because I am really busy 1/2 of the week, then the other half is leaving to go somewhere else. Let me bring you up to speed.
I live with a family, or a “tico familia.” Tico is a name for people who are native of Costa Rica or atleast appear that way. My mom of the tico family is named “Anna” and her husband is “Carlos.” They are both excellent individuals. I spend most of my time with Anna because she is around the most and is always helping me out with word usage. They have a son, Palo, who is 28 and lives with them. He works doing technical support over the phone for HP and other software related work. He also has a girlfriend who comes over frequently, apparently they’ve been dating for some time. You see, in the place I live, there is a grandma and grandpa also living in a house that is connected to the house I am in. It is quite magnificent to see all these people together in such close quarters. They also have another daughter and son. I have not seen the daughter and I think her name is Annita, if I recall correctly, and a son who is Juan Carlos. He is a judge and works long hours. Therefore, their 4 year old daughter comes over. Her name is Maryl. She is very cute, and it makes me miss my own nieces and nephew when I see her.
Juan Carlos is married, but I can’t remember her name for the life of me, not to mention there is a nanny for Maryl who I cannot remember the name for either. Last, but not least, is the maid that works in the house that cleans my room, does my laundry, and makes me breakfast in the morning. This is usually consisted of beans and rice. It is veryyyyyyy common to see this for almost every single meal. My only break is lunch, which is on my own every day. However, China broke me in for this experience.
So, what have I done recently, well… For starters, today I watched Costa Rica beat Haiti on the television in my tico home. This last weekend, I went to Manuel Antonio for the beach. During this, some friends and I got a hostel there and saved atleast half the money we would have had to pay if we went through the University. The bus ride was quite painful and made me feel really sick. After all, most roads in Costa Rica are very winding and make a strenuous trip for tender stomaches. I don’t even get motion sickness easily, but me and my friends were all feeling it. While there, we were able to tour a national park and see many igunas, lizards, monkeys, racoons, sloths, and other unique creatures to forested areas like these. The beach was something you honestly see out of like a Corona commercial or brochure. I could not believe how magnifficent it was. I will hopefully add photos soon, once I can. It’s kind of hard because I have a test this friday and need to study a lot for it.
Lately, I’ve been attending activities through the University, including: taekwondo, salsa dancing, and of course… FOOTBALL! actually, I played some football 2 days ago, and it was raining like crazy while we were playing, and I fell down and took one off the Chin. I was bleeding quite a bit, but it ended up okay. I just needed some bandaids and I was back in the game.
Well, that homework, I need to get to it. However, hopefully this gives you a glimpse into the fast paced life I’m living here lately. I have more time than I’m giving it credit for, but I just need to make more for my studying lately. It’s a lot to comprehend in a short time, so I need to make the best of it.
me encantan todos mis amigos y mi familia en estados unidos.
Voy a hablar con ellos luego.
What I find really weird is having all these mixed emotions about the trip, when I know in the end, it will all work itself out. Is it weird, having traveled three places, I still experience the anxiety of going to a totally new place. This is probably completely typical. I mean, When you can’t expect much, it leaves a lot to worry about. However, once I arrive at my destination, it’s hard for me to want to ever leave. So, where does this come from? I’m moving on, while looking back.
My job of ResNet was a thing of my past. Not to say, I do not enjoy the current position. I actually cherrish it, and I love being able to come back. I love to help my brother, his future coworkers, and pass on my institutional memory for their success. Not to mention, I enjoy meeting new people from the dorms and work. However, there is a flip side, and here it is…
While walking down many of these halls of past places I used to live at, I can’t help but feel some sort of scared disposition in moving on. You walk down halls you used to live in. I mean, I lived in 3 out of 5 halls of one dormitory for 3 years. You can’t just erase memories attached to those walls. People I meet just talking about new experiences, or their experiences that I did or did not have. I can’t help but feel some longing to be at UNI again. I know it won’t ever be the same or can never be again, but for those moments you almost feel they could. I know this is what I want, but I’m leaving some great people behind. Knowing this trip will be longer has played its role on me. I can’t help but feel that I’m going to be missing out on seeing some of these amazing people I met from China. I would love to spend even more time just getting all that I can out of these relationships. However, in the end, there has to be some growing up done.
I wish I could write more, but I have to head out with a friend, a good friend, who I’ll also miss a lot too.
So, after a long journey to China… I was very lackluster in response, I apologize. While traveling to China, my blog was censored by the Chinese government. Therefore, I was no longer able to post new comments. So, I guess the thing I feared the most about my blog, came true. Only after I have returned home, have my friends from China told me how to get around it. I do not have the time or energy to tell you everything that occurred in China, but I will say I had a blast. It was so dynamically different from Poland and the Czech Republic because of the culture. I’ve never had such a change in so many ways. From eating, going to the bathroom, driving, sports and many others were so visibly different than the USA and Europe. Of course, the change is due to going to a non-western society. Even though this was the case, they sure knew of NBA, the NBA was huge there. So, I advise anyone traveling there to brush up on their basketball skills and knowledge of the sport. I can’t stress that one enough.
While in China, I believe I found out more about myself, my way of life, and what I want in life more than I have in a long time. Not to mention, I met some amazing friends along the way. It’s hard to compare two different trips that were so different, but I experienced more personal growth this time. Teaching kids english was a very rewarding experience and I can’t stress that enough to anyone leaning towards teaching. Only after I returned home, have I learned of the vast number of opportunities with teaching domestically and internationally. I never knew teaching had so many opportunities. However, with these opportunities comes restrictions in the ease of getting certifications and qualifications required for the teaching.
Some of the things I won’t forget about China were the people. They all treated me with the most respect, dignity, and graciousness I’ve ever had in my life. I felt like I was on another level to these kids, teachers, and other people. All of us teachers were somehow on a higher level than most commoners. Not only this, but they showed us it all the time. I couldn’t feel more honored. Secondly, the teaching assistants were amazing. All of them were some of the coolest people I will ever probably meet. In only 3 weeks, our bonds will probably last a life time. I will always be quite deeply moved for their help, their appreciation, and their loving friendship. Third, the kids and the learning. I absolutely loved teaching kids and watching them grow as individuals. Sure, teaching has its struggles, but behind those there can be silver lining.
So, as my life move forwards to my next venture in Costa Rica to learn Spanish, I change my header. Along with this, I will post more often. I should “hopefully” (fingers crossed) have faster internet down there. I really hope so, China’s was pretty slow. I should have my own laptop too, as well, which should help me being able to find other internet sources. Thank you for all family members, extended family members, friends, and listeners for your extended support in the absence. I hope you enjoy my blog, and I hope it brings joy, entertainment, and personal growth as this traveling has for me.
I’m currently trying to figure out the avenue of teaching I will pursue. I will try and keep you up to date as I progress along. I have a lot still to do, and I will be working starting Wed. here doing Resnet for about 4 days at the college. It will provide me some cash, and will help out my brother. A big win, win for both of us.
Talk to you hopefully sooner than later. Thanks for all your support once again.
So, I’m home now. Alas, I finally got on my blog to update my journey since arrival home. So, let me bring you back up to speed.
Upon arrival in the states on the 18th, I was able to feel a contrast after making it through: passport checks, baggage returns, and customs at the end. All these were suprisingly fast in a post-9/11 USA. All, but one of our friends had problem with their luggage. It was remarkably good to see my parents, and I could tell they had missed me from more than a month away. It has been awhile since they’ve known me to be gone for these long periods since they’ve moved back at the end of my sophomore year. That night, I spent at my aunt and uncles. Unfortunately, while being so jet lagged, I collapsed on the prepared bed for me around 9 o’clock. That has to be the earliest I’ve gone to bed in half a decade.
I awoke to a very blackened sky outside, and a clock that showed 5:15 in gigantic, vibrant, crimson numbers. I spent time eating breakfast and researching information on the world and the EU with the Lisbon Treaty. After it was about 7:45, I decided a jog/run was in store. It felt amazing to be outside in the USA. The warm sun was shinning down on me, while I strided across the hilly land. As I saw many hispanics doing lawn care business, I was all too reminded how ethnically tied together we all are. No matter where we’ve all originated, it is everywhere. Ideas of ethnic and racial superiority have shattered their false chains, forever, in my mind. Being raised in a virtually, all-white town of Spencer, IA, these ideas coud somehow sink their subconscious ways into your life. However, looking around, I felt overcome by ideas of equality in each human. Genetically, we may have different dispositions, but we are equal in God’s eyes. Politically, religiously, culturally we have so much to learn from each other. If only we put down our cell phone, stopped our car, and maybe said “hello” or waved at each other.
As, a week has past since then, I find myself somehow slipping back into the “all too familiar” routine of who I was pre-Poland. It’s interesting how these old habbits can sink back into our lives. Poland gave me so much, I hate to see all this go to waste. In the mean time, I’ve helped my brother-in-law and sister move back here to Cedar Falls and volunteer fixing up a house for a person who has MS. It reminded me of a quote I have heard all too many times: “All that is necessary for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing.”
-Edmund Burke
A voice, a vision, feels like it is gripping my life with something more powerful than words. A vision of repair, healing, hope that people globally need. So, I have been researching into options of what I want to do post-China. It looks like I’m considering options of learning Spanish in either Spain or Latin America. This would provide me with the chance to go into humantarian work or other NGO work that I feel the world and USA coud use. The goal to get a job doing this line of work through learning spanish, peace corps for 2 years, and then get a job (maybe with the Red Cross, I’m looking into right now, or something similar). It’s a long road, but a road which I feel will be worth the journey. I have to decide come Monday on what I want to do. Time is rapidly depleting and I need to accomplish much before I leave besides this.
As, I’ve played some Soccer with old college friends, watched Euro 2008, and helped volunteer for some work, I realize my life is leading elsewhere outside Cedar Falls. A long, a long way maybe away from here, but so much is out there to be experienced. It all calls my name somewhere away. I know many people who love and care for me don’t want to always hear these things, but it’s the truth. I’m 23, and it’s time for me to go out there and do these things I may never otherwise do.
Wish me luck my friends, it’s time to buckle down.
PS – Hope you enjoy the new China header that will be coming momentarily to now.
