July update

I made some really great friends at Verdura, my first WWOOF farm in China! I was the first WWOOFer they've ever had so it has been a new experience for all of us! They tell me I set the bar too high for future volunteers, that I restored their faith in Americans, and were plotting to hide my passport so I couldn't leave :-P

Some of the people I work with took me out to dinner on my last night at the farm and we all had a great time. They'd never hung out together outside of work! Lots of laughing and of course lots of food!

Spent a couple nights in Ningbo on the way down to Xiamen. Was really nice to relax there and walk around.

I'm in Xiamen now with my cousin, Keith. Got here just in time for the 4th of July! In trying to find out if there was an American scene here for the holiday, we saw online that it was a boat from Xiamen that had the tea that was in the Boston Tea Party so that the US should be thankful for Xiamen hah! We found a Texas restaurant, played some foosball, and made some friends! Continued the party on the beach and even saw some fireworks!! The owner of the restaurant at the beach decided we were his new best friends and treated us to food and drinks galore! We then went swimming out to a boat and promptly got yelled at by a Chinese guy (whose boat it was) but we didn't mess it up! Finally strolled back home around 3am, probably the latest I've been up since arriving in Asia! Was a fun night :-)

Some interesting observations and tid bits:
■ I lasted 2 months traveling around Asia before having any kind of stomach issues. I can't even go that long at home without a funny tummy!
■ When eating, anything that needs to be discarded (dried chilies, ginger chunks, bones) gets put directly on the table and is all cleaned up after the meal when wiping the table down (no table cloth).
■ Mosquito "incense" coils are incredibly more effective than anything citronella in the States, and they burn for 12 hrs! I got a box of them to use at the next farm just in case!
■ It is popular for girls/women to wear contacts that make their irises look bigger. Here it's considered beautiful to have large irises, but from a Western perspective, the first time I saw it it looked so creepy!
■ Chinese women are unbelievably strong both physically and emotionally.
■ Chinese men often lift up their shirts to expose their bellies when it's hot outside.
■ The local workers call me Xiao Gu (Little Ku) and it makes me smile :-) Nobody believes that I'm 27 hah!
■ Toilet paper is rarely available in public restrooms, you have to carry your own pack of tissues. I now opt for squat toilets instead of Western ones if given the choice. Also, regardless of toilet style, all toilet paper is discarded in trash cans, not flushed down.
■ It's common to see children (usually with slits in their pants) squatting over streets, sidewalks, and grass to relieve themselves. When you gotta go you gotta go!
■ All hotels have electric kettles in each room to sterilize water, which is great for saving money on bottled water.
■ All waste bins are coupled with recycling bins.
■ I have yet to sleep in a bed with a top sheet. They all have fitted sheets and a blanket but no top sheet. Mattresses are considerably thinner and harder than in the US. In the summer many people put bamboo mats on beds and pillows to stay cool.
■ It's common for domestic flights to have delays, but the high speed trains are extremely timely. Security for the trains is very light, no need to empty pockets or dispose of liquids, I got through with a 3" knife in my pocket.
■ I unknowingly got a train ticket that does not have an assigned seat so I spent the 5.5 hr ride from Ningbo to Xiamen bouncing around different seats and standing in between cars!
■ A big tour group got on the train and had a duffle bag entirely dedicated to lychees to share and eat on the ride :-)
■ I've grown to really enjoy waking up early. It's so nice to have so much of the day! I read an article once that said there is a high correlation between successful people and waking up early and I believe it. I intend to maintain my early rising when I return home!
■ I should cook for more people more often. Being here has made me feel wonderfully validated, both in terms of my work ethic and my cooking. Working for my dad and cooking for friends and family hasn't always made me feel confident in my skills. But being in a completely new and disconnected environment has really made me realize my worth and abilities. Especially being a foreigner, I've had to "prove" myself and I can comfortably say that I have! Local Mr Zhou even joined us for lunch one day because the others raved to him about my dishes :-D He said I'm the only foreigner who can cook Chinese food!! I want to feed people when I get home, not as a job but to shift to having people over for meals more than going out to eat so much. I want to have a regular open house meal at my place (wherever that may be) for my friends (yes, YOU!) to come and get a free homecooked meal! Who's in??
■ I should art more too.
■ I'm contemplating going even more minimal when I return. I've already grown accustomed to no dishwasher, no TV, and no car. Now I want to remove internet. Not completely, just from my home! I spend far too much time in front of a screen and I honestly don't have the self control to not use the internet when it's easily available. If I eliminate it from my home, I know I will create more art and music. I really love times when I'm disconnected, but I don't have the will power to not be online. I may also start handwashing and air drying my laundry.

It amazes me how quickly my priorities and interests shift. When I was in high school, my goal was to go to a college where I could snowboard on the weekends. I had little interest in cooking and absolutely no interest in agriculture. When I graduated from college I wanted to live in a high rise and become a top business executive. Last year I never would have even entertained the idea of living anywhere but midtown Atlanta. And now? I want a simple 9-5 job and a house where I can grow my own produce. But I have so much inner conflict! I want to literally plant some roots, but I also want to continue traveling and exploring. I feel like I have to choose. One idea is to get a job at Delta so that I can have flight benefits, that way I could stay in Atlanta but still travel often! I'm mulling several things over so we will see. Please stay tuned and continue vicariously joining me on this journey of life :-) As always, thoughts and comments are very appreciated!