the world through my eyes…

It seems so surreal to think that just a month ago I was in China, visiting Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu, Chongqing and cruising down the Yangtze River. When I close my eyes, I see China the way I saw it in April, the beautiful scenery and people.

Now there’s been a 7.9 earthquake in the Sichuan Province of China, which has changed things dramatically. I’m wondering how the people I met in Chengdu are fairing. Is Holly’s Hostel still standing? Are they ok? I know my friends in Xi’an are ok, and that is a great relief! But I’m having a great deal of difficulty trying to imagine what Chengdu looks like now.

I pray that they’re all ok. I want to know, to find out somehow. The question is how….

I’ve been home for a week now. While traveling through China, I had forgotten about home and the stress here. I was at peace, and for the first time in a long time, I was myself. The girl I use to be before I took on the stress and responsibility of my current job.

China is home now. Even if at this moment, it’s merely in my mind for the moment. I loved the people, even though they were sometimes rude or too friendly! haha. But most of all I miss the culture, history and the friends I made there.

For this reason, I am seriously contemplating moving to China. Although it may be for only a year or two, the idea is very intriguing. I had a glimpse of life there and a taste of the hunger for knowledge that the Chinese people have. They’re always so surprised to discover that foreigners know facts about China.

My goal now, is to enroll in Chinese classes at the University here and do some studying while I save money and get ready to cross the ocean again.

My last night in China turned out to be a more symbolic and interesting night than most nights here. As I was sitting with some of the staff here at BackPax, a Chinese University student approached me and asked if ... [Continue reading this entry]

Last night the crew at BackPax hosted an Expat event with a Mexican theme. What a great time for them to launch their new menu and mark the opening of the hostel's restaurant. The food was great, as ... [Continue reading this entry]

China is full of organized chaos. For some reason things work here that would NEVER work in a modern and organized world, such as Canada or the USA. Take traffic and driving skills for example... 1. Most Chinese do not know ... [Continue reading this entry]

Anyone who knows me well and knows my family is well aware of the family trait... the large MacNaughtan ears, you know the ones that stick out a bit? Well thankfully I was blessed with my Mother's ears, small and ... [Continue reading this entry]

Wuhan is the first city in China where I have literally seen mounds of garbage in the streets of the poor section of town. Now before you jump to conclusions, No, my hostel was not in the slums this time! ... [Continue reading this entry]

So being in a foreign country and not speaking the language, there is a certain amount of trust that you have to put in complete strangers. Thankfully, nothing too terrible has happened, although there were times when I wasn't sure... This ... [Continue reading this entry]

My bus ride from Chengdu to Chongqing was long, however the Chinese woman beside me made things more interesting as she continually offered me snacks. I have no clue what I was eating! Some of it was pretty good, others, ... [Continue reading this entry]

I'm amazed at how well I slept last night, the bed felt like heaven. I'm still waking up fairly early in the morning, although I didn't wake up at 3am this morning like I have been. Although it was raining ... [Continue reading this entry]