The Wonders of China

Now, I know this blog is going to contain a lot of stories of my misadventures in China. I do not want my readership (all three of you) to think that I am basically a dumb fool wandering around China upsetting the natives and infecting myself with disease and puking all over the world. Actually, that's pretty much what I am doing, but whatever. There is more to China than messing up constantly.

I suppose this blog would not be complete if I didn't indulge myself in some Orientalist mysticism. Translation: despite the issues with describing China as "exotic" and "mysterious" and "different," I am going to do just that.

China is exotic, mysterious and different. No, but actually. From the food I eat to the people I speak with, to the culture as a whole, living in China is as close to experiencing a whole new world as a Westerner can get without departing Planet Earth or going to the movie theater. I won't lie, that difference is what drew me to China in the first place. There is something refreshing about a culture that straight up rejects a lot of American notions of how to do things. It is liberating to see a country that can ignore the US in favor of its own methods of keeping a country running. I'm not saying the US is wrong, or that China is always right about the way it does things. It's just nice to see a new perspective of the world, one not based in Western methodology. It is a chance for me to better understand other ways of living, so that I can better understand my own way of living my life. One might say, it's part of my exploration of how to engineer my own destiny.

I just want you all to know that China is wonderful. From chocolate mousse Pocky to karaoke, China is just a bundle of new experiences waiting to be seized. If you go by the motto "Carpe Diem" in China, you will seize just so many amazing moments, emotions, knowledge, and wisdom.

This post is extremely nebulous, I know. This is because it is hard to describe wonderment. It is hard to describe that intangible feeling of walking out the door of your dorm room in the morning and feel like today will be a day that you will never forget. It is hard to describe the feeling of finally understanding a conversation you overhear in Chinese. The amazing parts of China are not as story-worthy, nor as amusing to tell.

However, lest there is any confusion, you all should know that I am loving China, mishaps and all.