My mother, and most of my extended family, are now aware of this blog. I was going to gradually try to turn it into a soft-core porn site, but those plans will have to be put on hold. So, if you've noticed the new edition, I've had to resort to advertising as my supplemental income. And FT China told me to do it. So please feel free to visit any of my sponsors. Don't worry, this doesn't mean any change in content, you can still look forward to sexual innuendos, blatant racism, and allusions to drugs.
I reached two conclusions this past weekend. The first is that I need to get out of China as soon as possible to maintain any kind of sanity or grasp with the real world. The second is that I am never going to leave China.
I lied earlier about first becoming interested in China when I visited here 9 years ago. It started earlier than that. I went to a bit of an alternative school for a while. Well, alternative for America. They actually taught Asian Studies. I thought it was pretty neat. So when I was choosing my major I seriously considered Asian Studies. Fortunately, I chose the broader option of International Relations instead. But as part of the IR major we had to choose a region to study more in depth. So I chose Asia. I was always interested in Chinese history and culture and all that but I was never very interested in actually learning the language, but I had to for my major. And if you ask anyone who was ever in a Chinese class with me, they'll confirm that I did a half assed job of it. Enough to get me to Beijing for a semester of studying 3 years ago, but I was pretty weak. Always late for class, simple sentences, sleeping in class, all of it.
Anyway, after my semester in Beijing I kind of dropped out of Asia for a while. I went to Sydney for a semester, then came back to America for a year to finish my degree. Went to London for 6 months, back to Sydney, South Africa for a spell. Had a great time doing all of it, but China was always eating at me, like I should be here. Only because I felt that I had invested so much effort in China that I should definitely go back and give it a chance. So that's why I'm in Lin'an. I'm moving to Shanghai, but since I did such a half-assed job learning the language before, I have to isolate myself for a bit to get it down. So that's why I'm here. China and I have a bit of a love/hate relationship.
There are certain words you only hear in China. Delegation, banquet, and autonomous are all examples. This past weekend I was talking to someone who had only been in the country a couple weeks. He was telling me how he couldn't watch the English TV here because all they talked about was the 'foreign delegations' and 'economic summits'. I saw nothing wrong with this. That's why I have to get out of China very soon.
Only I don't know where to go. Last night I was sure I'd be in Amsterdam next year. This morning it was back to Sydney. I hover between the UK, Amsterdam, Australia, and South East Asia. Occasionally I think I’ll just move to New York or San Francisco. But then I remember I’m boycotting America for the next 4 years. I change my mind almost hourly. This morning I was looking up immigration to Australia before class. I came back to my room and saw post it notes with Oz immigration info written on them and had no idea what I was thinking. And since I'll never be able to decide where to go next, I'll be stuck in China for the rest of my life. Investing more time and more of my life into this loud, over populated country.
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