Chinese Lunar New Year and the year of the pig. Wow! Well to me a few of the men here seem to be that way. Then again it's their lifestyle and maybe they do not realize how we foreigners see them nor maybe do they truly care. Some like to speak so loud while smoking like a freight train. Others at this time have little care and set off fiecrackerts at 6 am and continue until 12 pm at night as it does get to be very unpleasant. Then at night not bad with the great fireworks which are pouring into the night sky. It does seem that well in the winter night sky the colors seem more brighter.
Food is great at this time of the year. I have beooden invited to a few homes and love the atmosphere of the people and how they are happy to have a foreigner in their home. It does make the new year seem more nicer and really love it.
The pig year. Am told it should be nice. But I do feel sory for that poor porker. Yes, the poor guy might last a year but then after that it becomes a tasty meal. Lives a life of riley! safe for the moment but then well of course people have to eat so it is killed and life for it has come to an instant end. Then what happens? You know you cook his goose and have your fill of tasty food. So it goes.
The year of the dog was good and enjoyed it. Not a bad year and will see what takes place this year.
Well here I am again. Been busy with school and never did realize how fast time does pass by. Then we have this big huge Chinese Lunar New Year. The year of the pig.
The pig to me is ok. They grow like a weed once they are born. After about 8 months maybe they will be shipped off to that place where you hear a squeal and then silence. The poor porker is finally on its way of being cut up and shipped off. After a journey to the supermarket well it is further cut up packaged and then taken home. Once home it gets cooked and ten devoured. Poor guy! Hey this is life and the same goes for the cow, chicken, turkey and any other animal in which we finally eat it.
Ok so the porker is here for a year and from my students who are always giving me some form of info it should. be a better year for everyone. So I wonder just what is in store for me. So far it is nothing great. The porker is fun to watch or at least think about.
I have been at times under the weather and wonder if age is a big factor or if it's just somethinng that is part of life. I do think life is better and yes indeed I have done a little traveling despite the huge masses of people who are struggling to get to get where they want to go. I was in Guiyang guizhou province for a few days. Nice area where it was clean and interesting since many of the buildings date back wel over 600 years. A few of the local kids whom I stopped by to say hi to were silent with wide eyes and wonderment. I did enjoy this spot as well. There are many more interesting places that many people tend to ignore. The Chinese like to see their own areas while many foreigners tend to hit the biiger areas where history was made or at least started. I like to travel around the land to lern more about it and the people. It does reveal to me that this is where life began thousands of years ago but there are other areas in the world with long and varied historical records yet to be rediscovered. This does give me more reasons as to why I remain here and begin to love the country more every time I search out and find something more interesting.
So life odes go on and we should be at least happy with what we have.
Hello and great to be back. I have been on a vacation since this is Chinese Lunar New Year. Took a tour of several areas which I never had heard of. They were great and learned more of my travels. Everyone seems to go to the major places but here in China they have many which is great to explore.
My last stop was in Guiyang Guizghou province. The area dates back many years. Many of the houses were at least 600 years old which was made of stone. The sidewalks were small and not so crowded. The streets were small and really rough when riding in our tour van. I enjoyed seeing how people of the Miao minority live. They are poor indeed and was informed that these areas are the poorest of the country. I truly loved taking the time just walking around. My guide who spoke some English gave me more insight into the land and its people.
My train ride from Changsha to Guiyang took about 14 hours. i had what they call the hard sleeper since this is the busy time when many travel home or elsewhere for the Lunar New Year. 6 people in one room. 3 bunks on each side. I lucked out and had the lower one which was nice. The dining car was ok and had a menu both in English and Chinese. Showed the worker what I wanted to eat and in a short time had a tasty meal. Another traveler who was Chinese asked to sit with me. he just wanted to practice his English. About 10 min later a policeman came by to sit and ask me a few questions. Police ride the trains for many reasons and have had great experiences with them when I do travel. i told him where i was heading and that someone will meet me at the train. He asked what train car i was in and wanted to check on me. Great I thought. Now no one will try to rob me or cause me some grief.
When we got to the station he was by the train car and walked with me to the gate. Guess this was for security ince i was the only foreigner and wanted to make sure the tour guide was there. I did se a sign with my name on it and went over to tell her I am Norm. He was with me and talked to her for a moment. He shook my hand and wished me a great new year in Guiyang his home. My guide after we got going informed me he wanted to make sure that i was safe and tolkd her to make sure nothing bad happens. I felt good. This has happened to me on several different trips and enjoy the feeling that the police here do care. I did get his number which is on the left side. I wrote it down.
After returning here to Xinxiang where I teac and live talked with my director about traveling and the great encounter with this policeman. Her husband is in charge of the foreign affairs police who over see me and my visas. I told her what took place and this mans number. she told me it was part of his job and if i had any complaints. No not at all! I just thought he was a great man. caring and wanted to make sure that i will be safe. She told e she will tell her husband.
Please come to China and visit some of the more out of the way places where few foreign tourists come to. You will find many people very happy to see you and you will see more of the real China than the bigger cities and the tourist attractions there.
What if i did not like to do many things we had to do? Then again life can be a total miserable situation. Then we all had to enddure what has to be taken in for our lives. Then again what if george was not re-elected would we be in a war zone? Would the USA be in a better position? Now that is a good question.
Thinking over the past few days how much my mind has been opened by traveling around the Asian continent. It has been both rewarding plus educational. One learns by traveling and investigating new lands. Many interesting places as well can be seen if one takes the time to really go slow. I tried not to hurry and wanted to see what was there. Having a good tour guide who will take the time to show you what is there will be best. The guide should be able to answer your questions and give you more info as needed. The local people can be more helpful as they live there and know the area better than the guide. Then the guide is getting paid to perform a special need and should be able to give one the correct info.
I was thinking that today we live in a more dangerous environment than ever before. There was back in the 1960’s a lunatic who was aiming nuclear warheads just a short distance from the shores of the USA. Scary well, sure. You do not have to be close to fire a warhead at a country. You need a powerful missile that can be sent long distances and then mayhem will of course develop. Nuclear missiles are of course one of mankind ‘s most destructive forces ever created and for real purpose. We realized what it could do when it was dropped on Japan to terminate the war. It was then one of the most destructive weapons ever created and still today remains one of the most destructive manmade weapons ever created on earth. No need for such things.
The people today who create such terror in our land remain one dangerous group of individuals who no one should take very lightly let alone let them do their evil harm to peaceful societies. Strange that this world has changed so much over the years yet we as humans strive to remain and live in a more peaceful union among all mankind. Yet who really sees it this way and in real terms who really does care? Thinking that well for one we need to try and understand what they are thinking, why they are doing what they are doing and for what specific purpose. They are today the lunatics of yesterday. They are the ones who might not be really trusted. Think that even if we do capture them others will follow thus create more problems and maybe more mayhem in some lands. Think these individuals are indeed dangerous but I look at my president and have sen what he has done. Think he is more dangerous in the long term but seeing he’s the big man no one would really care to stop him doing what he is doing. He is of course dangerous but defined more legally can get away with what he is doing.
