6.17.2005

It's a revolution inside. Let it be red.

I was seven the last time I went back to China for a short two month visit. When I returned to school, I had a group of little Belgian admirers crowded around me: as they braided my hair, massaged my hand and traded their (much tastier) lunches with me, I told them about gold incrusted pagodas, pink lotus flowers floating fairly on hand-crafted ponds and cities lit entirely by China-red lanterns. Somewhere in there, I also added that I was a long lost princess who had inherited five thousand finely embroidered silk dresses, 67 Buddhist temples, a palace carved from the finest and purest green jade, and two ivory-coloured elephants. I had some kind of imagination, I was persuasive and most of all I was mischievous. I still laugh to this day.
13 years later, I resolve not to be such a Judas and recount exactly my voyage as I really see, feel and think of it.
My trajectory as I know of now is from Shanghai-Suzhou, Suzhou-Xian, Xian-Beijing, Beijing-Tianjing, Tianjing-Shanghai. In Xian, I have a very short apprenticeship at the teaching hospital where both my grandparents taught medicine. I will be able to see intensive cardiac surgery live, I am thrilled! The rest of the time, I will be traveling by myself. Considering my reputable lack of sense of direction, it should bring forth some definitively interesting, awkward and down-right funny experiences.
In case I disappear or suffer a terribly heroic death, I have entrusted my little sister to inform the readership. Otherwise, I might be able to update once in a while from some computer that is making hyena noises on the last row of a sweat soaked karaoke bar.

You may email me your addresses if you would like to receive a postcard. My post card list is getting long and I love it!
Leaving: 6am. Sunday19th.
Current operation: Packing. Going, going, Gone.

Something to think about:
"... The disaster of China's Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s, when a few misguided leaders were able to close the school system of the world's largest country for five years, may not be a unique one-time-only aberration, but may presage more such disasters in the future unless China can introduce far more decentralization into its political system. Conversely Europe, in its rush toward political and economic unity today, will have to devote much thought to how to avoid dismantling the underlying reason behind its successes of the last five centuries. " GGS. Diamond.

Les propositions les plus significatives émergent au croisement de plusieurs discipline.
The most meaningful suggestions emerge from the crossing of several disciplines.
So true.

2 Comments:

Blogger Jan said...

oOoOo! buy me a present. & i dont want something pink. =P

11:00 AM  
Blogger Y said...

I've always known you had a penchant for seafoam green...

4:15 PM  

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