Hi Everyone!
I realized I was so focused on my Indian Rock friends in my last post that I completely forgot to tell you about my upcoming plans (!) which include going to Thailand by myself for some rock climbing! 🙂
So within this past week/between when we last spoke and now, I have flown to China (!) and am writing this from my dad’s apartment in ShenZhen, China, right next to Hong Kong! I flew in last night and this morning we had street food (which is always advised against for people visiting Asian countries but hey I figure I’m somewhere between a foreigner and a local? It’s the weird limbo that all immigrants’ children are placed in) and it was SO delicious. Mind-blowingly so.
Also, an additional comment on the weird cultural limbo that us immigrant children are placed in: I look like I’m local here, but if/when I ever need directions or help, people will be majorly confused (they always are; I speak from experience) because I’ll ask them, in fluent Mandarin, how to get somewhere or if this is bus stop So and So, and they’ll answer me politely, but they’ll secretly be thinking “Dude, it says right there on the sign. Are you illiterate?” Why yes, yes I am. Haha. I grew up speaking Chinese at home, but I never got very advanced in reading and writing Chinese, despite years of weekend Chinese school (and AP Chinese in high school) because those classes still don’t get you anywhere near the level of literacy you’d be at if you simply lived in China.
Anyway! Back to the point. I’m going to Thailand!! And in preparation for that…I’ve started my own blog! It’ll be great fun keeping two blogs simultaneously. 😀 No guarantees that I won’t just be lazy some weeks and simply refer you to my other blog. 😛 It’s only because I’ll be updating that one (hopefully) daily, and I only post here once a week.
Well, without further ado: here’s my blog! It’s kind of a play on free soloing, which is a climbing term. Who would’ve guessed. 🙂
Oh and Happy New Year everyone!!
Until next week,
~Emily