The Ups and Downs

We all occasionally feel the need for home. I think it is something innate within us all. Whether we come from some little country home, or a big city bustle, if we have gone away, we always have moments where we remember the good things of home, and wish, if only for a few minutes, that we could return to that place in our memories.

It could be that these moments happen more frequently when you first move away, and given that I've only been away for about 5 weeks now, I find it hard to speak of how I will feel in the long run, but I have definitely had a few of these moments. Sometimes I miss the sunshine, other times its a good burger, and occasionally, I even miss the traffic in L.A. (which is VERY different than Chinese traffic)

So what do I do when these moments arise? Do I pack my bags and head home? Of course not. Instead, I search for something that is related to home. On a sunny day, rare as they are, I bask in the light when I'm not teaching. Soaking in the rays of warmth as I play my guitar. Some days, I turn the television onto the English channel and let it talk away in the background. Sadly, there are times where I give in to the devil known as McDonalds, just so I can have something that is truly like home (although its not QUITE the same).

On the other hand, the longer I am away, the less I have this feeling of the NEED for the comforts of home. The more accustomed I become to the daily differences of China. Differences like the weather here (which is a big one for me), the lack of availability of non-Chinese foods, and the lack of English speaking people. Now, I realize that form some people this can be very daunting, but for me, it just sometimes sucks. So to ease the difficulties I face, I tend to fall into habit. In a way, I am creating comfort zones. I will visit the same restaurants, as I know that I like the food there, and I know that they know what I want to order. I will stay at the same hostel when I go into town, as they know me there (part of it is also that its the best hostel in town and the people that run it are the best). These little things make my life here a lot easier to deal with on a day to day basis.

One of my more usual activities in China, is going to a bar near the heart of Chengdu. The name of the bar is Lotus Palace, and it is an awesome environment. As most of you know, I don't really drink alcohol, but its not the spirits that attract me; it's the vibe. The people that go to the Lotus Palace are usually... upper middle class. The entertainment, which includes American rock, hip hop, and country covers, Chinese singing (which gets the crowd really going), belly dancers, and fire juggling behind the bar, is top notch. But most of all, its the friendliness of the people in attendance that I enjoy. People are always trying to start up conversation, and regardless of the language barrier, you end up having a great time by conversing using your hands and broken "Chinglish". All in all, I'd say the place is great, although somewhat on the pricey side. Anyway, I'm through with this post. They say a picture is worth a thousand words (although market rates beg to differ [photos are worth far less than that. I previously worked for a magazine, which pays $.25/word which yields a photo to be worth... $250 if we go in accord to the old saying. This magazine tends to pay $75.00/photo; significantly less than the value attributed by whomever made the saying up {possibly Fred R. Bernard?}. /sadface]) so I will leave you with an image from my Halloween at the Lotus Palace. Enjoy.