trying to get back in the game

my friend corie, www.cqsquirt.blogspot.com , has started a blog and has tried to get others on the bandwagon... after reading hers for a few months, and re-reading mine, i finally decided to post... after almost 2 years!! i can't believe its been that long since i was living in china! i still have, post-China blues :( anyway, the first thing i'd like to comment on, are my China postings... after reading them and after all this time to think and reflect on my experience... my blogs seem so naive and well, ignorant... some not all..... soooo, i think what i'll do is go back through some of what i've written and continue with a serious of new blogs, i'd like to entitle "what the f*** was i thinking??!!!" i don't think anyone even reads my blog, but for my own sake, i shall write again!!!!

peace and cookies

tree

tree
Originally uploaded by morningmilk8.

cao dai temple

cao dai temple
Originally uploaded by morningmilk8.

tiny,tiny hole

tiny,tiny hole
Originally uploaded by morningmilk8.

cu chi tunnels ho chi minh city

selling whistles

selling whistles
Originally uploaded by morningmilk8.

hoi an, vietnam

procession

procession
Originally uploaded by morningmilk8.

hue, vietnam

market

market
Originally uploaded by morningmilk8.

hoi an, vietnam

little girl and her goods

little girl and her goods
Originally uploaded by morningmilk8.

the little girl that i will miss so much

sunset soccer

sunset soccer
Originally uploaded by morningmilk8.

bali,indonesia

boys bonding

boys bonding
Originally uploaded by morningmilk8.

bali,indonesia

besakih temple

besakih temple
Originally uploaded by morningmilk8.

bali,indonesia

Nusa Lembongan

Nusa Lembongan
Originally uploaded by morningmilk8.

bali,indonesia

don't do it!

don't do it!
Originally uploaded by morningmilk8.

tall building

tall building
Originally uploaded by morningmilk8.

in hong kong

the view from my school

the view from my school
Originally uploaded by morningmilk8.

the view from my school

the view from my school
Originally uploaded by morningmilk8.

Offering Joss Sticks

Offering Joss Sticks
Originally uploaded by morningmilk8.

Lantou Island Hong Kong

Buddha on a Mountain Top

Buddha on a Mountain Top
Originally uploaded by morningmilk8.

Tien Tan Buddha Lantou Island,Hong Kong

yo-yo and i

yo-yo and i
Originally uploaded by morningmilk8.

me and my chinese tutor.... the next series of pictures will be some of my favorites that i've taken over the last year...

auspicious

what is?
Originally uploaded by morningmilk8.

another thing i'll miss about china... all the great t-shirts... some with good english, some with nonsense

waiting to go home

i apologize... i must be the most horrible blogger ever! i've felt uninspired the past few months, to keep this updated.... its not for lack of material, i just can't seem to get myself to focus and write.... i'm back in shenzhen WAITING to go home... i'm really excited about heading home. i feel like i've finally reached a point in my life where i want to stay put in one place for more than a year! this is a huge milestone for me.... i've traveled hard the last year and i think that's all i needed to wear myself out so that i'd finally "settle" down... now, i use the term "settle" very loosely, but i think going to grad school and sticking around in one place for a few years sounds nice.... i still think having a coach and a t.v. is a bit of a burden, but i can always just sit on the floor right?
anyway, as i get ready to leave i've been thinking of things i'm going to miss about being here.... and well, i couldn't think of any, so i'll just give a list of things i won't miss... ha! no, i will miss many things about being here, its just that right now, i'm so ready to get on a plane and go home that its hard to remember all of the good things... i'll name a few and then i'm sure after the "honeymoon" period of being home is over, i'll be able to think of many other blissful reasons for wanting to go back to china.
so i'll start with things i'll miss:
1. my students! i've become friends with a few girls, and they are so sweet i'm really going to miss talking with them.
2. the food! as much as i've missed western food while being here, the chinese food in shenzhen is amazing! and the indian and the middle eastern and so on.....
3. the little girl that works in the shop near my house. what can i say, she's adorable and sweet and doesn't give me the "foreigner" price like her dad does.
4.bargaining.... this will show up on both lists, its a love/ hate relationship, sometimes its satisfying, sometimes exhausting.
5.empty bus rides home.... i can actually relax and enjoy watching the city out the window.
6.my friends.... foreign and chinese
7.cheap beer (sorry mom), but seriously its less than 50 cents for a 32 oz beer!
8. TRAVELING!!! what can i say, i have an addiction and living here definitely indulges my habit
9.hairwashes,massages,pedicures,manicures, etc.... all for very cheap... in fact i've had both a hairwash and a full body massage this week already (birthday gifts)
10.the gaurds at my apartment and at the school..... they always say hello (in one language or another), when many teachers at my school won't even make eye contact.....

things i WON"T miss about living in shenzhen: to make this fair, i'll keep this list at 10 things as well
1. lugi hawking all the time, everywhere
2.vomitting people, all the time, everywhere
3.bargaining
4. paying "foreign" prices
5.people staring
6.people screaming "hello, hello" constantly
7.crowded buses
8.pick pockets
9.eardrum busting screeching brakes on cars, bikes, buses, wherever.... if someone has a way to start a major marketing campaign for WD-40, it is greatly needed in china
10. being away from my friends and family

so there it is, i could add more to both lists, but i'll leave it at that for now. i hope everyone is doing well and if anyone had friends or family in london, i hope they are all safe and sound.....

peace....................................

mt qomolangma

hot,sweaty,bumpy,vomitous,thin air,dehydrated,dusty,crazy driver,beautiful,poverty,blue lakes, blue skies, green lakes, cloudy skies, brown mountains, snow, 5,200 meters above sea level.... this is all it took and most everything i experienced to make it to the base camp of mt qomolangma or mt evererst.... it was by far the longest, most exhausting car ride,horse ride, and walk to the first base camp, but worth every last bit of energy and pain....
maybe i'm being a little dramatic, but it was absolutely amazing... i haven't been that high in my life... as in we were 5,200 meters above sea level, i think its about 17,000-18,000 ft!!! the summet is at 8,814.13 meters above sea level... the day was clear and luckily we were able to see the peak... as my brother in law pointed out, we were literally "on top of the world"..... as uncomfortable as the ride there was, it was worth it to see the tallest mountain in the world... talk about feeling small..... i'll write more later, i'm still pretty exhausted from all the traveling... these are roads like no other... you have to have a 4 by 4 to get through most of it.... the air is still thin, i must go rest... and shower, i really need a shower..... i will try to post pics soon.... miss everyone, will be back in u.s. soon......................
love me

roof of the world

back in lhasa... last night we stayed at a monastery called Samye monastery.... it was begun i believe in the 13th century by a king named Gurumchi... now, i'm not sure about the date or the spelling... this thin mountain air sucks up all my brain cells.... it was absolutely the most beautiful, remote place i've ever visited..... i have so much to write about it, but not enough time or energy.....
we were lucky enough to be there during the Cham festival, which a celebration of the monkey king.... it is only once a year and luckily we were able to see alot both yesterday and today. the people were amazing. tibetans are by far the friendliest people i have ever encountered. it is kind of hard, because we were in such a remote place, i felt like a bit of an intruder, but people were so kind and hospitable.... i'm not going to go on and on about how "lovely" the people are, because i don't want to sound like a doof, but seriously, they were amazing. eric and i couldn't sleep and so we went for a walk around the square.... people were out singing and dancing and it was so cool to watch. they were singing and dancing traditional tibetan songs, which i later learned are all buddhist scripture and stories.... being the nosy tourists we are, eric and i of course wanted to take pictures.... luckily my camera is good without using a flash, cuz i wanted to take a picture, but not be intrusive. well, seeing as we are the only two western people out there, we stand out as is..... the second i took out my camera we were swarmed by curious observers amazed at the technology. they wanted me take their pictures and then thought it was so cool when i could show them the picture immediately.... some of the boys especially liked when i'd zoom on their faces.... i realized then that they probably don't look into a mirror that often, so maybe they weren't just amazed at the technology, but they really liked looking at themselves......
tomorrow we have an easy day... visiting some grasslands and then to some hot springs... i can't wait for the hot springs.... the first three days i was sick as a dog and even though i'm feeling better, it'll be nice to relax for a day....i wish i could write in more detail about everything i've seen, but its in my journal that is at the hotel and like i said, in this mountain air i can't remember shit right now......
tibet is by far the most amazing place i've traveled so far...... i've never been in such a remote place as we were yesterday and it is absolutely mind blowing to be in that situation.... does that sound horrible cheesy and cliche? oh well, i'm not sure i can really put into words what this place was like... maybe when i get my pictures up it'll better illustrate what i'm can't say....... its time for bed now, hope everyone is doing well............
peace
nicole my photo site for future photos www.flickr.com/photos/morningmilk8/
oh and everything is in chinese so i can't spell check... excuse any errors

Lhasa,Tibet

i can't believe its been so long since i've posted on here, but things were really crazy after bali until the end of school. my sister and her husband came and we had a really great time, then i was getting everything ready to leave.... yes its time to go. i think i'll wait till i get home to do my cheesy reflection piece....
anyway, my friend eric is here and we are now in lhasa, tibet. it is absolutely beautiful here! i'm really, really struggling with the altitude, but i think one more night and i should be good to go. we are traveling with a group of 11, most of which were teachers with me this year in shenzhen. we arrived yesterday and a guide picked us up from the airport. it was about an hour from the airport to our hotel and for the most part i felt ok..... i was incredibly exhausted though and fell asleep for most of the ride home. when we finally arrived at the hotel, i woke up lightheaded with a splitting headache. i thought i'd be ok, we were going to spend the rest of the afternoon resting. however i picked up my pack and was walking off the bus and started to blackout and thought i was going to pass out... for those of you who don't know, passing out is my bodies way of dealing with trauma/stress and i just figured i stood up too quickly, i'll sit down and readjust for a minute. however after sitting for about 5-10 minutes i still had no peripheral vision and was still light headed. during this time, the guide is getting us checked into the hotel and the guard is taking our luggage up to our rooms for us. well, everyone is trying to get me to stand up so i can go to the room and lie down, but i still can't get up. i knew if i did i'd pass out immediately.... at this point guide asks if i want to go the hospital and i say no, cuz i know it'll pass i just need a few more minutes to regroup. someone, i'm not sure who, says why don't we use the luggage cart to get her upstairs. ..... well, of course everyone agrees this is the best way and while i feel a little silly, i know its the only my ass is getting up the stairs. so, the guard comes back and everyone helps me onto the cart and off i go on the flippin' luggage cart up to my room. of course this is a great photo-op, so most were sure to get a pic of me on the cart on my way up....... in the end, i felt much better by dinner and was fine for the rest of the evening. i woke up today incredibly nauseous and light headed, but by lunch i was feeling much better... and now its just after lunch and still i feel good. i will cherish this moment............
today we went to the potola palace. the palace that the dalai lama's used for centuries as their home, worship, and burial place. after the chinese invaded and the 14th dalai lama was forced into exile, the palace was overtaken by the new communist government. now, it is of course a major tourist attraction.. i guess as major as tibet gets, its still a pretty secluded country. the palace was amazing! almost every lama from the 5th until till the 13th is buried inside a stupa within the palace walls. the palace is still a sacred holy place, despite the creepy presence of red guards everywhere. each day thousands of pilgrims walk around the palace in the clockwise direction and prostrate towards the front of their palace..... a pilgrimage to the patola palace is one of the most important in a tibetan buddhists' life. it is truly amazing how much faith these people have despite all they have endured from the chinese occupation. i would rate it as number one in all the sites i've seen thus far on my journey. great wall/angkor wat come in at number two and i'll have to think about the rest........................ anyway, i'm getting a little tired. my body is using all energy to digest right now.
i will write more later when i have the chance.........
peace
nicole

Back from Bali,Inodonesia

sunset soccer
Originally uploaded by morningmilk8.

This is one of my favorite photos from the trip... The afternoon into the sunset was the best time of day on this beach (kuta)... not just because of the sunset, but because so many people local and tourists came out to play soccer, swim, hang out etc..... many tourists were from indonesia, just different islands, so it was cool to see their reactions so someplace so beautiful in their own country....
bali was amazing and probably one of my top 3 places i've been to. the food was the best i've ever had!! it was not only vegetarian friendly, but so delicious! i have a set on my flickr site devoted just to the food.......
we spent some time in kuta at the beginning of the trip... i found it to be a bit of a nightmare as it was a huge tourist trap and a place for those who have a money to spare on a vacation... not too budget traveller oriented. but like i said the beach was great, the waves were huge and it was great place to people watch. kuta is the town where some terrorists bombed a nightclub in october of 2002... it was quite sobering to go to the memorial site. people from 20 different countries were killed, mostly australian.....
after kuta we headed to a town in central bali called ubud... it was absolutely amazing. it is a town known for its art and temples and was great place to see the countryside and visit some temples and see some great art. we visited two volcanos and huge temple called besakih, which sits on the side of a volcano. on of the volcanoes errupted in 1995 and there are fields and fields of lava at the base now... we were able to climb around the rocks. it was so great and beautiful in such a strange way.
after ubud, we headed to a tiny island off the southern coast called lombonganon.... it was great place, but i hate boats and was seasick on the ride there and back.... i repeat i HATE boats..... we hung out on the beach there before we had to head back to kuta to catch our plane.... our flight didn't leave until 11:50 at night, so we had a full day to hang out in kuta and we were able to go to a town called ulu watu to catch the sunset. ulu watu is also a famous temple on the side of an amazing cliff overlooking the ocean. it was so beautiful......
they also do a type of "trance dance" called kecak dancing... its a hindi ritual which also a story of the monkey king trying to capture the king's wife.... i had seen a film called baraka a few years ago.. its more of a documentary where the filmaker went to 30 different countries and filmed different religious rituals, daily life, and natural wonders.... anyway, in the film they do the kecak dancing, except when i first saw the film i didn't know what this was or where it was... when i discovered that they did it in bali and it was a hindi ritual i was sooo excited to see it. the men are the "orchestra" so to speak and they make all the music and sounds with their mouths. it is quite amazing to see.........
this is just a brief summary, i'll fill everyone in on the good stuff later when i'm not so beat. i've only been back for one day and already i've a ridiculously "chinese" day in which i had to be on camera again.... i could never be a celebrity, i'm not vain enough to want a camera in my face................
happy mother's day to all those wonderful and beautiful moms out there!!!
peace,love,and seein' the world
nicole