An American Update

I returned home from my summer traveling two weeks ago. While I was in China, access to my wordpress account was blocked and I was unable to update “Brian Writing.” WordPress, Facebook and Twitter are blocked for reasons I don’t quite understand, but my Chinese friends assured me that people with the necessary desire can find a way around the “Great Fire Wall.”

Since my return I’ve been reading the notes I made, editing photos and video, and enjoying the comforts of not having to jump on a train, plane or bus every other day. I even had the pleasure of attending my grandparent’s 50th annviersary party this weekend.  And without a course schedule to jump into this semester, I’m also scouring the web for any job leads.

I will be polishing up some of the notes I made and posting them here, with their original dateline, in the near future.  I also created a photo gallery at bJH Photography, and a story I wrote has been published on UPIU.com.  

Until the next update, Zai Jian!

Shaolin 2

Leaving Shaolin today, already. I just went out this morning, about 6:30 am. To take pictures of the students doing their morning exercises. After a few shots someone started waving a finger at me so I moved away. I walked past a few classrooms where the students sat in dim light facing a teacher at the chalkboard and imagined it would have been a great photo, but didn’t have the courage to walk in the room and cause a disruption.

Later the groups were marching back from the exercise ground and I stood inches away from them, hundreds, staring as they marched past and shouted. I snapped only a few frames, one which I like quite a bit.

Walking back to the hotel a few moments ago (which has signage indicating it is a ‘foreigner approved hotel’) I saw the Shaolin students squatting in the dusty alleyway, brushing their teeth from plastic bowls, washing off the sweat of morning exercise. How different existence is here than for the average American. There are guards in fatigues at the gate to the school but its hard to tell if they are actually soldiers or what their purpose is. They look quite young and don’t stop anyone from passing.