For the loyal few who have been checking my blog recently only to be disappointed, here is the latest update. Rather than recap the past month, I figure I will lay out my plan for the next 6 weeks since that's all I have left in China!
The last two weeks of teaching I will be sharing with my students about the US National Park System and US efforts towards sustainability (on all levels). Since the issue will be at the center of our generation, I figure it is most appropriate. The thought of touching someone deep enough to possibly make a difference for China in the future has given me a new spark to finish the semester strong. Other than teaching them about conservation efforts and how China especially needs to improve itself (along with the rest of the world including America), I pretty much use my kids as survey takers. Their responses to some of my curious questions have been most intriguing. Topics such as government, sustainability, population, foreign relations, and others have all given me further insight into the Chinese way of thought. For their final exam in three weeks, I've given them an extra credit opportunity to share where they think China is headed on a political, social, and economic scale and am anxious to get their responses. I attended a class 'party' which was really a talent show and enjoyed my students' talents thoroughly. It was really my first interaction with them outside of class and was nice to see them in their normal social form. Other than that, my time at Kunming college is dwindling.
My last day of class is on a Thursday and I plan to hit the road traveling after turning in my grades the following Monday. While I have the time, money, and ability, I will visit Xi'an to see the Terra Cotta warriors along with one of the most ancient cities in the world. From there I'll head to Shanghai to see the World Expo. Finally, on my way back to Kunming I will head to Guilin to see the Li River and rice terraces to the north. There is a picture of the Li River on my very first blog back in October of 2009. After my 2-3 week trip I will return to Kunming one last time before heading East towards Hong Kong and eventually the US. The city has been most wonderful to me and I hate to leave it. My life over the past 7.5 months has been nothing short of incredible and I hope you've enjoyed reading about some of my experiences.
The reason for a lack in blog posts is primarily due to my desire to turn those posts into a book. I think everyone should write a book at some point in there life and I couldn't feel stronger about putting one together that shares my experiences and encourages others to pursue their life's passions. If you don't know what those passions are yet, I suggest you not waste another breath of this short life on anything else.
"When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me.'" ~Erma Bombeck-
Cheers!
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