I am going to be
married by 23 and have kids by 27.
When I was in high school that was part of my “10 year
plan.” Having just turned 23, I can’t help but laugh. Although I think it is
perfectly acceptable to get married at 23, “high school me” would have never
guessed that “23 year-old me” would be backpacking around the world and have no
idea what country I will be in one month from now. Life is wild.
I left the United States just over six months ago and lived
in Nanjing, China for four months studying Mandarin Chinese. These past few
months I have been completely slacking on blogging. Sorry, Mom. I like to blame
increased restrictions on the internet around the time of 十八大. Oh,
Chinese government. I also have been busy travelling almost every weekend
taking trains around China. Since my last post, I have visited close to ten
cities (Xi’an, Dunhuang, Lanzhou, Xining, Yujiaxia, Shanghai, Beijing,
Zhenjiang, Taishan). I wrote my last post right when we came back from a
week-long trip on The Silk Road. I may do a post on them eventually or let me
know if you want to visit any of those cities. I will give you advice based on
my limited experience.
Before I left Texas, my family agreed to meet me in a
foreign country for the winter holiday. After the completion of my language
program in Nanjing, we spent two weeks driving around beautiful New Zealand. I
agree with my sister’s friend who said every inch of New Zealand is gorgeous.
There is no “scenic route” because it is all scenic. It was a welcoming change from the severe
pollution in China. I honestly have not the sky that blue and the sun that
bright in months. Depressing.
We spent most of our time on the south island which is
larger and less populated. There are about 4.4 million people in New Zealand
and 1 million on the south island. There are approximately 4 sheep per person
on the island.
Disclaimer: I hate that nothing I say and the pictures I
take can do these places and experiences justice. When people ask me what I am
up to or how I am doing, I feel that I have to condense my experiences into a
concise summary. I feel a bit silly blogging. I would much rather sit with you
in a small café and talk over a soy chai tea latte. Alas, my poor writing and
sad pictures are the best I can do for now. Lo siento. (I have been posting pictures on Facebook. I will add pictures to this post hopefully in the next city.)
Back to NZ… Nelson is one of the most beautiful cities I’ve
ever visited. We spent a day kayaking in the Abel Tasman National Park.
The small township of Franz Josef was one of my favorite
stops along the trip. We took a short helicopter ride up to the Franz Josef
Glacier were we spent three hours exploring the ice.
I am terrified of heights, the stomach drop feeling you get
when you fall, and falling to my death. Naturally, I decided to go skydiving in
Queenstown. I actually was not scared until my instruction pushed us out of the
plane at 12,000 feet. It was a unique experience to not only skydive for the
first time but also have a stunning background. I realize that I am not looking
at the photographer in many of the photos because I am too busy checking out
the view. It was a perfect ending to our winter family vacation.
To ring in the New Year, here are 13 things I am grateful
for:
1.
My mom encouraging me to turn down my job offers
to go travel and my sister telling me I would be an idiot if I turned down the
opportunity. Thank you times a million.
2.
Studying Mandarin in Nanjing. My four-month language
program has been life changing. I knew that it would impact my Chinese
proficiency but I foolishly did not consider the impact it would have on my
cultural identity. I have always felt Texan, American, and then Chinese, in
that order. I know identify more with the Chinese culture and yearn to continue
learning the language. Through improving my Chinese, I have increased my
understanding of Chinese culture. I love learning Chinese proverbs and
Confucius sayings. I find it fascinating that you can say so much with just a
handful of characters. The majority of proverbs are four characters, and they
each have a story. I am so nerdily excited about my proverb story book I bought
online. I hope I can understand it. (It is meant for Chinese students in middle
school.) Oh and James, thanks for
telling me not to study in Beijing. I cannot handle pollution. Nanjing is a
great city to learn Mandarin because there are fewer foreigners and you cannot
rely on English to get by.
3.
Messaging Apps. Although there is no replacement
for face-to-face interaction, Google chat, Facebook, Kakao, WeChat, and
WhatsApp help me keep in touch with classmates, family, and friends. I think
everyone should use WeChat. You can send voice messages, pictures, and videos
for free. It is pretty awesome.
4.
Going to New Zealand with my family. New Zealand
is one of the most beautiful places in the world, and it was nice to catch up
with my family. I was so glad to be able to hug and kiss them.
5.
My family bringing me things from the States. When
I was living in China, people asked me what I missed from home. I missed
people, salads, and Luna Bars. Amanda, thank you for bringing Luna Bars for me
and my friend.
6.
Airports. (Love Actually!) They are such
emotional places which can be good or bad. I am always excited to be in an
airport because it means I am about to start a new adventure. On December 29th,
I went to the Auckland, New Zealand airport with my family. They sang “Happy
Birthday” to me in the terminal and I walked them to their gate. My mom, dad,
and sister were heading to LAX together and I had a flight to Bangkok.
7.
Two of my classmates from Nanjing. They planned
a 20 day excursion through Southeast Asia and I bought a flight to Bangkok last
minute to join them. I hate planning and they love it. Perfect! They have come
up with an awesome itinerary and I am just along for the ride. I also feel that
during the semester I did not get to know them as well as I would have liked
and this is a great opportunity to hang out with some awesome people while
exploring new countries. What else could you ask for? Also, some people tell me
it would be dangerous to travel around Southeast Asia alone as a girl. I do
enjoy traveling alone but also enjoy traveling in a small group.
8.
Deciding to meet my friends in Thailand instead
of staying in New Zealand. I was tempted to not get on my flight to Bangkok. I
have already gushed about how gorgeous New Zealand is and naturally it was hard
to leave such a beautiful place. I considered staying in New Zealand for a few
months doing odd jobs to fund my travels. The country is small but there is
much to see. Many of the people we talked to were staying there for at least
two months or more.
I always joke that I pick the path of most
resistance. I like challenges and do things the hard way. I thought it would be
“too easy” to work and travel around New Zealand. I love learning about
cultures that are strikingly different from the States. I love language
barriers and trying to find ways to communicate. One of my favorite memories
from South Korea was when I tried to act out “anti-inflammatory medicine” to
the pharmacist. Yeah, that didn’t work out. We are only a few days in and I am
already having a blast in Southeast Asia.
9.
My backpack. If you go backpacking, I recommend
that you invest in a good backpack. If you are carrying a heavy load for a long
period of time, you want that thing to be as comfy as possible. Mine also has a
hot removable fanny pack. Win.
10.
Learning about new cultures.
11.
Open air transportation like ferries and tuk
tuks. I totally understand why dogs stick their heads out the window.
12.
Memories I have made in 2012.
13.
Excited about 2013.
I am the luckiest girl in the world.
Statements like that automatically make me think of
engagements and weddings. No, I am not engaged but I consider myself pretty
darn lucky. I have had some amazing experiences and I am grateful for each one.
My Chinese Zodiac sign is the snake and 2013 is my year.
Happy New Year, y’all.
Love from Phnom Penh,
Kat
PS. If we have wifi in the next hostel, I promise I will
write a post about Southeast Asia.
