“When the buffaloes fight it is the grass that suffers..”
– Laotian Proverb
Luang Prabang literally means “Royal Buddha Image”. It consists of 58 villages and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was listed in 1995 for “unique and remarkably well preserved architectural, religious and cultural heritage, a blend of the rural and urban developments over several centuries, including the French colonial influences during the 19th and 20th centuries.”
“You know, you teach. You do not know, you learn..”
– Laotian Proverb
Laos is the most heavily bombed country in the history of the world. From 1964 to 1973, the United States dropped more than two million tons of ordnance on Laos to disrupt the Ho Chi Minh Trail and try to stanch a Communist insurgency—more than was dropped on all of Germany and Japan during World War II.
None of this was foremost in my mind while I was dipping around the pools at Kuang Si Falls.
“Keep the general goal in sight while tackling daily tasks.”
– Chinese Proverb
That’s what I was thinking the whole way down from where we started at Avatar National Park in Zhangjiajie (where the “Avatar” movie was filmed).
“New York may be the city that never sleeps, but Shanghai doesn’t even sit down, and not just because there is no room.”
– Patricia Marx
What can I say about Shanghai other than it has 50.000 % more colour than Beijing, 60 % more night lights, and the Bund.
“If you want to know where the Great Wall is, it’s at the bottom of people’s hearts.”
– Chinese Proverb
It means: if the people make a concerted effort, and their wills unite like the Great Wall, the people will overcome all troubles together.
Other than that this post isn’t about Chinese proverbs or uniting to overcome obstacles, it’s about my second visit to The Great Wall of China (first visit – click here).
”One of my students realized he could clap too, like I do when I want them to be quiet. That was the moment the line between student and teacher got wiped out… This kid… His face… It was like he… like almost FERAL.”
– Joshua Cremer
How do I sum up five months living and working in China? I don’t even know where to start…
I can sum up one night of work Rachel and I had to do, where the Chinese aid told us:
“You have to go on stage and maybe teach, maybe singa song, maybe teach animals. We have cards with colours, maybe sing a song, maybe Baby Shark, maybe? All foreign teachers sing Baby Shark, maybe we have cards for colours and cards for animals and maybe ten minutes before the play you sing a song…”
“It’s important to be comfortable with uncertainty.”
– Xiaolu Guo
I stayed in Beijing for two weeks preparing for my teaching assignment and during that time I checked off several bucket list items. The Forbidden City was nr. 2.
The Forbidden City was designed to be the centre of the ancient, walled city of Beijing. The former Chinese imperial palace from the Ming dynasty to the end of the Qing dynasty (1420-1912), it now houses the Palace Museum. The Forbidden City served as the home of emperors and their households as well as the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government for almost 500 years.
“Building the Great Wall thousands of workers suffered; when will the end be of Meng Jiang’s lonely crying.”
Chinese Proverb
I have finally seen the Great Wall of China with my own eyes… Some in my group found it underwhelming. I didn’t.
“A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.”
– Lao Tzu
February 26th 2019 I will officially have been travelling for two years. I am writing this blog post a little ahead of time as I am getting ready for my trip to China. I’ll be arriving in China second week of February to teach English for five months and travel around for one, therefore I’ll be in the middle of introduction week and course when this blog post was supposed to go up. I decided to be efficient 😉
“If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.”
– Ernest Hemingway
Living in Paris for a time and going to school to (re)learn French has been a point on my bucket list for near 15 years.
Now it is done. I have checked off this point on the list… And I have massively improved my French, made some friends for life and collected a bucket of new jokes and hashtags to take with me. #PourqouiMoi #PourqouiJapprendsFrancais #Pepe #Boulangerie #LhommeDeVache #LaPorteEstFermee #FrancaisEstUneLangueTresRiche
