“Only death can stop my dream, but cannot stop my project,“
– Chalermchai Kositpipa
Wat Rong Khun is a privately owned art installation in the style of a Buddhist temple in Chiang Rai Province, Thailand. It is owned by Chalermchai Kositpipat, who designed, constructed, and opened it to visitors in 1997.
“When the water rises, the fish eat the ants; when the water falls, the ants eat the fish.“
– Laotian Proverb
I knew I wanted to see “the Stonehenge of Asia”… Uhm… Not sure if anyone other than me calls it that, but whatever…
The Plain of Jars is a megalithic archaeological landscape. There are thousands of stone jars scattered around the upland valleys and the lower foothills of the central plain of the Xiangkhoang Plateau. The jars are mostly arranged in clusters ranging in number from one to several hundred and here’s the kicker: no one knows exactly what their purpose was. There are many theories, all from food storage to burial site (which is the most popular one, given the fact that a scientist on one of the sites found human bone in one of the jars, however there are those saying this is coincidence rather than absolute proof). At least all of this is what our guide said… š
“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 insurgencyāmore 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).
āOne 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 outā¦ This kidā¦ His faceā¦ It was like heā¦ like almost FERAL.ā
– Joshua Cremer
How do I sum up five months living and working in China? I donāt even know where to startā¦
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.
