I know, another one, huh? I'm sure my life sounds pretty tough from where you're sitting.After school lets out tomorrow I will gather my snacks and parcels and be off to board a train with the illustrious Dan. We'll be traveling to Gansu (that's the pale blue barbell-shaped province in the North) on a volunteer trip organized by the Yale Book Club. Once there we will donate books to local libraries, spend our nights in a village homestay, teach at local elementary schools (using curriculum which, according to the information I received, is best concluded by the foreign teacher leading the children in song), and quite possibly watch dinner be slaughtered before our very eyes.
After a few days in the village, Dan, myself, and a few of the other volunteers will try to visit some nearby Tibetan monasteries. We're not sure if that's going to happen. From there, we will take a train to Urumchi, the capital of Xinjiang (the big brown province in the Northwestern-most corner), a historically vital stop on the Silk Road, and the current home of my Central Eurasian Linguist pal Eric. I haven't been this excited about a trip in years.
Will I post pictures upon my return? Indeed I will! But after that I plan to take a month-long break from blogging in order to concentrate on personal correspondence and general sanity maintenance.
It has actually been a good week, and not just because of the receipt of the universe-destroying, men's pocky containing goodness of John's and Montana's care package, or because of the frankly awesome presentation I gave in class today about how China's classification of its minority peoples was based on the Stalin-authored Soviet classification system (it's a long story). No, I am feeling good because I am finally seeing some of the language skills that I had long ago expected I would have by now. Results! Learning this language is a loooooong process, as everyone keeps reminding me, but it seems that there is so much riding on this and I am starting to lack patience.
Think of something you really like to do, but aren't necessarily very good at; something which requires patience, skills, a large time investment, and the better part of a lifetime to master; perhaps chess? the cello? building a sea monkey empire?
Now imagine pinning your hopes, dreams, and entire future on being able to do this thing and then you will understand why I need a nice long vacation, which I will relish no matter how much sing-a-longing and Yak milking it may involve.
3 comments:
I think that yak milking might just be that goal I have my sites set on. I have found it very frustrating to learn how to do this properly and on top of that, it is very hard to find a Yak to milk in San Francisco.
I don't have to imagine it, I did just that. Now I'm back in school trying to learn skills that can actually earn me money.
Hopefully the new skills won't displace the old ones in my brain.
I want to come too!!
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