Thursday, September 29, 2011
every plane ride out of germany is always emotional.
i have no idea what to say when people asked if i had fun there, because it has become so familiar a place that its more of meeting up with friends and catching up than the thrill of discovering something new. its somewhere i can stay home all day relaxing and not feel like i have to be out there on the streets looking out for more than i already have seen.
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vanna
00:32
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
i think i've said this before, but i will say it again anyway. the thing with traveling is that each time you are about to leave the new city you just visited, its almost like leaving a part of yourself behind. because all of a sudden, the street names that seemed crazily foreign in all that chinese a week back now seem way more familiar than you ever think they would become and somehow the place has become some sort of a friend. i've never quite understood people who go on those 2week tours around a country/region and do 2days in each city. because the whole point of traveling (to me at least) is not simply to take the touristy pictures at the landmarks and then tell everyone else that you've been there and done that, but its to experience the culture, the people, their way of life, and trust me, theres no damn way you can do that in 48hours. its about seeing the city by foot, getting lost, standing by the streets holding onto a map, asking for directions, and not sitting on a tour bus getting driven around and looking out onto the streets through glass windows. its taking the subway, fighting for space with the locals, observing their behavior in public, being completely lost in translation.
traveling alone? LIBERATING.
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vanna
16:43
Sunday, September 11, 2011
if there is one word to describe shanghai, it would be unbelievable. it made me speak (or try to) more chinese than i've ever had in a whole year back home. it got me to do something that should have been done 3 years ago. it made me realize that no matter how beautiful the modern skyline at the bund is or how it tries to emulate the cosmopolitan nature of london and new york, it would take another few more decades for it to reach the height of civilization - development of the people. it made me appreciate clean air, english, order, and wifi connection so much more. that said, i simply cannot imagine the immense amount of economic success china can achieve when it reaches its full potential.
i asked A if i got more boring compared to 3 years back and he said yes. i cant quite say i agree, but i would say that the amount of traveling i did the past couple of years made me a lot more street smart.
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vanna
01:17
