Something to chew on

---

I'm upon my finale four months in Changchun and am starting to prepair for what is next for me. Yeah im jumping the gun a bit but when your almost done a race it's hard not to look at the finish line. At the end of this leg ill begin my mini trek down through china for a few weeks...after that there is talk of vietnam but who fucking knows. I've been thinking alot of what im going to miss about this place.

The people in Changchun are, for the most part, extremely friendly. In the entire 8 months I have been here, I can honestly tell you, I have difficulty counting the real probelms I have had interacting with people. Yes there are language barriers but, as my dad once told me, smiling is a language everyone understands. People are helpful and excited to meet you. You build friendships easily and learn the ins and outs of living in a strange place that will soon become home. I think i will miss how social people are here with absolute strangers. I think it is something we are losing touch with in the west. In a culture where barganing is still prevelant, tha ability to put someone at ease with your words, or get what you want, is a skill that is needed and i believe this takes down peoples social fears of having personal conversations with strangers. It's part of everyday life, and you see it seep into all of it. Conversations in restaurants are not limited to your table or the people who are sitting there. A tv in a shop window is still a place to meet and discuss the countries events. Chit chat is an art these people have mastered and something we could all take a lesson in.

I'll miss the disturbing foods. We are not challenged in the west when it comes to food and i don't think most people would feel this is a bad thing. Here, if you look hard everyday, you can find something new and usually find something you never thought was edible. Goose necks, pig intestine, dog, pigeons, gelatin tofu, breaded pastries full of soup, carmalized potatoes toped with springkles, jelly fish, moldy eggs and the list goes on and on. We are also so far away from where our food (most ecpecially meat) comes from. Here you will sometimes see the animals alive, for you to pick, so that you know that it is fresh. I wont miss seeing the dogs that are sometimes put on display after being freshly butcherd, but when you see a head still on the animal in which you are about to eat you truely remember that you are a carnivor and question wether it is still something you wish to continue. Chinese people are also, almost always, eating or snacking on something that is usually quite tasty if you are alittle adventurous. There is an endless supply of little food streets with everything from mini omletes to things that remind you of donairs.

Now that i am writting I can mostly think of only the things i will miss. I'll just state the worst. Public bowl movements. Most people in the world can deal with seeing some dude piss on the wall, but when you turn a corner and see someone taking a shit on the sidewalk thats a whole different beast. There are only two places I've seen this in the world, working in vancouver at some of the homeless shelters downtown (i turned a corner and meeting eyes with a angry homeless man i witnessed him take an angry shit) and turning a corner in china (where I met eyes with a almost peaceful, normaly dressed man as he took a casual shit). Both are etched in my mind. The only difference is that i saw that once in Canada in my twenty five years of life and far to many times in only 8 months of china. Babies here often don't where dypers and are often seen being held over grates on the side of the street or with there asses hanging out of a taxi. I understand this saves of dypers but by the love of all that is holy its still not something you want to see before you go to work.



Anyways, i havn't written a blog in a while so i wanted to post something. Its like four in the morning here and i can't sleep so this seemed like the best thing to do. I enjoy your e-mails and comments back about what ya think.

---

Comments

[Linda]

Chewing on something
Hi Josh It was nice to spot a new blog for you. I know we all miss you and your cheerful face. What you are learning now will be with you forever. And you are becoming quite a writer (guess blogs don't have spell check, ey?????) HA HA But I love reading about what you are up to..........looking forward to more. Love, Linda

[R.E.M.]

your one amazing dude with a great heart for people !!

[Mitch]

YO DUDE
Hey man, wanted to see how you're doing. When you comin back, what's your plan, what's new...QUESTION TIME! haha I've been following your blogs and stuff, I just wish I had more time to do stuff like Skype and I only have a webcam at work...and as you know its pretty difficult with my boss here lol. I included my email for you on this so if you can email me that would be sweet! ([e-mail]) Hope to hear from you man! Hope its going well over there, I know North American Ben Ben is missin ya (along with me) so we'll have to have some brews when you get back....if you ever get back...holy! lol Well take care, talk to ya later dude! Mitch.