My New Work Space

All that hard work in China really paid off. One of the reasons for going to China was so that I could afford to buy a new computer at the end of the summer. But the summer was spent nursing my old computer. I knew it was going to go any day. It's 4 years old, I only spent $500 on it when it was brand new. I was pushing my luck. 1 week before I was set to come home the power cable broke. No way to charge my battery that only holds a charge for about an hour at the most.

So I was so excited when I could pick up this new baby! My new photo editing Dream Team.










My new 13" MacBook Pro. Originally I was going to go for the 15" but after further consideration and lots of discussion I opted for the 13" and getting a 23" screen for photo editing. Really when I thought about it 15" wasn't going to be big enough, so my solution was to get the smaller, more compact computer for transporting back and forth from school, and get the larger screen for doing serious editing at home. I'm so happy with it all and can't wait to really dive into it.

Home Is Wherever I'm With You

I'm back from China! Actually I've been back almost a week now, but I've been occupied trying to get over jet lag and things. My first day back was filled with diving and beaching with good friends. Kind of perfect really.

But it's really nice to be home and to be inhaling clean air again. I know everyone talks about how polluted China is, but summertime is not a good time to be breathing in China. I'm feeling some lasting effect from it.

Lots going on as I get ready to go back to school. I've gotten a couple new toys which I'll share here later. Right now though, I'm just looking forward to enjoying this last sliver of summer here in Florida.

Sights Around The West Lake

~Inside on a stormy afternoon~


~A beautiful evening to follow~

100th Post! And back where it all started...

There is something inspiring about this place- Xi Hu. Especially on a day like today, when it's a bit overcast, but the skies are clear of smog because of last night's downpour. The lake really lights up and shines it's magical side. This is what I think of when I think of China. I've come back here after a summer of working to relax and meet up with some friends. But I was captivated today by the lake and am feeling a new energy to photograph it and other lovely things in Hangzhou.

So this is where I spent a year of my life. I never thought I'd be happy to be back here, but I have to say, it feels like coming home a bit. I've walked, cycled, sat at the shore of this lake so many time contemplating living in China and how much it changed my life and my outlook and general attitude. If ever there was a life changing experience, coming to China was it for me.

Although I'm excited to go home (FL home), I'm feeling really content being in Hangzhou right now. This was a long summer filled with hardwork, heartbreak and seeing sides of China that I don't really love at all. So it's nice to be in a familiar place that has taught me so much and to remember the parts of China that I fell hard for. Quite fitting for my 100th post I think, the beautiful West Lake.

Baby Zoë and Her Baby Blues

A water baby, there's no doubt about it. It's in her genes actually. Both mom and dad are water babies, so there's no keeping this little lady away from the ocean. She's also bilingual and has both her parents wrapped around her chubby little fingers. But who can blame them?








~Daddy Time~






~And Mom~

China Fisheyed

Orphans in China

So I'm out here working with teens from the US who are volunteering with orphans in China. It sounds a bit heavy and emotional. But I have to say, most of the time I remain pretty level and unemotional about it all. But every once in a while I do get overwhelmed with what the situation is and what is happening to these little people who never had any say in their own fate whatsoever. All we hear growing up is that our parents will love us no matter what happens. But what if you're abandoned by your parents?.... Who's responsibility is it to love you no matter what, when that happens?

What's more heartbreaking is that I know there are mom's out there who are agonizing over abandoning their own child. Because they had a disorder or a deformity that would be too expensive for their family to fix, they made the decision to try to give this child an opportunity at a better life. But the reality is, at state run orphanages in China, there isn't much chance at a better life, especially for those kids with disabilities.

Which is where China Little Flower comes in. They take babies with disabilities out of orphanages and get them the medical care that they need. Then they have a greater chance of being adopted.

China Little Flower also has a home for older kids, who have a pretty small chance of being adopted. Our teens have also been working with these kids. They actually have a really awesome setup here. They have 4 of what they call "Group Homes" which the older kids are split up between. Each family has a mother and a father (hired by CLF) who have signed a contract to stay on for a certain number of years, and all the kids that live within the home refer to each other as their brothers and sisters. At first I wasn't sure what to make of this, but we recently had the chance to go and spend an evening in one of the homes to make Chinese Dumplings with the family. I have to say it was one of the warmest family experiences I've ever experienced. The parents are amazing and treat every child as if it were their own. A couple of the families have their own children who they treat no differently from the Group Home kids.

These kids are really incredible and I have such a soft spot for them.









For more information about the China Little Flower organization visit http://www.chinalittleflower.org

A Quote

I was given this book for Valentine's Day this year from Eliot and am only now getting around to reading it. It's called Travels by Michael Crichton, and I have to say, I'm really happy I put off reading it until now, while I'm traveling. It's seems a lot more relevant right now, and I love reading books when they're relevant to what I'm doing in the moment. Anyways, this quote really jumped out at me and put into words exactly how I feel.

"Often I feel I go to some distant region of the world to be reminded of who I really am. There is no mystery about why this should be so. Stripped of your ordinary surroundings, your friends, your daily routines, your refrigerator full of your food, you closet full of your clothes-with all this taken away, you are forced into direct experience. Such direct experience inevitably makes you aware of who it is that is having the experience. That's not always comfortable, but it is always invigorating."

-Michael Crichton

Babies!

Wow, my first blog update from China. It hasn't been easy because now EVERYTHING is blocked here. Even my image hosting website doesn't work. So I've been trying to find some free time (a bit limited) to get through the Great Chinese Firewall.

Just to update everyone. Things have been going really well and we're about to end the first session of the program. Which means we're sending home 8 people on Wednesday and receiving 18 (yes 18!) more on Friday.

I've found a bit of time now just to show you some pictures of what's going on here. Here are some of the babies that live at the Baby Home that is run by China Little Flower. All are orphans, most have medical issues which is why they are here in Beijing to begin with, and some are ready to be adopted out. But all are so loveable, and I've been really enjoying my time with these precious little bundles.

For more information on these babies go to www.chinalittleflower.org