Confession

I need not tell you, my loyal and kind readers, that I have been posting with increasing infrequency. I have chalked-this-up to a busy schedule, distraction, and other excuses. While those may have been true (and may still be), I have realized in the past months that I have grown weary of my writing.

China Skill #8: Squatting like a champion

I am displeased with the writing I do both privately and publicly. For the most part, I am sick of how self-oriented all of my writing is. I would prefer to write about others, about culture, about travel, about food, about philosophical and moral quandaries, about a transnational livelihood, and about so many other topics. But I find that so many of my sentences include "me" or "my" if they don't start with "I."

Hell, that paragraph has those words nine times in just four sentences.

Furthermore, I am a little sick of my writing style. I feel like I once wrote with lighter tones, more developed thoughts, and a general indication of potential. Somehow, I feel I have failed to maintain that standard of writing for myself.

So, I am taking a break from my typical blog for a while. I'm also taking a break from my journal. This should present a strange conflict between searching for a familiar catharsis and searching for a more satisfying form of expression, between wanting to record my experiences and striving for a higher quality of thought. I am weighing a few options: making a mural on one of my far-too-white apartment walls, buying a microphone and a loop pedal to make beat-box beats with which I can mess around, pursuing calligraphy in a serious way, etc.

As a teaser, I am working on a different blog project that will undoubtedly be less Elie-oriented and more geared towards conversational pieces. I am not sure when it will be ready to go public, but I assure you that you (whoever you are) will know when it happens.

I do hope to continue updating and posting on "Traveling Onion" in a different manner, though. As I begin to write more developed short stories (anecdotal and fictional) in my journal, I will transcribe them here for your [dis]approval.

Cheeky knocker

This may all be a way of motivating myself to pursue additional forms of expression. And I may end-up continuing this blog as is. I am not really sure. I just feel as though I need a change.

Until then, my new job is wonderful thus far. The university sophomores and freshmen willingly enrolled in my class and are enthusiastic to have the opportunity to study with a native speaker. I will be leading a weekly film discussion group, a drama group, and a mini-workshop on journalism in English. It's too hot to be wearing bow ties, but I'm still wearing them. I found a great expat bar in Nanjing that is probably one of the top five bars to which I have ever been. And I may have two months of paid vacation for the Chinese New Year (12/23-02/20). I am currently planning a National Day week of Jiangsu travel: hosting friends in Nanjing, seeing the Venice of China in Suzhou, visiting West Lake (inspiration for a large portion of classic Chinese literature and painting) in Hangzhou, and revisiting one of my favorite cities in Shanghai.

Music, Books, Movies, T.V.: "Have Love Will Travel" by The Sonics, "Punching in a Dream" by The Naked and Famous, "Little Green Bag" by The George Baker Selection, "I Gotcha" by Joe Tex, " Watcha Clan, Kid Koala, "One Sunday Morning" by Wilco, "Brains and Eggs" by One Ring Zero, Thunder from the East by Kristof and WuDunn, Howl's Moving Castle by Jones, Entourage, True Blood, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Game of Thrones.

Beyond Those There Mountains

Ladies and Gents,

I have returned to Ann Arbor, Michigan. I am living with my girlfriend, Caitlin, and enjoying time with good friends--who work at places like this. I am currently writing international community health courses for International Medical Relief (the organization with which I teamed to go to Haiti and Ethiopia). Soon, I will compile briefing packets for upcoming I.M.R. missions. This is paying the bills, but I am looking for some more work to fill my hours, to pad my bank account, and to instill myself with a sense of purpose when I can so easily spend my daylight hours wasting away with Netflix instant and "Lost" marathons.

I recently returned from a week in Colorado with my parents and Caitlin (C). We were blessed with fortunately sunny and warm weather, even when we took two days in Keystone--where we received a half-off discount on lift tickets because of an executive chef we met at a sleigh-ride dinner in a valley ranch once used for gold mining and lettuce farming. Speaking of food, the week was filled with childhood classic eateries as well as recent additions to the Zwiebel Family Favorites:

-Fish tacos at Wahoo's
-Pad thai at Saigon Terrace
-Garden burger sliders, carrot-ginger-cumin soup, and chorizo omelette at Root Down
-Pad see yew at Wild Ginger
-Colorado style mountain pizza pie at Beau Joe's in Idaho Springs
-Chicken shwarma at Saj
-Chicken curry wrap and tea infused ice cream at Dushanbe Tea House
-Butterscotch fudge ripple, heath bar based, dulce de leche, espresso-based-chocolate-covered-espresso-bean, etc ice creams from Likk's
-Scallion pancakes at Jade Garden

A visit to the Denver Art Museum here, a tour of my childhood hot-spots there. Though C got a little ill towards the end of the trip--as per usual--we both had a wonderful time with my parents. No drama. Except when we played Cranium. Lots of laughter there (e.g. my dad shouting chest hair for a sensosketch of corsage or me trying to hum "Sexual Healing" to C). Good drama. Oh! And the drama of watching my 8th grade musical--in which I played Henry Higgins of "My Fair Lady." Man. I sure do maintain a painful tone deafness throughout my years.

Now that I have returned to Lady Ann, I am resettling and discovering my perceptions of the city have shifted. I am, obviously, no longer focusing on the "college town" side of the city; instead, I am taking in the city as a conduit to pursuing my passions and living a sustainable, happy lifestyle. So far, so good.

For the future, I am awaiting a reply from Princeton in Asia (my first choice) about the coming fall's fellowship prospect. I should know by Tuesday. I have been accepted to the American Jewish World Service Fellowship in India, which I am very excited about. Also, I have been accepted to teach English in Shenzhen courtesy of the Chinese Bureau of Education. There may be some tough decisions ahead, but the good news is that I will be on an enriching program abroad this fall.

Hooray!



This too.