Travel Photography

The Calm Before the Mom

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(Excerpts from an essay I wrote in 2010. While I’ve changed a lot, it shows I’m still fundamentally the same person).

“Life is the greatest gift and the only one who can change and live it is you. This has always been a philosophy of mine and I truly believe it. Life is a journey that throws many adventures, challenges and lessons and other emotions and events at you. It is how you react, adapt and move forward that determines the person you are. The smallest moments in my life have often made the largest impacts on my philosophy and who I am…I also believe and know that my actions each day define who I am, the person I am the next day and forever on. Life is going to get rocky and tough, but if you sail through it win a fearless attitude and supportive people, the water will eventually calm and become clear.

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Beijing Part III

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So much happened on our second day that I didn’t include so this is filling in the blanks and summing up the trip! We were at a mall doing as the Chinese do, which is shopping when we heard the sounds of the dragon dance! I have grown up listening to this tune and it somewhat is a traumatic sound given that I was scared of them when I was little. This dance was the best one I’ve ever seen and so intricate!

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Beautiful Beijing Part II

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This was by far my favorite part of the trip and an experience I will treasure for some time to come! It was so special! I’ve been to other parts of the Great Wall and this one was the most special. Not to mention that it was lightly snowing with ominous clouds that added to the beautiful morning. You take the cable car up the wall and can walk the section before either taking a chairlift down or as we opted, a toboggan! I really enjoyed this day so much and it’s part of what makes Beijing and China so special.

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Beautiful Beijing Part I

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Happy Chinese New Year! For three days of my break, I went to Beijing with two friends and had a great time in the freezing cold! We visited all the tourist spots, had delicious food and the highlight was going to the Great Wall! I have been to different sections of the wall and this without doubt the best one so far! Loved it. This post is broken into three parts because even though I was only there for three days, a lot happened!

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Nadine .L

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People come in and out of lives and I am so thankful that Nadine and I both serendipitously both ended back in China. We first met in Malaysia six years ago when we were both living there for a year. We shared our challenges living in a new country, laughed at the funny cultural idiosyncrasies and ate all the food. Six years later and not much has changed! Nadine is finishing an internship in Kunshan which is a city only a train ride away from Shanghai. We have shared several weekends together running around Shanghai, ordering food from the comfort of my apartment and exchanging hilarious stickers on WeChat. My mom always encouraged me to be friends with redheads so there you go mom! Nadine is a German beauty who has traveled the world and is finishing her undergraduate studies in business before pursuing her masters. The other weekend I sat down with her and interviewed her about all the adventures she has had and all those to come.

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Golden Week and Hangzhou

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I come to you writing this entry from under my IKEA covers with a 4 liter bottle of water next to me, a pile of kleenex on the other side and half a dozen riccola cough drops tossed around on my bed. Yes, I am sick. I can’t remember the last time I was this sick! I am not a sickly person but this horrendous cough, congestion, fatigue and fever has really done me in these past few days!

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Family that are Friends and Friends that are Family

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“A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.”

– Tim Cahill

Hey friends!

Yesterday I got back from a whirlwind trip to New York to spend time with friends and catch up on lots of times and adventures that we have all had. Everyone talks about New York as if it is this land where dreams come true; and it is. However, for me, New York means good friends. I told one of my friends that I would be just as happy sitting in her apartment and eating donuts…not going to any attractions or doing whatever a typical New Yorker or tourist does. And I meant it. There is something so special when you find friends that you know will be in your life forever. People tend to come and go in life and thats just part of the rhythm…but I deeply value those who are part of my life and who allow me to part of theirs. Nothing is more special or magical. Money will only buy you so much; but it will never be able to buy you time or friends or family.

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Movin’ to Moab…Really Just College Roadtrippin’

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I went to Moab, Utah for four days with four friends and had an absolute blast hiking through Arches National Park. I had been to Moab when I was in eighth grade on a school trip where we camped in the park and learned about the ecosystem and have been yearning to go back ever since. Sometimes I forget how beautiful the USA is and this trip did more than a sufficient job of reminding me what a blessing it is to grow up and live in this country. What is particularly great about Moab (and the National Park system in general) is that you can do a lot with a limited budget and adventurous spirit.

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