Never Means Nothing
There are so many things I have said I would never do:"I'll never study communication."
"I'll never vote for ______."
"I'll never date in college."
"I'll never work at McDonald's."
I am sure there are others, but those are some examples. Obviously, I've eaten humble pie many times in my life, as I am currently studying communication (and loving it!), I did vote for that person, I'm dating a wonderful guy, and I have recently been hired as a McDonald's employee (hey, it pays and will keep me busy - not glamorous, but I think I will enjoy it).
Even though I never said I would never do it, I did not expect myself to ever want to visit the beautiful country of China. As a child, I enjoyed reading books by Pearl S. Buck, but otherwise never thought seriously about the country or the people who lived there. That is, until I went to college, and a friend suggested that I take Chinese to fill a requirement. I loved it, and wanted to learn everything I could about the language and the people. If you had told me in elementary school that in college I would jump at the chance to study in China, I would have laughed at you. What a switch!
What Does "56 Faces in Focus" Mean?
China has 56 ethnic groups, each group made up of thousands of individuals, each individual with his or her own face and unique personality. As I study the Chinese people and the mandarin language, my desire is to remember that there are people behind everything that I learn. As I focus on the face of China, it turns into the 56 faces of the ethnic groups, which develops into the thousands of faces of individuals. That is the 56 faces of China in focus.
Now, this does not mean that I will be posting about every individual I come into contact with. But I will be posting about what I learn and experience, and that does involve people. My intent is to post occasional updates until I enter the country, at which point I will attempt to post daily, even if not much happened on that particular day. I hope you enjoy reading what I write as much as I enjoy writing it - my apologies if it is badly written, worded, or otherwise painful to read!
The Update
Currently, I am spending my summer earning money for the upcoming trip. Yup, that's where McDonald's comes in! :-) Otherwise, I am enjoying spending my extra time with my family and visiting with friends. I book my flights this week - exciting!
Enjoy summer everyone!!
