And lo, there was again a record of things.
Since this blog was originally about a trip to China, it seems only appropriate that we resurrect it now that we are returning to China... to live. We'll be moving to Shanghai in March. You may have heard of it. Fourth largest city in the world in terms of population. Largest city in the world, taken as a municipality or metro region. What's the difference, you ask? I have no idea. Ask wikipedia.
Anyway: big, is the point I am making. Which we are unused to. And which kind of belies the new title of the blog, "The Untravelled World." Shanghai is well traveled, after all. By many people. From all over the world. For several millenia.
But of course I am referring to Tennyson's "Ulysses," as most of you recognized right away. I never could put anything past you:
I am a part of all that I have met;
Yet all experience is an arch wherethrough
Gleams that untravelled world, whose margin fades
For ever and for ever when I move.
So we are off to sail beyond the sunset, and the baths of all the western stars, hopefully not until we die (as Ulysses would have us do), but to push back the margins of our own untravelled world. It may be weird, and we invite you to partake of that with us from time to time. And to visit us, whenever you want.
We are moving because I am the Director of Asia Programs for the Institute for Sustainable Communities, and we have a lot of projects in China, and increasingly in India, and we are trying to develop programs in Bangladesh and Vietnam and Philippines and Indonesia, and over the last year especially the travel has just been killing me. How much better and easier, the thinking goes, to be where the programs already are and that much closer to where we hope they will be. And it will expend less carbon and other harmful jet fuel emissions, which is closely related to the whole point of the endeavor to begin with.
And the kids will learn Mandarin. So that they will be able to curse properly when they join the browncoats in fighting against the Alliance in the year 2157.
So... Happy Year of the Dragon everybody. Maybe next we'll have Naomi post, since her feelings about the move are decidedly mixed. Or Allison, who will be homeschooling the young ones. Or Eli, who doesn't know which end of the world is up anymore. Or Townes, who will have a hard time further developing his woodcraft, shelter and firebuilding skills in the urban jungle of Shanghai.
Whoever it is, we'll be sure to bring you all the best and worst bits for your ingestion and consideration. It's bound to be... interesting.
Since this blog was originally about a trip to China, it seems only appropriate that we resurrect it now that we are returning to China... to live. We'll be moving to Shanghai in March. You may have heard of it. Fourth largest city in the world in terms of population. Largest city in the world, taken as a municipality or metro region. What's the difference, you ask? I have no idea. Ask wikipedia.
Anyway: big, is the point I am making. Which we are unused to. And which kind of belies the new title of the blog, "The Untravelled World." Shanghai is well traveled, after all. By many people. From all over the world. For several millenia.
But of course I am referring to Tennyson's "Ulysses," as most of you recognized right away. I never could put anything past you:
I am a part of all that I have met;
Yet all experience is an arch wherethrough
Gleams that untravelled world, whose margin fades
For ever and for ever when I move.
So we are off to sail beyond the sunset, and the baths of all the western stars, hopefully not until we die (as Ulysses would have us do), but to push back the margins of our own untravelled world. It may be weird, and we invite you to partake of that with us from time to time. And to visit us, whenever you want.
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| But come soon, Shanghai has a tendency to change dramatically over short periods of time. |
We are moving because I am the Director of Asia Programs for the Institute for Sustainable Communities, and we have a lot of projects in China, and increasingly in India, and we are trying to develop programs in Bangladesh and Vietnam and Philippines and Indonesia, and over the last year especially the travel has just been killing me. How much better and easier, the thinking goes, to be where the programs already are and that much closer to where we hope they will be. And it will expend less carbon and other harmful jet fuel emissions, which is closely related to the whole point of the endeavor to begin with.
And the kids will learn Mandarin. So that they will be able to curse properly when they join the browncoats in fighting against the Alliance in the year 2157.
So... Happy Year of the Dragon everybody. Maybe next we'll have Naomi post, since her feelings about the move are decidedly mixed. Or Allison, who will be homeschooling the young ones. Or Eli, who doesn't know which end of the world is up anymore. Or Townes, who will have a hard time further developing his woodcraft, shelter and firebuilding skills in the urban jungle of Shanghai.
Whoever it is, we'll be sure to bring you all the best and worst bits for your ingestion and consideration. It's bound to be... interesting.
