pay attention

Pay attention girl, you might learn something.

It’s like a voice says it, out of nowhere, as I sit on a stool surrounded by people in a kitchen.

The bowl of rice in my palm is heavy and my right index finger cramps from clutching chopsticks for the—what is it?—third time today…?

Maybe.

And the languages mix and I’m getting used to this. I’m getting used to hearing it first one way and then waiting for the translation.

How strange is it that we’re saying exactly the same things—just in completely different ways.

So, pay attention, girl. Pay attention—you, who worked so desperately hard to predict every instant in your life. You who tried to say where you’d be this time this year.

You, who in a million years, would have never, ever seen yourself doing this.

I watched my students run yesterday. I was yelling, cheering along with them. Pulling for them to run faster. To close the distance and win this race. You would have thought it was the Olympics and not a simple school-wide competition for all the fervor and confetti.

I loved it.

You go out to find how ‘the same’ you are in all your glorious differences.

I’m struck by the creativity in that thought. We are all so the same, but yet, we are all so different. On every stratosphere of humanity—we are the same, but different. Who is this God? Who is this God who has it within Himself to be so many different things, while still being only one all the time?

shee opened her eyes

you like the party squat.

words with friends? dial-up style.

i see [define] culture shock

They say that culture shock comes in stages.

They say a lot of things.

Not all of am I inclined to believe.

But, I have to let my guard down over this one.

What they say about culture shock is mostly true.

So, when you move to China (one of the less developed parts of China, no less), and you become used to things like:

(That's KC getting a new apartment key cut on the side of the street in downtown Duyun.)

It takes some getting used to. Just because, this part of the world is about as different from the western world as you can get.

That being said, when you're told to go to a Chinese Special Administrative District (Hong Kong) and try to (finally) get a work visa, you find your culture shock going the other way. Like this:

Oh, China. You embody so, so many different things in one place. Today, I see culture shock. And how it's good to come back to where you call 'home.' Even if it's just for now.

Yesterday, Claire told me that she was given some cheesy stationary when she was growing up that had this a m a z i n g quote on the letterhead; 'B L O O M WHERE YOU'RE PLANTED'  

yes, yes - i know it's sort of painful but yet (at least to me) beautifully said.

The photos above I took right out front on edisto island & made me think of this quote. And me. And you.

china's random

I see China's random today. Which, I realize, that a Chinese person in America would flip this post over and call it, "America's random."

I think, more than anything, I love the fact that this guy purposefully walked into frame while I took this photo.

III states & you're h o m e

one. i know, it hurts. 

two. a lil generic but something i want to paint and call my own.

t h r e e. my hair is now chinese black & that necklace took me well over 6 hours to make while back.seat.road.tripping in the pilot: harry smacking on a piece of double bubble, johnathan teething, claire sleeping & mary contently working a crossword puzzle & me l o v i n g my family as i weave sticks together.

any building somewhere

today I see
a building in China.
(bamboo framework intact)
that,
kind of,
could be any building
anywhere.

but, because it's here...
It's somewhere.

t o d a y, i saw a byrd

from the u.s. [of] a. to [the] people's republic [of] china

from what she [laurenmatheny] sees in the u.s. [of] a.

       to what I [kellybyrd] sees in the people's republic [of] china...

or vice versus. (when she becomes 'I' and I become 'she.')

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S H E SEES I S E E