Adventures in Guangzhou!

Have no fear, I have not been wasting away all my days with American television shows on DVD. I think I mentioned it before, but my apartment came complete with a sizable library of English books which is a rare commodity in China. Though I have yet to put a major dent into the collection, I have gone through quite a few. Currently, I am finishing up Saul Bellow's "Henderson the Rain King." I haven't read any Bellow before this but I know he is one of the most accomplished American writers of the modern era. I must say, I have been quite pleased. The book is hilarious!

Henderson, the main character, goes on a spiritual journey of sorts in the form of an African safari. As a protagonist, he is everything that a stereotypical hero is not: he has a drinking problem, spends his money frivolously, leaves parties to use the firing range in his basement, and alienates not only both of his wives but also his children. Yet despite this all, he remains a likable character because he is real. He is driven by an inner desire for some type of truth and goes to great lenths in an attempt to find it. The civilized world has rejected his many ideosyncracies and thus he decides that he must leave the country in order to find "it" somewhere else.

While I did not leave the U.S. due to any kind of rejection, I can definitely relate to Henderson's desire to search. When he initially sets out on his odyssey, he has no idea what will fill the void. When all is said and done it turns out the simplicity and beauty of the plains are more than enough, especially in conjunction with the people he meets. China is a totally different world than America. While there are certainly similarities that transcend cultural barriers (we are all human, after all), the mystery and freshness of my life here really does put the grandeur of the world into perspective. Not that it comes as a surprise, but there's a whole lot to see, do, and learn out there. Beauty comes in many forms and sometimes where least expect it.

Finally, I received my first package yesterday and, after a minor miscue with the post office, it made me incredibly happy. Steve Roslonek, children's musician who wrote the werewolf song I used for my Halloween class, sent me his new CD entitled "Marvelous Day." I can safely say that this disc will become a regular part of my listening repertoire because it is excellent. Despite the fact that I'm almost 25, I still get incredibly excited by children's music. There's nothing like listening to "Marvelous Day" or "Let's Go Out and Play" when you get up in the morning. Trust me.

There also happens to be one track on the disc called "Bridge to Terabithia." The song is based on the Katherine Paterson book of the same name and remains to this day one of my favorite all-time books. I can still picture exactly where I was when I read the book for the first time as a 5th grader and how it was the first novel to make me cry. Yup, it's true. And I'm not a cryer! The book starts off with a kid training for a race--no surprise that it went straight to the heart. Once again, check it out if you haven't read it.