The Long Overdue 7 Day Followup

I originally intended to follow up seven days after the experiment started. Two things ended up happening that sidetracked me from this original goal, the first is that I got the results I thought I was looking for after only three days, and the second is that I got lazy and never bothered to respond with an update. School finals have just ended with me being put through the full range of productivity from extremely lazy to finals cram mode. I feel that the answer to my challenge is much more tangible now than it was after just three or seven days.

For the three days I challenged myself, I succeeded in keeping to my schedule. Any opening of a tab to an unproductive website had me closing it within seconds. After my productive time on the computer had been used, I closed the laptop and moved on to something else. Almost instantly I found myself with an incredible amount of free time.

After those three days were up I tended towards my routine and continued to enjoy my new found free time. As finals approached however, I found myself sacrificing the newly developed habits to fulfill my need of empty-brained activities to counteract the amount of time and energy spent studying. This resulted in a gradual increase of time wasted on websites such as Reddit until eventually, I was spending the time outside of studying on Reddit. I felt that the balance between productive and non-productive in my brain worked out and I continued through finals like this.

Towards the end of finals, I took at how my productivity was sustained with breaks to browse the internet. I realized that there was no boost to productivity and that after breaks, I continued working with constantly decreasing productivity. What breaks did contribute to productivity? I looked to see what activities answered this question and were productive in their own way. The answer came with many replies including walking outside, showering, napping, and running.

At this point it all began to come together. For day to day living, my time wasted mindlessly on the internet can be utilized for other activities such as writing, working on a craft, or playing a sport. During the times of high productivity that require lots of attention and brain power, I have the answer to that too in the form of showers and naps. In conclusion, time spent browsing websites such as these and doing similar activities like watching trashy TV have no place in my life.

What are you wasting your free time on and what's stopping you from changing your daily routine to accommodate that hobby you always wanted to get started on?

Restart

I started a blog a year ago with a purpose, to capture and record my experiences while living abroad. I have since returned home to a life not quite as thrilling as living abroad in China. While my everyday experiences might not be a constant exciting exploration into the unknowns of side streets and dimly lit restaurants, I still feel there is much unknown contained within our everyday lives that we don't take time to stop ponder, observe, and enjoy. This will be my attempt to continue writing creatively and hopefully opening others up to new ideas that I tend to contemplate throughout my day.

For today I leave you with:

Opening Up

During my time abroad, I've had a considerable transformation in what I will and will not eat. There have also been a few common foods that I haven't had the opportunity to try since I finally stopped being picky. To show you how picky I was and how adventurous I've become, I present to you a list of the things I've either tried for the first time or finally started to enjoy. I've ordered them from what I deem to be the most to the least picky as compared to the general population.

Oranges, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Celery, Sweet Potatoes, Fish, Shrimp, Clams, Calamari, Pigeon Eggs, Frog, Duck Blood, Ox Tongue, Red Ants

In the future, once I have pictures, I'll write a little more about some of these encounters.

Adventures in Portable Sleep

I've just finished up my first two weeks of travel through Vietnam and Cambodia. Don't have pictures yet since the internet is pretty slow here. Should have a few to upload by the end of the week.

If you're feeling in the mood to offer critiques or comments, please email at chickentochinablog@gmail.com.

 

After a plesent sleep in a guest house in Siem Reap, we checked out and left our bags behind the check-in counter for the day. Tonight would be the first encounter with an overnight bus. Until 11pm, when the shuttle would come to retreive us from the hotel, we were left for the day to explore the city. The sun was hot and ever present. The only way to escape it was in the shade of trees which were few and far between. After several hours of walking and dripping in sweat and covered in dirt, it was time for the shuttle. The downside of overnight travel is that generally you're looking at two to three days of dried sweat and caked on dirt before the next shower.

During our shuttle ride, my travel companion and I joked that the bumpy and uncomfortable ride was actually our overnight bus. Upon first laying eyes on our bus, I realized there was little, if any, difference between the quality of the two vehicles. Tonight would be a long night.

When it comes to overnight buses, instead of seats, there are beds. These beds are split into three rows with two aisles. The beds are also set up in the manner of bunks so if you're on the bottom space is rather limited. Space becomes even more limited in the last set of seats where instead of aisles there are five beds across. I wouldn't have mentioned this back section of seats if it wasn't for the fact that this is where we got put. Even worse is that of the two tickets we had, we randomly chose which seat we got and my friend lucked out with the window seat.

Before continuing I must make note of the peculiarities of me and sleep. Excluding typical things on this bus trip that would prevent most people from sleeping, there were a few more that prevented me from sleeping. Never in my life have I been able to fall asleep on my back, it's just not possible. Luckily for me, the beds were angled such that it would be impossible to sleep any other way besides on your back. Also, any sort of noise that isn't of the white variety tends to distract me from sleep. For this trip, such noises included crying babies and the squeaking of the bus.

Every journey I've ever taken starts out with a transition period in which people put away bags, munch on snacks, and settle down in their seats. For longer journeys, this period usually ends with the lights shutting off, people dozing off and silence and darkness taking over. Just because silence and darkness come to the bus doesn't mean it also comes to the rest of the world. In Vietnam, paved roads are uncommon which means that every space of every paved road is vital and lacking of periods fields or forest, in other words, periods of calm. This translates to a constant barrage of lights and sounds coming from all the different buildings lining the road.

Severely lacking within the bus was a constant barrage of cold. The air conditioning vents were designed with only the outer most people receiving direct air. Maintenance of the bus was kept to a bare minimum so even though air was coming out, it was sputtering and not a formidable opponent to the body heat of all the occupants. While I'm a seasoned pro, having survived many summer nights without AC, I did so with the use of two vital weapons, a fan and a bed big enough to spread out to the four corners. Windows without openings crushed any chance of a breeze. There would also be no spacing out since my fellow travelers and I laid shoulder to shoulder. Without a means by which to cool myself, sweat began to emit itself from every part of my body. A secondary attack, almost like a Trojan Horse, lay hidden within this. The sweat off all the other unwashed bodies began to mix and linger in the air, assaulting the nostrils.

The final battle against attempts at sleeping came without mercy. Back in elementary school, I strongly remember the daily rush for the back seat so that every bump of the road could be enjoyed. There were two spots along the route where the bump would send you several inches into the air. It was almost like a free amusement park ride. Multiply the bumps and divide the fun and thats what the bus felt like. There was also an added perk not found on the school bus. Since my bed transitioned straight into the aisle, every time the bus driver slammed on the breaks, which was often since scooters were weaving everywhere, I went sliding forward several inches. If it wasn't for the uncomfortable columns of bars keeping the second layer of beds up, that I used to brace myself, I probably would have slid fully into the aisle several times. 

The combined onslaught on the senses led me to to give up any hope of a peaceful sleep. Packets of resistance throughout the night tried to make a stand and allow me to sleep. Different positions were tried. Music, silence, and white noise were all attempted. A strong ressistance came late in the night when another bed opened up and the guy in the middle bed, the bed next to me, relocated. The metal divider between our two beds dictated that this situation was barely any more comfortable. In the end, all attempts to sleep failed.

In the process fo writing this, I'd been sitting on a train from Da Nong to Hanoi. When I bought the tickets I saw that the train would depart at 11:50am and arrive 7 hours later. This was long but doable. After about five hours on the train I pulled out the map and realized we'd traveled about one-fifth the distance. Looks like the 7 hours later was actually 7am. Oh well, everyone is still celebrating the holiday  and the train is empty so we can stretch out in our hard wooden chairs and sleep peacefully. Twenty minutes later we pulled up to a crowd of people waiting to get on the train. 

I was going to conclude with some joke about bringing enough sleeping pills next time to knock out even an elephant. Instead I'll end with some words of wisdom from a good friend which I'm taking to heart more and more each day.

Shit happens.

Content with the Contents

In the months leading up to my departure date, I spent much of my free time reading of potential destinations and things to do at each place. At some point in my research I realized that I had given no consideration to the logistics involved. One thing I had given no consideration to yet was my packing list. Your typical trip involves one city with suitcases left in the hotel for the length of the vacation. My trip however involves multiple cities and one backpack that would contain my life for the duration of my travels. One day while doing my exploring the Internet for travel information I stumbled upon a backpacking suggestions website decided this was a great place to start and my list was underway.

Since it is my first trip and I'm rather meticulous when it comes organization, I read every last bit about the website. I read of the great debates plaguing backpackers including things like what kind of socks to bring, malaria medicine, and jeans or no jeans. I ended up dismissing most of the information offered by the website. Who really wants to spend $10 on a pair of over the top socks when a simple pack brought from Kohls will do me just fine? Maybe I'll find out the answer is me after I've been traveling for a month.

While not using most of the website, I did manage I walk away with a suitable list. In my free time I stumbled upon a few more tips that helped improve my packing list. Firs tip I came across was if you don't use it at home, why would you use it abroad? Good point. So I crossed a few items off my list. Second tip is that you can buy anything abroad. When I first came to China, I brought a lot of excess toiletries which could be bought at any store. Except deodorant. I went to about eight stores and two online stores and nothing. Chinese people don't sweat, who knew? Third tip and I think is the most important which comes from me this time. (Woah) Don't get lost in the details. Get a rough list and go. You'll thank me later.

Every Day is an Adventure

Every morning I wake up at about 7:20. This gives me about 15 minutes to be fully prepared before heading out the door. I walk for a few minutes and take subway line 2, to 7, to 1, to 5 with roughly five minute transfer walk in between. Then I exit the metro, walk another fifteen minutes, and arrive at work an hour and a a half later. I do this twice a day, every day. Why you ask? Because I wanted the city but my company wanted the suburbs. Luckily I utilize this time to read, practice Chinese, play games, or sleep. One day I instead of my usual time passers, I decided to bring a camera to highlight some of the interesting things I see on my daily commute. 

These are x-ray machines that you're supposed to place your bags in. Most people ignore them and the security guards don't seem to care.

TVs in the metro stations. There are also smaller versions in the trains.

Too much reflection to fully express this picture. This right here I would consider the normal amount of people for a train. Seats fully taken with a lot of people standing.

Had to be sneaky for this. For 66% less than a taxi fare, these guys will give you rides on their motorcycles to work. They generally drive like maniacs. Took me several months but I finally took a ride. 

I think the irony of this picture is lost in the small size. The background says no dumping into the water.

It's interesting where you find houses in China. This road is completely full of factories except for this house, if you can even call it that. If you look close enough a kid is peeing on the street.

If you're a Shanghai resident than you can use these bikes. Being a resident of a city isn't quite the same in the United States. I'm not sure of the exact requirements but of the 22 million people living in China, 9 million are not residents. 

One of the paths I walk along to work.

What is the Next One?

My time in China is quickly coming to an end. Friday I turn in my laptop and work ID, Sunday I hand over my room key, and Wednesday I am on a plane to Cambodia. Since I will no longer be living in Shanghai, my writing will begin to reflect that. I have however opened an exciting new page and will spend the next few months experiencing South East Asia. My hope is that these experiences will be just as rewarding as my time in Shanghai and I can share them with you.

Veering Away

One would think that upon satisfying a craving, the craving would cease to exist. In regards to travel, however, I think the opposite is happening. Instead of feeling content with China, I want more, lot more.

The first question that had to be answered was, when?

My plan was to travel with my one willing friend so as to avoid making my first international trip alone. His work schedule required that the trip occur during the one week of vacation for Chinese New Year. By adding an extra five days, this would constitute a sufficient amount of time for our journey. And so, the seed of the plant that would satisfy my travel craving was born.

The next question was where?

Originally, my mission was to plan a trip to Spain that would keep me occupied, sheltered, and fed. I started Spanish several years ago in high school and desired to keep learning. The best way, in my opinion, to make the transition from China to Spain would be across the Trans-Siberian Railway. The trip would start in Beijing and end in Moscow, stopping along the way at several cities in China, Mongolia, and Russia. From Russia, I would take more public transportation to get across Europe. It would be a two week journey along the railway and this suited the when part of the trip perfectly.

I utilized my connections in China to try and locate a position in Spain. In my pursuit, however, I stumbled upon news claiming that unemployment within Spain for people around my age was sitting at about 50%. Regrettably, such news led me to dismiss the idea of traveling to Spain in the near future.

The final killing blow for a Trans-Siberian trip came upon learning that winter temperatures in Russia reach a staggering -40 degrees Fahrenheit. The idea of spending two weeks wearing several layers and retreating inside as soon as the sun decides to hide for a brief moment did not sound appealing at all.

So it was back to square one. Some time was spent getting lost in the world map. I gave consideration to places like Australia, Japan, Tibet, and South East Asia. The final decision of South East Asia came down to unexciting things like costs and visas so I’ll spare you that process.

The problem with South East Asia is that it isn’t just one destination but a collection of many destinations. Southeast Asia is made up of countries including Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Burma, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. To decide where to go, we did as engineers do, and approached the situation as a puzzle. Where should we start and end our journey so that our flight would not be missed? How would we spend the optimal amount of time seeing each new location? After contemplating this complicated puzzle, we managed a plan. Our trip would start in Phnom Penh with some travel within Cambodia and then east to Ho Chi Minh and north through Vietnam to Hanoi. We would cross the China border together and then we would part ways with him returning to work and me making my way through China back to Shanghai.

I took it upon myself to plan an itinerary. I visited Wikitravel and read every page they had to offer about Vietnam and Cambodia. From all the places we could visit, I narrowed the plan down to a simple route that could be finished in the time allotted. The only part missing was how to return to China. As I looked at the map I realized that if I turned west in Hanoi in the direction of Laos and Thailand, instead of returning to China, a whole new world of possibility opened up. And what did I do? I turned to the west.