‘You kick defenseless puppies?’ Well, no I don’t but since I have told people that I am not traveling this Christmas break, the reaction is about the same.  You see; it’s really easy to travel here.  I am going to Bangkok over the Chinese New Year and the cost was about $221 US round trip.  Not bad.

However, I have decided to stay in Shenzhen for Christmas, as there are several things I want to do and see around here.  I am taking a couple of photography classes in Hong Kong, plan to visit Macau, and a couple of friends are going to take me to this famous antique furniture store about two hours away.  Plus with traveling, expenses can add up and depending on where one goes, it can also be the opposite of relaxing.  I want to sleep in and catch up on my reading.  But did you just notice that?  I am justifying my decision not to travel.

I once heard that the center of a tornado is calm and peaceful.  Who hasn’t seen the movie Twister… ‘The finger of God’ anyone?  I have found that international traveling can be a bit of a tornado, particularly at the beginning.  Even speaking with a friend last night, he mentioned how this life is so conducive to travel, especially with Shenzhen’s location.  It’s a great jump off point – if you haven’t looked it up on the map, just find Hong Kong and you will see what I am talking about.

And I suppose it’s like anything in life that’s easy to get caught up in.  Not traveling will give me a chance to just be still for a while, breathe, and look around, which to be honest, hasn’t been a strong point for me in my life.  I have pretty much barreled ahead, maybe forcing things to happen instead of just letting them happen.  I am just beginning to scratch the surface with that concept. I need to find the center.

As a side note, I just got back from a quick 3-day jaunt to Hong Kong for some professional development.  Hong Kong is ridiculously visually stimulating.  It’s beautiful in the exact opposite way that Monument Valley is beautiful.  It’s absolutely crawling with life – the good, bad, and the stinky.  I love being a small part of that conversation – bustling along, seeing what people are wearing, crowding into the subway (speaking of which, I just downloaded an app onto my iPhone that is a map of the metro… loves it!), and just generally being there.  Can’t wait for my photography course.

So, if anyone wants to Skype over the winter break, just look me up… bonjourclairemarie… it’s not like I’ll be packing or anything…

This slideshow requires JavaScript.