Most stuff is packed and waiting for the movers. Guess I'll have to put the laptop in the bag soon. Since it can use the wireless card from the Psion I can just go to an internet cafe to netsurf though.
Got a call from a Cambodian student last night. I was in the middle of a subway transit, so the conversation was brief, but interesting. Bits of English, Mandarin and Khmer mixed together to communicate. We agreed to talk more later. Now I have a chance to practice the Khmer again and regain fluency. L'au nah!

Really looking forward to travelling. Getting away from familiar places would be good for me. I've been looking into ways to travel to Cambodia. Originally I meant to live in the south of china and look at trade opportunities with SE Asia. I've been distracted but that idea still has it's allure.

I was thinking about travelling, and a quote came to mind. It's one of the things that decided me to pull up roots and come to China.
"I wanted Prester John, and Excalibur held by a moon-white arm out of a
silent lake. I wanted to sail with Ulysses and with Tros of Samothrace and
eat the lotus in a land that seemed always afternoon. I wanted the feeling
of romance and the sense of wonder I had known as a kid. I wanted the world
to be what they had promised me it was going to be--instead of the tawdry,
lousy, fouled-up mess it is."

Following in that line of thought, I realize I've gotten stalled - I haven't found Prester John or Excalibur - so it's really time to go looking.

For that matter, why am I still in Beijing? It was an accident that brought me here as I had no particular interest in the place.
Dancing girl asked this week if my travel plans meant that I was leaving, and I said no. But that started me thinking again about why I'm here. I came up blank. There's really nothing holding me.

Might be time to go see if Tros needs a navigator.

It's remarkable what getting enough sleep and cutting back on caffeine will do. I feel like a new person lately. It's not too surprising, I was working more hours than Shaun, the known workaholic. He got burned out, no wonder I was having trouble. It's nice to rest a while now. Plus working for the old school, the one that's infamous for not supporting teachers. Their turnover is high, but they don't seem to consider changing the way they do things... Anyway, I don't work there anymore. This week I went to Tianjin with a co-worker and looked around some. The old European quarter had some interesting architecture. We also went through the market around the Bell Tower. It was fun, we both like looking through markets for trinkets, etc. The heat was pretty bad but we found an air-conditioned restaurant where we had some 'sour plum tea' (suan mei cha). We rode the soft seat train, which was pretty comfortable, air conditioned and ,well, soft seats. :) Then I went to see Sandy and Marilla graduate. Two of my old friends here, finishing up and departing for the south. Between them they've helped me a lot. It won't be the same here without them around. I put up some pictures. I've had a couple of sessions with tutors as well. My ability to speak Chinese is improving. I keep trying it out when I travel or just around Beijing. Speaking of just around Beijing, the FAO finally told me to pack up. They're going to move me out. I'll be living over near Zhong Guan Cun for the rest of the summer and the next term. Guess I better figure out the path thru the Ag school, that seems to be the shortest way to get here from there. I have a contract with Central for the next year, so I'll probably be here. Central seems stable, which is a good thing when you work on visa. Guess I should start packing. Gotta move in a day or two.