Wanderlust

All my life I've had an unquenchable desire for knowledge and travel.  I'm not sure why.  Maybe I inherited it from my maternal grandfather who moved his family dozens of times around northern Texas when my Mom was a child.  It was this burning desire that led to my sojourns to Japan in the mid-1990s, and my two-year adventures on tour with Jesus Christ Superstar.

Since coming to LA in 1997, I haven't had quite the same lust for travel as in my youth.  Not sure why; perhaps life in southern California is unsettling enough on its own.  Now, however, I feel the pangs of discovery beating in my heart again.  It's only a dream at this point, but god I'd love to be able to explore more of planet Earth while I'm still here.

As a teacher of English to international students, I've met students from all over the world, including thousands of Taiwan Chinese.  But I've never had more than a passing curiosity in China and Taiwan.  My interests always belonged to Japan.  That has now changed. 

I saw an amazing episode of Globetrekker tonight about Hong Kong and Taiwan.  I sat there awe-struck for the full hour.  I had no idea there was so much beauty and diversity in that part of the world.  When I think of China, I think of Communism, oppression, poverty, and most of all, crowds.  Those things are probably true, but I didn't realize how much great beauty there is, both natural and man-made.  China has evolved tremendously in the past decade or so into a burgeoning global power.  There is a tangible sense of optimism and joy from the modern Chinese people that is quite infectious (much like America must have been about a hundred years ago).  I see it in my students, whose English improves with each new group that arrives, and I saw it on this television program in the attitudes of the Chinese people, their unprecedented emphasis on development and construction, and their connection and respect for the historical past.

As the Chinese economy continues to modernize and expand, so does their culture and their influence in the world.  A wise person once said, "What comes around, goes around."  China once had the greatest empire in the world.  I have no doubt that in the 21st century they are well on their way to reclaiming that title.