我从来没去过纽约
I've never been to New York
At the start of a new year it is traditional to make new years resolutions; promises to yourself to make the coming year better as you self-improve and reach new goals. Most new years resolutions set a goal, whether it be a positive gaining of a new skill, or the giving up a of a vice; and most new years resolutions (dare I say it) end in a loss of momentum and a return to old ways from the years before. Sure, they are a good impetus to make a change and a good way to look back on the past year and forward to the fresh start of a new one but in the rush of daily life these goals we set ourselves in the optimism of January are all too easy to put to one side once the holiday period is over.
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| Here's to more of this in 2015 |
As everyone knows 2014 was a big year for me, I feel like a mention it a lot, but I'll mention it just one more time. 2014 was the year I ditched life in my beloved London and traded it in for the complete unknown of China. As well as a lot changing geographically with my life, I think I have changed as a person too (moving 5000 miles will do that). I learnt how to cope on my own in an alien environment. I learnt that I am more resilient than I imagined and that I can and will overcome most things that are thrown in my path. I have learnt how rewarding teaching can be - and how exhausting it is. I have seen so many amazing places and met many amazing people.
A year full of so many experiences that I never could, or would, have had at home has just confirmed for me the importance of travel and expanding your horizons. Nothing opens your mind more than going to a new place and seeing new ways of doing things. Many prejudices that I didn't even realise I had have been tested, and many of my opinions about everything from food to that grand philosophical idea of the "good life" have had to evolve too. You can meet people from all over the world from the comfort of your home country, but it's just not the same as seeing how they live and the similarities and differences between you when you are in a foreign country.
I'm not ready to give up this world exploration just yet and that is why I'm going to make 2015 a year of travel. Travel is my theme for the year and although it may seem like one of those easily abandoned grand resolutions I don't think it is. I have chosen five places that I want to travel to before 2016 arrives; some are big trips that will require time and saving, and some smaller trips that could be done in a weekend. Some are specific cities, and some are more general. These places aren't by any means a definitive list of places I want to go, nor is it a list that will entirely dictate any travel plans for the year. It's a motivation, a reminder to keep travelling and a reminder of some of the amazing places that I have yet to go. And that's the reason for the title of this blog too, 我从来没去过纽约 means "I have never been to New York" and is an awesome Chinese song by the Chopstick Brothers (have a click, have a listen). It is a reminder of all the places I haven't been to yet, and all the places that I can and will go in the next year.
2015: A year of travel
- Japan
- Gansu Province, China
- Barcelona, Spain
- Democratic People's Republic of Korea
- Taiwan
Right now I am lucky because I am in a job where I get 3 and a half day weekends and I do get pretty good holidays. China is also ideally placed to travel to some of the more exotic countries that would cost a small fortune to fly to from the UK. As it comes to the half way point in my year long contract I have to start to think about what I want to do in August when this contract expires, and once again the world is my oyster. But if I was asked to make a decision right now, my heart is still in Yinchuan. It's difficult to make big decisions for the future and to lock yourself into a contract but there are certain things that would keep me here. If my year of travel needs a hub Yinchuan seems just as good a hub as any to me.
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