wall of love

I believe this is my favorite place in this apartment. Looking at my 'wall', I always smile. And you know how often we all turn to the refrigerator, even when we don't want anything! When I see this wall, I remember:
-Cedar Campus, the place I never thought beforehand I would ever work at because I already had 'my camp'
-Aforementioned 'my camp', Pleasant Vineyard, and the wedding/reunion of staff at the Webel reception this winter
-China, the place which holds pieces of my heart halfway around the world, especially Clare
-Kentucky family like my little cousin Elaine who is getting married this summer! And my cousin Pam who got married last summer!
- international friends - it's so hard to keep in touch
-Who my ideal love mate is (won at Cedar Point in 1992! I knew who he was at the tender age of 9) "Your Ideal Mate doesn't let love become a habit--like breakfast. He goes on being romantic year in and year out..." I know, pretty awesome right? It gets better "...He's never too busy or too tired to listen to those little whispered confidences, and while he says 'no' to the other girls he says 'yes' when his wife says, 'Do You Love Me?'" Printed 1941
-Friends who have gone overseas like Mike & Gretchen and Adelle and the Kingly family; or gotten married this past year like Maribeth & Josh, Lance & Kristin, Mary & Adam, Matt & Carol, and Nick & Beka!
-When in the world it is that David Sedaris is coming to Kalamazoo, which means Jamie is coming to Kzoo, which means I really should start remembering before April 5
-and of course, what I can recycle! It's the first and most important layer of 'the wall'

It's a wonderful wall. A reproduction of my wall in the house I grew up in, where I put up over 200 photos on all 4 walls of my bedroom.

What's your most favorite place at home?

Rules.

Rules., originally uploaded by sarah_laughingguts.

Oh, Engrish. Because we need a good sign this evening.

Don't push and squeeze.

train!

Another popular way to get around, which isn't so popular here in the US (although I wish it were!) is by train. Yes, it's slower than plane, but so much cheaper!



This here is an image from the train going from Beijing to Ningxia


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Which was quite a trip!

This one is actually a subway ride in Shanghai taken by my friend Lance:



Touch being a love language of mine, it wasn't such a travesty to be squeezed into the subway while in China. It was a lonely time for me, seeing as how my father had passed away just months before and I didn't know anyone walking into this place. So riding the bus and subway were times of being near people- even though we weren't 'near' to one another. True, it has its downfalls, such as pickpocketing (which more than one of my friends experienced in China in large part because we were 'laowai', but hey, it happens)

Now here in the states, I'm not sure they understand how many people can fit on a subway car.

This clip makes me think of China, even though it's Japan...



You might not believe it until you see it. Have a peek.

transportation

So...in my line of work, transportation is really important. Granted, I don't live in a small village where you can walk anywhere you need to be, or hop on a moving car/bike. Half the year, practically, our world is snowed in and biking/walking are not at all appealing options in subzero temperatures. (today, for instance)



But really, there are lots of ways to get around. I'd like to take a stroll down memory lane with you photographically.

There is the ever-popular biking option,


Yes, a mother and toddler are riding on the back of a bicycle with a bucket counterbalancing here. I saw this a lot in China, unfortunately there aren't any photos from that time I have taken. I got pretty decent at riding sidesaddle on the back when in China...can hardly believe that was 5 years ago...


Ever-popular way to transport wood, this is a little zealous in my estimation. At least it's dry season and there aren't massive amounts of mud to contend with on those dirt hills they'll be riding this wood through!


These folks don't let a few stairs deter them! Looked for a photo of massive amounts of people riding in Shanghai, but pretty much everyone has seen that picture by now. Not everyone has seen how in the cities stairs have a bike track on the sides and sometimes in the middle for people to carry bikes up, like this.


Even a white shirt and tie with black pants, there's no excuse for not riding around here :)

Well that's all for now. I'm going to go enjoy my state of emergency blizzard evening...