Revelation

So I agree. This isn't the sexiest picture I could find or the most scenic in regards to the Beijing Olympics but it's pretty good in my opinion. It represents to me what I have seen and observed in my 2.5 weeks trip to Asia with my family - passion and creativity.

One of the things I think I missed out on growing up was to really appreciate my culture. I think I purposefully took it for granted that I spoke the language fluently and dabbled in a few of the Chinese Performing Arts. For me, I felt that distancing myself away from my cultural roots represented some kind of success because I was able to "make it" on my own without relying on the race card or on anyone. Now I have come to see that my roots and my family are the pillars to my success.

While I was in Asia, there was a noticeable transformation in the way I handled myself. I saw a shift to me being more relaxed around my family and able to spend less. The latter part of this statement does not stem from the convenience of having my parents around but rather the realization that I don't need much to be happy. It's a strange thing because in the states, I am constantly shopping and going out in between work. This leaves me feeling like I always don't have enough to spend, which increases my need to put in extra hours. Amongst family in Asia, I felt so idiotically happy with the simplest things like a really good cheap meal and being able to tip someone who wasn't used to being tipped. Most of the time I didn't even want to spend anything and if I spent something it was generally for the family or for food. This very simple but remarkable change has made all the difference to me in terms of how I see and understand the idea of luxury. None of the bright shiny plastic smelling department stores or fancy schmancy hotels with alert bellboys had caught my attention in the least. It was the small businesses with generations of families running them and the small stores set up inside narrow corridors, which held my fascination and intrigue. It was as if nothing really mattered except for the people around me.

Another interesting epiphany that was bestowed upon me was the profound respect I have for Chinese culture and its people. Simply being in Beijing was enough to captivate my amazement at the herculian change of the scenery, economy, and modernization. Most of it is owed to the preparation for the 2008 Olympics and it is nothing short of extraordinary. Not only was the architecture and layout of the buildings grand, the passion of the Chinese people had not fallen short in the slightest. The enthusiasm felt from the cab drivers to people we met was contagious because everyone had so much pride for their country. They knew about the history, the politics, and the current events of China as well as a history professor or an economist. I'm not sure I can even remember one third of the high school history I learned in school. The difference to me lies in passion.

To be continued...