Thirty.

I'm writing about the things I have recently done or am currently doing to become a better human for myself and the world around me. 

I like to read these list-type blogs so I will try to make one of my own. There are a few things I constantly try to accomplish in my own life. And things I am still pushing to do. These are all common sense pieces of advice, but sometimes, you need to hear it repetitively before you can act on it.

Any advice here is something I have done myself, and I'm better for it all. Many may seem repetitive from other blogs, but that is because I have read them and applied them myself. 

I've more than once said that my blogs are meant to inspire others. I write about a myriad of topics. Sure I give many people motivation for a day, but I want to see my friends, acquaintances, and even strangers be bolder and happier from my words. As a writer, I truly believe in the power of words, no matter how few.  I know for a fact two girls who found enough motivation to travel abroad through my blogs and I'm so grateful to have played even a small piece in their decision to explore. 

Also, since moving to China, many people have inquired about teaching abroad. Whether they're just thinking or truly considering moving, I don't know, but sparking curiosity is the least I can hope to achieve. 

Below I have written 30 things that I feel have led me most in recent months. 

1. Face your fears. If it's heights, climb a mountain. I went to the very top of the Eiffel Tower. I cried, but boy, was it incredible!

2. Look at the world. Look at it's people. Really see it. Just breathe it in. Find the good in it. Even the worst places have something beautiful to offer.

3. Forgive someone. Truly forgive them. your soul will be happier for it.

4. Let go. It's hard. Sometimes brutally hard, but in the end it's best.

5. Forget "if it's meant to be it will find a way." You will spend too much time wondering when that time is going to be. It could be decades. Live in the now. Don't waste you time.

6. Go to a bar or restaurant alone. Talk to strangers or talk to no one.

7. If you live in a big city with a subway take it one day and just pick a stop, get off and explore.

8. Find comfort in being alone rather than feeling pain. Enjoy your own company, and indulge in your thoughts and ideas.

9. Do something nice because it's the right thing to do. Never expect something in return.

10. Kiss a stranger. Hell, go home with a stranger. Who cares? No one, including yourself, will care in a few weeks time.

11. Say what you want. Stay true to yourself. Don't be cruel, but don't hide your words. 

12. Make promises to yourself. And keep them. It doesn't matter what other people expect from you. What do you expect from yourself? Make a dream and chase the hell out of it!

13. Do something insane whether it's sky diving, taking a drug or simply going streaking. Don't be an idiot, but be ballsy. Have a story to tell.

14. Stop judging others. We're all judging each other, but why? It doesn't matter. People are not weird or strange, they are different!!!

15. Go outside. Whether it is freezing cold or sweltering hot, don't stay cooped up.

16. Remember you are only as broken as you allow yourself to be. Love yourself first and foremost, even if people call you selfish for it. It's your right as a human. This doesn't mean be heartless toward others, though.

17. Cry. It's a healthy release. And it's natural.

18. Travel!!! It will make you wiser, give you stories and make you realize how lucky you are. There is always a place poorer than you, a culture harder to live, a religion forced to practice, or a war fought being fought. 

19. Take care of your body. You need it through the journey of life. And it's easier when in top condition. Eat more green and less sugar. Go for a jog or a walk. Drive less. Whatever.

20. Don't take no shit. If you don't like it, leave it. You owe no one. Be it a job, a religion or a lover.

21. Be tough when it matters but soft when it matters more.

22. Give it another try. Grow stronger from your failure, not weaker. Rome wasn't built in a day! 

23. Let your past make you better and not bitter. Shit happens and that's it. Your demeanor affects those around you more than you ever realize. When one is angry, it spreads. Don't let the disease control you. 

24. If you want to do something when no one else is, do it. And when you don't want to do something when everyone else is, don't! 

25. Most importantly, stay young. The world is hard and cruel but it doesn't mean we as humans should let it harden us. Find the beauty in everything. Play hide-n-seek, climb a tree, swing off a rope into a creek, buy a coloring book. Whatever you do, remain among the young at heart. 

26. Call or email an old friend. It's never too much time gone by to let someone know you care. 

27. NEVER forget where you come from. Embrace and explore other places, but be proud of your roots. It is who you are. 

28. Smile. Even when you don't want to. You never know whose day you can change. 

29. Fall in love with strangers. In life we will encounter many people. Some will stay forever and some are temporary. Be not afraid of loving the temporary ones as equally as the forever ones. Share, explore and embrace in other humans. 

30. Make a decision based on feeling. Take a leap. Even if just once, don't over think and weight the odds. Just jump. Life works out in the end. 

Chinese New Year: When Celebration Sounds Like A War Zone.

It is February 19, 2015. The morning air smells of gunpowder when I first step outside. 
Every inch of concrete is covered with red confetti; remnants of the millions of brilliant explosions from the night before. It is a new day, and the first day of the New Year according to the Lunar Calendar. 

Although the Chinese celebrate New Years Eve on December 31 like most of the world, it is nothing in comparison to the events I witnessed last night. 

I'd heard rumors about how empty the city would become when Spring Festival arrived. (Spring Festival is the time when everyone is on holiday for Chinese New Year, not actual CNY). I was told everyone would return to their hometowns because the large majority of Chinese in Beijing are not Beijingers. Stores and restaurants close down and the city is essentially locked up. Foreigners are warned to stock up on groceries and cash (because they also don't refill the ATMs). Compared to normal Beijing, it looks like the Apocalypse came and only 500 Chinese, plus the foreigners survived. This is a city of 23-plus million people. On a daily basis there is no place in this city that doesn't have a crowd (for the most part). If you sit on the subway at any point throughout the day, it is a miracle. This week I boarded the subway at my neighborhood stop and immediately found a seat, with plenty left surrounding me. The hectic crowds of Beijng I loathe had ceased to exist. It was beautiful. 

As far as decorations, atmosphere and preparation, Chinese New Year is the equivalent of Christmas in western cultures. The local stores are filled with everything red, traditional treats and gift boxes to purchase. And from every street post hangs at least two red lanterns.  Chinese New Year is celebrated, however, like Western New Years, where New Year's Eve is the celebratory evening full of gatherings, feasts, toasts and of course, fireworks. 

I've seen countless fireworks shows over the Red River and on Caney Lake back home, but never have I seen something so magnificent as last night. 

There is a place in Beijing called Houhai and it's a popular foreigner spot that surrounds a tiny lake. It's perfectly laid out. you can ride in paddle boats or relax along the beautifully-designed concrete railings or simply enjoy the view by walking. At midnight, Houhai was to have a big fireworks show for CNY. 

Jasmine, Nathan and I were coming from dinner with Jasmine's family to meet my Colombian crew. We were running a bit behind because there were no taxis to be caught so the wait was longer than normal. When we finally caved and got a black taxi, the cabby missed the turn. Anyway, we were to meet at a bar that's three minutes walking to the center of Houhai. It was 11:48 when the taxi dropped us. I ran into the bar to have a look around for them, but they were already in the center. It was  now 11:53. We began walking toward Houhai and when it was 11:57 we started to run (because why not). At 11:59 we were in the center just as the fireworks began. We were literally just in time. 

By some miracle, I walked straight into my Colombian friends. We drunkenly hugged and embraced each other in all the excitement, and together we admired the amazing display above us. 

In a moment the sky was lit up by hundreds of fireworks. The show seemed endless. In all directions, and even further in the distance, brilliant sparks of light burst through the air. We were enchanted in the atmosphere, sounds and view which surrounded us. Everyone was all smiles. It was beautiful and nothing could bring down a high like that. For 35 minutes we all stared toward the sky with the smiles of children because the world surrounding us was so vibrant. 
It was a new year... again. There is something about being in China and celebrating a traditional new year evening made it seem so much better than the semi-recent December 31st New Year's celebration. It's an astonishing feeling to celebrate something so important and significant to another culture, as an outsider. Especially when many of the people of that culture have become so important to you. It's incredible to say I celebrated the Chinese's most significant and cherished holiday in China with locals in a traditional way. 

 

 

The entire evening had been a treat. Before the fireworks display, I had traditional Chinese New Year's dinner with Jasmine's family at her grandparent's apartment. Neither her parents nor her grandparents speak English.  Not even a little. The evening consisted of Nathan (Jasmine's boyfriend who speaks Mandarin fluently) serving as narrator to translate everything being said to me. It was quite entertaining. 

When we arrived, Jasmine's parents were already preparing the feast. I didn't learn their names because Chinese names are very difficult for me (I can barely say Jasmine's). In Chinese, father is bàbà (said kind of like bah bah but sharper). However, this version is more like saying "daddy" so most people just say bà as they get older. Mother in Chinese is māma (just as it sounds in English for the most part), For mother, Jasmine, and many others will still say māma, but can shorten to just mā I suppose. Ayi (sounds like eye-e) is the word for aunt so this is what I called Jasmine's mother. I didn't address them much throughout the night anyway since I can't speak Chinese. They would ask Jasmine or Nathan a question about me then I would tell them. It wasn't uncomfortable or odd in anyway. It was just like bringing a friend over to my own parents house except we needed a translator. Parents want to know about their children's friends and it's simple polite conversation. They asked how old my parents were and how old my grandparents were. I told them I only have one grandmother left and she is 75. I told them how close we are and showed them pictures of my parents and my grandmother. They didn't ask about my brother because I think they forget Westerners usually have at least one other sibling since in China, it's common to have a one child household. Jasmine has one aunt (her dad's sister) and she has a son which gives Jasmine one cousin. However, since she has no siblings, she calls him brother (gēge), and they are very close just like siblings. 

My favorite family member was of course Jasmine's grandmother, whom you call năinai (sounds like nigh nigh in English). I have a real soft spot for the elderly. I think elderly humans are the most beautiful people in the world. Their appearances alone say so much about who they are and where they've been. Năinai is tanner than most Chinese I've seen in Beijing (remember Chinese see pale skin as a sign of money because if you are dark it means you work in the fields or hard labor). Jasmine has her high cheek bones, but the skin around năinai's cheeks hangs a bit looser and lower. Her hair is salt and pepper. When Jasmine introduced us I said in Chinese "My name is Amie." She told me I was tall and beautiful. I told her the same (minus the tall part, ha). Năinai is 83 years old. She has a lot of health issues and needs a lot of medication. This didn't stop her from pulling me through the house toward her stash of moon cakes. I thanked her and smiled as I ate the treat (although moon cakes are by far the worst of Chinese sweets I've tried.) Never refuse anything from the Chinese, especially in their home because it is considered extremely insulting. Even when I'd had all of the entrees and tried all of the dumplings, I kept eating and even had an orange for dessert when bà presented it to me. 

Before leaving, I asked năinai to take a photo with me. She said to me, "You see how ugly I am, yet you still want to take a photo with me." I said, "No, you are beautiful." Meeting năinai was lovely, but made me miss my own năinai a little more than usual. 

Lastly, there was Jasmine's grandfather, yéye (sounds like yeah yeah in English.) He didn't speak much, but the one thing he did was eat dinner before everyone else. He sticks to a very strict schedule of dinner at 6:30. This reminded me of my Pawpaw who himself was an impatient man. I don't think yéye was impatient, he just has to stick to the schedule because that's what the elderly do. All the same, it made me smirk at the thought of my own grandfather. 
To wrap this up, I just want to say that I'm eternally grateful for all that I experienced last night. Each day I spend here I become more open to the world and to myself. I'm in a constant state of learning and pure bliss. I'm not too spiritual in the Biblical sense these days, but I came across this verse the other day and it spoke to me. 
"Perhaps this is the moment for which you were created." Esther 4:14  

Yeye writes traditional Chinese calligraphy

Me & Ba making the dumplings 

Round one. :) 

Nainai :) <3

 

Speak. Hablar. Shuo

I pride myself on being southern. And I pride myself on having a southern accent. And I really have pride in the little bit of Alabama twang I somehow inherited. But, this wasn't always the case. Up until about a year ago I was really self conscious about my accent. It gets really frustrating being mocked because you "talk funny." Or having people repeat everything you say because "it's so cute." And let's not forget, "oh, can you say (insert a word that sounds cute in a southern accent here)?"
In sixth grade cheerleading tryouts I was told to tone down my accent (I obviously never forgot it). I really struggled with -igh and -ite words then. The long vowel sound was extra long in my vocabulary. Anyway, I started speaking slower and that helped kick the problem as long as I'm not drunk or obnoxiously excited (because this is when my accent reaches a new level).
Now I love when people ask me to say certain words or phrases. And I realize people aren't mocking me, just curious or appreciating the sound of my voice. I know this because I do the same thing, like always asking my British roommate to say "blueberry." 
Since traveling and meeting people from all over the world with all kinds of accents, whether English is their first, second or even third language, you realize accents are the most fascinating thing. Last night I was having drinks with my English, Canadian and fellow American friend. My Canadian friend told me my accent was changing a bit and I say certain words with less of a drawl (something my friends back home have noticed as well). The English gent explained we pick up on the phrases and expressions of the people around us, which in turn means we pick up a bit of their accents, too. This is something I've realized since I lived in New York, so I agreed. We discussed how great it is that one language can have so many different sounds. Even people whose first language is English such as Australians, Americans, English and Irish are so diverse. Between the jargons and colloquial speech, they're practically different languages. 

I say this to say, one of my roommates is from England and the other is from South Africa. Although they both speak English as perfectly as if it were their first and only language (Gurpreet is Indian and also speaks Punjabi and Jakes speaks Afrikaans),  I struggle to understand them sometimes because of their accents. Chinese, French, Spanish, South African, and even English people, you name it. It's all a struggle, and it isn't just me.

My boss is an Irish-raised South African, one of my co-workers is, as I like to describe him, "British as hell," and even my fellow American friends were raised on opposite sides of the country than me. Between us, with the 'isms' and shoptalk there is an entire other language of English. 

Here, I find myself saying, "what," and "huh" to as many native English speakers as I do to the Chinese. However, I have also adapted many of these slang words. If you thought my vocabulary was colorful and unique before, wait 'til I return this time. Cigarettes are fags, cool is dope, posh is classy, laquer is cool, etc. 

My major problem when speaking to non-native English speakers is that I speak too quickly. I've recently been hanging out with an amazing group of Colombian guys. When we first met they made a joke that I should speak like Dory from Finding Nemo and now we have a running joke when I speak to quickly they say, "que" and I repeat the sentence in whale. :) 

The guys have also been helping me with my Spanish, which is actually improving. Any little thing I say they praise highly. I said, "yo quiero una cerveza," at the bar the other night and David threw his hands up in praise to say, "Miami (my nickname), your Spanish is getting so good." I laughed and told him that every American knows how to say "I want a beer", ha. Nonetheless, the encouragement feels good.  

The key to learning a language is confidence and practice. But more importantly the confidence. You must say things again and again, no matter how ridiculous you feel you sound. If it's wrong, you laugh and try again. The best part about learning a language from someone whose first language isn't English is that they know what it's like to say something incorrectly or not be able to find the right words. I never correct my Chinese or Colombian friends English, unless it is the complete wrong use of a word or the grammar was incomprehensible. Plus, most of my friends are really good at self correction. I don't correct them for three reasons. No. 1: language is a bitch. Conjugations, verb tenses, s-v-o order and all that stuff isn't important (in my opinion) if you can communicate and understand. No. 2: It takes a lot for them to find the confidence to communicate with a native English speaker.  It's a process! They need to think in their language, mentally translate, speak the translation, then hear a response, translate to their language, translate their answer, then speak again. NOT EASY! It gets easier, because the process becomes quicker and some of my friends obviously use their English daily, but for those who don't, it's a chore. No. 3: They don't correct me when I know I make mistakes trying to speak their languages. 

My friends here have a bad habit of saying, "My English is no good today," if they make more than one mistake in their speech. I tell them it is perfect, because it is to me. What is important is that we can communicate. Who cares how it sounds. Even fellow native speakers can't understand me sometimes because of my slang and speed. I love to tell my friends if they can understand me then their English is great because my accent is so thick.

I speak a little slower these days, and I now have a habit of grading my language and dumbing down my vocabulary when I speak to everyone. I want to be friends with these people and I want to communicate with them just like I would with friends back home, so if that means talking slower, with less slang and a shorter vocabulary list, then so be it.

Like my Colombian friend was pleased with my small Spanish phrase, the Ayi (means aunt, and is the name used for the housekeepers) was ecstatic when she taught me to say "throw away" in Chinese the other day. It's the little things when you are learning a language. For both parties, it's the satisfaction of being able to communicate with someone who doesn't speak your language as their first. 

To my brother on his birthday.

"Family isn't always blood. It's the people in your life that want you in theirs. The ones who accept you for who you are. The ones who would do anything to see you smile and love you no matter what." 


To my brotha from my other motha: A quarter of a century! I can't believe this officially puts us over being friends for more than half our lives. I'm so thankful that middle school crush didn't work out because if it weren't for you and B I'd be completely lost these past seven months. Thank you for being there regardless of the time. Literally! Fourteen hours is a big gap!
Thank you for always laughing at my stories and incidents and never being judgmental. Thank you for calling me an inspiration! I look at you as the one who has it together, what with your own vehicles, a real job, stocks and such. The fact you find me inspiring only makes me want to inspire more.

I couldn't make a post to you short enough for social media so congratulations, you have a mini blog spot in my crazy world. :)

Here's some top memories of mine from the past 13 years of our friendship for you to reminisce over! I promise to only tell the funny ones so you can maintain your manly image and not cry!

1. Spring pictures one of those middle school years. You know when you had the perfectly gelled down bangs because that was the style? You took yours in my cheerleading letterman and your grandpa nearly shit, but we thought it was the best picture ever (because it was).

2. The sexual harassment scandal of 7th grade! To this day I still roll on the floor laughing about that accusation.

3. When I had a summer pool party and you and Wesley (God only knows why) tried on my clothes, including my cheerleading uniforms.

4. Senior year of high school when you showed up to the homecoming game trashed and I slapped you at half time for being an unspirited jerk. Rule No. 1 of being best friends with the girl voted most spirited in the high school class is have spirit (even when our team sucks).

5- Your wedding eve is my most recent favorite memory. I can't imagine a better way of sending you off to your future than literally stumbling back to the hotel and literally falling down in the street because in our hammered state we apparently thought "lean on me" was a solution to make us stumble free.

6. Your wedding. To see you in such a fragile, honest (and possibly tipsy)  state as you watched B walk down the aisle in her breathtaking beauty. When you choked up saying your vows and had the entire crowd in sobs.

7. I smile when I think about all of the weekends we spent drunk on the lake and going to baseball games in Texas. That seems like ages ago now.  We were so young then and just pretending to be adults when we were old enough to go on road trips alone, but still not old enough to legally purchase alcohol.

8. And let's not forget Panama. A trip that our entire circle of friends can agree should have a reunion. Fresh out of high school and our entire lives ahead. Consuming 150 Tostino's pizzas in a week and all that alcohol. To be that young and stupid again, eh? :)

9. The year we lived together we actually weren't even that close because we were too busy with school and work. But you were there when things went south for me, and there when they patched up.

10. A bathtub full of booze at the hotel when we went to Hammond for the Sweet 16. Who even remembers how those nights ended?

There are 1,000s more but some not appropriate to blackmail you with nor share with the world.

I knew we'd always be friends but not like this. I just assumed we'd see each other on occasions and when our friends got married or had babies. I never imagined you'd be the person I call first with news or stories. I can't thank you enough for being there. I've told you all of my endeavors, in all of their ridiculous detail, and you've never once judged. Thank you for many more things:
1. For taking pride in me when I was ashamed of myself.
2. For laughing at my mistakes rather than ridiculing.
3. For listening and supporting
4. For telling me the circumference of the earth, then telling me that couldn't stop me. (Yes, I remember that).
5. For thinking I'm intelligent and capable.
6. For being the person I can ask for help or advice at any hour. Because you are who you are, I know you'd bail me out or fly 5,000 miles to help me.
7. For being proud of me and saying so.
8. For including me in your life.
9. For the countless FaceTimes; last minute or planned.
10. For letting your family be my family too! The in-laws included!

Lastly, I suppose I should thank Jared Carter as well. If weren't for him being your brother and me being middle-school obsessed with him in 6th grade we would've never met (not like we did anyway). My memory is fuzzy about a lot of things, but I do know one of the first things I said to you, and the only reason I talked to you was to say, "aren't you Jared Carter's brother?" Haha! It's funny how life works out, isn't it?

Happy Birthday! I love you 1,000 Twix candy bars, Bubba!

P.s. Can't wait for 30 in Vegas!

"You can take the girl out of the country...

But you can't take the country out of the girl."
I grew up in a neighborhood literally on the other side of the city limit sign. When I was 14, we moved to the country on my grandparent's land. The highlight of my summers was going to Granny's to shell peas at six a.m. In my mind, I was country because I wanted to be. I'd always asked to live in the country. Mostly because I wanted horses and an acre backyard in the city would not suit. I never got horses anyway because father knows best. I was too busy with cheerleading and soccer to take care of a horse, then I'd be going to college and daddy assured me he wouldn't be left taking care of it. Instead, he now takes care of my two cats and one dog instead of a horse (which is still substantially cheaper and easier).
Back to the story...
When I tell people I'm from Louisiana (15 minutes from Texas), and they hear my accent they assume I'm a cowgirl or a racist. Neither of which are true (obviously). For us southerners, we realize there are several categories of country people. 
The most well-known would be cowboys. The real McCoy's: the rodeo clowns, the rise when the rooster crow kind, goosenecks full of cattle and John Deeres.
Then you have your country folk; farm bred, grow their own and tow their own, but not so backwoods they stand out in society. They can sew a button or stitch on a patch quick. They enjoy the quiet life where crickets sound outside of windows instead of car horns.
Then you have your rednecks. Stereotypically known for being racist (which isn't always true). The four-wheeler ridin', tobacco chewin' (and spittin'), beer drinkin', rough n' tough type.
Lastly, you have your white trash. They need no explanation.
Regardless of what kind of country you are, each has one quality from the other. In the end, we all prefer the woods to the mall, boots to heels, blue jeans to slacks, fried to baked and of course, the country to the city.
There are also many categories of southern, but that's not relevant to this post. 
Back home, I know at least one person from each of these "kinds of country." People who are not country hear us talk and it's like we speak another language. They don't understand the slang and isms. They also don't understand why we prefer cold beer (in a can) to wine in a glass. They don't understand why we love songs about drinkin', fishin', trucks, tight fittin' jeans or 'Murica.'
The songs are who we are. People relate to their music of choice (for the most part). I hate when people stereotype country music as nothing more than drinkin', trucks, etc. For the most part it is, but remember the audience country music is directed toward. I'll be the first to admit that I hate most mainstream music because it is now pop country, but, it still speaks to someone. And, just like the people, in the music, there is also "kinds of country." It's the twang, the steel guitars and all the other familiar sounds that make country music. The artists we learn to love and the few newbies we accept for making a feel good summer hit. Anyway... I'm getting distracted again.
Anyone who knows me knows I'm a music addict. I constantly have headphones in and if I don't I need music playing. The silence disturbs me.
I've been super homesick for the past two weeks. I don't miss my family and friends (anymore than I have for the past seven months), but I miss my country. And I don't mean America. I mean my happy place. I miss crickets. I miss fishing with my daddy in the warm summer sun. Hell, I just miss the sun. I miss fresh green grass and trees. I miss the random sounds of shotguns fired in the woods. Most of all, I miss being barefoot. I hate shoes!
This blog is a hodgepodge of thoughts but it all blossomed when I was so homesick the other day I did the "Boot Scootin' Boogie" in my bedroom. Alone. :)

1990: The year of the horse

A few weeks ago I was strolling through the 798 art district here in Beijing with a buddy who randomly dropped in town. We were looking through some Tibetan art building (we assumed from the numerous prayer flags.) Anyway, I told him how traveling seems to be the best source of learning for me. I have learned more in the past two years than I ever learned in a classroom. I meet so many people along the way and each one seems smarter than the previous. 
I've decided I learn best through others. I can more easily focus my attention on an interesting human, rather than a school teacher when I was 10. Point is, I'm not just off galavanting and aimlessly wandering the world, I'm really learning a lot. I'm not only learning about China and it's culture and geography, but about other countries through all of the fascinating people I meet. I listen to their stories and in return gain useful, intelligent information, as well as entertainment.
This isn't the point of the blog though. Well, not exactly. The point is I didn't realize when I'd said it how true it was.  
We all know why I initially began traveling, but the point is I did it. And it takes a certain kind of person to just up and leave. Even if only temporarily. I myself had no idea why I boarded a 22-hour flight to Beijing on July 1, but I just did. Sometimes we don't have answers. My worst, yet best quality is that I make impulsive decisions. And although China took planning and work to get here, in the beginning, it was simply an ad I saw in an email. When I was headed here everyone sled, "Why China?" I had no answer for them. Since arriving in Beijing, when I met others they ask the same question, "Why China?" My answer is still the same, "I have no idea." The difference between now and seven months ago is I always add, "but I love it."
Soon to approach is the Chinese New Year, also known as Spring Festival here in China. The Chinese run on a lunar calendar. This means January 1st is not the first day of their year. This year, the first day of the year is February 19th. I've been learning a lot about the Chinese Zodiac animals through my weekly lunches with Jasmine (my Chinese BFF). She told me I'm a horse, she's a snake and this year is going to be the year of the sheep (also, ram or goat). This was all last week. Today we were walking and I asked her again what the horse meant. It is known for being a free spirit, well-liked, motivated toward constant self-improvement and known as a loyal friend. I was really happy to hear all of this because I like to think of myself as motivated and free-spirited. Not to mention the horse is my favorite animal. Then, I find out this year (the one ending in two weeks) was the year of the horse. As we were discussing this, walking through the miraculously sunny streets of Sanlitun, I shrieked, in excitement, "of course it's the year of the horse! This has been the best year of my life!" I then proceeded to say the Chinese zodiac single-handedly picked me to come to China for this year of the horse. Like destiny. It's hard to put into words what I'm trying to say, but, I am a horse and this was 100% my year! 
I have met some of the most emotionally and spiritually motivating people this year. I made real life changes and I have started over. And I discovered this all the while not knowing it was my year. 
All Chinese Zodiacs, like the Zodiacs we're familiar with, have suggestions for which animals are best for you and which are not, as well as lucky numbers and colors. In addition to all that, each Zodiac has a lucky flower, which for the horse, happens to be Jasmine. Yes, like my wonderful better half here in China, whom I so happened to meet on my fourth day here and have been lucky enough to have by my side this whole time. It was fate. If I didn't already, before today, I can now say I 100% believe that everything, even the little ones, happen for a reason.