Hello, Shaojie

How did I go from baking cupcakes in DC to living in rural China?

 

I now live in Shaojie, Maolan, Yunnan, China. Population: 8,000. Elevation: 5,905.51 ft or 1800 m. It is a for real mountain village. The 'ville, for short if you please. One mountain road in, one mountain road out, nothing to do but play Picasa (classify faces on Picasa) and marvel at the fact that I live in the mountains.  

 

Shit just got real. 

 

I just spent a full hour washing less than 16 pairs of underwear. I think once I get proper internet I'm going to have to figure out the right way to do this in the least time possible. How the hell do you use a washboard? I just bought one and it has helped me to feel a little more confident that my underwear is clean, but the fact that I can't be sure is sad to me.

 

I can't decide right now if the fact that I'm worrying about clean underwear is refreshing or… something else entirely. What did I used to worry about? How many claims I was going to complete in one day? Sitting in a cube? Playing with old files and trying to understand what constitutes PTSD? Traffic?

 

Now I worry about whether or not there will be hot showers in winter, how will I get all the nutrients I need to survive and I rejoice in the idea that maybe the 20 lbs I gained while eating ribs at the VA will come off my ribs, that much faster.