I'm back...I think

Hello loved readers,


I disappeared for the last two weeks because China has blocked me access to my blog. I'm not the only blogger who has suffered. China has firewalled Youtube, all blogger blogs, and many other websites containing information regarding T i a n a m e n square, as the anniversary of the massacre is on June 4th. I read about this on Nicolas Kristoff's fan page. Kristoff is a journalist for the NY times who travels all over the world documenting the most harsh and difficult of stories...while trying to create awareness, and compassionate for people all over the world in less than desirable situations.

Anyway, I'm writing here now through a Free Proxy Server. Let's hope it keeps working. I can't access everything on my blog through this, and I don't even know if this post will publish.


I wrote this rant a week ago and published it on facebook.


here it is:


For the past 10 months I've lived in the northern province of China called Inner Mongolia. When I anticipated this journey, I never expected that I would have to give up so many things I considered necessary for my own survival and happiness.

So far the things I've given up are as follows:

hot water
an oven
a microwave
burners (I cook with a rice cooker and a hot plate)
a toaster
forks
air conditioning
a car (I walk or ride my bike)
a helmet when I ride my bicycle
a mattress (I sleep on a one inch piece of foam on top of a wooden platform)
friends and family nearby
knowing and being able to speak the common language
access to English books, dvds, newspapers
clean water (I boil my water)
a consistent form of electricity and water (sometimes it goes out)


In the university where I work I am provided with no:

books or materials of any kind.
there are no doors on the stalls in the bathrooms
no air conditioning or even a fan
inconsistent form of heat
the windows are broken
the students clean the classrooms but most times they are filthy.

The only thing I am provided with is chalk for the board...which is in rich and abundant supply.

All this I can live with, and actually I've been quite happy living without all these things,
but last week something else was taken away from me.

my blog.

and everyone else's blog who blogs on blogger. this is just not cool because I rely on my blog to communicate my feelings and experiences with friends and loved ones from back home. It's been a great writing tool for me. I'm really very happy with how it's come along in the past 10 months.

but now, that's over because China has firewalled access to many websites, all blogger blogs, Youtube, and whatever else they feel like, well because they like to control things.

What surprises me most is the reaction from my students when I tell them about this.

"Just wait several months...they are just checking to make sure there is nothing bad on the internet."

"Several months? I can't wait several months."


I then realized that the Chinese are used to this type of censorship, and they are used to not living with hot water, and air conditioning and clean classrooms and doors on bathrooms. To them, this is just life.
The live 6 to a dorm room, don't own computers or cars, and walk to the shower house once a week and pay 60 cents to take a shower, because once a week is all they can afford.

I never fully understood priviledge until I came here. I used to feel jaded about being an American, and now I just feel lucky.

When I go home this summer, I won't ask for much. Just hot water when I wash my face, and full access to the world wide web.

Bless Free Speech,

Bless Democracy.

I am thankful today to be an American.


(I don't have access to font type, size and color, as well as spell check, so please be patient with me.)