If there were any more interesting news to report then I would have written all the sooner, but it seems I have become very focused on my work ~ concentrating on building up those around me, imparting knowledge to young children and perfecting my pencil drawing. Spending time with people is exhausting, especially young children who ted to unintentionally drain one of their own energy. I cannot remember the last time I sat by myself, with my thoughts being completely my own... No interruptions, no whispers of discontent, nothing to distract me from just being.
I suppose the last time I wrote would be the correct assumption, but even then I was caught in the juxtaposition of wanting to be on my own and wanting to be with my lover. How can my needs and desires be so conflicting?
Regardless, I am on my own at this very moment in time, reveling in my oneness and concentrating on what it is I love to do the most.
The Far East has truly opened my eyes to a world beyond what I could imagine. I was not completely ignorant to the foreign ways that I would inevitably encounter, but to live here where there are few similarities to anything I have experienced before, takes a little getting used to. Recently there was The Double Ninth Festival, also known as Chung Yeung Festival, where we were encouraged to travel to the mountain peaks as is tradition, to avoid the Ruhe River monster.
As the story goes, a man called Huanjing was determined to destroy the river monster after it killed his parents, so he ended up training to become a great and powerful warrior underneath the watchful eye of the celestial being Fei Changfang. Huanjing trains for a whole year until the 9th day of the 9th lunar month, and evacuates his entire village to the mountains, where he gives them cornel leaves and chrysanthemum wine.
When the Ruhe River monster appears he finds the village abandoned and deserted, though he eventually discovers the people hiding atop the mounting. Scrambling towards them, the monster is determined to maim and kill, but the smell of the cornel leaves and chrysanthemum wine weakens hi, changing the colour of his skin and making him easier to kill.
Of course, this is when Huanjing comes down the mountain, wielding two swords. The monster and the warrior do battle, and eventually Huanjing decapitates the monster.
Here in the Orient, there are more stories that I will be able to remember, but I love how these legends still shape their culture and traditions. Coming from a country that has a little traditional culture, it is exciting to see that there are other ways of life that have been handed down from generation to generation
D. S.
I suppose the last time I wrote would be the correct assumption, but even then I was caught in the juxtaposition of wanting to be on my own and wanting to be with my lover. How can my needs and desires be so conflicting?
Regardless, I am on my own at this very moment in time, reveling in my oneness and concentrating on what it is I love to do the most.
The Far East has truly opened my eyes to a world beyond what I could imagine. I was not completely ignorant to the foreign ways that I would inevitably encounter, but to live here where there are few similarities to anything I have experienced before, takes a little getting used to. Recently there was The Double Ninth Festival, also known as Chung Yeung Festival, where we were encouraged to travel to the mountain peaks as is tradition, to avoid the Ruhe River monster.
As the story goes, a man called Huanjing was determined to destroy the river monster after it killed his parents, so he ended up training to become a great and powerful warrior underneath the watchful eye of the celestial being Fei Changfang. Huanjing trains for a whole year until the 9th day of the 9th lunar month, and evacuates his entire village to the mountains, where he gives them cornel leaves and chrysanthemum wine.
When the Ruhe River monster appears he finds the village abandoned and deserted, though he eventually discovers the people hiding atop the mounting. Scrambling towards them, the monster is determined to maim and kill, but the smell of the cornel leaves and chrysanthemum wine weakens hi, changing the colour of his skin and making him easier to kill.
Of course, this is when Huanjing comes down the mountain, wielding two swords. The monster and the warrior do battle, and eventually Huanjing decapitates the monster.
Here in the Orient, there are more stories that I will be able to remember, but I love how these legends still shape their culture and traditions. Coming from a country that has a little traditional culture, it is exciting to see that there are other ways of life that have been handed down from generation to generation
D. S.
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