Starting 2012 with winter break

Finally I figured out a way to post on my own blog. Interestingly, I am having some trouble updating my own blog, which always weakens my eagerness to update and write something new.

First, I just wanted to talk a little bit about my winter break. This is the first time, in the past three and half years, that I went back to Beijing during winter time. Not surprisingly, I had a lot of  mixed feelings, positive and negative, about my hometown. Let's start with the good parts. Again, I was astonished by the fast changes Beijing is going through, specifically in transportation infrastructure and landscape. Two new subway lines just opened up in January, making the total number of lines in Beijing exceed 10. Also, the Southern city, called Yi Zhuang, was well established as well. One more thing about Yi Zhuang is that it becomes a little city by itself due to its the high concentration of headquarters, factories and residential area. I personally think this is a great example of how to balance out the city's resources and manage the huge population cluster in big cities.

Another highlight of my wintertime was around family and friends. Before, I didn't realize how important they are to me in my life and how much home means to a child who's been far away for almost four years. This year, I start to appreciate my time with family and will definitely try to make it happen more in the future years. Also, I get to catch up with a lot of high school friends and visited cool theaters in Beijing. It is so true that friends often open up an entire whole new world for me.

Also, the consulting project that we are working over break was surprisingly well. I learned some much working with all the mentors and mentees in the program. I have to say, as a lot of things that has happened in my life, they come in as surprises but end up leaving huge marks and giving me tremendous room for growth. Luckily, I always get a lot more than my initial expectation. As long as you are willing to give, share and put your hearts, you will always enjoy blessings along the way.

This new semester is off to a good start as well. Since this is my last semester in college, I decided to take something different. I am going to explore western religions and international security at depth, while writing and blogging about medical anthropology in developing countries. Also, our senior design project, which is an awesome android app, is on its way to implementation on campus.