alan-???? Gunjou no Tani MV (DVD Ver.)

The song and video by Alan Dawa Dolma is beautiful and it brings back all the memories I have from the study abroad trip to China. The scenery in the video is amazing and it makes me long to see more. I hope that one day Tibet and China can come to a peaceful agreement.

As I traveled from place to place this summer, I collected a number of new songs that were simply amazing to me. I don’t know the literal translations for some of them but I get the gist of it. They’re worth a spin if you’re looking for new music.

1. Take it from Here – Justin Timberlake[Classic. Thanks to TrinityGarcia for the YouTube Kaba Modern video link. If you don't know how to dance, you'll want to learn after watching them perform.]
2. Fragilidad – Sting (Remixed by the Buena Vista Social Club)[This song is smooth. It's comforting to listen to and will get you floating across the floor. The entire album is a must for any Salsa lovers out there. A friend studying in Mexico introduced me to the album and it is fantastic.]
3. Party Like a Rockstar – Shop Boyz[I first rocked out to this one with my sister in the 'Rock. Strange. Now every other song on the radio talks about being a rockstar... I like this beat better.]
4. Sober – Kelly Clarkson[The last CD I purchased before leaving the States for VIA's summer training. I think I went through two batteries on my flight back over. =( Mostly because I fell asleep and left my mp3 player on.]
5. Marry Me Today – David Tao and Jolin[I heard this song for the first time along with Endless Love at the Pearl in Chengdu, CN with two other classmates. I didn't know it was a cover song until later in the summer.]
6. Endless Love – Jackie Chan & Kim Hee Seon[This song was also first heard at the Pearl. It is a beautiful song and I hear that there are multiple versions. It took me the entire summer and multiple emails to a friend in Nanjing to figure out what the name of the song was. If it wasn't for a Vietnamese version that I was able to record and send to my friend, I would have never known the name. I was surprised to find that Jackie Chan is the male singer in the version I have. In addition to that, Kim Hee Seon sings the duet part. I didn't connect the name to the Korean actress until I saw a picture of her. She's the main female lead in "The Sad Love Story". (That series will make you cry.) The song is also a part of the soundtrack to the movie that they both star in, "The Myth".]
7. Way Back Into Love – Hugh Grant & Drew Barrymore[People in Asia love this song. It is the main theme for the movie "Music and Lyrics", a movie that I only saw after being asked a number of times by people I met in China and Thailand if I had seen the movie and know the song. It's actually a pretty charming movie; a great song to boot. The song was sung here at the university's Welcome Ceremony as well. There's no escaping this song.]
8. All Good Things – Mandy Moore[The voice sounded familiar, but it wasn't confirmed until the DJ announced it. "All Good Things" was playing on the airplane while I traveled back to/from the States for my sister's wedding. It's pretty darn good.]
9. Rosas – La Oreja De Van Gogh[A friend, and fellow volunteer, introduced me to her music collection and this album caught my attention, especially this song. Have a listen, then try the whole album. If I could have the same artist twice on this playlist, I would add the song "La Esperanza Debida".]

This summer I have met and spoken with a number of people whom English is their second language. Their desire to speak in the language regardless of their skill level is very inspiring. From students to professors to people of other professions, everyone I’ve come across seems ready and willing to share and hear a story.

The favorite topic seems to be love- life and love. In Nanjing, I received an email about what I missed when I decided to go to bed early. The students had a great time getting together and talking about life in general: school, family, friends, and love. In Shanghai, I went out to dinner with one of my roommates at the hostel on my last night there. She had just gotten back from hanging out with a friend from the city. She had a lot on her mind, most of which was love and marriage. She wants to marry for love and sees no point in rushing things, especially if it doesn’t feel right. A wise decision. In Chiang Mai, the students that were our hosts at the University frequently talked about love. Two of them would wander off, and when we’d find them again, we’d ask, “What are y’all doing?” To which they replied, “‘Just talking about life and love.” Here in Hanoi, it’s the same but is usually attached to conversations of marriage. A fellow teacher and I were having tea after lunch and we got on the topic of women, life, family, and future goals. Then he threw in, “It’s probably time for me to find someone.” My reaction? “I can’t believe you just said that…” But in all honesty, we’ll all know when the time comes. In the meantime, it’s a topic that everyone can relate to. And in VIA, the topic still has legs… and men still have hope.

The Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Center offered a relaxing stroll through a nice sized park with a number of zones for pandas of different sizes and types. There was also a lake with several black swans. What we noticed most about pandas is that they really like to eat, sleep, and hangout. Can’t argue with that.

The picture shown is of a red panda which looks very much like a racoon. There were quite a few of them hanging from the trees. This one was six months old, if I remember correctly. We wanted to see some regular (black and white) baby pandas but I don’t think we found them. We did find the Giant Panda Playground but they were inside on the day we visited.

Here are three of the black swans. At first we couldn’t figure out what they were from afar. They seemed somewhat territorial.