Now I totally think that the “NaNoWriMo” project as it is referred to, is a fantastic idea. When I first heard about it my gut reaction was to get stuck in and have ago. Then I had a few thoughts. With a quick calculation I am told that 50,000 words within a month is just over 1,600 words a day, everyday. Now for those of you who have read my previous post, it has taken six days over a month for me to write this second post. So the prospect of writing the equivalent of more than two of these posts a day strikes me as a little ambitious. The reason being, I have a job. If you are fortunate to have both the ability and time to write 50,000 words in a month, even with the criteria for NaNoWriMo being quantity not quality, that really is still quite a feat. In my opinion, you must either a) not have a job, and should therefore probably keep writing as much as possible for the likely chance is that sooner or later you will need the money. Or b) you are superman.

I must be honest though, I am slightly saddened by the cynical view I seem to have of this, and even today was rebuked and told to just get on with it! But anyway, like I said, I have a book I wish to write someday. Following the traditions of the subtle geek that I am it is a science fiction – and quite frankly not a very good one at that! It’s full of really quite ridiculous ideas, poor attempts to draw a storyline from contemporary social issues, over developed plot lines and under developed characters. But I love it, and I love the process of coming up with thoughts for it. Which reminds me, if anyone has a particularly good idea for how the world probably wont end again, drop me a quick message, I may just use it. In my opinion there is something uniquely special about involving yourself in a piece of fiction. Obviously it is important not to detach yourself from the real world – no fiction will ever manage to capture life when it is lived to its fullness. Only one Book tells it as it is, and it’s certainly no fiction. But to be creative with no boundaries, design with only your imagination as the only constraint, is incredibly gratifying. Almost on par with the child like fun you could have creating your own worlds under a kitchen table when four years old – just slightly more grown up.

Of course it wouldn’t quite be honest of me to just talk about how much I enjoy writing purely from of the fun of it. Perhaps it is because of the way my imagination works, but I can never help to always visualise most of the scenes within my “epic” science fiction and more often than not place music to them as well. So where does this lead? Well quite naturally, no where else but the magnificent silver screen of course! To see a story creatively turned into a visual masterpiece would, I can imagine be an incredibly rewarding process, if of course done correctly. Setting aside the horror stories of film budgets going wildly out of control, hiring actors who turn your work into a bland two hour dialogue and directors going off on a completely different tangent to what you had imagined, it would be brilliant. So what am I really saying here, yes you guessed it. Not only do I want to write a book, but I want to take that book, and turn it into a chart busting blockbuster. The more material side of my conscience would also like to see it draw out into a pointless trilogy so I can live off the dividends. Fortunately the better part of me is not so worried about that, and would find more than enough satisfaction in seeing something materialise from an idea of my own. Of course none of this is really worth worrying about and is really just me having a good old rant. Because lets be honest, the chances of it all happening are about as likely as me finding that I can mark my sixth form students work by just staring at it and performing some Jedi move. And that’s probably because when it comes down to it, I will never find the time to write the darn thing!

When I think back on the summer in China, the thing that always strikes me most would be the people. The people I lived with, the people I worked with, the people I met along the way and the people I simply passed in the street. The summer was full of people, and amazing people at that. For those who do not know, this summer gone was dedicated to an organisation called ISEC (Intercollegiate Summer English Camps) running summer camps across China. Our motivations were to teach English and to share the love of Jesus Christ in whatever ways possible, both practically and verbally. Within my team we were fortunate enough to work in various places – Beijing, Yangzhou, Xian and Shizuishan to name a few – and simultaneously have a really wide variety of experiences, working with students from both wealthy and poor backgrounds. Places and backgrounds put to one side however, what we were really fortunate and blessed to experience, was the hospitality and welcome from the students we met. Yes I’m western, yes I’m white and yes my hair is blonde enough to make people stare and want endless photos! But putting aside my cynical viewpoints and differences for a minute, I realised that this on the whole was not the reason for the endless photos – the reason, it seemed, was that the students just genuinely loved having us there. Not so much for who we are, but in my opinion and experience, because kids love attention. They love to be loved, and why shouldn’t they. Forgive the cliché for a minute, but the world needs a little love. People want to be loved, people need to be loved and people need to know they are loved! God loves, immeasurably so, and people need to know it. China is constantly in the spotlight, for one reason after another it would seem, and quite often with a complimentary negative tone. I believe however, that like all, the people of China need to be loved.  What’s more so, they need to know the love God has for them – and for the brief time I was able to experience contributing towards that, I am thankful.  

We traveled a lot during our time in China, moving between each camp every two weeks or so, mainly using a night train with journeys lasting up to twenty hours. Even whilst running the camps, traveling often seemed to play a prominent role, be it visits at the weekends to nearby cities or simply moving around because of the day-to-day running. I must admit – I enjoy traveling. The different sights you see, the fun and anticipation of going to a new place, the breeze from an open window, and if I’m honest, the journey itself. Here’s something I have leant about myself recently – at times (and I emphasise at times) I have quite a short attention span. And this is why I believe beauty can be found in the journey itself. I love how as you pass the world by at speed, it provides just enough time to capture your imagination and leave you filling in the pieces. Enough time to see something and make your own of it, to see in many ways, what your imagination wants there to be. The train journeys provided ample opportunities for this. Amongst the conversations with friendly families, eating noodles and sleeping for those rare occasions on something other than wood, there was a bounty of window staring to be had. And this, in my opinion, was great. 

My overly excitable imagination aside however, you will probably notice the title of this post includes the word “freedom”. On reflection, there are two ways in which I wish to use this word, or more specifically, two types of freedom I want to briefly brush past. The first is something that I benefited from greatly whilst in China, and to a huge extent wish I had now. That being, a freedom from distractions. There was often no regular internet access, no Facebook (it was banned anyway!), no TV series that I had to keep up with, no Playstation, no must see films – nothing of what I would call, a distraction. A distraction from what you may ask. Well, truthfully, a distraction from life! Life in all its fullness – one in my opinion lived for God in every thought, word and action. And being free from those distractions was without a doubt amazing, you could even say liberating. It is frustrating therefore to see, as I have returned to the normality of daily life back here in England, how those distractions slowing fit their way back into my living. Of course not always a bad thing to be written off, but this however, is perhaps a discussion for a different day. The second freedom of which I would like to mention, is that found in the title – The freedom of the Gospel. I do not intend to spend too much time on this for now, but ultimately, with the gospel of Jesus Christ comes a freedom from the world, and more specifically, the pressures the world puts on people, or those we put on each other. The world believes that freedom and satisfaction come from the nice house, nice car and respectable job you manage to acquire. I would like to disagree. Satisfaction and joy I believe come from knowing God, and knowing exactly how much He loves us. And it is this that gives me freedom. God does not love me depending on whether I get a semi-detached and a convertible, he loves me just as I am, and in short it is this that gives me the freedom to enjoy life, without being shackled to a pursuit of what end up being only objects. It was in China that I got a real sense of this, and was reminded daily of what I thought I need in life, and what I really need in life.

So being in China was without doubt a great time of being reminded of many things, enjoying great experiences and meeting some amazing people. Amongst the natural touristy desires and opportunities I had, walking on the Great Wall, seeing The Terracotta Warriors, hanging out next to the Olympic Stadium to name a few, I really had the time to consider a few things, and put them into a better perspective. So I feel it only natural to go back to my original question. The one that was so often poised at the front of my mind – would I willingly return to China? Well, with the highs and lows, the beautifully tasting dumplings and awfully looking fermented eggs, the humbling hospitality and irritating photo taking, I would have to say, absolutely – yes.

For sometime now I have considered writing a blog of some description. Finally, after many distractions and considerations I have managed to set up an account, and even better, managed to write something. My hope is that this will simply be somewhere that I can write anything and everything. There will probably be no specific theme, probably no consistency in what I write, and certainly no guarantee that it will be an interesting or beneficial read. Heres hoping however, that the opposite will be true.