Summer is ending in Beijing and I am entering into a new chapter here.  Last week I moved into a new apartment in Beijing.  There is something about moving into a new home that makes you want to make a new start in all areas of your life.  Change can be good and a change in your environment opens your mind to change in general.  It has been a pretty tough year here with problems with work and finances and, to be honest, the stress of living in a different culture has been heavy on me lately.  I love China and want to be here, but things are different here, mostly the way people think and behave.  This is true in how they approach life, love, work, integrity; even in how they eat and drink.  As I learn more and more about the culture (and the language) I understand it more but also understand how it is so different from my experience.  So I need to change as well.  I am a pretty honest person but I have to accept that lying (both direct and by not saying things) is a strong part of the culture here and you need to find the truth behind what people say or don’t say.  I like to have real discussions about directions and decisions but I have to accept that people are spending more time figuring out what I want to hear rather than just expressing their own opinion.  I am in love here but I have to accept that the concept of love and commitment and sharing are different from my relationships in the past.  I want to integrate into the environment here but I have to accept that an American can never be Chinese and will always be outside of the culture here.  However, in general, it is all good and my life continues to be rich in experiences, feelings and wonders.

夏天终止。由于生活的需要. 上周我搬家了。新的家，新的生活。生活有时需要一些变化。我很喜欢中国但是和美国很不一样。有时候中国人的感觉有点奇怪。我是个很实在的人。但是在这边的人们的标准不一样，我喜欢讨论一些事情，但是这边人总是考虑我实际在想什么。我爱一个人，但这边人爱的观念一样吗？不知道。可能在中国，美国人不适合吧。但是我心情很好，经验很多，感觉很多。

My new place is less expensive but also bigger, more suitable as a home and in a much better location.  The home is pretty big, especially by Chinese standards (178 sq meters).  It has three bedrooms: a master bedroom, my ‘office’ and a room I am not yet sure what to do with.  The living room is large and is a perfect fit for the new rug I just brought back from India.  The master bedroom is spacious and includes a small raised area by the window.  The kitchen is the only small room in the house but this suits the number of times I actually use it.  It includes a bookshelf on which I can place the objects I have collected travelling around these past few years.

新家比以前的还大些。对我来说更好。178平方米。三个卧室，很大的客厅，厨房有点小。

It is located in YaYunCun (Asia Games District) and borders the north side of the Olympic Park.  Out of my window I can see the Olympic tower which is lit in different colors all night.  A short walk and I can get into the Olympic Park with the Bird’s nest.  Right now there is an August Amusement Park set up in the Olympic Park and I took the opportunity of the quick walk from my home to go by for the evening.  I was a lucky man as I got to go with three beautiful companions (Dou Dou and her cousins).  The weather was perfect, not to hot, not too cold and the evening was crystal clear.  The key attraction is the large ferris wheel which they say is one of the largest in Asia but didn’t seem to be too high to me; Chinese always are exaggerating the size and number of things here.  There were not many people at the park since school has recently started here but the lights and atmosphere were very lively.  The ferris wheel offered a great view of the Bird’s Nest and the surrounding park still lit up in changing colors 1 year after the Olympics.  While not high, each car was able to spin and we enjoyed getting the car to circle at high speeds and let the scenery whirl by.  We walked around the park enjoying the lights and colors; to be honest, the rides were not so interesting but the visuals were good.  Pretty women always like to take photographs and we spent a large part of the night taking pictures.

我的新家在亚运村。离奥林匹克公园很近。昨天和三个美女去那儿， 豆豆和她姐姐和她妹妹，很幸运的男人吧！哈哈。天气很好，不冷不热。我们坐了很大的摩天轮。鸟瞰风景非常好，灯很多，颜色很多。漂亮的女孩总是喜欢照相，所以拍了很多照片。

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I love to travel and see the world.  But sometimes you need to remember to see the things that are close by.  As the summer comes to a close, I am left with a few thoughts.  As a child, summer was always a time of magic and adventure since there was no school and the days were more varied.  I remember the feeling of lying in the grass in the backyard on a hot summer day staring up at the clouds in the sky.  The smell of the fresh grass was overwhelming, the sound of the birds in the trees like a song, and the low hum of the distant traffic was hypnotizing.  Nothing mattered in the world, it was just good to be alive.  The summers have streamed past.  Catching frogs in the pond with Greg and Michele.  Traveling with the family down to Atlanta and the fun on the beach of Panama City.  High school friends heading down to the reservoir for rope swings and rock jumping.  A summer during Bard painting houses with Luby on Cape Cod and finding Hinkley (my first cat).  The sweltering heat in DC and then Chicago.  Jesse’s birth and the walks through the flowered pathways of Evanston.  Eliza’s birth and the smell of rhododendrums as I walked her around our neighborhood.  Taking walks with Jesse and Eliza through the woods of North Andover.  The warm ocean nights at the B&T.  The bike rides with Eliza in the dirt roads in Hamilton.  The kayak adventure with Jesse down the Miles River.  Jumping off the dock in the cold water in Essex.  Lying under the stars with Dou Dou in Thailand, Indonesia, Maldives, India and India.  Tennis.  Swimming.  Hiking.  Relaxing.  BBQing.  Friends.  Family.  The hot sun and the cool water.  When things get me down, I just sit back and remember how amazing this all is, how experience fills me up like a close friend, always there.  Today the sun is shining and my heart is smiling.

我很喜欢旅行。有的时候也需要看看附近的风景。想起了对于夏天的回忆，，，，用中文我不会说。想想我孩子，朋友们，家人，女朋友，等等。今天天气很好我也很开心！