I can’t believe I’m having this particular feeling. I usually don’t have this kind of concern as I’m always around friends and family. I have been in Nanchang for four years and my friends had to leave for one reason or another. Now, I’m here in this quiet city by myself without…any community. No LGBTQ+. No gaymers. No Dungeon & Dragons players. So, this is what loneliness feels like.
So, right now, I have to edit all my short stories from my 2020 Short Story Project for my 2025 short story collection. I have to say…it has been a humbling experience to know that my stories were decent but needed much improvement. I have to thank experience and higher education for that. I’ve always been told that 20% of creative writing is taught while the other 80% is improved through experience. So? Why am I saying the obvious? Well…I’m back in school.
Sorry for the month-long absence, but I wanted Philadelphia to have my undivided attention – out of my studies, of course. While I finished most of my work beforehand, the only thing I had to do was my threaded discussion which took me no time at all. I had missed my city for such a long time and I wanted to see what changed and what remained the same. Short answer, a lot.
For thirteen days, I was in the “Comital City” and fell in love with everything about it. The people. The food. The history. Everything about Barcelona was what I was missing in China and what I wished America could be. I still do, actually. However, I will not focus on that. Instead, I will gush over what I did in the lively city. But where do I start? Oh! I know! I’ll start with my living arrangement.
A new year means new projects and challenges for my artistic friends and me; this year is no different. In addition to that, we have been making it more of a practice for all of us to plan ahead and much more meticulously. That last part was meant for me because I have had moments where I didn’t plan for something that almost always led to a mishap and a headache. So, I downloaded a Project Management program and I prayed that would be enough. Now…for the wickedly delightful…
Next month is going to be a monetary hassle for two reasons: desktop and editor. Wait…maybe three. Could be four, if I’m counting correctly. Wait…maybe it’s three? You know what, I think it would be better to explain myself.
My summer was going great. I got to visit friends. I was making enormous progress on my LGBTQ Crimeverse. I was relaxing with my gaming time while checking in with my family. Then, I got some bad news…like a few hours ago.
So, I just got back from my holiday trip to Chongqing. It was much needed and my friends were beyond happy to see me. I mean, of course, we had weChat and our western social media, but it’s something simply delightful about being next to the people you care about. Here. Let me tell you about it.
China is a country that can be welcoming one minute and elitist the next. I had to deal with people trying to parent me only to try to befriend me when I prove that I won’t be bullied. It’s been an ongoing cycle for a good while now, but I’m not here to talk about that today. But, right now, I want to talk about something that made me smile today.
I’ve been back in Nanchang for a while now. However, I got back to work last Wednesday. Well…technically my first day back was on Monday because I had several meetings to attend along with my colleagues. Then, I had one more meeting where I had to sit down with my boss to do some last-minute preparation for my school’s first-ever “Independent Reading Program”. You have no idea how excited I am about that. That among other things…