I told you changes were coming.

I’m changing. changed. Although you may not be able to tell because you still come to the same place http://nwlynch.com/  Things have moved being the scenes in more than one way.  The first way is I’ve moved to a more stationary and professional looking layout so that I can utilize the full usuage of this site.  This site is so whoever sits down and looks at this can find out who I am.

Those people may be employers, friends, family, and whomever stops by and notices this site.

Everything I post here is me.  I’ve been fairly candid with most things, but this is the one place that I will share with that group of people I mentioned before, who I am.

So the second part of the change comes from a place a bit more guarded than a host server or some online account.  My heart.

This summer was more impactful than I’ll evere truly know.  Probably the most impactful in my life to date.  So because of that I had to re-examine who I am.  So I could properly share with those aforementioned people, who I was.

Though I’m continually figuring out who I am.  I felt that my facebook profile, twitter account and resume were just small points of how people make assumptions of who people are.  This site may not give you everything you need to know about me, but this is the best I can do without face to face contact.

So, though things have changed, are changing.  I’m still the same ol’ me.  With a few new ideas and a renewed fervor.

So feel free to skim around the site.  It’s right here at http://nwlynch.com/

Things are still in flux with it, but what’s new.

So if you’re currently reading this, then I won’t be updating this blog anymore, so move yourself over to the new place.

Same Bat Time… Different Bat Network…

-NL

Ps. Click through to see the finished pie.

Also my friends rock, and are crazy at the same time. They are crazyrock, or rockcrazy.  However, rockcrazy sounds like an activity that geologists would make up.

-NL

So I lost my camera.

Officially I left it in the Chicago Airport, so it’s probably lost. I also have been so busy that I didn’t write a post about July, so this will be a two-pher (two for one).  Update of sorts, to let you know what is going on.  So my family that is tuning in, I’m going to get around to calling you all, I just haven’t gotten that far yet.

Julio:

One of the most influential July’s of my life. (so far)  It’s hard to even start thinking about July without stories wanting to flow out of me, and feelings that are terribly strong and strange to me.  Since I’ve been so busy I haven’t even had a chance to sit down and hash out everything that happened in that past month.  This little paragraph is the most I’ve done since I got back.  Seriously.

It’s not because I don’t want to, but It’s cause instead of taking time to properly enter back into American culture I forced myself to jump straight back in.  I’m sure I’ll pay for that in the coming months.  However July has just been one of those months where I was one side of the world at the beginning and at the end I was wondering if I was on the right side of the other side of the world.

It’s becoming a trend that July has been a major month yearly for me, various different reasons each year, but makes me a bit anxious about the next July.

However, October is still my favorite month.

Agosto:

My first full month back into the U.S.

Quite an odd month back as well.  I ended the last day of July with my sister having her twins and well life just taking on a completely different turn then it had for the past 3 months of my life.

It wasn’t a bad change, but just a change.  However, I found myself disliking driving my car, wanting the chinese food I had been eating for the past summer and finding confusion every little part of American life (mainly slang).  I’m not one to say one place is better than another.  Because I think that no place is necessarily better, but rather just different and has it’s own charm.

So I’m back.  In Arkansas.  Where the charm is almost it’s mantra and this school year is starting out to be a doozy.  I can see that this next July and August you’ll be seeing something completely different from me.  In a good way of course.

Ps. Also all of the photos are from July.  Since I lost my camera.

Album(s) of the Month(s)

There’s two cause it’s one of those month(s).  Also I just can’t get enough of Arcade Fire.

Fruit Bats ~ The Ruminant Band

Arcade Fire ~ The Suburbs

sorry no new stuff on the youtubes.

http://theotherclassroom.wordpress.com/

There will be some other changes happening with my personal blog and other Web-site things, which I’ll keep you updated with, but in the mean-time head on over there and check out my first couple of posts. Look forward to more changes soon. Some more drastic than others.

-NL

This day returning from China to the U.S. is approximately a 36 hour day. My flight lands about the same time as it takes off and I essentially don’t move in time, but move in space as I find my final destination in Chicago.

I’ll be traveling by train to Beijing and then subway to the Airport and then Plane to Chicago and then another plane to Little Rock where I’ll get in a car and drive back to Conway. I’ll be glad when this string of traveling is done.

Thanks for traveling with me.

-NL

This song has been stuck in my head for the past month or so, and I’ve noticed
an almost laughable amount of time wondering why Simon & Garfunkel’s music just tend to find their way into my head. Recently the song, America.

I for the first half of the month I was butchering the lyrics in my head. The
line “I’ve got some real-estate here in my bag” I kept singing, in my head,
“I’ve got some dinosaurs here in my bag.” I knew it was wrong, but I like the idea of a dinosaur in a bag.

Now beyond the lyrics to the song, the idea of coming back to America has just
been on the tip of my mind for the past month. Why didn’t Neil Diamond’s Coming

to America didn’t come baffles me, but Simon and Garfunkel it is.

America.

I’m sure to have reverse culture shock when I return I can almost feel it, but
hopefully it’s not too severe. I might go through distaste for culture people
and other things. It’s often something that happens to those who travel abroad for extended periods of time. It’s happened every time I’ve come back.

I find that the biggest thing is that you can tell stories, show pictures and give souvenirs, but you can never really have the people around you understand
the experiences you’ve been through and what it was actually like. And usually you want them to be able to so badly that it feels like you’re a foreigner in your own country.

In my most honest moments, I can say this is the hardest thing for me. I can look at the people that I love the most and truly not explain any of my experiences and give them any justice, which leaves me speechless and searching for something to tell them.

I hope someday they’ll understand, and I hope someday I will have the ability to

share the intricacies of my experiences, and what I see, hear, taste, think and
feel while I’m traversing the foreign landscape and what latter revelations come

from such an impactful experience.

I hope I’ve given you something, what little I have to give.

I hope you’ve learned something, from the immense amount I’ve learned.

I hope you’ve enjoyed it, even a fraction of what I have.

I hope that your hope remains, even if mine falters.

I hope to tell you all about this soon.

-NL

I tend to be in a constant state of goodbyes recently. I’m not sure exactly what that’s about. It’s always good bye I”ll see you later, but recently it seems it’s goodbye and I may never see you again. Have a good life seems like such a hard statement to come by, so we soften the blow of “bye”, with something good.

So because I’ve been in the perpetual state of “goodbyes”, you might think that I’ve gotten pretty good at them. I think I’ve gotten good at saying the word, but not necessarily emoting the correct feeling that I want in such a single use word. Elton John lied, sorry isn’t the hardest word. So how can I say goodbye, but mean something more like this.

Good- to know you all it’s been a blast. I’m sad to leave, sadder than I think I realize now, but you’ve been more than a great group of people to share my summer with, and I’m glad for the things that you’ve shared with me. So it’s hard to say, and I know we are all thinking that this is probably the last time I’ll see most of you, but lets remember the times that were good, for those are the time that I want to remember the most. Let your memory of me linger by and -bye.

Maybe that’s enough maybe that isn’t, but this Monday is my last night in Qingdao, and no doubt I’m enjoying a last dinner and hurray with some of the people that have made this summer so great. I’m sure I’ll have stories upon stories about those last night, but you’ll need to hear those stories face to face.

So as I say goodbye to this lot, I’ll be soon saying hello to a place that seems to be calling my name harder than it ever did before. However, for now I’ll focus on those byes, and make them good.

再见青岛。(Goodbye Qingdao.)

再见中国。(Goodbye China.)

我会回来。

-NL

So after a Saturday of dealing with people trying to get me to buy something from them, I decided to make my last weekend day in China a little more relaxing and enjoyable. So, that means going to the beach. Yesterday it rained so today seemed like a great day to the beach.

Now I’ve been to the beach before, but Qingdao is also right on the coast, so it’s part of what you do when you are here. So I went to the beach after a morning of reading and a little writing. (You didn’t think this was the only place I was writing did you? Silly blog reader.)

I ventured out to walk in the sand, and enjoy the waves. First problem. I forgot how this is the beginning of the busy season in Qingdao so along with me having the great idea to go to the beach; half the city did as well. So not really a great place to relax, but it wasn’t too bad as I was able to sit around and enjoy the sun shining through the cloud cover.

I walked the beach which shortly turned into rocks. So I took time to photograph these cool rocks that are usually covered up during high tide. Overall the trip was good just not as relaxing as once hoped. So, I returned back to my room where my roommate was finally awake. After sitting around and watching Korean television with him for a little bit, which I can’t understand a bit of it.

So after laying around I decided to make my way to the other side of town to May 4th Square cause it’s pretty at night. So, not an eventful day, but one that was worthwhile. I can’t complain too much. China had been good to me. Qingdao too, it’s just a bittersweet end to a place that I feel like I was just beginning to get to know.

So after reading this I realize this is one of the most boring posts I’ve ever made. I’m thinking right now that I shouldn’t post it, but hey I’ve already typed this far. This gives you an idea of a normal everyday, weekend day for me while I was here, not that exciting, but just interesting enough to tell a small story.

Sometimes that’s all I ask for.

~

Here’s a few pictures from the day at the beach and down at May 4th Square. Spent most of the day relaxing so not a lot to show for it. Just a few things for you to enjoy.

Ps. the next few posts will be remotely posted because of how busy I am and how much traveling I have ahead of me, but they’re still good, so enjoy them (well I think they’re good).
-NL

So as time closes on me here in Qingdao I’m trying to tie up loose ends and do the things I planned on doing, but never had the time to. So for those of you that know me, that means buying gifts, taking pictures, packing and eating bugs.

Yes the last one is real.

So I’ve had a great time here, but I’ve totally forgot to do a few things while I’ve been here. I guess I just thought sleep or working on my online history class were more important. Boy I was wrong. I need a few more pictures than what I have, and I’ve totally forgot to buy a few things for family members and such.

Anyways, this last minute stuff is making me feel way too busy, but it’s OK it just makes me realize how many people I have back in the U.S. who care about me, and how many people I want to share this part of my life to through something as small as a little trinket from China.

So I’ve got a few things left to do like visit the beach one last time and buy a few Chinese Red Bull, but it’s going to be a fun next couple of days before I leave with final dinner’s and taking photos with people that I have known for only a short amount of time.

Another “travel channel”-esk thing I have left is to eat some odd, but delicious street food. Those of you that feel the same way I do understand me. So here’s a few links to some videos of me consuming a few more creatures. (locusts, grasshoppers, scorpions again) I couldn’t get myself to eat the grub-worms, maybe another trip.

Part 1: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23292852@N07/4801930166/
Part 2: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23292852@N07/4801349065/
Part 3: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23292852@N07/4802009492/

I didn’t put the video of me eating sea urchin because I’m pretty sure I ate some rocks or something (it also was not my favorite thing I’ve ever eaten). I might try those one more time, but not from a street vendor. Check out some of my other photos of Xi’an and such on Flickr if you’re feeling fancy and bored on this lovely Saturday.

Enjoy here a few photos from the day and I’ll be talking to you soon as I finish out my time here in Qingdao.

-NL

I hear people speaking all around me a different language on a daily basis. Seldom do I hear English. If I do hear English it is usually broken English. Even the most liberal of English teacher would cringe to hear some of the English I’ve heard.

(However I have run into to some students who speak English wonderfully. One is named Betty. She’s going places.)

This has been a tough experience being in a place where my first language is everyone’s second or third language at most. Often it is non-existent from their vocabulary. I’ve had to adjust what I say, whether it be in Chinese or whether it is in English. If it’s in Chinese I have to hope that not only can they understand me, but I can understand them. Communication is a two way game. If I speak English I must make sure I speak in a way a low level English speaker can understand, which often has me speaking in a Chinese form of English. Sometimes I’m speaking both to the same person.

However I’m noticing that I often forget words or forget how to speak clearly.

If I’ve grammatically been wrong throughout my posts this summer part of the reason is not proofreading enough and also losing my grasp of the English language. You don’t realize that if you don’t use something how you can lose it. It is like riding a bike, but it seems like every day is learning how to ride a bike again.

Sometimes I search for a word and have to sit in front of my computer typing the definition to try and find the word that I’m thinking of by its definition. It’s getting bad. I’ll be glad to be able to speak English again instead of my broken English I’ve slowly acquired over the past summer.

It’s even worse when you’re trying to write a research paper for your online class. I’m sure my professor just thinks I’m either crazy or not trying.

Hopefully the first.

-NL

Ps. The “Losting” in Losting Language is a joke. It’s not that bad, but I did type it that way at first on accident.