China

Ever since Aunt Alice and Uncle Lynn have been in China, I've had a greater interest in Chinese things. I just finished a book that we read in our Book Club called "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" by Lisa See. It was fascinating, compelling and very thought provoking. It takes place in China during the 1800's. It's about the culture of women during that time. They had a secret code called nushu that they used to communicate with eachother through embroidery and caligraphy. The narrator talks about her life and being connected with another girl called her Laotong or old same. They become soul sisters and their destinies are connected. It is fiction, but gives so much insight into the oppression and suffering those women went through from the foot binding as little girls to their arranged marriages made solely to breed sons. It was very sad and made me realize how thankful I am for my life and all the luxuries and freedoms I enjoy including a loving husband. Julio and I then rented a movie called "The Painted Veil" and stars Naomi Watts and Edward Norton. It takes place during the 1920's in China. He is a doctor who goes to study bacteria during a cholera epidemic. It shows how their relationship grows in a time and place that was lacking in so many ways. But, the scenery was beautiful and the life so simple. There is so much out there in the world to see and experience and so many people who's lives are so different from our own.