Blogging
From Abroad

It’s been some time since I last posted…several weeks, actually…

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The reason why I haven’t posted lately is mainly because speedy and workable internet access has regularly been an issue in China. When I first set up my internet in Suzhou at the dorm, it took several days to move forward from that initial thought to final networthiness. I won’t go into all the details, but suffice it to say that a screwdriver, old Cat5 cables, a pair of eyebrow tweezers and a fruitless visit from an abrupt technician were all involved in the final process.

Hong Kong had quick and excellent internet, but unfortunately we were so busy the entire time we were there that there was barely enough time to book our flight to Guilin and our hostel hours before leaving. Now we are back in the mainland and I can’t help but mourn this most recent loss of relative ease and internet freedom.

I was worried about possible government censorship issues when I first arrived…and it is true that there are certain websites that I cannot and have not been able to access since leaving the States…such as my own website and my own personal blog, unfortunately…but, overall, things have been okay.

However.

Sometimes…like tonight…it seems that any US-based website that is not a search engine, a government site or a school just will not work. I haven’t been able to check my e-mail or surf the web for travel recommendations for days now. Other guests at the hostel where we are staying have reported the same problem from other cities and Universities…it seems to be a country-wide occurence…

Fortunately, tonight this blog site is working, which means I will take the opportunity to get a bit up to date on things. Bear with me while I get things up and running. I’ve had a lot of adventures to share since my last post.