Back from really really long trip.

China was the place I went to that I’m most used to. Because clearly Milan and Istanbul are my best friends.
China is crazy expensive right about now…a shirt is like 300rmb, which translates to about 50 Canadian dollars. screw it.
I saw Twilight translated into Chinese. I think I died.
Beyond the barf-inducing, I also saw Harry Potter 6 in theatres while I was there. In Chinese. Wait. That kind of falls in the category of barf-inducing. sigh. It wasn’t that bad (…but my expectations were ridiculously low). Just horribly awkward. And Ginny still looks like a little girl.
That was a whole lot of rambling. Ninety words of rambling if I’m not mistaken.
I got two albums while there. I found Nicholas Teo’s new album, 沉默的瞬间, and an album called 我没喝多 by 王喆. Pretty much that translates to I’m Not Drunk by Wang Zhe. He’s classmates with my mom. Craziness. Who knew my mom knew celebrities? If only she knew Jay Chou instead. Jokingg.

The Chinese culture is really different from the one in America. In some ways, Chinese people are a lot more community-centered. That also means more family-oriented. Friends are very familiar with each other. Like when my parents’ friends came to get us from the hotel, they just came and knocked on our door half an hour early with no warning. Clearly wouldn’t happen around here…we seem to have a “visiting houses” phobia.
I actually find that Asian and European mentalities are kind of similar–they have a lot of the same kind of structure in cities, relationships, communities, events, everything. In Milan, they had a street market that pretty much was exactly the same as the ones they have in China.
Istanbul was especially interesting because it sits on the Euro-Asian dividing line. Our hotel was on the European side but we saw lots of influence from both cultures. Istanbul also has crazy architecture. As I understand, there’s been quite a variety of religions holding base there–there are mosques and churches and other things. The mosques in Istanbul are incredible.
What people will do for religion are astounding sometimes. As someone that isn’t religious, I sometimes wonder what it would be like to actually have a purpose for life, an ultimate resting place, a reason for everything that happens. It’s been found in studies that religious people are on average happier than those who are not. Maybe having the comfort of thinking someone is watching over you would make you feel a bit more at ease.
Religion can compel people to do the most incredible things–how many of the world’s most crazy buildings are churches, mosques, synagogues, etc? I still remember the church (Sagrada Família) being built in Barcelona that I saw a few years ago designed by Gaudi, an incredible architect. They’ve been working on it since 1882 and it’s not due to be finished until at least 2026. Imagine working for around 150 years on a building–this building would be fit for the gods!
But religion also prompts people to do crazy things that aren’t so cool either…how many wars have been fought over converting people? How many people have been hung, killed, or punished for believing in the wrong religion? How many people are prevented from learning or accepting certain ideas because their religion doesn’t accept it?
I know religion is a touchy subject, but what do you think about it? Nothing is as simple as good or bad, especially when it comes to religion; it’s a complicated concept.