interview with Alexis Gavrelis

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A month or so ago, I contacted Alexis Gavrelis in hopes of an interview. Alexis is more than a little famous around the tumblr world for her poetry. She's 17 years old and almost finished with her 366 poetry project. The first time I read one of her poems, it was two days before I graduated, and I was feeling so lost, and I read this poem that she had written, and realized that I wasn't the only person who felt this way. Ever since then, I've been keeping up with her poetry. She's an incredible writer, and I hope you enjoy this interview with her. 

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Hi, Alexis! I have a phone call in 40 minutes and this shouldn't take that long, but we can go ahead and jump right in. So how old were you when you started writing?

Hmm I mean I've always been the kind of person that naturally gravitated toward writing, but I didn't really get into journaling and prose until about 3 years ago.

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I definitely understand that! Did you read a lot when you were younger?

So much! I used to be really embarrassed about it because all of my friends were at a stage where reading was really lame, but I was still constantly reading. I think that's why I love writing so much. Everything I've ever read has influenced me in some way.

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That idea has always been really interesting to me, because I read all the time, and it's like, how is what I'm reading impacting what I write? What kind of stuff you do like to read now? And what are your two or three favorite books?

I've been really into classics for the last year or so. I absolutely fell in love with used book stores so I love going into them and picking up the rattiest books I can find and checking them out. I'm really into the idea though that you can read literally whatever you want, as long as you're reading. My top three favorite books as of right now...gosh this is hard. Definitely Catcher in the Rye, The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath and I really love A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

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Used bookstores are the best. There's one in Indianapolis that I visited for a John Green event, and the bookstore is called Indy Reads. It's the prettiest bookstore I've ever been in. I LOVE Catcher & The Bell Jar, but I've never read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. What do you like about those three books, or how do they change what you write, if that makes sense?

I really love stories that I can project myself onto..if that makes sense. I read Catcher a few years ago and I was just kind like "uh ok?" but then I reread it just a few months ago and it's almost like a light clicked and I was like wait a second...I am Holden. It's the same way with The Bell Jar. I love the kind of books that I can read over and over again and take something differently from the story each time-- the kind of books you can keep in the bottom of your back and read whenever you find a free moment. I hope that makes sense.

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It makes so much sense. Books like that are really special because you can grow into them, and as you keep growing, you find different parts of yourself inside of them.

Exactly!

Let's talk about your own poetry for a couple minutes. Did it freak you out when you started getting a lot of followers and people started telling you how much they loved your words?

Oh definitely. Before I started this project I was terrified of people reading my work. I rarely even let my closest friends read it, so when I started getting all of these followers and they started telling me how much they enjoyed it...I almost thought that they were just being nice in a way. It took one of my good friends to sit me down and say "Look, these people don't know you, they don't have to love what you do, but they do." and I think from then on I tried to get used to having them as my audience I suppose? And I let it humble me because I never for a second imagined that I would have so many readers or admirers and I am completely overwhelmed at the response I've gotten.

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Do a lot of people who know you read what you write? And if so, how do you feel about that now, as opposed to when you first started your 365 project?

My friends follow it, and I'm sure people from my school have seen it. As the year has progressed I've gotten more comfortable with the idea of my work being accessible to anyone with a computer. My blog gives me a sense of anonymity, but at the same time allows me to showcase who I am as a person. Back in january I kept my journals locked away in my room, now I can go out in public and sit down at a table and write about what I see. I don't care about what people think so much anymore. I love writing, and I think the project has taught me how to be more open with that love.

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That's really beautiful. I love to write, but I'm still at that point where sharing it with people who I know and love is really difficult. Has there been a response to your writing from a particular person, anonymous or not, that really meant a lot to you?

It will come in time, trust me. I think that sharing something as personal as my your words can make you so extremely vulnerable that it can be terrifying. So, I think the responses that I recieve that mean the most to me are the messages that tell me that I've helped them get through a night they thought they wouldn't. Or my words helped them get to sleep when all they thought they would do was stare at the ceiling. That's all I've ever wanted. I love to read because it's in reading that I know I'm not alone and if I can do that for someone else, especially someone I've never met, I've done what I've set out to do. I think it's so incredible that people connect with the jumbled mess in my head.

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I think that's all anyone who writes ever wants. Okay, two more questions before I have to go. 1) What kind of music do you listen to when you write, and who are some songwriters who you really connect with? and 2) Is there a person or experience you've tried writing about, but just can't get the words onto the paper?

I have an ongoing playlist that I'm constantly adding to for when I write. I really love listening to Noah Gundersen, Regina Spektor, Ben Howard, and Bon Iver. I love anything that just lets my mind wander. Oh definitely. There are so many things I've been through that I can't seem to put into words. Or I have put them into words, but I don't think they'll ever be what I wish for them to be. A lot of first love experiences are hard, writing about certain people or certain moments where you felt so alive is hard. Whenever I get an idea I scribble it down wherever I can find a piece of paper and sometimes I'll go back and read it and think to myself "I just can't go back to that moment. I can't feel what I felt when I wrote those exact words." That's the tough thing about being a writer, you can try as hard as you want, but sometimes there are just some moments you'll never be able to put back into words. Sometimes moments are just moments, and memories are all you'll ever have.

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That is so true and profound. Thank you so much, Alexis. It was wonderful talking to you, and I look forward to reading the rest of your 365 project!

Oh you're welcome, thank you a thousand times over for liking what I write enough to speak with me!

Thank you a thousand times over for writing it! Have a nice evening!

You too!

You can find Alexis at Twelve Odd Months, or at her personal blog here. Thank you so much, Alexis! 

an interview with... Kara Haupt

Kara Haupt is an art student living in Portland, and she 'calls herself a blogger, designer, photographer, online shop owner, online art journaling/scrapbooking/photography teacher, a contributing writer, an intern and online assistant' who also 'pretends to be charming at a retail job a few days a week.' And still, amongst all those commitments and all that work, she's a genuinely lovely and incredibly creative person. I emailed her the other week about an interview here, and below are her answers on topics ranging from art journalling to supporting yourself to George Clooney. It's good stuff.

blog | portfolio | shop

indie & chic lovin'

You're a full-time student, and you run a popular blog & online courses and you do design work too--and you've just turned twenty! That sounds like a lot of work for someone so young. What made you so dedicated to start making a living through creative pursuits and filling your world with art?

Hmm, great question! I don't know, I see a lot of my peers who seem unhappy by merely surviving (okay, I say surviving loosely) in whatever study or job they feel like have to stay in. I really want to spend my days, my life, and my energy doing something that excites me and teaches me instead of settling for whatever. I have things I want to do that require financially supporting myself, whether that be living in apartment, saving to pay off student loans, or saving up for traveling once I graduate. Those are all things I really want and I am very lucky that I can use all my skills to support those endeavors. I push myself and drink more coffee and freak out a lot over all the things I try to do, but knowing that I have a life of creating ahead of me instead of a life in a cubicle, pushes me forward.


make someone happy cry. done.


You seem extremely motivated, working towards big goals like your 'forty before twenty' and releasing various art journalling courses. What spurs you on to work so hard?
Well, I know I am really lucky. I read this quote by George Clooney once (stay with me here!) where he was talking about lucky he and other actors are to get to do what they do. Though the hours are long and it takes talent and dedication, he knew he was very lucky to have the job he did. He said he had sold insurance or something once and THAT was a shitty, hard job. And that he was very lucky and he and other super successful actors shouldn't complain about what they get to do. I feel that way. I am SO lucky to have had the opportunities, avenues, and support to pursue what I have and though it's emotionally exhausting because of how personal my work can be, I know I'm a lucky person. How awesome is that I get to do something I love and am good at and get paid for it? Knowing that makes me want to work harder and cherish these opportunities, because so many people don't have them or don't try to have them. The hours can be long and I get frustrated or too attached or dissapointed plenty, but it's still really awesome. Plus I am a pretty awesome boss.

Also, I am kinda immature and want to prove to some people in my life that I can and will support myself with an art degree or without their help. ;)


rainy day disposable camera

Is there a particular project or goal that you've met that has been especially important to you?

Over the last year I've really been able to grow my blog I Just Might Explode into something that's really satisfying for me. I moved IJME to Wordpress last year w/o transferring over Google Reader or Blog Lovin' followers and now it is starting to do really well. When I bought that domain, I knew almost nothing about the technical behind the scenes stuff of hosting, Wordpress, etc... I've been able to learn a little about web design and also start my portfolio site and classes sites on their own domains with their own "branding". I've come a really long way in just one year and that is SO satisfying. Since that happened, I discovered how I liked to blog, to photograph, and even to live my day-to-day life. That "growing up" has been really encouraging as a young artist. 



art journal all year long



What's your favourite thing about art journalling; is there any specific reason that it's your preferred 'artistic expression',  over things that can be thought of as more 'professional' like painting on canvas or simple sketchbook work?
Art journaling is very comfortable and familiar for me. You see, scrapbooking and art journaling started it all. I was NOT an artistic child/teenager and it wasn't until I tried scrapbooking and then hated everything I created for almost two years, and then finally "found" it did I realize I was an artist. The design intuition I cultivated because of scrapbooking is absolutely invaluable. Physically pushing paper around a somewhat-limiting "canvas" of an 8.5x11 sheet of paper is a great way to understand design and space. Art journaling has always been intensely personal to me because of the emotional shit I worked through because of it. It's a familiar way to destress and think.

publish a zine. done.

What advice would you give to other artistic young people who want support themselves through making and creating?

Start NOW. I answered in another interview recently that if you have the opportunity to get your feet wet now without the pressure of financial ruin because of it, do it. I am so grateful I began blogging and working for myself in high school, because I was able to experiment and make mistakes without worrying about paying rent for the next month. A lot of people don't have that luxury, so take advantage of it if you do. You do not have to make money from it. In fact, I recommend not trying to make money in the beginning. Learn, experiment, and learn as many possible skills as you can. I can assure you that you will be a better photographer if you practice drawing, or a better blogger if you know how to photograph or know minimal HTML/CSS. Plus, you will be a more desirable future employee if you have multiple skills and concentrations. 

an interview with...Rachel Culbertson

(hawk watch)

I was browsing through Flickr one day, sometime last year, flicking through photos and words and whatnot. Somehow, I landed on Rachel's profile. I was fascinated.

Rachel is an incredibly talented writer, poet, and a student living in the Midwest. On her tumblr, Poorly Written History, she answers questions, talks about her poetry, and, occasionally, shares music. On her flickr, you can find all the published pieces of her writing. Near the end of April, I emailed Rachel asking if we could talk with her on Fernweh. Here are her responses to my questions.

(for a girl so close to breaking free)

Your poetry seems incredibly raw and honest. Was it hard for you when you began sharing your poetry on Poorly Written History? How has the sense of community that's developed around your blog and your flickr influenced your writing? 

When I began my writing project, I wasn’t expecting it to gain the momentum it has in this vast little galaxy of the internet. I moved home after my first year of college armed with a typewriter and that spark of things to say. I thought, why not? I showed it to three friends and honestly thought no one else would read. Somehow, by tricks unknown, my first piece found its way to people I’d long admired in the small writing community thriving here on Tumblr. From there, it continued to take off. Because I had already made a commitment to write for myself, I knew I couldn’t stop because I suddenly had a wider audience. It was just something I had to do. Since that summer two years ago, the intentions of my blog have certainly changed shapes and evolved into something entirely different. It is so wonderful to have documentation of my own growth—to be baffled by how far I’ve traveled since I first started hammering words onto paper, not just in personal development but in the way I use my voice as well. I’ve come into my own. That’s something to be thankful for, and something I might not have sorted out on my own without the companionship of complete strangers.

I was originally drawn to writing because of the connection factor. For years, I had felt the tug in my chest while pouring over novels, finding the places where I understood exactly what the author was trying to convey. It was magical. There was something incredibly powerful about the way words bridge gaps, how they stretch between people previously unattached, how something can be triggered just by a simple sentence. It was my lofty dream of being a writer—to have that same comforting influence. It wasn’t something I expected to find through an internet writing project, especially one which is essentially just a purge of my mind, a place to tuck things away. Yet I have been gifted with an incredibly community of people who reassure me not only of the validity of what I have to say, but also the way I say it. How fortunate am I, to have a place where I am given support from people I might never know. I’m damn lucky. I don’t think I’ll ever stop saying that.

You've curated several side projects, including No Shame November and Quiet Little Things. What have you learned from these projects? 

No Shame November was created because I felt I had a duty to give back to people what they had given me. Having an outlet to challenge the idea of bravery, to pursue vulnerability, to release my stories allowed me to become a different person. There’s such a catharsis in writing something out of you, especially when you’ve been trying to ghost it for years. You can’t hide it anymore when you place it in a public forum—it is yours and it is exposed. I wanted people to have that opportunity on a smaller scale. The first year I did No Shame November, I was shaken. I still have certain lines echoing through my mind. It is incredible to witness the willingness of people when you give them an opportunity, and how much trust people placed in me just because they had watched me do the same. Quiet Little Things was another branch of this idea. I realized I had gained an audience and I wanted to be able to use that to get people’s voices out there. I’m always looking for ways I can push others the way I have been pushed. It feels like the least I can do.

(-)

I've noticed something popping up on your tumblr a lot in recent days...can you tell me about On the Cusp, the zine that you're involved with? 

On the Cusp is a submission generated art and writing zine I piece together with two of the most talented (and cool!) people I know. For months, I had a dream of collecting work from others and publishing it. In a way, it would be a tangible manifestation of previous online-only projects. I wanted to take the next step. But at the same time, it seemed incredibly daunting. No matter how small the publication, it takes work for it to become a success. Luckily, when I brought it up to two fellow creators, they were more than thrilled to help me out. Bi-monthly, we collect submissions from all over the world revolving around a certain theme. After, we sit around and choose the best pieces. They are then formatted into a 40 page booklet, printed up and sold to happy readers. We’ve had incredible success so far, more than I could have ever imagined. Currently, we are packaging up out third issue, echo, and the next theme will be announced within the week. Ideally, we’d like to branch into more publishing endeavors and push this as far as we can. Without sounding too much like an overzealous zine mom (which I totally am), I highly encourage everyone to send in your work, purchase a copy, or spread the word to your friends.

What advice would give to someone who's trying to be more honest with what they write? 

This past semester, I taught a girl who refused to turn in anything to her nonfiction workshop simply because she was afraid to have it read aloud in class. As someone who has a rampant fear of being “that girl,” I understood to an extent. But at the same time, it made me think about how I could convince someone to find comfort in honesty.

Here’s my list of top 5 things:

1. Start small. Write wildly bad prose in every hidden place you possibly can—journals, old receipt tape at work, post-it notes shoved in your pockets, your phone. Practice developing an intimate relationship with your words. Don’t worry about who might see. This is for you.
2. Read painfully honest nonfiction books and essays, interviews with people who have taken risks by exposing themselves in their work. Underline every passage that makes you squirm, every passage you think might have made the writer squirm.
3. Start talking about the things that make you cringe in the dark with friends, driving around in cars with the windows down, standing on empty blocks with your hands thrown in the air. Play “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours” with your secrets. Let your voice become soft and hazy with inhibitions over phone lines late at night. Practice oral storytelling. When something gets caught in your throat, remember it. This is where the story lies.
4. Rewrite your scribbles—no matter what form. Craft them into something. It is okay if you can’t get the whole story out yet. Allow yourself to slant things if needed. Be as vague as you must allow yourself. If you want to share them with friends, post them on the internet. Don’t worry if people read, or don’t read. This is an exercise for you, alone.
5. Remember, above all, that you have so many stories inscribed within your skin that no one else can tell the way you do. They are all important, they are all valid, they all have the potential to shake someone up. And really, what are you so afraid of?

(for bus rides) 

You've mentioned that you took a fiction writing class this semester; how does what you wrote for that class conflict with the truth and honesty in your poetry? Did you take any other classes that made you excited about learning? 

I’m actually a fiction writing major, though I rarely write a fictional piece with enthusiasm. I spent my workshop class this past semester writing a nonfiction piece about a road trip I took to North Carolina last summer. Despite my gripes, immersing myself in a type of writing I’m not comfortable with has helped me realize I shouldn’t let myself be hindered by the truth. Allowing details to be bent to better a story is perfectly acceptable. No matter what class I’m taking—from Small Press Publishing to Tutor Training, Beginning Poetry to First Novels—I’m being asked to view my work in a different light, to think about writing in a new way. That’s something exciting and incredibly helpful. Even if you struggle through your poetry workshop, you are still picking up tools to weave into other types of writing, understanding the rules of the game and how to heighten your work to make it better than it was before. Being open to this is absolutely crucial.

I know that you don't like recommending music (I'm the same way); however, what is some music that you love? No recommendations, just opinions. 

I’m a sucker for sad songs and rap music. That’s all there is to it, really.

(things we tell ourselves in the dark, pt 4.) 

Your flickr account is full of words. What's your favorite thing you've written? Or, alternatively, what are you most proud of? 

While I don’t think I’ll ever be able to call a certain piece my “favorite,” I can say I feel that little swell in my chest when I read something I wrote and it hits exactly what I was trying to convey. My series from last summer, “Things We Tell Ourselves in the Dark” has certain pieces that still resonate with the desperateness I was experiencing. Many of the long form pieces I wrote in my “coincidences” set still ache. It is fun to write about my current relationship because I’m seeing how I let my past writhe through my present. I’m proud of where I’ve been, where I’ll go. It is nice to have reminders of that.

I read a quote a few days ago that said, talking about what she learned from Anne Lamott's books, “‘Sometimes you’re not blocked, you’re empty’ – if you are an artist of any kind, or if you are trying to get any kind of large-scale project accomplished, you know that “writer’s block” is always at your heels, that jinxed feeling that the gig is up, and no matter how long you stare at the blank screen, you’ve got nothing. Less than nothing. Anne Lamott reminds me that sometimes the problem isn’t that I’m blocked but that I’m empty. Perhaps I need to spend some time filling up again, engaging in the small moments of inspiration that provide energy for the work. a walk outside. a conversation. Using ultra fine tip sharpie markers in a journal. Rest. etc. This is some of the best advice I have ever heard. Instead of trying to push past the block, perhaps the best thing to do is go about filling up.” In regards to this, what do you do when you're drained, and empty, and the words won't come?

Often, I find myself experiencing what I call “writer’s exhaustion.” It isn’t that I don’t have anything to say—there’s always a million things pressing at my fingertips—but sometimes the mind (and heart) become so tired  process shifts from being enjoyable, rewarding, important and feels difficult. Throw in a self censorship issue: things being too close, worrying you won’t do them justice, wondering if it is worth writing and I’ll find myself frustrated. It takes a moment of pause. Usually, I just need to return to a place of where I feel more comfortable. Open up a notebook and write something entirely different—party and bullshit prose just to get some of that anxiety out. Get to the root of things. It helps to remove the phrase “I can’t” from your vocabulary. If you are trying to work on something fictional, switch to nonfiction—your past provides a wealth of stories. If the form is challenging you, write it shorter and expand later. Anything to jog you away from whatever you are struggling with.

Words are art. However, is there any other sort of art form that you're involved in? What inspires you?

I’m a sucker for writing—always have been, always will be. But the artistic possibilities stemming from that—creating little publications, performance poetry, oral storytelling—is forever catching me by storm. They all hold unique possibilities of stretching your boundaries, something I love. As for inspiration, I am just constantly fascinated by human interaction, by the way our relationships echo throughout us, how we build and manipulate ourselves. Growth, in essence. Living in a city has strengthened my observational skills. Memory is hugely important to me. I just constantly want to absorb everything I possibly can, to find a story in both myself and those I touch briefly.


Thank you so much, Rachel!

an interview with... Anna Peters

twitch

Anna Peters is a talented photographer and poet living and studying in the Midwest. On her tumblr, petits mots, petites morts, she shares, amongst other things,  the poems she is writing every day for a year and poems dedicated to each month. Earlier this month, I emailed her a few questions, and below are her responses about shooting film, finding the way words fit and how 'music is multi faceted awesome'. All the photos in the post are taken from Anna's portfolio & flickr.

blog / tumblr / portfolio /

exposed more than once

You shared photographs from your Hands On Spirituality class on your blog last month. What other classes are you currently studying and why?

My majors are Dance and Anthropology. I’m always in several dance classes: Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Pas de Deux, etc, plus rehearsals. I’m also currently in a really interesting Anthropology class called “Youth Conflict Global Cinema.” We’ve watched some fantastic international films, including Salaam Bombay, Offside. City of God, and Tsotsi. I highly recommend all of them.

grow til tall

Do you plan to pursue photography or writing full time? If not, what do you currently hope to do?

I don’t know exactly what my plans are for photography yet. There’s part of me that thinks I would really love shooting weddings, but the business/marketing side of that equation doesn’t appeal to me at all. I suppose my biggest goal is to just continue to grow. It may be years, decades even, until I solidify my photographic voice and master the technique. I feel the same way about writing, I want to develop and refine and improve, but only in order to best utilise the medium as a creative outlet. Although to be perfectly honest, if someone approached me and offered to publish my work, I wouldn’t say no. Dancers don’t make squat.

not open

Often, you shoot film and then you share it online. How has using the internet opened up different paths for you? If you hadn’t had access to the internet, do you still think you would have discovered your photographic style and the patterns to your poetry?

If I hadn’t joined Flickr, I wouldn’t be shooting film, or it would have taken a long long time for me to discover it on my own. I think the internet community is a brilliant resource for both photography and writing. Seeing what people are doing, and watching others developing stylistically has been invaluable for my own growth. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but the web has immensely influenced the way I express myself, by giving me a space in which I can do it and receive feedback; I enjoy being able to interact with other young people making art.

home(s)

What do you most enjoy photographing and why?

There isn’t really a specific subject I like photographing the best, but I really love telling stories. My favourite way to use my cameras is when I can bring them along to an event, a trip, what have you, and end up with a series of images that not only documents what had transpired, but also captured some of the essence, or soul, of the experience. (This is why I think I might find a fit photographing weddings.)

faces

What inspires you to write your poetry?

Nothing. I like the way words fit together; I like the way they taste. Sometimes spew out nonsense just for the aesthetic. Sometimes I write without thinking. If I can begin it, I can usually find a way to end it, conclusions have always been my speciality - ending paragraphs, last lines, goodbyes. And also, everything, including, but not exclusive to (this list is stolen from my blog): memories, imagined conversations, remembered dreams, half-remembered dreams, the condition of my fingernails, the temperature at any given moment, rain, things that grow, various spiritual ideas and philosophies (Taoist and Tibetan Buddhist especially), whatever the sky happens to looks like at the time, headaches, pulled muscles, other people’s writing, sweat, un-made beds, how much I cry, anything I can brush gently with my fingertips.

daydreams

Are there any places you dream of travelling to and photographing?

Anywhere. It’s the going that creates the story. I have massive amounts of wanderlust.

digital work

On your tumblr, you share a lot of music. The songs you listen to and the poetry you write and the photographs you take all seem to have a dreamy, otherworldly feel about them. Do you find that the tone of the music inspires your art, or the opposite, in that through creating the art, you are drawn to similar music?

You asked me if this question makes sense: it totally does, and I think it’s a good observation of something I really hadn’t thought about until now. I would say it’s a combination of both. There’s nothing like the perfect song to lure the right words out of hiding. However, I think it’s usually the other way around; I share music because it fits in with what’s around it. As such, the music on my blog, although it includes many of my favourites, might not represent the entirety of my taste. I don’t listen to any one type of music in particular, or listen with the intention of being inspired to write. This morning I was jamming at the gym to Justin Bieber, and it was fantastic. Music is multifaceted awesome.

travels

What advice would you give to your fifteen-year-old self? Did you imagine yourself to be in the place you are now at that age?

I think I was about fifteen when I bought my first camera with my own money: a 3.5-megapixel Canon Powershot. I remember because my mom got the 5-megapixel model but I could only afford the 3.5. I definitely had no idea photography would become so integral to my identity as a creative person, but I loved that tiny silver thing with all my heart.

As for advice, I would tell her to trust her instincts, and to not limit herself out of insecurity. I would also tell her to work harder in ballet class, but that’s a different story.

interview with annie rose.

I have a lovely friend named Annie Rose. It's been a few years since I've seen her, but we keep up through blogs and facebook. Today, I'm going to be interviewing her. Annie Rose is 15 now, and living in China. She's the 6th out of 8 children, most of whom are in China with their family. 

--So, Annie Rose. You live in Suzhou, China, right now, right?

Yes, I do. Suzhou is located in Jiangsu province and is about 70 miles west of Shanghai.

--Where did you live before China?

Before moving here I lived in a small town called New Castle, in Colorado. I was born in California though and when I was one, moved to CO.

--Aside from the obvious, what are a few things about China that are different from Colorado?

My family and I went from a population of 3000 people to 6 million, which you could consider a pretty big difference. In Colorado there was so much natural beauty and Suzhou is rather lacking in that area. Another big difference is we don't own a car here so we take public transportation everywhere. Taxis, buses, subways and trains are what we use to get around and I am quite happy with that. We also ride electric scooters (sort of like a moped) and bicycles a lot. (It's so much fun!)

--Are you learning the language?

We are. We have a Chinese tutor come twice a week for about an hour and a half each lesson. Living among the Chinese people helps.

--Have you made any Chinese friends?

We haven't really made many Chinese friends yet as we're still working on the language. But because we attend an international church we have friends from all different parts of the world which is pretty amazing.

--Is it hard having half of your family in America?

It is very hard, but they all came for this past Christmas (we haven't spent a Christmas apart yet!) and we will travel back to America in May for our vacation, so we haven't had to go very long without seeing them. (Thank goodness!)

--What's your favorite part about living in China?

Oh man. Well I could say public transportation, being in the midst of the city, anything like that, but I think that the Chinese people are the ones who make all of those things fun. So I would say living with the Chinese people in the middle of their crazy city.

--Describe a little bit of the city for me. What do you like and dislike about it?

We live right next to a lake. Across the lake there are several skyscrapers and they've become somewhat like landmarks to us. There's a bus stop on almost every corner, which makes it easy to get anywhere in the city (the bus system is especially nice since we don't have a car!). We live in a newer part of the city called SIP where the houses are modern and not extremely Chinese, but there are many parts of the city that have been around for so long, such as "Old Town" which is surrounded by a moat. Little side streets curve off into the distance and canals run along side them. That part of the city is around 2500 years old. Suzhou is known as the "Venice of the East". A major canal city. Something that I dislike here is the pollution. Colorado has brilliant, blue skies. Suzhou's are more of a faded blue.

--What sort of school do you go to in China? Homeschool? And is it different than it was in America? 

We actually are still home schooled. There are international schools here but they're a little pricey so as of now we're still at home. It hasn't been that different other than adding Chinese lessons and a couple of other subjects.

--What about the food? Is it what you were expecting when you moved there, or completely different?

Chinese food is way different than American Chinese food. Frog legs, pig feet and chicken heads are some of the more "Chinese" foods. They still eat lots of rice and noodles along with all the weird stuff but you won't often find sweet and sour chicken on your plate. Fortune cookies? They're completely American.

--If you can say one thing to Fernweh readers about anything -China, living overseas, ect.- what would it be?

I'm really thankful for the opportunity to live in a foreign country and learn so many new things... to speak a different language, learn to become more capable, bargain when shopping (pretty fun), be open to trying new foods and new ways of doing everyday things and just to live life differently. I'll probably live in America for the majority of my life (but I'll hopefully travel a ton) so having this time here is so incredible. I don't know what God's plans for me are yet but I'm so thankful he's taken care of my family and me thus far and will continue to do so always.

You can find Annie's blog here, and her sister's blog (third and fourth pictures courtesy of Becca!) here.  Thanks so much for letting us talk to you, and I look forward to hearing more about China!

xo
Katie