Finding the Motivation to Explore Home

Blue skies? In Guangzhou? It's been surprisingly clear
recently, perhaps because of all the rain.

Oh, hello June! You crept up out of nowhere. How is it already June? There are a lot of exciting things I have planned for this month (not the least of which will be my family visiting at the end of this month – can't wait!), but I still don't think I was ready for it.

I've been in Guangzhou long enough that it is officially home. I breathe that welcome-home sigh of relief when I open my door, kick off my shoes and drop off my bag. And my room is recognizably mine: plenty of knickknacks lining available surfaces; bed hopelessly, forever unmade; floor covered in clothes, both clean and dirty. Feels like home to me.

But the problem with thinking of Guangzhou as home is that it's easy to forget how little I've seen of the city and how short a time I've actually been here. Weeks pass and I do little outside my typical routine – work, gym, late nights, laundry, grocery shopping. Long mornings spent in bed in front of the computer, trying to drag my butt out of the apartment to do the many things on my to-do list. Honestly, who has the time to explore the many wonders this city has to offer, when there's so much day-to-day stuff to get done (or procrastinate and ignore)?

Making friends with statues at the Chen Clan Academy.

Sure, I have seen some of the famous sights. The first real day we arrived, EF arranged for us to go see the Chen Clan Academy, an complex that now houses a folk art museum which is a well-preserved example of traditional Chinese academic temple compounds. My roommates and I also went off to Shamian Island, a tiny area (it's not really an island) that's a throwback to the colonial period with its quiet pedestrian streets and historical European-style buildings. And, some friends and I went on this random adventure down to Nansha Bay two weeks ago, where we saw the Nansha Tin Hau Palace – a temple to Mazu, goddess of the sea, at the mouth of the Pearl River.

But I still haven't seen any of the huge, famous temples actually in Guangzhou, like the Bright Filial Piety Temple or the Temple of the Six Banyan Trees. I haven't seen the famous goat statue in Yuexiu Park, or been up Baiyun Mountain. There are a whole host of museums that sparked my interest before I got here, like the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall, that I haven't ventured into. I researched these places and took all these notes before I got here, but haven't made use of them hardly at all.

Why? I guess a lot of reasons. Getting settled was pretty important, and my job certainly keeps me busy. China in general was a pretty big adjustment, and just walking down the street seemed like an adventure at first. Navigating squat toilets, figuring out the bus system, trying new food – these were my adventures the first few months. Which I guess is fine!

What I worry about is that I'll keep putting things off until it's too late. There are a lot of things in the past few cities I've lived in that I never experienced – never saw a documentary at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival or had a waffle with shmears at Dame's Chicken and Waffles while I was in Durham. Never saw the ocelots at the Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, and I don't think I've seen the sponge docks and sampled refreshingly authentic Greek food over in Tarpon Springs since I was a child. These were all on my to-do lists while I lived in these places, but they just sort of... slipped off my radar? Never quite happened.

And there's a lot to be said for creating and maintaining a routine that's healthy, productive and sustainable. Haven't found one here yet (I don't think I've found one in any place I've lived at any point in my life), but I'm working on it. But it's important to build exploration time into that routine, to keep that routine from becoming a rut, a broken record that you eventually despise. I know this, I know this, so we'll see if I can find this balance.

The Nansha Tin Hau Palace - because sometimes China
looks exactly like the stereotypes.

Later this week I have a few days off for the Dragon Boat Festival. Hoping to go up to Danxia Mountain, to cross another UNESCO World Heritage Site off my list. But if not, I'm promising myself that I won't just stay home. Especially since the weather, when it's not downpouring, has been surprisingly nice in Guangzhou – blue skies! Sure, the air can be oppressively hot and humid, but I think I can tolerate any weather for blue skies. And, if I do head out of town for a few days, I still need to explore around Guangzhou before my family gets here so I know exactly where to take them. Thanks, 'rents, for being excellent motivation!

A quick, honest note, though: I think my next real adventure in Guangzhou will be getting my hair cut. Wish me luck.

Ever have problems motivating yourself to explore your hometown? Have any suggestions of places to see and experience in Guangzhou? Please let me know! And look forward to a post soon about the best thing I packed in my suitcase before coming to China.