China Day 51: ,

China Day 51: 陕西, 华山

In a country as populous as China, finding open space to breathe and stretch one's legs is a rare treat. When the air is smog-free and the view in all directions is nothing but misty mountains and sun-soaked clouds, there's really nothing that could be said to adequately describe the experience of just standing over what seems like the edge of the world. 

Chicago Pride 2013 in Lakeview, the year of the repeal of DOMA

China Days 32-37 宁波 and 上海:

1. Visited my ancestors' hometown of Ningbo and toured the mountain villages in which I might have grown up had subsequent generations of Dus not bust their respective balls to improve their quality of life.

2. Scandalized relatives by wearing raggy shoes and smoking at the dinner table with the men. Apparently Chinese society is extremely materialistic, and I'm obligated to not only accept this as an unerring fact of Chinese culture but modify my personal lifestyle to impress those around me. Also, as a woman I should accept that my freedoms are fewer than those of men because Confucius said so.

3. Befriended a flirtatious Pakistani hotel chef by getting him to talk about his wife and son. Received a specially made omelette. 

4. Beat my cousin at basketball at the cost of getting my foot cut open, courtesy of the aforementioned raggy shoes.  

5. Saw my grandma naked one too many times.

6. Tolerated my brother's continuous poking and pinching of the various flabby bits of my body (i.e. underarms, abdomen, thighs), coupled with repeated insults to my physical appearance and intelligence. 

7. Had afternoon tea at the Waldorf with another cousin.

8. Ferried about the Huang Pu River thinking about a boy.

Directions for preparing kidney soup, which is generally uncomplicated yet requires somewhat intricate knifework. 

First assignment for Intro to Photojournalism:

1. Light: Julianna Nunez, 21, checks a text from her boyfriend over a dinner of fish and spinach with injera. Monday night was her first time trying Ethiopian food at Addis Abeba in Evanston.

2. Rule of Thirds: Freshman forward Nia Coffey attempts a layup Wednesday night against Purdue at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Boilermakers fell to the Wildcats 71-68.

-Susan Du

Da Prez in Hyde Park