When I text my parents saying: “Call you in a few…just getting back from a run”, I don’t think they can really grasp the extent to which the sights and encounters I experience on my daily run through town differ from those in Branford, Connecticut. With today’s cutting edge technology, Wechat, iMessage and Skype make it feel as though I am simply around the corner. My family and I text each other live play-by-play updates of our latest meals, new outfits, and dogs curled up on the couch. Distance does not change the manner or frequency with which we communicate. That being said, the physical distance of my home in China is oftentimes forgotten by my family. I am extremely grateful for technology in that I am able to feel so connected to those I miss back home. Yet, I want them to better visualize how truly different my life is from their own. In order to help my family and friends step into my shoes, I have taken you all on my run through town. I mapped out a 10 mile run for myself around University Town in order to give you the full tour of my hood. Do you like my matching hot pink Nike hat and t-shirt? Well, the Chinese neighborhood folk certainly do! As if it weren’t enough that a blonde-haired blue-eyed white girl was running through their village…my bright pink attire ensures that I will not be missed! #CelebrityStatus. The photos below capture snapshots into my every day life in Shenzhen. This has become my new normal.
