Hobbies

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Bamboo Bokeh, originally uploaded by Steve Webel.

After I first moved to China (way back in 2000!) a strange thing happened, I lost all (most) of my hobbies! Life was just sooo different here in China than it was for me in the States, that the things I used to do for relaxation and enjoyment just were not available or enjoyable here.

I struggled with this for awhile as I tried to find things to do for relaxation and refreshment while at the same time adjusting to a completely different and new culture.

Finally I found photography. I’ve been interested in photography since college when I got my first Minolta SLR camera, but it was not my primary hobby and I was not as ‘into’ it as I was other hobbies. However, just as I was discovering my love for photography, digital SLR’s started to become ‘affordable’.

For awhile I knew exactly which camera I was going to buy when I had the chance and I was super excited! That was two years ago and I have not looked back since then. I can easily say now that photography has become one of my favorite ways to relax and have fun – and I’m so thankful that it’s something I can do here in China or in the States (or anywhere I find myself!)

I post some of my photos onto the internet on a site called “Flickr” If you want to see some of my photos, click on the link under the photo of the bamboo tree at the top of this post.

Cheese!