introduction

the streets i roam

So you might be asking yourself, “why would you call yourself the ‘boisterous beard of Beijing’, what an odd name.” Here are a few legitimate reasons. First, if you came to Beijing and saw a man with a rather thick beard it is probably me, because the Chinese men have not the capacity to grow a beard and the Europeans have not the desire. Second, I can be outright ridiculous sometimes. Lastly, I like alliteration.

This bearded fellow feels slightly out of place at times. I am a small town guy living in one of the biggest cities in the world. The biggest “city” I have ever lived in is Ellsworth, Maine, which currently has around 9,000 residents. I see three times that many people in a single day. Overwhelming only for those that grew up in the sticks of New England. Slowly this place has been growing on me.

I often feel the urge to break out of this urban environment. Sadly those days of outdoor adventures are few and far between. On the rare occasions I can get out…its amazing. My lungs often scream for fresh air when the smog of the city burn through them, but thankfully it rains from time to time and the caustic air around me is cleansed. So good.

I love the wild side of things, and I am finding that even on the streets of Beijing I can have exciting experiences all the time. This blog is the story of a bearded man, far from home, living with fellow ERAPers, teaching English to students that hardly understand him, struggling with various distances, but all together amazed by how good his Abba is to him. I am not an eloquent speaker, but I am passionate about many things and living adventurously is in my blood. I hope you can find some shreds of enjoyment from reading about those passions and adventures. I hope that this can be real. And I hope to invite any and all readers into the amazing things that are happening in this small part of China.