China Mojo

Katherine Maund '09

A post-graduation adventure in social media and mobile journalism

On June 2, 2009, I left the comfort of my Burlington apartment, still boasting graduation decorations, to embark on a journey to Western China. I gave up my porcelain throne, my daily breakfast of empty carbs and fruit, and the fear of ingesting various animal genitalia to immerse myself in a culture full of contradictions. Armed with Pepto-Bismol, all my electronics, and a hunger for something new, I joined eight others nine of us from Champlain College and set out across the world on a mobile journalism and social media adventure. Our collective mission? Learn about media and regulation in China while documenting the entire trip using social media (a contradiction in itself within China's firewalls).

My personal mission? Take some cool pictures and eat some weird food.

It's nearly impossible to recapitulate my experience in China here, but looking back, it was in the faces of the children we met where the greatest lessons were found. In their smiles and sad eyes I began to understand the fine line that separates suffering and joy. A boy selling jewelry made of peach pits wore tattered clothes and ran up to our group as we approached the entrance to a well-known Buddhist retreat. His eyes exuded hunger, desperation, and extreme poverty, yet when I handed him a few Yuan for a bracelet, his face lit up and he wrapped his arms around me. He got to eat dinner that night. Bereft of what we consider life's essentials, he had experienced unadulterated joy even if only for a brief moment.

I am deeply moved by the humility and generosity of the Chinese. Each and every person we came across, regardless of their financial status, treated us like royalty. They took such pride in what they were able to offer us, big or small. You cannot truly understand China until you have been there, eaten ram brains in a colorful yurt, danced with Mongolian entertainers, choked on the smog, urinated in an outdoor latrine, or looked into the face of an impoverished child.

Even still, a year later, China continues to baffle me, intrigue me, and draw me back for another visit to take more cool photos and eat more weird food.

In January, Kat Maund joined the Champlain College Office of International Programs as the marketing and office support manager. You can read more about the China Mojo trip and see more photos online at www.alumni.champlain.edu.

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