Getting Ready

Welcome to my on-line journal! The primary purpose of this journal is to help document my trip to China–so when I’m old and grey–I’ll have something to aid my memory. I also created it so that my friends and family can keep tabs on me while I’m gone. That is of course assuming that this website isn’t one that has been censored or banned by the Government. Can I get in trouble for saying that over there?

I leave for China in about two days. I would be very excited–but every time I start to get giddy, I think of yet another thing that I have to do before I leave. Guess that’s how things are when you get older and have bills to pay, LOL. For some reason, I don’t remember my nine-week trek through Europe to be so time consuming pre-trip.

So just to catch everyone up who I haven’t spoken to in a while:
1) I am traveling to The People’s Republic of China
2) Yes, I am aware that it’s a communist country and is well known for it’s human rights violations
3) Yes, they do let people in the country just to travel
4) No, I do not speak Mandarin and am aware that I will be overcoming a huge communication barrier for three weeks
5) Yes, I am traveling solo and
6) No, I’m not scared or worried or bothered at the prospect of doing so.

So with all of that out of the way….

I chose China for my post-bar trip primarily because I wanted to go somewhere that I couldn’t get to in a few hours. I figured that I’m going to be working slave hours for the rest of my life, so I might as well get out while I can. My first choice was actually India–but apparently this is just not the time of year to go. And my cousin K has been throwing in her vote for China for MONTHS!

Ever since my trip to Europe, I’ve developed this travel bug that just won’t go away. I realized during my European trip that the world was just so much bigger than what I knew. Things are different. People are different. My way is not always the right way (although I like to think it is). For example, and some of you may remember this–I had a life changing epiphany in Europe–while trying to use the bathroom. Before ya’ll get grossed out, it wasn’t a difficult experience, LOL. My epiphany came from a toilet bowl–or lack thereof. A toilet bowl–something that my 22 year old mind was convinced could only be “done” one way. And to my surprise (and at the time dismay) for the first time in my life, there was no indoor toilet bowl…just a porcelain covered hole in the floor! That experience gave new meaning to “hover and cover.” (I threw that phrase in there for you A.M.)

All of that is to say that I’ve come to appreciate the differences in life. And traveling–even to a place where I don’t know anyone and can’t even speak the language helps me appreciate life that much more.