Getting Ready for China

I leave for China in 13 days! I wish I could say I’m ready to go but I’m not. And that has to be OK too. My plan is to blog while I’m there. I might blog on here and on World Nomads - I’ll see how that goes…

It takes a lot to get ready for a big trip. Planning, buying, packing, more planning. It’s not as simple as throwing a bunch of things into a suitcase and sorting it all out later. So I did what I’ve always done – I made lists. A list of what I needed to buy before I leave. A list of what I need to pack to go. A list of what I want to do and see while I’m there and a list of what I want to buy there. I love lists, they allow me a semblance of control, even though I know it’s only a façade.

So what is makes it hard to leave? The schoolwork that must get done before I go and leaving the people that I can’t take with me. Luckily I have decided to bring my computer to stay in touch with my friends and loved ones. And luckily I am traveling with one of my closest friends and I know we will be there to guide and support each other through this journey.

I have never traveled to Asia before. I have traveled many times to Europe and even though I don’t speak any other languages I’ve always felt extremely comfortable in Europe. As a matter of fact, I’ve always felt extremely comfortable traveling. It’s as though, suddenly, by being out of my element, I’m in my element. I’m not sure how or why that works but it does….

I’m bringing a very large suitcase – I had to go buy a new one yesterday because I only had the weekender kind that fits in the overhead. The new one I bought is almost as big as me! I am hoping to pack it ½ full and then fill it up with fun souvenirs when I’m there.

I am going with a large group of people from school, there will be about 20 of us. We are going to Hangzhou. We will spend ½ days at clinics observing acupuncture and then ½ days in class – 4 days a week. We will have 3 day weekends to travel, sightsee and cause mayhem. I am hoping to go on day or weekend trips to Shanghai, Beijing, Suzhou and Zhouzhuang. Jessika and I will be spending our last 4-5 days in Hong Kong. The total trip planned is 5 weeks.

I will be leaving behind my wonderful, beautiful kitty cat – Midnight Blue in very good hands with Celine and David. I have never left Midi for this long before. The longest I’ve left him in the 3 years we’ve been together is for 2 weeks and he gets really upset about that. I will also be leaving behind the rain and sun of Sausalito and my amazing gorgeous blooming flowers, magnolias, in my front yard. When I return they will have ceased to bloom and I won’t get to see their vibrant faces again until next Spring. I took many pictures already so I can remember them. And then there are my amazing friends, my spectacular support group and a special someone that I have known for many months but have recently gotten to know even better.

I love blogging and putting up pics. I’m hoping my new camera will take video but the battery is currently dead and I’ve been too preoccupied to charge it. I want to keep writing and procrastinating but I have to study for my test on Tuesday, especially since I want to get out to play in the rain soon…