As of today, I have thirteen days left in the USA.
When I tell people that I am moving to Asia, I usually face the question, “are you nervous?” I say that I am. The truth is that I’m not really intimidated by the prospect of living in rural China, and I don’t really feel that apprehension about the next twelve months. The next two weeks, on the other hand, will be terrifying. As a result of circumstances beyond my control, this coming Tuesday will be my first opportunity to apply for a Chinese visa–the visa that is absolutely required before I can leave. I’ve also recently began to realize that I will have to acquire least a few more things before I can leave: money, camera, a decent pair of shoes (knock-off footwear is the one item that the Chinese just can’t seem to get right). Not to mention the fact that I still have a job for five more days. All in all, it should be a fun couple of weeks.
On another note, some of you might be curious about this organization that I am working for. Rather than give some long-winded explanation about what they do, here is their website:
www.chinaeducationinitiative.org
They are basically a Chinese version of Teach for America/Americorps.
