Me Oh My

I fly in less than a week!

I've been having "last" visits with family and friends for a while now, trying to get my head around what I'm about to do. I had very organized intentions about blogging regularly this summer. I was going to get my thoughts and feelings laid out and tabulated. Then, there is too much to pay attention to next week and my emotions start churning out of their banks I could say "Ah, Homesickness, I was expecting you" or "Yes, Jetlag, I know. Please shut up." It turned out that I mostly needed to sit and ponder a lot (again, while I, personally, choose to think of myself as a Thinker, Philosopher, or Visionary, even, there are those who label me Airhead). I've studied a bit, and organized a bit, and let myself slowly collect and sift through the things I think I will need for a year. I've been losing what ability I had to carry on coherent conversations; most of my thoughts are consumed by plane schedules, layovers, negotiating ferry rides and taxis and an overnight train ride with a year's worth of luggage.

Also, taking graduate level classes in Chinese.

What I think I'm trying to say is that I'm very very self absorbed right now, and only a little sorry about it so far.

Today is my last in Ames, or Iowa. Mom and I are driving to Chicago to stay with a friend there, Mom will return on Saturday and Nicky will see me to the airport on Sunday evening. Then I have a two hour flight up to Toronto (I'm flying Air Canada, you see) and will spend 12 hours- overnight- chilling in the Toronto airport (YYZ, if you wanted to know). Then I fly for 15 hours to Hong Kong, from where I'll take a ferry straight from the airport over to Macau, and then a taxi to the building I'll be staying in for the first week. Then I have ten days at another gracious friend's home, and then on September 4th I'll take an overnight train up to Nanjing and move into my dorm on Saturday, September 5th. It is going to feel really great to finally get somewhere I know I'll be staying for more than a matter of weeks.