Countdown to departure: 0 days
Countdown to culture shock: 185 days
Leaving in just a few hours here...
I have to say, as I was hinting at before, I see this cold I got as something of a blessing. I am about 75% recovered now, and it has given me something really concrete to focus on over the past few days, when I could have easily been spending my time obsessing over the trans-Pacific threshold.
I have created and roughly "set up" a new blog, which will hopefully be accessible from China. I haven't had much time to tinker with it, but I hope to get it up and going as soon as I get the chance.
The new blog can be found here: http://321cultureshock.wordpress.com/
Excelsior!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Friday, May 7, 2010
Actual problem
Countdown to departure: 3 days
Countdown to culture shock: 188 days
Most of the posts I've thought about making on here (and I imagine most of the posts I actually made) have either been about my emotional state or vaguely worded revisitings of the plans I've been struggling to make. Now, with three days to go, job quit, visa obtained, medical insurance (almost) purchased, I actually (maybe) have something substantial to report: I fear I'm getting sick.
It's a wonder my immune system has held out so long, battered internally by the upheaval of the past several weeks, and externally from working in a pharmacy (for crying out loud). And now, alas, I went to bed with a sore throat and have woken up with a moderately sorer one. So with this and this and a bit of this, I'm doing this and hoping I don't have this.
Countdown to culture shock: 188 days
Most of the posts I've thought about making on here (and I imagine most of the posts I actually made) have either been about my emotional state or vaguely worded revisitings of the plans I've been struggling to make. Now, with three days to go, job quit, visa obtained, medical insurance (almost) purchased, I actually (maybe) have something substantial to report: I fear I'm getting sick.
It's a wonder my immune system has held out so long, battered internally by the upheaval of the past several weeks, and externally from working in a pharmacy (for crying out loud). And now, alas, I went to bed with a sore throat and have woken up with a moderately sorer one. So with this and this and a bit of this, I'm doing this and hoping I don't have this.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Siniticism
Countdown to departure: 6 days
Countdown to culture shock: 191 days
I'm thinking about when I return to university, even though that's far off. If my time in China goes as planned — "as planned" meaning simply that I am functionally bilingual when I return (though it would be nice to have saved up some money too) — I'm thinking I might push for my school to authorize me to change my Linguistics major to become their first Sinology major. By that point I will surely have the tools I need to get on the ins with the Asian Studies department, and will have proven my devotion to the field at least enough to validate my petition. It may ultimately be more practical for me to be a Linguistics major with a Chinese minor or some such permutation, but it would be nice if my degree were to be in the one field I can actually envision myself devoting my life to at this point in time.
Countdown to culture shock: 191 days
I'm thinking about when I return to university, even though that's far off. If my time in China goes as planned — "as planned" meaning simply that I am functionally bilingual when I return (though it would be nice to have saved up some money too) — I'm thinking I might push for my school to authorize me to change my Linguistics major to become their first Sinology major. By that point I will surely have the tools I need to get on the ins with the Asian Studies department, and will have proven my devotion to the field at least enough to validate my petition. It may ultimately be more practical for me to be a Linguistics major with a Chinese minor or some such permutation, but it would be nice if my degree were to be in the one field I can actually envision myself devoting my life to at this point in time.
Monday, May 3, 2010
One Week
Countdown to departure: 7 days
Countdown to culture shock: 192 days
I will go to Beijing alone and work as a private tutor. The arrangements are more or less in place: I get my visa on Wednesday, and I have given notice at work (my last day is Thursday), Tom will have his friends whisk me off to the apartment when I arrive, and then send the first couple of clients my way; from that point, I'll have to find the rest of my clients on my own. Fortunately I already have a handful of contacts in Beijing to help me out.
My personal growth the past couple weeks has moved beyond meditation to real life lessons. Damaging my parents' car twice in that span of time is distressing to the point of hilarity; the first incident ate up all of the funds I had meant to use for my travelling expenses, the second has left me in debt to both my brother and my best friend. But dealing with a brush with death and that encumbering sense of regret that comes with game-changing mistakes easily avoided have left me wiser to an extent that could very possibly save my life in a place where risky choices will be all-too-tempting to make. And I find comfort in that.
So let my last week begin. Here goes nothing.
Countdown to culture shock: 192 days
I will go to Beijing alone and work as a private tutor. The arrangements are more or less in place: I get my visa on Wednesday, and I have given notice at work (my last day is Thursday), Tom will have his friends whisk me off to the apartment when I arrive, and then send the first couple of clients my way; from that point, I'll have to find the rest of my clients on my own. Fortunately I already have a handful of contacts in Beijing to help me out.
My personal growth the past couple weeks has moved beyond meditation to real life lessons. Damaging my parents' car twice in that span of time is distressing to the point of hilarity; the first incident ate up all of the funds I had meant to use for my travelling expenses, the second has left me in debt to both my brother and my best friend. But dealing with a brush with death and that encumbering sense of regret that comes with game-changing mistakes easily avoided have left me wiser to an extent that could very possibly save my life in a place where risky choices will be all-too-tempting to make. And I find comfort in that.
So let my last week begin. Here goes nothing.
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