Adventure Awaits!

To start off, packing my life in one suitcase to last four months is way harder than one would think! I have clothes scattered everywhere, toiletries flung across the floor and shoes stacked in the center of the room. It doesn't help that the cat thinks she can help me by hiding in my suitcase and attacking any fingers that come near. Back when I first applied for the Experience China Program, I thought this week would never come. It’s an incredible feeling to know that in one week, I will be in China!

I've never been outside of the United States before, so the idea of getting a passport, applying for a visa and ordering plane tickets was extremely exciting and stressful! This has so far been an adventure and I have yet to set foot in China. Studying at the Zhejiang International Studies University in Hangzhou, I will be taking classes, experiencing daily Chinese life and exploring my surroundings. I can't wait to start exploring my new home!!  

I am writing this blog for several reasons. The first is to keep in contact with friends and family back home. With most social media sites blocked in China, I will have no way to let anyone know what I am up to. It is going to be hard not being able to text or call mom and dad; but it's something to get used to, I guess! Another reason why I chose to write this blog is to keep a documentation of my journey. I hope you find my adventures fun to read as I am sure I will have lots of cool, and knowing me, embarrassing stories to share. 

Thank you to my parents, sister, family and friends as you all have been an inspiration and motivator for this trip. Thanks for backing me in all my decisions - I'll make sure to bring you home a present(:

See you later, America! I will see you in four months. In the mean time, I will be discovering mysterious China. 

"Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain 

Hangzhou is just a little bit bigger - only about 8 million people...yikes!