For the past couple months, every other question I've been asked has been about my upcoming semester in China... "What are you doing over there?", "Do you know the language?", "Why China?", and my personal favorite, "Are you going to get arrested?". I have a pretty high tolerance for these questions, but as my departure gets closer and closer I get more and more scared. Sure, I've had the opportunity to travel before, and sure, I'm no stranger to semesters abroad, but this is different. I know nothing about the language. I know nothing about the culture. F... For that matter, I hardly know what the schedule is like for this program.
So, I think the "Why China?" response will answer most of the other questions. Why China? Because, as far as I am concerned, China is a big blog of Asians who make my tee shirts and computers and are interwoven in everyones economics. When I think of China I think of ink paintings, pollution, and Disney's 'Mulan'.
I want to become a cultured person. I feel confident in my stills with other English speakers and possibly many Europeans, but that is not the world. Only about 1.8 billion people speak English. That's not a whole lot in the grand scheme of things. I think I would be doing myself a disfavor to only pay attention to the European and Anglo-Saxon past.
So, I am packed and ready to leave in a few hours. It only took two weeks, 4 attempts to repack, and a five hour final rush, but my big luggage is sitting outside my room ready to go. I really have no idea that is in store for me but I have a few ideas on how to document my experiences. But for now...sleep
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