China!

The excitement... and anxiety is setting in as I prepare to leave for China.

I am so excited! Here are a few details about my trip...

I will be in the Jiangsu province, which is on the Eastern side of China, sort-of below Korea, and above Japan (I believe). Don't worry. I will not be traveling to either of these places... they're just for reference. Here is a quick pic:

They're both the same, I just wasn't sure which it was easier to tell where I was going.

Let's see... I'll also give you a quick rundown of my flight info:

• My first plane leaves STL at 6:55am (my first flight got cancelled and this is the one I got. I totally didn't pick one this early)
• I will arrive in Chicago at 8:03am and depart again at 10:40am.
• Then, I will fly and fly and fly.
• I will arrive in China at 2:05 pm the next day. We lose a day because we are 13 hours behind them.

I registered my trip with the consulate. I heard this is a good idea in case of any emergency or anything unexpected were to happen. I also found out where the nearest consulate will be and have a contact number for them, just to be safe. Of course, I don't expect anything bad to happen but it's important to have this information anyways.

I also made copies of my passport and visa information. I have a copy, and I gave a copy to my travel companion. I also have her information in case something were to get lost or stolen. Again, China is safe, but you have to be responsible for yourself, especially when you're in a foreign country.

Tomorrow I need to call the doctor and ask if I need any vaccinations. I think I'm up to date, but I don't really know. My advisor said she doesn't do anything special. The first year she took malaria pills, but it wasn't worth it since we aren't in a place where we really need them.

You'll notice on the map that I'll be next to a HUGE lake. That is called the Lake Hongze. It is the 4th largest freshwater lake in China. Many sites I've visited said you can rent a boat on this lake with your friends and family. I think this will be somewhere I would like to go while I am there:

"Erected more than 400 years ago, the Hongze Levee is a well known artificial levee. The levee is 70 km in length and is a critical levee to prevent flooding. The levee offers a beautiful landscape and many tourist attractive sites have been established along the levee, such as an artificial beach and many other entertainment facilities."

I also found a National Park in the city we will be in. I found an aquarium and a zoo. I'm not sure if visiting all of these places, but it's cool to know what's there. I think we have someone who is supposed to take us touring on our weekends off. Weeknights we will be on our own.

Our advisor also told us about this jewelry place and this handbag place, but I can't remember the names of them. I know one has "garden" in the name. I'll have to ask upon arrival.

Here is a pic of the hotel I will be staying in my first night in China.

I also know that I will be teaching middle school students. At first I thought it would be ages 14-17, but now it looks like it will be more like, maybe 12-15ish.

I'll tell you more later. I'm reminding myself right now to talk about gifts...