But, in less than twenty-four hours, I'll be boarding a direct flight from Boston to Hong Kong, marking the start of my nearly four month long semester abroad in China. To chronicle this adventure and stay in touch with my friends and family back in the states, I've decided to create this blog. I envision it will be a digital journal of sorts where I can post pictures and stories from my travels, but as I've said many times about the trip in general, I honestly have no idea what to expect.
So a little background on the trip:
For the majority of my time in China, I'll be staying with a host family while studying Mandarin Chinese and the history of US & Chinese relations at the University of Nanjing in Nanjing, China. The city of Nanjing is located on the Yangtze river, about an hour west of Shanghai, and the fact that you probably haven't heard of it is a testament to just how massive China is because Nanjing is a huge city. Home to over 7 million people (that's a bit more than the entire state of Massachusetts) Nanjing is one of the most historically significant cities in China, having been the capital of numerous dynasties throughout Chinese history.
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| Panorama of Nanjing taken in 2005 |
Other cool facts:
- It has one of the largest populations of college students of any Chinese city.
- The Nanjing Museum was one of the first museums in China and boasts over 400,00 items.
- And the city is home to a successful Chinese Basketball Association team, the Jiangsu Dragons, who recently signed former 1st overall NBA draft pick, Greg Oden (this is hilarious to me).
Over the past few months, I've been asked time and time again if I'm excited for this epic journey that I am about to embark on. My answer is always, yes, of course. I'm ecstatic about the opportunity, but at the same time, I really have no perspective whatsoever. Even as I write these words with less than a day left on this continent, it still hasn't hit me. It still feels like I'll be heading back to Amherst tomorrow to start my junior year at UMass.
But in reality, I'm standing on the doorstep of a drastically different world that I don't think I could ever fully prepare for.
Which leads to everyone's next question, have I finished packing?
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| Nope. |
But I've been emotionally preparing throughout the Summer, making my way around Mass. on a little farewell tour of sorts so I could see friends and family a few more times before I leave you all until Christmas. And while I am exceptionally grateful for the opportunity to travel half-way across the globe, immersing myself in a fascinating new culture, I am even more grateful to have these wonderful people to return to when all is said and done.
You are The Shire to my Frodo and I can hardly wait to share my future adventures with you all once I cast the one ring of power into the fires of Mount Doom return home.
See you in December!
AWH
P.S. -- I will post an update once I know my address in Nanjing so people can send me letters, but you can also just email/text me. Technology is really somethin', eh?
