It's Real

Today I finally bought the tickets for my flight to China... That makes it official, I will soon be flying to China to teach English. I am super excited but the closer I get to China the more bored I get here at home waiting to go. I have been hanging out with one of my old high school friends and that helps pass the time. Also every Tuesday I play basketball at the church with my dad's friends. It is fun but they foul me so much that my back is starting to hurt. After buying the tickets this morning I have spent the rest of the day reading blogs and looking at pictures of the area where I will hopefully be teaching. My first choice is to teach in Yangshou which is a city nestled in the karst topography of southern China. I included a few pictures I found on Google here. Hopefully I will soon have pictures of my own to put on here. I leave for China in early August which means I have got just about a month and a half to fully prepare myself. I've got a few more things to buy like a new camera and a new hiking backpack (this area of China is famous for hiking) as well as some professional teacher-type clothing.
Charge it up!
C. Johnson

It's Been Awhile

So I have not posted in a while but that is partially because there is not all that much going on. I am now in the next step of the process towards moving to China, applying for my work visa. I had to fill out a special application and get a doctor to check me out and make sure that I am not bringing any diseases into China. He said that most of the diseases he was checking me for were unheard of in the modern US but that I might get them in China, fun. I also got my job back with Brookstone, although only part time. I am working only 3 days this week and loving it. Progress on my room is moving slow but steady. My mom and I just bought all the stuff that I need to take down the old wallpaper. It is weird living back at home after four years of relative freedom in NC. I am so amped to go to China although as it gets closer to the day when I will actually go that excitement mixes more and more with anxiety. I also bought a Rosetta Stone to help me learn Chinese and that is going pretty well. Whenever I feel stressed about going I just study a lesson to convince myself that I will be just fine.
C. Johnson