T-6 Days For the Rest of My Life

Hey yall this will probably be my last post until I reach China. I'm six days away and still have no visa but that should be on its way. The closer that I get to my flight out of the U.S. the farther away I feel my connection to this place slipping. I have decided that this trip will almost certainly last more than 11 short months. That is because I do not think that I could possibly quench my thirst for Asia in under a year. I don't know whether it is Asia's magnetic pull or the sourness of American politics and lifestyles that urges me on, probably a balance of both, but something deep inside of me wants to just 'GO'. I love all of my friends from Elon and Wellington and I really do hope that we can keep in touch. I think it is odd that someone who just graduated from college has cabin fever like I do but it is true. I find myself more akin to Alexander Supertramp than Chris McCandless every day I spend here in Wellington. I will be updating this blog with maps and the like so you can check out where I've been. Thanks for being my friends and thanks for following my blog... See you at the five year reunion.
C. Johnson

The Final Countdown

A little over a week until I head off to China. I have packed all of my work close in my suitcase/trekking pack. I also have one hiking pack that I still need to pack. And that's it, two bags... Whatever doesn't fit in those bags will be left behind. On a funny note Ping, my contact at Buckland, assured me I would be able to buy clothing while in China. I had to tell her that I can't find clothes that fit me in the U.S. so there is no way that I can get them in China. I don't think she understands how tall I am yet.

I'm done with Brookstone and it seems like this may be the last time that I ever work for them, although I have said that before. I have been reading a lot of 'hippie' travel literature: Dharma Bums, Into the Wild, Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven, etc. It has made me both excited and apprehensive to travel since some pretty crazy things happen to the characters in those novels. I will be setting up a skype account before I go so I can stay in touch with you all.

Summer Coming to an End

So the summer has progressed pretty boringly for me thus far. I'm back working at Brookstone about 16-20 hours a week and I am also removing the wallpaper in my old bedroom for my parents. The rest of my time is spent watching old episodes of the West Wing and Law and Order. My old high school friend Aaron is around and every once in a while we will head out to one of his little brother's 'first year back from college parties'. They are fun enough but they make me feel so old. I've seen Allison a few times this summer and that relationship has been getting progressively better. It is nice to know that I will not be all alone in Asia. I have also been hitting the Rosetta Stone hard... and thus far I think it is working pretty well. I don't have a total grasp of the language but hopefully I will be at a level where I can infer things I hear from the Chinese. The trip to NC has been cancelled because I am running out of time to get things done before I move.

I CAN'T WAIT TO GO TO CHINA! I am so bored here at home and the area where I will be sending my time in China is supposed to be incredible. A little change to what I wrote in my last post: my ORIENTATION will be in the city pictured below. I will actually be teaching in the city of Yongzhou (pronounced Yongsjoe). Buckland has been great in getting me prepared for my move and I really just want to get over there now. I miss everybody from Elon, and I still kinda feel like I'll be seeing you in September, but I know China will be great too. Once I am over there I will probably post more although the first two weeks I'm going to be kind of off the map. I will be backpacking around southern China for a bit before my orientation.

All I am taking with me for my year in China is two backpacks. As I start to separate the things I will and won't be bringing I am really starting to realize how crazy this whole idea is. I think it is a typical 'Craig' thing to do to 1)Meet a couple in China who teaches English 2)Move to China. For any of the newcomers to this blog (or the old people who havent done this yet) feel free to set up a profile and become a follower of my blog. All you need is a gmail account and all you college grads need new email accounts anyways. One last thing: In exactly 3 weeks I will be in China. Let the countdown begin.