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.

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

Looking Back/Looking Forward

Today has been a very exciting day. I begun the day by cleaning out the closet of my old high school bedroom. I found old short stories that I had written and spent about an hour reading through a notebook of them. I am afraid to say that while my academic writing has undoubtedly gotten better my creative writing was probably better back then. I also uncovered my old drawing pad from art class. I have never been any good at painting but I would have to consider myself pretty good at doodling in black and white... this may have inspired my choice of gray scale tattoos over colored ones. In the pad there are about 50 drawings of surfboards. I got a bit nostalgic over how much I used to love designing surfboards. Many people don't know this but I actually designed and built my own surfboard in high school. After seeing these doodles I of course had to pull down the old long board from the attic and decided that I should take it for a spin later this week. After that I really didn't get much cleaning done. However my official contract from Buckland came today and that is also very exciting. This means that I am fully accepted to their teaching program and that I am officially on my way to China. CHEERS!!! I thought that this day would be met mostly with anxiety but I have got to say that I am really excited to begin my Adventure in Asia.
C. Johnson

First Post

This first post is more of a test than anything else. My first week as a college graduate is coming to a close and the anticipation of what is to come has begun to meld with the sadness of what I am leaving behind. I will miss everyone who I became close to at Elon, though I hope that we will be able to remain close in spirit through this blog. I am now in the final stages of confirming my teaching position in China. I have yet to sign the contract or purchase the tickets for my flight and these two steps are probably the most nerve racking for me. In spite of my nervousness I know that I will soon be engaged in one of the most exciting adventures of my life. However, I have a boring summer to endure before I go. I am stuck here in sunny South Florida renovating my old bedroom and doing yard work for my parents. By the way, for those of you still in North Carolina, I plan to make a trip up there sometime in July.
C. Johnson