Change of plans already...

Well, we booked our tickets finally! We decided to leave 4 June instead of 6 June, though, because it's cheaper to leave on a weekday.

I've been in this "culture assimilation" course for the past two nights (it's required). At first, I thought it would be a huge waste of time, but after finishing it, I realized that there's a lot of important stuff you should know before you go abroad for an extended period of time.

"Culture shock" is a term often used to describe a feeling of anxiety or helplessness when you're dropped in the middle of a foreign country. Last summer in Qingdao, I definitely experienced some culture shock, but not to the degree that Dr. Johnson thought we might. She talked a lot about the U-curve of assimilation: You're ecstatic for a little while, then you become disenchanted and then frustrated and then angry, and finally you start to rise back up to feeling content and/or comfortable. This definitely happened in Qingdao, but it was different. I was really excited about being in China for about two weeks and then I immediately started to hate it. It didn't take long, though, to start going back up. My U-curve was more like a curvy check mark - a rapid drop at the beginning and then a gradual climb back up to contentment. I think a lot of people feel this way.

It's important to experience other cultures and to experience a little bit of culture shock. Even places like New York or Chicago are vastly different from small-town Mississippi.

There's no excuse not to travel, so get out there and make yourself a more well-rounded person!

40 days

So, the countdown finally begins.

In just a few short weeks, I will be going back to China to study for 7 MONTHS.

I have to be honest, last year I got tired of Qingdao. I think it's because it was new and different; it was like a vacation that was too long. But I'm convinced that this year will be different. This year, I feel like I'm going back - like I'm in a routine. Also, I have SHANGHAI to look forward to!

So, here's the (tentative) schedule for China 2009:

6 June 2009 - Depart for Shanghai
7 June 2009 - Arrive in Shanghai
9 June 2009 - Hangzhou
10 June 2009 - Suzhou
12 June 2009 - Depart Shanghai for Qingdao on the overnight train
13 June 2009 - Arrive in Qingdao
15 June 2009 - Classes start at Qingdao University
15 August 2009 - Classes end
16 August 2009 - Depart Qingdao for Shanghai
17-25 August 2009 - (hopefully) visit Hong Kong and Shenzhen (maybe Guangzhou)
30 August 2009 - Classes start at East China Normal University with CIEE
16 December 2009 - Depart for AMERICA!

So you can see that I definitely have an exciting few months lined up. I'm hoping to go to Seoul between August 15 and 30, but the tickets are running around 700 USD, so that's not really feasible, to say the least. Maybe I'll be able to find cheaper tickets once I get into China, since Qingdao to Seoul is only an hour flight.

Also, I promise to do a better job updating this blog. Last summer was a huge fail on my part. Hold me to it!

My posts leading up to the trip will be pretty sporadic. We have exams next week, so I'll be super busy over the next few days preparing for that.

Thanks for stopping by!

Matthew
马舒凯