1 Week to China

For the most part this last week has been full of the same things as many weeks: I took care of my grandpa, I hung out with some friends, and I kept chipping away at the giant 'to do' list that I would like to take care of before I leave. However, I didn't really have any huge emotional breakdowns, there has been a considerable lack of chaos, and things just seem to be happening the way they are suppose to. This is entirely comforting to me, and dissuades me from returning to the freak out status! Also, this last Wednesday was my birthday, and I celebrated (as per usual) with family, friends, and food!

Sunday, August 22

I went to Baja Sol with my friend Betsy, where I indulged in the carnitas sandwich, not that I could eat all of it, I took half of it home... and promptly ate the other half later in the night! This was pulled pork, doused with melted cheese and chipotle barbeque sauce! The cilantro cole slaw was one the side.

Tuesday, August 24

My friend, Brant (alias: Brantnare) took me out to Norton's in downtown Red Wing (Norton's is owned by the bassist of Husker Du, Greg Norton) and that was also fabulous! We started out with Tappas: Chorizo sausage, cheese (with some sort of jam on it), salted nuts, and dipping oil.

And then we moved on to Brant's favorite, the sammy (or s'miches). I had the Vietnamese sandwich with patte, ham, cilantro, red onion, carrots, and asian dipping sauce.

And this is the empty dish of creme burle that Brant and I ate before I remembered to take a picture of it.

11 Days to China

Because I'll be leaving for China in precisely 11 days, I've been going on a sort of goodbye tour of Minnesotan places, friends, and food. So I have spent my days over the last week or so rollerblading beautific places in Minnesota, hanging out with great and amazing friends, and getting a taste of different foods I'll miss when I'm abroad in Shanghai, as well as getting a taste of what I'll find in Shanghai! To the left is the buffet we (Fizza, Melinda, Aimee, Dehlia, Naomi, and me) procured at the Hmong Market. Along with amazing clothes, fresh produce, and various knick-knacks was really good authentic Asian cuisine! It was great, I was initially sort of scared of the whole fried fish, but it tasted awesome!

Another thing I expect will be rare in Shanghai would be copious amounts of red meat, no, I know it's not the best for you, but I really do love steak!










And lastly, one of the things I'll truly miss in Asia is... Asian food? Well not exactly, Americanized Chinese food is not authentic, but let's face it, it's pretty darn awesome!

18 Days to China

So, with18 days remaining until I leave for China the question remains; what do I want to do? Answer: hang out with friends, AND eat the food that I love here and will likely be harder to find in another country. Today I answered these two quandaries by hanging out and walking down by the river with Kat and eating at Cecil's.

The walk down by the river was perfect, it was a beautiful sunny day in the seventies (which has been a very welcome cool-down lately) and I took a ton of pictures (many of which are posted on Facebook in the album titled, Minnesota!); but more than anything I think I'm going to really miss the smells around Minnesota. Down by the Mississippi it smells like warm, moist, vegetation; in the suburbs you can always smell freshly mowed grass; and in the city it smells like... well the city! People, food, and asphalt! Then fall will come with the cool, crisp sent of sugar and dying leaves.

I should mention at this juncture that it is my intention to take as many pictures as possible of the food that I'm eating in China and posting it on this blog so that you can see what I'm eating, whatever that may be. So in keeping with this thought that I would also add the pics of my favorite foods (Minnesota cusine) I'll be indulging in before I take off. This sandwich is a representative of the sandwich I actually ate (Chicago style pastrami know as, the "Some Like it Hot!" This is technically the Rueben I brought back for my mom, but you get the idea.

20 Days to China

Freaking out is, at least for me, a big part of the process of leavign the country; this has been happening over the course of the last few weeks and since I purchased my ticket, the excitement, fear, and trepidation has become of amalgamated goo of emotive perspicacity (a word I learned from The Simpsons), resulting in me freaking out.

The other odd thing I'd like to note is the fact that in getting ready to leave I feel an overwhelming sense of on one hand feeling a need to connect with others, and a disire to disconnect.

Other than that, I have decided to stick with my bag, I like my bag, I think it'd be a really big pain to get a larger size and for now I'm going to stick with my original choice in a computer bag, though that means the laptop fits snuggly and doesn't move and is, thus, subject to minute amounts of dust and perhaps (gasp) percipation. I have decided (for now at least, I really might change my mind tomorrow) that I will simply stick with this bag, and should it seem particularly windy (with dust) or wet to an ungodly degree I'll simply wrap a plastic bag around the laptop itself (the sleeve John gave me). But really, I'd rather focus on the time and people whom I have in the beautiful state of Minnesota, becaus, god it's a beautiful day!

21 Days to China

So, having spent the last week freaking out about my visa and my plane ticket I figured that once I got these two things taken care of the freaking out would stop; it has, however, dispersed and rather than being a centralized specified feeling it's now an uncentralized feeling of discomfort. This is change, exciting, but no one said it would be comfortable.

In some ways, I wonder how this commitment to go to China is akin to getting married; I've already spent way too much money, told way too many people, and done my best to see myself in Shanghai, and yet I do feel that cold feet sort of feeling. This is strange to me, not only because it's uncomfortable, but because I felt so sure about this adventure so recently as a single month ago, one month ago when it was not yet so real as it is today.

The parts of me that are excited realize just how many amazing things I'll see, that I'll be completely immersed in something other than Minnesotan culture, that this is an opportunity to really grow as a person in a way that I would be unable to accomplish in the comfort and stability of my home. Doubt then sets in periodically throughout the day. Doubts about leaving people behind, leaving comfort and familiarity... but then there's also the adventure.

I guess my feeling is cold feet or not, I have the opportunity to do something today that I could not have conceived of last year. I accept that it will be difficult, and often times lonely, because these are things that I know (though I don't like to deal with them) they are in fact possible. More than any thing else though, I remember what I've learned from commedy writers, that it's difficult but imparative to 'remember what was funny and had people rolling on the floor laughing the first time you read something, because after the 20th time hearing it people are not going to laugh and it's up to you to remember those beginning laughs and work on the things that NEVER worked, DO not waste you time re-tooling something that already worked and doesn't seem to anymore, because you can get that back.' I've learned to trust that feeling deep down inside that once said 'this is a good idea'; so even though I don't necessarily feel that right here in this particular moment, I know that if I trust that feeling from back when I was sane everything will be okay. FORWARD HO!

23 Days to China

This, by the way, is the all-purpose computer messenger bag I went with so that I can haul my computer around in China and talk to you guys back home!

In order to leave the country I still need the two most important things I could possibly need: my visa to live and work in China, and my plane ticket. The quandry here is this, EF (the company I will be working for) does not want me to waste my money on a plane ticket if there does happen to be some issue with my visa, but if I wait too long to buy a ticket and am forced to buy my ticket, say, the week I leave I will personally be wasting lots of money. To attempt to relieve myself of this craziness I met with a friend today, did some rollerblading, get some awesome bubble tea, and engaged in lots of girl talk in order to focus on the positive things in my life; I also took care of my cavity - but I did NOT necessarily consider that a positive experience; and in any case I think I've come to the most cost effective solution... I will have to ask the company about the cancelation and/or date change fees, and buy a ticket hoping that I truly will leave September 3rd, rather than October 3rd, and if not I'll have to insurance of being able to change my departure date, but if things work out the way I hope I will not have to buy a ticket, say, the day before I leave.

24 Days to China

Hello! Welcome to my blog about China!

In 24 days I will be embarking upon the journey of a lifetime; on September 3rd, 2010 I will be traveling to Shanghai, China where I will live for a year teaching English as a Second Language. It is really exciting, but also really nerve wracking!

This is my checklist of things I have: finished the TEFL certificate, a job, a digital camera, my re-newed passport, Lonely Planet guide to China, a few ideas of fun things to do in China, new sandels, new hiking boots, a new laptop, laptop carrying bag, external hard drive, and all of the cords for these various devices.

The far more terrifying checklist is that which still needs to be completed: a plane ticket, my visa. (I know, these are two very scary things to not have. The company that I will be teachingwith is getting my visa for me and I'm not technically supposed to buy my ticket until they've secured my visa).

When I get to China I will have a couple of weeks to find an apartment and get settled, but after that who knows what will happen?! So if you're interested, please feel free to follow along on this exciting adventure with: Cailininchina.blogspot.org! Thanks for all of your love and support!