8 days left.
in about a week or so i'll be leaving home for China - "the motherland" as some say. i have never been there before and i don't know what to expect. in my mind, China is still a dusty, dry place stuck in the 1950s or 60s.

the excitement hasn't actually hit me yet but i can feel it coming. to be honest, i think i'm just afraid of going more than anything right now. ...and yes, i realize that i'm letting a large chunk of land and its people scare me. >_< i'm such a wuss. i guess i've been thinking about how i'm going to use my time in China because something has been weighing down on me and telling me that i'm not just going there to learn chinese and party my heart out. there is more to this trip.

i think it's time to start thinking of the people.

bah. i haven't started packing and i have no idea what to bring. i hear toilet paper is important as well as squatting skills. are there suggestions for anything else? i need to do a massive amount of laundry, man...a freakin' massive amount!