Turtling

My trip officially begins tomorrow morning. I'll take the train to Newark to meet the group of teachers who will be flying in from all over the country. From there we will spend three nights at The Stony Point Center in New York for orientation.

Today I decided to do most of my packing. All of this stuff is on the packing list, except for one furry thing:

I managed to pack it all in my suitcase and snazzy new backpack (NOTE: this includes 3 pints of maple syrup which will be gifts for people I meet over there. NOTE #2: I can't wait to give away my gifts. Syrup isn't light.):

Now, however, I'm thinking that I should go through and take out a few pieces of clothing. Since I'm "turtling," or carrying all my stuff around with me for the next 5 weeks, it seems like I might be just as happy with a little less.

Anyway, as demonstrated by the fact that I've packed about 20 hours before I need to leave, I can't wait!

But I am very, very sad to be saying goodbye to this special friend for the next month:

Getting Started

My trip to China and Hong Kong starts next Saturday. I think I'm just about ready to go. I've completed the requisite trip to Rite Aid, been inoculated against polio, typhoid, and hepatitis A, and cleaned out my refrigerator.

Now I'm in Pennsylvania spending my last few days in the States at my parents' house. They are going to watch my puppy, Fitzie, while I'm away. This is great for me; it's not so great for their dog, Holly, who is doing her best to pretend Fitzie doesn't exist despite all of Fitzie's playful barking. Hopefully they'll work it all out soon!

I'm hoping that while I'm away I'll be able to update this blog with my thoughts and photos. I know I can't access this site directly while in China, but my friends Matt and Gina have generously offered to provide tech support while I'm away. Thanks Matt and Gina!

Come back soon for what will hopefully be much more interesting posts! In place of having anything interesting to say right now, I will put a cute picture of my dog. Here you go!

Here's Fitzie after some fun in an old kiddie pool I found in the greenhouse.