Potty Humor and Packing

“Don't forget to pack your courage for your journey to greatness.” ~ David Weinbaum
Chinese word: 厕所(cèsuǒ)
                    Bathroom

A week from today I will be on a plane navigating my way to China. Now is the time to pull out all my empty suitcases and stare at them…pondering what items in my cluttered apartment are the most crucial.

After long debates with myself these are the items that made my packing list:
Two weeks worth of clothes
Laptop and essentials
Power converter
Camera and essentials
Running essentials (shoes/iPod)
Basic medicine
WET WIPES
POCKET SIZED TOLIET PAPER
Travel toiletries
Deodorant (Thank you Dr. Seydel!)
HAND SANITIZER
Three pairs of shoes (casual, dressy, and athletic)
An empty backpack
(All the capitalized items are essential because many public restrooms do not provide toilet paper or soap. An empty backpack is necessary for any souvenirs that I buy while I am abroad.)

China is a fairly modern country that can accommodate many Americans comfortably, but there is one aspect that many traveling books forget to mention…
Behold the squat style toilet found ubiquitously in China

When I traveled to China for 10 days last summer, this toilet was my greatest culture shock. In order to use this toilet you must be able to:
SQUAT
BALANCE
AIM
these are the things that all uncoordinated people, like me, have a challenge doing.
So my tip to anyone like myself- before going to china you must:
 practice yoga to enhance your balancing skills, do squats to strengthen your legs, and practice aiming at cheerios.

Last Thoughts before Departing:
When traveling to any foreign country one must keep in mind that there are different standards and customs of living. To enjoy studying or living abroad you must keep an open mind and be able adapt to a new way of living. I also believe that the transition period from home to China is the hardest part of all. Your mind is left idle with anxious thoughts as you fly above. Next Monday (August 29th) look to the sky and think of me, as I soar overhead thinking of all the people I will miss and all the things that lay ahead.

It All Began with a Dream

“The very substance of the ambitious is merely the shadow of a dream.”- William Shakespeare
Chinese word of the day: Dream 梦想

Why I wanted to study abroad
            Life begins with a single dream that leads to a journey, but the thing about journeys is that they too begin with a single step. I believe I began to realize my dream at a young age thus my life began and I slowly started my journey.  My dream was about equality, diversity and understanding. Growing up when my teachers and friends asked me what I wanted to do, I always said that I wanted travel and study in Asia. I was always passionate when expressing to them that I wanted to achieve fluency not only in Chinese but also Japanese. Always in disbelief, they said my goals should be more realistic, none the less I have persevered and remained hopeful.
            The more we understand about another culture and language the more we can break down these culture barriers like stereotyping. In order for our society to work efficiently we must understand each other, embrace our differences, and learn from each other. The Chinese have a saying that I really relate to. It is 做而言不如起而行(zuo er yan bu ru qi er xing). This phrase means that instead of sitting around and talking about something it is better to do it. I have reached the highest level of Chinese courses that Arkansas State University has to offer, so instead of just sitting around and talking about my aspirations of becoming fluent in Chinese I have decided to study abroad.

How I was able to study abroad
            Even though I have always been ambitious in obtaining my goals, I always proved ignorant to the resources available all around me. The truth is there are resources everywhere that can help any student study abroad, money or not. I was able to study abroad because of Arkansas State University, the ASU travel Voucher and the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship.
Below are the links to the ASU study abroad page, travel voucher, and the Gilman Scholarship website.  My point for this blog entry is to stress that no matter your aspirations, with determination and knowledge of the resources available you CAN achieve your ambitions.

Links:
www.iie.org/gilman

http://www.astate.edu/a/international/study-abroad/

http://www.astate.edu/a/international/study-abroad/travel-voucher.dot

A special thank you for all the help from: the Gilman Organization, ASU, Dr. Unnold, Carl Lindquist, and the Craighead County Public Library