I can't believe I've been so busy I haven't even thought to post a blog to update my Peace Corps placement information for all of you! I am set to depart for China on June 29th, about 34 days from today! I am starting to get excited, but also am definitely getting nervous and anxious as well. I have been told it's normal, but my "freak outs" are getting more and more common. I am working diligently on getting my affairs in order, in addition to working a lot at the restaurant. That will be over soon (only 2 more weeks!) and then I can really focus on getting myself ready for this great adventure...
The one goal I have form these last few weeks in America is to soak it all in. I have had several moments that I have allowed myself to just pause and enjoy my surroundings, as I know that soon my experiences will all be new and different. I am reveling in the comfort of the life I am leading now, and anxious about the changes that will soon happen. I am also working on eating as much Mexican food and cheeseburgers as I can get my hands on! :)
Our Facebook group has PCVs that are currently in China, and they have been giving us some really good advice about what to bring and expect. I am so thankful for this resource! I have also been reading a great deal about China, and the etiquette and customs. I am hoping that this will help me not make too many faux paus when I first arrive, but I'm sure I will still make mistakes. The customs and culture is so different than America, it will be exciting to see how I change and grown from the experience. I also have obtained a copy of "The Art of War", which will give me some deeper insight into how the Chinese approach life. I have read that this text is hugely influential in China. I am not very far along in the book yet, but hopefully soon I will have a chance to read more of it (I have 3 days off next week...what a luxury!) In addition to reading, I have started working on Rosetta Stone lessons. It is SO HARD! I am beginning to see patterns and recognize vocabulary and grammar structures, but at this point I can only say things like "He has a pen, they have a pen, this is my cat..." Ha ha, not very useful, but hopefully I can get to the more useful lessons before I go. There is defiantly a little bit of language anxiety there. Because Chinese is tonal, I am nervous about pronunciation (especially since my lessons have the "Rosetta Stone" voices). Oh well, hopefully I will get a chance to meet with my Chinese friends and practice a few things before I leave Chico.
There is still so much to update you all on, but I am running out of time now. I will blog more soon in then next coming days. I am so excited to share all of these adventures with you all. Don't hesitate to comment or email me at teenamreitz@gmail.com with thoughts, questions, perspectives.....all of which is helpful for my research! (Oh yeah, I'm doing a self-study for my thesis research, more to come on that later)
More to come soon!
