I already miss you.

I'm still undecided as to whether or not I should keep you in suspense until I actually arrive in China. I suppose I may as well get a jump start on building a habit of keeping up to date, so I am going to share some things (If you would prefer to remain in suspense, please return to this site after November 16th).
1) I was recently informed that the people with Mennonite Partners in China (MPC) are talking with these two schools regarding my placement: China West Teachers in Nanchong and Sichuan College of Fine Arts in Dazho.
2) I have been reading about the Chinese culture in Encountering the Chinese: A Guide for Americans by Hu Wenzhong and Cornelius Grove, and was particularly struck with the following passage: 'Most Americans were brought up to believe that, while dining, a person (1) should not smack the lips, slurp liquids, or make any other loud noises with the mouth, (2) should never bring the edge of a plate or bowl into contact with the mouth, (2) should not smoke at the table except with permission of the others present, and (4) should not spit anything onto the table or floor. Chinese table etiquette is different. You can expect all of the above when dining informally with some Chinese.'
Huh, this living in China thing may work out just fine for me....

Welcome and Farewell!

Welcome to my blog. It is my hope that this space can be a place where we can laugh, cry, share stories, and culinary secrets during my 3 year stay in China.

With this inaugural post I would like to start us off with an exercise in thankfulness and worldview enlargement.
I was enjoying dinner with my good friend, Jessica, while on the Seattle leg of my farewell tour when she asked me to name the 5 things that I will miss the most during my time abroad. Jessica, here are my answers:

1)Central heating
2)Potable tap water
3)Spaghetti
4)Driving (especially quickly around corners)
5)The North American strain of the common cold

I am curious. What kinds of things, dear friends, would you miss about the United States if you were gone for 3 years?


Secondly, I would like to inform you of my travel plans. I am currently in Puyallup, WA with my brother's in-laws (also known as my 'out-laws'), and will be traveling home tomorrow to live with my parents for one month before I head to Akron, PA (October 20th) for an orientation at the MCC American headquarters. From there I will be flying to Glasgow, Scotland (October 31st) to visit my brother and his wife before I arrive in Beijing, China (November 16th) to meet the organization's regional representatives. I am not sure at this point specifically where I will be teaching, but I believe it to be in the Sichuan province.