in 5 hours I'll be saying goodbye to this:


...and hello to this:

I think the pollution gives the city a certain kind of...charm, don't you? Just kidding.
Actually, I'm really excited and looking forward to the next three months. First, I'll be flying into Shanghai, and then taking a plane to Kunming, Yunnan. For the next week I'll be staying with an ecotourism company and visiting a recently relocated village. Last semester I researched the progress of the construction of a series of hydroelectric stations as well as the pros and cons of the river project, and now, I'll get an opportunity to see firsthand what's actually happening in the region. Fingers crossed that my poking around and interviewing villagers won't raise any red flags for the government!
After my stay in Yunnan, I will be flying to Nanjing and staying with a soon-to-be-Yalie. This past year I helped her with her application essays, and I am so psyched that she got into Yale! Soon I'll be able to put a face to the writing! Reading someone's application essays without having met them in person is such an interesting experience - I feel like I know her so well (though mostly her positive traits), and yet just the other day, I had to ask her to email me a photo of herself so I could picture the person I was speaking to and will soon be meeting.
After Nanjing, I will be going to Shuyang to visit my grandparents and to visit my past students - people I spent merely a two week summer camp experience with, but after almost two years of email correspondence, have become some of my closest friends. They are just beginning "gao1kao3," meaning that the next few weeks of testing will likely determine the rest of their lives. Sounds overly dramatic, huh? But since colleges only look at this score - no grades, no extracurriculars, and no essays to redeem yourself on - there is a ridiculous amount of pressure for them to do well. I think under that system, most of us would fail out and become farmers.
And then, finally, Beijing!! I am so excited for ACC! By this time during the trip, I bet I'll be extremely frustrated by my poor communication skills (likely revealed through my attempts to converse with the villagers, relatives, and my Chinese friends), and be really motivated to master Chinese.
Okay, seeing that I have a couple of hours before I have to wake up, I should probably head to bed. More to come! (Although getting Internet during the first few weeks may be a problem.)
Goodnight! (morning?)