9 days to go

12^th August 2014

Writing has never been my forte so my apologies in advance.  I just wanted a place to log my next year as I don’t want to forget one minute of it.

I leave for a year in China (and who knows where else) in 9 days.  Before that I have a mass of goodbyes to get through and a weekend at a festival which is bound to kill me off as it does every year not to mention packing!  And to be perfectly honest I have no idea where to start.

I seem to be the only person not sad that I’m leaving and honestly that’s not because I’m glad to be leaving anyone.  I have an extremely close set of friend who I will miss with a vengeance a family who is just as weird and wonderful and what can only be described as a whirl wind mess of a brief romance I will be leaving behind.

So I think I have repressed the actual fact I won’t see people for 12 months or I am just so excited to leave work and head to the unknown with one of my best friends that the reality has not hit me yet .

I thought It would be a good idea to write briefly before I leave so I could look back and see what my initial thoughts where before I hit the complete an utter cultural shock of China.  I’ve read about it, heard about it, researched it and very much tried to prepare myself for the hole in the ground toilets, no nappy babies and kids pooing in the street.  As well as not being able to communicate, read any local signs and mass population.  I know it’s going to be humid and I know I won’t be able to eat cheese or buy shoes for a long time and yet knowing things and experiencing them is a whole different story.

The thing I am finding quite bizarre for myself is I am welcoming all these challenges with open arms.  I am looking forward to having to completely 100% look after myself.  I am 25 and I have never moved out, I never went to uni and headed straight in to work at 17, life was too easy at home and by the time I was all ready to move out and about to buy a house it all fell through.  Which is actually one of the main reasons I thought why not lets go to China, I’ve got nothing to lose and no commitments.  That is the question I keep being asked “why China” and my response is “why not”.  So really a year away from home in a country so unlike my own is like a personal challenge to myself.  It’s not about growing up, I am quite happy in the knowledge I am sensible enough when I need to be but still manage to act like a teenage girl over a new crush or spend the evening with my best mates realising we never do grow up really, our bodies just don’t realise they should of stopped at the beautiful age of 21. It’s more about the adventure I am craving and knowing I can finally say I can look after myself, but more the adventure.

So yes this will be my blog, my diary and my venting arena all rolled into one.  I will try not to be too cringe worthy and I will also try not to sugar coat the humiliating moments that are sure to occur as they do in my normal day to day English life.