Last day in my US office

It's a strange day, realizing I won't be back in this office for quite some time. But what a wonderful note to leave on ... my co-workers just presented me with an awesome banner!

Tomorrow is my big send-off with my friends. I'm so looking forward to it. I have a few friends coming in from out of town even - you rock! Thanks for making my send-off so special.

This is shaping up to be a great weekend. But a sad weekend too. I'm both really ready to go, and really scared to make the move. Monday will be here so soon!

I like fortune-telling

First Mandarin language class? Check. I ran into some difficulty getting language classes scheduled, which was frustrating. As it turns out, I will only have time to get in three classes before I leave. Bust. But with what I learned yesterday in class #1, I'm set.

Wo xi hua suanming.

Yes, I did just say I like fortune-telling. Clearly I'm on the path to being able to communicate while in Shanghai knowing phrases like this. My tutor, who is great, and I had to laugh at this one. We were practicing saying "I like" and "I don't like", and she pulled out a list of options to select from. They were just pictures and the Chinese characters. I had no idea what a few were, so I selected "suanming", which is apparently fortune-telling. Just let me know if you need any predictions about your life. And let me know if you can figure out basically any of these pics.

I'm definitely getting more excited now that I've spent more time packing and thinking about all that is to come. I predict that this will be a pretty amazing experience ...

Getting ready

Wow. My life is about to get crazy. I'm moving to China.

I know I say it a lot and have told a lot of people about this by now. But still, even though I'm comfortable actually saying the words, it hasn't really sunk in. I am seriously going to be in Asia, and very soon. I'll only be there around six months, but it's still a big change.

So for some context ... I work for a healthcare company in the US. We recently purchased a company in China, and so I am going to be moving to Shanghai for a short-term assignment to really do a knowledge share. I'll be working with pharmacies trying to create new marketing opportunities and getting to know the healthcare landscape in China. Pretty exciting work, and certainly something that won't be accomplished in the short-term. But it's neat to think I'll be part of inspiring change in a country as evolving and vast as China.

The work sounds awesome. But what is really consuming my mind right now is the life experience. I really like to travel, and have been outside of the country multiple times (though never to Asia!). I think it's important to note that I have never, repeat NEVER, lived outside of central Ohio. I was born in Columbus, grew up in the same house - where my parents still live - in Westerville, went to The Ohio State University and now live in German Village. For clarity's sake, this is like a really seriously far move.

I am so sad to be leaving behind so many wonderful friends and family in Ohio. One thing that keeps me up is leaving my boyfriend Sean. We've done the distance thing before when he lived in Texas, and it pretty much stinks. I'm lucky to have a supportive guy like him, and he's excited for me to take on this opportunity. But I still can't quite get my mind around the fact that I may only seem him once or twice until 2013. Strange.

My general thoughts about moving right now are MAN there is a lot to be done before I go! Trying to pack, trying to apply for a visa and trying to make sure I thought of it all are basically a full-time job! But come April 1, I'll be on that plane, Shanghai-bound.

I appreciate your support and encouragement as I prepare to embark on this likely once-in-a-lifetime journey. And if you have any recommendations on neat things to do and see, let me know! Thanks to all the folks who already shared their amazing China experiences with me - my aunt and uncle, Derrick, Brandon, Jerome, Andy (via Amy!), Annie and more.

Zai jian!