It sounded like a good idea at the time...

Now... not so much.  For those of you who don't know, last March I applied for an exchange program with high hopes of following in my uncle's footsteps in the adventure of a lifetime.  I dreamt of experiencing the Shanghai of my uncle's stories- a "New York" of the east, a "super city" of extreme wealth and luxury.  It was not until after I had been accepted into the program that I discovered that those stories began with a boy just out of college traveling to Taiwan, leaving behind everything he knew, and changing his lifestyle to the degree that his shower consisted of pouring a bucket of water over his head.  Fortunately, no bucket will be necessary for me (I received some pictures of my host family's apartment, and from what I can tell indoor plumbing is included).  However, running water is not the defining factor of a trip's difficulty.

It is now August 13th, and I leave for China in only five days!  My adventure will begin in Beijing - although it is not my final destination.  After a few days at an orientation in the Capital with other AFS exchange students from around the world, I head to Jiamusi where I will join my host family, consisting of a mother, father and a brother (who is roughly my age).  Jiamusi is a City in the North East of China - across the river from Russia - Siberia in fact.  There was not much on Google, although we found an article that said it was "a deep dive for an exchange student" (yikes!), as no one speaks English and no McDonalds.  I guess that means no carmel frappachino's either.  I  will focus on my total immersion into the country, trying to adapt to the Chinese culture and language as best I can.

Because I depart from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), my family and I decided to take one last vacation together before my trip. For the time being, however,  I will ignore my trepidation and, focus on the Malibu sun and the world famous California beaches.  And if Jiamusi is anything like the "Golden State", I don't think I'll have much to worry about.