(yes that was a heart sign <3)

The day approaches...tomorrow my friend arrives, the day after, we head to SF (flight leaves from there), and on Tuesday, we'll be leaving for Guangzhou.

I am actually extremely hyper about this trip--worked up, hyped, excited, nervous, etc.

What I most look forward to:

CHINA. There's something about China--the sounds, the smells, the sight that I missed. Dimly in my mind I see a foggy vision of the red sun rising over craggy mountains, and I'm earnestly looking forward to experiencing the hustle and bustle and feel of China all over again.

What I most don't look forward to:

Last time in China, I stayed with my wonderful aunt who is one of the nicest people I know. Unfortunately I can't say the same about her gigantic dog. One of my memories was seeing her (to my horror) being dragged behind the dog as she went out to walk it, and having it snap at my hands while she fed it bones.

The Great (fire)Wall

What I'm most nervous about:

The Great Firewall of China. Yes that's right--firewall. Hopefully I'll still be able to blog and stuff, and email too! I know skype works, but I really want to upload pictures and snippets to my blog while in China. Still--I'm not quite sure what's blocked and what is not, so if I go on a 6 week hiatus--well, don't worry. It's not the CIA (yet), it's just this darn censorship.

What I (oddly) will not-not look forward to:

As awkward as this is, I'm actually looking forward to the err...squat toilets in China. They used to be the bane of my existence, last trip but (oh, this isn't getting less awkward), let's just say I am a confident global traveler and the squat toilets are one aspect of Chinese technology that I believe exceed the Western counterpart.

Not looking forward to no toilet paper or proper sanitation though, in rural China. :)

What I (oddly) will not- look forward to:

I have been bombarded by horror stories from one of my Chinese friends at DA about the Chinese food. From re-using axle grease as frying oil, to hormones in the water that change your female hormones to male, and vice versa, to street food that instantly smites innocent passerby's down with horrifying bouts of stomach sickness. I highly doubt that all his information is entirely accurate, though (we kid around a lot), and despite the potential dangers that will lurk on my well-filled plate, his warnings haven't completely killed my salivary glands yet. Though they have taken the edge off my appetite. It's a pity-- Chinese food is the most amazing thing in the world second only to Korean food. And we'll be in green tea ice-cream/ red bean heaven.

ahhh... Nom noms here I come!!

-Shhhh....the day approaches!