The Thrill of Travel

My bag, almost packed.

I find it a bit disturbing that on the cusp of a journey that I've been dreaming about and hoping for years, I find myself distracted by a number of other issues. Namely, will I finally get some regular work when I return? (It would be nice.) Will my German language skills deteriorate? (Hopefully not.) Will my soon-to-arrive baby daughter have red hair? (Admittedly, some concerns are more important than others.)

Still, even though I've done a lot of travelling in the past several weeks and months, and even though China may not be as exotic a destination as it once was, I'm pretty sure that a bit of my anxiety stems from genuine nervousness about visiting a place where I don't speak the preferred language, am not particularly familiar with the culture, and can't hope to successfully order my own dinner without help or charades.

It's a bit scary, but it's also a most exhilarating feeling, one that compares to the first time I stepped off the plane in Europe in 1995. There are new people to meet, places to see, foods to sample and adventures to have.

At any rate, I'll try to keep you up to date with my trip through China on my other "blog", which I'll update when and if I get the chance. More from Berlin when I return...