On a slow boat to....

China!  I'm headed to Beijing, precisely, in T-Minus one and a half-something weeks.  (Okay, so maybe not that precise.)  It's crazy how fast it's all happening.  One minute I'm unemployed; the next minute I'm unemployed and going to China!  Or at least, I will be unemployed for the 3.5 weeks I'll be out of the country, which shall be interesting, considering how tight my budget is already.  At the same time, I'm not worried, and I know I'm doing exactly what I'm meant to be doing (at least for now).

Staying with my mom's sister and her immediate family, I am beyond excited to see my cousins again -- it's been over ten years.  My mom just informed me that one of my cousins has a piano in his photography studio.  Why?  I'm not really sure, because he doesn't play the piano, but for some reason, it immediately warmed my heart.  The comfort of a piano is the comfort of home.

So, naturally, these next coming weeks will be full of traveling updates from me and I'm clearing a bunch of storage in my iphone so I can take as many pictures as I can.  I contemplated bringing my DSLR but it would be just one more thing to worry about packing and subsequently losing on my flight across the world.  I'm all about packing as minimally as possible, if I can help it.  I'm also crossing my fingers that my cousin will show me around his studio and let me experiment with some of his expensive equipment.  

Also, my mom, who is as much of a clothes horse as I am, made me promise to come back with my suitcases full.  That translates to: pack lightly on your way there and make sure your aunt buys me new clothes that you can bring to me on your way back.

Will do, Mom.  Will do.