Last post before depature

Initially, I was going to write several posts that show everything that we've been through in the last couple of months.  But, due to time constraints, I'm just going to write a bit of a summary of some of the things I've learned about getting ready for an international voyage to China:

• The passport process really wasn't that difficult.  Perhaps this was because we had it expedited, but it arrived for us very quickly.
• I do like the fact that Taozhen Huang, the Educational Assistant, has been active on e-mail and willing to answer my questions--I'd say she's been the most helpful resource for us thus far.
• Getting visas for China was much more of a challenge.  Apparently, the photo for the passport cannot be used for the Visa photo, so we had to have the company the Fulbright people recommended (Oasis) do digital manipulation of photos we had taken in order to make them fit the visa requirements.
• I went sort of back and forth with SISU about my schedule: initially, they wanted me to teach Monday and Thursday, but as of this writing I have both classes on Monday.  One is a graduate-level Short Novels class (45 students) and one is a "Classic Literature Readings" course for Honors students (30 students).  
• I haven't been told a lot by the university about our living situation at this point either.  All I know is that we will live in one of two buildings, one within walking distance (10-15 minutes) and one within 1.5 miles or so. I have no idea which one we'll end up at.  All I know is we were promised a two-bedroom apartment with wi-fi.  We'll see what happens, I guess.
• Packing is tough.  We are bringing six suitcases, two over the limit. As of this writing, I'm not sure if any of them will be oversize.  I hope not.  And of course MSP is closing down a security checkpoint on the day we leave.
• We've also had to do things like order new credit cards, put travel alerts on our accounts, etc. And some of these things have not yet been received, but we'll just have to deal with it and hope that they can be forwarded to us.  
• I'm a bit frustrated at this point because I still have not received my first grant payment.  It really would have helped with all these initial expenses that we're having, but I've had to do without it. Consequently, I did not pay off my car or credit cards as I was hoping to do before leaving.  I certainly hope this gets resolved soon.
• The most important lesson is that it's really hard to say goodbye.  Today I had to say goodbye to Bette, Crystalyn and her girls, Randy, Bradley, as well as Sarah and Zach.  It's tough.  And tomorrow we say goodbye to Maureen; Sunday, we'll have to say goodbye to Alison and Art. It's very emotionally hard.  I am hopeful that some of these folks will come to see us, but there's so much uncertainty at this point.

The next time I write, I will likely be in China.  Please have fun reading my blog throughout the year!!