Sunday, December 30, 2007

A new haircut, a new phase

Packing.

Only four more days until I leave the United States for five months of studying at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Then only five months and four days until I leave Hong Kong to explore Asia.

The feat of preparing for a trip lasting six months and several different countries is considerable. After six days of running errands, buying a backpack and getting inoculated against typhoid, I'm still not completely ready for this trip.

But, then again, what can prepare someone for a trip in Asia, completely alone? Not much.

Yesterday, 17 inches of my hair ended up in a plastic bag. After four years of growth, I donated my hair to the Non-profit organization Locks of Love.

For me, my now three-to-five inch hair style represents my step into a new phase of life -- one of exploration, learning and adventure.

The place for this new phase? Asia.

My hope for this blog is two-fold. One is a place where family and friends can make sure that I am still alive and not in a communist jail.

The second is to have a place where I can share information about the culture, history, politics and the people of Asia, starting at my home base in Shatin, Hong Kong.

My hope is this blog will become a place of journalistic experimentation. Reporting from Asia is more than just a travel journal published online. This blog is a record of the knowledge I acquire while abroad.

Four more days ...

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great start, Jess! I can't wait to read about all your adventures, which no doubt will be brilliantly chronicled on this blog. I know you're going to have a wonderful time!

Peter Burke said...

Jessica- You cut your hair, but didn't put up a picture! I'm so curious what the "new" Jessica looks like with three or four inches on top!

Bethany said...

Ditto on the need for a haircut photo.
I'm looking forward to reading about your experience. Best wishes!

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