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 ...
