Fitting 2 months into 4 cubic feet

Hey everyone!

So I leave for China in about 10 hours... and I'm feeling a little bit nervous but mostly excited. This whole thing feels unreal! Of course I put off packing until the very last day... but it actually went pretty smoothly. Everyone's advice is to pack and then take out half of the clothes but I actually fit it all into my suitcase easily. I've never had to pack for a trip as long as this before--maybe that's an advantage because I'm underestimating what I will need... haha.

I'm feeling a little bit flustered because I literally just finished exams and now I'm hopping on a plane to fly halfway around the world. Not to mention that I didn't finish half of the things on my pre-departure to-do list. Or that I know zero Chinese. Or haven't opened a guidebook.

I've also been trying to think of things I can do on the plane... I uploaded some videos on my iPod but that's only going to last me a couple of hours. I also bought the second book in the Twilight series, New Moon. I keep looking at the clock and thinking that one day from now I'll have been in a plane for 8 or 9 hours and still have 4 more hours to go!

My friend Sophie visited China last summer and just told me, "Don't be surprised when you get off the plane and see dirty brown water. You'll think you're in Africa. But you're not, you're in China, and it's awesome." So I'll leave it at that. I'll update once I've arrived and settled, and give my thoughts on the flight and the dirty brown water.

Katie

Hi!

My name is Katie Bevier and I am going to be a junior in the fall at U of M. I am currently studying nuclear engineering but next semester I am switching to either mechanical or civil engineering.

This summer I am taking 7 credits at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China during May and June. I am taking EECS 215 and a 3-credit Chinese language and culture class. I can't believe I leave in a week and a half!

At the end of the summer I will be volunteering in Guatemala from August 19th-September 2nd with other members of Engineering Global Leadership. We are working with an organization called CasaSito and will be doing construction on a building that will be used by local radio stations for training purposes. A portion of the building will also be used as a museum. I'm still not 100% sure on what we will be doing but I will update more when I find out!

I don't know a whole lot about China or Guatemala, and I am super excited to learn more about the countries and their cultures. Hopefully in Guatemala I will be able to practice my first-year Spanish speaking skills a little when we are in the bigger cities. The community where we will be volunteering speaks a native local dialect that is unlike Spanish.

I leave for China next week, on Friday the 1st. I'll post again next week when I am getting ready to leave. Check back soon!

Katie