East is Relative

First steps on a long road…

I’m beginning to make plans to teach English in China for a year, starting next August (August of 2009). I wanted to start this blog in order to document the whole process, essentially from Day 1 (see the “About” page for more information). Of course, it’s not Day 1, truthfully. I’ve been talking about going to China to teach since November of 2007. It’s something that I had to talk about a lot to see how it felt before I decided to do it. Talking about it for such a long time has also helped to ease my family into the idea that I’ll be on the other side of the globe for a year. In fact, I may or may not have convinced my mother that she should visit me while I’m there.

I’m starting to get nervous, even though all I’ve really “done” in the process is set up this blog. I started filling out my application to teach through the Buckland International Education Group. I need to talk through some of the finer points with my mentor (who I will refer to as “LK” on this blog), so I’m not applying just yet. When it asks what size city I’d like to teach in on the application, I have to really stop and consider. LK said that I might be teaching in a small city, with only a few hundred thousand people or so. That’s a “small” city in China. Here in Bloomington-Normal, IL, the population of both cities combined is about 130,000 people. I’d consider Bloomington-Normal a growing metropolitan area (despite its surrounding cornfield areas) – we have at least 5 McDonald’s and two malls. In China, however, large population doesn’t necessarily mean “metropolitan”. And that’s really part of the experience. I’m not really interested in going to a huge city that’s essentially NYC with the neon lights in Mandarin.

More later as I continue the application process. Feel free to browse around the site to find out what I’m all about and where I am right now, etc.