Goodbye America, HERRO CHINA!

So just five more days until we leave! A year seems longer as each day goes by!

Here are some things we have found ourselves wondering:
-Will they have dogs as pets (not as food on their plate)? Or any pets?
-Will we get to swim in the next year? Do Asians sun bathe? (Do I need to bring my own sunblock?)
-So if we have Chinese Checkers.....
-On that same note, Chinese Firedrills......
-And every person we talk to or see lately, we wonder when we'll see them next.

Things we are nervous about:
-Uhhh...teaching.
-Smog (Even saying that word makes my lungs feel suffocated).
-Different laws to abide by.
-Leaving behind all of our friends & family (do NOT forget about us!!!)
-A 21 hour trip to Beijing (Chinese airplane food??)
-Speaking of, digestive abuse? hope not..
-Absence of CHEESE (one of the most expensive foods...& coincidentally our favorite)
-Not getting our first paycheck until Oct. 15...rice every meal? yes, please.
-The time difference (y'all are OK with skyping at 3am your time, right?).
-Remembering how to drive when we come back..(clutch...I swear that rings a bell...).
-Needing medical assistance (if you know us, you've probably witnessed a dislocated finger or a random head injury).

Things we want to have accomplished a year from now:
-Be able to write this post in Mandarin.
-Have acquired a Chinese cooking style.
-Figure out how they get that stupid little fortune into the cookie!
-Make friends from at least 20 different countries.
-Have completed a race on the Great Wall of China.
-Learn our city of 20million people so well that we can successfully give directions to someone.
-Fill a photo album with pictures of locals wanting a picture with us.
-Travel to 10 cities, including the DMZ.
-Be a local's first "white experience."
-Watch every single UNC basketball game (that's not playing during school).
-Meet another UNC fan.
-Convert a local to a UNC fan.
-Own Hello Kitty clothes & accessories.
-Participate in a local sport.
-Blend in.

If you have read this far, then you are a true friend, and we miss you already! We promise to keep our posts short..from now on. We'll experience some absolutely CRAAAZY things like every two minutes from the moment we land, and can't wait to provide our Western commentary on our new Eastern lifestyle...so stay tuned!