All that's left...

Well, I have packing. Some of it is done. Some of it, like the boxes, are not yet done.

Much sadness.

I also am waiting on a book about the history of Great Britain, because if I am teaching a survey of English-speaking countries, I'm going to start with where the history comes from. Sorry, South Africa, you are not the origin of the English-speaking world.

There are two classes I'm teaching, one full of video references, and one with a lot more focus on the countries themselves. It's a good thing I know people from all these countries. Not all of them per say (I think India, where English is official language #2), but most of them. If worst comes to worst, I will attempt accents that I have no business attempting.

My banking is all done (I look forward to tax day in the future), and I have acquired a hopeful means to get through the Great Firewall of China. Hopefully.

Hopefully.

I'm still really, really nervous. And I just recovered from being sick, too, yesterday. I dunno what it was, but my digestive system is full of gaps and errors still, trying to fight my eyes for choosing poorly selected items.

I bought yet another item, I'll confess. I didn't mean to buy it, but when I was asked to provide audio-visual samples I realized my computer could not hold what I needed. So I found a mini-passport, and because I couldn't do math (7x10 is 700, right? Weep for me. Weep. I blame the sickness still) I bought the larger external hard-drive passport.

I think it will do me well. I have nicknamed most of my electronic items. As if they were people. As if they could replace people. This new thing, it is called "monkey". Because it is headed west. To China.

I'm not sure how many of you will get that. That's okay.

So now I'm left sucking the air from bags, attempting to see what I can send people before I leave, attempting to see what I can arrange for the plane, and pretty sure most of my time in Beijing will be studying Chinese. Because that's how it should be.

I don't feel prepared at all. Instead I feel anxious, nervous, and burpy.

Still, there is tomorrow. I leave at 5pm from my house to airport. So I will update a bit before then.