Musings pre-departure

Here we are -- it's nine months after I first stepped foot in China.  I have a steady mixture of excitement, anxiety, and nostalgia towards my departure this upcoming Saturday.  As Beijing University is not a completely new world for me (I spent a good week there in total last summer), the raw excitement for a new world isn't in me.  On the other hand, I am excited that I am proceeding to China this time with some local foreknowledge and language skills under my belt.  I feel like I will be able to get more out of not having to go through as long of a phase of culture shock and transition.

I am a bit sad to leave Stanford, though.  Spring quarter is generally the best time of the year, and I will be missing out on potentially the most exciting time for the two student groups that I've been in charge of this year (SCAI and Q&A).   This includes a photo exhibit that I've been working on over the past two quarters with SCAI called Hope Under Siege by local Bay Area artist Lisa Nessan.  If you'll be in the area during April, check out the exhibit in Old Union sometime during the second two weeks of the quarter.  Do it for me -- especially since I won't be there for the unveiling!

Moreover, it's definitely going to be a little disheartening to miss out on my friends whom I haven't even seen enough during the school year.  Especially after the going away dinner at Cafe Dhaka that Fatima organized for me, the reality of not seeing these awesome people next quarter set in.  As with most dramatic changes, though, I'm sure the wave of newness during next quarter will wash away the difficulty of temporarily detaching from my home(s).