Almost ready to go...

NOTICE: If you mail me something and use this address, be sure to add my name to the top!!!

Well I figured I'd go ahead and start this blog being that it's only a few days until I depart for China. If you want to mail me something, here is the address for the high school in Shuizhai where I'm staying. Just print out, cut out, glue/tape to the envelope, and add my name to the top and you should be good to go. I'd suggest sending just a letter or something first before trying to ship anything bigger, just to test the waters first. I'm not too keen on the details of international mailing, especially within China.

Why are you going to China?

I'm signed up through an internship program at Truman State University which sends students to a rural-ish area in China to teach English to High School students. I'm going with another Truman student, Rebecca, and we will be teaching classes together for about 10 hours a week and living in everyday China away from the many comforts of home.

For a few years now I've had an interest in teaching English abroad, seeing it as an accessible way to find work and travel all around the world, since all you need to teach in many places is a college degree (any kind of B.A. or B.S.) and native English speaking abilities. I discovered this China internship last year and eagerly signed up.

I figure this internship will be a great opportunity to try out teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) to see if I like it, and to gain valuable experience in this area if I want to pursue similar work after graduation, be it in South Korea, South America, or wherever. Plus, what the hell else am I supposed to do with my English degree?

Just where the hell are you going anyway?

City of Shuizhai, in Guangdong province, which is in Southeast China. Guangdong is the highlighted province in the map below. We're flying into Hong Kong and taking a bus a few hundred miles into the country to arrive at Shuizhai where we'll be living for the next 3 1/2 months.



Here's a link to some photos and a Google map of the city if you want a better idea of the place I'm living in.

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/12564283