Our twenty-four hour train ride from Shanghai to Kaili went a lot quicker than expected. After hours of reading, telling jokes, playing games, meeting Chinese babies, and bonding throughout this journey, I came to various realizations about my weeks to come in China.

After meeting our first friend, Zhoun Zhoun (spelling?), the two year old boy who was traveling with his family next to our beds, I learned that Miryam is kind of hard to pronounce. After trying to get him to say my name, I settled on changing it. My new Chinese name is Mimi: short for Miryam, yet easy to pronounce.

After playing with Zhoun Zhoun and teaching him how to count in English, he taught me how to count in Chinese. Through the repeated motions of counting our with our fingers up to five and repeating what we each said, we shared our languages. Truth be told, I only remember how to say one (yi) and five (wooga), even after going it over and over again.

From this experience I learned two things. First of all, my quest to pick up some basic Chinese will be a slow one. I will just have to take it one word at a time will do. So far I can say hello, goodbye, thank you, one, and five (making progress!). Secondly, teaching English will be, as our TEFL teachers emphasized, a slow and patient process. Despite how many times I went over counting up to 5 with Zhoun Zhoun or how many times he taught me, we both had trouble remembering.

I also learned the trick to befriending Chinese people, from children to adults: smiling and making funny faces. After waving at a child who kept sticking his face out and staring at us Americans multiple times, he finally responded. Then we engaged in a competition of making funny faces at each other. He then proceeded to use his water bottle as a gun and pretend to shoot us – a little worrisome. But finally he came over to us, and again we taught each other how to count and learned his name and age. In our homestay in Wugao, my communication with my Miao host mother consisted of pointing, laughter and “oohs”. In the end, we all somehow are able to understand each other.

Zai jien!

Mimi

*Correction: After speaking to our Wild China tour guide about Chinese names, I learned that Mimi has two meanings: secret and another, more vulgar meaning. Therefore, he gave me a Chinese name: Mi Li An, which means luck. So I will now go by Mi Li An.

So I’m in Manila International airport watching the clock tick as my flight to Shanghai nears. After a 12 hour flight and basically skipping June 20th (still don’t quite understand that), I’m in Asia…feeling as foreign as I ever have.

As I left San Francisco after spending the weekend with my family celebrating my sister’s graduation from business school, I couldn’t help but think about the future. As I accompanied my sister to luncheons and dinners with her friends, all I heard was constant banter about their futures and upcoming jobs in finance or consulting or upcoming lavished vacations. This got me thinking about my future and where I would like my education and experiences to take me.

As these overwhelming thoughts consumed me, everyone also kept asking me about what  I would be doing in China. As I told them, they all raved about my upcoming experience, calling it a “once in a lifetime opportunity” or “one of a kind”. And I smiled, knowing that what is to come really is a unique experience.

Though I came to no conclusions about my future (graduation is still too far away, I have plenty of time to think about that), I hope that this upcoming experience in China will help shape and guide my future goals and endeavors. But for now, I plan to continue living in the moment and taking in every piece of Asia I can, starting with Manila’s airport.

See you in China!

Miryam

This year had a lot of ups and downs for me. From choosing my major to dealing with personal relationships, many things were difficult and even unexpected. Though, I must say that googling “summer internships in Asia” during winter break turned out to be one of the most rewarding and random decisions I made this year. I can’t believe I’m to China. My mind was set on doing a science internship this summer, but I have no regrets. Life becomes exciting when things don’t go as planned.

I’m excited for every single experience and challenge I will face. From not showering for 3 days during our wild china trip (thanks Eliot and Cameron for the news), to talking with my hands and being in front of my own classroom. When I’m in front of people, I get a rush of energy that makes me want to talk without ceasing. I can’t wait to feel that rush when I’m in front of my students. I know I’ll get out of hand. Maybe I’ll talk too much, or laugh too much, or even socialize with my co-workers too much. But that’s a part of me.

I’ve always loved cultures and languages. The anthropologist in me is getting pumped. I’m ready for this new adventure. I’m ready to face this ancient land. Words can’t describe the mixed feelings I’m having right now. I want to explore, I want to meet people, I want to feel nature in Jishou. I want my stomach to handle the food. =p

When I return to Princeton in the fall, I’ll have a lot more to look forward to =].

But for now, I’ll focus on this adventure. =]]]

-Christian

This summer is going to be awesome. I’m 100% sure!

To say that I’m “excited” for Jishou is a huge understatement. Thrilled is more like it. I have to resist the urge to jump up and down when I describe my summer plans to people. That might sound like an exaggeration, but I distinctly remember wanting to jump out of my seat during the information session after Fiona had told me more about SoS and I had read some of the SoS blogs from summer 2011. Now that I have gotten to know my fellow SoSers, our amazing co-leaders, and the energetic PiA staff, I’m positive that Summer of Service is going to change my life—if it hasn’t already!

I can’t wait to be in a trying environment, where things are not easily accessible. I can’t wait to try my hand at teaching English and form lasting friendships with my students. I can’t wait to experience Chinese culture outside of Beijing and eat amazing Chinese food again. I can’t wait to create hilarious memories with my fellow SoSers that we’ll be laughing about for years to come.

Bring on the inconveniences. Bring on the obstacles. Bring on brushing my teeth with water from a water bottle. Bring on a classroom full of bright-eyed students. Bring on Wild China adventures, Jishou adventures, laughing so hard that I cry, difficult moments that make me want to cry. Bring on everything.

I’m trying to have no expectations, and I think I have been successful so far. Well, 95% successful—I do expect SoS to be mind-blowing.

Woot! Woot! China, here we come!
Alyssa

Two nights ago I found myself people-watching in Times Square, waiting for some friends to arrive. It didn’t matter that it was late on a weeknight; Times Square was bustling with people from all over the world. Except, I would venture to guess, people from Jishou, China. Of course I could be wrong. But in any case, it struck me that the scene I was observing was about as far removed as possible from what I’d be seeing in about two weeks. Should be quite a comparison.

At this point we’ve thought about and planned for Jishou quite extensively; not much more to say before we get there. While so many aspects of what this experience will be like are currently unknown, there is one thing that is completely certain: this is one awesome group of people. While we’ve already had some great times in the planning phase, the best is certainly yet to come. I am so excited to be able to spend eight weeks working and chilling with these amazing Princeton students and know this will be a trip to remember. I’ve been able to contain my excitement only by cooking Chinese food at home.

Fully vaccinated and ready for the middle kingdom,

Reuben

It was reading period. Then all papers were turned in and it was finals. Then PiA orientation cut right into finals. Then finals were over and I spent 5 days hiking in the woods training to be an OA leader. And then reunions happened and all of a sudden there were 20,000 new faces on campus. And now I’m finally back home in Miami.

With nothing to do with my time except go to the gym, beach, pool, and read, Jishou crosses my mind about every 5 minutes. It seems so close yet so far away. But when I open my passport and see my Chinese visa, I am reminded that it’s real. And it is happening. And I will be there before I know it. I’ve heard Cam, Eliot, and past SOSers experiences in Jishou. I’ve googled Jishou multiple times and stalked pictures of it over and over again. I’ve even begun looking at our PiA China guide and attempting to learn some Chinese phrases. But despite all of this information, I still just don’t know what to expect.

But here’s what I do know. I know I am and have been looking forward to this summer more than anything else. I know that my flights to and from China are going to be the longest flights and most layovers I have ever had to take. I can confidently say it will probably be one of the hottest and stickiest summers I have ever spent. And as for myself, I know that I plan on living in the moment when I’m in China, trying new foods, learning as much as I can about Chinese culture, and getting to know an amazing group of SOSers and students over these next two months.

Hoping to be a few shades tanner when leaving Miami.

Miryam

I’m starting to think that the PiA office is going to start calling me the problem child of the summer.

That sounds like a bold claim, but I’m sure I’m already that kid. You know, the one who had to play phone tag with Tina until her flight iteranary got worked out. The one who couldn’t get a visa with the rest of the group because her passport was going to expire too early. The one that missed the deadline for the first blog post (oops).

I’m working through it all one step at a time. My flights have been booked, I’m writing a post now, my new passport came in the mail last Friday (valid until 2022!), and I’m heading into DC tomorrow to go to the Chinese embassy. I’m still a little worried (and sorry for making more trouble for Cameron and Eliot), but I’m confident everything will work out. It always does.

After my trip into DC tomorrow, the next thing on my to-do list is starting to pack…or, starting to plan to pack. Knowing me, I’ll leave most of the packing for the night of the 19th, and it will be a little stressful, but it will get done. (I can just sleep on the plane, right?) Cameron and Eliot gave us a packing list, which should make things somewhat easier, but I’m still a little concerned about the 40 pound limit. Or, maybe, more than that, I’m just worried I won’t have enough room, regardless of the weight limit. All of us have to bring along 12 pairs of sunglasses to Jishou, and I don’t want them to get broken, so packing them might be a little challenging. After that, my next order of business is to pack a deflated rugby ball. I had been toying with the idea for a little bit, but hadn’t really decided to bring it along until I spoke with Anastasia (who also played rugby at Princeton!!) during the orientation weekend. (If my parents are reading this, I bet they’re both groaning and thinking something along the lines of “our daughter was supposed to write a post about China, and she managed to start talking about rugby. Again.” In my defense, I heard that there is a sports club, and figured I could introduce something new!)

Anyway, as the 20th grows closer, I’m growing more impatient for all the adventures I know are coming my way. WildChina. Battling with bugs. Getting by without knowing any Chinese. Trying new food. And, most importantly, teaching!

Bring it on.

– Kelsey

I’ve always sucked at packing. I’m that one annoying person who always overpacks and needs her friends to help her with her bags. Used to being able to travel with a 50 lb bag for a week’s worth of time, I was very shocked- terrified in fact- to find out that all we could travel with to Jishou was a 40lb bag worth of clothes. Panick attack right then and there.

But then, our awesome leaders Cameron and Eliot produced a miracle: a packing list. By looking at it I realized how many unnecessary things I usually pack. Who needs 5 pairs of jeans, 8 pairs of shoes and 3 hats? Clearly not me. And just like the extra stuff I pack and can now get rid of, I want to get rid of the unecessary emotional baggage during this trip. I’m not talking about severing emotional ties and whatnot but to get rid of those attitudes which hinder our experiences. For example, being lazy? Not in Jishou- I want to wake up with the sun and go to bed with it. My usual 10-pushing-on-11 wake up time simply has no place here. What’s more, I don’t want this emotional baggage to be left behind because it’s mandatory but rather voluntarily, as some sort of cleansing process which in the end will hopefully- fingers crossed- make me a better person.

So here’s to packing, smart packing, and to getting rid of all those unnecessary items that only add weight to our bag but not real value.

-Arianna

I’m ready for Jishou. I’m ready for the troublemaker in my class. I’m ready for navigating around pushy street vendors who want me to buy socks. I’m ready for heat and humidity. I’m ready for never feeling clean. I’m ready for bugs – even bugs I don’t want to believe exist. I’m ready for mosquitoes, squat toilets, foreign foods, and strange, personal conversations with old people. I’m ready to lose myself in service.

While I can’t expect or anticipate what’s going to happen to me in China, I can guess about how I will feel. This will be the first prolonged experience in my life where I will be dedicating myself to others and watching the “me” slip farther and farther from view. Many things will be more obviously out of my control, with basic communication and personal routines radically altered. I expect to feel overwhelmed, excited, alone, amazed, terrified, and really really happy – maybe not all at once – but definitely at some point throughout this trip.

Hopefully eight weeks from now I will be a better person. I hope to know what it feels like to invest oneself completely in helping others. I hope that I can be confident that life doesn’t have to be about consumption, production, and the pursuit of pleasure. I hope that I will be changed in ways I can’t anticipate. I hope to fall in love with China.

Filled with flash-forwards, tiger blood, and with delusional, unsupported confidence,

-Nick

I thought that I should start out by writing about my expectations, but I hesitate to overemphasize them. It’s sort of tricky to explain what I mean by this, but I should give it a shot. While I have been looking forward to this trip for what seems like ages, I somehow still haven’t thought so much about what I expect it to be. We were asked to imagine what the physical city of Jishou would look like, and I wrote something vague about the height and color of University buildings. But truthfully, I don’t want to have expectations. I want no mental image, no preconceptions, no imagined first steps out of the station in Jishou or interactions with our students – no expectations. It’s as though I’ve chosen the blindfold and will not peak, because I know that peaking will only given me an obscured version of the real deal. The true experience will speak for herself, I believe, and she will arrive in due time. So for the time being, I’m just savoring the last three (slightly hectic) weeks that I will have here in the Garden State for quite some time. This is definitely not to say that I’m not excited – quite the opposite! Rather, my excitement lies purely in the prospect of the unknown, the unexpected, the unanticipated.

Something that I do already know is that this is a priceless group. I think I’ve already shed a few tears laughing with them during our many group meeting. And since I really didn’t know anyone too well going in, I still have so much to learn about everyone in the bunch. So much bonding lies ahead! After all, two months navigating through a Chinese summer should do the trick…

So I suppose that although I don’t want them to color the actual experience, I do have expectations. And I have qualms, too. I have qualms about the moments or days or experiences or feelings that tend to get glazed over or forgotten when they exist in memory. But when they are happening in the present, nothing could be more real. The moments when you wonder why you decided to journey halfway across the world to a foreign land that you barely understand, rather than staying home where life is predictable and familiar. Or the moments where you feel like you made all the wrong decisions that day, said all the wrong things, or let everyone down. Talking to the various members of the plentiful SoS legacy, it seems that their experiences were overwhelmingly positive. But yet my wary self still fears those moments most, because the promise of a good story never seems to abate the disappointment felt while climbing into bed that night.

But enough of Debbie Downer (or should I say Jaded Jess?). I say bring the sun, bring the rain, and bring everything in between. Because what I most anticipate is learning the things that I had never expected to learn. In other words, I can’t wait to know what I didn’t know I was going to know. Or did I just get too meta? Either way, this summer is bound to teach so many lessons beyond our lesson plans. And they are just waiting to be discovered.

But in the meantime, there is still so much to be done! So, here I go, back to that to-do list…