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Just over a week now until I leave and the whole packing thing is taking much longer than I expected. Perhaps that's because I'm spending a fair bit of time trying to fit in some one-on-one time with my friends before I leave and also because I seem to be having a fair number of leaving parties. Party number 2 was last Sunday in a friend's flat with lots of my closest friends there and it had a Chinese theme. In the pics, you can see me standing by a sign which says "Bon Voyage" and a plate of cakes that say "Good Luck." There was also a Who's Kirsten's Best Friend quiz (judged on who could answer the most questions on my likes, beliefs and travels) and a slideshow of photos of me over the last ten years in Edinburgh. Awww, thanks you guys!
Two weeks today I'll be in China! Got my passport today with a cool Chinese visa with a picture of the Great Wall on it. I also got a bit more information from VSO yesterday about the plans for my initial few weeks. I arrive in Beijing on Saturday morning and have Saturday and Sunday to rest and relax and hopefully see a bit of the city (Tiananmen Sq, here I come!) I start my in-country training on Monday and am then in Beijing for almost two weeks with culture/VSO/language training. On the night of the 18th, I take a sleeper train to Xi'an and then have 3 days there for an education conference where I'll meet the other education VSO volunteers working in China.
After that, my new boss will come and pick me up and take me to Danfeng which, all going well, will be my home for the next two years. Eeeee! Exciting!
Things finally look like they're coming together. I fly to London with BA at lunchtime on Friday 4th Sept and then on to Beijing late afternoon, arriving early morning on the 5th. My passport is now in London waiting for the work permit to arrive from China so I can get the embassy to give me a visa and I have (I think) a tenant for my flat. I'm starting to pack up my things, which is a much bigger job than I thought it was going to be, and most (but not all) of my financial stuff is sorted out. Although I'm really excited about going, I'm starting to feel like I'm in freefall towards departure. There are so many little things I still need to do, so many things I still need to buy and so many people I need to say goodbye to. I'm incredibly busy and have things booked for almost every day and night until I leave now. Still, I wouldn't change it - I've had some great moments. A group of work friends took me out on a fantastic night to say goodbye - the highlight of which was a boozy limo trip around the crags! (see pic) I'll have lots of great memories to keep me going in my dark days when I'm missing home.
I got back this evening from a week's VSO course in Birmingham to find an email from my Volunteer Placement Advisor saying that the start date of my training in Beijing has been changed. So I'll now be flying out a few days earlier than planned (well, VSO's motto is 'be flexible.') It's not a huge problem but it will mean I won't have a final weekend with all my family together - sob! I don't actually know the date yet but it'll probably be the 3rd or 4th of September.
I also got an email today from the VSO language tutor in Beijing asking what my level of Mandarin is - ha!!!!Anyway, I'll let you know as soon as I actually get a flight date confirmed. Either way, it's less than a month now. EEEEEEK!
Just over a week now until I leave and the whole packing thing is taking much longer than I expected. Perhaps that's because I'm spending a fair bit of time trying to fit in some one-on-one time with my friends before I leave and also because I seem to be having a fair number of leaving parties. 
