"So, are you excited about China?"

"So are you excited about China?" That's what most people have been asking us these days. In fact, Travis' collegues seemed to ask him this question every day for 3 months this past spring! And it's always difficult to know how to answer. Sure, we're a bit excited; we remember from our past overseas experiences how fun arriving in a new culture can be. But we also know that there will be moments of humiliation and embarrassment (which I hate the most!). This just comes with the territory, as we try to navigate the language and remember which things we're not supposed to do! There will be times of loneliness, confusion, and outright frustration. Days when just getting a few things from the corner store will seem like a major accomplishment. And inevitably, there will come a dark day when we realize that we won't be back in the "land of the familiar" anytime soon. Hopefully, when those times come, we'll be given the strength to push through and deal with reality. Because we know, in the middle of the rollercoaster that is overseas life, there are also wonderful things. There will be so much to learn and a ton of places to explore. We are especially looking forward to making new friends; our chinese friends in the states have been very warm and genuine people. In short, I think that discovering the heart of the chinese people is what is most exciting to us! Now if we could just get through the anxiety of the initial upcoming trip: less than two weeks until we leave . . .