First Entry in China!

After 24+ hours on a plane and in airports, I'm finally in Shanghai. One observation: Asian flight attendants are much, much better looking than their American counterparts. My flight from Detroit to Tokyo was staffed almost entirely by Americans while the flight from Tokyo to Shanghai was staffed by mostly Chinese and some Japanese people. The American flight attendants were either slightly too rotund or wore to much makeup. One of them had a little trouble maneuvering gracefully around the narrow aisles and bumped into me multiple times. The Asian stewardesses, however, were all impeccably dressed with flawless makeup and hair. They were so pretty that I was sorely tempted to snap a picture, but I refrained. Speaking of pictures, because no entry in a photoblog is complete without at least one picture, I included a couple that I could not resist taking in Tokyo Narita Airport (for you, Karl, if you're reading). Everything in Japan is ridiculously cute. Starting next entry, I will actually talk about China. I promise.

I hate packing, but I rather like lists...

(define partial-inventory (list (cons 4 "pants") (cons 4 "skirts")
(cons 27 "underwear") (cons 8 "bras") (cons 1 "jewelry box")...)

A partial inventory of what I'm brining to China:
From the top left:
- 2 pairs of jeans, 1 pair of corduroys, 1 pair of cargo capris
- 4 skirts
- 20 plus or minus pairs of clean underwear and 7 plus or minus 1 pairs of dirty underwear (not shown)
- 8 bras
- Jewelry box
- 2 purses (1 not shown)
- bag of odds and ends
- 9 plus or minus 1 shirts
- bathing suit
- 4 dresses
- sock poi and contact juggling ball
- 1 pair of flip flops, 1 pair of tennis shoes, 1 pair of jelly sandals (not shown)
- 3 pairs of socks
- prismacolor markers
- 1 jacket, 1 sweater (not shown)


The above are all in my gigantic suitcase. Some other items:
- 2 laptops. One is my own, one is for my family in China
- sketchbook with passport tucked into secret pocket
- camera
- ipods and noise reducing speakers
- various power cords
- a ton of presents my mother bought for my family which takes up an entire other suitcase
- music
- glasses and contacts
- toiletries

Obligatory Introduction

This summer, I will be in China teaching at two universities- Dalian Institute of Technology in June and Zhejiang University in July. Although I was born in China and have lived there for a number of years in my childhood, I have never had the opportunity to wander around by myself. I hope to do a lot of exploring this summer, especially in August, which I have free.

This will be a photoblog of anything that catches my eye.