I’m Divin’ In

Oct. 18, 2016
9:00 am
Dallas, TX, USA

Hey guys,

I’M ON MY WAY! It’s hard to believe that this is actually happening. I meant to post this first blog before I left home, but I kept thinking “Oh, I have plenty of time.” Turns out I didn’t have nearly as much time as I thought. It’s all felt a bit surreal so far. Even now, sitting in an airport in Dallas, I still don’t think the full weight of what I’m doing has registered. When I was on the phone with Liz yesterday, I told her that in a month I’ll probably start to realize this isn’t just a trip. In three months, I’ll realize that this isn’t a short study abroad. Maybe by the time I come home in a year, I’ll actually believe I am living in China.

So a little information about this blog. First, the title is one of my favorite words: resfeber. It’s a Swedish word that means “The tangled feelings of fear and excitement before a journey begins.” I found it when I was searching for a way to decorate my graduation cap in May. It perfectly described my feelings about both my journey into adulthood and this journey to China. When I created this blog, I felt that it was a perfect fit! Simple, easy to remember, and describes what this blog is all about. I didn’t know then how many times I’d face that feeling in the past few weeks. Actually, I don’t think it’s ever completely left.

Second, I will direct you to my About page. It tells you a little more about me and why I’m writing this blog. Basically, I’m writing for three reasons: to share this journey with those of you at home, to help others who are considering moving to China, and to be an ally for other girls in the same or similar situation as me (trying to figure out how to do this thing called “adulting”). Due to those three reasons, I’ve vowed to share it all, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Obviously, there will be some things you don’t all get, but you’ll get a good picture of what I’m dealing with.

On that note, I’ve struggled getting ready for this trip. Like I said, this trip didn’t actually feel real, and still doesn’t, but every once in a while, I’d do something that caused reality to hit me like a ton of bricks. My first big meltdown came when I started going through my clothes to decide what to take, keep, or get rid of. I got really overwhelmed and no one was home. I tried to cheer myself up by putting on my kangaroo onesie and watching my favorite movie (trivia time: it’s Beauty and the Beast), but the internet in the house wasn’t working.

Basically, it was the perfect (or not so) storm of things that made me panic a bit. Aside from that, though, I’ve only had a few other bouts. These past few days I’ve felt like I’m going to be sick whenever I think too much. And, of course, saying goodbyes was really hard. Beckim kept asking for one more hug, Grammy and Aunt Molly broke down crying, I talked to all of Aunt Kim and Uncle Ed’s family on the phone, and then my family at the airport. Needless to say, I’ve cried a few times over the past couple days, which is a normal and healthy response.

Okay, on to fun(-ish). Ever wonder what it looks like to pack for a year? Well, I don’t actually know, but here’s what I’ve got. Here’s my packing list. Believe me, it’s LONG! I stayed up all night last night watching “She Loves Me” with Mom and Meghan and packing up last minute stuff. We left the house at 3:15am to get me to the airport. My flight from Columbus to Dallas took off at 6am. Guess what I did on the plane! Yeah, I slept. Also, fun story, my carry on hated me. It would not go in the overhead bin. I struggled for a few minutes before a man kindly took pity on me and helped me load it in. But now I’m here in Dallas for my 3 hour layover. I’m surrounded by people speaking Chinese, but I guess I better get used to it. I’m pretty sure a family behind me had a huge argument just a few minutes ago.

Soon, I’m hoping to meet up with some of the other EF teachers who are taking this flight. We’re thinking of going to grab coffee. At 11am (Dallas time) I’ll board a plane for China! Again, super weird and still not clicking, even though I’m writing about it. Anyway, the next time you hear from me, I’ll be on the other side of the world!

So how this blog is going to work. My plan is to post one blog a day. I don’t plan for it to be this long every time. But I’m going to pick one story from the day to tell you. I may have some more stuff to add, but that one story will be the focus. Additionally, I will add the verse (words to remember) from my devotions and give you a challenge for the day. It’ll be a good way to keep me accountable and hopefully see how Abba is guiding my life. (Disclaimer: the devo I use to set my words to remember and challenge is called “Solo” by The Message. Please feel free to purchase a copy at your local Ch–st–n bookstore or online.) As a note, I’m going to be calling G-d Abba because it’s not a word that the government usually looks up in association with Him and you all will know who I’m talking about. So let’s see what words He has for us today: read Jer. 51:1-5. I’m not going to give you a challenge because I’m not sure what the challenge is 🙂

Talk to you all soon!
Bless,
Kristen