Finding Home- A New Journey

Well, it happened. At 1:29 p.m. I was sitting in Isaac's (not my best choice) and received the email from ISEP saying that they have placed me at the Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics. My Grandmother asked me tonight where that is in China. I figure that if my Grandmother is asking then there are probably other people asking.

There it is. In the Jiangxi province, the University sits in the capital city. I spent a good amount of time combing through pictures trying to find one general picture so people can understand what Nanchang looks like. It's hard trying to capture the essence of such a large city especially combing through Google Images, but I think I found a pretty solid one.

The above picture is one of many that I found of my school, but from what I saw of the pictures of Nanchang this is a pretty standard view of the city. Needless to say I am beyond excited, but I'm also nervous about a few things.

I would like to say I do pretty well away from home. I can't deny the fact though that when I am away from home I tend to miss Momma Lipka a little bit. My Mom has always been a strong combination of biggest supporter and biggest critic at the same time. We have had to go through a lot in the last couple of years, and part of me doesn't fully like being so far.

Can you blame me though?? Just look at that woman. One of my fears is definitely surrounding the distance there, but at the same time I'm afraid of not being fully present in my study abroad placement because that situation is on my mind. I need to try to find the balance between keeping up with my Mom and at the same time intentionally placing myself in this new community.

What does that mean? Intentionally placing myself? Well for me I don't just want to go to China for a couple months. That would be a waste of time. I want to immerse myself in China. To be a sponge to the culture surrounding me and soak up as much as possible. I want to enjoy delicious food, I want to get sick from that delicious food. I want to explore the city that I am going to be in and I want to get lost in that city that I am going to be in. I want to try and learn a little Mandarin, and at the same time get frustrated with myself for not being able to properly communicate. I want to learn, explore, and better myself so that I can in return better those around me.

When I was 18 I went on a journey to New Orleans for a year. During that time I had to maintain a blog that I titled "Finding Home." I titled this post the same thing because I am preparing to go on a journey again. To once again see if I can find home in a new place.