Contact with questions

Only a few months ago I was a nervous PC applicant with invitation in hand, awaiting my departure date and my conformation as a PC trainee. Back then I received loads of help and encouragement from individuals from previous PC China groups. This help came in the way of packing lists, tips for travel, and conversations on what to expect.

So now, I want to offer my help, I want to be available to pay it forward. If you're out there, and you're looking to transfer or apply, or if you've been invited (although I don't think PC China 16 invites have been mailed yet), please feel free to contact me.

Christian.p.tuttle@gmail.com

China is calling, how far will you go?

Morning thoughts and a mini packing list.

One of my lesser fears regarding the PC at this point is forgetting some vital piece of paper work. I spent about an hour yesterday digging around for my chest X-ray films; they are safely stowed in my carry-on, next to the passport and the immunization records. I'm afraid of hitting mainland China and having an official hassle me for a document I didn't realize I needed. Maybe its an irrational fear. I guess in the big picture, being afraid of not having enough paper work pales in comparison to the fears of not being able to speak Mandarin (or the regional dialects), contracting food poisoning, or being detained while privately traveling. Speaking of which, has anybody else been following the news about the reporters in North Korea?

Things I think I still need before I depart:

• Sturdy trail running shoes
• Teacher shoes
• Electrical converter and a lightweight power strip
• Copies of various and sundry documents
• Teaching supplies - multi colored sharpies, lesson plan books, any ideas?
  
• Pictures of loved ones
• Spare earbuds?
• Packing tube for posters
• Mesh bags for laundry, storage. Someone mentioned it on Facebook. Couldn't hurt.
• Spare insoles for shoes
• What else am I missing...

Gotta get personal property insurance, too. Damn packing lists. T-minus 20 days until take off.

Extraneous punctuation.

I've been finding more and more and... more blogs from soon-to-be PCVs in China 15. This makes me totally stoked.

Packing is starting to dominate my mind.
Don't bring too much, I think one moment, followed quickly by another thought, as if shouted from across the table of my mind,
But don't leave anything behind! You'll never know what you'll need!!! WHAT IF CHINA DOESN'T HAVE ANY COFFEE MUGS??? HOW WILL YOU DRINK YOUR KAI FE?!?!?!

Seriously, the internal dialogue regarding packing is killing me. Whatever, it'll figure itself out. It better, or else I'll head to China without any luggage.

I'm getting nervous about the paperwork. I need to make sure that I know what to bring to staging and China. I know I need my Chest X-rays, but what else? Birth certificate? Teacher certification? Diploma? Transcript? If anyone has a working list, please share. I've emailed my PO, and I'll make a post regarding his answers if its worthwhile.

T-minus 24 days or so.

Its been quiet on the eastern front. Too quiet. Where have all the China PCV posts gone? I realize that there's a ban on blogger, but I had expected some American ingenuity and technological side stepping.  I guess I'm just hungry for news from the nation.

I'm living with the parents now in their fantastic, newly renovated home in New Hampshire, USA. Even though I grew up by the ocean, with "sand in my shoes" as my mum says, I feel so much more at home in the hills and mountains. I'm very thankful/excited/relieved to have my parents living in foothills rather than sand dunes. Don't get me wrong, sand dunes are beautiful, I just happen to prefer rolling hills, solitude of the mountains, wilderness, etc.

Today I need to get more paperwork in line. My fantastic (ex)adviser at UMF pushed my transcript and teacher certifications through the bureaucratic tangles of various education offices, and now I need to send them away. Additionally, my $30,000 worth of loans need to be dealt with, and, oh yeah, I've got to unpack my entire life from my van. And then pack it up again and huff it half way across the globe. 

So yeah, and China PCVs or fellow applicants, post away and give me something to read!

Packing Lists

Next step: packing lists.

I'm being torn in two different directions when I compile packing lists for China. I don't want to forget anything, and yet I don't want to bring too much. The cause of the conflict is simple: I have no idea what I'm getting myself into.

When I hiked Mt Katahdin for the first time, I definitely brought too much. My 3000 cu inch pack was full of photo gear, layers, bags of gorp, water bottles and bladders, spare socks, spare spare socks, mini med kits, hats, sun glasses, sun screen, bandannas, and so on and so forth. I learned my lesson: the next year I carried a tiny day pack with one layer, a liter of water, and a sandwich. It turns out you really don't need a lot of gear for a day hike.

All in all, I'm attempting to pack for 2 years over seas, and its not easy. I've got to remember, and correct me if I am wrong current PCVs, that I can find things I need in China. Its not like I'm living in uninhabited wilderness for two years; I'll be teaching at a university in a city. I can do this.

If you're in China or you've been there, please give me packing tips. I've heard shoes are tough to come by for Americans with big feet, so I'm packing a few pair, along with socks, spare insoles, etc. Anything else I should stock up on? I think I read somewhere that deodorant is tough to come by. True?