New Horizons at 12:34 AM

Ok guys. Yep. I've officially started a blog. Part of this is so that I don't have to write what happened to me like 15 times to all my friends every week (as if I'm that popular), and the other part is that I think this could serve as one of the records of my trip for when I return. So this is for you, but it's mostly for me. :)

So I'm moving to China and it's going to be AWESOME. Ever since I came to school I always had a reason to stay in Utah until one day recently, I didn't. It's actually that simple, and when that day came, everything sort of fell into place so that I could leave. Even my own mother thought if I was going to do something like this, now would be the time. I finished college, I'm single, and I'm not locked into a full time job yet (which I hope to be when I get back). So I applied to this group that sets people up to teach English in Mainland China and I got accepted. I leave on the 18th of August and I'll be gone for almost a year. I bought Rosetta Stone so I can learn Chinese while I'm over there, that way when I get discouraged from trying to communicate with people I can go learn Chinese on a computer and still feel good about myself. I bought a teaching English as a second language text book, and I'm pretty ready to rock house.

I graduate from college with my masters degree from BYU next week and a few days later I fly to China. Most of the posts from here on out will be a catalog of my travels in China and beyond. At least until a get back.

A few random thoughts:
1. Starting over is a pain (as in moving and/or trying to meeting new people), but I think it's really healthy to step out of your comfort zone every once and a while. Granted, moving to another country is a little more out of someone's comfort zone than normal, but still. I think we were meant to always be expanding in this life. Not just mentally and physically, but socially and spiritually too.

2. Even though something may be right, it can still scare the crap out of me. I wake up in the mornings and my stomach squirms a bit thinking about the fact that I fly to China in less than two weeks. Not because what I'm doing is wrong, but just because it's huge. This happened to me once in the past right before I moved to Australia. That was one of the best things that ever happened to me even though it scared me to death.

3. I think we need to do things to make sure we don't get too comfortable. Moving to China is something that falls in line really well with my life goals, but sometimes I forget where I'm going and I just chill out for a while. If we want to make a difference with our lives, I think we need to constantly think not just about where we want to end up, but also how we're going to get there. I've wanted to learn Chinese for a long time. I've thought a fair bit about how I'd get there and I think that's part of the reason it was so easy to make this decision.

4. Finally, (and this one is random) I think mistakes can be healthy. When we make them, it keeps us on our toes and helps us realize that we need to keep working on who we are.

Anyways, if anyone actually takes the time to read this, you're welcome to read on as much as you want, which is obvious or I wouldn't post it online. Also, let me know if there's anything specific you want me to write about. It might help out a lot in terms of keeping a good record.