To Asia I Go

So, friends, tomorrow I leave for Asia with the Carleton Political Economy Seminar. Mainly we'll be in Beijing, but not until about April 10. Until then I will be seeing Bangkok, trekking through northern Thailand on elephants, bouncing around in Burma, biking and cruising in Vietnam, and having a much needed break from the classroom.

With finals finishing today and my own term ending last Wednesday, it's been a school-filled winter, no matter how you look at it. I wrote 35 pages in the last three weeks and lost track of day and night as I stayed up until 4am writing most nights. For that reason, I just have to say: DO NOT be a political science major. But then I think about the joy of this trip and the opportunities I am going to have because of my major and how much I love the department and I realize that I really can't wait to keep taking classes that kick my butt the way they have this winter. 

So, at 6am tomorrow I will be on a bus to the MSP airport (no Humphrey terminal this time. this is the big time.) to catch a 10:30 flight to Chicago. From there I will spend 13 hours in the air to Tokyo, just like that time I went to Japan in 8th grade except now I'm a jaded 20 year old with too much time to think about life and what I want and how the past ten weeks have been. I think there will be some journaling going down. And reading my Lonely Planet China, reading books FOR FUN (WOW. i know, it's been a while), and making Chase let me curl up on his shoulder for some snoozies. It's going to be marvelous. In Tokyo we get on another plane (after doing the whole customs thing, which is intense in the Narita airport) and fly another 7 hours to Bangkok. Someday I know there will the option of teleporting and someday even that will be cheap. In Bangkok we'll go to our hotel, which looks pretty plush, considering the adventurous nature I expected on this trip (Royal Princess), where we'll be up early to beat the jetlag and see the city. After a morning of sightseeing and an afternoon of relaxing we'll be out for a dinner cruise with the whole group.

There are 36 of us, two professors, two spouses (one of them is a professor, too), one recent Carleton grad, and a lot of energy and excitement. I will be back in the states June 3rd for a couple days in Minnesota, a couple days at home, hopefully a couple more days in Minnesota and then we're hoping for a job. I'll let you know how that goes, considering I will have very little internet access for the first few weeks.

That brings me to my last point... Please email me! I won't have very good or maybe no internet access until about April 11, but I will do my best to keep you all updated on my travels. If you want to get some more personalized account, email or Facebook me and I will try to put pictures up, too (on Facebook, most likely).

Keep in touch, comment on this, keep the love coming. I will miss you all, have a great spring!! If you're at Carleton this spring, represent at Ole Ball, Spring Concert (p.s. I totally supported Wale coming so you'd better have an awesome time for me), Rotblatt, Mai Fete, etc. I will expect full reports and a general overflow of fun without me. Keep it real, Carleton in spring is wonderful.