If you thought I was a bad procrastinator in college, you're still right.

I will be leaving my house for the airport in little more than 9 hours. I have not truly started packing yet. I realize this probably sounds atrocious to most people, but it really doesn't phase me. This is how I operate. I have acquired everything I need (I hope!), my laundry is almost done, my clothes are sorted into piles, my bed is covered in other piles, and I have empty suitcases awaiting all my stuff, once I decide exactly how much of it I am actually bringing. Packing for a year is hard. Especially when you aren't sure how long it takes you to go through a tube of toothpaste, what shoes will end up being most comfortable and appropriate for teaching (in a country that doesn't sell women's shoes my size! Last time I was in China I tried desperately to go shoe shopping and felt like the ugly stepsister everywhere), or how much time you will have to read books. I'm trying to strike a balance between being prepared for everything and packing as lightly as possible. I think my general rule of thumb is: bring LOTS of books, bring LOTS of dental floss, and be prepared to wear the same clothes over and over again.

Someone told me that you can't buy dental floss in China. I told this to my dentist yesterday. He was fixing an old filling of mine that probably wouldn't have caused any problems in the next year, but who wants to risk it? He was wondering how the dental care in China is, saying, "It might be really good, but you probably don't want to find out." I told him about the dearth of dental floss, and he shuddered and said it was a good thing I was there getting my filling fixed. I don't even floss regularly, but being told that I won't be able to buy dental floss is making me pack a lot of it. I think we might be flossing our teeth some day in my American Culture class, if I verify that floss really doesn't exist in China. I'm skeptical. But prepared.

The fact that I am leaving for China in the morning still hasn't really set in. It doesn't feel like the summer is over. It doesn't feel like my job at the architecture firm is over. It doesn't feel like Steve and Pythagoras (our kitten) are on their way to Phoenix, not to be seen by me for 10 months. And it certainly doesn't feel like I will be moving halfway across the world to become an English teacher.

Watching Stephen and Pythagoras drive away today was one of the hardest things I've had to do in a long time. And I wasn't even doing anything; I was standing there crying and waving and laughing when Steve drove the wrong way down the street at first and had to turn around. It's a bit difficult to reconcile the fact that this exciting new chapter in my life comes at the cost of leaving behind a lot of people and places that I love.

This is probably why I'm having so much trouble packing. As much as I love traveling and going new places, I hate the little transitions where I don't have a place to call home. Which is why I packed for college the night before, packed for Italy the night before, and packed for every summer the night before. Once I start packing I just want to LEAVE, so that I can get to a new home and unpack. I can't wait to unpack in Xi'an.

Next time you hear from me I should be in China, jetlagged and ready to hit the ground running.