Preparations (准备）

A few lessons that I've learned in the last couple of months (and other random thoughts):

Passport/Visa
I didn't realize the passport needed to be valid for six months after your departure date until sometime in May, and mine expires in November. So I got myself an appointment at the post office and arranged for it to be expedited just in case. Thank god because when I got it three weeks before my departure date it turned out they had spelled my name wrong, so I sent it back to them demanding that they fix that within two weeks or else I couldn't get my visa. American bureaucracy isn't horrible though I suppose because they got it back to me in that time frame despite the super busy time of the year and I was able to go to the Chinese embassy in New York and get my visa a week before I had to leave.

Moral of the story: check your passports and visa procedures way in advance to save yourself time and worry. I suppose this applies to life in general, but it's a lesson never learned for the perpetual procrastinator.


Gifts
I have a ton of family in Hong Kong (five sets of uncles/aunts, eight cousins and their spouses/fiances) to think about gifting. The worst part is that most of them are pretty wealthy (three of the cousins are ibankers)... so what on earth can a poor American freshman English-major college student possibly get for them that would be meaningful at all? HK basically has everything America has except cheaper.

In the end I went to the Met with my mom while we were in NYC getting my visa. All the stuff on Fifth Ave wouldn't mean anything to HKers, but Met-designed jewelry is unique to NY :D Plus, I got to see the new Spanish Modernista exhibit (which you should definitely check out if you're in the city anytime soon).

Moral of the story: "It's the thought that counts" (or at least I hope so). Not to mention time and energy and sweat, it took me forever to pick this stuff -_-


...anyway, more to come later as things arise. I have yet to pack and attempting to stay under 50lbs will probably yield more heart wrenching tales... so it goes ;)