I've got a Plan!

I am excited.

I think that’s partly because it’s Friday and I don’t have to process any more ISA’s until Monday. It's not much, but I am really massively happy about this!

Anyway, as I say, I am excited. More excited than I have been about China since I signed up, because then it was a heady mix of terrified “oh god, what am I doing”, anguished “do something Clare, ANYTHING will do” and elated “I’ve got a plan!”.

Now it’s more of a “WHEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!” like free-wheeling on a bike down a hill while knowing there’s another (bigger, steeper, generally more challenging) hill coming up next, like a mountain ... or a trip to China. So, apart from all the ‘Friday’ glee, I think my excitedment is because progress and plans are finally starting to materialise. So far I have:

1.       Got about half way through the TEFL course

2.       Earned enough to pay for getting out there, insurance and the necessary boring stuff (*relief*)

3.       Got myself a netbook to play with

4.       FINALLY started attempting to master chopsticks

5.       Decided to do a triathlon, and raise some money for charity. Maybe three charities since it's three sports... hmmm... (sorry, that just occured to me)

6.       Begun actually reading some of the books about China that I’ve got stacked up

7.       Decided, but not quite organised, to get the train to Beijing across Russia and Mongolia.

So, those are my plans: do a triathlon, get Trans-Mongolian train, teach in China. Y'know, as you do. This is clever psychowizardry on my part - if I'm concentrating on not killing myself for charity and on the general Mission that six days with complete strangers and probably a LOT of vodka on a train will be, I won't a) top myself from ISA related boredom and b) freak out too hard about the reality of going China. See? psychowizardry.

Train-wise, I won’t have enough time to stop anywhere unfortunately, but Leon’s recommended a book for looking out the window. Hopefully there’ll be some nice people on the train and I can spend six days playing a marathon game of I-spy. Or something to that effect...

I hope everyone else’s plans are coming along nicely?

P.S. Book-wise, I’ve made progress with one called ‘Daughter of Heaven’ by Nigel Cawthorne about the only woman (Wu Chao) to have become Emperor of China, as opposed to an empress ruling independently. There is a surprising amount of sex in it for history book. I mean LOTS. It’s “Jade Stems” and “yin energy” all over the shop - saucy bunch those 7^th Century Chinese aristocrats! It’s also chock-a-block with beheadings, enforced suicides, plots, bizarre rule names and various dynasties of people who are called pretty much the same thing. I’ll call it a 6/10 I think.

I started another couple but they weren’t very gripping and I got distracted by Miss Marple and Harry Potter (wow, what a fiction mash-up that’d be...) and gave up so I won’t waste your time mentioning them. Next time I read anything China or travel related and it’s good I’ll spread the word.

• China
• adventure
• trains
• books