Preparing to depart

It is amazing that the next day is about to come to be -- the day that I depart life, friends and family in Christchurch, New Zealand to be introduced to that in China. I have met many Chinese people through the years and the opportunity to get to learn their language, their culture and their land is amazing. I do not know any Mandarin, I have few contacts in China, and do not know what to expect. What I do know is that this will be a fantastic journey and that I want to make the most of it.

Please join me as I write from day-to-day in this journal where I will share my experiences, photos of the sights and -- an occasional delight -- video from my life in China. Xie xie.