6 days 2 hours 16 minutes and 14 seconds

Everything is becoming surreal. With less than a week to go, I am flying out and spending an entire year in China. I have done a ton of research about China so I have an idea on what to suspect and I have also packed early to make sure my bags fit everything. I still have a bit more to pack and a bit more things to buy. Also, I am still waiting on a few things to come through the mail. Until then, the wait continues.

To be honest, I am not too sure of what to expect, but I hope I learn from all of my experiences while I am there and also practice the very LITTLE Mandarin I speak. But I plan to improve it and build my vocabulary while I am in China.

I am ready to experience something different and most importantly try new food!

HelloTalk - An Alternative Way of Learning a Language

When it comes to studying languages, I was never big on reading text books or memorizing the words/phrases for the big test for school. Luckily, thanks to YouTube, I found this app called HelloTalk where you can exchange with others around the world wanting to learn your native language in exchange in learning their native language. Since I will be heading in China in about a month, I want to improve my oral Chinese by speaking with other native students.

I have begun using it by exchanging with many other Chinese people and it has been quite successful. My vocabulary is not the best, but I use what I know to communicate with them. Most of the time I am helping the Chinese people with their English because they know more. From my friends, I have learned that it is required for Chinese people to learn English in school, which makes it understandable of how well some of them know it. They have to take a big test every year and many probably use this app to practice or just become fluent in another language. I recommend this app to anyone who wants to learn a new language. It is very useful. Give it a try.

What am I bringing to China?

As my days windle down in the states, there a few things that I need to make sure to bring with me because these things are either scarce or expensive in China.

1. Big Jambox Bluetooth Speaker
Although not a necessity, if anyone does not know me very well, I love music. I breathe music. I listen to a vast range of music and I love to have this item with me when I am traveling to play some instrumental music when doing work or just jamming to some old tunes in the shower. Off the charger, this Jambox last approx 10 hours. The great thing is that it talks to you to let you know when its about to die and you can click the button to know the status of the battery power. I love this thing. Now, I just need to find a secure case online to carry it with me.

2. Deodorant 
As common as this may be found in American stores, this is quite the opposite in China. Chinese people are not known to wear deodorant because they are not known to smell when they sweat. Even if they do sell it in China, it will be in liquid form and expensive. To avoid this, I will be buying a year supply of this before I go. A stick normally last me 2-3 months so I won't need much.

3. Shoes, shoes, shoes! 
Anything above a size 39 (Size 8 Women's) in China is very hard to find. To avoid this, I want to bring most of my shoes and buy a few more before I go. Where I am particularly staying in China (Shanghai) is known for their rain and flooding. It is time to invest in a pair of rainboots!

4. Camera?
After traveling to Japan in May, taking pictures with my iPhone 6 was pretty cool, but looking back at those pictures now, the phone did not capture the full beauty of the scenery. Also, my phone died majority of the time making it hard to take pictures consistently everyday. Having a camera would be awesome! I still haven't bought it, so we'll see.

5. Pants
Asian people are a lot smaller than the average American. I don't think any of their pants will really fit me because of my assets and my waist size. Time to hit the stores!

6. Toiletries
As much as they say "packing less is more" is a valid point, but with my hair type, I know I won't find what I need in China. Avoiding it, I have already bought most of the shampoo and conditioner that should last me about a year. If not, I will just have to order online! Also, I am going out to buy my favorite soap just in case I can't find it in China. I have heard alot if not all of their beauty products contains "whitening" which bleaches people's skin complexion. I love my skin. I will have to pass.

US Schools are questionable

Going into my junior year of college, I have begun to receive these persistent emails about the word no one wants to hear: STUDENT LOANS. When will you start paying off your interest? Can we get started with your payments? And it goes on...but I really question the US Education System. Especially the colleges and universities.

Why are we being charged these exuberant amounts for school? Is school really worth the amount? Where is this money actually going? I understand that schools have to pay their employees and fund to keep the schools open, but when did it came to the point where it had to not only cost so much but have so many students in DEBT and some students not go to school because they can't afford to go or to avoid debt.

People mention that there are SO many scholarships out there to apply for, but when it comes down to them, they are harder to come by. Many have certain requirements such as having a certain income, GPA, and classification and depending on the scholarship, someone can be competing for it locally, regionally, or nationally making the chances of winning very slim.

From my own perspective, I feel as though people who grew up in the middle class get it hard the most when it comes to paying for school. FAFSA calculates how much aid each student will receive every year from the government and if you was to fall into the middle class (not making too little and not making too much), many students do not qualify for aid because FAFSA claims that parents can afford to pay for their children to assist in college, but in reality many cannot. Many parents probably don't make enough to give and depending on the families, some may have multiple children making it more difficult for parents to pay for their child's education.

Students who are considered being lowered class citizens from my observation has a higher advantage of going to school and not being in so much debt because of the more options they have when it comes to scholarships and programs to join.

Those who are part of the rich class have the money to pay for school and depending on certain circumstances, students from this class can probably even go for free to their school because of mutual relationships between their parent and the school.

I honestly just wish school in the US is much more affordable to attend so not only myself, but many other students would not have to worry to much of going in debt and taking out loans. Schools in the US are so prestigious that they turn this so called getting your degree moreso into a business wanting nothing but money from the pockets of the students. This has to change.