Well, friends: here begins my last partial week in Minneapolis. I leave Thursday morning for San Francisco, where I will meet the rest of the 60-odd volunteers in my group, go through a 12 hour general Peace Corps orientation and get vaccinated for whatever it is they deem necessary for service in China. I am part of the 11th group of Peace Corps Volunteers to go to China, so we use the shorthand name for ourselves "China 11s." On Saturday morning, we will all jet off to China, flying via Tokyo, Beijing and finally on to Chengdu. Chengdu, while perhaps not a household name in the US, is a huge city located in the Sichuan province in Southwestern China. Grab those globes, folks!

In recent weeks I have been quite busy trying to see all my loved ones (and you are many) before leaving town, and now these coming days are going to be a race to the finish. Big things are in the works: exactly how many pairs of socks should I bring? What kind of headlamp is the best? Do I really need that 8th pair of shoes? Your comments, as always, are welcome. OK, signing off for now.