T-14 hours to flight time. Not to worry, we shall be leaving our hotel 5 hours in advance of our 2:00 pm flight, so we shouldn't be missing any planes. It will be quite the marathon day: leave the hotel at 9, fly from San Francisco at 2, arrive in Tokyo 12 hours later, then on to Beijing an hour after that. We have an overnight in Beijing, then we fly to Chengdu, where we will spend 8 weeks for intensive technical and language training.

In sum, I will be in China approximately 26 hours from right now. Wow.

Staging, which is the process we've just completed, has been quite interesting. Today, as part of our capstone, we divided ourselves into 6 categories by labeling ourselves as Artists, Writers, Storytellers, Musicians/Poets, Dancers and Actors. I figured my best label was "Storyteller." We were given the task of representing key skills or policies we'd just been briefed on via our given mediums/art forms. The results were both hilarious and touching. It is a rare sight to see 57 strangers gallavanting around a conference room, acting out silly roles, using "body sculpting" to represent 5 essential Peace Corps values, or scatting a poem to backing beats played on water glasses and water pitchers. I think we'll all be fine teachers, as demonstrated by our impressive ability to improvise and step up to a challenge. I feel quite priveleged to be in the company of such apparently smart and funny people.

Thanks for all the email well-wishes thus far. Keep 'em coming--the weeks and months ahead are bound to present me with incredible challenges, so at times I have a feeling I may feel a bit discouraged.

[Oh, and John-- you are welcome to use any and all toiletries I left behind. Consider them parting gifts.] Until next time, friends.