:D !!!! so its finally here... im leaving tomorrow!12:45 out of JFK! im so so so so so so so nervous! China has kinda been off my mind for the past few days. my mom and i have been in new york, playing tourist. we had a cameo on the today show and took pictures around central park. i rode in a taxi for the first time! (so scary) and we ate brunch next to the plaza hotel! it was a lot of fun, but very bittersweet because i knew i was about to have to say goodbye to her. We took another cab ( :O ) to the hotel where my orientation took place, and hugged goodbye!

I was trying so hard not to cry in front of the other china AFS-ers, but when i closed the door to my solitary hotel room, i started bawling. The other students going abroad are great. There are three boys (jennings trey and sam) and i, and we are all going to the same city and same school! They are all hilarious, and have decided to dub me their honorary mother during our trip. :) for the past two days the four of us have been walking around Manhattan, eating chinese food, watching lame movies and dipping in and out of orientation sessions.

Its been so fun, but with the looming thought that these were our last few hours in the US! seeing the statue of liberty at sunset today was kind of a defining moment for me. We had just stepped out of an orientation about culture, and seeing the symbol of our country for some reason made me feel very patriotic!

Ok so I need to go sleep, but I will hopefully post more in a few days! miss you all.