Goodbye USA .. at least temporarily

I am officially ABD. The paperwork was signed and stamped on Tuesday. (For those of you who don't know what that means, I just have one major requirement left and my research proposal has been approved.) I have to wait a minimum of 9 months for the conferral of my degree from today. There is a slight hang up with my dissertation committee but it's out of my hands.

Beginning June 10, I will leave the USA for home. En route, I will be stopping by Hong Kong to cross over to Guangdong province. I will meet my father's relatives for the first time in the city of Zhongshan (Sun Yat Sen's birthplace). I will return to Malaysia after this short trip and be there for a couple weeks, until I head for Bangkok, Thailand. I am joining Chi Alpha ministries on a missions trip there, teaching English and working with their campus ministry. I will be in Kampar, my hometown after that until I leave for Beijing.

I will be studying abroad as part of the University of Alabama China Study Abroad in Beijing. I will arrive just as the Olympics is ending :( but may be able to catch some of the festivities in the city. I will be there as a language student and not as a music student. I will be able to do some research in Beijing and hopefully be able to connect with the faculty & students at the Central Conservatory in Beijing. I do speak Mandarin when forced and am pleasantly surprised that I remember quite a few characters. I have been reading travel phrasebooks and elementary Chinese books these few days.

I am packing up my one bedroom.. how can one person accumulate so much? So if you're interested in size 6P, you should holler! There is a chance I may be applying for a job for the spring of 09. Depending on what works out, I may or may not be physically present at UA in the spring. I am still planning on graduating by May 2009 pending my last recital and the document.

In the meantime, I'm packing, practicing, ripping music & scanning documents to my laptop. I'm actually excited about spending 6 months in Asia. I will keep you all posted on my adventures over there.