I am just about done shopping for travel stuff. The trickiest bit thus far has been tracking down short-sleeved shirts in December. I need some dark-colored clothes for China (the student manual said the closer to the color of dirt, the better because it is very dusty and dirty there) and I normally don’t wear dark colors, so I had to go buy some shirts. However, I am going to layer my clothing there, and I know that after March, it will get quite warm in China, and it will be even warmer still when I travel to southern China, so I wanted short-sleeved shirts. I am sure glad I started planning a long time ago and I have nearly everything I need for China. I think the most important thing to consider when planning ahead for a trip to China is vaccinations – some vaccinations recommended for China, like Hep A, require more than one injection, and in the case of Hep A, the shots need to be 6 months apart. I don’t know how I would have fit everything in and at the right times if I hadn’t started this process months ago. Plus getting a passport and then a visa can take some time, that’s why the sooner you start the better. And also, when ordering things like books and other supplies online, I ordered many of them in November or very early December to ensure that I would have everything I need before I have to pack.

I tracked down some of the recommended reading, such as Lonely Planet - China and I got some phrase books that I have been perusing as of late. I also went to the video rental place earlier this week and walked around looking for movies about China, so I could see some of the scenery and such. Who knows if any of these videos will prove factual or not, though. My aim is to prepare myself in any way possible, even though watching movies might be a stretch.

So far I’ve noticed at least one thing in common across all of the literature I’ve read about travel to China – all of them recommend bringing plenty of deodorant, as it is apparently exceeding difficult to find this in China. Who knew? I know what I’ll be packing now, though…