I'm always a day or two late with posting my monthly goals. I should learn to finish these drafts beforehand, but it feels a little "scripted" for me to schedule these posts on time. Honestly, I wouldn't really have the time to sit down right at the end of each month to reflect on what's happened and what I need to accomplish in the following month. So, I settle for doing that in the first week or so. Better late than rushed, right? I honestly didn't know what I want or need to happen this month. So much has happened in the first quarter or so of the year, and now that the semester is over, it's like I really have no life now ha! Anyways, let's reflect.
April was all about my son and getting ready for Japanese Immersion kindergarten. I think he's coming around to the idea that he has to be at school for certain hours of the day, and that he won't have anyone familiar around for awhile. My biggest worry is that he will be super shy, which I think to some degree all kids are in new environments. I think I'm just too worried about him, because this is the first time he'll really have to know how to stay on task without me around. Anyways, his paperwork is done and we're almost ready for his first day in August!
May 2015 Goals
Kindergarten Doctor's Visit
After we got the logistics of kindergarten out of the way, the school nurse gave us a call about what else was needed for my son to go to school. Immunizations are highly mandated throughout the country, and I of course do not have any issues with them. After all, I do work in a public health program that promotes them. My only issue is getting my son to stay on the chair to get the shots. He needs three, which he's right at the median age for vaccines due at 4-6 years old. The other item on the list is a kindergarten physical that will assess his height, weight, etc. I plan to get this done as soon as possible to get the documentation into the nurse's office before this current school year ends.
Confucius Institute and China Prep
One of the instructors at Confucius Institute gave me the green light to buy my ticket to China before my visa is processed and approved. I was a little apprehensive about buying a ticket without a visa first. However, I was assured that it is more sensible to buy a ticket and then apply for a visa, since Chinese visas expire quickly. If you apply too soon your visa could expire by the time you have to leave. I am hoping to get the visa application squared away at least by the end of the month. If not, you'll see this goal again in June.
Minimal Shopping & Packing List
I am planning on only bringing a backpack and carry-on to China for 3 weeks. I've always been quite a minimal packer, most of the time I only bring a duffel bag or even just a backpack. However, I think since I'll be away from home for a few weeks I need to bring more than a few of my daily needs. A backpack and a carry-on is a stretch for me. I'm planning to only bring clothing items that I can repurpose for different occasions. My suitcase will be intentionally left with a little room for the small souvenirs I'll bring back from Beijing. Of course all of this is easier said than done, so I definitely need to get to narrowing down the list the university gave me and the one I have for myself! Expect a post about what I end up packing somewhere down the line.
Side note: I might use Kinja to document my trip to China, because the Great Firewall of China might only let me have minimal use of Squarespace. Right now, there is a placeholder at kinja.com/shayneblogs. I'm planning on doing weekly recaps on this main blog and keeping the day-to-day entries on Kinja.
What are your plans this month?
