back in 2010, she took her man's dog to helsinki and turku, while he was away in south america. now, it is 2013, and things have changed...

Back in 2010, I created this blog for my boyfriend's dog. The purpose of it was to give him something to read about while he was touring South America for a month to alleviate his separation anxiety.

Now, I am a third-year physical therapy student heading out for three months in Shanghai, China. Since it can be hard for a keyboard-oriented person to pick up a pen and write, I decided to try and blog about my experiences.

I think it was back in Spring 2012, when they uttered the words "exchange" and "program" at school. Having spent a few years in the States and not being a total newbie to this exchange program business I began to give it a thought.

At first, my first option was Brussels - pros: wanted to brush up on my French, and I had friends there; cons: had been there before. But as I was browsing through the exchange options, my eyes (and my brain!) got caught up with two interesting choices: Sendai, Japan, and Shanghai, China.

The school in Sendai was an internationally high-rated top school with serious study possibilities, but the very recent earthquake damage made the situation uncertain. Would the infrastructure have recovered by 2013? Would they even accept exchange students?

As for Shanghai, I could immediately picture about a zillion movies (Indiana Jones, anyone???) and a whole bunch of historically significant events that had played out in Shanghai, and at that moment, that was it for me. History and mystery with rich cultural heritage laced with British and other Western influences. An international melting pot. And as a huge bonus, being in China would give me the chance to possibly experience the Yellow Mountain (黄山). Yes. THAT Yellow Mountain.

So, Shanghai it was.

Now, it is Feb. 27th, and I am leaving on March 1st for Shanghai. Our studies will include acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Medicine (f.ex. tuina, herb remedies), Tai Chi, and Chinese language. Our clinical practicals will take place in some hospitals and possibly some TCM clinics. I am looking forward to everything, especially TCM.

So, stay tuned for some fantastically physical therapistish moments, delightful culinaristic experiences and cheap student-friendly travels!

Funnily enough, I have packed less than ever. 'Cause you can buy just about everything real cheap there! Hurrah!