Well, it's as good a place to start as any.
I got back from the States this weekend, after 2 days of traveling and fasting. The fasting wasn't really planned but holy shit, food's expensive in airports. When a ridiculously tiny sandwich costs well over 50 kr, I rationalized that eating it would just whet my appetite and I'd start gnawing on my arm afterwards or something. I don't know how wise my decision was, but I survived and it also meant I could eat as much of Mom's food as I wanted without her warning me not to get fat.
My trip to USA made me realize just how much I'm looking forward to going to China. Meeting new people, seeing and experiencing new things.. there's something oddly comforting about being a stranger to a land or place - you may speak a language no one else speaks, which is always fun, and you can't expect or count on anything except the certainty of surprises and new things. For me, that makes me alert and cautious, but also open-minded and (hopefully) less prejudiced. This past month, where every day has been an adventure in one way or another, has made me look forward to an entire year like that even more.
I picked up my new passport today. I look deranged, because we're no longer allowed to smile on EU passport photos so it's easier to compare the photo to the real person. Seriously, it's like a jail photo. And no, nobody can see it, unless they show me a similar one of themselves. It is that bad, really. (That means that Keith (Kevin's brother) can see it, because the photo of him with glasses and in that striped shirt is the best one ever. It's cute though, unlike mine)
I also picked up my health declaration, which is mandatory if one wants to stay in China for a prolonged period of time. I'm healthy as a, well, healthy person, but I still had to do a chest X-ray, have my blood tested for HIV and syphilis, state that I had no mental illnesses, do a resting ECG and several other things. And lemme tell you, I've never had to pay so much or endure so much as an injured person as I've had to do to prove I was healthy. I wonder if any other countries require these things?

One month left!