Social Media Sabbatical's Almost Done!

Hello everyone, how are you? My month of no social media except on weekends is almost over. I can't say I'll be sorry to see it go, but I also learned some things:

1. I can do this.
2. The world won't implode if I'm not on social media every waking moment of the day.
3. There are other things I enjoy doing outside of social media... I've been doing a little reading and playing some video games.
4. With the amount of time I used to spend on social media, I only spent a fraction of that time actually talking with my friends. The rest was just lurking and moping about being in different time zones.

Also, I've been getting into a more productive rhythm with my volunteer work. Mostly, I'm doing admin assistant-like things for Assunta Store and Little Flower Projects. Occasionally, I work out in the snap room/warehouse (aka the garage), and that's led me to realize that my mood/motivation drastically improves when I take a break from being on the computer and go out and do other things. Get some sunlight. Experience the "real world" a bit more.

Overall, things are going fairly well for me, personal and volunteer work-wise.

I do sometimes feel like I'm just talking to myself on this blog, though, so I'd like to know what you guys would like to hear more about.

I don't really go to the baby home a lot; they're trying to revamp their volunteer program over there, and as such I often feel like I'm just in the way when I go. I've talked to my sister about it and she agrees that for now it might be best to concentrate on my work with Assunta Store and other LFP needs.

And while I'm kept busy with the admin work, I also have to admit that it's not the most exciting thing to talk/write about!

So what would you like me to share more about? Also, how are you all doing? I'd like to hear more from you, too.

Thursday is Launch Day!

Hi guys! Just thought I'd pop on here real quick and let you all know some super-exciting news:

I'm leaving for China on Thursday!

I actually went on an ACTS retreat this past weekend (if you ever have the chance to go on one, you should, I had such an amazing experience). When I got home and my parents picked me up, they pretty much went, "Welcome back! Guess what, you're leaving on Thursday!"

I still can't quite believe it. It was so sudden. But I'm really looking forward to this experience. Well, maybe not going through airport security and running from gate to gate. After that, though... that's the part I'm looking forward to.

So, keep your eyes peeled for more updates from me, but this time from CHINA! Yay! You might have to give me some time to get over jetlag first, though. 

What's something that's cheered you up lately, or that you're looking forward to? Share in the comments!

A Depressed Volunteer Abroad: My Story

Okay, so today is a day to be honest: my last time volunteering in China wasn't all bouncing babies on my knee while laughing amongst rainbows and flowers. I got hit with depression big time, which I strongly suspect was connected to my having gone on birth control to help regulate my hormones (obviously if that's true, that didn't work).

I was able to learn the basics of what I needed to help out somewhat in my volunteer duties...  but the last 3-4 months of the entire year were the hardest, and I basically just holed myself away in my room, only coming out to eat and use the bathroom. I was miserable, sometimes crying, not understanding why I felt this way and why I was so anxious about doing any kind of work or interaction with others.

I got home and quit the birth control around the same time (I stayed on my medication that I already took for depression, though, which I've been diagnosed with since I was a teenager). My mood/motivation improved gradually over the following months. I noticed, my parents (whom I live with) noticed. My sister and brother-in-law, meanwhile, really needed help with the nonprofit, and for some reason they asked my parents how I was doing, and the response was positive.

So they asked me to come back and help them. I was so excited, and also just really happy... I had been feeling like a complete and utter failure up until then. I still do, in a way; an experience and mindset like that doesn't go away overnight.

I won't lie, I'm nervous about the possibility of that happening again once I go back. But on the other hand, I feel like this time will be different. I feel like I've learned from what happened before, and come back stronger and better prepared about what to do should that happen again.

I'm sharing this because I feel it needs to be shared. My hope is for others who may have experienced something similar to read it and know that they are not alone.

What has been a learning experience for you? It can be as big or small as you're comfortable sharing.

How to Apply for a Chinese Tourist Visa

blmurch on Flickr, used via Creative Commons license

Hi, everyone, I just sent off my visa application today! Whooo! I should be hearing back from the visa center within 3-4 days on how long/often I get to stay in Beijing, if all goes well. I thought you all might find it interesting/relevant to get a quick run-down on how to apply for a tourist visa for China these days. Note that this is from the perspective of someone who lives in the USA.

What is a Visa?
According to a Google search, one definition of a visa is:

An endorsement on a passport indicating that the holder is allowed to enter, leave, or stay for a specified period of time in a country.

To my knowledge, you can apply for a 30, 60, or 90-day visa. This means that you can stay in a country for that set amount of time.

So if you're in China on a 90-day visa (which is what I hope to get), you are legally allowed to stay in the country for 90 days. At the end of 90 days, if you want to continue staying in the country, you must leave the country, get your passport stamped saying that you've left, and then re-enter the country and get your passport stamped upon re-entry.

The last time I stayed in Beijing, I was on a 90-day visa. A common method of leaving and reentering China, which is the one I took, was taking a train to Hong Kong and back. The total length of time to get to Hong Kong and back to Beijing was around 24 hours, give or take.

90-day visas are ideal since that means if you're staying in a country for a year, like I plan to, you'll only have to leave and re-enter 3-4 times, as opposed to more often. And trains aren't that comfortable, especially if you're stuck in a compartment with a family whose young daughter is singing along, very loudly, to "I Just Can't Wait to be King" over... and over... and over... Ask me how I know this.

How Do You Apply?

A few things have changed about the visa process from the last time I applied (which was a little over a year ago). This time around, my sister and brother-in-law had to write up an invitation letter basically inviting me into China. If you don't have someone inviting you into a country, you must provide a copy of your round-trip airline ticket and hotel reservation.

Then you fill out the visa application and the order form for the visa. You can choose to get the application processed at the regular speed, which is 3-4 days, or pay extra to get it processed faster. You also need a small passport-style color photo of whoever the visa is for; I got mine taken at a CVS drugstore. 2 of these passport photos cost around $5.

Since I had already filled out the visa paperwork last time I went to China, my sister just re-did it for me and sent it to me to look over. I then signed the visa application, took the invitation letter and the visa order form (which my sister sent to me) and mailed those, along with my passport, to the visa application center.

Oh, and an important thing to remember is to send it all through Certified Mail. Basically with Certified Mail you can check on the US Postal Service site and track the mail you sent... it's an added form of security. Certified Mail ships at the rate of whatever shipping service you choose; I chose to send it Priority.

Now it's Waiting Time...

That was just a brief, informal explanation of the visa application process. In my experience, it's been pretty smooth and uneventful, which is a good thing! Hopefully this time around it will be the same way. I'm estimating it will take a  little over a week for everything to get done and my passport to be sent back; but if it's more, I won't be surprised.

I hope you all found that informative! If you have any questions about this that I didn't address, please feel free to ask me.

Did I omit something important? Do you have a question about this, or something to add from a different perspective? Share in the comments!

If this doesn't apply to you, well then; I told you about the singing kid on the train. Do you have any travel stories that are only funny in hindsight, or to people who weren't there with you?

Beijing Bound! Pre-Volunteering

Hi, everyone! This is my first post for this blog that will be dedicated to my year doing volunteer work in Beijing, China. I'll be volunteering with the nonprofit Little Flower Projects; they do wonderful work with babies and children, so please check them out.

Really Quick Background:

My sister Serena co-runs the charity with my brother-in-law (aka her husband). I've actually gone to volunteer with them once before, from August '11-May '12 (I'll go into more detail about how that went in a future post). They asked me to come back to help out just this Christmas... no really, literally on Christmas Day, I opened my e-mail to see a message from them. I won't lie, I kind of jumped out of my chair with excitement!

A Week (and a few days) Later...

They've now sent me all the paperwork I need to send in to apply for a visa. I'll be busy today working on sorting out things to pack and other things to get rid of so they're not clogging up my parents' house while I'm away. I might not be able to get to the post office today, so sending that stuff out might have to wait until Monday. Fun fact about me? I hate waiting.

Goals for the Year

Hey, it's the New Year, so I should be setting goals anyway, right? So, here are a couple of goals I'll be setting for myself during my time volunteering.

1. Learn Chinese! I want to be able to carry out a conversation and be able to make it on my own around the city.
2. Visit more places around Beijing. Like restaurants, and events such as plays. Mmm, food and entertainment. I can dig that.

This list may or may not change in the future, who knows?

Stay Tuned...

This was just meant to be a quick introductory post of sorts. I'll be making more posts later on about my previous volunteer experience, preparations for the flight over there, and of course be documenting my time there in general, volunteering and otherwise. I'll be putting up a page soon about what you can expect to see on this blog on a regular basis once I get over there. 

Have you ever volunteered, abroad or otherwise? Where did you volunteer and what was it like? Share in the comments!