Thursday, May 28, 2009

Last Night and Day in America




So, it is Wednesday...going on Thursday here in 15 mins....And I have spent the entire day cleaning like a meth addict trying to get my mind off my trip.

Besides cleaning...I have been trying to take in all the American stuff I take for granted...like...greasy food. Food like fried chicken (Which I had for dinner) and burgers (Which I am craving right about now) and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (Which I am about to settle for right now considering I don't have money for a burger).

Other stuff I have been trying to take in is how my husband and his dog manage to get on my very last nerve...but I love him...not the dog, he lost his chance when he ate my Sperry's. People ask me, what my husband is going to do while I am gone for a whole two months...I have not the slightest idea, but I hope he learns to appreciate the power of leftovers...even if he never admits it on my return.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Aviophobia




There's a saying people like to use when explaining progression: You have to learn to crawl before you walk. Well, I am told by my mother that I never really crawlled. I basically went straight to walking she says well before the age of one. So I guess my explanation is cut out the middle man and just go for what you want.

So in accordance with my explanation, it only seems logical that my first time flying would be a journey to China.

I always said when I was younger that when I grew up, I would travel to see the world, but I never did take the time out to think just how I was going to get there. You are talking about a girl who has lived in Lawton, Okla. her entire life who has only been to three states: Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado...all of which by car. And now that my dream is starring me in the face, I am terrified to look back. Instead of anxiously looking forward to this Thursday, I am dreading the wait, and it feels as if I am counting down to my execution..."Dead Girl Walking".

But what exactly am I afraid of? Why am I afraid of something that I have never even done before? I guess it's the same as people being afraid of death...I'm sure they have never died before to know if it something to fear or not. It is like the Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi said: How do we know that the dead ever wonder why they ever wanted to live?

And statiscally speaking, I have a better chance of dying driving on the highway. I drive on the highway 5 days a week to and from work, but knowing the fact, I do not fear driving. I actually like driving on the highway...well not here lately every since I got a brand new car and I have to pay my own car insurance...but i digress...Anyway, as I was saying, I don't have this morbid fear and take the backroads. So I wonder, is that what it's going to take, riding on a plane several times to get over my fear? If that is the case, then I will have plenty of chances, because like I said in my previous blog, it's going to take me four planes to get there and four planes to get back.

So, I'm counting down, waiting, trying to deal with my morbid fear of planes. I try to think just what I am afraid of to help ease the problem. Am I afraid of the lack of control, height, or the sudden impact with the ground. I'm thinking it's safe to say all three.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Pre-Departure

Hello, My name is Crys Giles. I'm a 20-year-old senior at OU. I am double majoring in Journalism and Chinese. This summer, I will be going to Kunming, China to study Chinese.

I leave this Thursday, May 28, 2009. It will be my first time going on a plane...Crazy, I know. I haven't even step foot in China, and already I have spent at least $3,000 in plane ticket, passport and visa, mailing, processing fees, and various others fees. Sometimes, the fear of crashing on the plane is enough to make me want to cut my losses and stay here...on the ground. It will take me four planes to get there: From Tulsa to Denver (1hr 30min), From Denver to L.A (2hrs), From L.A to Bejing (12hrs), From Bejing to Kunming (3hrs). It will take be about a day to get there.

Getting my visa was heck because of the H1N1 disease (swine flu). I had to redo it at least twice.

People ask me all the time, how do I feel about going to China. I don't know. I'm excited, scared, loss for words......