welcome to the jungle

For some reason, when I think about packing for this trip, “Welcome to Jungle” plays in my head. While we are not literally headed to the jungle, we are headed to a remote part of China where foreigners don’t typically go. It’s not fancy. There are no tourists attractions. Not even Starbucks has reached this part of the country. It’s China raw. We are headed to a sleepy little village in Henan Province which is roughly a 6 hour train ride from Shanghai. We will spend the week teaching children in 2 different schools a total of 10 lessons over the week. During orientation we were told that we will be the first foreigners these children have ever seen. What?! I can’t even comprehend that idea. Thankfully, I’ve been partnered with another teacher who did this same trip back in November. While I thought I had all of my “needs” covered for what to pack…she clarified many points for me. Thanks M! So, here it is…the goods for surviving in the “jungle.”

Bottled Water * Instant Coffee (pah-lease! I can’t go anywhere without my coffee…let’s be honest) * Granola Bars (In case I don’t fancy the Chinese breakfast)

Pretzels (In case I need to supplement my birdie bites at dinner) * Sweet Shoes (for the shower – this was not on my list but came recommended)

Hand Sanitizer * Wet Wipes * Tissue * Bug Spray * Various Medications including Cipro, Ibuprofen and Tums (just in case!) *Laptop (The old Mac that experienced the wrath of my coffee back in 2009…still going strong though!)