So, this is going to be a blog of my exploits as I spend the semester studying abroad in Shanghai, China. To explain the title a little bit more, "SMCNugget" is a nickname my friend Tom invented for a girl who goes to Saint Mary's College, aka me. This is "my journey to the homeland" because my two older sisters have been telling me my entire life that I was adopted from China, like even to the point of suggesting I look for my birth parents while watching the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympic Games...

I don't leave for another four days, but I've gotten to the same point I always get before traveling somewhere: it's not soon enough to actually start packing, but I don't want to get started on anything else and packing is all I can think about. At this point I'm just trying to avoid meticulously laying out possible clothes/shoes/jewelry combinations for the next 3 1/2 months and/or packing a carry-on that I will inevitably empty, repack, and empty again within the next three days. I've already registered myself with the U.S. Embassy and finished watching Mulan, which were the top two items on my to-do list, so basically I'm pretty much ready to go! By the way, did you know there is a MULAN II?! I'm debating whether or not I should watch it, since while it will almost definitely be horrible, I love the first one so much that it seems my responsibility.

Anyways, I'm going to try and keep from dying of over-preparation and boredom. My flight leaves at 7am Saturday, first to Toronto and then to Pudong Airport, Shanghai. I get there around 4pm THE NEXT DAY...hella long flight! I'll try to do an initial "omg-I'm-in-china-omg-I-don't-speak-the-language-at-all-omg-I'm-going-to-die" post once I get there, just so everyone can see the culture shock in action. Until then, this will be my greatest representation of what's coming:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSS5dEeMX64