The way I prepare to travel is one big paradox. I’ve been following Chinese news since before I was approved to be part of the Wanxiang Fellows Program and read the program guide from cover to cover, yet here I am packing at 3am for my 8am flight tomorrow. I received an email alert for my flight from Washington, D.C. to Beijing, China but it still hasn’t sunk in yet. I keep telling myself that it’s best not to have any expectations, and to remember that since there is often more than one way of doing things what is considered “weird” is almost always subjective. However, I’ve also been worrying about air pollution since I have asthma. My mother, who made me pack 30 respirator masks, convinced me to do some more research. When I first started preparing I tried to think of things I already knew about China and realized that I only knew about very specific narratives. In the news, I had heard about China exporting a large amount of goods. In movies I had seen, China was the backdrop for either kung fu masters in the mountains or spies investigating powerful crime syndicates in glimmering metropoles. I know this is not an accurate portrayal, so I tried watching videos, talking to friends who had been to China and learning more about life in Beijing. Even though I have been swaying between trying to prepare for anything and keeping an open mind by accepting that I can’t, one thing that has stayed constant is my excitement.