A Roommate & China

I'm getting a roommate. I know. You're shocked. I've held for several years now that having my own place was a step foward in progression for me and that getting a roommate (other than family) would be a step back in progression. Well.... this feels good - like I need to be doing it .... like it is a tender mercy from the Lord that I didn't ask for, telling me to beef up my savings faster than I could have otherwise ... as if something is coming that I need savings for. Initially, when I heard the voicemail from Sister Hooper from my ward wondering if I was interested in getting a roommate, I shut down the idea. But I started thinking about it and how helpful it would be to my savings. So I thought I'd at least get the details before I shut down the idea entirely. When I found out that she was older (38) and had very few belongings because she is from Taiwan and that Sister Hooper said she was very nice and a sweet girl, I thought I'd meet the girl and see how I feel. Thursday night she came over to see my place and meet me. Her name is Jo Kung. She is very sweet and I felt good about it! She is chattier than I expected, but she seems very sweet and on top of things. So I invited her to move in! She moves in tomorrow and Tuesday. And one other reason why I like this idea - is because I'm doing her a service. She's been living in a terrible situation with a roommate who has been having her boyfriend sleep over. I guess I'm a sucker for helping people out.

And then China. Well. I received an email from my master's program director inviting us students to go to China with her and one of our professors next summer. It would be a mini summer study abroad since we'd be going to a Chinese university, living on it's campus, and attending a class there taught by our professor. The whole trip would be six weeks and they would do a bunch of cool side trips on the weekends to Beijing, the Forbidden City, the Great Wall of China, Shanghai, the terracotta army, Hong Kong, and other places. Guess how little this trip would cost me? $3,000. That price includes airfare, lodging, tuition, side trips, and most meals. I'm skeptical because that seems too good to be true! Flights alone cost nearly that much. I'm going to grill them with questions at their information session this week. Then I'll have to figure out some way to make it work with work, like maybe they'll let me work from China, or else I'll have to go for only three or four weeks since I won't be able to save enough vacation days for the full six weeks. Keep your fingers crossed for me!