On Monday, July 26, I am headed to Beijing to spend one month at the Beijing Culture and Language University studying Mandarin Chinese. This is going to be a great adventure. I can't wait to have the time to explore Beijing. One of my classmates from the MIM program is already studying at BCLU, so it will be great fun having him show me around. I have heard that the teachers in China are exceptional, so I look forward to improving my language chops.

The one bad thing is that I will have to be away from my family for so long. They'll be fine, I'm sure, but it will be a challenge for Shayna (my wife) to keep up with two little kids by herself.