Yes, you read that correctly. I’m going to CHINA!!! (if you are imagining me yelling that in a loud Oprah-like voice, you would be absolutely correct.)
I am still stunned. Still feel heart palpitations. Still amazed that I was asked by Mandarin Journeys to be part of this unbelievable experience. To be one of five writers to travel for eight days throughout China. To write about our experiences and share a world so different from our own. To leave our families, our jobs, our responsibilities and get immersed in a culture and beauty that I’m sure will leave me in awe. I’m anticipating my mouth open in every single picture.
And it’s not one of those cookie cutter tours. This is a personalized tour of experiences off the beaten path. We’ll be part of a tour made just for us. From taking a sidecar motorcycle tour around Shanghai to learning how to cook a home style meal to seeing the Shanghai Acrobats and Yu Gardens and to getting our minds and body challenged by Tai Chi – we’ll be doing all the things on my bucket list. Which is why we are calling this #bucketlistChina if you want to follow along!
Check out some of the places we are going to see…
The trip is the end of April. We’ve been told we’ll have internet access so I’m planning to post about our adventures, as well as my feels and experiences before and after the trip.
And of course, I’ll be bringing Flat Martini along! He’s very excited to meet some new cocktails on the 14 hour flight over there….
But I don’t want to just post about the things we did. I want to post about my feelings and thoughts about this all. About leaving my family and doing something truly just for me. I am struggling a bit with that. Wondering if it’s okay for me to leave my responsibilities and indulge. It’s not a trip with my husband. It’s not a family vacation. It’s truly something just for me. It’s a strange exhilarating feeling, mixed with bouts of guilt.
But I’m doing it. I’m doing it because I need to seize these moments. Not just for myself but to show my kids that their mom is more than just a mom. To show them that it’s okay to leave. That it actually makes us better parents.
I hope you’ll follow along with me. Let’s go on this adventure together!
How can you follow along?
- Follow here on the blog: www.martinisandminivans.com
- On Twitter: @martinisandmini or on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/martinisandminivans
- Follow on Twitter the bloggers I am traveling with while in China: @verasweeney, @MomGoodEats, @suerodman, @dianarowe
- Follow Mandarin Journeys on Twitter: @MandarinJourney
- Follow the trip hashtag: #BucketListChina
Disclaimer: Mandarin Journeys invited me to travel with them to China and are providing accommodations. All opinions are my own.
