The open seas and a firery throat

Yesterday was kind of a hard day. The reality of the Orient finally hit me. I am going to China in four days. I am going to be traveling for a day and half straight. I know very little Chinese. I do not know what class I am going to teach. I do not know what the university is going to be like. I do not know if I am going to be intestinally sick for weeks or if at all. With all of these unknowns, I might slow down or freeze up, but for some reason I push on. I am not really all that concerned about those things. They are just future concerns that don't really affect me today.
I did wake up today with a fairly firery throat. I don't think I have cancer or strep, so I think I will live.
Today, I again met with Shackleton on the high seas. What an amazing story, and what a great leader. It makes me want to join the Coast Guard. Who knows...

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