Purpose of this Blog

Hi Everyone,

I'm Kevin Osborne, a student at Seattle University earning a major in Environmental Studies and a minor in Mandarin. To those who know me, this blog will be a journal of my adventures during the next three months in China, which will contain both pictures and personal descriptions.

As you can see from the pictures, I will be traveling to three cities this summer. They include Lijiang, Kunming and Shanghai. It may be more, but this is my current itinerary. The purpose of this trip is primarily three-fold. First, as an Environmental Studies major, I have a requirement to do an internship. I decided to be adventurous and do it in China. It is important to note that I am also a Mandarin language minor. I have taken two years of the language. The organization I will intern with is the Yunnan EcoNetwork (云南生态网络) for six weeks in Lijiang doing projects related to sustainable development in rural communities. This is in the far northwest part of the Yunnan Province. It is also on the far eastern side of the Himalayas. Second, I was awarded a scholarship by the Chinese Language Council International (汉办) to study at a Chinese university of my choice. After my internship, I will attend the Yunnan University (云南大学) for an intensive Mandarin language program for four weeks. Lastly, I will fly to Shanghai to visit some of my Chinese friends at the Shanghai Business University（上海商学院）until September 14th, which then I will return home.

This is only the abstract outline of what is to come.

Stay tuned to this exciting journey, which is about to unfold. The countdown is on. Today is the day of departure.

Kevin Osborne