I'm about seven hours away from boarding my plane to Shanghai.
This will be my first trip abroad, the very first time I leave the Philippines. Too bad I'll be flying out at night; I really want to see all the sights on my way up north.
All this for a six-minute total solar eclipse. Hahaha. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity - there will be none like this for the next 100 years at least. I plan to enjoy every single minute of it.
I'm excited. I'm also scared. My first trip out of the country, and I'm doing it alone. It would be just okay if I was going to an English-speaking country, but I'll be diving right into the People's Republic of China, with nary an inkling of Mandarin.
Six days in a foreign - in every sense of the word - country. Six minutes of totality. An eternity of bragging rights - I WAS THERE! Hahaha! *Cue theme music from 2001: A Space Odyssey*
The University of the Philippines Astronomical Society (UP AstroSoc) - of which I'm a member of - will have an official team in Shanghai to observe and document the eclipse. I plan on becoming an "embedded journalist" and as such document the entire trip. Stay tuned for updates about the expedition. Also check out the expedition's official site at http://solareclipse2009.co.cc/ .
Let's hope and pray for clear skies on July 22. Hehehe.
This will be my first trip abroad, the very first time I leave the Philippines. Too bad I'll be flying out at night; I really want to see all the sights on my way up north.
All this for a six-minute total solar eclipse. Hahaha. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity - there will be none like this for the next 100 years at least. I plan to enjoy every single minute of it.
I'm excited. I'm also scared. My first trip out of the country, and I'm doing it alone. It would be just okay if I was going to an English-speaking country, but I'll be diving right into the People's Republic of China, with nary an inkling of Mandarin.
Six days in a foreign - in every sense of the word - country. Six minutes of totality. An eternity of bragging rights - I WAS THERE! Hahaha! *Cue theme music from 2001: A Space Odyssey*
The University of the Philippines Astronomical Society (UP AstroSoc) - of which I'm a member of - will have an official team in Shanghai to observe and document the eclipse. I plan on becoming an "embedded journalist" and as such document the entire trip. Stay tuned for updates about the expedition. Also check out the expedition's official site at http://solareclipse2009.co
Let's hope and pray for clear skies on July 22. Hehehe.
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