Life Starts Tomorrow?

So previously I posted some pictures of various bits and pieces of what I saw in Beijing during a hectic 3-week period that has left me exhausted and hopeful and somewhat mystified. Tomorrow we meet up with our various schools and get shipped off to our new lives as laoshi (teachers) in a foreign world that is in some ways, not so foreign. Shenzhen is sprawling, new, lush, and muggy on first glance - a breath of fresh (but not that fresh) air from the relentless noise and smog of Beijing. I think the first thing on all our minds this morning as we boarded the bus headed for our hospital exams was that you could see sunlight and greenery everywhere. I'm sure I'll discover Shenzhen's darker side in time, but for now I can relish in the idea that I am on the brink of discovering more and more of this world with every step I take in my new home. . . until I fall into routine here, of course, and then it's off to new places to shake things up and keep me constantly guessing about what lies around that corner. . .
"What gives value to travel is fear," so says Camus - am I afraid? I think I am, but perhaps "trepidated" would be the more fitting word in this instance
These last photos are of some good times in Beijing - the class I taught at Peking University (a diverse and energetic group of 12-14 year olds), sampling various bits of animal life at Dong Hua Men - the Beijing Night Market (I can now check off scorpion, locust, slug, and snake off my "Things to Eat Before I Die" list, how ironic and horrifying), and one beautiful sunset in Beijing.