Our travel schedule has been made out for the remainder of this year and my next trip is second week of July 2010. I have pretty much gotten the lay of the land as it pertains to whom, what and where! I know what to pack, but doing it is something else! As much as I have traveled this earth, it’s not what I pack as much as how I pack. It is customary to bring gifts to the Chinese so finding and buying the right items is what I must do this week prior to departing. I think I will go to an electronics store and see if I can find some English to Chinese translators. They seem to be enamored with the little pocket translator that I had taken on my last trip. I always bring a few CES polo’s and T-shirts to give to the Athletes and coaches. I’ve got to get some bags of candies for the kids who we run across. I always use my travels abroad to practice foreign diplomacy! Candy is always a hit to accomplish that goal!
My next task is packing my equipment bag as knowing what and how much equipment to pack is an exact science. I try and get a prior commitment from the Chinese as to what teams I will be working with, however, the only consistency is the inconsistent when it comes to the Chinese. As I have found out over my last four trip, each time I go, the teams I’m told I’m working with and the actual teams that I DO WORK WITH are never the same! By the way, the teams that I have worked with are the Men’s and Women’s Volleyball teams, Men’s and Women’s Table Tennis, Men’s and Women’s Badminton, Women’s Gymnastic Team, Team Handball, Men’s and Women’s Weightlifting, Men’s Soccer, Swimming and the number 9 ranked Tennis player in the World who is Chinese.
So you can see, each team has it’s own equipment needs so packing the right equipment is critical. After much thought, I think I’ve packed the right amount of equipment, gift’s and candies.
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