Friends,

As you may or may not know, tomorrow morning I will be heading to the Chicago O’Hare Airport to hop on a plane headed to China for four weeks. I will be touring around the three largest cities: Hong Kong, Beijing, and Shanghai; and I will also be traveling to Shenzhen and Tianjin (both have larger populations than New York City).

The idea to travel to China originated from the aftermath of my Mom and Dad’s trip to China, in which Dad constantly urged me (Tyler and Caroline, too) to go and to see how “cool” China is. I have always been changed or moved by God in some way going on an international trip whether it was New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, or El Salvador, and I believe that this will be no different. It is my prayer that while I tackle this adventure in China, God will teach me important lessons, give me a better understanding of His greatness, and that He will continue to mold me into the man he wants me to become. Oh, and overcoming that language barrier might be a bit difficult, even with knowledge from studying the language in school.

So why am I telling you this? I would love to be able to send updates on my experiences to those of who you are interested in hearing and reading about my trip (this will save me from telling the whole story of my trip 15+ times once I come back to the U.S), and I plan on doing so by using this blog titled Searching for Dragons. Dragons are deeply rooted in Chinese culture symbolizing power, strength, and good luck. It isn’t uncommon for excellent and successful people to be compared to these mythological creatures. Even though I am not searching for power, strength, or good luck (not bad things to be looking for…), I am hoping to gain a greater knowledge of the Chinese culture and develop a more global view of this world.

If you have any questions for me about anything, feel free to email me or leave a comment on the blog. And pictures, stories, and videos will be updated daily, so if you’re interested you should check it out!

Much love,

Alex