Things are moving ahead with my transfer into the Urban Environment section, which I previously wrote about here, and it should be decided by the end of next month. That means there is lots of negotiating to do over the next few weeks and, as a result, going on vacation to China for nearly 3 weeks might have to be cut a little short.

So now I'm deciding whether to still go to Beijing and Dalian for a couple days and cut out Xi'an, or just go to Dalian for a week or so. I didn't get to see Dalian very much last time, not to mention it was November and freezing cold, so that could be a worthy choice.

On the other hand, it would be pretty cool to be in Beijing and see some of the sights. I'm not usually one for sightseeing, per se, but having studied Chinese history, it seems less like "tourist attraction" and more of closing the academic loop to extend what I’ve read in books to what I’ve seen with my own eyes; granted, this still takes some imagination since these are mostly relics now. That said, there's lots of history preserved in China—maybe more so than anywhere else in the world—and with so many pieces of the picture, it doesn’t take much to start to comprehend what “time” really means. Dalian itself is also rich in history, although not so much as a central part of Chinese history, but particularly in connection with Japan, who subjugated the peninsula after the first World War as they began to expand their territory.

Nevertheless, as interested as I am in history, I'm looking forward to the future. The new position will bring with it many new opportunities and work/projects overseas, so--at present--I'm looking forward to those experiences as well.

Update: Was told that the other section managers met to discuss my transfer and a few people argued over getting me in their section. Nice to hear. But it is pretty much decided (as per my intentions) to enter the Urban Environment section. One project manager even mentioned to me today that he has a project coming up in Brazil that he'd like me to join! Guess I'd better start practicing my Portuguese!