Preparation!!

This is my first post EVER on any sort of blog..weird. Anyways, I just returned from my family vacation to Seattle...and now I'm on to the next trip: China! Ohhhhh goodness...so much packing and I leave Friday. But anyways. I guess I'll start off by sharing what I'll be doing in China.
I'll be in Shanghai for 8 weeks, from July 3 - August 28. I'm participating in a summer study program at Fudan University with 11 other students from all over the United States.
The first 4 weeks we'll be taking a course titled "China & World Affairs - International Relations & Economics." We'll be learning about the growth of the Chinese economy in recent years and how it has affected/will affect Western economies. We'll also have the opportunity to visit Chinese and multinational companies and speak with executives there. For one week, we'll be participating in a service project at a migrant school, which will teach us about migrant education and allow us to interact with students there.
The second 4 weeks will be a Chinese Language Program, through which we'll be learning Mandarin Chinese. I'm most excited about this course, because I like to learn languages and am anticipating practicing with native Chinese students.
Yeppp...that's what I'll be doing. I'm really excited to go...I've never been to China before and I think it would be really good for me to learn Mandarin. I think the thing I'm most worried about is being scammed by shady Chinese people or getting my stuff jacked. I'm having the most ridiculous time trying to figure out how to lock up my laptop when I leave it in the hotel...at first I thought about getting a laptop lock, but a thief could just cut the lock. And then I thought about locking the zippers of the bag that I put it in..but then they could just take the whole bag. But I digress. I think another thing I'm really worried about is getting homesick. As much as I love to travel, I've never been away from home for more than 3 weeks by myself (with the exception of college). On this trip, I'll be with 11 other students I don't know, in a foreign country where I don't know the language, with limited interaction w/ my family & friends at home, and all this for 8 weeks. I'm not really the type of person to get homesick...but I'm afraid this might just be enough to induce it this time. OH, another thing I'm REALLY freaking out about is the weather. GOOD LORD it's going to be HOT. I don't know if I'll make it...I might die. I'm not used to such hot weather..and thunderstorms too! I really am spoiled here in California...the weather here is always WAYYYY too nice, and even if I don't dress exactly right for the weather, the consequences aren't too painful. But oh my goodness. It's going to take me a looonnngggg time to adapt to the sweaty, humid, disgustingly hot weather there.
Anyways, apart from everything I just mentioned, I honestly don't know what else to expect on this trip. My sister asked my what she thinks God will show me on this trip (the program group is Christian-based in case I didn't mention before). Honestly, I have no idea at this point. Lately I've really been struggling with my religion, so I just hope he'll provide some answers for me. But even if he provides them, I have to be looking for them. And I'm not so sure my heart is open to seek him right now. I've had a lot of problems that I've just kept bottled up for the past couple years now, and it's really affected my spiritual life. But I'll talk more about that later...maybe.
Okay. That was a gargantuan post, so I think I'll end it here.