Let's start at the beginning...

Hola peeps~! I'm Yannis (for those who may not know me) and I'm a...Greek man. Well ok that doesn't say much about me nor the purpose of my blogging but I'll get to all of that in a second. I'm 27 years old, born in Manhattan NY and raised in the lovely city of Athens. In a nutshell I'm a "geek" with a bit of a "cool" side. I like gaming but I also like hanging out and drinking beers. I watch a lot of Japanese animation (manga for some) but I also love rock and metal (yeah that's way cool). Fantasy and sci-fi are my genres of choice but I find enjoyment in almost all kinds of books and movies. But the pinnacle of my geekiness? My studies! My bachelor's was in Computer Information Systems (all kinds of computer related courses woo!) and my recently completed master's was in Information Technology Management. Regardless, this is who I am and I'm placing it out in the open. Now that we are acquainted I shall expose the reason that got me to start this blog....



*drum roll*

I'm moving to Beijing!

*crickets*

Ok, it doesn't sound as mind-boggling as it might have a decade ago with all the globalisation going on these days but there are some who still give me a puzzled look when I say it. Nevertheless, it's a big decision I've made for myself for a variety of reasons. My most important one is my loving girlfriend Kim whom I met during my MSc studies in Sunderland. We've been together for over a year now and we're really happy together. Besides that this move is an opportunity for me to discover a different culture and life-style with many opportunities to fulfill some of my greatest lifelong dreams. It's also a chance for me to learn Mandarin Chinese hence I've gotten a scholarship to study the language at the Beijing Information Science and Technology University. Since I've made the decision to make this journey I've decided to share my adventures with the rest of the world. What will it be like for a person from Greece such as myself? What hidden mysteries does the Yellow Dragon of the East hide? Can I identify any possible similarities between Greek and Chinese culture? That's all out there for me to discover and share with you.

For starters I'll be guiding you through the preparation process I'm undergoing before I actually go there. Tomorrow I will be going to a public hospital (god have mercy) to do some tests required for my student visa. I'll have to do the whole shebang including blood test *shivers*, ECG, eye-sight, chest x-ray and general check-up. Sounds crazy right? It is! But if that's what it takes I'm up for the challenge.

Stay tuned as I will be updating here on a reqular basis! You can also follow me on twitter for some less than ordinary updates on my activities! :D

Peace out everyone~!