Chen Guangcheng leaves Beijing hospital, headed for U.S. "They came to my ward suddenly at around 11 o'clock this morning," Chen told the Post. It's a surprise. Chen said U.S. diplomats were just arriving at the airport around 2 p.m. "Right now, I'm at the airport going through the procedures for my passport and visa," Chen said. "I feel all sorts of emotions and feelings right now," he added. Chen said the move was so sudden that he did not have a chance to speak with his mother and other family members left behind in Linyi city, in Shandong province. He called that "a pity." The news of Chen's impending departure for the United States was first announced by Bob Fu, head of ChinaAid, a Texas-based China rights advocacy group. Fu spoke with Chen Saturday morning when he was being driven to the airport by Chinese officials. He was very excited and very glad to tell me. He said, I'm looking forward to seeing you," Fu said in an interview. Chen has been offered a visiting fellowship at New York University. Supporters of Chen in the United States have been preparing for his arrival. Fu and others have found guesthouses for Chen to stay in to recover after he lands in the United States, but he may travel first to NYU to register for classes or take care of school businesses. They have also prepared laptop installed with Chinese language software for his wife to use. Reached earlier this week, an NYU spokesperson said preparations were underway at that school, but declined to comment further. Chen escaped from house arrest in Shandong province last month by scaling a high wall and fled to Beijing with the help of supporters. In Beijing, he stayed in the U.S. Embassy for several days before a deal was worked out ahead of a visit by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton that allowed him to be moved to a hospital for treatment. Chen initially wanted to stay back in China and continue his fight for human rights, but changed his mind after speaking with his wife, who said she had been attacked by local Shandong authorities after Chen fled. While his wife was allowed to visit him at the Beijing hospital, several members of his extended family were arrested or threatened by the local officials. In an earlier interview on Friday, Chen expressed concern over the fate of his nephew, Chen Kegui, who has been arrested in Shandong and charged with attempted murder, for injuring three officials who stormed unannounced into his house in late April, after Chen Guangcheng was discovered to have fled house arrest. Chen Kegui had been prevented from hiring private lawyers to represent him in the case, and was instead given two court-appointed government lawyers. Chen Guangcheng said he feared the government-appointed lawyers would coerce his nephew to plead guilty. Washington Post researcher Zhang Jie in Beijing contributed.