Although it's been some time since we announced that we were relocating to Shanghai for Chris' next project, up to this point it has only been words. Things became quite real when Chris and I traveled off for 8 days to check out the city and get an idea of what life will be for the next 3 years. Even as I type, I am having trouble formulating my thoughts to put down. I'm not quite sure if it's confusing because I'm still a bit jet lagged or if I'm still processing the exorbitant amount of information my brain received on the trip. It could also be that our lives will be the complete opposite of the lifestyle we have led for the past 4 years in Hawaii and California. (correct answer D, all of the above) Whatever it is, I hope to make some sense of this in this blog and to give you some insight from an outsiders first perspective.
Every day we were there was a roller coaster of emotions. First off, being away from my girls (not having done so for longer than 12 hours before) was both terrifying and liberating to equal heights. I worried how they were doing, what if there was an emergency, if they were immensely sad, if they were taking advantage of Mimi and Grandaddy. In the end, none of those were true (at least according to my in-laws) I can not thank Mimi and Grandaddy enough for not only stopping their lives to come out and love on our babies while we are gone but also for doing such an amazing job!
For me, though I missed them and felt like I was missing a limb, it was SO NICE, to feel like myself and not have someone to feed, take potty or change a diaper for someone. You really forget how nice it is to potty with the door closed, sleep through the night, wake up on my own accord. Most importantly, I got to spend some truly appreciated quality time with my husband.
Everyone enjoyed their special time and it made the reunion that much sweeter.
I honestly, don't know how someone relocates to a foreign country when their not being hand held by the company they work for (ehhhhemmmm, Nikki). Disney pulled out all the stops to let you know that they were there for you. We have an incredible relocation team at our access for everything from travel, bank accounts, hiring help, finding a place -- you name it -- we have help: Now if they could just shop for me the first few time at the grocery and read the labels to me ;o)
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| Ever wonder what one of gazillion malls in a place where 23 million people live look like? |
What I'm most excited about is this experience for the girls, especially for school. Every school we looked at was something a parent would dream about for their children. We are blessed that this cost is part of our package. Not only do I feel like the girls will receive incredible academic opportunity but they will learn a difficult yet important language. Most importantly, they will start their lives off with a cultural awareness that will hopefully ground them in such a way that will see everyone as God's children.
We have our work cut out for us. Though lots of people speak English, many do not, so learning at least the basics in Mandarin will be necessary before we go. I also really wished that I had paid more attention in school to the metric system cause I'm going to need it. That will be fun when I also will have to initially calculate the RMB rate vs US to make sure I don't pay $8 for a teeny tiny bottle of Perrier again.
Lessons learned on my first trip:
- This is kind of insane but we are doing it anyway
- Despite the fact that I change my mind almost daily about which part of town we will settle in, I think we found enough good points for each to be happy in almost every part.
- The Chinese LOVE babies and kids
- The pollution in LA is not that bad
- I must start a Facebook photo album with English translations gone wrong. Some of the signage in English translation was quite amusing.
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| This wasn't the best but the only one we got a picture of |
- Indi will be transitioning to cloth diapers as disposables were .62 a piece
- We quite possibly have found the worst drivers in the world - NY or anywhere else in the US has nothing on this place!!!! And yet it somehow works without gun shots being fired or extra hand signals out of the window.
- I must BRING tissues to every bathroom and hand sanitizer (or hanitizer as my nephew Vegas calls it).
- I need to learn about 25 words or more in Mandarin before I arrive to feel comfortable to take trips by myself with the girls. Including but not limited to: "No I do not need a Rolex, Gucci or anything else from the fake market" "No raw egg in my dish please" I also need to correctly pronounce "Help me please" vs "Hug me please"
- Most importantly, we need to bring our sense of adventure (the one that subsided a bit when I became a mom).
I can't explain it but despite all these things that are quite a shock up front, we are still extremely excited. In many ways things were/are just as crazy as you might imagine if this were your future. However, as we came to conclusion when we accepted this job, we really feel like this is where God wants us to be next and this is an opportunity of a lifetime, especially for the girls. I feel fairly confident that I will look back at this in 4 years and snicker at my hesitations.
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| Sometimes familiar things make you good |
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| Meet our new friends, The Lowery Family. They just moved to Shanghai as well. A special thanks to Elizabeth for organizing a fun night out at a Hot Pot restaurant.     |
