A vacation from the resort

Since Monday we've been enjoying a mini-holiday to Hong Kong with our friends. They live in Hong Kong, and are able to travel over the border using the same vehicle (a rare fortune). We stayed Monday night at the Gold Coast Hotel, which overlooks the ocean. It was a beautiful hotel with a lovely restaurant that we ate at several times. Excellent Chinese and Western foods were available. We spent the day at Ocean Park, which is sort of like Sea World, sort of Six Flags. There is a dolphin show and aquariums with jellyfish (very, very cool!), sharks and a reef. There are also many rides, including a roller coaster that makes you feel like you're about to drop into the sea and one of the rides that takes you way up high and drops you down bit by bit. I skipped both of these! Alex was very frustrated because he was too short for many of the rides he wanted to go on. We later found some kid-friendly rides and a playground, so everyone had a great time right up until closing once we found that part of the park.

This is an interesting park in that it's in several sections of a mountain, and the only way to get from one section to another is via cable car. You get taken way up, over the mountain and there is a spectacular view of the ocean and the cliffs below you. It's gorgeous.

Hong Kong is such a beautiful and successful city partly because it's based on a harbor that is so deep the ships can come right into it. There are miles of containers around the harbor, waiting to either get into the country or out onto the ocean. It's also very mountainous - the most fascinating place I've ever been to is Victoria Peak - a peak that allows a view of the city and harbor, as well as mountainous terrain. The city is 7 million people crammed onto a couple smallish islands. I think 7 miles of land. So the buildings just rise up into the sky, it seems, and at night, lit up, with the boats and the ocean and the buildings, it's just beautiful. I love Hong Kong!

Tuesday we went to Disneyland Hong Kong, and stayed at a resort here. It's similar to the Magic Kingdom in Orlando, only much smaller. It was also not very crowded because Chinese New Year just ended. Alex got to go on Space Mountain six times, and we hit the Buzz Lightyear ride many times, too. Disney is always a fantastic time for us, and this time didn't disappoint. The Chinese restaurant at the park (the fancy one) is some of the best Chinese food I've had. We all had a very tiring but magical day.

Some of you have been asking for pictures. I'm sorry to say that the charger for Tim's camera is somewhere on the ocean, making its slow journey here. I'm hoping to pick up another camera today in Hong Kong so we can start showing you what I'm trying to describe.

Some of you have also been asking what we're eating and what I'm cooking! So far we've eaten out a lot, on a constant quest for authentic Western restaurants so my kids will eat. We eat breakfast at home every day, and many pb sandwiches at home, too. I've only cooked supper at home twice - we made steak and potatoes and cheesecake Sunday night, and we made a ham once night. Many familiar foods are available, including frozen chicken breasts and there is a meat market that imports its beef and pork and lamb. So far I think we'll be okay in that we have such picky kids and I don't really know how to cook Chinese.

The Mandarin is starting to come, though I can't read it at all. We're slowly learning how to speak small things, here and there. Hopefully it will start coming quicker as the kids learn it in school and as we enjoy more adventures here in China.

Resort Life

Well, here we are in the People's Republic of China. We are getting settled in our new house; our dear friends picked us up at the Hong Kong Airport, took us through the borders and delivered us to our doorstep. You have to go through a secure border coming out of Hong Kong, and also another one coming into China. We arrived on the first day of Chinese New Year, so the roads were fairly quiet and the border lines were minimal. There have been fireworks every night, all night since we arrived. Many shops are closed for the week because everyone travels, often back to their hometown, for Chinese New Year. It's a really big deal. Public schools are out for a month and a half, and businesses close at least for the week. There are many decorations and flowers everywhere, and downtown Shenzhen had big red balloons lining the streets.

Our house is getting to feel more like home. We've been to Wal-mart and Sam's Club and everywhere we go we make quite a spectacle. Yesterday at Wal-mart people were taking my kids' pictures and pointing at us and staring. Then, of course, Tim's credit card didn't get accepted because he didn't have his passport with him so we had even more of a circus around us, with our four shopping carts full of stuff and our three redhead and blonde kids. We also saw the alligator in the meat section. Big alligator tail, just hanging out there waiting for people to take their chunk of alligator, put it in a baggie and set it in their cart. All kinds of food I had no idea what it was. I tried to find some cleaning products and had to go by the colors on the bottles, hoping it's the stuff I was looking for. You can't buy dishwasher detergent except at the import store because nobody has a dishwasher here - kitchens are very small in most homes.

Our neighborhood is an expat neighborhood, settled around an International School. There's a big playground and all the homes are gated (so is the neighborhood) with stone walls and lots of flowers, trees, shrubs and banana trees. There is a golf cart that takes you anywhere in the neighborhood - you just have to call for it. The weather has been very nice - we've all been comfortable in jeans and t-shirts. There is a little shopping center across the (very busy) street that has lots of restaurants and some import shops. At night it's all lit up with people all over the place just hanging out. I met a woman from Peru the other day who said it's like living in a resort, which I agree with! She's been very helpful to us with information and tips on how to get everyone over jet lag. The jet lag was fun - after a big flight - and the kids did amazingly well. They were so good and slept very well, which was good for the flight but not so good when we arrived at 8 p.m. China time. We were all up most of the night, and I tried to make everyone stay awake all day Monday. Monday night we all slept a bunch, though Ella wanted to play for a while around midnight. We're getting normalized, I think. She's napping right now. At my friend Paty's suggestion (from Peru) I'm thinking of putting her into a Chinese preschool nearby. That way she will get the language as she's developing her English as well. She loved her preschool in Knoxville and I'm starting to think that might be the ticket. Paty says that while Mandarin is taught at the International School, it focuses more on culture and not so much on language. Our next-door neighbor from Kansas also sends his children to Chinese school until first grade. After Chinese New Year I'm going to check that out.

We're going to go to a park nearby this afternoon. Yesterday driving by it, we saw hundreds of kites flying over the park. It was so pretty. I'm hoping there will be more today. Peace out. : )

Today was the kids' last day of school. It was so sad to say goodbye to my fellow mom-friends and the preschool teachers. I think everyone had a tough time saying goodbye to my babies, too. Ella was crying a bunch.

Alex's last day was sad but sweet, too. His teacher had everyone make him a card with their address and phone # on it, and how much they'd miss him. She also wrote him a nice note telling him he would be missed and good luck and all. It was a completely different sendoff than I expected from her and I have to admit I didn't give her enough credit. I apologize, Ms. Teacher.

Then Alex had his last day of tae kwon do. I was able to thank the wonderful Master for his extraodrinary instruction. And then I got completely choked up as we left.

Tomorrow will be our last day in Knoxville for a long time.

Saya-noodles

I had my last tae kwon do class today; it was pretty sad but I wasn't as upset as I thought I'd be. I just decided to try my very hardest during class and get the most out of it. It was fun, but I still am really bad at sparring. At least this time I didn't get kicked in the butt (literally) like last time. That was actually pretty funny but I have a big bruise on my tookus now. Anywho, I do think I'm more ready to leave than I thought. I was okay with tonight being my last night. Ask me again next Monday evening and I might be a little sad, but for now it's okay. I hope I can find an English-speaking class nearby in our new house.

Today was Tim's last day at work, too. It was pretty sad for him to leave tonight, and I think we're both freaking out a little more now that we're leaving Saturday.

Everything familiar to all of us will be beyond our reach for a while - except, of course, for each other. Feel free to keep us in your prayers!

Tomorrow is the kids' last day of school - preschool for the little ones. That's going to be very sad for all of them, and for most of their teachers. We've been blessed with our preschool teachers and director the past few years. I am so very much going to miss that place. I am not, however, going to miss the Alex's teacher. I think if we weren't moving I'd be trying to get him out of that hostile environment he's currently in. I never though a primary school teacher would be so icky.

It's been cold here today - I am definitely looking forward to tropical southern China. I'm not sure how to spell "zai jian" but it means "goodbye" in mandarin.

Anticipation

Well, here we are only 9 days from liftoff. The movers have come and gone - our stuff is all either in storage, on its way to China via ocean, in China thanks to air freight, or just plain ol' gone. Now we just tie up all our loose ends, say our final goodbyes to our dear friends and family, and pack up our immediate-stuff-needs. The 06 taxes are done, the online class is done. At night I just sit and try to think of something exciting or funny to put on my blog. Sorry - still new at this.

Has anyone noticed all the excellent 80's bands are now doing ads? The Violent Femmes are doing Wendy's, the Clash is doing, what, Cadillac, I think? Oh - and Hendrix is doing a Verizon ad (I know he's not 80's, but still...)Yikes. Kids, we're officially old.

OK, back to the China thing. I'm not looking forward to a 16-hour flight with the kids. It's not going to be easy on them, and I feel bad for them. I'm wondering if we should bring along a tub of ear plugs for anybody near us.

I think I'm going to be crying the whole time after saying goodbye to my mommy and Wayne. I'm used to seeing them every couple days. Sixteen hours of straight tears - I'm going to be a lovely sight when we land in Hong Kong. But how very exciting! It will be Chinese New Year when we get there and we have wonderful friends who will meet us and show us around, show us the ropes and how to get food and everything. Our adventure is right around the bend.

Next time I post we'll either be there, in China, living there or else I'll still be freaking out in TN. What'll it be? Can you handle the suspense??

Are we really doing this?

OK, Christmas is over, time to start the MOVE PROCESS. So far we've filled out (not sent in yet) our visa applications for living in China and moving in and out of the country. We've made arrangement to sell a bunch of our furniture and applicances, plus we've cleaned out a few closets. We've gotten a van, villa and school in China. And, as of today, we are the proud owners of one-way tickets to China. OK, when I got that airline confirmation email from Tim I almost started to cry, then I almost threw up. Yep, we are definetly moving. Everything I know right now will be different. I kind of just want to curl up into a ball and make it all go away. BUT, I have to go back to my Moving to China Mission Statement: "One must move OUTSIDE (way the heck outside, in this case) one's comfort zone in order to grow." And growth is good, therefore change is good. Strip away all that doesn't REALLY matter to see what remains. Time for some big-ass growth, y'all.
Truly, I don't know how I'm going to live so far away from my parents. And my church. And my tae kwon do class, which I love. Oh, the house, the kitchen, my big, soft bed.
This is Freaking Out Day, I guess. Tomorrow will be Gosh, I'm So Excited To Move to China Day, I just know it.

Our House in the Middle of our Street

So, it looks like we have a house - an actual house, too, not a high-rise. It's got 4 bedrooms, a nice play area, a dining room, a big kitchen with a -ta-dah! - full-size oven and refrigerator! Yippee! Plus a washer/dryer and dishwasher. All of these things are UNUSUAL. Usually in China the kitchens are tiny; most do not have an oven, just a cooktop and rice steamer. Most of the nicer apartments that DO have ovens have little dinky ones but this is a regular-sized one. Tim will hopefully be taking care of the lease and all that this next trip to China.

The house is right near the International School and the SOS International Clinic and the English-speaking church.

So, we have 2 1/2 months left to go. We started "purging" out stuff we don't want or use anymore, and are now working on toys. Christmas will be a bit of a challenge this year, since we don't really want a whole lot MORE stuff to store or move. We're getting creative with Christmas gifts for the kids.

I am all of a sudden meeting some really cool people; doesn't that figure that I start all these interesting friendships so shortly before we move? Ah, well, can't get too comfortable now, can we? On to the next adventure!! : )

I miss him!!

Tim is on his way back to halfway-around-the-world again. This time it's "only" a week - ha ha. Since last time it was 14 days, I suppose a week is do-able. He's checking out apartments and will set us up in temporary housing, a car and driver, and banking. All sorts of different, confusing stuff to do. I'm so glad my Logistics Man is in charge of all the, um, well, logistics because I wouldn't know where to start. We do have some empty boxes in various rooms but, yeah, they're empty. I don't want to pack stuff we're bringing because that's stuff we're going to be using the next four months. I don't want to pack stuff we're not bringing because I don't know what that is yet!! I did pack up some books I no longer need, but we don't need to store those, I need to sell them. Mostly pregnancy and breastfeeding books, which I now feel I could be writing.

On more local news, Alex, Andrew and I will all be testing for our tawkwondo yellow belts this Saturday together - which is very cool. I do love martial arts, though I know I have a long way to go before I'm not such a klutz. It's fun to yell and punch, though, I must say. : )

It's All About Who You Know

I met a woman tonight at a Tastefully Simple party who lived for six years in Hong Kong, working for a relocation company. She and her husband raised a daughter there, just over the border from where we'll be living. This woman, Kathy, is just chock-full of information for us; she's going to have to write me a book. I told her I was going to hound her for the next four months, and she said "go for it. I wish I'd had somebody to help me way back when." She is amazing, knowledgeable, and full of common sense ideas for the trip and getting set up in our new country. The most important thing she said was "It will be a great, big adventure. Just go with it and enjoy it. That's how you have to look at it" Very cool. My friend, Barb, told me about her a while ago but I never knew what to ask. She, on the other hand, knows what to tell me because she's been there. I am very thankful for my wonderful friend, Barb, for introducing us and for the all the awesome food at the T.S. party, too! God is great, blessing us with such wonderful people in our lives!

Tim checked out apartments again today; it looks like we're going to be living a ways from the school, just because we both really like the feel of the neighborhood our friends live in. We are probably going to be there for a few months while we furnish a more permanent apartment. Today I told a few more people - it is really so very nice to be able to TELL people and not be in the closet about this anymore.

Still waiting to receive acceptance from the school...this is getting more and more real, and I realize I'm going to miss everything more and more. I really feel at home here, and I really enjoy the network we're creating. My friend Marilyn today told me that the one thing that came out of their living abroad while her kids were young, was that it really pulls the family together. I've been wondering about the very same thing. It seems to be one of the biggest "pluses" for the move, in addition to the expanded worldview of everyone once we adjust to our new lives.

Our house went up for sale today. It's really sad to see the signs in the yard...see, I love this house. I love our neighbors and our neighborhood and our view of the mountains and my kitchen...well, don't get me started. I love it. BUT, I also think that trying to maintain it for 2-5 years from the other side of the world will NOT be worth the hassle. So, off it goes. We've been getting lots of nice comments from the neighbors today since the signs went up, about how our friends don't want us to go. How blessed we are with the people we've met here!! Now we get to clean frantically whenever an agent calls us. Yippee, always fun to clean with three little kids : ) Always a work in process, I guess.

They also announced it at Tim's work today - YIPPEE!!! We are no longer closet relocators. We can tell the world! : ) Yee-hah, what a relief!

Baby steps

The applications are in...now we just wait to see if the boys are accepted (space-provided).

Well, we still haven't sent in our applications for the International School; they're all completed. We just to add copies of passports, and my scanner has been on the fritz for about a year. So we need to do that and then we can get those sent in. That will relieve a lot of anxiety on my part, provided they get accepted. If they don't, well, that will greatly increase my anxiety I suppose! Yep, gotta get them in.

I started taking an online class to get a certificate to Teach English as a Foreign Language. I'm hoping for at least one of the following to happen: that I'll get a job at the International School (half the tuition, half the SOS International Clinic membership, plus pool privileges!); that I'll start a voluntary English class for the China RSC employees; and that I'll be able to teach Ling Ling how to speak English, and any other friends who have helped us and who need help learning. I go at my own pace for this class, and I'm pretty excited about it.

It's strange making new friends, knowing we'll only be here for another six months. It's almost like I don't want to invest the time I should because I know I won't be able to maintain all my friendships once we leave. It's almost like the "spongeworthy" Seinfeld episode...is this person timeworthy? I think I'm also more negative than usual about everything just because Tim has been gone all this week, will be somewhere else next week, and leaves for China the week after that. I'm getting used to doing all the parenting and housekeeping stuff, but it gets really old. I miss that extra person. Don't get me wrong, I know I'm lucky. I've had the "extra person" talk with divorced and widowed friends, and friends with husbands in Iraq. I know I'm blessed as can be because he's home most weekends (except the China ones); he's the breadwinner; we can talk on the phone; and I still have my best friend as my best friend, in this world. OK, I feel better already. Really, I am so lucky. Truly, how could I possibly be more blessed? I'm just fine. : )

Don't Worry About A Thing...cause every little thing's...

gonna be alright...

OK, I'm getting used to the idea that this is really going to happen and I'm ready to get ready. Already have cleaned out the closets and gotten RID of stuff, and I've come to terms with selling the house. The big breakthrough came last night talking with DH about the fact that I have in the past given up income to raise our kids because I trust him (very scary for me!) and now I'm giving up pretty much everything I am and have outside of our little nuclear family to move AROUND THE WORLD with him. Serious trust. Just verbalizing that and putting it out there seems to have made a big difference in how I'm viewing this move. Strange but good. I'm ready to support the kids and give them the reassurance they need, to be the grown-up, I guess.

We're getting the schools apps in this week - a thousand dollars, just to APPLY - that's quite a commitment. One that I'm ready to make. I feel like that PBS ad "I'm Ready!" Lots to do yet, but I think we'll be okay.

Now, just worries about the stability of the economy and sociopolitical situation in China. Bigger worries that I can really wrap my mind around right now, so I'm going to just trust. There's that word again...

What to bring...

I am starting to look around my kitchen and wonder what I'll be needing in Shenzhen. For instance, do we bring the coffeemaker? The only coffee we got when we visited was instant...do they SELL coffee? Do I bring my springform pan...do they sell cream cheese? What about cake pans...I make very cool character cakes and birthday cakes. But do they sell cake mixes? I've been told that few people have actual ovens there. Mostly they have a cooktop and a rice steamer to prepare food. What about our dishes, baking tools, etc.? Would it be easier to just buy stuff there? All kinds of little things to find out, I guess. Pots, pans, baking pans...I think the kitchen will be hardest to pack since that is the thing that will be the most different (and probably the most missed room, in my case!) And my big, beautiful mixer - will there be any use for it? Any SPACE for it? I use my mixer often for cookies, cakes, cheesecakes, icing, even pancakes sometimes. Speaking of pancakes, what about my griddle? Probably not...no need to stress out the electricity. But I WILL bring my griddle pan so I can make the kids pancakes sometimes. The food is really going to be a challenge, I think!

I'm hoping we can bring the kids' beds and dressers. We are thinking it will provide them with some continuity that this is now "home" and their stuff is still here and they can still sleep in their beds. We'd LOVE to bring our bed, too, but it's a king size and space is really at a premium in China. Probably wouldn't fit.

Both boys have asked if we can still live in our house when we get back; this is making me SAD because it seems so important to them right now. But, we think it would be WAY less hassle to just sell it and store whatever we don't take along or get rid of. I know we won't be the same when we return - we will probably be content with less space and less yard. So, I suppose we'll be sprucing it up to sell in the next few months.

Six more months...

The Kids

Tonight we asked Alex how he feels about moving to China. He said right away he will really miss his friends. I had a hard time not tearing up at that, and told him right away that I would really miss my friends, too. Then he said he would also miss his TV channels (when we visited, they didn't have Disney's JETIX in Hong Kong or China that we could find). But he also said that it will be okay because they do have Cartoon Network there. Then he said it's cool that he already has two friends there, and he's pretty happy about that.

Andrew told his preschool teacher on Tuesday that we're moving to China. She asked the director (a good friend) about this and she confirmed it for her. Now people are really starting to find out about our move. What a relief!!! It's been so hard not being able to talk freely about this - we've known since the first week of June.

I think it will be easiest on Ella - she is so young and so adaptable and social and happy. But coming back here will be the hardest on her, probably, because her real memories will start there.

It will be hard on Tim because he's going to have a very different job - not a lot of structure or clear direction at first. We will all miss our friends dearly, especially our family nearby and far away. I'm going to miss my kitchen and my bed and my washer and dryer. And my friends and my church and my kids' preschool. And my parents. A bunch. And English books and magazines and newspapers and labels on stuff we buy. And my car. And American cuisine, Italian cuisine and Mexican cuisine.

But we will come back, and we will be forever changed by this experience.

More wonderings...very little action

We really need to get those school apps in for the boys; what if they don't get accepted?? Then what? Do I stay with the kids to finish out the school year? Home-school them??? (not) What? Can they get accepted for next year? Right now we're waiting for final numbers for our relo package from Tim's job. Since he'll be the first ex-pat for that company, they have to write policies before we get numbers, which is taking a LONG time. Once we get the numbers, some answers will fall into place; we can get the kids applied for school (it costs $1000 to APPLY to this school, and we are waiting so they can cover that cost); we can figure out what to do with the house.

I need to keep reminding myself that I will be the main one responsible for a smooth and relatively trauma-free relocation for the kids. Tim will be getting into a new job and will have a network in place already. The kids will be excited about meeting new people and their new school. I will be concentrating on how to provide continuity, peace, reassurance and normalcy to the life of our family. I guess that 's the ultimate "mom" responsibility and I'm okay with that. I just hope I do okay. Keeping the kids as my top priority will help me stay focused on the positive. My friend who lost her husband almost a year ago to a car accident has become a true expert on finding silver linings. As the anniversary of her husband's death approaches, her response is "at least it's the only first anniversary of this we'll have to deal with. At least there's only one." She stops me in my tracks every time she speaks of her loss. She is a person to learn selflessness and coping from.

Prelim Wonderings

So, I've decided to start a blog about our family's preparation and eventual move to Shenzhen, China, on the other side of the world. It's overwhelming - I don't necessarily do well with overwhelming. I am simultaneously terrified and thrilled. I keep a mission statement in mind - one must step outside of one's comfort zone in order to grow. And growth is good. I think we will all grow in unimaginable (for now) ways from this move. Not to mention new friends from all over the world and a whole new view of the world. Strip away the unnecessary and see what remains...

Right now we're trying to decide whether to keep the house and rent it or let a friend live here as caretaker, or just sell it and not have property here. Or, do we keep the rental house further downtown (which is much smaller) as income property so we will still own U.S. property (I don't know why that's important to me, but it is for some reason). I'm not sure how I feel about someone renting our house - being a germophobe and all (HA! In China where we can't drink tap water...) and being clear on the other side of the world. I'm not sure how I feel about paying a mortgage for up to 5 years just to keep this particular house (I do love this house, and so do the kids).

All kinds of things to decide...we have set a deadline to actually MAKE a decision so we can move on to bigger things - like what and how we will move everything, store everything else, and what to give away. We need to get the kids' school apps in and find an apartment to move into until we find something more permanent. We need to get shots, I think. Ick. We all need to see docs and dentists for checkups. We need to obtain SOS International Health Care policy. And I thinkg we oughta know a bit of Mandarin, just for kicks. Yikes.