Some of the hardest goodbyes... some not so hard for others.

Saying good bye is never easy… well for some. While the kids had a different bus monitor each year, I am pretty sure we left our mark on each one. I asked friends of mine if there was a big turn over of bus drivers on their bus. Most buses had a lot of consistency. I am pretty sure bus # 70 had the most turn over since the Carey’s arrived in Shanghai. It is a good thing that the Ayi on the bus doesn’t speak any english and I couldn’t communicate to her very much in Chinese. I felt hopeful when she was willing to pose with the kids on the last day of school. She looked happy huh! A little too happy to say good bye. Ya think!!!

Mr. Zhu was one of the first people I met when I moved to China. Most people know him as our driver… but for us he was so much more. I remember meeting him and not caring about his driving record, rather my biggest concern was if he smoked. He was also, my shopping assistant often helping me bargain for things, he was our map… learning very quickly my stomping grounds and never once showing emotions that yes, we were heading to the gym AGAIN. He was my water stop, parking in strategic places to be near where I could score a water on my run. He was my SOS, when I was over served at “Ponyo” S11, 290, N59. (My friends names in Chinese were was Ponyo… which means friends in Chinese and then their house numbers.) He knew my kids schedule better then me, often reminding me that baseball was tonight when I was trying to tell him it was ok for him to go home for the night or asking if he had to drive Garrett to swimming. (all in Chinese/Kristenese) He was body guard, when I would get frustrated with various Chinaisms… I remember someone honking at us when I was loading our car up with groceries… the honking gets old fast. I started to walk over to the car/driver and he guided me right back into the van. He would laugh when I would get out in traffic in the middle of the road and run the two blocks… even when I wasn’t short on time or when Chris and I decided we absolutely needed two cement elephants that neither of us could lift by ourselves. I knew he thought we were crazy, but he liked it. I wish he could know how much he impacted my life in China. I couldn’t wait to see him bouncing on his toes waving when we arrived after being gone all summer. While he had all that time off, he seemed happy to have us home. Without him,

our family would have been lost.

When we decided to transfer/move to China, I came with Chris in April of that year on a look-see. I know this because there are pictures of me in China… if there weren’t any pictures, I never would have believed I was here looking at houses and apartments. I think I slept through it all with such jet lag. No decisions were made and we ended up deciding on our housing last minute online… we did not even see the apartment. After living the first year with white walls… and rental furniture…

We made our apartment our home… we loved our digs!

As odd as this is… shopping was unusual in China. There were few places for immediate gratification in shopping. Walk in … purchase and wear. Until I met Julia. She spoke GREAT English and makes the most beautiful creations with beads. Most of what you see me wear today is from her booth in the Underground. She was fair and kind…. she made me the most beautiful necklace as my going away gift and I have never been so touched…

It is hard to believe that over three years ago we landed in the Pudong airport … like this… and left with a greater meaning..

As one of my best Friends in China said, “Don’t be sad that it’s over, be glad that it happened” We were all touched in different ways from our experiences while living there and it brought us even closer together as a family. Plunging through the new culture… embracing some aspects and struggling with others They made us stronger, more confident and in the end closer together. While its great to be back in the States… with the clean air, comforts of home and conveniences… we will miss our adventures of China. Most of all though, we will miss the great life long friends we made along way. Without them we never could have stayed.

Winding Down our China Adventure with Last concerts, Last Shopping... and first fender bender!

Fantastic end of the year concert… and culmination of the alto sax. Love that Shanghai American School opens the doors for their students to try new things. While the dancing was a big hit for Jordan, sadly and thankfully the saxaphone was not…

Shopping was abundant in China… Not your typical walk into Target knowing what you want and walking out of there five minutes later. Shopping in China meant you go in with an “idea” and you come out with something close. None the less, shopping in the underground market was one of our favorite weekend past times. Where everything is cheap… in every way… and shopping provides you with a hard lesson in negotiating.

A few afternoons Chris and I ventured out to find some keep sakes for our house in the states. You have to do a little digging on Antique street, but I am pretty convinced we found the heaviest possible pieces we could find… a PAIR of cement elephants! …and we couldn’t leave China without THE General (our Xian warrior) — We drove home proudly with our purchases and the back end of the van dragging.

I always loved shopping on this street because the children were always out running around.

The stories they could tell…

Driving in China… well this is a blog entry in itself. We had a lot of friends that worked for GM there that did dare to endure the ridiculous written drivers test. Challenging every bit of your common sense when answering each question. When helping my good friend study for her written test, I remember going over one particular question…

If your car becomes submerged in a river do you…

A. Roll down the window

B.        Hold your breath after calling for help

C.        Put a bag over your head

The correct answer was C

There was also a question about hitting a farm animal… and whether or not you first priority was to resuscitate it…

Having said that… there wasn’t a time we got in the car and didn’t close our eyes to many close calls. Right hand turn HAS the right away, even if the oncoming traffic is driving 100 mph in your lane. So we were surprised that we had made it through three years of living in China and having the same driver without even one fender bender… until our last week. The funny part about fender benders in China, is that the cars stop exactly where they are… no pulling off to the side to let traffic move on… This draws considerable attention. Other cars will pull over, scooters stop to watch and they all stand around either arguing loudly or just putting in their two cents. This is a huge social event. Our driver, Mr Zhu NEVER got mad. So arguing was unlikely. I often wondered if he was friends with absolutely everyone in JinQiao. He would talk to everyone as if he had just had them over for dinner. I will miss this man..

May/June-- A lot to Celebrate in May - Wrapping Up a School Year!

Finding things to celebrate isn’t difficult when living abroad, but for some reason May/June are very bitter sweet months to celebrate when living as an expat.   We celebrate friendships we have made, birthdays were are going to miss over the summer months...  and we celebrate saying good bye to friends we have made along our journey...    I have read so many articles about how expats are a particular breed of people that thrive on adventure.   No doubt, we are adventure seekers, but never thought I would experience it in such a way.

I have to admit, being an expat and living in China wasn’t high on my bucket list.  In fact, it wasn’t even on my list. However, when given the opportunity, that sense of adventure Chris and I seem to share and thrive on... kicked in. It didn’t take long to figure out that the experience really can change a person.    I often tell people that making friends in China must be like speed dating....   you find a few things you have in common and immediately your find yourself calling that person because you have no idea how to turn on your oven (or dishwasher or washing machine)... or find that recipe to make a ricotta cheese alternative for the meal you were able to find MOST of the ingredients to.   These friends listen to you when you want to vent about the four grocery stores you visited that day to make one meal...  or complain about the air pollution that you can’t imagine ever escaping your lungs.   These women are the people you call and whisper... “hey do you have any of that lice shampoo?” knowing that you will get a response without any judgement...     They are the people that see you out running in 220 plus index and don’t say a word to you because when they were out earlier when it was even higher....   They are the people that meet you at the “Garage” for that toxic margarita just to listen to you vent or celebrate the fact that you were able to run your errands in record time and without getting hit by a scooter or yelled at by some security guard on a power trip.      These friends know you... know your kids... and would drop just about anything to be there....   

We have done some crazy things in China… One thing I learned about being an expat is… anything goes. The adventure seeking options are abundant and there isn’t much you can’t get away with. For a few of our May birthdays, My girlfriends rented this Brew mobile. We pedaled our way around JinQiao with a giant keg. (You can’t see it, but it sits right behind our Brew Master driver) I do have photos of all of us when we returned… but I will reserve those for private screenings.

A few of my girlfriends got together and gave me this incredible birthday/going away gift. The streets of Shanghai… They had it customized to contain some of the places that were special to us. Every day that I see it I am reminded of the incredible memories they provided me/us.

If only I could have an ounce of my daughters confidence and independence… Jordan simply put, beats to her own drum. So when she came home and told me that joined a school dance club, I was shocked and in awe of her ability to step outside of her box in so many ways. For someone that has never taken a dance class in her life… she spent three years at SAS learning various dance numbers. I loved helping the girls do their hair and make up for the performances and we loved watching her do something that wasn’t on a field or required a ball…

While living in Shanghai, I got involved in volunteering in an orphanage. This orphanage was a bit different then most in China and Russia. It was an orphanage that took children in from all over the country that were born with physical defects. These kids would come to The Healing Home to get nutrition before surgery and then be cared for after surgery. Most of these children had cleft palates, heart issues or hydrocephalous. We tried to find ways to give back… and a few of Garrett’s friends heard about Garrett’s connection with The Healing Home and asked for monetary donations to this cause in liu of gifts. One of the experiences I hope my children remember for a lifetime…