Thankfulness Day 3 - Mosquito Racket

Whew! Can I tell you how shocked I am that it is November and the mosquitos are STILL here? Where on earth are they coming from? And let me tell you….they are HUGE! I have had more bites and welts in the last 2 weeks then I have had in our entire time here in China.

So in light of this, today I am extremely thankful for my mosquito racket! This is something that I have not seen in America (maybe I just haven't been looking in the right place…) but here it is a life (and limb) saver!

Sometimes this thing makes me a little blood thirsty since I absolutely LOVE hearing the pop and sizzle when the mosquito has been vanquished. Ha!!! Maybe I will one day become a famous tennis player after all the practice we get with this thing. 

Our lives are a little easier here because of this amazing tool….so to the creators of the Mosquito Racket, I salute you and say THANK YOU!!! 

Day 2 of Thankfulness - Friends from Around the World

Today I am super thankful for all of my international friendships. One of my absolute favorite things about living in China is getting to know people from all over the world. I love learning about new cultures, food and hearing new languages (though I will never learn them all…ha!). 

At the last big lunch we had I counted 8 countries represented and it total I have met people from over 20 in my time here. 

Just to name a few: Singapore, Turkey, Spain, Belgium, Romania, England, France, Italy, India, Germany, China, Finland, Brazil, Estonia, Japan, South Korea, and Canada.

Each day is a new journey and getting to meet new people and try new things. Amazing. The constant meeting of new cultures will be something I miss on a daily basis when we move back. 

My Singaporian and Turkish friend trying a "durian" dessert. Not so yummy to the American and Turkish! Ha! 

My Belgian and Spanish friends trying peanut butter for the first time….they were not fans. 

One thing we all have in common….Starbucks! 

O yea! We all love us some Starbucks! 

France & Singapore loving some American Pumpkin Pie

Our kids all love to play together as well. 

England, America and Spain…enjoying some coffee together. 

Another year has come and gone….2013 month of Thankfulness - Day 1 :)

Its hard to believe another year has come and gone. And it is November again! It dawned on me while cleaning my apartment earlier today that it is November 2nd and I'm behind already. Whew!

I always start my month of thankfulness looking back over the past year and thinking about all I am thankful for. This year is no different. So much has changed and yet so much has stayed the same. New friends have come to Wuxi and some have left. We made a trip back to the states and have come back.

In thinking about all of this today I am thankful for China. I know this is a very broad topic, but as much as I have learned during my time here it is fitting to start out with this instead of ending. It seems like all of my 30 days of thankfulness each year the topics tend to be the same, but the content changes over time as I have. In thinking back to our first year here in China and the things I was thankful for then, I know we have come a long way. Some days it feels like two steps forward one step back, but we are learning.

We have only been back in Wuxi for about 3 weeks now and I confess that at times I feel like this country is trying to kill me. I have lost my temper more times than I care to admit when dealing with unreasonable people or people cutting in front of me in line. A lot of this comes from not being able to fully communicate properly, but still it is a flaw of mine. This I well know.

So where does the thankfulness come in from this?? Good question. I ask myself the same thing as I am really working hard on 1 Thess. 5:18 "in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus". Soooo….here it goes. And though I say these things, it is still a daily battle to really be thankful for them, but I pray daily that the Father will help me truly be able to be thankful in all things one day.

I'm thankful that these situations show me that I am flawed and the areas of my life that I need to work on. I'm thankful that God doesn't just leave me in my own craziness, but allows me to see my sin for what it is so I will confess and act differently the next time in HIS power, not mine. I'm thankful for the fact that I know this is temporary and one day I will be back in a place where I know the language and will better be able to communicate. I'm thankful that I'm not the same today as I was yesterday. I'm thankful for forgiveness when I fail. I'm thankful for friends here in China that battle the same things and we can deal with it together and empathize with each other.

Whew….that is a crazy list right? It is a daily journey.

So join me in the rest of this month and lets all be thankful. What are you thankful for these days?

My Favorite Things.

We are in our last year here in China (well....at least that is the plan as of now.....who really knows what will happen....HA!), and I am really starting to reflect on life in China vs. America. To be honest, I am scared to death to move back home. I know I know...its America....our home land, where I know where things are and how to read labels and I can drive myself! But alas, it will be different.

Having lived overseas for the last 2.5 years has definitely changed me in a lot of ways. There will be a lot about Wuxi life that I am going to miss and yet so much I'm looking forward to in America. 

So today I wanted to share with you my Top 10 List for things I can wait to have in America and things I am going to majorly miss about Wuxi. 

1. FRIENDS!!!! - This is so true for both countries and one of the things that make me want to go home and yet make me want to stay longer. When we first moved to China I was terrified that I wouldn't have any friends and that Aiden and I would be at home all the time. Ha! Looking back on this I laugh, because God has blessed me WAY BEYOND what I ever could have imagined with friends. Our home here is continually filled with the sound of friends from all over the world and I love it! We have pot luck parties, play dates, coffee gatherings, baby showers, goodbye parties and more. It is one of my favorite things having friends over for any reason. Being an expat almost forces you to get to know people and have time together. It creates a bond that is not easily broken. Never before in my life have I known so many people from all over the world. Though, I confess that I'm a little nervous about going back home with this. Life has gone on back in Georgia and trying to walk back into our lives before that won't be the same is a little nerve racking. 

Football Party! 

Teaching some dear friends about Sour Cream and Ranch. 

FRIENDS! 

My dear Jacqueline

Friends at Donna's Good bye party

Love traveling with friends! 

Sweet friends and parties! 

I'm blessed with a FABULOUS Ladies Bible Study group here! 

Aiden and his buddy Noah! 

2. Cars & Drivers - I am so thankful to have Chen, our driver here in Wuxi, but I am super ready to have my own car that I can drive. 

Riding with Andrea on the Tuk Tuk...there definitely won't be these in America. 

3. Coffee! - There is so much I can say about coffee. I love how often friends get together and go to Starbucks (or any other coffee place) here. And even better I enjoy being able to have it delivered to me any time I want. I am sooooooooooo going to miss that when I go home. 

So many good times are had at Starbucks...even for the kiddos! 

I think I have created a monster. Aiden always wants a sip of my coffee! 

4. Washers & Dryers - This may be more of an "I'm looking forward to" rather than "I love about my Wuxi life. Ha! One of our first purchases when we move home will be a nice big washer and dryer set. Then maybe I only have to do laundry a  few times a week instead of every day like I do now. But Wuxi life has taught me to be thankful for that and not take it for granted. 

5. Dishwasher - This one is in the same boat as the washer and dryer. I cannot wait to be able to put my dishes in the dishwasher at the end of the meal instead of washing them all by hand. Yes I realize this is a first world problem. Many of my problems aren't really problems at all...just what I make them.

6. Apartment / House - We have an amazing place to live here in China. Jeffrey did a fabulous job picking it out for us and it has been perfect for all of our needs here. Now as we are looking at new homes back in Georgia, I get excited about the possibilities. Can't wait to go house hunting. 

7. Grocery Shopping / Delivery - One of the things I'm really looking forward to for going home is wandering around a grocery store where no one bothers you, the carts work, and I can read labels! Here in Wuxi though it has been a challenge but one we have pretty much figured out. We have to go to at least 4 different stores to get everything we need, but we make it work. The one thing though that I really love is being able to get so much of my stuff delivered. Even when I walk to the veggie market, one of the vendors I purchase from will deliver my produce free for me, so I don't have to stuff it all in the stroller. And then there is the fabulous taobao website that I have found most of my foreign products for much cheaper. I've gone crazy with it. Many things like this I will really miss here in Wuxi. But if you are ever looking for me in America, I may be in the grocery store just loving the wide clean aisles and the many many things there are to look at! 

I will certainly miss having my groceries delivered! 

Aiden loves to shop too! 

Our awesome veggie market close to our apartment

8. FOOD!!!!!!!!! - We have some fabulous restaurants here in Wuxi and we eat out quite a bit. Or I guess I should clarify that....Aiden and I eat out quite a bit, my poor husband doesn't get to go as much as we do. We have tons of great places from around the world...Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, German, Western, Indian....we love it all. But, I REALLY miss a good Cheeseburger. I'm so ready to go to Red Robin and devour the Royal Red Robin burger....my mouth is watering at the thought. If anyone would like to take me, I'm yours! And I cannot forget Chick-fil-a. Those fries....the chicken biscuit for breakfast....so yummy! And speaking of breakfast....I'll take any kind of breakfast foods. The only place here is Wuxi to really get "breakfast out" is McDonalds. 

9. Skype / Family Time - I confess I have gotten a little homesick in the last few months, but I am so thankful for Skype. I love talking to as many of my family members and friends as possible. Skype makes the world a smaller place. But on the other side, I'm extremely excited about getting to see everyone in person and getting a real hug and quality time. 

I miss dearly my sweet friend Jenn! She won't be able to kick me out of her house when we return! 

Jeffrey misses his buddy Josh as well! 

10. Language!!!!!!! - This is a major one for me. I am excited about going back to America where English is the main language and I can handle most issues on my own since I will understand what is going on. Here in Wuxi, I have been so blessed with wonderful Mandarin teachers who have become wonderful friends, and other friends who are always willing to help me in my time of need. That is one thing that humbles me more than anything here is knowing that I cannot handle everything on my own and I have to be willing to ask for help. As an extremely independent girl this is a hard one for me, but I am learning. I do my best here to learn the language, but I am far far far away from knowing what I need to. But that is on me, I must keep learning and not let the thought of moving back home keep me from working at it and trying to learn. I am in their country, so I must do my best to learn the language. 

There is so much more to China vs. America life, but these are my main things. My goal though is to not let myself forget the lessons I have learned here in China, but to take them home with me and apply them to life back in America. 

Thanks for continuing the Journey Across the Ocean with us! Just a few more months!!! Time is flying for sure. 

What is wrong with this picture???

As I was walking through one of our malls here today with some friends we came across this store, and didn't know what to think. 

Thoughts???

Yes, Camel, the cigarette company makes kids clothes over here. 

We got a good laugh and a shrug out of this today! 

New Adventures in Transportation

I realized something yesterday...both of my "new" experiences in transportation here in Wuxi have happened with my friend Andrea. The first was a few months after we had been here. I was still adamant about not taking a taxi since Aiden wouldn't be in a car seat. I had set my mind to either walking everywhere or waiting on my driver. But one extremely hot day we were going to visit my friend Julie and they had been spraying for mosquitos around, so walking wasn't optimal and my driver at that time wasn't free. So I bit the bullet and put Aiden in the baby carrier and we met Andrea and got in a Taxi. That was the beginning of the end. Ha! From that moment on, my mindset changed and we were taking taxis everywhere and no longer was Aiden in a car seat all the time, even with our driver. Times change huh? 

Well, today was another one of those experiences. We still take taxis everywhere and use my driver most of the time, but today we took a ride with Andrea and her two kids in their new Tuk Tuk. 

This is a three wheeled cart that has a bed attached to it with two bench seats. It was quite the fun experience. We drove down to one of our local malls to have lunch. So enjoy our journey in pictures. 

Thank you Andrea for yet another fun experience that challenges me to try new things! 

Aiden and his sweet friend Joy. 

My precious friend Ando and baby Timothy. 

This is how we sat for the ride to lunch. 

Here we go!!! 

Aiden LOVED the ride....think I can talk Jeffrey into getting one??? 

The view as we drove. It was hilarious to watch the reactions of others around us as they saw white people riding in a Tuk Tuk. Ha! 

The kids after we arrived at Baolong. They loved the ride. 

Chinese Nap Time.....

Even though it is hotter than hot outside these days, we are still enjoying our 5K walk to Starbucks each Monday. I used to never look forward to Mondays but now its one of my favorite days of the week. 

This week on our walk back we came across 4 men spaced out on the sidewalk taking a nap. We had to dodge them so we didn't run over them with our strollers. It was quite a funny site and it never fails to amaze me just how well they can sleep anywhere and everywhere. 

So, enjoy a view of a Chinese Nap! 

This was the first thing we saw when we were almost back to our apartment. 

How on earth is he comfortable?

At least he found some shade! 

Use your shoes as a pillow...smart man.