16
February
Why we’re still struggling to “settle in” to expat life in China

When we moved to China in September, we promised to keep you updated periodically on our transition to expat life.

I know I told you how we’ve been learning a lot since we’ve been here and how I survived my first medical exam in a foreign country, even though there was a hole in my pee cup, and how I celebrated my 30th birthday on the Great Wall … but since then … silence.

I apologize for not writing more frequently on the subject of our life in China, but that’s mostly because I haven’t really known what to say. Or even how to say it. I don’t mean to imply that we haven’t been doing anything — certainly, we have — but rather, none of it has seemed even worth talking about, let alone writing about.

People constantly ask how we are settling in, and the honest truth is that we kind of aren’t; we haven’t had time; we haven’t been home. Our lives over the past five months have just been kind of … random.

It’s not that we’re uncomfortable; we’re fine. It’s not that we’re homesick; we don’t miss it too much. It’s not that we’re miserable; we’re having a blast and Justin really enjoys his job. It’s just that no two weeks have looked alike. That’s fine when you’re traveling; in fact, it’s expected. But when you’re trying to settle in and make a home (albeit temporary), it’s nice to have some sort of routine.

Nonetheless, we’ve done our best to adjust, given the circumstances. Here are a few ways we’re trying to make China our home away from home:


Overall, we enjoy the opportunity to live in China, but there are some things that can be challenging and take some getting used to … like not having a car … not having a dryer for our clothes … not having an oven … not speaking the language … and being forced to have a maid. So we’ve been intentionally taking a few steps to try to counter some of these challenges and make the most out of the situation.

We’ve been cooking more at home. Everyone assumes that because we live in China we get to eat amazing food all the time. I suppose we could, but we prefer to stay at home in the evenings and cook for ourselves.But cooking at home in China has proven more challenging than we would have thought. For one thing, we don’t have an oven. China doesn’t really seem to do ovens. I never realized how many of my typical dishes I make require an oven.

We’ve been trying to learn a bit of Mandarin. It’s a fascinating language. We’re using the Rosetta Stone program. The only problem is, it doesn’t start by teaching you the most useful parts of the language you need to know. For example, I need to know how to ask for directions, how to get from here to there, how to order food, and how to pay for things at the grocery store. I do not yet need to know how to say things like, “The little girl is running,” “The adults are swimming,” or The police man is standing by the car” (though I’m pleased to say I can).

I’m learning to accept the fact that I have a maid. This has been quite the adjustment as I actually enjoy doing my own cleaning. Although she’s very thorough, I spend most of my time trying to keep her from washing the dishes with the same gloves she just used to wash the toilet. Fortunately, though, she does not go to quite the extreme efforts as this woman …

We’re maintaining our regular exercise routines. Justin and I both love to exercise. Fortunately, we have a Spinning bike and a great park behind our apartment, so we’re able to stay fit.

Despite all our efforts, it can still at times feel like we’re struggling to settle in here. We have dealt with constant logistical issues and complications, both at home and at work. We’ve had to travel for visas, travel for work, and soon we’ll begin to take advantage of the R&R trips provided by the company, so every two months or so, we’ll be packing up for another adventure somewhere in Asia. We just returned from a fantastic two weeks in Vietnam and Cambodia.

But despite any frustrations we may have over “settling in,” we’re certainly grateful for all we’ve been able to see in the short time we’ve been here …


Beijing: We travel to Beijing a lot on the weekends, and although we’re mostly spending that time with family, we have managed to get out and about in the city to see some of the cultural attractions, including the Temple of Heaven / Tiantan Park, the Summer Palace (which we visited in the winter), Tiananmen Square, multiple sections of the Great Wall, and some of the markets. We figure since we’re close by, we’ll take on Beijing in smaller doses.

Hong Kong: One of the logistical challenges we’ve faced has been straightening out our visa situation. Because we were not able to secure our z-visas within the first month of being here, Justin had to fly to Hong Kong and back so he could “exit the country” before the 30 days on his work visa expired. (Note: Even though HK is technically part of China, for administrative purposes, it still counts as leaving).

South Korea: We had to spend a week in South Korea applying for our Chinese z-visa so we could apply for Justin’s work permit and our residency permits to allow us to stay in China. Although we were there on official business, we still had some down time to explore. Oh look, here we are standing in North Korea while visiting the DMZ (De-Militarized Zone). How ’bout that.


Spain: After we secured our visas, Justin flew straight from Seoul to Madrid, where he spent a week for work, and I headed on back to China.

Myanmar (Burma): After quickly celebrating Christmas in Beijing, we headed to Myanmar to ring in the new year. We welcomed in the new year in Myanmar, which was amazing (stay tuned in the coming month for highlights from our time there!).

So things have been a bit fluid and unpredictable, to say the least.

Oh, and did I mention I started my own business?

That’s right! When we moved to China, I left my job in public policy advocacy after nearly five years and decided to pursue two of my passions — writing and business.

I’m excited to announce that my business partner and I have officially launched Xenith Creative, a content marketing agency focusing on internet marketing, copywriting, and copy editing. We develop internet marketing and communications strategies that help companies engage customers, drive sales, and impact their bottom line. We specialize in writing web copy, feature articles, blog posts, and marketing collateral for your business. Take a moment to browse our website to learn more about content marketing and how our services and skills might prove useful to your own business or organization. And please, feel free to spread the word if you know of anyone looking for help with their content marketing strategy.

So as you can see, our lives may be a bit in flux, but they’re certainly not boring.

I am so grateful for the cultural and career opportunities our time in China has provided. I never imagined I would have the opportunity to do something like this. We are constantly having to pinch ourselves to remind us we’re not dreaming … we really are living in China.

Thank you to all of you for following along with our journey. We have certainly appreciated your encouraging words over the past few months. We look forward to sharing more of our journey with you.

To follow our adventures in China in real-time, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Related posts:

  1. We’re moving to China … and other minor life changes
  2. Celebrating 30 years of life on the Great Wall of China