High fives all round because it's not every day you get flung (some may say head first) into the middle of China with little more than your sense of (frazzled) humour! Did I mention I had one pair of boots and a solitary jumper and winter was approaching much faster than I (clearly) anticipated! Ok, maybe I mentioned this (a few times). Needless to say, I have survived a hardy north west winter that included minus temps most days and the occasional snow fall and I am here (with bells on) to tell the tale! With tongue (ever so slightly) in cheek, here are a few quirky facts that I've come to learn about life in this spectacularly unique place, that may just surprise you. # The entire country and all of its 656 cities are on one time zone. (Yep for an Aussie, that's a little bit too straightforward.) # Many Chinese today still use cash rather than cards and tend to keep their cash in their safe at home as opposed to the bank. # There is a "bureau" (government department) for almost everything, including an 'internet' department. # "Guanxi" is a very popular word. There are many things that cannot be done without "Guanxi" which means "relationship" which often translates into "money!" # You can have a second child in Xi'an IF you or your husband are an only child. # Xi'an is not far from the desert, hence the dust! Trucks spray the roads with water several times a day (to the tune of "It's a Small World" no less). # Chinese don't do small talk. Plain and simple! Forget about "how are you?" and "Isn't it cold today?" or "Have a nice day!" Most Chinese people are not interested in your cheery, meaningless observations…..just zip it, OK! # "Please" is not used much in the Chinese language and saying, "Thank you" too much implies you are not friends. (Good friends don't need to say thank you.) # Just 20 years ago, Xi'an was a very poor city with very little in the way of technology. There were no private cars on the roads. # Most Chinese in Xi'an today believe they have plenty of freedom, especially compared to the days of Chairman Mao, who's Communist Party governed until his death in 1976. # Driving on Xi'an's roads today is frenetic (and that's putting it politely). Despite this, there are very few accidents (oh, clearly I wrote this before the minor bingle we were involved in the other day.) I've reached the conclusion that Chinese people all drive terribly, well. # For a massive population of around 1.3 billion, there are surprisingly few surnames in use today. Statistics say there are around 4000 last names but the top ten are used by about 40 per cent of the population. (If you think about it, we all know someone with the surname Zhang, Huang, Wei, Wang and Wong don't we!) # The first 3 numbers of your phone number represent the phone company you're with. # Chinese very much respect the hierarchy in any situation, even if they don't agree. It's not easy for a Chinese person to reveal what they really think. # Sick babies in hospital will have an intravenous inserted in their forehead as opposed to other body parts. # On March 15th, every year, regardless of the temperature the government turns the heating off. It's not switched back on until November 15th. Yep! Six months in, just a few small, random but intriguing facts about the world's fastest growing nation. This is China. … [Read more...]
China – Two Steps Forward, Three Steps Backwards.
We all have those days don't we, where everything we attempt to do is just plain difficult! The Gods are not smiling on us…..we usually just put it down to one of those days….and hopefully, move on. Tomorrow is after all, another day! At the moment as we try to settle into a new country, namely big bad China - those days, typically tend to be more frequent than not. (Don't mention the power cuts!!) The hotelier, Miss A and I have at times felt like we are living out a scene from the Griswolds… (If you don't know the term....the movie National Lampoon's Vacation is aptly a comedy series about the misadventures of the Griswold family, whose, quote: "attempts to enjoy vacations and holidays are plagued with continual disasters and strangely ridiculous predicaments.") Say no more! In a nutshell, everything we attempted required an almighty dollop of patience with a splash of humour on top! "I'll have a Sprite thanks. Actually make that two lemonades for us." Waitress returns ten minutes later, "So do you want one Sprite and one lemonade?" "Isn't that the same thing?" "No it's not." And breathe….. Clearly our confronting and extremely inconvenient lack of Chinese is mostly to blame for the shenanigans that ensue, but there's also a cultural divide that means ways of doing things aren't necessarily aligned amongst all parties. (Note how I say that in the politest way possible!) To top it off, Internet is intermittent at the best of times. VPN's drop in and out….phone service is patchy…with plans seemingly chewing through data at a rate of knots. Banking can be a painstaking affair in any country, but here in China, we managed to find ourselves both credit card-less and cashless for a (thankfully) brief period of time. Our Hong Kong credit cards it seems are not geared to work online (something about 'activation' is eventually revealed) and banks back in our home countries have gone into lockdown mode, blocking our cards after suspected suspicious activity in a foreign land. While I appreciate their quick action - attempting to book a flight online for the 15th time (what? of course I'm not trying to escape!) with dodgy internet and cards that are stalled at every turn, can turn even the most patient man I know into a frazzled, bug eyed cot case!! For a few days our eft-pos cards refuse to work in the ATM's and it's difficult to decipher the problem laid out before us in Chinese… and well… getting a Chinese bank account, of course, is no simple task for a foreigner. Obviously the lap top the hotelier uses for his day job is not happy with so much frenzied activity because it has a meltdown and promptly packs it in. Of course getting it fixed is like asking asking for the winning lotto ticket numbers, as is getting a straight answer! With the hotelier diligently downstairs working, I get a phone call in the hotel room - a man we can call 'MR I.T' says he is here to fix the laptop. I reply that Mr Walkden is working in his office. "No he's not, the door is closed," he says. Me: Ahhh OK, well I guess he could be anywhere in the hotel, I'm sorry I don't know. The dialogue continues something like this. Mr I.T: Can I come back later to fix the laptop? (Brief experience tells me if I let him go now, we may never lay eyes on him again) Me: Can you call him to see where he might be right now? Mr I.T: No. Me: Okaaaay, Where are you? Mr I.T: Outside room 5306. Me: (half dressed) realize Mr I.T is at my front door. Hastily throw on some clothes and greet him, reiterate, no the laptop isn't here and nor is Mr Walkden. Would you like me to call him? Mr I.T: OK. I call the hotelier…who's conveniently just up the hallway, in the executive club having a meeting and tells me to send him that way. Mr I.T nods enthusiastically in agreement….but apparently he doesn't make it there for several hours!? Lap top is eventually fixed that evening, but by the time the hotelier boards a plane the next day, it is no longer operating. And breathe….. So all the while I am negotiating with Mr I.T, we are told the hotelier's visa is ready and he must fly to Hong Kong asap! We also discover we need passport photos for everyone, pronto! Not an easy task it seems. We find out nowhere in Xi'an is able to specifically take this kind of photo, bar some photo booths on the other side of town in the underground train station. (While China is home to the globe's biggest 'new travellers' - in reality, only a small portion of the 1.3 billion population actually holds a passport.) So we are advised we must get to a photographer's studio at once! We meet downstairs and are bundled into hotel car and driven five minutes to a slightly ramshackle area and dropped off at a shopfront door, literally. (Actually, I think we are on the footpath.) Picturing the site of us three 'Gweilos' entering, has me chuckling to myself. We enter the nondescript shop where a lady sits at a computer, with a few aptly framed photos on display. She babbles to us in Chinese and when she realizes we can't speak her lingo, promptly turns around and goes back to work on the computer. (Pesky Gweilos, I know!!) I try a few lame words in Chinese like 'now' and 'photo'? but for some reason whenever I am in a 'situation,' the Chinese I have supposedly learnt, eludes me. I am blank!? Please explain!! Again she replies in Chinese and turns away, ignoring us. The hotelier decides it's time to use the 'bat phone' to call for help. Tina - our 'ever patient personal translator' is on the line and speaks with the lady on the computer and it all seems clear. She will take our photos but she doesn't know what size passport photos are, so this is going to take some organizing. So we hang up and wait….and wait….. and wait. Nothing is happening. Time is ticking.....people are starting to stare through the glass at us and some are taking photos! We call our ever 'patient personal translator' again and this time we get the green light! She's ready to do the photos! We are shuffled into a studio. James goes first and is told (we think) to do his jacket up and straighten his collar (these are clearly not just any old passport photos). She pulls at her ear and I think she's telling me to listen, but eventually work out she wants my earrings off. It's a bit like playing charades, we stifle our giggles. Ava's turn and for the 'ever posing show pony,' sitting still without cracking a smile is proving difficult. The lady is faffing abut with Ava's hair until she's satisfied and gesturing madly at her to keep her hands by sides (this is not a modeling shoot young lady)! Finally, we are done. We pay about US$20 and are whisked out of the shop into our waiting car. I feel like Brangelina again (clearly minus her looks and money...oh and the six kids)! I am then off to the hair dresser where I decide, as well as getting a blow dry I will be doubly brave today and ask to get my nails done. I have practiced the word for 'doing nails'….so they seem to get my gist -- but immediately start to wrap tinfoil around each finger. I know this is the way to remove a certain type of gel (you ladies will know it as 'soft' gel) but alas I have 'hard' gel and never the twain shall meet! I know that it is not going budge with some mere tinfoil, so I try explaining it's hard gel, I even use my trusty chinese app, but appear to be failing miserably. Time to call Tina our 'ever patient personal translator' again - she explains and again it all seems clear, they know it's hard gel but this will certainly work. Ok, you're the boss, I think, so I sit back and relax….a few minutes later the foil is off but the gel nail is not. Hmmm dilemma, now I can see they are really confused… there's a lot of spirited chatter back and forth. All I can do is smile meekly. She attempts to scrape it off and so I make the noise for machine….bzzzzzz…..but they look at me like I am slightly crazy. I point to the nail file and she attempts to file it off. It takes a looong time, but it sort of works. I am sure they are stumped with the weird 'white' lady with her 'white' hair and ironically strange 'white' nails….Who is she and why does she keep coming back!! But they bring me two tiny apple-like looking fruit to try (I later find out are called Nai, or Crab Apples), so I figure maybe they aren't too annoyed with me. Meantime, my new found hairdresser has been learning English and is like an excited puppy dog, sitting next to me while my nails are finished. We both decide in our broken English/Mandarin this relationship could work! I teach him, he teaches me. I decide to really push the boat out and test the waters to see if he can 'colour' my hair. My slightly er darker/grey roots are showing through and it's not going to be pretty. He seems to understand eventually and shows me his colour chart with two types of blonde. Just two. Not a lot of choice but perhaps that's a good thing. I learn the word for foils and show him pictures on Pinterest. Here's where it gets tricky as I want to explain that I don't want my hair too gold, so I find the word for 'gold' and say 'not want' in my best chinese, so he thinks I want 'white' but I say no. I search for the words, caramel and beige but these are lost on him. If I say ash, I will surely get grey hair. Xi'an is greying my hair by the minute so ash colour won't be necessary. He proudly shows me a picture of the only white woman's hair he has colored and says she likes red. Does she ever. It is the brightest, boldest fire engine red I've ever seen! He tells me again he is the best hairdresser in Xian after all, and says "just let me try." But to me that alarmingly sounds like a toddler asking to "just let me try pouring the milk on my cereal." We all know how that ends! I remain noncommittal and decide to do a poll on Facebook that night. Enthusiastic hairdresser and I connect on We Chat (the What's App/Facebook equivalent) and I leave with some 'Zai Jians' and see you next week - it's been an intense maintenance session…I'm not really sure what just happened, but it was reasonably successful, I have my hair done and my nails look reasonable enough for public display. Two steps forward, ten steps backwards. This is China! And breathe....... Proud to share this one over at Seychelle Mama's for My Expat Family. … [Read more...]
Week Three: So this is China…
So, it's almost three weeks into this "journey" and I've had some time to exhale and gradually ease myself into life in China. Ahhhh 'Life in China' -- even saying it out loud feels like a strange out of body experience. Me? In China?! How did that happen? I'm rediscovering that adjusting to a new city is by no means a quick process. For me, it's about slowly ticking the boxes, finding a routine of some description and getting used to the surroundings. In Xi'an, our immediate surroundings are by no means alien; a plush 5-Star hotel, leafy green streets, trendy cafes, bars and big shopping centres….all seemingly normal things, found in many parts of the world, right? But it's the little things that jolt you back into reality. Did somebody say NO chocolate?! 'Toto we're not in Kansas anymore.' (Care packages welcome.) Yes, the little things...for a start, cars are driving on the wrong side of the road! Now, that I can cope with…but they are also driving all over the road, not to mention on the footpath! (Yes, you can imagine the less robust pathways are in a constant state of repair.) There are no rules, or so it seems! If there are, they are of the unspoken variety. It's perfectly ok to cut across four lanes of traffic without so much as a flick of the indicator, or heaven forbid even the slightest pressure on the break. Drivers obliviously weave in and out from one lane to the next, all the while incessantly beeping (which in itself is enough to cause a small migraine, let alone the narrow misses and heart failing site of cars coming directly at you)! It's fair to say the one road rule that does apply, is 'whoever's biggest gets right of way,' and that includes pedestrians. You know those little green pedestrian lights - usually people or signs that say 'walk' or 'cross'? -- they differ in every country but generally it's universal for 'you may cross safely, cars will stop.' But not here. Here, you take your life in your own hands. Bikes, cars, trucks, busses and tuk tuks - will just keep on coming without slowing down (not even a little). In fact if you're in the way, you're likely to get a rather filthy look and a shake of the head. Miss A is learning relatively fast to proceed with caution in any public space! (Explaining to a small person why the cars don't stop when they should is a little challenging.) To add to the rather hairy situation, motorcyclists don't wear crash helmets, like ever. And it's a mode of transport that more often than not applies the "kid sandwich" theory. Dad on the front, mum on the back and junior in the middle…or juniors! I am impressed though, with their nifty raincoats and umbrellas attached like mini tents for those wet and wild days. Speaking of the weather, there's the little fact that the sky is more often than not a hazy shade of grey. Of course having lived in Hong Kong for four years, I am used to 50 shades, but here the pollution, brings a slightly more consistent shade to the mix. Having teased my British husband for being the eternal weather optimist for years (Him: "I can see a small patch of blue sky in the far, far east…there, can't you see it??!" Me: "NO, it's raining!") I now find myself desperately throwing open the blinds each morning, looking up and searching, squinting, scanning the sky, for a more favourable shade of blue-grey. To Xi'an's credit, we have had some beautiful summer days I must admit, to keep me sane. (Whistles tune "Always look on the bright side of life.....") What the weather lacks in colour, the city's architecture certainly makes up for. Oriental and ornate, rooftops are classically Chinese traditional styles and Xi'an is not short on stunning monuments, to gaze at in admiration. The city is vibrantly lit up with red lanterns and there is a genuine love affair with giant LED screens. For the most part there are no English signs, that's zero, zilch! Unless the retailers are going for the quirky "look I have hip English store name" that doesn't make a whole lot of sense - (but of course that's not the point). What these shopping centres may lack in Gweilo-friendly fare, they certainly make up for in kid friendly fun! There are more 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' style 'fun centres' than any parent could dare to hope for. (For the record, I have discovered Zara, H & M and Starbucks, so I am essentially able to survive, despite the distinct lack of good chocolate and Mint Mochas!) Fun centres and chocolate aside, there is however, the small problem of bathroom visits, which with a three year old, come far more often than I'd like and naturally at the most inopportune moments. I'm used to hightailing it to the nearest loo, but even when you make it in time, the challenge is not over. The ever present 'squat toilets' occupy most shopping centres and public places. (Note to self and anyone visiting: never leave home sans tissues.) Squatting is clearly an art one must master and one I'm not all that keen on getting the hang of... but, I fear we have little choice round these parts. Good for the thighs they say! Anywhere in a public space, the level of staring is at best intense….I am now empathizing with Brangelina as I walk the streets, acutely aware there are pairs of curious eyes everywhere giving us the once over. (Who needs Hollywood!) The number of photos taken/asked for is slightly overwhelming…. Mostly they want a piece of mini blondie and it usually evolves like a scene from The Bodyguard - me at close range, sizing up the crowds for any sneaky phones pointing in our direction and fending off over excited locals who can't help themselves from reaching out to pinch Ava's white chubby cheeks or twirl that long golden hair. Anyone requesting photos is told to ask the celebrity herself and if she says no, then the red carpet is unfortunately not rolled out. Then there are the children who are literally thrown at Ava, their parents desperate to hear little Johnny or Jill rattle of his or her newly learned English. Say "Hello!!" they implore (the poor child often anything but keen to drape her arms around a child she's never laid eyes on). The parents unwilling to lose this photo opportunity, smile through clenched teeth, refusing to leave the scene until child cooperates and much wanted picture is captured. And all this, just on our way to coffee! Thankfully they are generally friendly and (provided we're not in a hurry) we can manage the paparazzi - but I can't help but notice the tiny toddler fact that many of them are wearing pants with the bottoms cut out! (FYI - that's toddlers not parents.) Ah yes, you might guess what comes next…apparently it makes for easy toilet access….. I can't quite grasp the concept but it appears to be a popular one. I guess there's nothing to say but, bottoms up! After all...This is China. … [Read more...]
Stop the Press: We’re Moving to China!
Almost four years on board the expat train in the multi-layered metropolis of Hong Kong, it's time to call it a day. I knew this post was coming… in fact I've known since the day we decided to pull up stumps and relocate from our home in Australia -- that one day it would all come to an end. To be honest with you, the day I stepped foot in humid, heaving Honkers - I already had my eyes on the finish line. I'll give it two years (at best) I thought, then we'll go home. But with time comes acceptance, assimilation and ultimately adoption. I've unexpectedly fallen in love with this intoxicating city, enough to start a serious relationship and call it home - 43 floors up. In fact, I've spent more of my married life in Asia's World City than in Australia and have experienced the biggest life-changing event of all in the city that (appropriately) never sleeps - motherhood! When my toddler asks where she's from it's Hong Kong (Kowloon to be precise) her home is a very tall building called Gwun Lum Tin Ha and she thrives on a diet of dim sum and rice. Truth be told, I've also (surprisingly) become a little bit addicted to expat life. It sneaks up on you. Before you know it, you're hailing cabs like a woman possessed, wielding chopsticks with an element of finesse and crowd jamming with the best of 'em. For the last 18 months though, 'normal' life has been interspersed with a roller coaster ride of emotions - heart racing moments, highs and lows, plenty of what ifs, what next and how the hell?! With a husband in hotels, they like you to progress and conquer, meaning the next role is never too far out of sight. There's an unspoken rule…don't get too comfortable, for soon it will be time to move on. This time it's for 'top dog' -- General Manager -- the very reason we started this expat journey. The ball started rolling as the clock struck midnight 2013! No sooner had we clinked champagne glasses, pondering what the future may hold …the phone literally lit up with calls. (Who needs fireworks!) First cab off the rank (unexpectedly) Sydney! Yes! Sydney!! It wasn't for top dog. But it was Sydney!! Our home. It's like being offered your favourite pair of warm fluffy slippers after you thought you'd lost them or a warm blanket when you've been out in the cold too long. So very tempting to slot back into that old life where good friends, good jobs, a city we love and precious family not too far away, co-exist all in One. Single. Place. Really - what's to think about? Call us crazy (yes the really loopy in the head kind of crazy if you must) but… it wasn't time. It was too soon. We realized then and there, when fate slapped us in the face, we'd changed. The excitement of living amongst a different culture, constantly learning and forever adapting -- being in a place where each day brings new surprises, some good, some bad and some just plain bizarre had caught us in its grip, more tightly than we'd ever anticipated….and so we said no to Sydney -- for now. Then a month later, Wuhan, China came knocking at our door. And just when we thought we were hardened expats, ready to embrace the next big adventure, Wuhan wobbled us off our expat axis…. With two days to decide, we took a frantic flight to the place they call Asia's furnace. I'll spare you the drama, but if you missed it, you can read about the slightly harrowing, yet enlightening experience in my previous post - Do All Roads Lead to China? So, feeling weary and weighed down with the pressure of making the right decision again, we wiped our brow, took a few deep breaths, dusted Wuhan off and carried on enjoying life in the fragrant harbour. Breathing in Hong Kong air never felt so good! Then, about a month later, just chilling on the couch, a late night email came through. This time - the arrow had spun around, landing on - Bangkok! We tried to contain our excitement, hide our smug grins (it is the 'Land of Smiles' after all). This was the prize winning lotto ticket (after Hong Kong). We could do this! No consideration necessary. A quick google search for the hotel… it met all our expectations - perfect for a first time GM. A sparkling city boasting plenty of culture and charisma. As any expat would know, when you get this kind of call, as much as your head tells you sternly not to start planning, you let a little bit of your imagination run away….just a little. You start picturing what daily life in that country might look like. Where you might live. What you might do each day? Imagine yourself walking the streets amongst the Tuk Tuks, temples and famous Thai cuisine. A new culture to explore and conquer. We're in! But we weren't. Disappointed, you tell yourself it's not to be. About now, a little bit of panic sets in. What's next then, will China call again? Brace yourself, you can't say no forever. You also breathe a small sigh of relief, knowing it buys you extra time. Time in your haven where you can almost pretend you're not going anywhere. Life goes on as normal - school run, work, socializing, trips away, shopping….doctor's appointments. But just as you let your guard down, relax and almost convince yourself you're here to stay, the inevitable happens. When my husband comes home from work in the middle of the day, bearing a Mint Mocha, I know it's serious. "How does Melbourne sound?" he says ever so half heartedly. Then more enthusiastically, "This time it's top dog!" My heart skips a beat. We've got 24 hours. 24 hours to make a decision to put ourselves forward as one of three candidates for a role which could potentially change our lives. We talk it through…over and over. We text family… we try to get a feeling one way or the other. It's home but it's not really home. It's still too far from family. It's a great opportunity but is it a great move financially? Great city, but we're not convinced it's for us. We can't decide. There are tears of frustration, heated words. We make a list of pros and cons. We think we should go…but when it comes down to it, we realise, neither of us really wants to. What's happened to us? They joke people (namely expats) get lost in Asia. Is this us? Much to the surprise (shock) of friends and family we decline Melbourne and deep down know this may very well be a decision we long live to regret. But still, we feel OK. We know we've got unfinished business in Asia. If we end expat life now and go home, we'll never know where it may have taken us. Another few weeks go by after the emotional upheaval… and again 'normality' resumes, that is until we hear the top spot at one of the company's other hotels in Hong Kong is up for grabs. Could this be ours? A chance to stay in Hong Kong! Is it too good to be true? Yes it is. This one's got a list as long as my arm and we're not at the top. My husband's getting itchy feet …should we have gone home? Are we going to end up in the back of China? Probably. It's hard to make plans….how long have we got? Do I sign up for that work event? Should Ava start her new school? Should I say yes to that Junk boat invitation next month. Can we book a flight home? Then it happens again, lying in bed one night, another day is over…James quickly checks his emails - a few expletives…then, "The W Koh Samui - They want to put me forward as one of three!" Uh oh.. here we go again….a restless night ensues, simultaneously, we toss and turn. Another long three weeks go by, waiting…waiting - stomach in knots…is this the one? I've never been to Koh Samui, but it's hard not to have heard about it. That famous Leonardo DiCaprio movie The Beach springs to mind. Amazing location. But an island? - me on an island? Until recently we'd all but ruled-out resorts. Too isolating for us city slickers we'd joked and brushed the idea under the carpet. But after the last six months, lazy days by the pool suddenly sound very inviting. I picture a relaxed, family lifestyle, lots of delicious writing overlooking the powdery white sand and crystal clear waters…life in a variety of techni-coloured sarongs. Am I dreaming? From 7-million to 62,000 people! Suffice to say, I was dreaming, it didn't eventuate. Disappointed, again, we take a collective sigh and try to carry on as normal. The next email comes a month later. The desert heat of Doha is calling. I'm scared because it's the Middle East and it's not familiar, but I'm also keen because I actually know people there. This could work….I start to envisage Arabian nights under the stars, but after a month the project is placed on the back burner and the idea of camel rides in the sand is quickly blown away. Hot on its heels comes Goa, in India! By this point my husband is calmly throwing these locations out there over dinner and I'm usually replying with a nervous half chuckle, too scared to acknowledge it might be the one. I've never heard of Goa but our English friends tell us it's the perfect island city. Again my imagination does a little dance and I think about life on a diet of curries and a place where cows roam the streets. But again I'm quietly anxious. It's a time when India is front and centre in the news for all the wrong reasons… So, maybe it's just as well the powers that be rendered Goa not the place for us. Swallow, inhale, exhale, repeat! At this point I'm stuck between desperately wishing for a crystal ball and just forgetting this limbo land exists! My iPhone weather app seriously can't take any more cities. But it's going to have to. A little town in China comes up called Heifei. Unfortunately a quick google tells me it's one of Asia's 'other' furnaces. This little town has seven million people and it's still considered a backwater! The city's nickname "nowheresville" jumps out at me from my screen. I anxiously read on and discover it's a place where people can't park their own cars. I picture myself being flagged down by rich Chinese in Mercedes and asked to parallel park for them. We say no to Heifei. It's not long before bikinis are back on the agenda. It's Bali but a sideways move for James. We debate the merits and as much as we'd love to dabble in the Island of Gods, it defeats the purpose of this adventure. Relaxing back home over a little Christmas lunch with the family Down Under, the faraway land of Seoul in South Korea springs up! On paper, it sounds oh so very sophisticated, but by this point in the game we barely bat an eyelid… just as well because by New Year, Seoul is off the cards. Another day comes, another Chinese city. ChongQing. The third furnace in China… also known as the 'fog city.' Somehow we narrowly escape this one. Then Macau is placed in our laps and we almost somersault with unbridled excitement! It seems like a done deal and while it lacks the excitement of exploring a new, unknown culture, a stone's throw from Hong Kong it gives us the opportunity to cling onto much of our old life. We happen to be in Macau on a weekend holiday so we snap pictures outside the half built hotel, daring to wonder if this will become a significant moment in our future. But our snaps end up being deleted. Macau is not where we belong. Our brief love affair is over. Then… just when I start to think we might be destined to remain in Hong Kong, along comes a place we realize we can't refuse. Oh yes, it seems the path to China is set in stone (or rather clay) and truthfully we almost sigh with relief at this point. Our new home is also home to those famous Terracotta Warriors. Xi'an means Western Peace and is regarded as one of the fourth oldest cities in the world, along with Rome, Cairo and Athens, although I'm pretty sure it's not nearly as esteemed. But what I'm comforted by, is it has character and it has soul (and it's not the fourth furnace)! The odds are surely in my favour, there are direct flights to the Gold Coast and there's a Starbucks opposite the hotel. Xi'an, you had me at hello! Something tells me this is where the real expat journey begins….(thank god for those few Mandarin lessons….and thank you Beijing Mandarin for teaching me how to order a Mint Mocha in Mandarin today!) So, it's time to say 'thank you' Hong Kong. Thank you for showing me a life I could never have imagined in my wildest dreams. As excited about this new adventure as I am, I'm also slightly terrified! So stick with me, because I'll see you on the other side! Pssst, i'm almost positive you'll have a very good picture of Xi'an by the time we leave, but here's a short video to give you a sneak preview. Anyone interested in the Westin Xi'an.... this is what it looks like! … [Read more...]