Back in Portland, other thoughts...

We are back home and I must say, it is a wonderful place to be. Although I missed my comfort food and normal life, nothing compares to how much I missed Nicole and Trejan. The week Damon was in China before I joined him was hard on all of us. This was the longest time he had ever been away from the kids, and boy are we glad that is over! While I think about our move I remind myself that being together is the most important piece of my happiness puzzle.

Nicole is getting excited about moving. She is ready to move "right now!" Trejan on the other hand has only been slightly contaminated with Nicole's enthusiasm (she is very contagious). He hasn't really come up with much to say that is positive, but the lack of negative comments makes me hopeful. We have been talking about living in China for so long, two more months of waiting seems like a long time for young kids six and eight (well, Nicole turns eight in two days.)


While we were in Dalian we accomplished some other things I didn't mention before.

1. We went to a "fabric mart" where there were many floors of any type of fabric you can imagine. There are women there who will sew for you anything you wish. The Chinese dresses we have seen in the past have always been a little thin and on the verge of ripping, so I decided to have a couple hand made. It was a little stressful, but in Mandarin (we realized that our studies have actually helped us....) Damon and I managed to explain to the seamstress that we wanted two dresses. One for Nicole and one for our four year old friend Mia. I picked out a piece of beautiful silk and I also selected a warm cozy fabric to line the dresses, more suitable for Portland winters. They turned out absolutely beautiful, and the quality is amazing. Nicole is even excited, which is a minor miracle (since I don't think she has worn a dress even a dozen times in the past year).

2. We looked around some areas where the locals shop. If we want to save money and speak only Mandarin this is where we should shop. I am not sure how long it will take me to have the courage to buy much there, but it was defiantly good to experience walking around. There are a lot of "wet markets" where locals sell produce (and unrefrigerated meat and fish). On my first trip to Dalian (last summer) this was overwhelming, but this time it was easier for me. I am pretty sure I will stick to the refrigerated meats at the expensive (relatively speaking) grocery stores.

3. We opened a Chinese bank account, I think we only have 5 RMB in our account (less than one dollar). But one less thing to do when we move...

4. We visited the Intel Medical Clinic. Beautiful! It has the cleanliness and professional atmosphere we are accustomed to. We are part of International S.O.S., and will be in good hands. The clinic is right outside our door, at "Campus Village" which is the name of the neighborhood by the International school.

The life we have in Portland is comfortable and easy. I wonder at times why we are giving this up, but then I think about how much we will gain from this adventure. With much packing and planning ahead of me I continue to remind myself that this is an opportunity of a lifetime. Damon and I are both stretching ourselves and we know that it isn't going to be easy, but we are assured that it will be rewarding. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers, and thanks for following our blog!