What an exciting and fulfilling 5 day adventure to Beijing.
I decided awhile back that I desperately needed a vacation away from Shekou (the city where I live). So after mulling over it I decided to go with a family of 6 and a now dear friend and colleague of mine. We first found a great flight and then an amazing hostel to stay at. If you ever go to Beijing stay at the Peking Downtown Backpackers Accommodation and ask for Apple (yes that is her English name). It was cheap and very helpful.
The trip begins Sunday April 26 at 7:15 AM as I say good bye to Dylan my dear husband who had to stay back and work. I met Barbara, my colleague I teach with, at the local Starbucks. Grabbed some nut bars and a juice and met Michelle and her husband and 13 year old triplet boys and a 8 year old daughter.
We took two cabs because they could only carry at maximum 4 people. It was so nice to see that two actually pulled up at the same time. We arrived at Shenzhen International Airport at 8:00 and checked in. Fairly nice airport. The flight was three hours from Shenzhen to Beijing. No in flight movies but towards the end of the flight the stewardess leads in flight exercises which are counted in Chinese and explained in Chinese as well. It was hilarious to watch them "yi . . . . er . . . san . . . si . .." (English translation 1 2 3 4).
After disembarking from the plane we gather our bags and head towards a man holding a sign with my name on it. It was a great feeling of importance. We then all climbed into the van and drove to our hostel. The hostel is located down a small road that can only be used by cars going one way and motorized bicycles.The roads are referred to as hutongs. Go to this site to read more about what hutongs are and the history behind it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hutong.
Our rooms were quite familiar on some level of when I was living in a dorm room in college. The family of six had a 3 bunk beds in their room along with a private bathroom. Barbara and I shared a room with two twin size beds and a private bathroom as well. Our room also had an odd skylight which allowed the sunlight to appear at 5 AM! It was unruly but at least we never overslept! HA!!! Upon checking in we learned that we had to supply our own towels. This was a problem since we did not have these. So Barbara and I decided to make our way on our first scavenger hunt amongst many in search of the Jian Mart (closest thing I can compare this too is a Wal Mart). We found snacks for our trip to the Great Wall for the following day and cheap hand towels to dry off with. We were roughing it by far.
When returned we all, including the family of six, went to see a Chinese Acrobatic Show. It was truly amazing to watch the small limbered children and adults do things with their bodies that made me almost need a muscle relaxer after watching them. It was a sight to see nonetheless. After that we all climbed back into the van and said good bye to the "Heaven and Earth" theater. Once we returned, Barbara and I decided to eat at a small Tibetan food restaurant located on the same hutong as our hostel. It was cute and quaint and we enjoyed each others company with small talk and such. We both decided we had to head back early because we were leaving the hostel at 6:40AM to see the Great Wall.
6:40AM came so early for the both of us after traveling all the day the day before we both agreed we could have used another hour or so to sleep. The bus took us and the family of six along with others to the Great Wall. The ride was almost 3 hours long. Once we got outside the city, it was amazing to see the mountains and flat lands where people lived in houses much like the setting of a countryside in the states. Something we had not seen in a long time. It was beautiful. As we approached our destination we got out of the van and was disappointed to see that there was so many students on a field trip as well. They all had on red track outfits jackets and matching pants. It was a bit warm for the warm up suits but with that many kids they had to wear something that stood out. I am guessing there was over 300 students there in groves. After making our way to the bathroom, just about everyone opts to climb the first part of the wall. Barbara and I decide to enjoy the sights so we paid $6 to ride on the cable cars. It was so nice to enjoy the sights and get the first call from Dylan. Once we got to the top we were malled by the Chinese women selling crap and bottles of water. Luckily Barbara and I came prepared with peanut butter and fruit and big water bottles.
The section of the wall that we walked/hiked on was 8KM and took about 4.5 hours to complete. It reminded me so much of my hike I previously did which was 11 miles and more hills to go down and climb. The wall is continuing to crumble in places and is very difficult at times to go down safely. I got a great sun burn on my shoulders and neck. But it quickly faded to a tan the next morning. When we finally reached the end of wall, we had the option of zip-lining down over a river. Naturally I did the zip line and it was amazing. Barbara and I went together as they were putting us on two at a time. Once we all got to the bottom we went on a short boat ride to the shore where everyone else met us. Amazing sights and to think we were walking on a huge part of Chinese history where dynasties came and defended what they knew to be theirs and wanted so much more. Here is a web link about the Great Wall http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Wall_of_China. We then headed back and it was around 6 or 7 PM when we finally made it back to the hostel. When you looked at every one's faces we all agreed that it was time to hit the showers. That was one night we all slept hard.
Tuesday was a jammed packed day. We went to the Forbidden City, Tianamen Square, and the Bird's Nest where the Olympic stadium is in Beijing. I do not personally like the feeling I felt when I was at Tianamen Square due to the history and its claim to fame. It was very eery to me and I felt unsettled there. As we continued through the square to the Forbidden City the feeling dissipated. Here is some history about Tianamen Square http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen_Square_protests_of_1989. The Forbidden City was beautiful and full of facts that I cannot spout out. There are always two lions at the entry. The lion on the left is the male lion and has his paw on a ball and the lion on the right is the female and she has her paw on a lion cub. This was noted throughout the entire temple setup. It was amazing to see that they had drainage systems too that terraced down and spilled out of gargoyles mouths. The emperor had so many rooms of his personal things and keepsakes. Lots of clocks as they were a valued gift to him. Here is a link to the Forbidden City http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbidden_City. Very informative trip and very long too. I am noticing though that if you have seen one temple you have seen them all with little variation to the setup and its surroundings. We rode on the metro which is a subway that runs all over Beijing. We decided to take it to the Bird's Nest and see the sights around it. What a long train ride that was. UGHHHH!!! And crowded too! I know exactly what it is like to be a sardine nonetheless and it was not pretty with stinky men and women who choose not to wear deodorant or failing deodorant. The phrase "Are you SURE" has not reached China yet. My nose is ultra sensitive and it was all I could do but not pass out. Crazy times but fun!!! The Bird's Nest was amazing to marvel at from the outside and the construction that took place. It is earthquake proof and boy does it show. Steel bent and molded into so many directions . . . . just pure amazement. We also saw the aquatic center that looked like bubbles were all over it. Neat to view. Then we faced a mob of people trying to sell stupid Olympic paraphernalia like cheap kites with the Olympic creatures on it (I have no idea what they are but its their logo in China) and paper weights that light up. I got into it with a vendor who could not take no for an answer. I first was polite and said no in Chinese. He then continues and I continue to say no again in Chinese. After this went on 3 more times I got extremely annoyed and raised my voice loud and repeated again. Then the vendor laughs at me behind my back and I turn around, show him my fist and say "ha ha ha". He then freaks out and says "Ooh". After that the guy left me alone and walked away.
Wednesday we decided to go to the Summer Palace. Here is some info http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_Palace. Very beautiful place. We all agreed that we had seen so much of the temples that we opted to take a pedal boat around the lake. This place was enormous. Bigger than the Forbidden City. It was so wonderful to pedal around looking at the various things. As I got in the family of 6 decided it was race time. I am not used to this competitive side. . . . well maybe I am and that is why I decided to go forth and race a grown man and a 13 year old boy with me and an 8 year old girl. I was ready to cry. And my thighs were barking well more like screaming. We pedalled for about an hour and a half. Saw the marble boat which I have named the plaster of Paris boat for no particular reason. We then got off and Barbara decided to go back to the entrance and wait on us to finish up the tour. That was about 3PM I think. So we continued to look around and we came to a Chinese calligraphy professor. I was so amazed at the work he did I had a silk/rice paper scroll made for Dylan and I with our last name in the middle and wishes of good luck and fortune. As we continued to stop and look there was this uncanny event that occurred with the daughter of the family of six. Her name is McCall and she is 8 years old with blond curly hair and blue eyes and cute as a button. All the Chinese people would stop us and take a picture with her and sometimes me as well due to my "blond" hair as well. It was like the paparazzi was all over the place. Once we had enough of the Summer Palace we all decided it was time to head out at 6:00. We could not find our way out so we had to retrace our steps in how we got in. As we exited the palace we could not find Barbara. It was awful. We looked everywhere and finally we decided that she must have gone back without us. We also needed two taxis to get us back to our hostel again. So we find the two after being "attacked" by the crazy taxi drivers who are unruly and charge way too much. All the way home Michelle the mother of the 6 and McCall her daughter are constantly worrying about Barbara. In hopes she made it to the hostel before us we were sadly disappointed. So Michelle and I decide to have a drink after what we went through. As we sit down we saw Barbara walk by. Michelle quickly gets up and runs up to her with me in tow behind. Turns out Barbara needed to eat and doesn't do well in crowds so she hopped in a taxi and went to the metro station and came back home that way. I was so relieved when I saw here and learned that she was not angry with us for leaving her. Michelle, Barbara, and myself all decided after that whole ordeal that we needed a drink and food.
The next day we packed and went in search of the Harley Davidson store for Barbara to get a gift for her brother. Her and I both posed on the the bike and took pictures. Too funny. On the way back we got a little lost and I was worried I was going to wet my pants in search of finding our hostel. We needed to rendezvous back at the hostel at 2PM to get the van to take us back to the airport and it was 1:45PM. Finally after much freaking out from both Barbara and I we heard a familiar voice . . . It was Michelle and her husband. Boy were we glad to see them. We then walked back and headed out to the airport and said good bye to Beijing.
I am planning on going back again with Dylan next time. Soak up some nightlife and see more things than before.
I wish you and your family sunshine and blue skies to share with each other.
Until next time . . . .
Amanda Blankenship and Dylan in tow!!
Friday, May 1, 2009
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Hello all
Just for the record I want to say that I do not post a new blog unless something exciting happens that is worth writing about. If not then you will lose interest and well that is not my goal in writing this thing. So there will be periods of time that you will not hear from us because nothing is going on worth writing about. With that said I will tell you some exciting things that Dylan and I have been doing lately.
So since we have been back from the states we are coming to the conclusion that it might be awhile before we decide to come back due to flight fares and the awful jet lag. But we welcome our friends to come and stay with us now that we have this awesome apartment!!
At the end of February we moved out of our previous apartment and into one that is three times its size (maybe not exactly but its pretty darn big). We love coming home now to our little haven.
I have been super busy lately at school and around the community here in Shekou. (Sh-e-k-O). I am amongst a group (or few) that has a purpose of bridging the gap between expats (non-Chinese people living here) and local Chinese people. One group I am apart of is called Social Responsibility 101. We are working right now with a local Chinese school and my current school through a pen pal program with 9 and 10 year old children. The students have yet to meet each other and continue to write letters back and forth. On April 24th they will present art work for a local "hang out" here in Shekou which will represent how Shekou is Earth Friendly and doing things to help keep Shekou Earth Friendly. I am so excited about this event. Another event going on that I am apart of is having our students at my current school work with the local Chinese school in helping ot clean up a park together. This is such an amazing event just building the bridge between expats and locals on a small level.
Dylan is also doing many innovative ideas with his company as well. As stated earlier, he has branched off from the company where he first started when he came to China and is forming his own company with a great friend and colleague from his past working experience in the states. I think the phrase "never burn your bridges" falls into this category because you never know when you will meet up with someone again and fulfill your dreams and ideas. I am so proud of him in that he is going to school online, starting his own company which is an idea that came from scratch and no templates to follow so to speak, and being a wonderful husband in the end. Very multifaceted and I am proud to be married to him. He is supportive of me and I of him as well. His new project is beginning to take shape and come to fruition, which is something I feel by both Dylan and his partner that was once a concept but never really imagined it would be true. They are creating a site in which will allow many people from around the world to see how to import and export out of China and provide the "how" in doing it effectively through stories and experiences of others. Just "GOOGLE" sourcejuice and you can see for yourself.
On a lighter note, Dylan's first boss that brought him to China has his baby this past Thursday here in China. We got to visit the mother and the baby boy. The baby is HUGE but completely beautiful all in the end. I am still not a fan of Chinese hospitals. Here is some interesting facts about having babies here in China . . . . back in the states and even in Hong Kong you can find out what you are having (boy or girl). However, if you are local Chinese you cannot find out the gender of the baby due to abortions. Since the Chinese people are allowed to have one child (free) they want usually a son so that he will continue to carry out the family name. But if the Chinese person wants to have another child they have to pay a large sum of money to do this. This is how they do the "one child per family" law. If you see how many people live here it does make sense in the end. So that is why they do not allow to find out what the gender is or else they might abort it if it is a girl. Another interesting fact is that women cut their hair relatively short towards the end of their pregnancy (Chinese women). The reason behind this statement is that the extra nourishment that it takes to keep their hair long takes away from the babies nourishment. Not sure about that one but I do not think I will be cutting my hair in the end. The pregnant Chinese women also wear smocks that are lined with lead to protect their unborn babies when using the computers and what have you. They remind me of when you go to get x-rays and they put the smocks on you to protect you only these are lighter and not as heavy. I guess its a smart idea but definitely tacky to wear. Another friend of mine that I work with also had a baby too. She is from the states and so is her husband. They had the baby in Hong Kong which is about an hours worth away. Sort of like the distance between Suwanee and Northside Hospital for the Georgia folks. This is where Dylan and I are planning on having our baby when we decide that life changing event at a later time. Too many people want us to have a baby now and I am saying no until things settle with me changing schools and insurance plans next year we have to wait and no rush or worries at that. No pressure please from the peanut gallery. Trust me we will have them but on our own time which is not being told to anyone.
For my travels I am actually getting ready to plan some fun trips with a few teacher friends of mine. We are getting ready to travel to Beijing (FINALLY) and see the Great Wall and the other things you do when you come to China. We found flights for $200 round trip which is amazing being that they are now creeping up to $500-$800. We are leaving April 26th-30th. Then when I come back home I am leaving for Singapore the next day for a three day weekend with Dylan and a great friend of ours. Busy busy busy.
Things get really busy here in China between Dylan and me. We wait until enough interesting stuff has accumulated before we decide to post a blog. So know that something exciting is going on but we are waiting on a good time to post it. School for me has been super busy. I am also helping out with the high school play in choreographing 2 dances. I am helping out with the school's talent show and I am in two acts myself . . . The evolution of dance (Youtube) and playing the part of little red riding hood in a performance. Dylan, myself, and the founder of Social Responsibility 101 was featured in a magazine here in China called That's PRD. It was fun for awhile when the local Chinese people would use their best English and tell you "I sawr you before in magazine." hahahahaha. I feel pretty excited being featured. I am also taking up running now. I run in the mornings a few days during the week for about 30 minutes. I am trying to boost my time now and distance. Not for any particular reason other than staying fit. The air is better in the mornings and not many people are out that early either so that is why I bite the bullet and run then.
We miss and love you all. I am not sure when we will come back to the states. My wonderful and loving mother in law is coming with her finance this summer to stay with us. I am so super psyched about that. She is so uplifting and makes you feel warm and good inside which is the contrary of what I hear about mother in laws in general. I guess it helped by having her first as a friend before I met my dream come true . . . Dylan.
Well I think that is all for now. Post a response if you wish. I'd love to hear how you are doing.
Warmly from our family to yours,
Amanda and Dylan Blankenship
So since we have been back from the states we are coming to the conclusion that it might be awhile before we decide to come back due to flight fares and the awful jet lag. But we welcome our friends to come and stay with us now that we have this awesome apartment!!
At the end of February we moved out of our previous apartment and into one that is three times its size (maybe not exactly but its pretty darn big). We love coming home now to our little haven.
I have been super busy lately at school and around the community here in Shekou. (Sh-e-k-O). I am amongst a group (or few) that has a purpose of bridging the gap between expats (non-Chinese people living here) and local Chinese people. One group I am apart of is called Social Responsibility 101. We are working right now with a local Chinese school and my current school through a pen pal program with 9 and 10 year old children. The students have yet to meet each other and continue to write letters back and forth. On April 24th they will present art work for a local "hang out" here in Shekou which will represent how Shekou is Earth Friendly and doing things to help keep Shekou Earth Friendly. I am so excited about this event. Another event going on that I am apart of is having our students at my current school work with the local Chinese school in helping ot clean up a park together. This is such an amazing event just building the bridge between expats and locals on a small level.
Dylan is also doing many innovative ideas with his company as well. As stated earlier, he has branched off from the company where he first started when he came to China and is forming his own company with a great friend and colleague from his past working experience in the states. I think the phrase "never burn your bridges" falls into this category because you never know when you will meet up with someone again and fulfill your dreams and ideas. I am so proud of him in that he is going to school online, starting his own company which is an idea that came from scratch and no templates to follow so to speak, and being a wonderful husband in the end. Very multifaceted and I am proud to be married to him. He is supportive of me and I of him as well. His new project is beginning to take shape and come to fruition, which is something I feel by both Dylan and his partner that was once a concept but never really imagined it would be true. They are creating a site in which will allow many people from around the world to see how to import and export out of China and provide the "how" in doing it effectively through stories and experiences of others. Just "GOOGLE" sourcejuice and you can see for yourself.
On a lighter note, Dylan's first boss that brought him to China has his baby this past Thursday here in China. We got to visit the mother and the baby boy. The baby is HUGE but completely beautiful all in the end. I am still not a fan of Chinese hospitals. Here is some interesting facts about having babies here in China . . . . back in the states and even in Hong Kong you can find out what you are having (boy or girl). However, if you are local Chinese you cannot find out the gender of the baby due to abortions. Since the Chinese people are allowed to have one child (free) they want usually a son so that he will continue to carry out the family name. But if the Chinese person wants to have another child they have to pay a large sum of money to do this. This is how they do the "one child per family" law. If you see how many people live here it does make sense in the end. So that is why they do not allow to find out what the gender is or else they might abort it if it is a girl. Another interesting fact is that women cut their hair relatively short towards the end of their pregnancy (Chinese women). The reason behind this statement is that the extra nourishment that it takes to keep their hair long takes away from the babies nourishment. Not sure about that one but I do not think I will be cutting my hair in the end. The pregnant Chinese women also wear smocks that are lined with lead to protect their unborn babies when using the computers and what have you. They remind me of when you go to get x-rays and they put the smocks on you to protect you only these are lighter and not as heavy. I guess its a smart idea but definitely tacky to wear. Another friend of mine that I work with also had a baby too. She is from the states and so is her husband. They had the baby in Hong Kong which is about an hours worth away. Sort of like the distance between Suwanee and Northside Hospital for the Georgia folks. This is where Dylan and I are planning on having our baby when we decide that life changing event at a later time. Too many people want us to have a baby now and I am saying no until things settle with me changing schools and insurance plans next year we have to wait and no rush or worries at that. No pressure please from the peanut gallery. Trust me we will have them but on our own time which is not being told to anyone.
For my travels I am actually getting ready to plan some fun trips with a few teacher friends of mine. We are getting ready to travel to Beijing (FINALLY) and see the Great Wall and the other things you do when you come to China. We found flights for $200 round trip which is amazing being that they are now creeping up to $500-$800. We are leaving April 26th-30th. Then when I come back home I am leaving for Singapore the next day for a three day weekend with Dylan and a great friend of ours. Busy busy busy.
Things get really busy here in China between Dylan and me. We wait until enough interesting stuff has accumulated before we decide to post a blog. So know that something exciting is going on but we are waiting on a good time to post it. School for me has been super busy. I am also helping out with the high school play in choreographing 2 dances. I am helping out with the school's talent show and I am in two acts myself . . . The evolution of dance (Youtube) and playing the part of little red riding hood in a performance. Dylan, myself, and the founder of Social Responsibility 101 was featured in a magazine here in China called That's PRD. It was fun for awhile when the local Chinese people would use their best English and tell you "I sawr you before in magazine." hahahahaha. I feel pretty excited being featured. I am also taking up running now. I run in the mornings a few days during the week for about 30 minutes. I am trying to boost my time now and distance. Not for any particular reason other than staying fit. The air is better in the mornings and not many people are out that early either so that is why I bite the bullet and run then.
We miss and love you all. I am not sure when we will come back to the states. My wonderful and loving mother in law is coming with her finance this summer to stay with us. I am so super psyched about that. She is so uplifting and makes you feel warm and good inside which is the contrary of what I hear about mother in laws in general. I guess it helped by having her first as a friend before I met my dream come true . . . Dylan.
Well I think that is all for now. Post a response if you wish. I'd love to hear how you are doing.
Warmly from our family to yours,
Amanda and Dylan Blankenship
Friday, January 2, 2009
Back to the states then back to China again!!
Hello everyone!!
Dylan and I went back to the states for Christmas and it was quite . . . . . busy.
We landed in Atlanta on Dec 13th. Dylan's flight got in about 4 hours before mine so he and my in laws went to the mall for awhile and ate lunch. Meanwhile I am flying from Hong Kong to Newark and then a five hour lay over. I finally hop on the plane to Atlanta and fall asleep....probably snoring according to Dylan. My flight got in late and all I could think of was sleep.
So our first meal (with me included) was . . . . Chinese!! Hahahaha. I know what you are thinking but American Chinese food is not the same as Chinese Chinese food. Dylan got Mongolian Beef and I think I shared it but not too sure. I know I got some soup which was pretty good. Dylan and I went to bed around 3AM and woke up at 3PM. Yeah that would be a shocker to us all. We spent the next day and a half doing the zombie march. It was nice to see our friends and loved ones. I went back to Suwanee Elementary School and had one of the warmest welcomes I think I ever received. I felt like some celebrity. Every five minutes someone stopped me in the hallway and started asking about China. It was priceless. Everyone looked the same with the exception of a few different hair styles and bigger bellies from being pregnant but nothing too out of the ordinary. Dylan and I have many friends who love us dearly and that is something we are so lucky to have. Thank you to everyone for the countless meals and long talks and even letting us crash at their house (Cuvo's) and eat Ethiopian food.
Dylan and I got to see so much of our families. Christmas was really a time for sharing this year. I didn't want anything but to spend time with others and that's what I got. Seeing friends, catching up on who became parents since we left . . . it all puts things in perspective.
By leaving China to come and visit the states made things look as if they had stood still for just but a split second. Things have not really changed and then again they changed drastically. Change is a good thing and if you continue to live life in one direction the whole time you will be missing out on some of life's most precious things.
We arrived back in Hong Kong on our one year anniversary. It is amazing how fast and how eventful our first year was as man and wife. Get married, husband leaves wife to move to a new country after a month and a half of marriage, move in with the in laws, shipped the dog to China, then move to China myself and start a new job. One would say it wouldn't last and others would say it was meant to be but as for Dylan and I we know that this would never had happened if we hadn't fell in love with each other in the beginning and that's enough for us for now. Life is not something you have to explain but to experience. So on our 1st anniversary we stayed at a nice hotel in Hong Kong went out the next morning had breakfast and went back to Shekou, Shenzhen (China) via taxi. We spent the next day in bed all day watching movies and ordering out for food. It was a wonderful day to spend together.
As far as jobs are concern, Dylan is still working at forming his own company with skill and finesse. He is so dedicated to being a great entrepreneur and puts so much time into what he is building with his company and products. I am so proud to call him my husband.
I, myself, have taken on a career advance. In the fall I will be teaching at another International School which is located across the street. The reason for the switch is not because I am unhappy at my present school but more opportunities that allow me to grow as an educator. Dylan and I couldn't be happier about the vertical move.
With that said we are so happy to see our friends and be back in China. Our only regret is that we could not stay longer to see more of our friends. Best to you all and may this new year bring joy and excitement to all.
Love,
Amanda and Dylan
Dylan and I went back to the states for Christmas and it was quite . . . . . busy.
We landed in Atlanta on Dec 13th. Dylan's flight got in about 4 hours before mine so he and my in laws went to the mall for awhile and ate lunch. Meanwhile I am flying from Hong Kong to Newark and then a five hour lay over. I finally hop on the plane to Atlanta and fall asleep....probably snoring according to Dylan. My flight got in late and all I could think of was sleep.
So our first meal (with me included) was . . . . Chinese!! Hahahaha. I know what you are thinking but American Chinese food is not the same as Chinese Chinese food. Dylan got Mongolian Beef and I think I shared it but not too sure. I know I got some soup which was pretty good. Dylan and I went to bed around 3AM and woke up at 3PM. Yeah that would be a shocker to us all. We spent the next day and a half doing the zombie march. It was nice to see our friends and loved ones. I went back to Suwanee Elementary School and had one of the warmest welcomes I think I ever received. I felt like some celebrity. Every five minutes someone stopped me in the hallway and started asking about China. It was priceless. Everyone looked the same with the exception of a few different hair styles and bigger bellies from being pregnant but nothing too out of the ordinary. Dylan and I have many friends who love us dearly and that is something we are so lucky to have. Thank you to everyone for the countless meals and long talks and even letting us crash at their house (Cuvo's) and eat Ethiopian food.
Dylan and I got to see so much of our families. Christmas was really a time for sharing this year. I didn't want anything but to spend time with others and that's what I got. Seeing friends, catching up on who became parents since we left . . . it all puts things in perspective.
By leaving China to come and visit the states made things look as if they had stood still for just but a split second. Things have not really changed and then again they changed drastically. Change is a good thing and if you continue to live life in one direction the whole time you will be missing out on some of life's most precious things.
We arrived back in Hong Kong on our one year anniversary. It is amazing how fast and how eventful our first year was as man and wife. Get married, husband leaves wife to move to a new country after a month and a half of marriage, move in with the in laws, shipped the dog to China, then move to China myself and start a new job. One would say it wouldn't last and others would say it was meant to be but as for Dylan and I we know that this would never had happened if we hadn't fell in love with each other in the beginning and that's enough for us for now. Life is not something you have to explain but to experience. So on our 1st anniversary we stayed at a nice hotel in Hong Kong went out the next morning had breakfast and went back to Shekou, Shenzhen (China) via taxi. We spent the next day in bed all day watching movies and ordering out for food. It was a wonderful day to spend together.
As far as jobs are concern, Dylan is still working at forming his own company with skill and finesse. He is so dedicated to being a great entrepreneur and puts so much time into what he is building with his company and products. I am so proud to call him my husband.
I, myself, have taken on a career advance. In the fall I will be teaching at another International School which is located across the street. The reason for the switch is not because I am unhappy at my present school but more opportunities that allow me to grow as an educator. Dylan and I couldn't be happier about the vertical move.
With that said we are so happy to see our friends and be back in China. Our only regret is that we could not stay longer to see more of our friends. Best to you all and may this new year bring joy and excitement to all.
Love,
Amanda and Dylan
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