The Neglected Blog

I think back to Peace Corps when I would see other volunteers' blogs on my blog roll say things like "Last updated 3 weeks", "Last updated 1 month", "Last updated 3 months", and so on and I always secretly judged them for not keeping up with it. I felt it was so easy and fun. Well, I am now one of them and believe me, its not easy to update this blog. Even updating photo of the day is getting harder.

I am lacking inspiration to know what to write, which makes updating a challenge. I am struggling to put our experiences down on paper (or on the screen in this case). I have a hard time feeling like our life is interesting enough to detail. I don't always know how to phrase things sometimes as our life here is far more watched and scrutinized than any any aspect of life in the Peace Corps was.

A typical day for us involves waking up at 6:10 am, being to work a by 7:45 am, working all day, leaving work around 7:00 pm, coming home to figure out dinner, doing a few quick things around the house, and finally collapsing into bed. And this doesn't even take into account all the side projects and events we have going on, such as trying to start up a summer camp, collecting a million visa records from the past few years for analysis, and trying to make time for friends and basic things like grocery shopping and laundry, let alone time to think of how to creatively write a blog post.

I love the idea of our blog. It is an easy way to keep friends and family back home updated on our life. We would love to be able to call and email everyone individually, but that isn't realistic between the time difference, the sometimes spotty internet connection, and everyone's busy lives. Theoretically, the blog should be the easiest way to update everyone, but even it falls victim to neglect. I do prioritize doing laundry (a 4 hour process here), planning this summer camp, and trying to keep our apartment tidy (thank goodness for our weekly apartment cleaning). I would never say our life is difficult, because let's be honest, we live in a ridiculously nice place, have great jobs, and great friends. But, it certainly is a never ending to-do list.

"Silk Kimonos Upon Request"

There hasn't been much to write about lately. PM is busy learning Mandarin all day, every day. He has moved up to the advanced beginner's class (no surprise there). This guy was born to learn languages. Sometimes, if there is room, FSI will let family into language classes as well. However, I wasn't lucky enough as Chinese is full. I have been granted access to Rosetta Stone and some other online resources through FSI so I am slowly building my vocabulary. I can't say anything useful yet, other than "hello", "good-bye", and "thank you". I can, however, say "The white cat is running with the young girls eating apples" and other wonderful sentences!

I remain jobless for the time being, however I have accepted a job for the summer as the Director of Arlington Youth and Family Service's Summer Expedition Camp at Drew Elementary. I am excited for it. It seems the structure of their camps is different than what I am used to in St. Peter, but I think it will be a good challenge. I especially am excited to have a more diverse group of kids than I have had previously. The kids here don't get out of school until the middle to end of June, so camp doesn't start until July. In the meantime, I have contacted a local adoption agency in hopes of volunteering with their International Adoption Coordinator. The US Consulate in Guangzhou handles all US-China adoptions. Soon, I will start looking for a job in China and my hope is that any more specialized experience might be advantageous. I still haven't heard back from them yet, but I am hoping to soon.

Our life has been filled still with happy hours and events with PM's A-100 classmates and their families. This past weekend there was an international potluck where we all brought food or drink from our future homes. Then Monday we said goodbye to the first of the 175th group to head to post. This is only the start. By January, everyone will be off exploring their new countries.

Our life has also been filled with Chinese at all hours of the day. PM is working really hard at learning the language. I often wake up in the mornings to him practicing the tones and making all kinds of weird sounds. Sometimes, I even have to endure Chinese opera. Now, in China, I might be inclined to go to the opera for the cultural experience, however here, I would prefer not to listen to horrible YouTube videos of it! All that said, if this helps him master the language, I am game.

This coming weekend, we are headed to Dim Sum with the whole crew who will be going to Guangzhou. I already know most people, but there are a few that I haven't spent much time with and one husband who is flying in from Nairobi to take the oral exam to become an FSO, so I will meet him for the first time.

The weather continues to act like a petulant child, alternating between being nice and warm and freezing cold and snowy. This long winter has made me even more excited for China as our winter temperature will be about 50 degrees!

One other thing that made me more excited for China is that we received our welcome letter from the Consulate last week. In it, there was a list of the housing options. Can you say AMAZING! I feel as though I am going to get spoiled with housing there. All of the options are super nice and really modern. One of them lists a "goose down pillow and blanket menu" and "silk kimonos upon request". I think I can get used to that!