Has it been a year…or just 10 min?

I will never forget the excitement I felt to move to China…then the total dismay I felt as we made the drive from the Hong Kong border to Huizhou.  For the record it is honestly the worst drive a person can make.  You leave the nice big city of Shenzhen drive through the very poor farm areas, and pass some very ugly factories, and see endless run down apartments.  Not to mention we were exhausted and it was rainy and gray outside.  To get to our hotel we didn’t pass anything that looked like any of the wonderful pictures Adam had taken.  Our hotel was on a back road past a couple run down apartments and a sketchy looking alley.  We checked into the hotel and I swear we were the only people staying there.  Our room was dark even with all the lights on and the heat didn’t work.  The manager brought up a space heater…just like the one we had in the 80’s that my parents wouldn’t let us touch.  I took a “nap” really I was just laying in bed wondering what I could do…I was stuck here for another 18 months.  Adam has work, what am I going to do each day?

The next day the sun was out and the sky was clear (which after a year in Huizhou is a typical day).  We took a tour of the city and stopped for lunch at Pizza Hut (you may laugh that our first day we ate at pizza hut…but the culture shock was unreal and I loved that there was something familiar).  I was back to being really excited about our adventure…and I was looking forward to the first day Adam would go to work and I would get to explore for myself.

Since that day I have made some amazing friends…friends who on bad days made Huizhou good and on good days enjoyed exploring with me.  Since that day Adam has learned a lot about doing business in China and made some amazing friends at work.  Since that day we learned to depend on each other.  Since that day we have taken some amazing vacations and seen more than I ever dreamed I would see.  Since that day we both learned a little Chinese and a lot about the culture.  Since that day I became pregnant and we are now expecting a little boy. 

Pretty much our lives here have been a blurr…I don’t remember what it was like to have target down the street where I could pick up anything I needed…I don’t remember what it was like to find chicken every time I go to the grocery store.  Meanwhile I can’t believe it has already been a year.  It’s hard to believe we are 2/3 of the way done with our contract.