We spent three days in Beijing with two little kids.
Beijing
Weekend Trip to the Coast
Breathing in the salty air, the waves lapping at my ankles, I laugh in delight. I can't believe we finally made it out of Guangzhou. After six months in the city with so many barriers to travel, I am thrilled that we've finally managed to make a trip happen. Earlier that week I had poured hours into … Continue reading Weekend Trip to the Coast
The Rhythm of Things
Now that we are 1/6 done with our tour in Guangzhou, we feel like we have hit our rhythm. We settled into our jobs, found our favorite grocery stores, and about 60% of our belongings arrived. Our children happily attend school, enjoy their nanny's endless games and affection, and run wild around our apartment complex … Continue reading The Rhythm of Things
China Quarantine Impressions
We are finally here in China! It's been over a year that we found out we were assigned to Guangzhou, and it still doesn't feel real. Of course, that is partly because we are stuck in a quarantine hotel and so nothing really feels real. Today is day seven of our hotel quarantine. At this … Continue reading China Quarantine Impressions
Celebrating the Completion of Mandarin Language Training
In March, 36 weeks of Chinese language training seemed like such a huge endeavor - how could we possibly learn to speak basic Mandarin by November? Just yesterday we received our final test scores certifying that we not only passed, but passed with flying colors. I am incredibly proud of my husband who worked tirelessly … Continue reading Celebrating the Completion of Mandarin Language Training
Language Training in the Time of Zoom
We just finished week 18 of 36 for Mandarin Chinese language training, so we are officially halfway done! I’ve been meaning to write about language training ever since we started, but we only had two weeks at FSI before COVID-19 lockdowns and we went to Zoom online instruction. We were really dreading online classes, but … Continue reading Language Training in the Time of Zoom
Flag Day 3.0!
How many people can say they've done Flag Day 3 times in less than 3 years? Actually, multiple Flag Days aren't that uncommon given how many Consular Fellows become career Foreign Service Officers or tandem couples. 🙂 In our case, we had our first Flag Day in 2017 when my husband became a Consular Fellow. … Continue reading Flag Day 3.0!
Our Top Guadalajara Outings
Since we only had 6 weeks in Guadalajara and a ridiculous amount of Mexican and US holidays, we took advantage of all our free time to really explore as much as we could. We took our kids (3 and 1) to all these places, so they are family friendly. Lake Chapala Just an hour from … Continue reading Our Top Guadalajara Outings
6 Weeks in Guadalajara
We were so thrilled to be assigned to Guadalajara - one of our top choices. Unfortunately, our three year assignment was cut to just six weeks immediately upon arrival! After only a few days in Guadalajara, my husband got a new job with the State Department which meant we would have to be back in … Continue reading 6 Weeks in Guadalajara
The Make Believe Embassy
Only a foreign service kid has 'embassy' as one of their first 50 words. "Okay. Now you need to get dressed and then we will go to the Embassy!" She tells her baby brother who happily crawls after her - just thrilled to be included in her game. She'll wander into the room I'm in … Continue reading The Make Believe Embassy
This Foreign Life 