I've never written a blog entry before and to be honest, I never thought I would, but after stumbling across several sites, while looking for something entirely different, I decided to punch in our city's name to see what happened. 

Imagining that, in a place a big as Shijiazhuang, there would be a multitude of online journals from expats, detailing their experiences, I was surprised and a little disappointed to find the opposite was true.  Furthermore, after reading a number of entries in the few blogs listed, I discovered that not many people have had the time of their lives while dwelling amongst the Chinese...  In fact, the course our family's life had taken seemed to be flowing in the opposite direction of most.  A fact that I am quite thankful for.

To frame the picture a little more accurately, let me say these things about our current situation: 

My husband spends five out of seven nights a week at the airport hotel near his place of work.  I live in the city, in an apartment, which, though beautiful and functional, doesn't exactly line up with my idea of what a home should be.  We have two children, both toddlers.  The eldest is a three-year-old girl, the youngest an almost-two-year-old boy.  They get along well and are well behaved, for the most-part, though my daughter’s method of dealing with her shyness is to scream as loud as she can while my son reaches for anyone whose eye he catches asking for a "big hug" in Mandarin. 

We have had some interesting trips to the market.

There is not expat community within our immediate vicinity (by immediate I mean within a reasonable walking distance for a toddler).  We live in a neighborhood populated, with the exception of our family, entirely by Chinese. 

At least twice a week we journey to BaoLongCang to go grocery shopping then stop at the produce market on the way home to buy our fruits and vegetables.   It's all pretty basic, and when it comes right down to the daily grind of our lives, not much is different from what we'd become accustomed to in the States.  

China does like to tickle one's paradigm though.  Many forms of behavior I was taught to be rude are common-place amongst the people of China, whilst being on my best behavior has caused me to inadvertently insult those around me.  Still, in many ways, I feel more at ease in the presence of, and certainly more accepted by, the Chinese than I ever felt in America (save on the rare occasions of sitting on the floor in a friend's living room, staying up late with them, talking about everything and nothing at once).

This country has been a blessing to our family.  It has given us permission to be comfortable with ourselves, even amidst the stares of many who have never seen people with eyes as big as ours or skin the tone of ours. 

I'm not as shy as I used to be.  It's impossible to be invisible here anyway...  And my children are adjusting to the attention.  All in all China suits us. 

So, you may ask, what is the point of starting this blog? 

Well, I want to share with people what can happen if you're open enough to allow it to flow over you.   I want to tell the story of some of my Chinese friends because not many have heard it.  Too often, the Chinese Peasantry is grouped into one mass statistic and people forget that the members of that "cast" have lives and families and feelings.  They are the ones who took us under their wings, taught me the language, loved my children as though they were truly of their own blood, and did all this without behaving as though they'd won some sort of trophy by winning our friendship. 

In the villages, the people remember that, blonde-haired and blue-eyed though they may be, my children are still children, and, upon seeing me with people who are also their friends and neighbors, realized that I do not look down on them...  Sadly, this often comes as a surprise to most of them at first, but once the surprise wares off, they are usually just as open and accepting as the people I now consider some of my closest friends in the world...

I have lots of stories.  I would like to share those stories, but for the time-being, I have to go wake the kiddos up from their naps, prepare dinner, wash dishes, etc.  You know, attend to the things which never change, not that much at least.