When I had Rachel, everyone told me that “It Takes a Village to Raise a Child”. Despite this advice, I still tried to do most things on my own. When Robby came along, I fully acknowledged that I needed help! That willingness to accept help is just what I need in China. It takes a village to make sure we thrive day to day… so let me introduce you to our village.
T9 Front Office
We live in a serviced apartment – our home is a cross between a hotel and an apartment. Like a hotel, it’s fully furnished, includes regular cleaning services and has a pool and a gym. While all of those things are great, the best amenity is the Front Office. Located in “Tower 9”, the front office people do more than call a taxi or purchase train tickets. They rescue us. Need help communicating with a delivery person? Call T9. Need your visa updated? T9 will help. Accidentally open an investment account instead of transfer money? T9 will go with you to the bank and translate. Needless to say, we rely on T9 every week!
American International School of Guangzhou (AISG)
Like anywhere, school staff play a huge role in helping with our children – they are our surrogates during school hours. Here, the children’s school plays an even greater role. It’s continuity, for all of us. Whether its Girl Scouts, volunteering with the PTA, or fun social events, the school has been a key to our adjustment.
Guangzhou International Christian Fellowship (GICF)
Our church in Guangzhou is unlike any we’ve ever belonged to. It’s solely for foreign passport holders, as dictated by the Chinese government, the worship style is contemporary and about half of the congregants are of African descent (to our surprise!). Despite the differences, this has become our church home in Guangzhou. We are challenged by the preaching, our kids are learning in Sunday school, and we are able to fellowship with members on a personal level. While finding a church home is never easy, we are happy this one is part of our global village.
The Expatriate Community
Guangzhou is a trading and manufacturing city; so it’s full of people from everywhere. In fact, there are some places you go, and forget you’re in China. The good news for us is that means there are lots of us in the same boat. We have a whole community of folks who have our backs. They will watch our kids in a pinch, show us how to navigate the markets and do our makeup for a big night on the town. Making a new friend in this expatriate community is as easy as extending your hand – I will definitely take my “always-extended hand” as a life long lesson from this experience.
Mr. Yang – The Real MVP
With all the support that we have, our driver, Mr. Yang, is the “Real MVP”. Rob’s company provides a personal driver in locations, like Guangzhou, where driving is a challenge. To provide context, Mr. Yang doesn’t speak any English, we don’t know his first name, we have no idea if he’s married, and don’t know where he lives. But he’s great.
- He gets us to the right location, on time, every time.
- He doesn’t mind piling our friends in the car.
- He is kind to our children.
- He lets me practice my Mandarin, and makes me feel like a champ, even when I know my pronunciation is off.
- He doesn’t mind working overtime – he’s picked Rob from a midnight flight, and returns the next morning ready to go.
- He thinks of the little things like bottles of water, mints, and lately playing a Top 40 CD that’s at least 5 years old.
Although I miss the independence of driving myself around – Mr. Yang is the next best thing. And now that we have a bit of Mandarin under our belts, we’re going to figure out his first name :).
There are so many others who have made our transition to China easier.
- Josephine, my hairdresser, who from Kenya, is so patient with my ever changing hair needs in the midst of Guangzhou’s extreme humidity.
- Moses, our barber who is from Nigeria, shapes up Robby’s hair from his ‘shop’ that is really a hidden enclave in a shoe store.
- My Mandarin teacher Jiahui, helps me communicate even the most obscure requests and is always helping me figure out my best defense against the mosquitos…
I could go on and on. We are forever grateful for our Global Village and look forward to expanding it even more.
(Star) Transition 