If you know me, you know that I tend to take the safe route. From selecting a college, to accepting a new job, to figuring out what to order at a restaurant, I have to admit, I’m not the biggest risk taker. When I do take a risk, it’s been so well-researched that it being a ‘calculated risk’ is an understatement.
So, even though we made an unconventional decision to move to China, once we got here, I have to admit, I’ve been taking the safe road. Shopping at grocery stores that primarily carry items imported from the US, eating only at restaurants with English menus, sticking to neighborhoods I know have English signs, relying primarily on our driver for transportation and hanging out expat friends – although China is unfamiliar, I’ve ‘played it safe’ since I’ve been here.
But, since I’ve been back in China, that is starting to change.
Soon after we returned for the summer, Robby was invited to a birthday party. The party was at a Laser Tag venue that I’d never been to. So, I showed the driver the address, and we were on our way. After about 25 minutes of driving, and we still had not arrived, I started to get nervous. Where on earth were we? Why were we in a neighborhood with no foreigners? Where were the English signs? Why didn’t anything look familiar?
Finally, the driver pulled up to a building and motioned us inside a mall, where sure enough the Laser Tag Party was just getting started in the basement. This was the building that had Laser Tag:
After that ride to the party, it hit me; although I had to do a fair amount of exploring to get us settled in China, there is so much more to do. And, now that I know how to take the subway and can communicate in basic Mandarin, it’s a lot less daunting to just get up and go. Since our trip to Laser Tag, I’ve eaten at several traditional Chinese restaurants (although I still don’t eat anything that is looking at me), tried a tea that is blue then turns purple, and ventured to a Chinese framing shop on my own to have a picture framed – I felt quite accomplished after the pictures came back exactly like I’d hoped I had communicated. Here was the shop where I got the pictures framed…
So, while I probably won’t become a bonafide daredevil, I’m ready for the adventures to begin!
PS – Check out our picture page for some of our latest happenings. Since we’ve been back, we’ve travelled to Bali (loved it!) and Hong Kong Disneyland (not an quite adventure, but super fun). The kids have also had United Nations Day at School, celebrated the Chinese Moon Festival and opened a ‘business’ as part of a school project. We’ve been busy!
(Star) Transition 