After a few (okay, many) weeks of uncertainty, we are able to officially announce that...
As my dad quickly pointed out, "That's not in the US." No, we are not moving back to the United States as we thought that we would. It seems fitting that the first move to China was a complete surprise to us and so when Jamie was approached about a position in Xi'An we were equally surprised.
Xi'An is most famous for the Terracotta Warriors. So, if you've been waiting for one more excuse to come visit us, I think you've just found it. From what we have learned, it seems that Xi'An is a larger city than Suzhou, but the expatriate population is 1/2-2/3 smaller. I think I will be saying goodbye to some of my favorite creature comforts in Suzhou!
Over the next month we hope to visit Xi'An and find our next apartment/home, decide on a school, pack up our Suzhou apartment, finish the school year at Dulwich, say goodbye to our Suzhou friends and then unpack a few boxes in Xi'An. The tentative plan is for me to be in the US with our girls for the month of July. We'll see how that pans out!
Emotionally, everyone seems to be doing pretty well. It was a shock to us all because we honestly believed that there was a strong chance we would end up back in the US. However, at one point Jamie was looking at positions in 3 continents, so we knew that nothing was a given.
The morning we revealed our next city to our girls, we toasted daddy and his next job with sparkling juice.
We put out our miniature Terracotta soldiers as a clue to where we were headed next.
I guess that means the overseas adventure continues and maybe this blog too.
Hi Kara, I am Jennifer Graham. We are an American Family living in Xian for the past 2 1/2 years. We have two more years to go. I was given your information by Pamela Kroll Anderson. Feel free to email me at shougmom6@yahoo.com if you have any questions about living in Xian. BTW/ I am signed in under my daughter's google account, so the gmail address won't work for me.
ReplyDeleteHi! I've been following your blog for a few months now as we were waiting to hear if we were going to be moving there later this year. It looks like we will be moving to Suzhou in November with CAT. So sad to hear that you will be moving on. I hope I can still gain insight and wisdom from you about moving young children to such a different place. Looking forward to reading more!
ReplyDeleteHello Jennifer! I don't know why I didn't see your message earlier, so I apologize about that. We loved our time in Suzhou and if you have any questions, please feel free to ask. Have you been put in touch with any of the other CAT families that are still there? Best of luck during this time of transition!
DeleteI know this news was a huge surprised for the whole family, as it wasn’t what you originally expected, but I hope you fared well adjusting in the new city. How are you doing now? I hope you and the kids are enjoying your stay in Xi’an, Kara! Have a great day!
ReplyDeleteCathy Schwartz @ Best Rate Removal
Hello Cathy- It was a surprise, but we are doing really well. It's nice to be getting back into a routine! Thanks for the encouragement!
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ReplyDeleteExcellent. And what a grand, historic place for you to move into, with the terracotta warriors and all that stuff. It would be interesting to see the life you are going to be building there with your kids, seeing how it's another side of the land you have now called your home: one with a smaller expatriate population, and therefore a new realm of experience.
ReplyDeleteRobyn Harmon @ Hills Moving
Hello Robyn! Yes, I hope to start blogging a little more regularly now that the first 6 months have passed. It is a different community and I can't help but compare/contrast to our former life in Suzhou. The one thing that hasn't changed is that I can find adventure around every corner, whether I want to or not!
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