什么？我住在中国一年了？ Shénme? Wǒ zhù zài zhōngguó yī nián le?

Its hard to believe that one year ago, I uprooted myself from the beautiful sunny city of Orlando and moved to the other side of the world.  I took the leap to move to China to feed a desire and dream within my adventurous heart.  I thought, I could do anything for a year...Why not?  What I didn't realize is what would happen within that year and how it would change my life...forever.  I thought I would give this job a try and then go back after a year.  What I discovered was much more than I anticipated.

After a year here in China, I have learned more about myself and about the world.  Its incredible helpful to get outside your box or comfort zone.  I guess you can say I have always been know to think outside the box and hate being defined or confined to a box.  I have learned the importance and the role of patience, friendships, family, endurance and love while here.  One of the hardest times of this year was losing my Mee Maw.  She was one of the most amazing women I have ever met.  She taught me about life...simply by the way she lived.  She was the strongest person I ever met.  She
lived an amazing 97 years.  In her last year, it was difficult for me to not be
able to be there for my family...especially my mom.  There were many Skype conversations, emails, international calls that grieved my heart and spirit...but I have no regrets.  Going home for my Mee Maw's funeral was an expensive and yet a priceless trip.  The things she taught me growing up and even into my adulthood, still are the essence of who I am and how I treat people.

Moving to a country where the culture is so different and the language barrier can be very frustrating is a challenge I wish more would dive into in the US.  It forces you to look inside yourself and to see what you are really made of here.  You find yourself asking WHY? so many times, yet still the sense of adventure drives you.  I have to admit one thing...I am in LOVE.  Yes after a year here in China...its true.  My heart has been wooed.  My desires continue to grow.  I feel like there is so much more to see and do...that my bucket list could fill a huge bucket!  This past year has gone by so quickly I admit.  It really seems as if I have only been here a couple of months, yet the experience of another year of the Holiday season in China is around the corner.

Sentimental.  Privileged. Blessed. Honored. Grateful. Thrilled.  Excited. Curious. Anxious. Hopeful. STOKED!  Emotions all of which I am feeling at the same time when I look towards this next year.  OH yea...I'm staying another year here in Chengdu.  I feel like I can't leave now.  There is so much more to explore, so many more memories to make and so many more adventures to be had.  I have fallen in love with a culture that embraces beauty in many ways.  A culture that sees simplicity as a way of life (at times).  Tea is more than just a warm drink...but a way of life.  Food is shared amongst friends and welcomes new ones...if they can handle the spice!  A people that are beautiful inside and out.  A history that is older than we can truly imagine.  A society that is rapidly growing and evolving.  China has captured my heart...and the people too.

One could look at the challenges that a foreigner faces here in China and ask why the heck are you staying there?  The language barrier. The difficulty sometimes finding "western" things...like deodorant.  The incredible difficulty with the banking system.  Continuous challenges with crowds of people and living in a city with almost 15 million people...the population of Tennessee and Georgia combined! However, I don't see it as this.  I see it more as a way to experience a place so many will never get the chance to experience.  Its my journey to MY LIFE.  Grow up, move to a nice city, start an exciting career, buy a house, start a family with 2.4 children and a dog and invest for retirement...sounds like the most boring thing to me.  Granted its great and amazing for those who have that desire and this fulfills them.  My heart has the deepest desire to see the world and to meet many people from various cultures, backgrounds and walks of life.  My spirit wants to see the world and all that its holds from mountains, to rivers, to valleys, to places of interest and the 7 wonders of the world.  I don't want to be stuck putting away dreams on a shelf in hopes of one day being able to dust them off the shelves of life and revisit them at a later age and stage.  Selfishly, I want to enjoy this life as it is now.

So yes...I am staying in China another year.  To be honest...I see myself here for a while.  When I log-in to catch up on the news back in the US, I am reminded of the trap of becoming so ethnocentric that I forget to see the rest of the world.  I see the world as both extremely big, yet my playground in the  backyard at the same time.  Much like Veruca Salt from Willie Wanka...I want the world and I want it NOW!  Its hard to convey all that I am processing and feeling at this point of time.  I hope this is a taste of me right in this moment.  Much like the first sip of a freshly picked Tieguanyin tea brewed and sipped amongst friends...this is just the first sip of my experiences and reflections...



Why Everyone Should live in China as least once!