Schedule

Beginning on Labor Day, Monday, September 3rd:

Monday - Millie moves out; L--'s birthday party
Tuesday - Pack the house; Rent a minivan
Wednesday - Pack the house; House Church party
Thursday - Shippers pack the house
Friday - Dave's family in town; pack the Chicago U-Haul;
Set up the Giveaway Party
Saturday - Giveaway Party; Going Away Party
Sunday - Just sit around
Monday - Move storage to Lynne's parents' house;
Delivery to Goodwill
Tuesday - Clean up and Fix the house
Wednesday - Dave to Chicago; Clean up and Fix the house
Thursday - Lynne, her mom and her kids to Chicago
Friday - Dave and Lynne hang in Chicago
Saturday and/or Sunday - Family going away party;
L--'s birthday party
Monday - Just sit around
Tuesday, September 18th -
Leaving America for the remainder of 2007

Take a deep breathe - I'm sure it'll just run itself.

Hoarding

As a counterpoint to the last posting, I am hoarding clothes.

Even though people tell me that clothes come quite affordably in China, I am hoarding.

Okay, "hoarding" may be a bit harsh. T-shirts and slacks are not dripping from the woodwork. We do have boxes of clothes destined for the GiveAway Party and then Goodwill.

I pulled out two large bins full of clothes this morning. The label said "Pre-Baby Clothes". These are the shirts and pants that haven't fit since before I got pregnant with L--. Rather than dumping the boxes directly in the give pile, I thought I'd try them on one more time.

Everything fit.

That's right.

Every skirt.
Every pair of jeans.
Every top.
Every set of slacks.
Every pair of shorts.

Everything fit. And looked good.

My wardrobe more than doubled in this one lovely morning.

And after a total of over 50 pounds lost, my diet is over.

Hallelujiah!

Sorting and Ridding

I've got so many To Do Lists, I hardly know what To Do first. There's one for every week, plus the one sent to us from our shippers. I've kept up pretty well, so far. They've been long lists each week, but long lists of quickly accomplished items.

- Cancel newspaper

- Tune up bikes

Now that we're under 3 weeks, the lists may be shorter, but each item takes longer to complete.
- Obtain all medical records for the family. Organize in binder. Purchase binder.

- Clean basement. Organize by give away, sell, ship, store or loan.

- Securely box all items to store. Purchase boxes, bubble wrap, stretch wrap, newsprint and Sharpies.

Goal: to give away more than we keep.
Vision: My house will be empty by the end of Party Day.

Please - we beg you! - plan to stop by the Giveaway Party. Feel free to spread the word to your friends, neighbors, and anyone who might enjoying perusing and grabbing free stuff.

Anyone interested in packing boxes is welcome at our house the week after Labor Day.

Travel Tips - car rental

We are selling our car. The one we bought under a year ago, and planned to keep until it became inoperable. I can't say I'm broken-hearted over it, though. I certainly don't love this car. It's a very practical, family car, perfect for driving in the city. But nothing to love.

The reality is that we will need to be rid of the car a few weeks before we move, and so we are renting a car for our last 2 weeks in the states. And here are two car rental tricks I've learned:

Enterprise - their rates are different by location. Price the same car at all of the locations convenient to you - there will be a significant difference.

Budget - their rates are different by the hour. I've seen our price fluctuate by nearly $200 at different times. Even after you've reserved here, check back for lower prices, and reserve again.

These two have consistently offered me the lowest prices. I've used Budget only rarely, but Enterprise has always impressed me with their service as well.

Glamour magazine

I'm a magazine junkie.

Working out at the Y has fueled my obsession. Three days a week, I spend 40 minutes sweating, breathing hard and reading whatever gossip magazine sits in the rack. I know all about Zac Efron's relationship with Nikki Blonsky and the quality of Britney's parenting.

Now its gone beyond the Y. When tempted to grab a Snickers bar in line at the grocery store, I treat myself to a new magazine instead. I've got a nice stack hiding in a drawer.

But I willingly admit to what my husband considers a pecadillo. With two young children demanding my attention, a magazine provides the perfect moment of adulthood. In under two minutes, I am updated on children's medical controversies, cooking techniques or current events.

Case in point: Reading Glamour magazine today, I found Eve Ensler's article on women in the Congo. Its well worth reading, although sickening. And I've always been able to read these stories with some separation, thinking, Of course, I would do something if I could, but I've got young kids, and These problems are so far away, and These issues are so much bigger than me.

Certainly if I were faced with such injustice and oppression in my neighborhood, I wouldn't be able to resist fighting it.

These standard thoughts lay as a backdrop in my mind while I read Ensler's article. But then it occured to me:

I'm moving to China.
My own actions will be limited.
Those with lesser means than I will have their options much more severely limited than I.

Oppression and injustice will be in my neighborhood.

I'm afraid I'm going to lose quite a few of my excuses.

It Is Finished

Earlier this evening, I accepted a signed lease and a check covering the security deposit for two young men and one young woman, all very excited to begin living in our home.

The house is rented, and we are no longer under any pressure to keep it clean. What a huge weight off our shoulders!

The Events

The send off parties for Dave and Lynne, September 8, 2007

#1: Give-Away Party
Anything we’re not shipping is up for grabs. All leftovers go to Goodwill or the dumpster. Please, help us clean house!
3:00 - 6:00 -- our house

#2: Good-bye Party
Kids are welcome; hiring a sitter and staying out late is welcome, too! We’ll leave days afterward - if you can not come, make sure we see you soon!
7:00 - midnightish -- Lynne's parents' house

#3: Open House
Take this opportunity to see the house we renovated - the Good-Bye Party is an Open House at Lynne’s folks' house

Deal's Off

When we hit noon today, our buyer had no potential buyer of her own. So, the sale contract is off. We are solely in search of renters. And with 5 more viewings this week, and a few people holding blank applications, I have no fear. Just pray that God makes it clear to us who should live in our home.

This Is More Like It!

After accepting a contract for our house (with a house sale contingency and a 72-hour kick-out), I listed it for rent online. Within a few hours, I received responses. Over the last week, 10 renters have come through the house and more are scheduled this week. About half of those who toured requested applications.

As we expected months ago, everyone wants to live in our house!

We contacted the buyer via her real estate agent on Thursday. We're now past the 72-hours of the kick-out, but they're under an extended deadline. By noon tomorrow, they must decide whether to withdraw their house sale contingency or to withdraw their purchase contract altogether.

If they withdraw the contingency, then we will effectively have sold our house. We can place the money in savings and have no resposibilities awaiting us while we're away.

If they withdraw the contract, then we will rent the house. Based on the response to our initial listing, we will have no trouble. We'll make extra income every month, and be able to sell at a higher rate and in a better market.

Both positive options. Eighteen hours and counting...

Tips for Travel

In just over 5 weeks, we will take a 9-month-old and a 24-month-old onto a 14 hour flight. Add in:

• 1 hour in-transit to the airport
• 2-3 hours at the airport before boarding
• 1-2 hours at the airport after landing, for customs and so forth
• 1 hour in-transit from the airport

and we're looking at about 21 hours of travel time with two very young children. All travel tips welcome! I've found a few resources which may prove helpful:

Travel Toys and Games - few websites focus on travel with children. most that do focus on older kids, or selling pricey items. this one has a 1-2 section, and most things in it are under $25. looking for birthday gifts for lilly? things from here would be wonderful!

Gobug - stumbled upon this store in KC a few weeks ago and I've spent nearly $500 there since (gulp!). they have gear i've not seen anywhere else - stuff that will be wildly handy if not nearly essential over the next few months, including pack-n-plays that are super-mobile and a rockin' baby backpack.

Berkeley Parents Network - oddly enough, this is a wonderful source of info on flying with kids. at one point i found a thread on toys for long flights with babies and toddlers. the suggestions were all fantastic.

Embarrassing Addendum

Setting: Overstuffed chairs in any Starbucks, late evening
Scene: Ashley and Lynne, hands around steaming mugs of coffee, discussing the challenges of balancing motherhood and life.

Ashley: Well, sure you're feeling overwhelmed. You're moving to China!

Lynne: Yeah, I guess.

Ashley: Not very many people do that. And with two young kids! That's overwhelming for anybody.

Lynne: But its not the China part that's overwhelming. Going to China for two years is nothing but exciting - I mean, we've got an all-expenses-paid 2-year vacation. How could I not be excited about that?

I'm embarrassed to admit this, but the overwhelming part is the move. The move and the various doctor appointments. Here's the root of the problem. I'm an expert and an outsourcer. Whatever the task may be, either I do the job perfectly or I outsource it to someone I can hold to the perfectionist standard. I'm no medical expert, so I take my kids' to a pediatrician. I trust that pediatrician entirely - if he says feed 'em oatmeal, I say how much. But there are so many decisions to make right now. And I'm no more an expert on international shipping than on pediatric esophogal abnormalities.

Yet, I'm the decision maker in both fields.

But China I can handle. Finding a home in a neighborhood entirely different from my own; socializing my children with kids from multiple other cultures; exploring new grocery stores - both the import stores and the local markets; figuring out how to communicate with precious few words of Mandarin; recreating the parts of home I value and discovering the many aspects of a new life. For this... For moving to China... I can't wait.

Actually, Maybe I'm more proud than embarrassed.

One of Those Days

I know moving is an endeavour commonly undertaken. I understand that accompanying one's child to the doctor happens regularly as well. These actions in themselves are, although mildly stressful, hardly on the level of things-that-make-you-cry. So I'm left perplexed at why some days feel so frustrating.

A woman from Allied Worldwide provided me with a free in-home survey this morning. We discussed the shipping process, how Allied Worldwide guards my precious possessions from in-home to in-new-home, how we'll always be able to see exactly where in the world our container is (pretty cool). We toured the house, inventorying what to pack. We discussed cost and timing. She was very nice - professional, knowledgeable, friendly and obviously trying to make the move as stress-free for me as possible.

S-- and I went to the children's hospital this afternoon to see an ear, nose and throat doctor. While, like Ms. Allied, Dr. ENT was clearly knowledgeable, she was anything but friendly and clearly her job description does not include making my life stress-free. Dr. ENT recommends S-- continue the prescription we just paid $54 / 3-weeks for and have yet to see any results with. Dr. ENT is not surprised by the lack of results - she said we should give it a few months before we'll know if its working.

A few months!

Dr. ENT referred us to an audiologist. Ms. Audio ran tests, which she found inconclusive. Ms. Audio recommends we visit her again in 3 months. Shoot.

In the 100 degree heat, I started the baking car. Trying to temper these thoughts as they bounced through my head, I turned on NPR. All Things Considered was airing a string of pieces on China. Here are the three stories I heard:

1: Lead in Kids Jewelry from China Prompts Ban

2: Athletes Struggle for Air Amid China's Pollution

3: Pollution May Cancel Out China's Economic Growth

Yes, as I'm leaving the hospital full of doctors telling me that although they think S-- probably has some sort of minor problem, they have no idea what that problem may be and would like to keep a close eye on her, I hear stories about how unhealthy a place China is to live.

The level of air pollution on a standard day in Beijing is apparently 2-3 times higher than the orange air quality days in St. Louis - the ones where they tell you not to go outside unless you have to. Over 750,000 people die prematurely as a result of air pollution in China.

Add to that that we bear the full cost of shipping, only to be reimbursed to a point. Weigh in that we apparently don't want to buy toys or furniture in China - it looks as if we might not even want to buy them in America!

And I start to think,

What are we doing?

Reservation complete: See ticket details below

Reservation complete: See ticket details below

Total price: USD 5,050.40

Tue, Sep 18, 2007 - Chicago, IL (ORD) to Shanghai, China (PVG)
United 0835
Depart: ORD 10:36 AM Arrive: PVG 01:55 PM Next day Sep 19
Non-stop 14h 19m 744 7,056 miles traveled
Fare basis code: MKABO Booking class: M Economy 7,056 Award miles Lunch, Lunch
52D, 52E, 52F, 52G
Penalty: CHANGE FEE APPLIES NONREF PENALTY/SUPER APEX

What We've Been Reading - Fried Eggs With Chopsticks

Fried Eggs With Chopsticks

Following in the tradition of travel writer Paul Theroux, Polly Evans is a malcontent and never seems to enjoy her travels. However, where Theroux is a charming curmudgeon who shows a vast knowledge of his surroundings and a strong interest in the local people, Evans is a whiner who has very little respect for Chinese people and their culture.

A quick read, Evans visits many places where the scenery sounds amazing. She makes China sound beautiful and inspires a definite respect of ancient culture. However, the author conveys that traveling through China is a miserable experience, from the modes of transportation to the people she meets. Her lack of respect for the Chinese cultural construct of face makes her seem quite the Ugly American -or Ugly Brit, in this case. I do not recommend this book.

Dare I Say?

I hesitate to tell you that the news may begin to pour swiftly in now, because so often in the past this instinct has proven vastly untrue. Still...

Dave had same-time conversations with the Boss in Shanghai and the HR rep. in Beijing this evening. It is confirmed that we can fly in mid-September. It is further confirmed that we will arrange our own shipping.

The boss in Chicago promised to do his best to get us business class seats for the intial flight. We've confirmed the dates with him, and are waiting to hear back on a plan.

Our agent in Shanghai sent us contacts at moving companies. I emailed each of these contacts this evening, and am waiting to hear back from them as well.

We've begun to lay out our tentative schedule, which will become more firm when the airline tickets have been purchased. I naively expect that to happen within the next few days, and will publish our schedule for the next few months at that time.

In re-reading this post, I am struck by how full of process and minute details it is. My apologies, dear readers, for writing such dull facts. Please trust that this minutiae is heaven-sent to us. After months of sitting on our hands, checking email every few minutes, we finally have something that we can do. The ball was firmly in our court this evening, if only for a few precious moments.

Good News Is No News

We signed a contract on our house this morning.

The woman loves the house and the neighborhood. We came to a positive agreement on the price and our concessions. Her agent is a good friend of ours, so we trust her and don't feel we need further representation.

But...

There's a house sale contingency rider - that means that if her house doesn't sell in the next few months, then the contract becomes null. We inserted a 72 hour kick-out - that means that if we find a renter, we give them 72 hours to remove their contingency rider or withdraw their contract.

So, although we're happy to have a contract on our house, we feel like this good news is rather anticlimactic. It provides no guarantees for us. In fact, I'm not sure why she bothered. But if you know anyone looking to purchase a condo near WashU, we hear there's a great one for sale!

What We've Been Reading - Living Abroad in China

Living Abroad in China

The first book we read once we accepted the position in China, this title appears early and often in advice forums. We both read the book cover to cover within 2 weeks of purchasing it (this is fast for us). We went through with hi-liters. We made notes. We brought it with us to stores and doctor appointments. This is a great book.

The authors seem down-to-earth in their approach to life in a very foreign country. They're seeking adventure and more than willing to break out of their comfort zone, so they highly recommend learning the language and traveling. But they're not interested in making themselves and their family miserable, so they provide recommendations of what to ship from home and how. The authors made the move from the Midwest to China with two young children, so their viewpoint often hit home for us.

Probably of very little interest for people not planning a change of address, I highly recommend this book for anyone seriously considering moving to China.

Pissed at a Lack of Professionalism

The Asian members of the H-- family, as a general rule, seem to lack professionalism. I was convinced that having an HR professional dedicated to our cause, and further being down to less than 2 months would place our cause on relatively high priority.

Apparently, this assumption is incorrect.

We've heard nothing this week. Nothing.

Meanwhile, I've been looking at airline tickets. Let's go ahead and assume we'll be flying coach. We'll want either 1 bank of 4 seats, or 2 banks of 2 seats. Looking at flights with both American and United, those options are almost entirely sold out. And the trouble is that Uncle H-- has no reason to care if we can fly together, or if we can even fly that week. It's just Dave's vacation time, and our personal comfort that matter.

It seems to me that upon hiring someone for a position you've been wanting to fill for well over a year, the company would have some interest in treating that person professionally and with respect. I'm having trouble comprehending how so many things can go this long without being attended to. And not even not-attended-to, but explicitly ignored. And furthermore, how benefits can be promised and then taken away. Dave's now being hired as a local hire rather than as an expat, which removes some of the benefits available. But the position was advertised as an expat position - why the change now that they're building his benefits package?

This is ridiculous.

Flight Arrangements

We've come to the conclusion that the folks in China don't really care when we fly there, and expect us to buy our own tickets. Doing some research this evening, I found some disheartening news. We will need 4 seats for our family to fly in economy class. But American only has seats in 2s or 5s, and all of the sets of 2 are booked. United has sets of 3s and 4s, and most of the 4s are booked - the remaining seats are at the back. Korean Air has sets of 3s. But all three airlines have sets of 3 in business class, which is a compromise we're more than willing to make if Uncle H-- will pay for business class.

Since seats seem to be booking quickly for that time period, Dave is planning on following up with the last person to promise him business class. That conversation will hopefully take place tomorrow. Please just pray that God's will be done in this, and that we'll have peace and a positive outcome with whatever transpires. But go ahead and let God know that we'd really love to fly business class, just this once!