Taxonomy

September and October: Adventure
These 6 weeks were taken over with the adventure of finding our way around this huge, foreign city, connecting with new people and finding a home.

November: Settling In
This month was loads of fun - unpacking boxes, shopping, and meeting people every where we went.

December: Hell
A strong contender for the worst month of my life. I couldn't make anything work. The girls and I were very sick for nearly the whole month - a sickness which I later learned tended to cause depression and mental anxiety among most patients. We spent our first Christmas away from family and friends. All of our new friends had left Shanghai - to spend Christmas with their family and friends. And Dave's job had just become more than he bargained for. I was dealing on my own.

January: Positive By Will
I willed myself through the month, with the knowledge that any problem can be fixed, and that I would be in the states within 1 month. We made many improvements, including starting a playgroup which I still love.

February: Home in America
I loved being home, surrounded by people who know me and care about me. Who I know and care about. We felt like members of a community and a family again.

March: Home in China
Upon our return, we realized that we are members of a community here as well. I realized that I have friends here, who I was glad to see. I realized that our physical home is here, and I was glad to sleep in my own bed. For better or for worse, this is our home.

April: Mundane
With the acceptance that I was home, and most of our problems fixed - the hiring of an ayi and a driver - this month moved along without much event.

May: Stuck, Uncomfortable and Stressed
After a mundane month, and with no travel for nearly 6 weeks, we're all beginning to feel a bit stressed. Shanghai is a crowded city, and being surrounded by crowds of very different people can wear on a person after a while. Besides simply needing to get out of town, it has been a generally hard month. We are without an ayi again, after firing one who had very poor boundaries. We have begun potty training, with miserable results. And I have received the worst haircut of my life. I asked for shoulder length hair with long layers. My hair is now shorter than my ears. I've worn a hat every waking moment since I left the salon.