The World through a TCK Adult's Eyes: The First Month

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

This weekend was one of our first holidays from school. It was a short three day weekend, and many of us were sick, but it was so wonderful to be lazy. As I chilled at home with Angel, I reflected back on the past month of living in China.

I have been so blessed to have a school community that is so open and helpful to “newbies”. They have shown me around, taken me shopping, hosted a dinner night, and have been more than helpful with sharing medicine in times of need. The small community of expats in our area have really joined together and are close-knit. It reminds me of my “Sara Village Family” and how much I miss them. Thank goodness we have the technology to stay in touch.

In my last blog, I talked a little about my home, my compound, and what I have noticed the first week I was here. Being here a little over a month, I have seen much more of my city. Grocery shopping remains an interesting trip. I have gone to Walmart, Metro, Oya, and small little convince stores by my compound. Walmart here is a unique experience. There are some western import items and the Walmart logo we all know is everywhere. Unlike Walmart in the US, this Walmart has everything laid out for you with unique flavor choices. I was able to find Better Homes brand near the sheet section, but they only had top sheets, pillowcases, and duvet covers. There were vendors out around the store calling out for people to come, try, and buy their brand of items.

Metro is another store that I have gone to many times and has a much calmer atmosphere than Walmart or Oya (which I talked about in my last blog). Metro has been one of my favorite places to grocery shop because they have many imported items that I like to eat. To expats, Metro is like a Cosco or Sams in the States. It looks very similar to those places too but the difference is you do not typically buy in bulk.

I have really enjoyed being able to purchase many things that I need offline. The convince of having things delivered to school or my home allows me to have more free time. I have become a pro at Didi (our Uber), ordering offline, sounding like I know the language, and being the first one to wear a jacket. I have gotten my nails done, been to a massage parlor, and Angel has gotten a haircut.
I have been able to scout out the town a little bit throughout this month as well. Another teacher and I went to the Ferris Wheel Mall and got on the Changchun Eye. It was great seeing most of the city from one of the tallest spots. The mall also has a glass bridge which "broke" every time you stepped on it. That mall had shopping, the gal bridge, the eye, a movie theater, kid play area, a petting zoo, and a basketball court in the basement. It was a wild time! I am excited for our week off in October so I can go and see the sites in our area.

Stay tuned for more but enjoy these pictures!