Adjusting and Expectations

So, what about adjusting for the long-term?

Here are my expectations for the next few years:

- We're going to be absolutely lost for the first year. Terrible language skills, dumb tourist personified since we'll be physically lost in the city for a good long while, adjusting to being in the minority, Rob and his 6'-4" frame will get the gape-jawed stare all the time, I'm sure. Add onto that a major change in diet, shopping habits, transportation means... A total lifestyle switch mashed up with the joy of feeling like we're discovering and learning daily.

- The next few years will be filled with feeling inadequate in our language skills. I'm sure we'll find friends, make weekly traditions, and find all the best cafes and hole-in-the-wall restaurants, as well as our ideal neighborhood (whatever that night be- there's old town, downtown, industrial park, and a little of everything in-between, so we'll have lots of exploring and walking around to do). But, I know I'm going to struggle with feeling super behind in my reading skills and slim vocabulary.

- Hopefully there will be babies in our lives by the next few years and I find my niche in town with other mommies. I think a big part of my adjustment will take place whenever this transition happens.

- By years 3, 4, 5, and 6, I hope we'll have earned raises and promotions, have kiddos in tow, and feel like we're getting the swing of living in not-America. China is absolutely a different culture, one that I kiiind of know what to expect, but not the nuance. But, Suzhou is rumored to be a slower paced city filled with lots of conveniences (like several major shopping districts), large and modern hospitals, bullet trains, burgeoning subway lines and killer bus service. And, Shanghai is 37 minutes away on the fast train, for my sister's recommendation for hospitals for maternity, two major airports, Apple Stores, Zara... you know, the important stuff.

- Diminished dairy consumption. Cheese will be hard to get and expensive, which kind of breaks my heart. I really love cheese. Although, I suppose that also means I don't have to worry about the heartbreak of cutting cheese out of my diet if we have a baby who is lactose intolerant.

- Past that, I kind of don't know what to expect. I don't know if I'll feel perpetually lost for decades, years, mere months. I don't know if my language skills will exceed my own expectations after being immersed, or if I'll struggle to retain new vocabulary. I don't know if we'll be a novelty to look at years after we arrive or if we'll become a local fixture and never get a double take. It's going to fun to watch it all unfold, though!