Our craziest year to date:: a review of 2012

December 31, 2012-

 

OH MY GOODNESS!!!! 

Is it really New Year's Eve already???!?!???  

This was THE *CRAZIEST* YEAR our little family has gone through.  

Seriously.  

18 months ago I would not have thought it possible for our little family to live in Tianjin, China.  

And yet, here we are!

I know- crazy, right???  

We're almost at the one year mark of our expat assignment. One year down- two more left to go.  

Can you believe it- we moved to CHINA!!!?!?!!!!  

I'm amazed at all the things we've seen and done this past year.  I would have never- not in a million years- would have thought I'd get a chance to see this part of the world!  And here we are!!!  Aaaaand… we're trying to make the most of it while we still have a chance.  

In 2012:

We moved:  from Potosi, Wisconsin, USA to Tianjin, China (eek! How many miles is that????!?))

We traveled to:

Phuket, Thailand

Beijing, China

Shanghai, China

Yangshuo, China

Xian, China

Sanya, China

Datong, China

Huhhot, China

Phoenix, Arizona, USA (Granddad's funeral)

Japan

….and finally Austria

!!!!!!

(did I miss anything????)

We've walked on The Great Wall of China (in two beautiful locations).  We've waltzed through The Forbidden City.  We've seen the karsts jutting out of the land in Yangshuo while lazily riding on a bamboo raft.  We were blown away by the TerraCotta Warriors in Xian.  We overnighted in a pretend yurt in Inner Mongolia.  We timidly and cautiously viewed a hanging monastery.  We ogled at giant statues of Buddhas in some of the most elaborately carved caves. We got to experience a minor earthquake in Thailand (and ponder the implications of what a tsunami might do).

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However, one of the best parts of all this is all the new friends we've made – whether they are expats like us or Chinese nationals.  I think our new friends are what make this expat experience really truly amazing and special!!!

 

A huge and hearty THANK YOU to all our friends and familyboth old and new for helping us make this giant leap and for making 2012 one of the most memorable years in our family's history!!!!

 

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FYI: 2013 is shaping up to be a busy year!!!  So far we've got New Zealand, Malaysia, Ireland (for me anyway.hee hee hee) and USA on our list.  And that takes us only to the half-way mark!!!!  We're also hoping to see the Harbin Ice Festival, return to Shanghai and maybe see one other location in China.  Suggestions?????