Today was a day where nothing was easy.
But despite the obstacles of...
switching jobs,
But despite the obstacles of...
switching jobs,
moving,
being without our belongings
which are stuck in a US port,
the apartment hunt,
international bank account
limitations,
tricky work/residence
permits,
new phones,
new SIM cards that are
apparently illegal,
long waits on customer
service lines to explain to someone in English that we didn’t know said SIM
cards weren’t registered,
insurance with confusing
information and lengthy applications,
a lack of US vaccines in
China,
$850 plane flights to Hong
Kong to get vaccines,
the “dating” scene all over
again with other moms and couples,
the hunt for familiar food in unfamiliar
grocery stores,
cooking with one pan and
high-tech no-instruction appliances,
a combo washer/dryer that
seems to require 4 hours per tiny load of laundry,
strange currency with an
exchange rate that tests my mental math abilities,
tax laws, regulations, and
bureaucracy to make your head spin,
motorbike-heavy traffic with
no regard for pedestrians,
curious strangers with no
regard for personal space (especially a baby’s),
language barriers,
“Shanghai stomach”,
filtered water that is
apparently still unsafe/unhealthy to drink,
baby poop explosions in
front of a crowd of gawking locals & tourists,
baby poop covered clothing in
tiny combo washer/dryers that take 4 hours,
adjusting to a stay-at-home-mom
routine and identity,
and wishing for an
instruction manual on parenting, living abroad, and staying sane…
one peek in at this bundle
of peace and joy and unconditional love & understanding, and I remember
what is important.
You don't need an instruction manual, you are doing a fabulous job. "The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new. ~Rajneesh"
ReplyDeleteKeep smiling and laughing. xoxo
Oh... I was going to say something, but Sarah's comment just made me tear up! Thank you, Sarah. :)
ReplyDeleteVal -- you and Matt have always lived big. Big challenges, big rewards. You're allowed to have bad days -- it doesn't mean you're doing a bad job. 14-hour time difference or not, just know you have all the love and support you need just a Skype-phone-call away!
I wish I'd seen this earlier. They have the same washer/dryers in England and clothes never dry. Get a drying rack--really, it's less frustrating. And space is like gold there, so carving out your nest will be super important...over time.
ReplyDeleteYou have 800 kinds of new right now, all rushed up together with being a mother. That's amazing stuff! Adjustments are made a little bit at a time in anything, let alone all these things. This reads as TJ's accomplishments, but what I see are Valerie's accomplishments and Matt's, too. Don't stop chronicling them, please--we'll all be cheering you on here.
Aunt Denise sees a burgeoning list of items that might have to be sent in care packages. Brita filters, anyone? Or those camping water purification tablets? ;) Feel free to post suggestions for what we can send/bring to you. And if you need one-pan recipes, just holler!
And I thought moving from CA to AZ was HARD. You are amazing to me. Thanks for giving us a peek at your life...
ReplyDelete