A Forgotten Year

Many people have wondered what happened to my postings, as I haven't updated this blog site for over a year. The truth is, the crazy, weird and adventurous things that I used to write about now seem normal and are an every day occurrence. We are only reminded of our strange existence when visitors arrive and point out the difference. After more than 3 years in Beijing we are very accustomed to conversing in a foreign language, enjoying the smells of the city, are able to sample just about any cuisine and navigate any form of transport imaginable. One thing that still gets me though is the drivers. We received a car almost 18 months ago, and although I know that without fail I am going to be cut off, hooted at, shoved off the road, face oncoming cars that are driving the wrong way down my lane, thoughtless cyclists and pedestrians who don't look where they are going, I still cannot get used to it. It is enough to put you in a bad mood at the start of every day. The alternative is less appealing though - Beijing taxis are just as bad, because after you have managed to flag one down (not always an easy feat) you still have to contend with the smell of smoke and the loud Chinese radio while you're out on the roads. Give me my clean car and music any day.

Starting a family in China has been our latest adventure though - and our list of 'firsts' has been resurrected now that I have to navigate communicating about an entirely new topic of conversation. Our daughter Zipporah is a real hit in China and is constantly being touched and told how beautiful she is (I have to ward off the masses). Her and I were however, severely rebuked by all the Chinese people we know for going outside before she was one month old. In Chinese customs, although there is no medical reason for it and no one knows why they do it, a new mother and child are house-bound for at least one month after birth. Because Zipporah was born at the end of September and October is really the very last month of nice weather before the grips of Winter enfold, I was not going to keep her inside when she could be experience Autumn and warm weather for the last time for months. Every time we went out though the Chinese would curse us under their breath and we were infamous in our building (everyone who joined us in the lift knew who we were!)

It is proving to be an interesting time for us; just when I thought I had everything figured out this new season has brought with it an entirely new Chinese monster. A reminder that just because we've been here this long, doesn't mean we've got China all figured out.