We Made It!!!!

I am typing this from Nathaniel's phone so please forgive my mistakes. We are here in Hangzhou staying at a hotel and working on getting the apartment ready to live in. There are definitely things we did not think of. Like bed linens and pillows. I did bring some, but the beds are bigger than we realized! So our sheets don't fit. Also, I didn't realize just how long we would be without our stuff. One more month before we get our other things like dishes and cookware. We need to figure out the bare minimum that we need in order to eat happily.

Speaking of eating, we had our first authentic chinese meal the other night with one of Nathaniel's coworkers. It was nothing like any Chinese restaurant I have been to in the US. It was amazing! I ate lotus root, chicken cooked in tea, pork dumplings, lightly pickled cucumbers, chinese salad, beef and peppers, and I drank red tea. All of it was wonderful. The chicken was the best thing chicken I have ever eaten. Unfortunately the kids were really hurting from jet lag and refused all food, but at least they were charming and not terrors.

We visited their school on Friday, and we are all really excited about Monday when they start. We also met a lot of parents and everyone was so welcoming and kind. I am sure I will find people/ things to keep me busy soon.

I will be spending next week cleaning our apartment not because it needs it really, but because if I clean it I own it. Does that make sense? Izzy has already made her room her own and seems really eager to move in permanently.

I am going to finish with a list of things we have experienced in the last few days:

Being stared at ALOT, especially Isabel.

Eating at a Chinese Mcdonalds. That was all we could find when the jet lag hit the inexperienced world travelers in our family. Their French fries were better than the US.

Hailing a taxi

Riding in a electric bicycle taxi

Bought groceries and cleaning supplies. I think Mr. Muscle in the Asian Mr. Clean.

We adults have started drinking tea and I really enjoy it (Nathaniel always did)

Isabel used an inground potty! She was braver than me. I opted to hold it until I got to the apartment!

watched Tom and Jerry with Chinese voices

That is all I can think of for now. I will update soon!

It's about damn time!

PS Please go to our Flickr link on the right. I will be putting all of our pictures there that I don't share!
Well, we are In Chicago and we are board our plane for Shanghai in about 45 minutes. Now that we are FINALLY on our way, all of us are so excited! The kids are armed with there video games and movies and art supplies and books. Notice that I mentioned video games first...The kids are probably most excited because they get to be plugged for a long time with almost no complaints for me.

I am going to try and get them to tell me one thing they want to tell everybody.
Max: “boo”
Isabel: “We will be so happy to here from you guys. Love from, the Clawson family!”
Nathaniel: “Traveling with my family is even more fun than I thought it would be!”
Beth: “I never realize how many friends and wonderful people I have in my life until I really stop and take notice. While I am sad to be leaving everybody, I am thankful for this time to reflect and see all of the support I have.”

I know that I won’t have access to facebook, and I may not be able to keep this blog address, but I will let everybody know the new link if it changes. I am so glad that y’all want to follow along with us!

Where we are

Well, we have moved out of our house in Bloomington. It is now for sale, which was really hard for all of us.

We stayed in Boone for about a week and had a great time with family and friends. I got to do the Watauga Lake Triathlon...the 3rd year I have been to do this race with my friends!

We are in Charlotte now and will be here until we leave on August 24 for China.

The kids are very upset that they didn't start school today in Bloomington, but are loving the time they are having with their family and (especially) friends in Charlotte.

We are ready to be done with this transition and just get to Hangzhou!

Hello, Goodbye, Hello, Goodbye

I am sitting in the dark in our hotel room listening to the kids fight going to sleep. Nathaniel is at our house doing yard work in the dark. We are officially leaving Bloomington tomorrow morning. I am really, really excited about our move to china. I promise. I am no longer filled with the anxiety that moved me to write the last post. But, I sure am sad tonight. I remember a year and a half ago when I was so scared about moving to Bloomington. I knew that my life wouldn't be too different from Charlotte, but after the first 4 lonely years there, I had started to make some absolutely wonderful friends the last 3 years. When we moved to Bloomington, I was dreading being lonely and having to make friends again. I worried that the kids and I would never ever find anybody else that we got along with as well as our Charlotte friends.

Oh, was I wrong! In the short time we have spent in Bloomington I really consider it home. We found a neighborhood that we were fortunate enough to find a house to buy just up the street from the house we rented when we first got here. The neighborhood has a good school within walking /bike riding distance. But most importantly, We found amazing friends. Watching the kids make the rounds to say goodbye has been really hard to watch. I know how hard it has been for them. They have been real troopers. There have been some hard times for both of them, but it lets me know how much they have loved Bloomington too.

I am so proud of how we have kept in contact with our Charlotte friends, and I know that we are going to do the same with our Bloomington friends. We are so lucky to have all of the love and support of everybody as we travel over to the other side of the globe. I want you all to know that we are there for you just as you guys have been for us.

We are leaving Bloomington tomorrow morning and I am so, so sad about that. I am so thankful, though for all of the friends that we have made. You guys taught me that no matter where I go, I will be able to find people the make us feel welcome and are as excited to get to know us as we are them. You continued the love that our Charlotte friends gave us, and I hope that we were all there for you as well. I am sad to say goodbye to Bloomington friends, excited to say hello to Charlotte friends, sad to say goodbye (again) to Charlotte friends, and excited to meet and say hello to our Hangzhou friends...