How We Became an Expat Family

When my husband and I got married we always knew that we wanted to live overseas. We also felt that China was the place for us. Shortly after our second daughter (Aubrey) was born we moved our whole family to Xian, China. Since coming to China our family has grown by two kids. So needless to say, most of my time is spent caring for my kids, but we also study Chinese and teach English.

What I Enjoy Most and Least About Where I Live

I think the thing I enjoy most about living in China is the pace of life here. We get so much time to spend together as a family and it has really bonded us. Being able to be a part of my kid’s life and to have my husband around to spend time with is great.

Well…for the thing I least like about living in China, I think the biggest thing is constantly being stared at. It’s kinda like being a mini-celebrity, everywhere you go people stare at you and want to take pictures of you and your kids. We will never blend in and we will always be foreigners and there are days where that can be really draining.

Three Favorite Posts

1. And her name is Lily…
2. More from Caleb’s first day
3. Let hope arise

How We Became an Expat Family

We moved here when I was offered a job in the High Court of Hong Kong. Our decision to move ultimately came down to choosing adventure over security. After we had our second child we decided that there had to be more to life than making small Vegemite sandwiches, cutting up fruit into triangles, going to the same park, pushing a pram around the same suburb, and arranging our weekend supermarket trip around the kids' naps.  Here we still have to do all that stuff, except the Vegemite is imported, the fruit looks different, the park is more crowded, we live in a village, and the supermarket is a wet market.  We're never bored.

What I Enjoy Most and Least About Where I Live

One of the negative aspects is being classed with thoughtless expats who give Westerners a bad name by making no attempt to assimilate. And spending all our money on airfares to go back to Australia because people keep having babies/getting married etc. Also, because the money here isn't "our money," we're inclined to treat it like Monopoly money and spend it with impunity. Another hard adjustment has been getting used to not having much space. Our "front yard" here is the size of a squash court — and we're considered to live in a pretty spacious house. On the plus side, every day still feels like a holiday! Things are different enough to home that we don't feel jaded by mundane activities. Even going to the post office to pay a bill is enough of an experience to not make it a chore. And lastly, we treat our domestic helper well and pay her fairly, so I feel comfortable admitting that living with someone who does all the washing, cooking, cleaning and shopping is as much of a fantasy as you would imagine. And I can report that a ratio of three adults to two children is just about perfect in terms of ensuring each adult gets an afternoon nap most days...

Three Favorite Posts

1. Kings v Kongs: littering, vilification, and one nude dead guy.
2. My Royal Prophecy
3. Pitious Patissier

How We Became an Expat Family

I met a boy. Isn't that how it always starts. I met a Brazilian man while traveling in Spain. He swept me off my feet and kept on going until we were in Brazil. Once I got the rhythm of things in Rio de Janeiro, I totally fell in love with it.

What I Enjoy Most and Least About Where I Live

I adore the active lifestyle down here and how child-friendly this country is. I can take my kids anywhere and am not given a second look. And we are constantly playing outside, off visiting friends and family, or discovering new things. I never have to worry about my kids being too sedentary. It's actually the opposite, I have to make sure they get down time!

What I enjoy least is that I'm so far from my family and friends back home. Tickets to fly there are expensive, especially for a family of four! That and the cost of living in Rio de Janeiro. It is very expensive to live here!

Three Favorite Posts

1. 10 Ways to tell you are NOT Brazilian
2. You'll always have a place in my heart
3. Foreigner in Disguise