an Americanish life in backwater China

Tag moving

We’re Going Through Transition, We’re Not Scared!

A July fun fact for you: The word “summer” is derived from the Proto-Germanic word sumaraz, meaning “upheaval, chaos, change, uncertainty.” Wait, no. No it’s not. But it sure feels that way in Expatland. Summer is when everyone travels, moves,… Continue Reading →

Nesting Again When You’re All Nested Out

We painted last weekend! It’s something we had talked about doing since before we moved into this apartment over a year ago. The walls were dirty and really needed some TLC. (Apartments don’t automatically get painted between tenants here; it’s… Continue Reading →

Today Marks 10 Years in China

Today is the 10th anniversary of our family’s arrival in China. It came and went with much less fanfare than it would have received had I been more prepared. There probably would have been fireworks. But I did pause to… Continue Reading →

The Silver Lining of Frequent Moves (Taking Route)

Moving has been on my mind a lot lately, and today I’m sharing some of the positive aspects of moving over at Taking Route. If you’ve moved a lot, maybe this will bring you a little encouragement. I’d love to… Continue Reading →

15 signs we’re not in Guangxi anymore

China is a big country, and the regions here are quite diverse and distinct. I knew from previous trips to Yunnan that it was different from Guangxi, but now I’m living the differences. Here are 15 ways I can tell… Continue Reading →

No pantyhose this time, but we did get a goddess

We’ve now rented umpteen different apartments in China, and we have found that they all have something in common: every one comes with a bizarre variety of crap left there from the previous tenants. The first place we lived, we were… Continue Reading →

7 crazy quirks that make our apartment…special

I’m sure every home in the world has its own quirks, but in our experience, apartments in China are extra-special in that department. As I pack up this home before our move, I’m reminded of the little bits of craziness… Continue Reading →

Why it’s so hard to answer the question, “How many times have you moved?”

I’m in the middle of packing up our apartment. Again. In our nearly 17 years of marriage, this will be our 11th move. Or maybe it’s our 14th? No, wait. 18th? Or maybe even 21st? I’ve lost track. I’ve been… Continue Reading →

I packed the first box. It’s official. We are leaving.

We have almost exactly one month until we fly back to China, and today I packed up the first box. I’ve had people asking me for a couple months now if I’ve started packing. Um, you have apparently NOT had… Continue Reading →

© 2024 small town laowai — Powered by WordPress

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑