18 Months...a Whirlwind Tour

18 months since I last posted on my blog www.watchorlive.blogspot.com! So. Shameful. How did that happen? I don't have access to Blogger when I'm in China for work (80% of the time) and until this month, I didn't even pay for wireless in my apartment in Michigan! But now, I've re-joined the world, and all of you.

What's been going on, you ask? Last year I started a new job with my same company! I've been at it for 18 months now, launching a new plant in Shanghai. It's challenging. Boy, is it challenging! But such a valuable experience, (not to mention a resume-builder). I have another 6-12 months on the project before I need to move on to my next step.

This past year and a half have been exciting and very eventful! A brother got married, my boyfriend came to Asia for the first time, I bought a house, my car burned down, I went to a couple new countries, grew to love a new city (obviously I'm referring to Shanghai here, and not Jackson, MI), and most importantly: I finally got to my 1K status on United Airlines! Well, maybe not the most important, but definitely makes the trips a bit more comfortable.

It's time to share a couple of the highlights of what's been going on via photos! Why don't we work backwards!?

August 2012: Mom and Soeren made it to China! Here we are at Tian Tan (The Temple of Heaven)

We also got to stay in Yang Shuo (Guilin) for a couple of nights and the scenery was fantastic! Just what we needed for a few days out of the city.

July 2012: I took a long weekend for the 4th of July and got to see Soeren in Europe.  We did our weekend in Vienna (because tickets were cheap to that airport) and got to dip over to Bratislava, Slovakia for a day ask well!

May 2012:  A trip home to go to my little brother's wedding!  He married a gal named Kera and they are in the middle of living happily ever after with their furry child, Cyrus.

April 2012:  I had a special 3-day weekend away from Shanghai in CAMBODIA with my favorite new gal, Kate!  We hit up Phnom Phen and Siem Reap and had a weekend full of beautiful sights, lots of sweat and many, many cheap massages.

Christmas 2011 and New Years 2012 in Beaufort, SC, spending time with the people I love!

December 2011: Right before I went home from Asia for Christmas, I stopped in Seoul, Korea to see my little sister!

November 2011:  A weekend in Florida doing all things coastal!

Sometime in fall 2011: Visits to Beijing to see some of the best buds!  

AND we bumped into Ai Weiwei while boating in Beijing's Chaoyang park!

September 2011: Visit to see Soeren in Germany with visits to castles, Stuttgart, and Heidelberg!

July 2011:  Summer in Beaufort, SC with some of my favorite people visiting!  It was Soeren's first time on a wind surfer.  Show-off!

 June 2011:  Visiting those same buds in Pittsburgh was like a little piece of heaven.  Definitely good for the soul!

March 2011:  I started my new job and the JW Marriott in Shanghai became my new home-away-from-home, and I started really exploring the city!

I'm gonna call that whirlwind tour through the last 18 months a wrap!  Hopefully I can get into more knitty gritty topics later on now that the update is out of the way!  I missed you all- it's been too long!  Good to see you again :)

OK, so it's not the end...

I don't live in China for the time being, so it felt strange to write on a blog address called "Experiencing China." Here's where you can read all my posts, both new and old!


http://watchorlive.blogspot.com/

The End!

I've left Beijing and I don't know when I'll be back...and that is so hard to say out loud. Leaving Beijing was one of the toughest and most emotional things I've done in a long time. An intense outpouring of love from my friends made me realize how much I loved the city, the people I met there, and how I had more friends in that city than in any other single location in the world. As Rory reminded me, "Don't be sad that it's over, just be glad that it happened!" We are all made of different chapters, and they open and close with the flow of life. My Beijing chapter has just finished, but I know that China will always beckon me back and I will find time for it again and again. Thank you, thank you, thank you to China, Beijing and every person that I have grown to know and love there! I can't wait to see you all again!

For now I am closing the "Experiencing China" blog, as I would be doing it injustice because I am no longer living there. I graduated with an International MBA degree and accepted my first job in the United States. However, it is with a global company so I will definitely be able to enjoy various cultures and seek out the new perspectives that so often drove this blog. As an ending note, I've included some of the graduation pictures. So long for now, it sure has been fun sharing life with all of you! 再见朋友们!


These are most of my classmates that did the Chinese track of the IMBA!


My Family (minus Kelsey)


And my Aunt and dear friend Courtney that also trekked to Columbia to watch the graduation!

End of April 2009 in Beijing

The end of April in Beijing brought with it beautiful weather and fun outside! First stop: Boating with Rory and the gang!

We got 10 people on the electric boat!

And puttered around the lakes in Houhai, all is green in Beijing!

It was also my last month to enjoy some of the favorite Chinese foods! This is what a typical spicy soup for Hot Pot looks like! You cook the raw meat and vegetables in the red pot, dip it in the peanut sauce in the front and enjoy! Mmmm.

Rory's adopted Chinese family also invited us for a lovely homemade dinner!

And last but not least...flowers! Everything started blooming so it was time to trek out to the many parks in Beijing and take pictures with the flowers!

Guests in Beijing!

In the beginning of April, two friends came to Beijing. John- a first-timer and Adrian- a returnee. I spent the first part of the month seeing Beijing again through the eyes of a newbie. Here are some of the adventures:
The group at brunch on Sunday:

With Adrian and John at the Saddle:

Back at Mutianyu section of the Great Wall:

And coming down the great wall on the toboggan slide:

At Korean BBQ with Zhangyi:

On Jingshan hill overlooking the forbidden city:

The classic Chinese baby pants...how do they do that potty training so early???

At the 798 Art District, which one am I?

The Panjiayuan Antique Market:

And the good ole Chinese acrobatics!