Trying new things

When I went through orientation for the Fulbright grant, one of the alumnus said something that really stuck with me:  Say yes to as much as you can, as it's the best way to experience new things in this new cultural setting.  This statement has resonated with me, both personally and professionally.  Being in a new place means you'll likely be navigating an unfamiliar place, having to ask for clarifications when someone uses slang (or has a heavy accent) that you don't know, and a million other things.  These new challenges are both exciting and exhausting!

Moving here has definitely delivered on trying new things for all of us, including the kids.  I've been thrilled at how resilient Baxter and Miles have been to learn the new school setting, uniform rules, meeting new classmates, and of course having half of their classwork in an unfamiliar language - Mandarin!  The boys have both had a great attitude toward the new school.  Baxter commented on how nice the building and features are compared to home; I should say our local school is rather middle of the road, and not nearly as fancy as some of the wealthy suburbs or private schools.  In our parent-teacher conference on Friday, Miles' Chinese/technology/geography teacher said that Miles hasn't been afraid to try to speak Mandarin, and she's praised his confidence to encourage other students to do the same.  Jeremy and I couldn't be more delighted that the boys seem to be thriving in this environment.

Jeremy and I have our moments of weariness, too.  We still rely heavily on our phones to provide directions around town, but we have memorized a few routes and get better every day.  We have successfully navigated public transit.  

As for work, we continue to build our network of professional connections.  Socially, we are growing our networks there, too.  I've fallen in with a group of runners who persuaded me to run a trail race which I successfully completed yesterday!  Today we will be meeting up with an American academic who married an Aussie guy; she and I connected through a Facebook group and are now meeting up for a kid playdate at a park with a high ropes course!  We have found the Aussie people to be incredibly kind and authentic people.  We've been out of quarantine just over a month, and I think we are all looking forward to what will be in store for us as we try new things over the coming months!