The New Kennedys 2010

Tianjin Blog: The New Kennedys in Tianjin 2010.

Okay. Here is our first update in China via the Blog.

Just a bit of a recap for those who want the beginning of the journey and the timeline.

The Application Process and the Selling of our house

We applied at the end of September to the LDI/ISC Company.

We had a contract on the house at the beginning of October and closed on

October 30^th, 2009. I was officially released from my teaching contract from Beaufort County School District on October 23^rd, 2009. Susan, the kids and I moved to house on Lady’s Island for the duration of the application process, approximately two months.

December 2009

The LDI/ISC process was completed just briefly before December 19^th. We had hoped to be on a plane the weekend of the 19^th but as things go, we were delayed on the other end in China, but there was also a major snowstorm that closed airports like Dulles in DC. So He who knows all things allowed us not to have our way because there was something better ahead. That leads us to our final week in Beaufort. We were able to move back to the old neighborhood at Perry Clear Plantation for the final 5 days and stay at Gayle and Graham Walters house while they were in Tennessee. Gary Baker, who bought our old house, drove us to the airport, suitcases, action packers and all, at 3 AM and then our journey began.

The Trip to China

In a nutshell, all went well. We flew out of Dulles via Savannah at 12:30ish on Christmas Eve. We had a layover in Tokyo for a few hours before heading to Beijing airport, where we arrived late Christmas day. John from LDI picked us up and we drove a few hours and arrived at our front door in Tianjin at about 1:15AM the day after Christmas. Since our children have never flown, this was hopefully going to be an uneventful flight, and praise be, it was uneventful.

Our New House--Apartment

We live in a 3-bedroom apartment on the 8^th floor in the Nankai District of Tianjin. The building faces the street out front, but also looks over the rest of the apartment buildings in Jiu Hau Li. Tianjin International School is just 5 minutes away, or a 15 minute walk. This is city living at it best. Buses, cars, (building a subway) fill the roads with bicycles and various other vehicles. One must always be aware of his surroundings because the traffic rules are considered to be suggestions at times, but it seems that people pretty much obey traffic lights.

Where we are now…

Before school started…

We had a quick weekend of settling in and the families of TIS supported us with food and strategic logistical information ie, how to go shopping, get to church, work things in the apt. and whatnot. All this would cease temporarily and we would join 60 other TIS family members and head to Beijing for New Years.

Cold in Tiananmen Square and a rush to the subway system, we hung out mostly at the hotel for 3 days. Swimming was the highlight for the kids and shopping at the IKEA was the highlight for Susan and I. Also, we found our way to Wangfujing and got reacquainted with a friend I met in July, which was a great highlight to our day. His name is Pokey.

This week…

We just finished our first week of school. School was cancelled on Monday due to a snowstorm that covered a city that usually does not get snow.

The rest of the week has been filled with learning to take the bus to school—its actually like a Greyhound Bus not a yellow one. The school owns four of them from what I can see. Plus a smaller bus/van and a car, well equipped for a variety of activities.

How are the kids?

Adjusting to the length of the day, with the load of homework, and meeting new friends, I would say that they are doing very well. They attend school with mostly Korean students. The Korean influence is very positive and the environment is faith based and positive. I look forward to my classes. Andrew is getting positive reviews from his teacher and he lost 2 teeth since he has been here. Kelsey has made friends and is thinking about trying out for a play on Monday. She has two amazing sixth grade teachers, one guy and one girl, nice balance. Aaron is plugging along and likes the smallness of the classes. He also thinks his teachers are pretty nice too. I agree.

What about next week?

Next week we line up our Chinese language lessons. Most TIS teachers get their language lessons in class but it has been recommended for us to do something not traditional, that is, go out and immerse yourself into the community to learn and acquire language. Should be challenging and fun. I’ll keep you posted on how that goes. We won’t be alone. Also, we will have dinner with a speaker on Third Culture Kids by the name of Libby. She will be doing a 5 hour seminar on Weds. but will meet with us on Tuesday separately to bring us up to speed and discuss certain transitions that the family will make during this time. Should be helpful.

Next Week’s Update: Household similarities and differences.