End of August 2017

Hello!

It's almost September, 2017. The weather still feels like summer is in full swing. However, I suppose, that's another blog post.

We've recently had the pleasure of Skyping with family. It was great seeing and talking with them, but also a little sad. Guess you could say bittersweet.

While we are off living a dream  (not really, but sounds cool right?!), our friends and family are living their lives. Our parents, sisters, brothers,  nieces and nephews are all growing up. We are missing birthdays' and picnics and family vacations. And in the case of Kate, an Ireland wedding!

Yes, our pros and cons list does include a line item family. And only one header has it for a pro.

We have so much more we want to see and do. Kristin worked with global companies in a corporate job where the struggles to the climb the ladder were real. Matt working in small family owned shops and teaching fitness had wanted to experience something big. See the world. Meet new people. Experience authentic foods. Actually, enjoy vacations for once. We were always checking work emails!!!!

(drum roll, please) And here we are, China. But is China and the experience worth another year? What do we hope to gain in that year? What about another country like Thailand or Vietnam? These are some of the real thoughts and considerations we need to make. And the answers aren't always easy to say, hear, or read.

Pros for staying in Asia:
We are here already - residence permits and bank accounts set up.
We know survival Mandarin.
We have friends in Changzhou.
We love teaching.
It's close to all the places we want to visit.
We have jobs here. There's no starting over (again).
Fighting to keep up with the Jones' was getting old. Being that team player working 50 plus hours a week wasn't worth it anymore.

Cons for staying:
No family. And this is the biggest con.
Lack of Western conviences like centeral air and heat, large size shoes for Men, etc.
At some point we will need to go home, so why not now?
We will miss out on everything else we want to see.

Life is short and in the end we don't want to have regrets.  We have both had family members pass away to early in life. You only live once, right? The decision we need to make will be a hard one. But, we hope in the end, all our friends and family will understand.