Settling in!

We have officially been in China for 1 week!  It has gone by SO quickly!  Thankfully Bethany had the whole week off work so we could get settled.  Finally all 11 - yes, ELEVEN - suitcases are unpacked.  Some of the bags were small, but many were large.  We checked 7 suitcases (and a guitar), carried on 2, Bethany brought one during her pre-visit and left it at work and a coworker even took a suitcase for us when he came to China last week!  This doesn't even include the boxes that we shipped from work with Ava's high chair, umbrella stroller, foam play mat and ABC Train Toy!  Needless to say, we brought a lot of stuff with us!

Our checked luggage, minus the guitar



Time to check in!

The very first thing we learned is that you cannot have a 2 lb jar of peanut butter in your carry-on bag!  Who knew?!  Luckily we arrived a little early (and flew out of a very small airport), so Ryan ran back to the counter and had them put it in one of our checked bags.  The guy even got on the plane to tell us that it was in the 5th bag (Bethany's mom had a brilliant idea that we should id each bag with a number so we knew we had them all)! 
We arrived in Detroit and thought we were doing great on time.  We leisurely walked to our terminal, grabbed a sandwich and latte and then found our gate.  That's when Ava started to get fussy ... and time just escaped us.  We barely took 2 sips from our coffee and could only make last minute calls to a few family members.  For those we told we would call and didn't, we are very sorry.  As Ava screamed, Ryan and I just looked at each other and wondered what we had gotten ourselves into for the next 15 hours! 

We were so grateful to be able to board first so we could get situated.  One of the flight attendants helped us with the car seat as we had no idea how to do it (driving to the airport was the first time we had even used it).  Then, miraculously, Ava fell asleep and slept for the first hour of the flight!  Of course there were a few moments on the plane that were rough, but overall, she did excellent!  We were so relieved - as I am sure everyone around us was as well! 

We arrived in Shanghai right on time and retrieved all of our luggage (thank goodness)!  A coworker met us at the airport with two vans!  One carried all of the luggage and we rode in the other one.  After a 2.5 hr drive in a downpour, we arrived at our new home exhausted.

Ava is still adjusting to the time change.  12 hours is quite a change for anyone, especially a 1 year old. Friday night she finally slept straight through the night.  But again last night she woke up at 3:30 am.  We got her to fall back asleep from 5-7, but needless to say, this past week has been a little rough on all of us.  We have been busy meeting new friends and exploring the neighborhood.  Turns out we live in a great spot where we can quickly walk to several restaurants (including Papa Johns, KFC, McDonald's and Subway), smaller markets and bakeries.  A large supermarket is only a 20 minute walk away.  We find that we are going through milk very quickly as 1L containers are much smaller than the 1 gallon jugs that we are used to at home.  Therefore, we are walking to the store often.

We have a lot more to post from this week, but we will save it for future posts to come soon! 

FY14 GDP Participants

For those of you wondering why we are in China for the next year, here is a brief explanation.  Parker has this amazing program called the Global Development Program where up to 10 employees world-wide are selected to work in another country for a year.  First, you have to be nominated for the program.  Then, after an interview, the Program Manager will select up to 10 employees to participate.  This program is one of the reasons why I (Bethany) wanted to work for Parker.  I had actually already accepted a job with another company when I received the offer from Parker.  If it weren't for this program, I am not sure I would have taken the opportunity!  Now, 8 years later, here we are in China!


Outbound (FY13) and Inbound (FY14) Participants, plus families, at Corporate Headquarters for a Reception Dinner

Last week, we had our GDP Orientation Session in Cleveland.  All of the [outbound] participants from last year presented their accomplishments, experiences and challenges.  Then, all of the new [inbound] participants presented our goals, both professional and personal, and expected challenges.  The week was also packed with culture training and presentations on facilitation skills, taxes, medical insurance, safety and team building exercises.  Of course there was plenty of time for socializing too!  

FY14 Participants!
Sandra (Germany --> Charlotte, NC), BH (Korea --> Cleveland, OH), Jing (China --> Salt Lake City, UT), Sriram (India --> Manhattan, NE), Paolo (Italy --> Cleveland, OH), Nathan (Michigan --> Shenyang, China), Crystal (China --> Cleveland, OH), Robson (Brazil --> Manitowoc, WI), myself (Michigan --> Wuxi, China) and Cynthia (California --> Hamburg, Germany)

Enjoying a Cleveland Indians game in the Parker suite! 

While I was out having fun, Ryan was home finishing up all of the packing and Ava was in Ohio spending some quality time with her Nana and Papa! 

Bethany's Pre-Visit

I arrived in Shanghai exhausted after about 22 hrs of traveling.  I watched 4 movies, read my book, played games on the iPad and slept for maybe a total of 3 hours.  However, this meant that I fell right to sleep and slept until my alarm went off.  The next morning I headed to Wuxi!  Being used to lots of corn fields (gotta love the midwest), I was surprised by the neverending city of Shanghai.  It took 2 hours to get to Wuxi, mostly due to the traffic, but honestly, I don't know when we actually left Shanghai and entered a new city.  It seemed like the city never ended!

I was warmly welcomed at the Automation Group Wuxi facility.  The building is beautiful - and huge!  I have my very own office (with a window)!  After a few days of work, I headed back to Shanghai for the weekend to explore with another Parker family that is about to head back to the States (they gave us their son's crib)!  Then, it was back to Wuxi to start our apartment search!

After looking at 9 apartments, I ended up picking the first one I saw!  It is way nicer than I expected!  I love the garden/patio area and the huge kitchen!  Plus, we have plenty of room for guests - not that we are expecting many (but we would love to have you)!  While searching for apartments, I ran into a group of expat women (Americans and Europeans), many with young children, that live in Wuxi!  They were very eager to answer all of my questions regarding the different neighborhoods, grocery stores and living in China with a toddler.  I am very jealous that Ryan and Ava get to join their Monday morning Starbucks outing each week (plus regular playdates).

Now that we have a place to call "home" and new friends, I am more excited than ever to begin this adventure!  If only our house and suitcases could pack themselves ...