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 ...