The Difference A Year Makes

A picture speaks a thousand words.... just check out these photos. First day of school last year (our first year) and first day of school this year. Bit more relaxed now?

THEN

NOW

We have STUFF. (Amazingly too much already - how does that happen so quickly!?). We know where to get our groceries. We have a rhythm and 'normalcy' established to ground our new experiences in. The kids (and we) have friends.

Our flat  -

THEN

NOW 

One year ago - we were sleeping on a mattress on the floor!

Apparently, after a year of living in Asia, your drawings of people just might change to this:

It really does take one whole year to settle in to a place. Feeling the autumn wind blast through our little cove here and knowing in our bodies that this is a sign of fall -- that it will change again in the winter and again in the spring.

THIS VIEW - has become our normal - so grateful for this!

One year later we can direct the taxi driver home by speaking almost exclusively Cantonese - but we still use English to do much of anything else.

A year ago I was unpacking these boxes for my classroom:

Now I'm settling into life at school. I know my materials, space, curriculum and colleagues.

I suppose we've been busy just living our lives, which is why I haven't posted much lately. I'll catch up with a few posts in the coming days - stay tuned!