The First Year

A year ago today, Scott and I landed in Beijing on a sunny, polluted afternoon. I remember driving through the city, the drab buildings and Chinese billboards seeming completely alien. I feared I never would feel at home here and that all I'd be doing was missing New York for three, long years.

My very first pollution mask, circa Oct. 2013.

It's crazy now to think it's been a full year since we moved. I looked back at my first blog post, which I called "Lost in Beijing," and I smile thinking how much I've learned this past year.

This first year has really been characterized by growth. When we first arrived, we didn't know a lick of Mandarin and took the subway over taxis merely because it had English signs and we couldn't communicate with cab drivers. We feared for our lives when crossing the streets in snarling traffic -- we still do, but at least we're used to it now -- and didn't know where to find a good burger. Heck, we didn't even know where to find butter!

But as the weeks turned into months we started to learn and pick up on things. We learned how to buy train tickets, bargain for fruit at street stands and understand the intricate seating hierarchy at traditional Chinese banquet dinners.

Scott has developed an affinity for baijiu, the strong Chinese liquor that's coveted by businessmen, and enjoys weaving through traffic on his moped. I've taken to eating dragonfruit on a daily basis and getting monthly cheap, but heavenly massages. We've loved getting to learn the language, hire a housekeeper to do the cleaning, and wander the traditional Beijing neighborhoods, or hutongs.

Scott learning to write his name in Chinese calligraphy.

Our vacations and work trips have become so interesting, taking us to Chinese cities such as Dalian, Kunming, Shanghai and Guangzhou, and also to Vietnam, Nepal and Singapore. Later on this year, we'll spend Thanksgiving in Thailand.

The year also presented many challenges, from learning the language, to testing our relationship, to figuring out the intricacies of Chinese culture. While we still have a slew to learn in all these categories, we're on the right path.

Personally, I've gone from not working and feeling paralyzed, unsure of my purpose here, to being ridiculously busy with freelance opportunities, often working late into the night (don't worry, this is something I'm enjoying a lot). I've learned to be a little more patient -- a trait I don't think I'll ever really master -- and realize that good things take time to materialize. I've changed my attitude about living here, going from counting the days until we move back to the U.S., to now worrying we won't have enough time over here to really explore everything.

What started out as a pretty terrifying experience has turned into something I'm grateful for. I've learned so much about myself and how I operate and react to adversity. I've also realized for all my fear and worry, I'm pretty adaptable, even if it means I whine and moan about something before finally embracing it.

One of our many adventures: In Tianjin on a lovely day trip. 

While we still have so much to learn about Beijing and China, and while we're nowhere near being fluent in Mandarin, I look forward to the opportunities this second year will provide us. Most of all, I need to thank Scott. If it weren't for him stepping up and asking to take on this role, we wouldn't be here. Much love to him for leading us on this wonderful, life-changing adventure.