It Feels Like Home

On January 4, we arrived in China carrying two suitcases each, and we lived out of those suitcases for 62 days. Today, the rest of our belongings finally arrived! Honestly, we'd adapted so well to living without those so-called necessities that I was not as excited as one might think to hear that our shipment would be delivered today. The process of deciding what to bring and what to store had been such a whirlwind that I really couldn't remember what we had shipped. Of course, when the homeroom mom called last week to ask if I would bake cupcakes for Christian's class party, the cupcake tins I'd packed sprung to the forefront of my mind. But, I had improvised with Farell's birthday cake last month, so no big deal.

Baking is not prevalent in Chinese culture, so things such as measuring cups and cake pans are not easily found. In fact, most homes do not have ovens. However, I was determined to make Farell's favorite cake for his birthday. After searching several stores, I found an 8x8 disposable baking pan. Not the Bundt pan I needed, but it would have to do. With no measuring cups, I estimated the ingredients. With no mixer, I used muscle power and a wooden spoon. Three hours later, I had a cake. It received rave reviews. As for the cupcakes, I sent money for drinks instead.

You see we had survived for so long without that prized shipment, that I had become numb to the void. There were things that I knew I could use, things that could certainly make life more convenient; however, being without those things did not make me feel empty. I didn't spend my days longing for "the shipment". That being said, I had my share of mini-celebrations as I discovered familiar items while unpacking all those boxes. Our message board! My faux fur blanket! The Marvelous Mom mug Morgan gave me when she was in kindergarten!

Excitement certainly exploded in the house when the kids got home from school. In all of the pre-move madness, I had the foresight to ship all of the bedding and decorations from their bedrooms. When we got home, Farell had already placed a few items up in each of their rooms. I decided to throw the bedding on their beds. In separate instances, without hearing the other, they both said, "It feels like my room!" Ahhh...simple pleasures.

I'm learning so much in China. I'm not only learning about this land and these people, but also about myself. In the 62 days that I've been here, I've learned that necessity is relative and I can survive with much less than I ever thought. Three months ago, I agonized over what precious items would make it into the pre-specified shipment weight. I was forced to prioritize and consider what was truly important. Everything I decided to ship was on my "must have" list at the time. Within 30 days, I found it hard to remember some of those "must-haves". As we unpacked today, I discovered that the items which brought us the most joy were not those things which make life convenient. Instead, they were the things that evoked familiar memories of our lives in the U.S. I have a sneaky suspicion we'll be looking for the same sense of familiarity when we return to the States, having mini-celebrations over all those little items that remind us of our home in China.

Hmmm, we'll see...