2008 Year In Review

In this, our eleventh annual holiday letter, we report on our journeys abroad and hope to reconnect with family and friends. This year found us learning Mandarin and moving to China after a couple of years of anticipation, and saw the addition of a new family member. China has offered us a break from the 24 sets of visitors we had in Nassau, as we currently have had zero. Hint, hint. Wink, wink. Nudge, nudge.
Big event of the year was the birth of Ryan in June. We got pregnant (well, Kate mostly) just in time to make it impossible for Kate to continue with Chinese training, for which she currently suffers through lots of pointing and grunting. Ryan was born JUST in time to get him medically cleared and diplomatically passported to come to China. And if it seems like I am measuring major life event by languages and countries, welcome to diplomacy. Ryan is a sweet-tempered baby, will eat anything that isn’t bolted down, loves to smile, but he has a temper if you cross him. For example, this morning he fell over backward, bumped his head on the floor, and rather than cry, chose to scowl and yell at the floor for the offense. He’s also bound to learn Chinese really well, as we have a non-English speaking “ayi” who helps care for him. When he does start speaking, his first words will certainly be the ones he hears the most - “bu hao chi,” which is Mandarin for “don’t eat that!”
Conor continues to thrive in our active, unsettled life, and remains easy going and flexible. This year he has really seemed to grow up, perhaps due to comparison to his brother, with whom he is a great help. He continues his interest in Math, having surpassed his new, somewhat dimwitted teacher in the subject, leading us to enroll him in a distance learning program through Stanford. He’s just started studying wushu, Chinese martial arts. I figure even if he doesn’t stick with it, the line “hey, babe, I studied wushu in China with a kung fu master” will be good for his high school dating life. Conor’s favorite part of China is our neighborhood, which is an enclosed compound of about 50 homes where children run wild free and everyone is known and friendly.
Since I’m writing this from China you’ll know that I met the major prerequisite of moving here – I was certified sufficiently fluent in Chinese for work purposes. Suffice it to say that language training was an ordeal, in the Grecian Myth sense of the word, and that passage of the supposed fluency test speaks more of my wily nature and the controlled environment of U.S.-based training than any actual useful knowledge of Chinese. If any of you ever do come visit (hint, hint), it may appear I know what I’m doing, but trust me – it’s parlor tricks. But fear not, 5 or 6 more years of study and I’ll really be average at this. Honestly, the best thing to come out of language training is a sense of humility and some great new friends.
My work remains fulfilling. I’m working as a Consular Officer for the US Consulate in Shanghai, currently assigned to the American Citizen’s Services Section. I help Americans in trouble, whether they’ve been arrested, are sick, have money problems, are looking for lost relatives, or helping make arrangements following a death. I’ve just been doing this for a few weeks, but enjoy the prospect of using connections, some language ability and my access to people and resources to get people what they need and help ease their suffering in a foreign country. The great news about this job is that if any of you do come to visit (wink, wink) and you happen to get arrested, I’m in a good position to help. Oh, and I got to meet former President Carter, which I can add to my trophy case of former presidents along with Clinton and Bush1.
Kate is in the most interesting position of any of us. I have the benefit of a year of intensive Chinese training, and work that keeps me very busy with a built-in group of friends. To Conor our life is perfectly normal, and he would think it uncomfortable not to have the challenges of living away from the US. Ryan is just happy to be eating a sock. But Kate is dumped into our enclave with few connections and no language, given a non-English speaking companion in our ayi/maid/nanny and left to her own devices. She’s been awesome, of course, but only because she’s like that, not because it makes any sense to put up with this and keep smiling. She’s been keeping a blog, which you are welcome to view at: www.conorandryan.blogspot.com. It has cute videos of Ryan and a clip of me on Chinese TV if you are on the fence about it.
I’ve mentioned her several times, but Xiao Wu deserves a quick word as a semi-family member. She started working with us in September to help with shopping, cooking, cleaning and caring for the boys. She great at housework and awesome with the boys, but her cooking is, well, let’s just say it’s very authentic. It’s odd to have someone else around the house, but not nearly as odd as it is to have her folding and ironing my underwear. We’ve quickly adapted, to the point that when she’s not here we find ourselves looking at each other during diaper change time and wondering how we’ve managed all these years. We all really care for her, but she, Ryan and Conor have a special friendship that is fun to watch.
As I look back over our year and our introduction to China, I can’t help but look around me and think about the power of diplomacy. It is baffling that defense and intelligence account for 99 cents of every dollar the US spends on national security and foreign affairs; just a penny goes to diplomacy and foreign aid. And did you know there are more lawyers at the Pentagon than US diplomats anywhere? Or that there are more members of military bands than diplomats? Thirty years ago, the US decided to open diplomatic relations with China, and within 2 days China opened its economy and its society. There remain serious concerns, ones that continue to improve with diplomacy and patience, but the decision to engage has changed a mortal enemy into a growing friend, and the lives of 1 billion are better for our efforts. It’s amazing to be part of that.
We leave 2008 hoping to continue to make new friends while reconnecting with old ones as we move across the globe. Until then, we hope that our letter brings us a bit closer, and helps us to overcome the distance that our new life may create between friends and family.
With all our love, Greg, Kate, Conor and Ryan.