I really am blogging...

OK! So I’m gonna do a blog.

Despite what some of you think, this was not an easy decision. I really don’t want the world to be all about me, Me, ME. Plus, I am afraid that with a blog I will begin to self-edit and feel the urge to be politically correct.

(For example, I am already wondering if I have offended those of you who do have a blog! Sorry if I have!)

But this is my Chinese experience and to express it fully and honestly, I do not want to be sensitive and touchy-feely. I want to call a Peking Duck a Peking Duck! And I do not want to worry if you are a vegetarian; or if you prefer goose or chicken or Mu Shu Pork; or ifPeking is the offensive colonial term for Beijing (which I think it is)!

Yet, I am so lucky to have such great people in my life with whom I want to stay in touch.I want to share this crazy, absurd, ludicrous experience with all of you. The problem? I have fewer stories than I have friends. (How lucky am I?!)

If I write you all an individual email or phone you each, I repeat myself again and again and again and am bored to tears! And then we run out of telephone time and I have not heard about you. (And with the 12 hour time difference, telephone time is limited.)

Nor do I want to flood your email inbox. Maybe you really are not interested! Or maybe you are and I don’t know it and I have offended you by not sending an update… With this blog you are in control of how much info you receive.

In short, I would rather keep a blog to cover all the bases and keep you up-to-date. That way, when we communicate, we can talk about real things in your life—not my silly ex-pat life. (FYI: I am now officially an expat, short for expatriate, defined as “a person who lives in a foreign country.”) If I were Lucas I would have put a link in here to dictionary.com! But I'm not Lucas!

If my bluntness offends you, please don’t read. I don’t want to lose friends or make enemies! But if you want to know how I am really feeling, how I really deal with this bizarre world of house slaves and drivers, police interviews and weird medical exams, read on.

I promise I will try to make you laugh. A lot. I cannot promise the writing will always be polished, politically correct, or predictable. I am going to post things as they have been written originally in order to give you a real feel for how things play out.

Invite your friends to read if you find something particularly funny or interesting. Ask me questions! That’s the only way I will know what to write. I may forget details or not realize things are not evident when seen from afar. And most importantly, please, please stay in touch.

I want to hear about YOU and feel connected to my wonderful circle of friends, family, and community stateside. If there is one downside to this adventure, it is that I had to leave you behind. But don’t worry! I’ll be back!

Until then, I’ll be in touch.

(Now posting my 3-ish previously written updates…enjoy the absurdity!)

With Love, Laughter, and the occasional headache,

Kimbeijingerly

Oh, and please read them in order, 1, 2,3... Otherwise they might make no sense. I couldn't figure out how to edit that. Oops!