Gong Xi Fa Cai! 恭禧發財! Happy Chinese New Year!

Ni hao, everyone! Well, our first month in Taipei has been one of the toughest of our lives, but it has also been a great, eye-opening experience as well. Our overnight stay in the hotel turned into a four week stay! We didn't anticipate all of the corporate red-tape and the hoops that we had to jump through (and are STILL jumping through!) in order to get into a new apartment and get the girls into a new school. We have experienced every emotion that you can possibly imagine.

It is hard to sum up, in a few paragraphs, what we have been through this past month. I'll try to keep it short and sweet, because, honestly, it is one of those "you just had to be there" situations. After battling with GE for weeks, we finally moved into a temporary apartment today. I finally have a kitchen! We will be here for one month and, after we find our long-term apartment, we will move in and finally start to get settled. One baby-step closer to our "new normal".  

Our 2-bedroom, temporary apartment

Our small kitchen with only 2 burners (common in Asia). We had to buy a hot plate in order to make cooking meals possible.  No oven...just a microwave.  It will be a looooong month.

The girls started school a week after we arrived in Taiwan. They attended the school for one week. Unfortunately, the school was not a good fit for our family. During the course of that week, many things happened that were very unprofessional that we were not comfortable with, so we pulled them out. We finally got the "OK" from GE to start the girls at the Taipei American School and they had their first day on Friday. We were all so anxious and nervous about starting another new school, but they had a great first day! I am so amazed at how flexible and brave they have been through this whole experience. They have handled all of the changes and challenges with such grace. They are my heroes! But, as you can imagine, there have been many tears along the way.

First day of school at the Taipei American School

We are looking forward to the next few months in Taiwan. We cannot wait to receive our air and sea shipment...it will feel so wonderful to finally have our own things!!

We got to experience our first Chinese New Year today. The year of the snake! Chinese New Year is a very big deal here, like Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Year's Eve in America. It is deeply rooted in tradition and centered around family. We were very fortunate to be able to experience an authentic Chinese New Year. Our driver, Mr. Huang, surprised us and invited us to his family (immediate and extended) dinner! Apparently, it is not very common for outsiders to be apart of these celebrations, as this night is a very special night where families gather. It was incredible to be able to have experienced it, but it was also one of the most awkward things we have ever done! Only a few people spoke English, but they were extremely hospitable and friendly, as are most of the Taiwanese people. The food was so bizarre...there was a lot of jellyfish, octopus, squid, stinky tofu, and even beef stomach. In Taiwan, it is rude if you don't eat everything that is on your plate, so we had to try really hard to swallow each bite! There were a few times that I had to, mentally, go somewhere else to keep myself from gagging! Lily didn't eat anything, of course, but Hannah was very adventurous. However, at one point, she took a bite of something and couldn't swallow it. We didn't know what to do and didn't want to be rude, so we had her, politely, go to the restroom, where she spit it out. There were many awkward, cultural-difference, moments, but also many sweet, fantastic moments. We got to set off fireworks with the family, which was a blast (no pun intended)! It's a night, with our Taiwan family, that we will never forget.

The Huang family

Hannah being a good sport

Lily staying safe with white rice

Interesting Japanese crab

Cuddling with Lily

The whole gang - Happy New Year!

We have grown so much as a family and as individuals already. Even though it has been difficult, we are so thankful that we decided to take on the adventure.

I could go on and on about life in Taipei, but I won't bore you with all of the details. There are so many precious moments and also so many funny, random moments that I will share soon. I will also try to post pictures. I just wanted to give everyone a "quick" update on how the Schlabachs are doing on the other side of the world.

I hope you are all doing well! We miss you and the USA. You don't realize how blessed you are to live in the USA until you've left and experienced something completely different. I will never take my HOME for granted ever again!

Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore...

Well, our first week in Taiwan was not what we expected. It was much, much harder than we anticipated! We are still enjoying ourselves, but have been faced with some big challenges. One of the biggest challenges is FOOD. It is really hard to find American food here and when you do, it always tastes a little off. I don't know why! Maybe because it was imported and is old? Lily is one of the pickiest kids I know in the U.S. and now, in Taiwan, she is surviving on chips, french fries, boxed mac 'n cheese, and marshmallows. Anyone who knows us knows how crazy we are about eating healthy and organic, so this is, obviously, an issue. :-)

The biggest challenge that we have faced is our apartment. Instead of getting settled in, we have, after a week of living there, moved out. It is a long story, but it turns out that the weird smells that I couldn't handle all week (and were giving me headaches) were chemicals that were being emitted from the fabricated wood in the apartment. The levels of toxicity in the apartment were above regulation. So, after a couple hotel stays, we are back at the hotel, for good, until we find the right place to live. Didn't see that one coming!!

Our 3rd move in Taiwan. Lily's face says it all!

On a positive note, the girls are doing great. We have learned how flexible they really are. They are even content watching Phineas and Ferb in Chinese while we get things done. Honestly, I think they are handling this transition WAY better than Matt and I have been handling it!

The girls had a chance to visit their new school on Friday and that went very well. Lily's new little friends adore her (and her hair!) and made her feel so welcome. They will start their first day of school tomorrow.

Funny cultural moment...We took the girls ice skating in the city yesterday to escape the fumes in the apartment. When we got there, we noticed that everyone on the ice, kids and adults, were wearing helmets, knee pads, elbow pads, and wrists guards. Matt and I decided to opt out of the protective gear, but Hannah had a very hard time with that! She just couldn't get comfortable with the fact that everyone was geared up and she wasn't. I had to remind her that, in America, you'd never see someone on the ice in full protective gear...we'd think that was silly...but in Taiwan, that's what they do. They aren't wrong...and we're not wrong...it's just different. I saw the light bulb go off in Hannah's head and realized that THIS is why we were excited to bring them to Taiwan. The cultural experience is such an eye-opening experience for them...they are going to grow as people and learn invaluable lessons along the way. We also learned that the Taiwan people skate just as crazy as they drive!!! LOL!!! 

Ice skating in Taipei



Lets hope that this coming week goes more smoothly than the last!