The Big News

No, Irene is not pregnant. No, Tim didn't suddenly get into watching sports. No, D didn't go a whole hour without talking, and no, M didn't greet a new person with a smile. 

The real big news for us is that we are moving to Nanjing, China for the next 5-6 months. We are leaving mid-August and returning in January 2018, just in time for tax season! Here is to new adventures! Though neither of us have ever had anything to do with Asia until recently, we're now getting ready to spend the next half year in the thick of it. 

The Reason

Tim was awarded a research grant to do his thesis research on how interpersonal relationships impact Chinese language learning for study abroad students. Basically the idea is that the quality of friendships students make with native Chinese speakers is more important than how much time the student spends speaking Chinese. Its been tested in Egypt and Jordan with Arabic learners, and Tim wants to see if it holds true in China with its distinct social culture. Tim will be studying the social relationships and language learning of a group of BYU study abroad students in Nanjing to gather data for his thesis. Enough with the academic stuff!

The Plan

In addition to his research, Tim will also be taking intensive Chinese classes at Nanjing University to improve his own Chinese (he's taken two semesters at BYU already). Irene will continue working on her dietetics degree online, which probably means middle-of-the-night Skype meetings with classmates who are all in the USA. D and M will be along for the ride, and we will try not to lose them among the millions of people there. We're looking forward to seeing as much of China as we can while we are there. If you have any recommendations, we'd love to hear them. Please remember that China is a very big place (see map above), and if it is too far away we will just smile, nod, and thank you for your suggestion. Also, if you know so-and-so who also lives in China, chances are we don't know them.

The Preparation

Right now we are getting ready with ever more long to-do lists, and ever less time. Tickets are bought, and we have a place to stay (Airbnb) for the first few nights while we find an apartment. Tim is prepping for one of his first Chinese challenges - negotiating a lease in Chinese! Irene can count to ten. D can count to 29.

As we've been preparing, we've really enjoyed videos made by The Food Ranger - a Canadian YouTuber who lives in China and makes videos showing delicious food from the street to nice restaurants. While he lives and films mostly in Chengdu, Sichuan which is about a 19-hour drive west of Nanjing, and the food in that region differs from Nanjing food, the videos still get us excited. We now have a family tradition of sitting down together and watching his videos when he publishes new ones (we've watched all the old ones). It also helps us practice our meager Chinese. Here is a sample.

Each morning in our Family Devotional we learn and practice basic Chinese phrases together. D has learned so quickly, and loves to count in Chinese every chance he gets. We've learned phrases such as hello, thank you, I am American, Where is Nanjing University, I don't know, and you're welcome. It is a fun family activity every day, and helps gets us in the right mood to enjoy our time in China. 

The Place

Nanjing means 'southern capital' (just as Beijing is 'northern capital'). Lest you think we'll be in some rural village, other expats who live there assure us you can get almost anything you need. It is certainly much bigger than Provo. There is an expatriate branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints there, and we've already been in contact with the Branch President. The Chinese government does allow church congregations to gather, but they have many restrictions. One is that Chinese members of the church cannot meet or associate with non-Chinese members. So in Nanjing there are Chinese branches and separate expatriate branches. It will be nice to have that bit of familiarity from home each week on Sunday. 

Panorama of Nanjing City, courtesy of Wikipedia.

So that is the plan. We'll be available by internet to some extent, and would love to stay in touch with you all by email, facebook, and this blog. We'll be regularly posting while we are there, and invite your comments. If, from the comfort of your couch, you search out and find some awesome place or experience in or around Nanjing, comment to tell us about it. We will go and post about it! Also, you can post questions, and we'll answer them. We want to share this experience with all of you who we love!

The Halls