And the ‘here’ is Changchun, China. They say it is not the end of the world, but you can see it from here. Siberia and North Korea are a hop, skip and a jump away, summers are short and winters brutal (yet to be experienced).
All of these factors should surely be enough to prevent any reasonably sane person from coming to live here, so yes, you guessed it … we probably are not reasonably sane.
So far, this little city has revealed itself to be friendly, helpful and filled with people who will try their best to understand your meagre Mandarin and obscure hand gestures.
The boxes are unpacked, the cats and kids have settled, the husband has started work … so lets see where this journey will take us. Hold thumbs, I might just be able to start writing and blogging again.
Africa to Asia 
#1 by chinaelevatorstories on October 10, 2013 - 10:37 am
Thanks for stopping by my blog!
I have yet to experience winter in Jilin province. Shenzhen is as far away from cold winters as it gets, but we might go to my husband’s hometown for spring festival in February. Have you ever tried taking a cab in Changchun? It seems to be ridiculously hard to get one, at least it was for us when we stayed with my husband’s cousin. After trying to flag one down for an hour and various cab drivers telling us that they won’t take us, we gave up and went back home.
Looking forward to reading your stories of life in Northeast China.
#2 by Celia on October 13, 2013 - 11:32 am
You’re welcome 🙂 Yes I’ve tried to ‘catch’ a cab here and after several frustrating events, I now have the number of an English speaking driver who we book when needed. A bit more expensive but definitely worth it!