Working weekends

As I sit here on a gloomy Saturday afternoon, I look at my clock , and it reads 13:31. My son is napping in his crib, I'm watching "Departures" on tv and my cat is snuggled up next to me. This would constitute a wonderfully perfect lazy Saturday for our family.....if only NZ was here.

Where could he be on a Saturday afternoon?

One word.

Work.

Yep, my husband along with most of China are working through the weekend to make up for the government approved holiday we just celebrated. Two days off to celebrate New Years, equals working the following Saturday and Sunday.

The american in me wants to yell "What sort of holiday is that?!" And mutter profanities that would put a sailor to shame.

This has definitely been a learning experience for us, and I'm pretty sure those who are not accustomed to this sort of arrangement think it sucks a$$ and would just assume work during the holidays to have their weekends freed up. 

Instead, my friends and myself are husbandless for the next nine days straight. 

I realize that I've got it easy, it's my ol man that should be complaining, but, then again....should we really complain?

Afterall, we signed up for this, and if this is how China does it, then this is our new "normal". 

So be it.

As a foreigner, I find myself doing a lot of comparison between my homeland and here. This isn't necessarily good, and I have to step back and see this whole experience for what it is. We live HERE now. This is our current HOME. How can I fully accept China as home if I am constantly comparing it to America. 

Because clearly, this ain't America.

The sooner I accept this and adapt to the Chinese way, the more positive our experience as a family will be here. Perhaps I should have made a resolution this year...it would go something like, "just let go and enjoy the (wild) ride".

...and what a wild ride it will be...