Time flies when you are crazy busy! Oh yeah, and...

When I got home from India and South Africa I spent the whole summer up at school completing my degree. Hurray! I can finally say I have a degree! I graduated with a B.S. in English and a minor in Psychology. With Rob going to and from different lighting retailer shows I was once again on the hunt for a job. In June we got a visit from someone...a “stork” came by to announce that he would be dropping off a package in about nine months! We found out in August that we will be blessed with a bundle of love due Feb. 25, 2010!!

"To be learned is good..."

Rob has officially graduated! He is an MBA! It took a while to get the actual degree in the mail, but it’s finally here! I’m so proud of him for sticking it all out, through the multiple issues of the good ol’ Shidler College of Business, craziness in China, and good times during his internship. IT’S ALL COMPLETE!! HURRAY!! Congratulations Baby!!

"You did what??"

What do I have to say for myself? Well, quite a bit actually! I'll go in chronological order so as not to confuse anyone, including myself. To begin with, once we arrived back to America after our stay in China, Robert went directly to an internship with a Chinese LED company called CAO. This was required in order to complete his MBA. He...struggled through it, quickly got a paid position there and actually endured that for quite some time. Meanwhile, I was searching for a job. Then I did some more searching. Then some more. Eventually I received an email from UCA (Universal Cheerleaders Association), a company I've worked for in the past, stating that they were looking for qualified and available people for an intriguing job opportunity. Well look at that! I actually WAS qualified, and obviously quite available! So needless to say I applied. What was the position you ask? Well, how much do you know about the game of Cricket? Don't worry, I didn't know anything either. Apparently it's a pretty MAJOR sport outside the U.S. One place it is particularly popular is in India. They have a league that's entitled the IPL (Indian Premier Cricket League). It’s equivalent to our NBA, NFL, and MLB all combined. In that I mean it is a combination of ALL of our major sport organizations. It is THE sport and THE league. Millions of lives revolve around it. It was placed on the shoulders of fifteen girls to popularize the addition of cheerleading and dancing to it. No pressure. So, after many long talks with my husband and several hang-ups circumvented, off to India I went.
We were “on assignment” for one particular team: Royal Challengers Bangalore. We did a few press conferences and filmed a music video while we were there. Then, due to circumstances out of the league’s control, the IPL T20 tournament was moved to South Africa. Time for more adventure!
The majority of the time we spent in South Africa was devoted to cheering at games and trying to convince the crowds that we were what the IPL needed. Thankfully we had some down time; and man did we ever take full advantage of that time. We went on a safari
played with baby lions and tigers (unfortunately no bears)

played in the ocean, went exploring, and overall just soaked up all that South Africa had to offer
. Our team, RCB, ended up making it all the way to finals, barely missing the first place podium by a few runs.
By the end of our two month stay all of us had grown incredibly close. We experienced a lot together, things that for better or worse we will all remember. Not to sound too cliché but it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. During this time my sweet, supportive husband stayed at home slaving away working for the man. We spoke via skype whenever our schedules lined up. It was hard being apart but it all ended up alright (unless you ask him… :) ). What an experience!!

Oh the places you'll go!

Our journey and travels in China have officially come to a close. What an adventure it was! It was an incredible learning experience that we would not have been able to receive any other way. I learned more in six months than the majority of my life about poverty, Communism, industrialism, and the full capacity of a human soul. On a daily basis I came into contact with people who have or are struggling to triumph over the most grueling perils that society has hurled at them. China is a country on the cusp of reform with its enormous international cities in direct opposition to its meek villages made up of adobe shelters. To their credit they have come a long way from the backward thinking of the Industrial Revolution. However, in order to become the “open society” they consider themselves, they have much further still to go.
We were fortunate enough to go on a three week exploratory trip through much of China, as a capstone to our time there. Robert and I were accompanied by his parents, Tony and Nancy, and my mother, Wendy. We all got to know each other on a much different level, for better or worse, through our trips on cramped train rides, the ever-enjoyable souvenir shopping, and who can forget our many visits to the “squat potties”!
On the whole, it was an extremely memorable time for Robert and me and when all was said and done, our brief life in China is one we would never replace.

These are just a few highlights of the biggest highlights, so as not to inundate you with too many pictures. I'll add more in following weeks.

Merry Christmas!!

I am trying this blog thing again…on my own. This is meant to be a shout out to my adorable wife for the killer Christmas present that she got me this year.



As our Christmas morning was winding down, Stef pulls a note out of our Christmas tree, addressed to me. After some slight confusion about where the coldest place in our apartment actually was (there are many), I found my gift.





Flashback: Over the past few months I have rediscovered that I enjoy playing chess, even if I am not very adept at it. So, in an attempt to improve “my game” I try to play online against the computer, when I get a chance. I am pretty sure that the “easy” level isn’t what it professes to be though. I have also enjoyed getting annihilated on occasion by a friend and fellow MBA student, Sean White. He is kind enough to keep playing with me, despite my sub-par performance and record.

So, while Stef and I were down in Macau (a small section of land in southern China, previously owned by the Portuguese) I saw a sweet chess set with white and jade colored pieces. I didn’t have much money on me and I told myself that I really didn’t want to pack a chess set back to the United States. So, I walked away convincing myself that this was an “unnecessary” purchase. The joy of Chirstmas is that no gift is deemed "unnecessary" if you are getting it for someone else!

Back to Christmas: Needless to say, when I opened my present, I was quite excited to find an amazing chess set, complete with Chinese looking figures, styled in, you guessed it, white and jade. Props to Stef for going out on her own and procuring this treasure, despite the difficulty in finding and negotiating for the item.



I am still not much of a chess player, but I do have a sweet setup if anyone gets a hankerin’ to play some chess.

Oh to learn Chinese...

I (Stefanie) recently completed a beginning Chinese language class. It was a very enjoyable experience and I actually have pictures to accompany this post, so I thought I would document it. At times it was frustrating, considering it is still Chinese, but I had a very patient teacher/laoshi (Catherine) who was always willing to help me through my difficulties. We had very interesting dynamics due to the differnt backgrounds of the class members: English, Belgium, Philippians, and American (me), along with our teacher from Shanghai.
I am sad to see it completed, it was a good use of the spare time I've found on my hands and allowed me to feel a little more connected to this mysterious land.
Robert continues to be the Mandarin expert in our family but now at least I have something to contribute.
Catherine and me...with my certificate!
The good old Han Fan class

Slacker!!

I must explain. I know it's been almost a month since I've posted anything but this time I really have an excuse...and it's valid! Somehow our SD card got a virus on it so we can't upload any pictures, and what's a post without pictures. So, in light of this information, I ask for your forgiveness. We have been enjoying our holidays here despite what you may think with my silence. We had a tasty Thanksgiving dinner with friends and have decorated our apartment with Christmas excitement! We're looking forward to Christmas and have appreciated the spirit that it has brought us here in China.