The question I get asked the most...

...is probably "Hey Dave, I like chicken, and I like waffles. Do you know anywhere I can get both?"

To which I say, look no further! Your store of choice is on Madison Avenue in Oak Park, and will be opening soon. (Unless, of course, that chicken is actually holding a manhole cover...)



Just in case you're curious, here are the answers to a few of the other Frequently Asked Questions I've been answering lately:

• Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province
• A furnished 3-bedroom apartment on a university campus
• 6th floor walkup
• On the outskirts of a town of 11 million or so
• Teaching English
• Yes, I'm taking the kids
• In a Chinese kindergarten
• End of July!

Think that about covers it. Any other questions? Post a comment, or stay tuned for further details...

Gratitude!

Reading between the lines of my previous post, it should become pretty obvious that this just didn't happen on its own. Indeed, we had so much help from everyone that it boggles my mind just to think about it. We had people who:

• watched our kids while we packed / cleaned / moved / recovered from surgery / etc.
• made us meals
• helped us pack
• gave us gifts
• moved our stuff
• hosted a party for us at their house
• performed for us and our friends at said party
• drove me to work when I couldn't bike
• helped me build a storage area in our basement
• took our stuff
• came down from Minneapolis to take my paintings (twice!)
• put us up in their homes
• put up with us, in any home
• listened to us going on and on about ourselves ad nauseum
• and helped out with other tasks too numerous to mention.

Typing this list makes me very concious of the American myth that we can all go it alone. (Cue "My Way" by Frank Sinatra about now...) We like to think of ourselves as a nation of self made Marlboro Men (and Women) riding alone into the sunset, but we all depend on more people than we realize.

Our Story So Far...

Okay, everyone, you asked for it, so here it is... a fantastic blog describing our life in China for the next three years. (Except that we're not in China yet.) Life's been a bit busy lately, so here's a (very) brief recap just in case anyone missed anything.

• January - spent the afternoon of Inauguration Day interviewing for the job
• February - we're accepted! Jane puts an ad up to rent out our apartment, and we get prospective tenants one week later. Go Jane!
• March - I start out the month getting assaulted while riding my bike home from work, breaking several bones in my cheek. Reconstructive surgery follows, and lots of prescription-strength painkillers.
  
• April - Spending spring break getting all of our belongings out of the apartment and into storage. Back to work after six weeks of recovery time.
  
• May - Camping out at a friend's house while finishing packing and oh, about six trillion different closure tasks.
• June - More of the same for the first two weeks, and the last two weeks of school. Now in Colorado on the first leg of a six week closure tour around the U.S. Details to follow.

There you have it - how to get to China in six easy months! Stay tuned for the next post, where I describe how to build Rome in only one day...