It's just not easy...

Ok, it should be known to all the people out there that moving to China is NOT EASY!! There is absolutely nothing that is easy about this process. I'm not even talking about all the "home" stuff you have to take care of, such as house, vehicle, storage, moving arrangements, utility shut-offs, etc. I'm talking about all the paperwork and 'things to consider' when moving to China. Granted, we are "newbies" when it comes to moving to any foreign country, but I honestly believe China has to be one of the hardest moves.

Just so you know...

You will need to arrange passports and resident visas (obviously). Also, if you're kids are going to go to school, you will need to fill out all appropriate paperwork for the application which usually includes an additional set of passport photos for each child, a chinese address, a chinese telephone number and a chinese contact name, immunization records, and a Chinese health certificate. I'm actually surprised they don't require your child to have a Chinese name as well (although they do have a slot for that).

Immunizations? I'll definitely be talking about THIS in the future.

If you're even thinking about the possibility of taking your own vehicle to China - think again. It's not going to happen. There are so many people currently residing in China that the government has "auctions" for obtaining license plates. I think one of the prices for a license plate when we last looked was about $4900 USD. It is also pretty difficult AND expensive to obtain a driver's license even if you do have a car available to drive.

Pets. *sigh* Another blog, another time...

Other factors? Yes, many of them! But, I will talk my way through all of that another time as well. The POINT? Each country has it's own specifications in making the "big move". However, China MAY feel like it's one of the hardest moves due to many factors. One of the most difficult of those factors is being able to converse in enough Chinese to get the job done. Since it is SO foreign, it just feels like [we] are always going against the grain.

So, let's recap. So far, my head is spinning with all of this "stuff" to think about, such as, schools, immunizations, passports, resident visas, housing, transportation, safety, pet relocation, movers, goodwill vs. garage sales, what's going?, what's staying?, job, friends, family, expenses, insurance, baby #3 - or not?, clothes, furniture, water bottle companies, adapters, food, security, vet visits, kennels, health certificates, dentist appts, teeth extractions, doctor appts, etc., etc., ETC!!!!! Just to name a few. *sigh* It's just not easy...