Tania's family writes their last chapter on Beijing expat life

I’ve avoided this topic for a while now because, like most things in life, the second you say it aloud, it becomes reality. And frankly, I wasn’t sure if reality was something I wanted to deal with. But here goes.

In 15 weeks, we will be heading back to Australia. That’s in just over three months, which coincidentally, is the time it takes to walk the entire length of the Great Wall and back, or make it to the cash registers at IKEA.

Thankfully, we’ve been preparing for this reality for quite some time now. Six months to be exact, which gives us just enough time to stock up on items at Ya Show and Liangma Flower market, as well as the myriad places we need to see just one last time. Thankfully, we’ve just waved goodbye to a month’s worth of visitors who gave us the perfect excuse to do all the touristy stuff we’ve backlogged. We also got to revisit our favorite restaurants, and re-experience the quirky everyday life that makes Beijing unique.

But now we’re shifting into high gear. We have a life to pack, a house to sell, a house to buy, a school to find, friends to bid farewell to, and a culturally rich and emotional existence to leave behind. I can’t bear to think about it. Leaving Beijing is going to be earth-shattering. We’ll need wild horses to drag us to the airport, not a mini van.

At the same time, there is a part of us that is excited to be going home. Other than the fact that a bunch of bananas in Australia costs the same as a cart of bok choy in Beijing, Australia is a great place to live. It’s going to be wonderful to be back in the arms of our homeland, re-experienceing the things we hold dear.

But for now, we have another place to hold dear to our hearts and the next three months will be spent hoarding as much of Beijing as will fit in a suitcase. Still, one fact remains: in 15 weeks, our family’s life will be changed forever.

Tania McCartney