Hiatus to have a Baby

Took a long hiatus there to have a healthy baby girl this summer. She is now one month old and we are moving ahead with our plans. For some time it was looking like we may stay in the US for an opportunity at a nice government job, which is hard to come by. Too hard, as it turns out, it doesn't look like the transition would be as easy and seamless as hoped. As long as we have to undergo a job hunt, we are focusing efforts abroad again.

China is looking most appealing to us for many reasons including the economy, politics, and the payback time invested there could payback not only into our careers, but for our children. With the money our government owes theirs, our thinking is that China probably will not be obsolete in their lifetimes.

I studied abroad in Kunming, China in 2004 and would be interested in returning to the Yunnan Province if not only because of the nature it offers. Among many of our concerns about living in China with small children relate to the pollution and health. Beijing, though it may make sense to live there if we wish to return to DC in the future, disgusted me in 2004 due to the smog and China hasn't stopped growing since.

Our next step is to ask friends and acquaintances who have had recent experience there for thoughts and tips as we weigh this option. I will also be crunching numbers to figure out what our salary would have to be to make it feasible. Will we store our belongings here for a while? Just a few, or a house full? What to do with our lease? Once I have a fairly accurate figure, we can see if there are jobs available that cover our fixed expenses at home and expenses we'll incur living abroad.