About 8 months ago I was feeling rather homesick and down after a few difficult months in China, conflicted between actualising my dream to live in China and my sadness at being away from my family at a time when I needed them the most. Inspired by blogs by women also living in China and making the most of it, I decided to embrace the moment and start a blog of my own. The next day my now husband proposed and the week after I discovered I was pregnant, so life started to look up.

Life in China will always have its challenges and downs as well as ups, but blogging helps me to verbalise some of my feelings and makes me feel part of a community of women who live in China/have Chinese partners/have a strong interest in China and Asia. Not only are these blogs entertaining and often hilarious but the bloggers are also full of wisdom and generosity, whenever I needed advice.

I’m so happy to this year be featured on Speaking of China‘s annual list of ‘Western Women who love Chinese men‘. I wouldn’t have envisaged this this time last year when I reading the blogs on this list when I was bored at work and was just about to hand my notice in to go to China!

I feel like I’ve made it now!

Many thanks to Jocelyn Eikenburg, not only for putting this list together and taking an interest in all AMWF blogs, but also for her support and advice on all things China. If anyone else is thinking of starting a blog, all I can say is come join us!