Back from Beijing

Back in my old routine, green juice in hand and feeling really grounded. China was full on and packed with full circle moments, but instead of coming home exhausted, I feel chill and deeply content. Like something just snapped into place.

IT'S NOT THE SAME CHINA I LEFT

China feels really different. More independent (in a good way), more confident, more in control of its own narrative. Quality of products are higher, the roads are filled with electric cars . . . I learned how far ahead they are with health care, especially women's hormone health, and markets that sell the cheap fake stuff are mostly gone. There’s a stronger sense of autonomy and pride amongst its people, and their view on foreigners has shifted a lot. It’s not the China I left in my twenties, but it’s powerful in a different, very intentional way and a way I feel happy for how it's inhabitants have taken more pride and pleasure in their daily lives. 

MY LOVE FOR CHINA + MY PLANS TO GO BACK

Beijing still has me, but it took going back to realize it. There was something really special about that time in my twenties when I lived there . . . hustling to build a business, surrounded by expats doing cool shit and the locals making our dreams possible. And seeing the locals I worked with back then, now grown + thriving, made it so clear it wasn’t just nostalgia. It was a moment in time that shaped all of us.

And the best part? It doesn’t feel over. If anything, it feels like a door that was once cracked just swung wide open.

I already know I’ll be back and I think it’s going to be often. Not to live, but to work in a more hybrid way - time here, then returning a few times a year.

It reminded me that life is really long and I’m genuinely excited for what this next chapter gets to look like.

We headed up to a little village in the mountains a few hours outside Beijing that we used to spend a lot of time in.  Got to hike up to the wall with the boys and spend a few days playing cards, going for hikes and chilling out. Magic!

SHARING IT WITH MY BOYS

Sharing this part of my life with my boys was pretty wild. Watching them take it in, in a language they didn’t understand, the completely different pace and environment, and showing up with patience and curiosity. I was so proud of them. They really met the moment. Plus they were treated really well thanks to Lucy.

Ahhh Lucy. The kind of relationship that doesn’t fade, no matter how much time passes. She takes care of me in a way that’s hard to explain, there’s a depth to her love that just feels different. Seeing her with my boys, and them with her, was my favourite part of the trip.

On the way home, they asked me, “Lucy is kind of the closest thing we have to an aunt, isn’t she?” And it’s true.

And in true Lucy fashion, along with spoiling them to ensure they fell in love with China, she's already planting the seed for them to come back after high school and work with her for a year. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if they do!

There’s something really powerful about revisiting a place that helped shape you and realizing it still fits. Not in the same way, not as the same version of you, but in a way that feels even more aligned. This trip wasn’t just a look back, it felt like a quiet nudge forward. A reminder that you don’t outgrow chapters, you expand them. And if I’ve learned anything, it’s to pay attention to the places and people that light you up because they usually have more to show you.