From Shanghai to Shenandoah: The Path of Repatriation during a P a n d e m i c

After these last ten years of living overseas, it's time to go home...

Although I had planned to remain in Shanghai for the 2021-22 school year, the Lord is redirecting my steps back to the US. It's a bittersweet turn of events: I'm elated about being reunited with my family, yet at the same time, I'm sad to leave a place that I have truly come to love. I'm also mourning the end of a tremendous chapter of international teaching. Starting a whole new life in the small rural town of Mt. Jackson, Virginia, should definitely be a whole new adventure! 🐄

For those interested in the backstory: 

When I returned to China in September 2020 after an unexpected seven months at home in the US, I was 99% certain that I this would be my last year teaching at Shanghai American School. The time I had spent with my family had knit us closer together than ever and we had bought a shiny, new (old) inn, after all. This was it.  

Then, as I became more acclimated to life back in China in September and October, I wrestled with conflicting feelings: go home or stay in Shanghai for one more year? I would walk along the beautiful tree-lined streets of the Former French Concession, my charming neighborhood, and think how much I truly loved it...the quirky cafes, the little shops, the fast-paced feeling of the city, and the excitement and stimulation it brought me, and the way I could literally learn something new everyday just by observing my surroundings or exploring a new area of the city. How could I leave all of this, a city of 27 million, to move to sleepy Mount Jackson, a town with a population of 2,000, a place I had never called home, a place that had suddenly become our new family home? What would I do there? Why leave an exceptional job, church, apartment, and a city I love? And, practically speaking, why not save just a little more money? 

The more I thought and prayed about it, the more compelled I felt to remain in Shanghai. It just made sense. Thankfully, my family supported whatever I felt that God was calling me to do. We spent countless hours discussing it and I felt reassured that I should make the decision to stay. 

One particular truth that brought me great comfort through it all was that God is sovereign and would/could change my plans if He wanted to. Over the years, I have learned, time and time again, to hold onto my own plans and agenda very loosely. Submitting my will to God isn't scary, but incredibly liberating because He is good, wise, and always does all things well, perfectly well. So, that was that. I was staying unless God intervened. 

So, in late November, I signed on the dotted line and gave HR my contract, which bound me to teach at SAS for the 2021-22 school year. I felt elated! I would get the gift of yet another year in this incredible city! 

Then, on a Sunday night in late January, I had a serious conversation with my family about of the growing concerns we were all feeling about the v. We had been learning more about how experimental it really is, possible negative effects, fever pitch censorship about it, and a more nefarious agenda that could be at play, and it was enough to cause me to stop and wonder what I would do if China required all of its foreign teachers to become v. Could that happen? Yes. Will that become a reality? No one knows, but I knew that I didn't want to be put in a stressful situation that would cause me to have to suddenly leave China, since I do not want to take it, or any other, for that matter. 

My mind was reeling. I had to get some answers. So, I inquired with the US Consulate here, who, sadly, had no information to share. I scoured Chinese news articles and read as much as I could, but to no avail. Then, I met with my head of school on February 3 to express my concerns. 

Finally, I knew that I had no choice but to resign. I couldn't risk it. It's impossible to predict what China may require down the line, what airlines might ask of their passengers, or what a "v. passport" could evolve to become. I was even concerned about what restrictions Biden might impose on those entering the US from overseas. There were just too many unknowns, as has been typical with this pandemic.  

So, after much thought and prayer, on Tuesday, March 16, I formally resigned. Thankfully, SAS opened a small 7-day window of opportunity for faculty or staff to resign for the 2021-22 school year without penalty, since the possibility to travel to the US (and beyond) this summer is so ambiguous at the moment. (It's extremely difficult to get back into China now if one leaves, as the Chinese consulates in the US aren't issuing "green health codes" at the moment, nor is is possible to travel to China via other countries. Of course, things might change by June or July, but it's all still so uncertain.)  

I'm so grateful that the school graciously provided an opportunity for us to make some hard decisions without the added stress of worrying about repercussions. And, though it has been difficult to accept that I'm really leaving Shanghai, I have a deep and abiding peace that this is the course the Lord has set before me, which allows me to end this special chapter of my life with gratitude, peace, and excitement about what He has planned for my future.  

So, the next steps are to wrap up things here and prepare to repatriate to the US in mid June 2021. The thought of being reunited with my precious family, with whom I talk every single day and often twice a day, fills me with great joy! 🙌 We have big plans for the inn, which include renovations, and some new construction elsewhere on the property. (My dad is already working on the plans!) 

I'm also excited to develop some ideas that I've been sitting on for the last several years. At this point, I don't foresee myself continuing my teaching career; however, at the the end of the day, I trust that the Lord will show me what He wants me to do. That's my daily prayer. He knows my needs, desires, talents, and the many ways I still need to be sanctified, so I gladly entrust all of it to Him in faith. 

I would love your prayers as I finish my time here. There are many practical things to complete (selling things, shipping details, a long list from human resources, plus my "must-do-before-leaving list," etc.) Emotionally, it will be tough to leave, but I know the Lord will give me the grace I need on a moment by moment basis to do all the hard things and to say good-bye to all the people and places I love so dearly. He is always so very faithful. 

 

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'Therefore I will hope in him.'" Lamentations 3:22-24

Lastly, I have to laugh about what my dad said four years ago when I was at the airport and getting ready to board the plane in my move to China. He remarked, "Well, Laura. You started your career in the US, then traveled east to teach in Europe (Brussels). Then you continued east to the Middle East (Abu Dhabi and Dubai). Now, you are going to the Far East in Shanghai. If you just keep traveling east, then your next stop will be back home." You were right, Dad. I'm on my way. 💖

"The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance." Psalm 16:5-6