Author: Liz

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Five Years Later

A new chapter in expat life, travel, and conscious living in Asia.

Life in Amoy began as a way for me to document and share my young family’s move from a tiny, U.S. town of 8,000 people, to Xiamen, a city of over 5 million in southeast China. Having never traveled to China, let alone Asia, the move was big. I was compelled to share what stood out to me and to give our families and friends a glimpse into our daily life.

Six months later, COVID hit and like so many other expats I know, we got stuck outside of China. 11 months later we made it back and soon after that the blogging stopped (if you’re at all intrigued fear not – see archives for old posts). I’m not sure why I stopped, but nearly 5 years later here I am, picking it back up but with a slightly different slant.

I now live in southern Taiwan and my family has grown. Living overseas continues to feel right, and without any plans to return “home,” restarting this space feels right too. Life in Amoy is once again my place to reflect on expat life in Asia, and what it means to build a home abroad, raise third culture kids, and find community in unexpected places.

It’s also evolving into a space to highlight the people, places, and businesses I come across that are doing thoughtful, sustainable work across East and Southeast Asia. Whether it’s a family-run homestay in the Mekong Delta, a fair trade weaving collective in Laos, or a small design studio in Taipei, my goal is to share in a way that sparks curiosity, connection, and a deeper appreciation for conscious living in this part of the world.

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11 down, 10 to go

We’ve made it past the halfway mark and better yet it sounds like we will be approved to spend our final week of quarantine in our apartment. What a relief! I’ve sort of adjusted to being stuck inside this bizarre hotel room, but that’s not to say I like it. My favorite part of the day is going to bed at night, psyched we are that much closer to the end.

Julia is doing phenomenally well, keeping busy (keeping us busy) with her imagination. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve pretended to be a dog, gone on a picnic, and traveled on an airplane. But the days feel long and boredom rears its ugly head often.

I described this hotel room as bizarre. It really is an unusual space, think Las Vegas circa the 1980s. Not our style, but definitely memorable. You enter onto a marble foyer complete with two columns and walk into an open space with wood paneling, gaudy drapes, two massive “crystal” chandeliers, wooden dining table, and a pleather living room set that was once white. Then take the stairs, yes stairs, up to an open room with equally interesting furniture, floor to ceiling windows, the same gaudy drapes, chandeliers and paneling, a huge bed, and marbled bathroom complete with a sauna and full size jacuzzi tub. It really could be the set of an old movie. The space has been absolutely amazing, especially for Julia. It’s bigger than our apartment. The old and new cigarette smell and windows that barely open however have not. It certainly could be better, but it could also be worse.

Thankfully, we are able to order food and groceries. People come twice a day to take our temperatures and we will have had a total of 5 nasal swabs and 3 blood draws (antibody tests) with results turned around in 24 hours when all is said and done. Julia is under 3 so she thankfully has only had the mouth swab. It all feels like a lot to go through and seeing so much PPE between the flight, airport, and hotel felt intense, but I also get it. Just outside our building restaurants are hopping, schools are in session, and for the most part it is business as usual.