May 2015: Somethings change, somethings stay the same

31 May 2015
Greetings all from Shenyang, China. 

I've been saying that for over 5 years now.  It hardly seems possible that we've been here in China that long.   Time really does go by quicker as we get older!  I remember when we said "Yes" to 5 years it seemed like a long commitment...now looking back, it's gone in an instant..a few more grey hairs, a few more wrinkles and a lot less pounds!  Yes, there have been many new experiences...some exciting, some boring, some happy, some sad, none of which would have been possible had we not moved to China. 

So, as many of you know, we have now been asked to stay longer here in Shenyang, and we've said yes.  For how long, I'm not sure, but I'm guessing for another 3 years.  I'll be doing a similar job to what my previous boss was doing, with a little different scope of work.   Some of it is new to me and some of it is what I have been doing, so it's a nice mix to keep things interesting.   In the new position, I'm the site manager and one of the benefits of this job is to host "family day" at our factory and open the doors to our plant to the family members to let them see how tires are made and see where their loved ones spend much of their daily lives.  Below are a few pictures from the 2015 family day at Michelin Shenyang.

Sarah in front of the door that says "Director, Plant Manager"

Sarah in front of an aerial photo of the plant...it's huge! Roughly 175 Acres

Rod posing with some of our Supervisors

Sarah with one of our Industrial Engineers

Sarah with a group of our family members with Mr Bib (The Michelin Man)

Sarah in the lobby of our factory main office building with some of our tires

The "multi-function hall" at our factory at family day

Sarah with one of the children at family day

No family day is complete without a little inhouse entertainment!

There were 2 consecutive weekends to allow all of the teams to join, and honestly speaking, I'm glad they are over for this year, but I have to admit, I was quite proud of the plant and I know our families appreciated it.

Other than that, it's been business as usual for us.  Rod is getting ready to go back to the U.S. To see family and friends and I'm getting ready to welcome my sister Patricia back to China for continued cancer treatments, then around the beginning of July, I'll join Rod for a short visit to the  U.S.  It will be quick for me, going to Ky, OH, and SC in 10 days. 

After spending the 4th of July with family, we will drop in to Greenville, SC to run some errands and visit friends.   I've been asked to speak at a Michelin event for women where I'll share some of my experiences with other Michelin employees (some women and some men in a "woman's network" meeting) Not sure what I'll say exactly, so my plan is to prepare a few comments about my professional journey and Michelin in China.  Starting Michelin in 1987 as an electrical engineer and looking at who I was then and who I am now, I can honestly say I would not have dreamed then where I would be 28 years later.  It's been an exciting career...not all perfect by any means and not without sacrifices...but the good outweighs the bad by a large measure.  Living and working for Michelin in 3 different states in the US (SC, IN, AL) and 4 different countries (US, France, Romania and China) is a long way for this Kentucky farm girl to dream to dare possible.  The plant here in Shenyang that I had a hand in building is ~175 acres...our family farm in KY was ~  200 acres...I can't put the two equal in my mind, but the numbers don't lie.  I thank God for the many opportunities and blessings in my life and I thank Rodney for being so supportive and encouraging me all along the way.

We'll finish our time in the U.S. at Myrtle Beach for another treatment at the Alternative Medical Clinic.  We both feel those are good for the body and soul...helps us get everything in balance.  A balance we'll need to keep as we continue on this journey of life here in China.

Love and blessings to all,
Sarah & Rod