will teach for travel

When Mama isn't around...

2012-02-12T19:08:00.000+07:00

This weekend Mama had to work at school on Friday and Saturday. It's really fun to be with Papa because when Mama isn't around, we get to have even more fun! We get to eat potatoes with mayo and beans followed by Nutella crepes for desert, we get to build huge, messy, obnoxious forts all over the living room, and we get to make up stupid lyrics to some of Mama's favorite songs. When Mama's around, it can be bor-ing! Most of the time, when Mama's around there are rules, there are chores, and there are messes to clean up! So when Mama is away, here's is what can happen..

To make it even more exciting, Papa not only let us do it, but he video-taped it, added sound effects, and uploaded it to YouTube so we could share it with the world.

We hope Mama doesn't find out!

Signed,
Anouk, Xavier, and Papa... "Three's Trouble"

Terrific Thailand

2011-12-29T16:40:00.002+07:00

Thailand has always intrigued me. National Geographic photos of Thai architecture, wats containing oversized Buddhas, and copious amounts of gold-leaf have always piqued my curiousity. So when Rob found our family hugely discounted tickets to Thailand for Christmas... I was in!

Upon arriving in Bangkok late at night, we were hustled along the busy streets in our neon pink taxi (which made a certain little girl very happy!) After an interesting detour through the backroads around our hotel (which we tried to communicate to the driver that we had already passed), we arrived at the Somerset apartments which would be our not-typical-Thailand home for the next three nights!

We started our adventure with a "Western Day" in Bangkok. We took the kids on their first tuk-tuk ride with Xavier clutching my hand nearly the entire way. At the mall, we were inundated with Bangkok's absorption of all things western--Maddam Tussauds, Starbucks, KrispyKreme, Burger King, and our first stop-- Siam Ocean World. As we walked around, Rob and I got a bit nostalgic of our yearly memberships at Monterey Bay Aquarium and the hours we would spend just sitting and watching with our kids. The one thing that did set this experience apart was our behind-the-scenes tour of the aquarium's gut as well as a short ride on a glass-bottom boat where we could see the sharks swim below us as we tried to feed them shrimp amidst the frenetic chaos of the other fish. We topped off this day with a trip to the bowling alley where everyone was quite thankful for the invention of bumpers! Our day ended with a nod to our Dubai days with a toasty warm hot chocolate as we watched the expat community skate around an indoor ice rink. Very cool.

Our "truly Thailand" tour started the next day with a river taxi ride to the Grand Palace. We walked around the King's former residence in an effort to count the number of gilt mythical features that festoon every nook and cranny on a quest for the famed Emerald Buddha. After climbing up and down steps that lead to one or another shrine of some sort, we finally turned the corner and found the crowd at Wat Phra Kaeo. This dramatically ornate building holds the most revered image of Buddha that Thailand has. The puny 26-inch tall Buddah (which is ironically carved from a single piece of jade, not emerald) sits in a glass throne high amongst an alter of marble, mother-of pearl, and gold-leaf deities and guards. Unfortunately, due to the fact that we were visiting Thailand in the cool season (as opposed to the wet or dry), our little buddy Buddha was all covered up and we could barely see any of his remarkable "emerald" beauty. Oh well... to learn more about the true story of the Emerald Buddha, click here.

We followed up a visit to the smallest Buddha by making our way to Wat Pho which touts itself in 3 distinctive ways. One, it serves as the center of Thailand's public education, two, they run the most respected Thai massage school in the country from this wat, and three, it is home to the largest reclining Buddha in Thailand. At 150 feet in length and 50 feet tall, this gigantic statue represents Buddha's passing into Nirvana.

Our Bankgok adventures included long walks down alleyways where few tourists dare to tread. For hours we walked through small mangled streets feeling the true Thailand behind our apartment's manicured lawns. The smells were challenging, the houses were sparse, but the hustle and bustle amongst these tiny streets was enthusiastic and entrepreneurial. As we walked further we felt more and more like Dorothy 'cause we sure as hell weren't in Kansas anymore!

Next on our agenda was a trip to Kanchanaburi in the South central plains. Though the journey is only 2 hours by car, Kanchanaburi could not be more different than Bangkok as we exchanged tuk-tuks, taxis, and trains, for 4-wheel trucks, hundreds of bars, and thousands of tourists! Unfortunately, there were few tourists to be seen at the night market where we sampled a smattering of street foods including sweet roti (a thin chapati drizzled with sweetened condensed milk), Turkish shawarmas, cold vegetarian noodles with chopped peanuts and sugar, which we washed down with delicious fresh-fruit smoothies. We finished our walking-dinner as the sun set behind the mountains and finding a taxi to take us the 20 minutes back to our hotel was proving to be very challenging. Thank goodness we found a lovely girl who had attended her senior year of high school in Iowa who was willing to help some wayward travelers. Daowz Lee came to our aid and loaded us in her dad's amulet-encrusted Expedition and drove us back to our digs so the kids could get an early night--elephants were on tap for tomorrow!

Our excursion to Elephant's World was a remarkable one for the three of us (unfortunately, Rob needed a down day to get his stomach back on track). The kids and I were picked up in an open-air truck-truck and driven deep into the mountains and banana fields to the Elephant's World camp where elephants and their mahouts (a.k.a. human driver) came to retire after begging on the streets of Bangkok or being hurt by their work in the logging industry. The workers and volunteers work for the animals and this resulted in us: hand feeding the younger elephants bananas and pineapple, cooking up sticky-rice balls with cooked pumpkin for the aged and toothless, chopping down banana trees, and bathing them in the river. It was an amazing day that the kids (and their mama) will not soon forget.

With Rob feeling a bit better the next day, we decided to explore Kanchanaburi on foot and have a day at our own pace. We had no idea that our walk would take us to the famed Bridge over the River Kwai and the gazillion tourists (mostly Thai) who would be there. We arrived just in time to see one of the diesel trains loading up to take off on it's 70+ km. route up and down the Thailand-Burma railroad (which is better known as the Death Railroad). It was difficult explaining why the railroad was built and the inhumanity of war. To explain to my kids how 100,000 Asian laborers and 12,000 Allied forces P.O.W.'s died during it's 16-month build was a sad reality. The kids, though, were so intrigued by the story that they solemnly walked by the graves of 100s of Allied soldiers and read each name and message printed upon the plaque at the Allied War Cemetery.

Our last full day of exploration was Christmas Day which didn't feel like a true holiday in any sense. Amazingly, Santa found his way to our hotel in Kanchanaburi and left the kids a few books that they read as mama and papa called loved ones around the world! After that, we drove to Erawan National Park which felt more like a leisurely fall drive through the Sunol canyon than a day out in Thailand. The luscious area was full of thick autumn-colored leaves being whipped by gusts of wind. We arrived at a rather empty park and began our hike over knotted tree roots and worn river rocks as we climbed up to various tiers of the falls. The highlight was watching the kids and Rob brave the nearly-arctic water to swim amongst the waterfall of tier 3. Though we continued further up the tiers, we hit our tilt and decided that it would be safer to return to the base tiers for some relaxing playtime in the water.

After we dried off, we drove to Tam Krasae, a stop for the Thailand-Burma Railroad. This little rail crossing is home to the Wang Po viaduct and the Krasae cave where a huge Buddha lies in wait. Crossing the viaduct was a bit treacherous but with only tourist trappings as our alternative, we braved the cave and walk. When the ground began to shake, we quickly edged our way to the platform to board the train and snag the coveted window seats so we could ensure a great view for our 90 minute trip.

Passing through the area's faming valley, we rocked and rolled our way down the Death Railway and the tragedy of the railroad's creation sat like a rock in our gut. But things began to change as we approached the center of town. The fervor on the train was once again at its peak as everyone scrambled to look out the windows at the floating hotels and restaurants as we crossed the river Kwai. Riding the Death Railway marks an abysmal time in our world's history that, judging by the sheer number of tourists visiting, is sure to be remembered by many generations to come.

Our terrific Thailand adventure came to an end with a Christmas dinner at the famed Apple's Guest House. We noshed on blue rice, pad thai, and chicken satay in a delicious cinnamon peanut sauce while watching speeding long boats cruise down the river. Our Christmas feast culminated in an inspired lawn dance by our kids and then was topped off by thick banana pancakes and coconut-apple ice cream.

Our journey had its ups (our hike at Erawan Falls) and downs (getting stabbed at the hospital to determine the severity of our yucky tummies) and our Christmas tree was not bursting at the seams, but the four of us were reminded of what is truly important in this world... and for that, we are eternally grateful!

To view some more of Rob's wonderful photos, go here and click on "slideshow"!

Forgive me father...

2011-12-16T22:26:00.000+07:00

...for it's been WAY too long since my last blog. But the holidays just crept up on me. It seems like it creeps quicker when you are a grade one teacher. The good news is... today begins 3 weeks of peace and serenity. Christmas break has arrived!

Well, I thought it would be peaceful, but during our 9:40 break today, I got a call that Xavier was in the nurse's office with a yucky tummy. By the time I arrived there he had vomited everywhere and was trying to apologize to the nurse for making a mess between heaves. By 10:40, Anouk was complaining of an upset tummy too. It was then that my Friday night plans began to take shape and here I am, sitting between two sick babies while I type out our family recap. It's not so bad though--we have tried the Greek apple remedy, the Indonesian remedy of young coconut milk and rice, and the mama remedy of garbage cans strewn around the house. Though we are completely out of sheets I have this feeling that we'll get past this soon.

Anywhere, here's where last I left you...

At the end of November, Bomma came bearing loads of luggage from Belgium and was here to celebrate our Thanksgiving holiday with us. Since I had to work all Thanksgiving day, we ordered a turkey (with mashed potatoes, gravy, veggies, and cranberries) from the Sheraton Hotel, and my house ladies supplemented our feast by cooking delicious sweet potatoes, buns, pumpkin pie, and an interesting interpretation of stuffing which turned out delicious (but extremely crunchy). On Black Friday, we drove up South into the mountains of Malang whose city center is still greatly influenced by Dutch architecture and Chinese history. We spent the afternoon in the nearby city of Batu where we visited the secret zoo full of rare and exotic creatures including white peacocks and the orange footed tamarind. The kids fed vampire bats and got up-close and personal with river otters and parrots.

We spent the evening in the amazingly gorgeous Hotel Tugu which is rich in antiques mixing the art of the native Javanese with that of the Chinese immigrants to Java. If only I had known this spot would be so amazing, I would have planned better. They offer a number of on-site classes--from cooking to floral-designing, massage workshops to antique tours. I hope I can talk Rob into a weekend away where we can enjoy the beautiful destination on our own.

The next day we exchanged the old for the new and travelled to the International Cultural Centre. The ICC is a favorite location of ours in the mountains of Pandaan. We enjoyed the modern sculptures that were displayed around the grounds as we swam for hours in the garden pool. We wrapped up our day with a lovely Italian dinner and a gift of red wine from the Manager (my kids have some great friends... and their parents are fabulous!).

The first term wrapped up with both of my kids' classes hosting their learning expos. Xavier demonstrated his knowledge of natural disasters and their effect on cultures and world economies to both Rob, myself, and Bomma! Last week, Anouk's class completed their transportation expo teaching us how transportation systems are developed because of the needs of the community or the requirements of the geography. Her expo took place just before the elementary music concert where she got up and played the violin like a pro!

We ended our last academic week with a small holiday party. After a rather disappointing board meeting, Rob and I returned home and threw our frustration onto the cutting board as we made a delicious array of appetizers for our buddies. The evening was fantastic with a few too many cocktails and way too many laughs. I woke up Sunday morning and my cheeks still hurt from laughing so hard.

And so tonight, as I listen to the subtle whimpers from my babes (after cleaning up yet another bout of sickness), I am oddly happy. The smell of apple cinnamon candles wafts around me as the movie "A Christmas Carol" plays in the background. Our trip to Thailand is planned out and despite the yuck I am surrounded by--I am reminded how lucky we are. We have what we need. We have (mostly) what we want (though a Christmas Eve with our family in a snowy destination would be amazing!) When all is said and done, we are lucky. We are very lucky!

picture by Kevin Stowe

As so, I leave you with the words of Tiny Tim: "God bless us, every one!"

-Ang

Thanks

2011-12-16T21:19:00.001+07:00

Thanks, a set on Flickr.

Pictures of recent journeys and people we are thankful to know during this holiday season.

We've nearly made it

2011-11-04T04:31:00.001+07:00

The Elementary3 pose for a quick photo-op

So the last time I wrote, we were in the midst the Langlands Family Medical Meltdown. 3 of 4 were not at the top of our game as we went to sleep before our school's Halloween celebration day kicked-off. So was it any surprise that only two of us legitimately made it to school that Friday? Anouk tried, bless her little heart. She was bound and determined to show off her paper doll costume so we conjured up a plan with our Nanny, Yanti. Anouk and Yanti were to arrive at school just as the bell rang, so she could participate in the Halloween parade, and then return home right after.

...the best laid plans.

There I am as a "hotter-than-hell H".

By the time l'artiste (Xavier) arrived at school, his moustache was dripping off of his face and since the airconditioner in my classroom wasn't working, sweat was dripping from mine as well. As soon as the bell rang, Anouk showed up and the elementary parade started without a hitch. At the parade's conclusion, a smattering of elementary teachers and assistants kept the kids entertained with a H-A-L-L-O-W-E-E-N jumble.

After jumbling ourselves around for awhile, my class was called for our photo-op by the great pumpkin. Looking at my students I realized how exhausted they were already (and it was only 8:30 am). They were so ready to get back to class and get the Halloween party started. But just as we arrived back at our classroom the fire alarm blasted through the school and pandamonium ensued.

Note: Teachers and students are amazingly skilled in emergency situations. We train for these sorts of events: walk quietly, get to your safe spot, and listen for directions are kind of our mantra. But if you add a whole lot of photo-happy parents to the mix, you get a snafu of massive proportions.

I guess our parents thought that the fire drill was a hoax or an opporunity to show off our organizational skills because they were running around like headless chickens. Some were yelling for their kids and trying to take them off campus while others were trying to get a few extra snapshots of their costumed-kid. When I turned around to look at Anouk's class, I saw a paper-doll in chaos. Her fever was definitely back and the stress of her illness, the parade, and the fire drill had done her in--tears were streaming down her face.

Our dia de los muertos celebration to honor Larry, Mr. Boyle, and the grandfather of one of my students. It is awesome to have a Mexican family in our class because mom came in and taught us about this important celebration while sharing her special Mexican sweet bread with the class.

By the time Xavier and I got home Friday afternoon, our family was spent. Tummies were unsettled, fevers hadn't regulated, and the airconditioning was still not working!

Next week has got to be better!

Boo

2011-11-04T04:05:00.001+07:00

Boo, a set on Flickr.

Photos from our Halloween festivities.

Field trips and fevers

2011-10-27T22:09:00.001+07:00

Today was a busy day for the Langlands family. It started with a 4:30 a.m. whisper in my ear. "Mama. Mama. I don't feel well" said the fevered whimper of my 6-year old. In seconds, Rob and I were flying out of bed and into hyper-mode. Rob was off down the stairs to get fever reducer and ice for my back and I was fumbling for the thermometer to confirm what we already knew--101.5F. Damn! My poor baby has a fever and is gonna miss her field trip. With tears and kisses, we got Anouk back to sleep and we grown-ups were able to get another 60 minutes of shut-eye.

When the 5:30 am alarm blasted through our room, the tears started again. But with a few more kisses, Anouk figured that her mom is also her teacher so at any point, she can get a personalized field trip. By 6:30 am, Anouk was focused on getting healthy so she wouldn't miss tomorrow's Halloween festivities and Xavier was ready for his big presentation.

And then... the rain started. On our way to school, I took off my sunglasses and looked out the window. The clouds were heavy and gray and the sky looked desperate to rain. I told Rob that I hoped the rain would stay at bay for just one more day so our field trip wouldn't be ruined. Side note: For two weeks I've been complaining about the heat and humidity. The air has been damp and heavy for awhile now and our aircos have been on the fritz. So I just couldn't help but do a little rain dance after my yard duty on Wednesday morning. Anyway, I guess my rain dance was a little too early because the heavens opened up and drenched Surabaya just minutes before our kids arrived at school. For 20 minutes, the flurry of text-messages and emails from parents was crazy. All I could do was reassure them that my teaching partner and I would sort it out. Lauren and I quickly recreated our activity stations while our assistants grabbed 24 garbage bags as make-shift raincoats just in case.

And then... just as quickly as it started. It ended. By the time the school bell rang, the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and I was sweatin' up a storm.

Anyway, I digress... A LOT!

While on the way to our field trip at the International Cultural Center in Pandaan (my parents and Tricia have been there to see the beauty of it all), Xavier was presenting the XL Challenge to everyone at the elementary assembly. Check out his video below. He (and Rob) created this amazing project and I can't wait to see how it evolves.

By 8.30 in the morning, while I was stuck on a bus with 24 first graders, my mobile was buzzing off the hook with friends, teachers, administrators, and parents saying: "Your kid is amazing!" or "There wasn't a dry eye in the house" or "You and Rob should be SO proud!" Though I wish I could have been there, Rob said that Xavier's in-the-flesh presentation left a bit to be desired but his video garnered a ton of enthusiasm from the students and a big cheer at the end! Yes... we are VERY proud of him.

Our field trip was lovely. We all had a great time in the sun, the kids learned a lot, we all got back safe and sound, AND we made it home just minutes before the school bell rang.

24 students, 4 parents, 2 assistants, 2 teachers, 1 grandmother, and a partridge in a pear tree!

On our traffic-laden trip back to Surabaya I walked through the bus dealing with 2 lost teeth, 1 bloody nose, and 1 ripped hang-nail. Side Note: First grade is always an adventure. As we got back into the city, my mobile buzzed once again. This time it was Rob informing me that he was sick as a dog--fever, nausea, and all the yucky stuff that comes with the stomach flu that I had last week (and that is running rampant through the teachers at our school).

I raced back to class, dismissed my kids, grabbed Rob, drove us home, and then arrived to a baby who still had a 101 fever. I got Xavier started on his homework, Anouk focused on a Halloween movie, Rob tucked in bed, and then I took a few minutes to have a quick shower to get the 8 hours of sweat off of me.

But then, the BEST and easiest part of my day began to unfold: within 10 minutes of calling our school nurse, the doctor had ordered the medicine for delivery at our house, our nanny was on her way to the mall to pick up Gatorade-type drinks, and our cook was revising dinner plans as she looked at the sad state of our family.

It is 8:37 pm as I finish writing this blog. The status of life is this: Xavier was wiped out after writing a collection of Halloween jokes and passed out with a smile on his face about his Halloween party tomorrow. Anouk went to bed with a fever but with enough meds to help her sleep through the night and the hope...just a hope, that she'll be well enough to attend the Halloween parade in her paper doll costume tomorrow. After sleeping for 5 hours, I gently woke up Rob to check on him. I persuaded him to get up out of bed and write sub plans so he could get some R & R tomorrow. He still has a temp but is well-medicated and back in bed. And me? Well, I'm wiped out. I'm still freakin' hot. I haven't seen my chiropractor in 5 days AND am shocked that I'm up and walking around. And really, I'm just desperate for sleep. So I'm outta here!

Hopefully tomorrow and the Halloween festivities will go off without a hitch!

A fun day of movie making...

2011-10-16T11:41:00.001+07:00

Hello dear family. If I haven't told you lately I am feeling SO much better. And I think it is evident by the making of these videos below:

Here's a little happy birthday video for mama's Auntie Monica.

And then there was the silly belated video for Bomma's birthday which was last weekend.

And then there's one more that I just HAD to show you. This collection of pictures was taken at the end of last school as the kids were experimenting with our new computer.

We hope you enjoyed our theatrics.

Love,
Angela (and the Langlands')

Showing off...

2011-10-13T19:16:00.000+07:00

It is very rare that our little Anouk is actually quiet. I mean, honestly, we put her to bed 30 minutes early just to get some peace and quiet in our house.

So the video below is adorable because it shows her performing what she learned at violin class. The first few sessions were a little less than expected because most of the kids didn't have their violins yet. But today's practice (when she didn't have her own violin) ended in this impromptu lesson later recorded because we just couldn't stop giggling at her thoughtful, focused, almost serious manner.

Enjoy.

Ouch... my back hurts!

2011-10-04T13:23:00.000+07:00

Not my spine, but a pic
of the same issue I'm having

I have a pretty serious pain threshold. I guess that's why I walked around with a moderately herniated disc for over 3 weeks before I actually said anything to Rob. But when I couldn't walk two steps without crying, and I realized I had popped about 8 Tylenols before noon, it was time to come clean and see a doctor.

The thing about doctor's here is they don't know how to handle us westerners. Most Indonesians get nervous just by seeing us walk towards them. Often times the women behind the counter will run away or look down in hopes that we will walk away and not force them to help us in English. In any case, our school doctor hooked me up with his friend in the ER who got me an X-ray and some good drugs within an hour. It turns out I have a degenerative disc disease (which basically says that my 34-year-old self has the spine of someone twice my age) and I haven't taken care of my back issues since I was injured when I was 12. MAJOR oops!

But, when after a week, not much had changed it was time to go back for a 2nd look. They were convinced I needed an MRI. Rob went to the counter to pay a whopping $250 for my MRI and we were shocked at how the same test would cost nearly $2000. What a difference 9,000 miles makes. Anyway, after being coaxed by Rob, looking at the machine, and seeing that it was open at the top...I was ready and willing to enter what I have heard can be such an awful experience. But just seconds after the world and this mammoth machine started closing-in around me, I flipped out in a way I've never experienced. Apparently I'm claustrophobic. Great... now I've got ANOTHER issue to contend with.

So two weeks on, I've ignored all the Indonesian doctors (who think the only way to solve the problem is to cut me open and screw around with my spine... uh, NO!) and opted, instead to address the issues in alternative ways:

I'm seeing a doctor at the hospital 2-3 times per week for cold laser treatments which is supposed to help at the cellular level and (hopefully) release pain from the nerve;
I'm seeing a chiropractor (who is honestly a gift from God). He is trying to pull off the years of messy back issues I've incurred and is using an "activator" to adjust me get into tip-top shape;
I'm icing every hour for 15 minutes to reduce inflammation;
I've lost some weight by swimming and walking in the pool as often as possible (about 4 or 5 days a week), eating better, and doing specific stretches so I can get strong enough to start a new yoga and Pilate's plan;
I'm sleeping differently;
I'm reducing stress by quitting all of my additional committees and working 1/2 days at school until the pain ceases;

as well as about 30 other therapeutic activities that I won't bore you with.

So, all in all, I'm on the mend. Thanks for your prayers, well wishes, and support.

I promise, the next blog will be more positive and upbeat! But see.. I'm still smiling!

The little moments...

2011-09-11T18:31:00.000+07:00

It has been a really rough start to the school year. Our chaotic summer didn't really do it's job getting us the R&R we needed to tackle another school year. So as we returned to school and all the changes that come with new classes, new students, new grade levels, and new administrators, we just haven't found our groove and settled into our routine.

So as the anniversary of 9/11 is upon us and the death of a dear friend's father just occurred, I decided it was time to stop and recount the little moments that have made our start of the year so amazing. It is in those little moments that we garner so much happiness, so here's about a few of our little moments...

It all started during our Eid break (here: it's called Idul Fitri). Eid is the time of year when all Muslims celebrate with family and friends as they mark then end of Ramadan. Our week off was therapeutic as we worked, rested, relaxed, and spent one refreshingly busy day cooking for our friends. What a joy it was to spend hours on Epicurious.com finding delicious recipes for an Italian feast. And then... to have our kitchen to ourselves again was such a dream. We could cook at our heart's content and our helper, Yanti, would prep our work by doing all the cutting and washing up! It was so fun to prepare a feast for those who appreciate good food. From the pasta to the breadsticks, red sauces and great vino (NOT from Indonesia!) a wonderfully therapeutic evening was had by all.

Then, it was time to prepare for Xavier's 8th birthday party. For me, party planning is a great thrill. Even better is planning a kids birthday party. It's a thrill to the Nth degree. But as a stay-at-home, a September birthday party was just another fun party to plan. As a nomadic teacher, birthday party planning is far more complicated. It requires planning in the summer so you know what kind of favors to pack. You also have to ask A LOT of questions like... where do you get a good cake in Surabaya? Or find specialty printing paper? Or how do you get pizza delivered when you don't speak enough Bahasa Indonesia? It's complicated. And poor Xavier could sense it. So, three days before go-time, Xavier asked, "Mama, is this party going to be fun?"

I had to kick-it into high gear... and fast! We came up with some fun age-appropriate games like Dino-Pictionary and Rob put together one of his exhausting treasure hunts that got the kids running upstairs and downstairs while completing some challenging activities. The obnoxiously loud party ended with some delicious homemade dino-cake (filled with Nutella butter-cream frosting as per Xavi's request) and a pinball competition. While we waited for the parents to descend on our abode, we tossed cups and plates into the kitchen where the lovely Yanti washed and put away. With the kids upstairs tearing up the play room, Rob and I were able to put our house back together again.

By 5:30, all the kids were picked up Rob and I were able to sit down to a cocktail with some friends.

As I write this, people around the states are waking up to numerous 9/11 remembrance specials, activities, and stories. As I write this blog, my friend and her family are grieving the loss of their patriarch. As I sit here typing away on the computer I hear the sniffles of two tired and sick kids on the couch and I think to myself... thank God for the little moments!

Little Moments & Xavi's 8th

2011-09-11T17:59:00.001+07:00

Little Moments & Xavi's 8th, a set on Flickr.

Here are a few things that have made us smile over the past few weeks...

...And 7 special kids come together to help Xavier celebrate a special birthday.

Anouk celebrates!

2011-05-21T08:02:00.000+07:00

What a surprise we had yesterday! After a rather chaotic week at school, we walked into the house and low-and-behold, my mom was sitting in an arm chair. What the...? Shock and surprise hit me like a 10-lb. brick. The kids, acting totally unfazed, said, "Hi grandma" while my mouth was hanging to the floor.

What a gift.

Grandma and grandpa travelled over 9,000 miles to surprise Anouk for her 6th birthday party which we celebrated today. If you've ever helped with one of my kids' birthday parties... you know I put a lot into every little thing. But as a working mom, some things have fallen to the wayside a bit. With grandma and grandpa helping out this morning, I could put on my "Martha Stewart" cap and do some really spectacular things. Here is a recap of Anouk's 6th birthday celebration.

With extra support for the birthday setup I slept in a little bit. Once we were all up and fed, it was all hands on deck as we transformed our house to a garden wonderland. As grandma put the finishing touches on the gift bags, papa and grandpa walked in with our super cake. The cake was made by Igor's Pastry (owned by a family in my class). They made a teapot to look exactly like the birthday invitation. They even made "cup" cakes to match. As a gift, they included delicious mixed fruit and apple tarts. Wow! We quickly started to brew the tea and the girls began arriving.

While the little tea goers were showing up, others were at the coffee table coloring their own designs onto paper teapots. Once all the beautifully dressed girls arrived, grandma began her important job as butterfly tattoo artist and I was face/hand/cheek painting. It was on the last cheek painting that we heard the first, "I'm hungry" comment so all the girls were whisked away to the dining room which we transformed to an outdoor garden. They sat on pillows on the floor and drank tea while eating tea sandwiches (really just cucumber or pb and j) and fruit salad.

Once lunch was finished, it was time to get the girls up, moving, and working off all of those sweets. This also allowed the cleaning crew to come in and tidy up the dishes so we could serve cake (another perk to living in a developing country--house staff LOVE overtime!). It was then that papa gave us the first clue which started us on a whirlwind adventure around the house--upstairs, downstairs, outside--with a few tasks to complete along the way. At the end of their adventure, the girls followed the clue to the spare bedroom where there was a paper parasol for each little girl.

At that point, the party was nearly over! It was time to move back into the dining room to sing a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday," eat some cake, and be on our way.

After all was said and done, we had 4 tired adults, one thrilled birthday girl, and one boy fascinated to see all of his sister's loot (he was at a friend's birthday party while his house was taken over by little girls in party dresses).

Happy birthday Anouk! You are one lucky girl!

Love, Mama

Anouk's 6th

2011-05-21T07:57:00.001+07:00

Anouk's 6th, a set on Flickr.

A VERY Good Year

2011-04-23T10:16:00.000+07:00

When you look back on your life (even if you're just in the middle of it), some years jump out as "amazing" or "blah" for a variety of reasons. Hiking Machu Picchu culminated my high school career and culminated a great year; Moving to Kenya with my new husband was an amazing year; Having my kid diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome was a very bad year; and teaching with Maureen Carpenter has been a professionally brilliant year! The story I will go on to tell you will explain more...

Maureen and I were on the verge of wrapping up our inquiry unit about water. Students were exploring how "Living things need water to survive and people have a responsibility to care for it." It was during our final planning that we realized we hadn't actually gone in-depth about our responsibility to care for water. Then, a shock of brilliance crashed into the room and the 2nd grade water project was born.

Maureen and I returned to class and asked the kids, "How do you get water?" The answer was a variation on, "I walk to the Aqua jug and fill'er up!" To help our students learn empathy for those people who do not have immediate access to water, the 2nd grade students role-played the water journey of people in different countries around the world: Kenyans, Brazilians, Indonesians, Americans, and Europeans. Here's their story...

Kenya: "We walked several kilometers with a heavy backpack. In one hand we carried our water bottle and in the other hand we carried a pillow which was like carrying a baby."

Brazil: "We walked about a kilometer to reach our water source. After filling our water bottles, we had to run back to our classroom due to an unforeseen problem like a war or natural disaster."

Indonesia: "Our water was dirty. We had to filter it, but still, one person in our group died because of a water-borne disease." The sign around his neck says, "I am one of 1.4 million children who die every year because of water-borne illnesses. What are you going to do to help children like me?"

America/Europe: "We were able to drink as much water as we wanted. All day long.

To learn about how this project affected their life and inspired two teachers to make a difference. Watch the video.

On April 28th, water on our campus will be a commodity. When people want to fill up their water bottle at our school, they will be required to pay 10,000 Rp. (about $1). All the money will be used to buy a water well in Cambodia. We are seeing change... one child at a time!

This has been a VERY good year!

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breathtaking bali

2011-04-03T19:23:00.001+07:00

alanglands' photostream on Flickr.

Back to reality

2011-04-03T13:58:00.000+07:00

It's been a whirlwind few months here in Indonesia. Since my parents visit in December/January, we have been in hyper-mode at school so our adventures have been somewhat limited. But with Tricia's visit come-and-gone, it is time to sit back and reflect on our fun before we get back to reality!

It all started a few weeks ago with our Festival of Nations celebration. After weeks of practices and some rather tense moments, my little Belgian-Americans joined the school in a spirited evening. The night started with an international food fair where families toured the school's lobby to taste home-cooked treats from some of the various ethnic groups at our school. My personal favorite was the Indian food booth because it's the only Indian we've been able to find in Surabaya. Anouk was happy at the American dessert table, Rob loved the Indonesia satay cart, and Xavier... well, he was just happy with all of it! Once the food event came to an end, students proceeded through the school by country.

Xavier and Anouk joined the only other Belgian at the school to stand on stage and listen to a snip-it of the national anthem while some interesting facts about the country were shared with the audience. When they cleared the stage, they quickly took off their Belgian shirts and merged with their friends from the USA.

The night culminated with some cultural presentations. The USA presented a tour through the states with a few vignettes--a little top-hat and cane number from New York, a bit of line dancing from West Virginia, and some beach fun in California. Anouk and another 5-year old friend sang a few rockin' verses of John Denver's "Country Roads" while Xavier danced with others in the background. When we got home all wet (from the torrential downpour) and wiped out (from the chaotic week) we sat glued to the TV watching the coverage of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. Though the island of Java was briefly on the watch-list, we were far more concerned for our friends and the families of our students who were unaccounted for. We went to sleep knowing our friends were safe.

Our last week before our spring break holiday was hectic (as expected), but Tricia's arrival helped to offset some of the chaos. Late night conversations into the wee hours of the night were somewhat quashed by the 40+ hour journey my dear friend took to arrive here. Poor girl was WIPED OUT! Tricia arrived just in time for our Elementary Assembly which included Xavier's class' choral reading (enhanced by water jug drumming) of the story, Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain. Unfortunately, Anouk was too feverish to perform with her ballet class but was able to receive an award from her teacher. The school day ended with a Javanese shadow puppet show by a 15-year old puppet master. It was amazing until I learned that the shows carry on all evening or for numerous days.

Bali... the real spring break excursion...
Truthfully, I wasn't too excited about going to Bali. Though Bali is high on most people's "must-see" list, I have heard so many expats talk about how Bali used to be and how hectic and touristy it is for enjoyment that I wasn't too thrilled about going. But Rob, using his typically tedious research skills, strategically planned and arranged for a villa rental at a somewhat secluded and small hotel in Sanur (which the guide books call "snore.") He couldn't have made a better choice!

In many ways, Bali surprised me the same way Nairobi did. Just minutes from the airport, I was amazed by the color! God certainly used all the color crayons here! At every nook and cranny, colors abound--from the various greens of the flora, to the stark grey of concrete statuary; from the vibrant hues of the fabrics to the fading colors of flowers and sweets in banana leaf banten (the daily offerings and favors which are believed to bring good karma) on every store's threshold--Bali was bathed in color.

Our drive from the airport, through lush and beautiful, was made more adventurous when I was pulled over at a stoplight. Yup, that's right... I was AT a stoplight and was pulled over for questioning. Since my Bahasa Indonesian is still pathetic, I just pulled out my Indonesian driver's license because I figure that's what he was asking for. Once he saw that, he apologized and directed me to go. (So that's what racial profiling feels like. Hmmm.)

Our first day found us exploring our digs and the 2 pools. It was far warmer and humid in Bali than it is in Surabaya (what a difference a 50-minute flight makes!) Besides swimming, lounging, and finding the best gelato in Sanur, we didn't do much of anything. We kept saying, "we should walk down to the beach." But night fell in Sanur and we never made the 50 meter walk to the ocean. The pool was far too inviting.

Day 2 was a bit of an adventure as we tried to find the Elephant Safari Park in Ubud. Lying in the center of Bali, Ubud is known as the center for art, music, and dance. I have never passed so many art galleries and studios in my life--from painters to sculptors, glass blowers to wood carvers--all art is present in Ubud. Unfortunately, the back seat of the car held two kids desperate for an elephant adventure so stopping off for a shopping trip was not in the cards this time.

The Elephant Safari Park was gorgeous and more well-maintained than I imagined an Indonesian "safari park" to be. The landscaping was impeccable and natural while also being home to 30+ Sumatran elephants. In an effort to avoid the circus-type show where elephants walk across logs, paint pictures, or do math... we waited for our ride in the lovely open-air restaurant. Being there with Rob and Tricia was great because we were able to reminisce about happy times in Kenya--the similarities are everywhere!

While, Tricia, the kids and I went on our 45-minute elephant safari through the park grounds, Rob stayed firm on earth and played with his new camera (hence the amazing pictures we've added). Climb a few steps to a vantage-point and you notice that you are surrounded by emerald-green rice fields. Our next visit to Bali will have to take us farther inland to the UNESCO World Heritage rice terraces. Until then, we'll have to be satisfied with the amazing landscapes we saw.

From the mouthes of babes: Anouk says, "My elephant was named Boris. He was a boy. He was very fast. I went in the water with my elephant. My elephant was a trickster and pretended he was going to step on poop, but then he stopped and didn't. He even opened the gates so we could go on our adventure. My elephant was a good boy!" Xavier says, "My elephant felt bouncy. My elephant was always hungry and I know because he grumbled. Mama was scared when the elephant went in the water. It was a good day!"

After our animal adventure (specifically tailored for the kids), we decided to quickly throw in a cultural stop for the adults in the group. We stopped at the Tirta Empul Temple. Discovered in AD 963, the water at the Tirta Empul Temple is believed to have magical healing powers. The kids rinsed their hands and faces in the cool water and seemed slightly transformed by the visit--they didn't nag about being ready to get back to the villa! By 5, we were back at our place for another pre-dinner swim. Another day came to a close in beautiful Bali.

On the morning of our last full day, we finally made the short trip to the beach. Though we were all stocked with loot for a day of beach bumming, we were truly BUMMED out when we arrived. The beach was dirty-- a rough, rocky beach, with dried-up seaweed mixed with garbage and streaks of seaweed to wade through before reaching the open-clear water. Hindsight being 20/20... next time we'll arrange a snorkeling trip to one of the nearby Gili islands or out at sea so we can avoid the sad-looking beach.

Our last full day took us to the Hollywood-inspired Pura Tanah Lot. It is one of the most popular temples visited in Bali though we avoided the obligatory sunset viewing. Overly commercialized, the walk up to the temple was annoying through the streets with vendors and hawkers clamoring for our attention. But once our eyes met the crystal blue water, we were at peace again. Though the temple has been staged and (most of it) rebuilt, Pura Tanah Lot is one of the most important water temples for the Balinese. The story is that the sea temples were created in the ocean so they could be seen by the next water temple. This one has some connection to a priest named Majapahit, but I don't know much about it and will have to learn more next time. Unfortunately, the tide was too high so we couldn't walk across to the temple. Instead, we took in the sites, spiritually sipping sodas and water.

It was hard coming home. As we approached Surabaya (about 35 minutes into our flight) the flight attendant told us to buckle-up because we were approaching a storm. Yup, we were back! Surabaya was drenched in a torrential down-pour. The experience of rolling our bags from the departure terminal to the car was a great story in itself, but really requires my animation to tell.

Beautiful Bali is behind us but a return is on the horizon.

Mine's the BEST!

2011-01-28T16:27:00.000+07:00

To know me is to know that my standards are exponentially high and as a teacher, you hear the refrains of, “You’re the best teacher in the world…” or “You’re my favorite teacher” quite regularly. So it is not lightly that I say, “My son has the best 2nd grade teacher in the world.” I know this as an indisputable fact because she is not just Xavier’s teacher, she’s also my colleague. Teaching with this woman has truly been, and will probably remain, the highlight of my career. As both a professional and a mother, I couldn’t be luckier.

I started this blog last Friday night after coming home and reflecting on our awesome 2nd grade Expo (which you can read more about later), but I needed to finish writing it today. I needed to finish writing it after she passed along a piece of free-writing Xavier wrote about a favorite memory.

Though the spelling has been improved, the wording has not. Here is Xavier’s story about his favorite memory to the ocean:

The wind blew gently against our faces. The waves were as still as a silk blanket. Joy of children fill my ears. Suddenly, screams interrupted the joy. The waves crash down on shore like lightening bolts. The wind blows hard against our faces. A storm fills the beach. People get in cars and go home. Suddenly, everything is still. I dipped my feet in. The water was crystal blue. For the rest of the day, I splashed in the waves.

-Xavier (age 7), 27 January 2011

Where did this kid come from? Where did all of this brilliance come from? See, I’m not blowin’ smoke. It’s true. All of it. She’s amazing. And I know, I know, Rob and I have a lot to do with it—I mean, we’re no dummies. But these stories and his development in 2nd grade confirms that Indonesia was a good move for us!

Now, onto our PYP Expo! Last Friday, Maureen and I watched our students as they toured their parents around our PYP Expo. The Expo was a culmination of our last two units of inquiry in which the students, in a nutshell, investigated how things evolve from seed to plant to table.

Here are some of the highlights:

The kids are turning vegetables into bread by following my grandmother's recipe for Zucchini Bread and Carrot Bread. These breads became bitings for their parents at the Expo.

Our Invent-A-Garden where students used their knowledge of plants and their adaptations to invent a plant which they then created through paper mache.

Our ongoing PYP Unit wall where we show student learning (from pre-assessment to summative) throughout the unit. Thank God for assistants!

Xavier and his partner doing their choral reading of "The Great Kapok Tree."

Two girls show their moms how the roots and stem of celery pull the water up to the leaves. Other students were conducting a chocolate taste test. Which is better? Indonesian, Japanese, or Belgian (yup, we all know who won!) and showing their parents food's journey from farm to table.

Here, a student explains the food distribution chain (from farm to factory to market) while another student is showing off the brochure he made in technology about his invented plant.

Here, Xavier shows off our Grade 2 garden--look how much our rice has grown. 3 more weeks and we can harvest.

A student and his parents take food items out of a basket, find out where they are distributed from, and then brainstorm whether or not we should be buying locally or globally.

Here, a student is showing her mom the stomates of a leaf while explaining their importance to humans (they take in the carbon dioxide and give off oxygen). Another student shows her mom a math problem after going shopping in our classroom store (basically a part of our store room turned into a mini-market) using Indonesian Rupiah. Students had to show their adding and subtracting skills (to the 100,000) to demonstrate what they could buy. Can you believe they are only in 2nd grade?!?!

Every place has its pitfalls and Surabaya is not exempt. But here is proof that we have chosen the best place for our kids and why I can say, “My son has the best 2nd grade teacher in the world.”

Lovely Lombok

2011-01-01T13:57:00.001+07:00

Clearly, we didn't know what to expect from Lombok. I've been to Hawaii more times than I can count so I guess my idea of Lombok was based on that--huge, deep white sand beaches, tourists at every corner, and hotels so high they touch the sky. But boy oh boy, was I wrong! After a brief 40-minute flight, we landed at Lombok's International Airport (think Kenya's Wilson Airport only with Bali-esque style buildings) and began to toss out our pre-conceived notions.

Moments after claiming our bag and catching a taxi, we were on our way to our beach hotel. Though the island of Lombok is different than the island of Java in many ways: size, population, clean air, etc... one thing wasn't different--the crazy Indonesian driving. We sped through the small streets going far too fast, dodging mopeds, delivery trucks, chickens, and horse-pulled carts. I think the only change was the number of animals that were added into the mix.

When we got to our small villa on Windy Beach we realized that we were certainly not there for the room! The villa was fine, but the views and ambiance were priceless! 30 steps from the ocean, we couldn't get away from it. Every night we fell asleep to the lulling pattern of the crashing waves and woke up to the same peace every morning. Unfortunately, the rainy season brought treacherous waves to our part of Windy Beach so putting our suits on and kicking around the waves was the extent of our beach experience at the hotel.

Day 2 we were bound for snorkeling at a private island called Gili Nanggu. This is where the difference between our expectations and our reality became very clear. Some of the beaches had tan/gray sand while others had gray/black sand. Because of the variant colors of the sand, snorkeling was a bit of a challenge. Some of the darker colored fish blend in with the dark coral and the dark sand. That said, our snorkeling experience was amazing. It took awhile for the kids (read: Anouk) to downsize the gear and pick the most essential snorkeling pieces necessary (mask ONLY!) and feel comfortable enough to explore without being a monkey on our backs, but once the kids found their groove... snorkeling was easy. One of Anouk's most memorable experiences was coming across a live bright blue starfish who had washed ashore. She picked up the starfish, asked to be photographed, and then took it back out to the reef for safety.

The island of Nanggu has a small hotel (sans hot water and electricity) and a restaurant. We had a late lunch and by the time we returned for one last afternoon snorkel, the 15 or so other visitors to the islands had gone. The only boat at the dock was ours, and we had the warm waters to ourselves one last time. It was an amazing experience and has the kids ferociously excited about snorkeling in the Azores this summer!

Instead of spending our pre-last day resting and relaxing by the pool or ocean, I insisted on taking the fam on a tour of the island. On our drive to the south beach, we were mesmerized by the sheer number and incredible beauty of rice paddies. Xavier was particularly impressed as he and his classmates got to plant in a rice paddy at school (in our grade 2 garden) and on a field trip this year. Our first stop of the day was to Mayura Water Palace. The Water Temple is the temple of the former King of Lombok and Hindus pilgrimage there on Christmas Eve every year. Though it was built in 1744, much of the temple has been rebuilt as it was the sight of a bloody battle between the Balinese and the Dutch in 1894.

On our tour, we stopped at pottery village [Mental note for next time: don't listen to the driver and take candy to the kids--crayons, pencils, and paper would have been a far smarter gift! The minute the bag of candy was opened, the kids from the village flocked to Xavi and Anouk to the point where we were REALLY uncomfortable and couldn't wait to get out of there.] and a weaving village. We watched young girls weave on traditional Lombok looms as they tried to explain the steps in their art. We were gently forced to dress in traditional weavings as if we were to attend a wedding. Only Rob rejected the offer... I think he just wanted to get back to our pool. Before we left though... I got to pick out my Christmas present-- a gorgeous, silk intensely colored wall hanging. It adorns a special place in our front hall.

After hours of touring the countryside, the kids were done. So we made our last stop at Kuta beach on Lombok's south shore. We realized quickly that this is where we want to come back next time. Kuta is more along the lines of what we expected--warm turquoise water, light tan sand, and sheer cliffs in every direction. The tranquility of the villages and beaches of Kuta will soon be changing. The villagers will become less reliant on the seaweed and tobacco harvesting industry and more-focused on tourism as the new international airport is being built just 20 minutes away. The peace is coming to an end in Kuta, but for us... it truly was a heavenly stay and we hope to visit there once more before the school year ends.

To see more pictures of lovely Lombok... click here.

Now... time to have more fun with Grandma and Grandpa.

It's beginning to feel a...

2010-12-24T07:23:00.001+07:00

little like Christmas. The holiday decorations around Surabaya are a bit over-the-top. I mean, how do you make an equatorial city with no winter give off the Christmas feel? Oh, OK, you decorate the palm trees in Christmas lights and you just thank God for the rainy season!

Our school environment has done a great job ringing in the Christmas holiday. My class was decked out with a Christmas tree, lights, stockings, and kids clad in Santa hats or reindeer headbands. The last week of before the break was inundated with holiday festivities. There were staff parties, cookie decorating get-togethers, Secret Santa, the Elementary Christmas concert, morning caroling by the Koi pond at school, and a holiday assembly.

Here are some photos and videos of our past week.

We'll write more upon our return from Lombok!

Merry Christmas

Xavier reading at the assembly... (click to see on YouTube)

Anouk's ballet dance... (click to see on YouTube)

The Rainstorm Commeth (click to see on YouTube)

Caroling at the Koi Pond (click to see on YouTube)

Pretty Salma

2010-12-10T06:17:00.001+07:00

Our budding actress makes her debut in an African version of "Little Red Riding Hood". The play is called "Pretty Salma" and is the culmination of the Kindergarten's unit on storytelling. Anouk plays Pretty Salma, a little girl who gets tricked by a sly dog after shopping for her grandmother. Listen for the cackling in the background--Xavier was DEFINITELY present!

Mea Culpa

2010-11-05T17:25:00.000+07:00

Forgive me family for I have sinned. It's been 50 days since my last blog. No, I didn't shake off the side of an island in some great earthquake or wash away in a great tsunami or even evaporate in a cloud of ash as a volcano spewed around me. My life is not that interesting and thank God my family and I were not affected.

That is not my excuse family.

I must claim over-worked, over-committed, and over-scheduled as my only defense. It feels as if the only moments I have taken out for myself were the mandatory 1-hour-a-week to watch "Project Runway" and the late night hours I would steal away to voraciously read the Hunger Games trilogy. No trips to Bali, no pedicures and massages, no parties, and absolutely NO R&R!

So here I am, at 9:05 p.m. waiting outside in a rockin’ reception room (listening to the Bangles sing “Eternal Flame”) as Rob bravely sits in the dentist’s chair. I just finished editing some papers and putting the finishing touches on my report cards when a great feeling of embarrassment and good ole Catholic guilt came over me. There’s so much to share…

Xavier’s 7th birthday celebration went off without a hitch. His favorite moment was blowing out the candles on a jungle-themed cake that the “Cake Boss” would be hard pressed to whip up in 24 hours (and for only $50);

Rob and Xavi went on a 3 day field trip with the 6th graders to a rural farm community where Xavier had the time of his life despite embarrassing his Papa by stockpiling bread at every meal;

My teaching partner and I took our grade 2 students on a field trip to a local orphanage after discussing how we are all responsible for creating a safe and happy environment for our community. Reliving my student’s generosity (of food, clothes, and toys) and the awe that they had when the realized the conditions that the orphans live in still chokes me up;

The inside of our palace, I mean house, was painted, the shipment arrived, and we (read: Rob) unpacked 68 boxes in 24 hours;

The school fair was remarkable, the likes of which we have not participated in since Kenya! The food was fabulous, the exhibitors were amazing, the games were fantastic, the entertainment was phenomenal (especially Anouk singing “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” on stage), and the weather was FREAKIN’ HOT!!!!!

I went on a walk through old Surabaya and learned about the old shipping port, the Dutch influence, the old architecture, inadevertantly participated in a Buddhist funeral, walked through the fish market, and rode in my first becak (like a rikshaw).

After writing a story about how he couldn’t hear, Xavier received a CT-Scan which led us to a diagnosis of: infected sinus’ and a treatment of: no icy cold drinks;

Anouk is having a rough go. She found out that her boyfriend’s family will be moving to Australia at the end of the year, the librarian won’t let her check out chapter books (we fixed this one), and Mele, the dog, loves Xavier more than her;

Halloween… enough said!

And... though we never got to see a game, the Giants won!

So despite the fact that I’m exhausted and sitting at the dentist’s office at a 9:30 p.m., things feel like their starting to settle down a bit. I’ve got my driver’s license in hand and actually know where I’m going when I zoom around the city. We have hired a nanny to keep watch on the kids (and the house lady who lets the kids walk all over her) and are finding a groove.

I promise things will be better and the next message will be about some great adventure.

I am off to start on my 30 Hail Mary’s now!

Food, glorious food!

2010-09-12T15:20:00.016+07:00

Boring...3 on a moped.

September is here, time for me to make my annual contribution to our blog. I know, once a year is pretty pathetic but I’m trying to be exclusive, kind of like a Ferrari, just better looking. So what to write about? The trips we have taken in our new car, the elusive quest to see a family of 6 on a moped, or maybe the crazy bugs we have found in our house this week. All good topics, but very Toyota, I need a Ferrari topic. It came to me as I was cleaning up the charcoal from the barbeque that was knocked over by one of the neighborhood cats: Food, glorious food! So here it is: the good, the bad and the ugly.

The Good

Our housekeeper/cook.

Our housekeeper: we really lucked out with her, our little old lady may not be a spring chicken but boy does she know how to cook! We have been spoiled with home cooked meals every day: chicken soup, fresh samosas, noodles, rice, you name it, all followed by freshly cut fruit of course. Unfortunately she’s not around on the weekends so we have to fend for ourselves (I know, life’s rough over here). Lucky for us there are places in the mall that have food-for-money exchange programs and what’s even more amazing is that it costs about 150,000 rupiah to feed a family of four. That translates to about $16, including the tip.

The Bad

BBQ- in :) Beer-out :(

Our housekeeper: she cooks a great meal and what do you do with good food … you eat it, and if you’re anything like me, you eat too much of it. And what happens when you eat too much of it … you get bigger, and we all know I don’t need to get any bigger; Anouk yes, Papa no. So that is why on Monday I am starting the first annual my-housekeeper-makes-really-good-food-but-I-have-no-self-control-and-it-goes-straight-to-my-hips diet. Can you fire someone for cooking delicious food?

The Ugly

Disgusting durian.

Our housekeeper: just kidding, she’s cute as a button. I just have to say, I don’t usually look at a button and think “wow, that is one cute button”, I would have gone with “cute as a baby tiger”, but that’s just me. Anyway, there are plenty of foods here that fall under the ugly category. There’s durian, the fruit that stinks to high heaven. The smell hits you as soon as you walk into a store that sells it and there’s really no way to describe it. There are the black eggs that are for sale in the supermarket but we’re just too scared to buy.

Awesome... 100 year old eggs.

And then there are the potato chips, oh the potato chips. My theory is that the big-wigs at the top potato chip manufacturers made a bet to see who could come up with the craziest flavor and actually get people to eat it. My two personal favorites are prawn (the chips are actually pink) and salmon teriyaki, clearly two flavors that should not come as potato chips. But it’s working, just like big oil can double gas prices in the summer, so can big potato chip get you to eat the most obnoxiously flavored potato chips, at least they got me to eat them.

So there you have it, job finished. Time to sit back, open a bottle of Bintang, grab some snacks and watch some soccer. Oh how I love thee, pre-diet days! Until next year.
Rob

Another interesting day in Southeast Asia

2010-09-05T09:27:00.000+07:00

Xavier has been thrilled about his impending birthday. Prior to the big day he had planned every event that we would participate in (especially since he has to wait 2 weeks until his friends-only birthday party). So when we arrived at Cartoon Kingdom for an hour of jungle fun, we thought things were off to a good start. Once the kids were justifiably dripping of sweat and exhaustion, we decided make our way to activity #2-- Dr. Fish.

Dr. Fish is one of those figures-it-originated-in-Southeast-Asia-activities that is not only common here, but also a must-experience while visiting. Found at the Supermal just minutes from the house, Dr. Fish is a boutique at the mall where you can pay $3 bucks for 15 minutes of incredibly weird fun. Cut into the floor are huge bathtubs filled with reddish log sucker fish. They offer a fish pedicure and nibble off dry, dead, skin from your feet and legs by sucking. Crazy! Putting our feet inside was a bit of a shock for the kids and I. Passers by froze in their paths as we (read: Angela) screamed with a mixture of excitement, fear, and exhilaration. The feeling is nearly inexplicable. A slight feeling of pins and needles as the fish swarm around your feet and suck away. Rob was thrilled with the feeling and, after a few minutes, the kids were relaxed and enjoyed the experience immensely. After our 15 minutes of fish reflexology, we dried our feet and walked away rejuvenated. Our feet looked fresh and felt clean--what a difficult day in Southeast Asia.

The afternoon was broken up by some brief shopping at the hardware and grocery store--the smell of durian lingering like a repulsive cloud over my head--thank God I'm not pregnant or I'd never survive in a grocery store here! Xavier quite enjoyed picking out his birthday present as mama spent some quality time negotiating paint colors. We spent the hottest part of the day at home in air conditioned loveliness reading, playing, and Skype-ing loved ones.

At night, we made our way back to the Supermal where Xavier wanted a dinner of pizza and ice cream. Pizza Hut pizza is a very exciting find here. Light and bubbly crust tasting similar to Brooklyn-style pizza is going to make it hard to give up bread again. Yummo! On our way home from the mall, we were on a quest for our frogs on the grass and bats flying through the trees. As we approached our house, we were planning our bath-books-bed routine but the large dark shadow scurrying along the outside wall of our house startled us. I tried to, coyly, ask Rob if that's what a rat. He told me it was and as we got closer to the house I was praying that the rat wouldn't make it's way up our gate and into our garden, but, of course, it did! Once noticed, Anouk immediately (and on cue) began crying. We tried to convince Anouk that his name was Ratatouille and he was a nice rat, but she put us in our place. While keeping one eye on the front wall of our garden to watch for the moving shadow, we unlocked the door of the house. Xavier ran in to unlock the garage door and release our foot-long guard dog who we thought would be desperate for a bathroom break (and who would chase the unwelcome visitor away). But like the lame little puppy that she is, she stood on the porch wagging her tail, totally oblivious of the task we had for her.

Once we were all safely in the house, we began to put away all of our bags of shopping and prepare for bedtime. I went into the kitchen to put the scissors away and freaked out when I turned on the light--a 2-inch long cockroach type bug was chillin' by the stove. I screamed bloody murder and ran out to the living room. Anouk, still crying over the rat freaked at the assumption that there was a rat in our kitchen. I spelled out my findings to Rob and told the kids not to go in there, which, in-turn prompted Xavier to walk right into the kitchen to see what all the hubbub was about. Tossing a towel on the bug, Rob trapped the creature and then pounced like an attacking lion. He came out into the living room to tell me that he hadn't heard a crunch but he thought he got it. He and Xavier went in to check the trap and were pleased to see the cockroachy thing was smashed to smithereens.

After that brief encounter, we all walked upstairs to get the babes (particularly our tiny tearful girl) ready for bed. I jumped in the shower to wash the day's adventure and humidity off me when Rob told me, in no uncertain terms, to not look on the bed. Of course, I freaked out again. Apparently, a millipede had founds its way onto my side of the bed. As I learned this information I screamed at the kids and warned them to evacuate their beds so we could do a bed-check. After our brave and fearless papa pulled off one sheet at a time, our timid family was hysterical with laughter (except Anouk who was hysterical with tears) at the peculiar turn our evening had made. After bed-checks, Xavier decided to keep his sister safe by letting her sleep in his bed.

Rob and I decided to conclude our crazy evening with a good movie, some popcorn, and a double gin and tonic. As I got the movie ready, Rob tossed the popcorn in the microwave. As the microwave pulled the amperage it needed to pop the corn, the circuits blew and we lost power again. With the freaky rat lurking somewhere outside, Rob braved the fuse box out in the garden. What would I do without him?

Xavier's 7th birthday was another interesting day in Southeast Asia and not one soon forgotten!

We’re not in Kansas anymore…

2010-08-18T12:01:00.000+07:00

8 of 10 on the first day!

The first week of school was a bit of a blur. The kids are great, Rob’s classes are amazing, the students are engaged (though for me, they’re 2nd graders, so they’re only engaged for about 10 minutes at a time), and the schedule is doable. Thank God it’s over! We both hate the first week—filler activities, pre-assessments, forgetting names, missing yard duties, and everything that comes with first week jitters. But anyway it’s behind us and we ALL made it!

The weekend was great. Friday night, we ditched out on the First Friday party to celebrate Rob’s birthday at a Dutch restaurant at the Supermal (yes, it should be spelled with 2 “ll’s”, but it’s not!). On our walk home we were nearly scared out of our shorts as we noticed the leaves on the grass moving. After stopping and trying to figure things out, we noticed that the leaves were actually toads out for their evening meal. This motivated the kids to come home and watch “The Princess and the Frog” before bedtime. The frogs have become a great incentive tool as we persuade the kids to walk back up the hill to the Supermal to shop.

Saturday was spent as most Saturdays are spent—errands. We’ve decided, though, that errands are REALLY difficult when: your mobile phones aren’t charged and don’t have credit, you don’t have a car, and you don’t speak Bahasa Indonesian (the local language). First, the phones. Urgh. We bought pay-as-you-go cards because the money is supposed to last a long time and they are really easy to find. Unfortunately, we had been receiving the occasional text messages in Bahasa. No biggie. Except… we must have inadvertently responded to one and now we’ve been bombarded with text messages that has depleted our credit.

250,000 Rp. = $25

Second, we don’t have a car, a driver, or a driver’s license. This is not a big deal except it has limited our range of travel and exploration to the areas we can get to on foot or places that we already know. The first time I got in a car, I hadn’t figured out the exchange rate yet so when the driver told us that we owed him 15,000 Rp. I nearly flipped my lid. But then I realized that it was only about $1.50 and that was after a 10 minute drive. Not bad.

But there’s another problem about not having a car—we end up schlepping a lot of stuff around! After a wonderfully exciting 5 hours at the Supermal, Rob and I decided to reward the kids with the things they had been asking for since Grandma and Grandpa left—bean bags! OK, fine, we can handle bean bags. At the “Bean Bag” store, we noticed that the small, cute, soft and cuddly bean bags were like 1,300,000 Rp. Yes, I said 1 MILLION, 3 HUNDRED THOUSAND Rupiah (though that’s only about $130.00) and the gigantic, easy-to-wash, and not-so-cute bean bags were only 700,000 ($70.00). So, we got 2 mammoth, colossal, and I mean freakin’ HUGE bean bags. At the register, it occurred to Rob and I that they would never fit in a taxi. So, we decided to hoof-it home! Yup, through the packed Supermal, the crazy gringos slogged their big ass “Santa” bean bags. Through the mall, and the traffic, passed the frogs (that we NEEDED to watch), passed the laughing guards who protect our complex, and into our home. We need a car!

The third rather big challenge here is we don’t speak Bahasa Indonesian. All we can say is “thank you” and between the four of us, can probably count to 5. This is OK as we’ve done a great job getting around with broken English, charades, and a lot of business cards. We’ve been able to order dinner, price out a new car, buy a couch, and grocery shop all without knowing more than the cordial Indonesian head bow and “thank you.”

Our lack of Bahasa came to a head after a rather exciting day at school on Monday. Let me detour here for a minute and tell you about the crazy day we had. Tuesday is Indonesian Independence Day and the way the school celebrates is by getting the local and expat staff together in the gym for the “Merdeka” games. “Merdeka” is the Bahasa word for freedom so it’s a great way to commemorate their freedom from the Dutch. In any case, the gym is packed with people all decked out in their red and white clothes to play silly games like: balance the rice basket on your head, tug-of-war, and cross-dressing soccer. It was a hoot to watch and next year we’ll be prepared with tennis shoes and gym shorts. At the end of the event, winners are given huge bags of food and everyone walks away with a goody bag—an SIS tote bag with a traditional Ramadhan dinner. Awesome. But the kids had no idea we’d be going to the “Merdeka” games. I had forgotten about the games when I had promised the kids a trip to the pool. Oops. So, to make up for my tactical error, Rob and I decided to take them to McDonald’s for dinner.

Bubur Ayam Soup?

We need to learn Bahasa. Except for the things we ordered by picture: Xavier and my cheeseburgers, Anouk’s spaghetti, and Rob’s Big Mac, we had no idea what we were getting. The ketchup is substituted with chili sauce, most meals are offered without French fries but with rice, noodle soup and fried chicken drumsticks are on the value meal, and napkins are a commodity. It was definitely a night to remember. Our Indonesian cultural experience ended with a long walk home past the frogs as we counted the bats we saw flying overhead. We read our Indonesian fairytales for kids and called it a night.

The way Google celebrated the day

Happy Independence Day Indonesia! It’s been quite a ride already.

FYI—we are all a “Twitter” as our mobile twitter account is all hooked up. You can follow us on a more regular basis by logging on—http://twitter.com/teach4Travel.

The Eagle Has Landed

2010-08-05T09:07:00.000+07:00

Entrance of the school

It's just after 4 am and I can hear the faint chant of a nearby mosque from my bedroom. Excitement and sadness is welling up inside me because today my parents leave and I get to meet my students for the first time. It’s orientation day for students at Surabaya International School so my kids are stoked that they get to meet their new teachers and see their classrooms. But today is bittersweet because our amazing support is outta here! Grandma and Grandpa have been awesome as we hit the ground running here in Surabaya. From day 1, Rob and I have participated in loads of shopping sprees, orientation (read: networking) meetings, and lavish lunches in gorgeous, historic hotels or enchanting garden settings and we haven’t worried about the kids once!

Front of the house

WOW! This was the first word uttered from my mouth when we arrived and I think I've repeated it about 1,000 times since we've been here. We have arrived in an amazing world full of green, beauty, buzz, energy, and excitement. It's a city of contrasts, big skyscrapers and 50-floor apartment buildings interspersed with intimate canals and bustling neighborhoods. The landscape reminds us of Kenya everywhere we turn.

Welcome flowers

The dining and living area

The day we arrived was an oddity. A downpour hit Surabaya, the likes of which haven’t been seen in over 50 years. Though we’re on the southern hemisphere and it is winter season, it doesn’t typically rain in the winter, so the rain caused all sorts of havoc (read: traffic). When we finally pulled up to our house we realized that the pictures we had been sent didn’t really tell the whole story. The house is gigantic. The entry way (which was decorated with a gorgeous flower arrangement), living room, and dining room area (which meld together into a great room of sorts) are about the size of our Kuwait apartment…and we haven’t even gotten to the rest of the joint. There is a spacious spare bedroom/office downstairs, an arched staircase that leads upstairs to a landing that will serve as the kids play area and TV room. From there, stem our three bedrooms. Xavier has the smallest of the three rooms but he opted for that one because he wanted a Queen-size bed. Anouk picked a slightly bigger bedroom with a balcony that overlooks the back garden, while Rob and I moved ourselves into our gigantic Master bedroom with en suite. Our balcony overlooks the front garden and, on a clear day, to the volcanoes in the distance. The biggest problem with the house is the size—the ceilings are so high, the rooms are so big, and everything is so lavish that it makes all the furniture look puny. Xavier and Anouk LOVE their new house and are thrilled with their bedrooms. They think we live in a castle.

The Koi pond

The front sign

Day 2 brought the family (not just Rob and I) to school. The kids walked into the foyer of the school, clad in antique Indonesian furniture, art, and fresh flowers from the school’s gardens with gaping mouths. They both sort of squealed with excitement especially when they walked out to the hallway and stopped at the koi pond to get a view of the school’s local pets. A few strides past the pond, they were outside playing on the swings and slides and really enjoying their new playground. The kids are THRILLED with their new school. And as parents, Rob and I couldn’t be happier. The classrooms are nearly twice the size of our rooms in Kuwait and for me… I will only have 10 students. I have cabinets stacked with books and the storage room (between both classrooms contains everything our heart could desire, plus an entire guided reading room just for grade 2). It’s an amazing contrast that excites me both personally and professionally! And then there was the library!!! Who doesn't love an amazing library? The kids took a tour of the library with grandma and were amazed at how many books they can read. It is surely a sight to be seen!

A view of 1/2 the library

Life is good for us here! But it became even better on Sunday after an enchanting brunch at the Shangri-La hotel. My new Principal, Robbie, and his son Harry James, took our family on a brief tour of the Pakuwon Golf Club just minutes from our house. After a brief look around, it was a no-duh that we needed to become members, so we signed up! (For those of you who visited the Corniche with us in Kuwait…it puts that place to shame!) Monday found Rob and I at school trying to get things ready for the year but found the kids at the pool with my parents (and their new pal, Harry James) for nearly 8 hours. By the time we arrived home that afternoon, the kids were three shades darker than we left them that morning and they were zombie-like in front of the TV. So… the grown-ups left the kids with Noryeti, the house lady the school hired to start off our time here, and we went to a wonderful dinner in the clouds (literally). At 6 pm, we arrived at a rooftop restaurant with glass walls and no ceiling. The cool, evening breeze washed over us as we ordered up a few beers and glasses of wine. As we raised our glass to toast, our Superintendent, Larry repeated a phrase that we’ve heard about a dozen times since our arrival, “Well, here’s to another hard day in Southeast Asia.”

The Shangri-La Hotel

I apologize for not writing more than this, but we are currently in a house with no internet and when we are at school, with internet, we are more focused on working and preparing for our start on Monday.

Give us a couple weeks to get in the groove and we should be able to send emails, Skype, or talk on the phone. Until then… we hope all is well and if you think I’m exaggerating—my parents will be home by Monday, so you can ask them yourselves!

We are happy and we feel really blessed to start another “hard” day in Southeast Asia!

Ready to go swimming?

2010-07-09T23:27:00.000+07:00

Our kids are experienced travelers. They have racked up something like 100,000 miles in their short little lives, but every once in a while, jet lag REALLY affects them! The day we arrived in California (after a lovely 3-week jaunt to Belgium), we came into a typically frenetic Fagundes home. Within minutes of walking in the door, our little foursome was greeted by a table full of people and food. It was good to be home! By the time mid-afternoon approached, the number of visitors totaled 8 and we were just getting started. Unfortunately, our bodies were starting to feel the strain of 15-hours of travel. So... Uncle Dommie, Auntie Anna, and the beautiful Baby Katya decided to take Xavier and Anouk for a little excursion to the pool. The video that follows (or use this link) is the comedic banter between Uncle Dommie and two TIRED babies!

Summer Starts in Belgium

2010-06-28T00:35:00.000+07:00

Listening to Shakira's song, "It's Time for Africa" still brings a tear to my eye. The sounds of the drums, the Swahili, and the echos of Africa race through me and make my heart beat a bit quicker. I remember the night I left Kenya--I felt as if the floor had dropped out from under me. Leaving Kuwait was not the same. Rob and I pumped fists and giggled like kids as the wheels lifted from the tarmac-- "It's OVER!" I thought to myself with great satisfaction. Though we made a few great friends... Kuwait was just not the place for us and, great friends or not, it would NEVER be our home.

That chapter of our lives behind us, we move on to our brief but exciting summer. Starting in a chilly Belgium, we have been wearing smiles nonstop. The kids spent the first week bundled up in sweaters and hats while helping their Bomma and Bompa tend to the garden. The fresh lettuce, potatoes, carrots, scallions, and peas have filled our bellies and our brains as the kids have learned SO much about farming. Who woulda thought my "city" kids would be interested in digging for potatoes. And that my baby girl, to be precise, would yank up her skirt and get her hands dirty amongst the worms and the bugs!

While the kids have spent a lot of time with their Bomma and Bompa, Rob and I have spent a lot of quality (read: alone) time walking to downtown Geel, enjoying beers and mojitos at the market square, and window shopping in preparation for the July 1st sales! What a luxury teacher summers can be!

A brief holiday to Disney Paris, dinners with friends, and celebrations of 40th wedding anniversaries behind us... it's time to move on. We leave Belgium for the good 'ole USA in time for an overload of Americana on July 4th.

So far, so good! Summer is the peaceful reprieve we've needed! Our souls are uplifted and we're ready for our next adventure.

Our new digs

2010-05-10T21:55:00.000+07:00

Day 2 of my school week has been hot, humid, and without water. I forgot my water bottle 2 days in a row. With another blasted headache I thought today would be ruined for sure. But... during lunch, I closed my door and went online to check out my email account at my new school. And miraculously... my headache disappeared. Yup, like magic. Poof. Gone! 3 emails from our new Superintendent were better than Excedrin Migraine. Pictures of our new house in Surabaya wiped away any issues I was having. It looks as if we'll have more than enough space for visitors. Hope to see you there!

Paying It Forward

2010-02-11T10:17:00.000+07:00

Now that the dust has settled (both literally and figuratively), I have time to sit back and reflect on the events of the last month...

The morning of January 14th was a cold, gloomy one in Kuwait. I had woken up about 3 am to the sounds of construction across the street. I made myself a cup of coffee and was mesmerized by coverage of the earthquake in Haiti that occurred just two days before. As I sat and watched the stories, I was shocked at myself. Even though we just finished a unit on the Earth and the rock cycle, I hadn't brought the current event into my classroom. But today, would be different. As I continued to listen to the TV with one ear, I scoured student-friendly websites for a child-centered article about the Haitian earthquake. Thanks to a few student newspapers, I was able to get a few pieces of news for my kids to read.

On this cold, quiet day, my students entered the classroom, a newspaper article on each student's desk and a pointed question on the board... "What can you do to help TODAY?" After reading the articles, my kids opened up their writing journals and reflected on the question. By 8:30 that morning journal entries were written, read, discussed, and my kids had begun a fundraising campaign. Some groups were working on posters, others were creating informational handouts for families, some were reworking our classroom website to share information and include Haiti-donation links, while others made money collection bins.

As the lunch bell rang at 12:30, my first group were grabbing their money collection bins and making their way to the canteen to collect money for the Haitian victims. At their evening play, my kids were on a collection crusade and pressured everyone to open up their wallet and give! By the end of day 1, my students had collected over 125 KD (just over $430). It was surreal.

As the next week arrived, I wondered how the families at our school would take to donating. I had heard that a lot of Kuwaiti corporations would not donate because the beneficiaries were not Muslim. I hoped that this would not be the case. And it certainly was not! The money came pouring in. From parents, coming by our classroom with 20 KD notes ($70), to students offering their lunch money, from envelopes full of $100 bills, to little tikes who offered everything in their "piggy" bank. The generosity was amazing!

By the end of our 2-week collection, my students had motivated the school to action and collected over 3330 KD ($11,500). The Elementary students had collected over 1600 KD, asked the ownership to donate and were greeted with a 1000 KD contribution, and the Middle school and High School students raised the balance. My students were amazed at how much they could raise, but didn't understand the significance until they were given the opportunity to pass the money on to the Red Crescent.

On Tuesday, February 19th, Mr. Mohammed, the International Relations Officer for the Kuwait Red Crescent came to our classroom to collect our generous donation. With my Principal, the school owner, other teachers, and media representatives in toe, my students listened as Mr. Mohammed educated them about the Red Crescent. The students were true inquirers as they asked questions about when and how the money would make it to Haiti, what other good things the Red Crescent has done, and how else they could help. At the end of the presentation, the kids and I had an open-discussion about the days events. My students were shocked that the event was attended by the owner of the school AND the media. But what they were most impressed about was how proud the adults were. One of my students said, "Ms. Angela, all we did was raise some money. Why are all of you [grown-ups] so impressed?" I didn't have a chance to answer. One of my boys, Philo, chimed in. He said that it wasn't just the grown-ups that were proud of us. But he was proud of us. He said that earlier in the year we learned about Rosa Parks, Cesar Chavez, and Martin Luther King, Jr.--people who saw injustice and who spoke up to defend others. He said to everyone--we are like those people. "We were one small voice, but when we got together, we made change happen."

I truly have an amazing class this year!

to read the full article as it appeared in the newspaper... click here!

And the winner is...

2010-01-26T09:05:00.000+07:00

Surabaya, Indonesia.

Surabaya is the capital city of East Java and the 2nd largest city in Indonesia. It is known as the "City of Heroes" because of it's importance during the Indonesian National Revolution from the Netherlands in 1945.

We are really excited about this opportunity for a variety of reasons... here are some of the perks to life in Indonesia:

Rob will get to work in a 1-1 laptop integration program. (All students in grades 6-12 get a school laptop to use in their wireless school.)
Angela will get to teach grade 2 or 3.
Xavier and Anouk will spend 1/2 of their PE classes in the school's Olympic-size swimming pool.
The school facility is new, modern, and spacious.
We'll get a house with a garden, grass, and trees (maybe even a house with a pool!).
The kids can get a dog.
We'll be a 50 minute flight from Bali.

Surabaya will be a great place for our family. There's a nice work hard, play hard attitude at the school and this is a welcome change for all of us. We will be in a culturally stimulating environment living on one of Indonesia's 17,500 islands. Yes, we'll remain in a Muslim country, but we'll be living in a place that's also been inspired by Indian culture as well as the Buddhist and Hindu religions. We'll have the opportunity to see fabulous new art, culture, landscapes, and animal life: volcanoes, rain forests, orangutans, tigers, and Komodo dragons, just to name a few.

We're considering a Spring Break trip out there to scope, begin our orientation, and help the kids begin our transition. We shall see what the purse strings can swing!

We're very excited and hope you'll come to visit!

What I did at school today

2010-01-10T19:33:00.000+07:00

Dear Family,
Today at school was the best day because I got to watch 2 videos called "Moppie and Annie." They are characters to teach kids about the computer. They taught the whole class adding and subtracting. They even teach us about spelling and details. They are computer geniuses. Today at Arabic class, I had a new kid from my class come in and join us. Her name is Jenna. She wasn't in AFL last week. She even was so good at Arabic but she had a very hard time getting stickers like Harry, Renee, Maguire, Pavlo, and me! She is the fastest learner in our class. Every time I come back from Arabic we are always late for recess. At Religion class, me and Maguire got two and three happy faces because we were doing so good that we can earn a GOTCHA pencil. At Religion class we were learning about Japan and we made the information into a very genius book. But now we are learning about Mexico. I had the best lunch ever because I had a turkey sandwich. Today in math we learned about 1/2 and then we matched the 1/2. Ms. Mariam told us to make 1/2 homework for our parents and I did. For inquiry class we studied the community helpers. But we studied about two communities: Africa and Kuwait. After we did inquiry, it was time for closing circle and I always copy Harry, but today, I forgot what he said so I didn't copy him today. When we came outside to go home, Maria was already there to pick us up. Maria brought me 2 chocolate cookies, bananas, and nectarines but don't tell my mama and papa. Anouk had the banana and Harry had the nectarine. I just ate my cookie. We like to share our snack.
Love,

Xavier

I went to school today and I played. I played with puppets in Ms. Maha's classroom when I was done with my work. I traced only a helicopter picture during art. And trees. Then, I said, "Good Morning Moo" and then we did calendar. Moo is a stuffed animal doneky that lives in our classroom. Moo is fun because he has eyes and special ears that bend. After we did the calendar, we did groups. I am in the green group and I started with my tire. Ms. Eva (my teacher) told me to draw a tire because she told us to. Then we had lunch and a cucumber sandwich. It was the best sandwich ever. After I ate my sandwich and the cupcake that Maria made me. It was full of bananas and apples. It was yummy. Then our class did "I Wonder." That means we ask questions about things that move. I asked the question about a buggy. My teacher said that a buggy goes from place to place. And then we did center time. I played in the music center. I put on headphones and I listened to music. I heard the song, "It Must be Santa." Then there was Arabic class with Ms. Nina. I am on the letter that makes the "h" sound like "Hamad." After Arabic I had recess and I played with my friends, Sheka and Leia. We played monsters and it was fun, not scary. Then we read a story. After the story we went home. After school I was playing on the playground a big boy hit me on the head. Maria told him to "STOP!!!!" She said, "Don't climb on the roof of the house or I'll tell Mrs. Angela." And then the boy went to the big playground. We played with Harry after school. He's in Xavier's class. Harry will come over to our house on Tuesday. The End.

Love,
Anouk

Interview Jitters

2010-01-08T22:07:00.000+07:00

Nobody likes an interview. It's not a skill we practice very often. Actually, it's only really a skill that we use when we're in need of a new job, so I hypothesize that that is part of the problem with interviews. You're jittery because you want to shine and you need a job! So it's kind of a "no duh" that Rob had this look on his face before we had our initial Skype interview with our first prospect. Once the "phone" rang and we were head-to-head with our interview, I began to think that this whole Skype thing was the way to go. It was cool to come home from work, change your bottoms from tights and skirts to jeans and slippers, and then sit comfortably in the security of your own home to conduct, what could amount to be, one of the biggest changes in your life--a job interview.

Anyway... I don't want to talk too much about it here, this is kind of the public domain and all, but I'll tell you--Rob and I are excited. We are thrilled, not only to have the first interview under our belt, but we are even more ecstatic to know they want to conduct 2nd interviews with us.

Wish us luck. With the Bangkok fair complete, our job pool (we search based on Tech Teacher positions available) leaves us only 11 schools in 8 different countries: Oman, China (Shanghai and Beijing), Israel, Morocco, Indonesia (Bali and Suribaya), Jordan, Qatar, and Vietnam.

Anything sound interesting to you?

Jordan

2009-12-30T12:16:00.001+07:00

It's been hard staying positive around here sometimes, so this blog has really fallen to the wayside. But things are changing for us.

Just days before our Christmas Holiday began, Rob and I declined a resigning contract here in Kuwait. It's just not the place for us. It is a weird feeling though. In light of the current financial crisis--Rob and I have quit our jobs. It may not be the smartest thing in the world, but we think it's best for the family. So we'll be going to a job fair in Boston in February. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

In light of all of these changes... what is the best way to not fret about your job loss? Go on a trip and enjoy yourself. So that is just what we did. December 18th, we left Kuwait and made the short trip to the country of Jordan. Here is our diary...

Officially referred to as “The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan”, Jordan was one of those places we were told we HAD to see before leaving the Middle East. With an impending move on the horizon, we decided to experience this majestic land ourselves. Bordered by Saudi Arabia, Syria, Israel, and Iraq, Jordan is a place that historically captivated ancient travelers. Today, Jordan enthralls millions of tourists with its energizing cities, biblical history, mysterious Petra, inexplicable Dead Sea waters, and the ancient beauty of Wadi Rum. This is the story of our fabulous Christmas holiday, 2009.

Starting in the beautiful city of Amman, we were amazed by the contrast of it all. Amman is a beautiful mix of old and new—one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world, it is a city of hills between the desert and the Jordan Valley. Our tour began at the Roman Citadel where we came face to face with the Dead Sea Scrolls, climbed through the ruins, and overlooked the modern city of Amman. Most top-quality finds were sold to the highest bidder and are housed in world-famous museums, so the Dead Sea Scrolls we saw at the British Museum this summer were more complete, oh well! It was amazing to watch the kids climb on the unearthed ancient ruins--something not allowed in other parts of the globe.

Focused on tourism, (the American-born) Queen Noor encouraged the restoration of the historic Amman (Philadelphia) amphitheater which you can see from the Citadel. Despite the majestic of it (situated amongst old town-house size homes), we decided not to push the kids to visit it and, instead, we moved on. Jerash was next on our list. The area is considered to be home to the best-preserved Roman ruins in the world dating back more than 6,500 years. The kids were most impressed by the physics of the amphitheater where no microphones are needed. Walking up the steps of the amphitheater was awesome and incredibly frightening because they were so steep. I had fears that the kids would just tumble down, but all of that vanished as we sat peacefully and watched the Arab musicians strum away on their jibras. The jibras sound like a deeper-sounding, smaller-looking version of Scottish bagpipes.

The next day we moved from ancient history to the city of Madaba and Mt. Nebo where we brushed up on our Old Testament knowledge. Mt. Nebo is thought to be the site where Moses was first given the view of the Promised Land. When we got there, Rob and I thought a lot about my Nama and how proud of us she would be. The highest point is marked by a map which shows Bethlehem, Jericho, and the Dead Sea. We continued our biblical tour with a visit to St. George's Greek Orthodox Church where a 6th century Byzantine map of Jerusalem and other holy sites was unearthed. The most amazing part of this history is that it's not protected by anything but a piece of carpet. During services, a piece of carpet is rolled over and people walk all over it. Important ancient discoveries are so common in Jordan that they just become part of life. Raed, our driver, told us that more than 50% of the homes in old Amman (where we were the day before) are built on Roman ruins, so to most people--they are not a big deal.

From Mt. Nebo, we made the long drive to Petra which took us through a vast array of landscapes. From the forests and city of Amman to the limestone mountain ranges of the King's Highway. We stopped briefly at Karak castle which was monumental for the crusaders and the Langlands family. The kids loved running through the soldiers' sleeping chambers, prison cells, stables, and the large kitchen areas. It was hard to leave the fun, but Petra, my dream locale, was calling.

As the long drive through the desert made way to sandstone mountains, I knew that Petra was on the horizon. As we drove higher up the mountain, we arrived at an amazing diamond in the rough. We crept our way into Taybet Zaman Hotel which reminded me of the Olerai House. The hotel is located just outside of Petra in an old 19th century city called Taybet Zaman. The entire complex is built of huge sandstone bricks. This gorgeous locale made me even MORE eager to get to Petra the next morning.

At 4.30 am, the Azan (the first call to prayers) began. But the mountainous terrain of this area made the call even more amazing (read: louder and closer)--the musical prayers came from at least a dozen different mosques and were the most beautiful I have heard yet. Full of excitement, I knew I couldn't go back to sleep--Petra was here! Raed picked us up and drove us about 20 minutes down to the gates of Petra. It was there that we met our guide, Zaid (who, oddly enough, went to university in Santa Cruz and used to live in Emeryville). Trekking into this unique city carved by the Nabataeans showed off how they were influenced by their travels (and thefts) from China, India, Egypt, Syria, Greece, and Rome. We started the hike into Petra with a horseback ride for the kids. Walking through the towering rocks, I was bummed that I had just finished teaching the rock cycle at school. As Rob and I walked to the Treasury with our mouths aghast at the magnitude, the kids were excited to walk in the troughs (once used to control the water flow), climb through caves, and dodge the camels and horses people were paying for transport. By the time we got back to the hotel and crashed, Rob and I looked at each other and equated the experience to that of safari--a mezmorizing and exhausting experience that everyone SHOULD have (besides by just Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade).

The next day, we were off on another fun adventure. Wadi Rum is a magestic site which remains virtually untouched by human hands. Though a few Bedouin tribes still remain, Wadi Rum is the type of desert you envision when you think of the Middle East. T.E. Lawrence called it "vast, echoing, and god-like" and once there, I could totally see why. We went dune bashing through these great expansive dunes, checked out rock drawings by ancient Bedouin tribes, and listened to our voices echo amongst the mountains. Wadi Rum is most famous as it served as the set for "Lawrence of Arabia," I guess now we have to see the movie.

After our dune bashing, we loaded up in Raed's van and made the three hour trek along the coast to the Dead Sea. Being just a stones throw away from Israel was exciting and scary as it forced us to go through numerous checkpoints with guys with big guns. The most interesting part of our drive was when we got to a junction with signs to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Israel-- we were just 10 minutes from the borders of each of these 3 countries. And despite the tension between Israel and the rest of the Arab world, Israel and Jordan have figured out how to work together when it comes to the runway used by the King Hussein International Airport (Jordan) and Eilat Airport (Israel). For both airports, in (sometimes) enemy countries, they use the exact same runway (since both countries are within spitting distance of each other). Why can't we all just learn to get along like this?

Anyway, after a long, hot drive, we finally arrived at the Dead Sea--Rob's highlight of the trip. We checked into our hotel, dumped our luggage, got dressed in our bathing suits, and walked down to the Dead Sea to take a dip. The water was unlike nothing I've ever experienced. Water from various sources, including the River Jordan, end up in the land-locked Dead Sea which also serves as the lowest place on Earth (even lower than the Grand Canyon). The water leaves an oily residue on your skin while the mineral-rich heavy waters make you float with little effort. Trying to get up from a floating position--now THAT takes effort. We rounded off our trip to the Dead Sea with a lovely pasta dinner at the Marriott Hotel which included--BACON!!! God, I love Jordan!

The next afternoon, we woke up and make the quick 1.5 hour drive back to Amman. We unloaded in our last hotel and got a taxi into the old downtown of Amman. The shopping district was full of life and energy. There was music and laughter, great food on every corner, and shops full of everything one could want. After walking through the steep alleyways and stocking up on a few last minute purchases, we ended up at Hashem Restaurant--Jordan's most famous hole-in-the-wall. For around $10 we ate in a no-frills restaurant that would have scared most people. Stacks of freshly made pita are tossed onto your table when you arrive. Your meal of hummus, falafel, foul, with tomatoes and mint are served without plates and silverware. Despite the look of the joint, the walls are full of pictures of Arabian royalty and international heads of state who all came to eat the most delicious food. It was the first time in 7 days that Anouk didn't complain about her meal and Xavier didn't come up for breath until there was nothing left on the table. Our experience at Hashem was the best way to end our lovely holiday trip to Jordan.

...I wonder if the American Community School in Amman has openings.

check out pictures of our trip...

Belgium or bust

2009-07-27T17:13:00.000+07:00

We've actually enjoyed a real, proper Belgian holiday this summer. When we arrived in Geel, the weather was cool when all of a sudden the heat and humidity arrived and we were wiped out. At night, the clouds burst open and cooled us down with a huge downpour followed by intense thunder and lightening.

Rob and I enjoyed our 8th wedding anniversary (and Belgian independence day) by spending the day in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. We had a lovely day walking around, window shopping, people watching, and eating at delicious restauraunts. My favorite part was tasting olive oils at a store called "Oil & Vinegar" while Rob quite enjoyed watching me buy tunics in an air-conditioned shop. The next night, Rob and I had a grown-ups only night at Tom and Elly's house where we played poker, taste-tested beer, and laughed into the wee hours.

We have taken advantage of the huge 50% summer sales by spending a day in Antwerp to kit out Rob and the kids. We had lunch at one of our favorite Lebanese restaurant. The next day, the kids hung out at the park with Bomma and Bompa. We ended our great relaxing day by driving to the forest where specialty ice cream trucks are parked. We tasted delicious handmade ice creams from goat milk and can't wait until we get to go back.

All of that was great...but nothing so far compares to the awesomeness of teaching Xavier how to ride a bike in an hour. Using the short-cut grass as a race course, Xavi learned in no time. The next day we went to an empty car park and taught him how to use his breaks and start himself. Within another hour, Xavier was dodging Anouk, and riding non-stop laps.

So far we've had a lovely time and it will only get better with trips to Brugges, the beer garden, and London.

my brown eyed girl...

2009-05-21T17:35:00.001+07:00

turned four this week! Tuesday was her big day and we celebrated her birthday on Friday 5.15 with way too many kids at our house. In an effort to give the kids more room to play, we told parents to drop the kids and go [read: escape]. 10 kids + my 2 = AAAHHHHHHHHH!!! The playing wasn't the big problem. But it's amazing how thirsty these 12 kids were. They were like camels. And they always wanted to drink at the exact same time!

It didn't matter how exhausted Rob and I were at the end of the two hours. The kids, especially Anouk, had a great time! Want to see the birthday photos?

Also... our www.angelaandrob.com website is finally up and running again. Long time no update. So if you want to see some photos of our adventures, check them out!

the dust storm cometh

2009-05-18T20:25:00.001+07:00

Thursday, May 14, 2009

As we walked home from school on Thursday, their was a vortex of dust swirling in the distance. We walked home briskly so we could make sure that the windows were closed and the house was protected from the impending dust storm. We had to run to the store to pick up some supplies for Anouk's birthday party on Friday, so we had no choice to go outside and deal with the dust.

As we arrived at City Centre, we stopped to photograph the dust storm. Yuck.

The first picture is from the parking lot at City Centre.

The second picture is the new apartment across the street. All of that brick was laid during the day. There was no sand on it before 230 pm.

The third picture is night falling on our little ghetto. The haze is repulsive.

The day our world shook!

2009-02-18T14:51:00.000+07:00

2.10.09
Well, it truly has been an exciting couple of weeks. We’ve gone from having coffee with the Belgian ambassador to bomb threats. From riding camels in the desert to spending nights up coughing up sand.

I guess I should start at the beginning…

Inauguration Night here in Kuwait was as amazing as it was around the world. I walked into our school auditorium surrounded by about 70 other comrades. From first glance it was a nice turnout. But if you looked closer, it was an amazing turnout, because this Inauguration Party was attended less by Americans and more by Canadians, French, Kuwaiti, Egyptian, Australian, and New Zealanders. The number of American flags waving in the hands of those who weren’t even US citizens was remarkable with such an authentic sense of pride and hope for the next four years. I can’t wait until I get to tell my own kids where I was the day Obama became President.

Days later, Rob and I took a personal day to continue working on the visa process which will earn Xavier and Anouk their Kuwaiti visas. Our first appointment was at the Kenyan embassy where, without question, Xavier’s birth certificate was authenticated as REAL and we were off to a good start. By the time we got to the Belgian embassy, things started to take a bit of a downturn. The Belgian embassy was no longer allowed to authenticate official Belgian documents unless the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Belgium had signed them. Here we go again, we thought. But on our way out the door, the secretary asked us if we’d like to meet the Ambassador. Rob turned down her offer with the thought that he must be too busy to talk some peons like us. With a look of horror on her face I urged Rob to change his mind by saying, “I don’t think you’re supposed to refuse the Ambassador.” So… minutes later we were on our way to his office to drink coffee with him. We spent about 15 minutes with him, talking about Belgium, Kenya, and what we’re doing in Kuwait. As his secretary escorted us out of the embassy we told her that our next appointment was at the fortress they call the US Embassy. She wished us luck and joked that the US Ambassador may be otherwise unable to greet us today. You think?

Well, our US Embassy experience was as bad as it has been in every country where I had to deal with an Embassy so I will avoid writing about it now. Needless to say, we need to start from the beginning with all of our US documents.

Now… fast forward to this weekend. A couple of weeks ago we got an email about a day at a Bedouin camp with dancing, cultural lessons, camel rides, and a traditional lunch. A camel? Hell yeah! I’ve kept the kids hopeful about seeing a camel for 5 months, it was time for me to make good on my promise. So this Saturday, we were on our way. We met at the A.W.A.R.E. (Advocates of Western-Arab RElations) center and were shocked to see four gigantic busses loading hundreds of people. Our dream of an intimate afternoon in the desert was shattered with the quick calculation that 400+ of our new best friends would be joining us.

In a nutshell, the adventure was a bit of a bust. Not that we’re upset that we went, but we were expecting a lot of traditional Bedouin things. Traditional camps, food, dancing, people, cultural lessons, etc. And what we got was a lot of what the Kuwaitis do when they live in their spring camp. (Spring camp is the time between January and March, when all government-owned desert land is opened up and people are allowed to squat temporarily on the land. They put up a nice white tent, plug in their generators, park their Ferrari outside, hook up the satellite, and spend long weekends out in the dessert where kids play outside on ATV’s and in the sand dunes.) It’s the oddest thing I’ve ever seen in my life, but I am happy that my kids DID get to see a camel. Xavier rode by himself and oddly enough, Anouk was brave enough too. As responsible adults, we wouldn’t let her go 6-feet into the air by herself so her new boyfriend, Mr. Jason, jumped aboard and protected her should she make the 6-foot fall. After a non-traditional lunch of Indian and Italian food, we loaded in the car and were glad to have had the experience. We returned home tanner than when we arrived, but a quick shower returned us to our regular color.

The next day, Sunday, our life got flipped upside down. While out to break with my students, my Principal came over to tell me that there was a bomb scare and 10 minutes from then, the kids would line up as if it was a fire drill and we would proceed from there. After a ridiculously chaotic fire drill, the elementary school was led passed dozens of police, military, and other oddly official people. When we reached the auditorium, our Principal got on the loud speaker and announced to the students that the fire drill was such a success that they were being rewarded with a showing of “Charlotte’s Web.” The kids were stoked until the first group had to go to the bathroom. While escorting a group to the bathroom, the questions started: “Ms. Angela, how come those mean-looking dogs are there?” or “Miss, do you know what that sign says? [referring to the yellow police-tape] “it says, bomb team.” OH GREAT!! Within 30 minutes, rumors, gossip, and fear had run through the auditorium. Parents were rushing in to pull their kids out of school within 10 minutes of us arriving—how did they find out so quick? Man, we have a SERIOUS gossip trail here. And then there were poor Xavier and Anouk—innocently sitting by their friends trying to watch “Charlotte’s Web.” Rob pulled them out when the HS was evacuated and I stayed on for another hour until all of my kids were picked up. After closing the school and the days events being confirmed a hoax, we were unsure as to whether or not to send the kids on Monday. But, like good hopeful employees, we dutifully went to work with kids in toe.

School started normally at 7:45 am. At 9:10 am I was on my way to Xavier’s classroom to give him his asthma medicine. When I arrived in the nurse’s office, a High School student told me that the nurse wasn’t there because she was busy tending to issues with the high school kids who were evacuated because a bomb was found in the boys bathroom. AWESOME! I tried to casually walk Xavier back to class when I saw three middle and high school teachers running feverishly to their kids’. It was the hysterical mother with tears streaming down her face while she was talking on her cell phone that convinced me something REALLY serious was going on. I quickly took Xavier and Anouk out of class and walked them home. On my way, I spoke to my Principal who said, “Do what you need to, but get back here soon.” I ran the kids home and I kept saying, “I love you”, not knowing what was going to happen next. I got back to school and within three minutes of being in my classroom, I was lining my kids up for an immediate evacuation off the school campus. Our staging ground ended up being in the middle of a disgusting sand trap full of old couches, boats, fridges, and demolished cars—yup, we called parents to pick their kids up from the middle of a police station where tragic car wrecks go to die. That’s uplifting.

Anyway… I got my parents called and my students home in record time, just to be told that the bomb was a hoax and we were to return to school for a working afternoon.
Needless to say, we are exhausted (both emotionally and physically) and are frustrated (both as parents and professionals). It’s been a long week and I hope tomorrow is better.

To read a Kuwaiti Blog’s take on the story, our stupidity, and the DRAMA that is AIS, click here.

Where the Streets Have No Name…

2009-01-18T11:04:00.000+07:00

We’ve been busy since our return to Kuwait. We’ve been putting the finishing touches on our apartment—framing art, murals on the kids play room, and organizing our storage areas—fun stuff that we should have done four months ago, but that we’re doing now, in our beautiful new blue building!

Next plan of attack—finish report cards. Without a school-wide grading scheme or computer program, we had 5 days from arrival to complete our report cards and have them ready for printing. Our fourth grade team collaborated greatly and were praised over and over again by our Principal and Vice Principal (there’s a first time for everything!) Rob’s story is not so pleasant so we’ll save that news for another day.

The last thing on our to-do list was the purchase of a new-to-us car! We have officially crossed that item off our list. After a rather interesting few days of car shopping which requires the assistance of multiple people speaking a plethora of languages, Rob and I agreed to come in way under budget and buy a decent looking [read: ugly], well-running (for a 10-year-old), Pajero SUV with extra seats in the back for guests (yup, we’re talking to you family!) We knew it was the car for us when we walked up to it and it had a huge “X” hanging from it’s rear-view mirror.

So our holy day (Friday) was spent doing errands without overpaying taxis. We drove to the airport to pick up Anouk’s car seat (which didn’t make it from Belgium when we did). From there, we went to the largest mall in Kuwait, called the Avenues. It’s the mall that currently has 11 busy Starbucks. It’s the mall where they are currently adding another wing with, I’m sure, at least 5 more coffee stops! The Avenues mall houses IKEA and our favorite grocery store—Carrefour. Since we didn’t have to fit our belongings into the back of an extra-large taxi—we went crazy! Two carts and $200 later we had filled the back of our new-to-us car with loads of stuff. It was as if we were at Costco, stockpiling the way we did.

We bought 12 wine-size bottles of grape juice and have been passing them around to friends in the building. During every meal, we’ve been pressuring the kids to drink the grape juice so we have enough empty bottles to work with. Yup, our brew kits came into the country without issue, so Rob will begin brewing soon.

On our way back from the Avenues mall, our trunk was too full for a stop at the plant souk to bring some beautiful greenery into our apartment. Well, that and the blinking red light on our dash, helped us put an end to our outing. Though the gas gauge said ½ full, the red light was definitely scaring us to find a gas station. And go figure—Kuwaitis live off the oil in this darn country, but when you need a gas station, there isn’t a thing in sight. After a few hairy minutes, the car crept into the gas station. After loading the car with 84 liters of gas, Rob handed over 5.5 KD (about $20/15 Euros). It was such a wonderful moment for us, that we couldn’t help but photograph it for posterity. At that price, we plan on getting lost in the desert next weekend on a quest for some camels. Wish us luck!

Between the car, the beautiful apartment, and the brew—we’re starting to carve out a nitch for ourselves. But don’t get me wrong, it’s a VERY temporary nitch!

turn that frown upside down

2008-11-22T10:58:00.000+07:00

Written 11/10, forgot to upload to the website.

After nearly 4 months of lame excuses, today the excitement started. We went to ACE/True Value Hardware and picked out paint colors for our beautiful new place in the gorgeous new blue building. OUR BUILDING! It stands out like a clean, fresh beacon in our dirty, old, Iranian ghetto (in the middle of Kuwait). The smell of paint and wood finish permeate every nook and cranny of the building and is a welcome reprieve because it means our new place is nearly finished.

As we start to prepare our new house for our impending move, there is still sadness. As we plan and prepare, we notice that our new location has windows facing away from the neighboring mosque. This means--no call to prayers. The call to prayers have become like an inviting friend... a peaceful sound that I have recently began turning back into at 4 a.m. (and using in lieu of an alarm clock). I will miss them when they are gone.

Though I will miss them, there is a new beautiful sound in my life... and that is the sound of my little Xavier reading his sight word books (see the YouTube video on the right to hear him).

I look forward to telling you great things about our new move! Happy days are here again!

a lot of catching up to do...

2008-09-26T17:27:00.000+07:00

written on September 26...

No excuses. I haven't blogged in way too long. Though I'm sick (with what they call the Kuwaiti crud), tired, and distracted by the lazy life that exists during Ramadan, I have no excuses for my tardiness.

So let me start at the beginning.

Ramadan: It's the time of year that Muslims honor the Qur'an being revealed to the prophet Mohammed. This always occurs during the ninth month (of the Islamic calendar) and is determined by the cycle of the new moon. During Ramadan, Muslims are diligent about praying and fast during the daylight hours. The idea is that fasting will teach people to be patient, cooperation, humility, and sacrifice. It is the job of Muslims to seek forgiveness for past sins and work towards good deeds in the present. What this really means is--life stops for a whole month! Schools and business open late, close early, then open after Iftar and life begins at 8pm.

Our take on Ramadan: Rob and I are so done with Ramadan. By the time we are home from school, stores are closed. You can't get any work done between 3.00 and 7.30 pm. And since our kids are asleep by 8.00, we're in a lot! We can't wait for Eid (the celebration that marks the end of Ramadan) because life should get back to normal. That means, grocery shopping and errands during the day. Drinking water or grabbing a snack during the day is OK. Just three more days!

Gurgiyan: a children's celebration to mark the halfway point of Ramadan. Kids dress up in ethnic costumes (mostly Arabic) and knock on people's door (much like our Halloween). In lieu of "trick-of-treat" children sing a little Arabic tune which earns them sweet treats. In America, "trick-or-treat" earns a couple bite-size Snickers or a set of jelly vampire teeth. Here, a Gurgiyan song earns you a bag full of candy.

Our take on Gurgiyan: With a few girlfriends in toe, we spent the weekend before the big day going Gurgiyan dress shopping. This was harder than we expected because Gurgiyan is really just a kids day. But, when you're a teacher, it's kind of expected that you participate. Xavier's dishdasha (the long, white men's robe that is matched with a variety of scarf-like head dresses, held to the head by a black band) and Anouk's dress (which has a name that I cannot remember) were easy to find.

Gurgiyan is the total opposite of Ramadan. It's full of indulgence and abundance--which all take form as little sweets. Yes, CANDY! Holy crap. I've never seen this much candy in my life. I think our little threesome (Xavier, Anouk, and I--since Rob is part of the high school and they don't celebrate) brought home over 4 lbs. of candy. After unwrapping toys, gifts, treasure boxes, and candy, I kept a stash for the kids and returned copious amounts to our respective classrooms as student rewards after Ramadan.

The one aspect to keep from Gurgiyan is the costuming. Kids dress in ethnic clothing (mostly Arabic) and look adorable. In addition, we adults get to learn a lot about the costuming from different Arab states, so it's a lesson for me too!

Iftar: During Ramadan, iftar is the time of night when a family meets together to break their fast. Iftar occurs after the Maghrib (sunset) prayers (and for us non-Muslims are irrerevrently referred to as the "call to eat" prayers). As the prayers begin, families all over the Arab world break fast with a date (or two) and a drink of water. The families then make their way to the mosque for their Maghrib prayers (the fourth set of prayers for the day). Once this is completed, the iftar begins and families begin their evening feast which often lasts for hours. Because people have not eaten all day, their stomach's cannot handle much food. For this reason, most iftar celebrations include a lavish display of food and is eaten into the wee hours of the morning.

Our take on Iftar: Our school holds a fancy iftar dinner at a hotel every year. We couldn't make it because we were a family full of sickies. So I was incredibly excited when an Arabic and Islamic teacher, at the school, personally invited me to the Religion staff's iftar at our school. As I walked up to the high school canteen area (an area near our school's indoor gym and the school mosque), the ceiling was lined with student-made lanterns (or fanous as they are called in Arabic) and a table was all laid with beautiful colored papers, bowls of dates, and glasses of water. About a hundred students, teachers, and parents milled around this table waiting to hear the Maghrib. As the prayers rang loud from the distance, the mass flocked swiftly to the table to grab a date and a glass of water. I was stunned how gentle everyone was. After two or three dates, the group migrated to the mosque while us non-Muslims quietly waited for the iftar to begin.

About 10 minutes later, the Muslim group returned from the mosque and the iftar began with a decadent display of food. The food was amazing. The most delicious chicken in a mildly spicy gravy with spices I've never heard of or tasted before was my favorite (but since then, I've since forgotten the name of the chicken loveliness). This and about 10 other beautiful meat dishes were complimented with at least 50 sides: from salads to breads, rice dishes to cold vegetable platters-- it was a feast for sure.

The iftar was followed by a lecture, in the school's mosque, by a world-renowned theologian. The lecture was intended to educate people on the holy month of Ramadan but quickly evolved into a comparison between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (with a strong focus on the latter as superior). It was interesting though a little preachy.

The most interesting thing he said, in a way of discussing radicals like Osama bin Laden, was that there is a distinct difference between Arabs and Muslims. He said that most Muslims are just Muslims because their parents are. This theologian called this type of Muslim: an Arab. He said that Islam is a chosen religion and you must believe and practice the religion, which, in it's simplest form is a religion based on love, respect, and cleanliness (of body and soul). He said Arabs fight, are disrespectful to others, and do not keep themselves or their communities clean. He said that when he walks around Kuwait (and even our school) he notices more Arabs than Muslims.

So that's it. That's what we've been up to during the holy month. Not much, but a lot of cultural learning has happened. My next post will be soon... inshallah (god willing). Inshallah is how everything gets done here: "your apartment will be ready soon [pregnant pause], inshallah." "This medicine should make you better [a brief pause], inshallah." "Your civil ID will be here by the end of the week [giggle, giggle], inshallah."

So again... my next post will be soon [with a little grimmace] inshallah.

Heck Yeah!

2008-09-08T23:37:00.000+07:00

Ok, I guess it's about time for me to put in my 5 fils (2 cents) worth. I can't believe my 3 and 5 year old kids posted stuff on here before I did, but then again, I don't have a secretary to do my typing for me. Here's my digest of our first three weeks in Kuwait. I won't bore you with the same stuff you've already heard about, instead I'll give you the stories you won't hear anywhere else.

I have to start with a big kudo to Xavier and Anouk, I still can't believe how well they did on the way over here. Once we got to the airport though, we started experiencing Kuwait. Our first little adventure was a trip to the bathroom where Xavi had to go #2. Didn't seem like a big deal until I opened the door to the stall: a squatting toilet. Xavier had no idea what he was supposed to do and I'm sure if you would have taped our antics we would have been an instant hit on youtube. Unfortunately everything didn't go as planned so we needed a change of underwear. After finding Angela and some clean undies we headed back to the restrooms to change. This time we opened a different stall and you guessed it: it was equipped with a regular toilet, the kind we all know and love.

Xavier pulled another fast one on us today as we were coming home from school. We were going up in the elevator with one of our colleagues. Xavier was very polite and asked him what his name was, which was Mr. Powers. When we got off on our floor we asked Xavi to say goodbye to Mr. Powers so just as the door is closing he proceeds to say (loudly): bye Mr. Grumpy! It was definitely one of those surreal should we laugh or should we cry moments, so we quickly went inside and laughed.

Anouk is also her little self, although she now claims to be shy all the time (something she picked up from Xavi). She's obviously not shy though since all the teachers in preschool already knew her by the end of the first week, and her teacher told me after her second day of school that Anouk is very expressive and had no problems "sharing" her opinion. I tried to apologize for Anouk's motor mouth but her teacher proceeded to tell me that she loves it. We'll see how long that lasts.

That's it for now. I wanted to post some pictures of my first photojournalistic essay: "who am I, a journey of self discovery through pictures", but we lost our card reader so you'll have to wait a little longer. Until next time, ma as-salaamah,

Robert

it's every girls dream!

2008-09-06T23:51:00.001+07:00

(written 9/6, but due to the temporary loss of our card reader, no pictures could be uploaded, hence, no blog)

... to own an antique camel saddle? Not really, but then again, I'm not every girl! A group of ladies escorted a few of us newbies to Gloria's shop. Gloria is a British woman who has spent the last 25 years living in Kuwait and purchasing, reconstructing, and refurbishing Arabic and Indian antiques. I have met an angel here in Kuwait. And her name is Gloria.

As I was perusing amazing tables, dressers, frames, mirrors, and chairs, I walked by this bizarre looking item propped in the corner of the room. I passed by it. Touched it. Was awed by it. And dismissed it as an odd prop. But as I moved through the rooms and could see this odd decoration from the corner of my eye--I became more intrigued by it. What the heck is it? What would you use it for? Why is it here?

I passed from room to room, upstairs and downstairs, inside and out, and yet forces kept pulling me towards it. So I finally found the label, read it, and found out that this peculiar item was an antique camel saddle. Though I couldn't imagine how I would justify the purchase to Rob, or concoct a reasonable use for it. I couldn't imagine leaving without it.

So I didn't!

And now, I am the proud owner of an antique camel saddle with little to no purpose whatsoever. So if you are so inclined, drop me a line with your suggestions. How would you use such a useless item? (keep in mind, it has been leaning in the corner in an upright position and another one was in the bathroom at Gloria's store and was used as a towel rack).

they say it's your birthday...

2008-09-06T11:10:00.000+07:00

... and finally, Xavier's birthday was once again celebrated in the same time zone he celebrated his birthday. It was very exciting (and very reminiscent). Poor little Xavi had only been in school for 4 days when his birthday arrived, so a party with long-time friends was certainly out of the question. So we came to a compromise--a cookie and milk bash for friends in class followed by a small family dinner (at home, since it's Ramadan and we can't eat out before sunset), and then ice cream with a few new friends. But when I brought the idea to the mom of one of his friends (she and her husband have been here for a year in their second tour to Kuwait) she wasn't having any of it! The party would be at her house and she wouldn't take no for an answer.

Before departure, Xavier received happy birthday calls from multiple continents with kisses and hugs from grandparents and friends. Then, at 6.30 on Thursday night, we made our way through the 87% humidity to their overly air conditioned house with ice cream and sundae fixings. By the end of the night, Xavier had accrued a slew of new toys for his room, had heard "the birthday song" 6 times in 3 different languages, and was happy that he was 5 and could start learning to read.

Though it wasn't the typical Angela-created birthday party--it was wonderful to see his joy.

from the mouths of babes...

2008-09-02T10:32:00.000+07:00

-from Xavier

My first day of school was good and I was so naughty because I was not relaxing and I talked at Papa's school. On my first day of school I made friends, but I don't remember his name. Joseph is my new friend. I didn't know how to read yet. I like my school because I make a lot of friends and I play on the playground. I was going up the pole. I raced the bikes like zoooom. And the the other guy was going slow and I went swooosh and went faster than him. Now I am done, Mama.

-from Anouk

Mama, school is good. And today, when my teacher came another teacher came and then my teacher came again. And I had two teachers and it was good. At school we play. We play with toys and friends and that's it. I forgot what else we do. We play at the playground and the it rains because it is hot when I play too much. In the big boy area it rains a lot but we play at the small kid area sometime. We play at the big kid area too. Now our new home in Kuwait is good. Our good home is good that I love the school that we love. I eat snack at my school and it is yummy because I like crackers. And also, the crackers have names. Like, uh, and they also have chocolate milk like Starbucks. Isn't that cool mama? It's like Starbucks. Hey Mama, my day was good.

-from Mama

Looks like they really had a great first (and second) day of school. Xavier is bummed that they haven't taught him how to read yet, but that will come. He actually has been moved into a class with more western kids so when the students are taken out for Arabic and Religion (Kuwaiti mandated classes), he isn't the only one that doesn't attend. Anouk likes the rain at playground which refers to misters that cool them while they play outside. I know that they are happy because conversation has changed from "when are we going back to Fremont?" to "when we visit Fremont." School is cool on all counts.

a little R & R

2008-09-01T09:59:00.000+07:00

written August 26, 2008

This week has been incredibly hectic. As an elementary teacher, I have moved from inservice to inservice without so much as a minute to get into my room to get cracking. Don't get me wrong, I now know my curriculum and I know about my "units of inquiry" or our PYP program (an amazing curriculum that is part of the International Baccalaureate program known around the world for high school), and I know about Kuwaiti ministry censorship laws, rules, and how copyright is a loose term in this country. I know all of this stuff now. But I don't know what I'm going to do with the kids next week. We hired a trial nanny and the kids would run from her. I don't know how I'm going to run my classroom because I haven't had a minute to work on it. And I don't know why the heck I'm taking time away from being in my classroom to go on this stupid "go-see" at Al Cornich Club and Spa because there's no way we can afford it!

A few teachers belong to this club because it's close to the school apartments, is lovely, and has all the amenities one could want in a desert country. One such staff member worked out a deal that we could take a spinning class, go on a tour of the facility, and then have free run of the place for 4 hours as we considered joining the club. Well... Rob, the kids, and I got there and we were hooked--the pool is amazing, the facilities are top notch, and the club owns 300 meters of pristine (and private) Kuwaiti beach line (which means... you have 300 meters to wear western bathing suits on the beach--woo hoo! ladies). The kids took to the water like only little fish can and I knew that the terrible time was coming that we had to decline to enroll and hide our heads as we left the Corniche in sadness because lovely is just so out of our price range right now. And so came money time...

The club manager sat down with the visiting teachers and began on the deal. And how Xavier, though only a week before his 5th birthday would fall under the loophole that would make him a free member for a year. After much him-hawing back and forth, Rob gave us the all clear.

So now, we are the newest members of Al Corniche--an exclusive haven where you are not allowed to talk shop. Where, instead, you must only spend time working out at the gym, basking in the sun, floating in the water, or looking over the Gulf.

We have found an oasis here in Kuwait and it's called: "Al Corniche!"

sweatin' to the oldies

2008-08-24T00:27:00.000+07:00

Well... our first weekend is coming to an end. Sunday is just hours away and that means, yup--school day! One more week and the kids arrive and school will be in full swing. Augmenting our mindset to a Friday and Saturday weekend is a bit challenging especially since the first day of the weekend is the holy day (when most shops are closed) as opposed to the last day of the weekend in a lot of European towns.

But just like Kuwait... there are always shops open. With Rob and the kids home, I grabbed my wallet and joined a group on a tour of the old soukh's. A soukh (pronounced sook) is an independent market stalll If you remember the duka's in Kenya--you've got the drift. I was stoked to attend this trip without my family and with the approval from the bank that I could buy something cool. I had great visions of bringing home some amazing Arabic stool, tapestry, painting, or the like. But when we got there, my bubble quickly burst. The old soukh sells new stuff in an old traditional part of town. Are you kidding me? I didn't need, nor want teapots or mops, vegetables or Middle Eastern looking carpets tagged with made in China stickers. I want old stuff!!

Though the shopping (except the gold) left a lot to be desired, the experience did not. In the 35C (102F) weather, we strolled the old soukh, looking past the dilapidated walls to the Grand Mosque, the architecturally stunning Kuwaiti Stock Exchange, or the Liberation Tower all of which hover over these dingy little shops. The smell of exotic spices like cumin and paprika mixed with lavish oils and incense from other shops. My nose was on overload and it became clear to me why people are seen, during religious experiences, bringing the smells to their noses--the smells are amazing.

After hours of walking through old narrow streets, a gaggle of gals sat down to eat shawarma's and watched as another interesting part of Kuwaiti life unfolded in front of me. As we sat out and ate free falafal's, regulars were pulling their car up to the curb and honking--setting in motion the chain of events that is a Kuwaiti drive-up. Without calling ahead or escaping the luxury of your air conditioned car, you drive up to a restaurant (even McDonald's and Pizza Hut play be these rules), toot your horn, and make your order from your car. Minutes later, your dinner makes its way to your car and you're off. Very few people in Kuwait are as silly as me and the girls. To sit outside and eat dinner in 100 degree + weather on a weekend evening is virtually unheard of. But with sweat dripping down my brow, the call to prayer from the Grand Mosque blaring behind me, eating my chicken shawarma with pickled carrots, and lemon juice with mint--I wouldn't have exchanged the experience for anything.

"it smells like farts"

2008-08-20T15:21:00.000+07:00

**the picture to the right is the kids sitting on Tricia and Vince's couch here at the IKEA in Kuwait. If you look closely, you can see the information sheet in Arabic**

Sometimes as parents, we innadvertantly do some terrible things that have incredible ramifications. Rob and I did one such horrible thing right before we came to Kuwait. While packing our life away, Kathy Griffin (comedian host of the TV show, My Life on the D-List) was playing in the background. Though we thought our kids were naively doing their thing and keeping to themselves, Rob and I stopped packing and focused on her comments about her trip to Kuwait, where she worked with the USO to bring comedy stand-up to the troops. As she talked about her experience, she reflected the smell in Kuwait leaved a bit to be desired. Kathy thought it was so bad, in fact, that she said, "it smells like farts." This isolated comment was funny but has quickly lost its humor. Everyday since we've arrived, we walk out of our apartment building and those are the first words out of little Anouk's mouth. Damn comedians.

Besides the occasional foul smell, Kuwait has shocked me in many ways. Yesterday, we took an interesting trip to the state hospital for HIV blood tests and TB X-rays. All 33 newbies were loaded onto buses and taken to the state hospital here in Salmiya. Kuwait's state-sponsored hospitals cover Kuwaiti citizens and immigrant workers alike (yeah oil!). The advantages and disadvantages of state-run health care were evident during this experience. The 7 men of our group were whisked away to a men's waiting room with Kuwaiti and other arab men, while the women were excluded to an outer waiting room with expatriate men from India, Sri Lanka, and China waiting for anyone who knows someone to get in before us. This oddly inappropriate experience is one example of the many contradictions here in Kuwait. But the bizarreness was just the beginning. To get our TB X-rays, the ladies were sent to a second hospital. The latter being a hospital with the capacity to see women. This means-- after waiting in one line, waiting in another line, and then being told to wait in line #1 again, 26 expat women followed one man to the point of no return--a heavy door with a handmade sign warning men that they could not pass. (In Kuwait, though not as strict as Saudi Arabia nor as liberal as the Emirates, there are still a lot of rules that must be followed--men at the doctor's is one. A man must escort his wife to the doctor, speak to the doctor, and be present during the examination--except in the rare occurance of needing a TB test.) During this experience, women bond, amused in unison at the shared experience of standing around in orange kaftans without men and without bras. This was our Red Tent.

This bare bones experience was rewarded by a trip to the Avenues--an enormous shopping mall with such stores as: IKEA, Foot Locker, H&M, Claire's Botique, Tag Heuer, Carrefour, Chili's, the Body Shop, and 7 Starbucks, just to name a few. It's so interesting to see such conflicting lives intersect here in Kuwait--the traditional versus the cutting edge, the sexist versus the sexy, the old versus the new. After an entire day of learning about curriculum and culture here in Kuwait, it is evident that these kids have one characteristic that sets them apart from most kids in the world--they must learn to live in both words without rocking the boat too much.

another day, another dinar

2008-08-18T06:38:00.000+07:00

Our first day is behind us. I should be sleeping right now, but a combination of excitement and jetlag forces me up to my temporary living room to complete some paperwork and read some boring information packet to once again set off to slumber.

Yesterday was a full day. And thank allah (the appropriate phrase in these parts) it was. If it hadn't been, we would have had major jetlag issues. A 330 am interruption jolted the Langlands clan awake as we were greeted by our first call to prayer. This apartment is about 100 steps from the nearest mosque so we are really gettin' it.

Contrary to what we were told, the building we are taking up temporary residence in is full of only AIS faculty. So we all met downstairs to make the quick walk to the school. (By looking out our kitchen storage room, we can see the school. And if I had a great throw, I could probably loft a rock to it.) Once there, the introductions began. I remember about 4 names (though I was introduced to over 30 people) and I figure, I'm on the 5-a-day plan. Pole, pole... it will come in time!

The school is huge! The elementary section making up 1/2 of the school's population. I met 2 of the other 4th grade teachers who are new this year, making our teaching team of 5 an enormous size. My classroom is small and intimate, but has everything I could need. Next week, I'll really be able to get my hands dirty and see what's under everything, but right now, I'm just trying to breathe.

After school tours, paperwork, and trips to the business office to get our settling-in allowance, we picked up the kids (bad idea) from their new friend Tristan's house and were whisked away to the Sultan Center to do our first bit of lunching and grocery shopping. Had Rob and I been really smart, we would have left the kids behind to nap at Tristan's. Instead, we dragged them with us to what turned out to be an interesting experience. We took them to a restaurant in the hopes that eating would give them energy to keep up (it was 3 am US time and they were wiped out, moody, and reeking havoc). All to no avail. Lunch for the 4 of us was miserable. Anouk tried chicken nuggets and since they are not some 1/2 soy-1/2 processed chicken thing like any American fast-food chain, she took 2 bites, gagged, and ate all her french fries. Likewise, Xavier despised his freshly-made kids burger that tasted like my nama had just pat it by hand. What has happened to these two? AHHH. So, despite our devastating lunch, we bribed them with an ice cream on the next block (in an effort to keep ourselves SANE). By the time we made the 5-minute jaunt, their little cheeks were all red from the heat. We walked in to a mini food-court with: Sbarro Pizza, Hardee's (the east coast version of Carl's Jr.), Baskin Robbin's, and Krispy Kreme. The kids were in junk-food heaven. I bought a couple of ice cream scoops which bought me valuable good-behavior time.

For the next couple of hours we trotted in and out of shopping centers in a routine of get hot, cool down, get hot, cool down. Despite the heat, it wasn't as bad as we thought it would be.

On our way home from this jaunt, Anouk passed out on the bus. The heat, her exhaustion, and the heavy day just took it's toll on her little 3-year-old body. It was amazing to watch us juggle all of our crap off the bus: 10 bags of groceries, all of our junk that we hauled to school in the morning, a sleeping kid, and an even heavier kid who just wanted to play video games. It was a comedy of errors.

We arrived back in the apartment and couldn't have been happier. Xavier played for hours while Anouk slept, and Rob and I read, unpacked, or did a number of other mundane things.

I can't tell you how shocked I am at things here. I had no idea it would be like this. We are just minutes away from the Gulf which is gorgeous. Yachts, speed boats, and wave runners cutting through the water in the hot, hot sun make me feel like I'm on a resort island. Tall, thin apartment buildings pack every block, and silty sand lines the "curb" so sharing the tarmac road with the crazy Kuwaiti drivers is the only option. People are dressed in every type of garb you can imagine: from Western clothing with a lot of labels (D&G, Prada, Gucci, etc.) to a gamut of veiled women and robed men. The wealth here is amazing. And who would have guessed that we would be coming to a place with so much BLING! While local kids speed around the apartment blocks on mopeds sans shoes and helmets, while mom-and-pop businesses are everywhere. Between our apartment and school there is a Lebanese restaurant, dry cleaner, photo studio, bakery, fruit stand, and 3 7-11 type shops.

I'll tell you what Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore. It's 330 am, morning prayers have just begun. One mosque down, a dozen more to go. That's my call to bed!

the eagle has landed

2008-08-17T11:13:00.000+07:00

We've made it. That's the good news. The great news is--the kids were incredible! They played, they shared, they SLEPT! And at present, they are still sleeping, tucked away in what will probably be our family bed for the next few weeks until they feel at home.

Our adventures in Kuwait started late Saturday night when we arrived at the airport and were informed that our children did, in fact, need visas independent of ours. While we waited over an hour for our names to be called, the kids enjoyed their first meal in Kuwait--yup, a midnight run at the airport McDonalds. They couldn't have felt more at home.

Just as I had suspected, the visa dilemma had a silver lining. That of course was--all 17 of our bags and boxes had been offloaded off the carousel and were waiting for us to claim. Three porters later, all of our bags were loaded onto the last security check before we left the airport--a booze check. In the US, our bags are screened for weapons and liquids, here they are out-scanned for liquor.

Within minutes, our porters guided us through the arrivals doors with no customs checks whatsoever. We were greeted by the school's administration team (most of whose names escape me at this moment) and LOTS of water.

We encountered our first dose of heat upon leaving the airport at 12.30am when the temperature was 39C (102F) and it didn't feel so bad.

The real adventures, though, began when we were the last group dropped off at our apartment complex. 1.00 am and we're standing outside a building block with no driver, no help, and not a sole in sight except some youth who were chasing down feral cats. I found a shop that was open and the shop keeper let me call my superintendent who sent someone to save us--our neighbor Steph (and our new best friend).

We're in. Our luggage is here. I'm borrowing someone elses wireless internet connection. And we're ready to take on the day. There's a lot of sand. The people (so far) are great and far more efficient than Kenya. And they LOVE kids. Not a stranger has walked by Xavier or Anouk and not smiled, waved, rubbed their heads, or teased them a bit.

...it all looks promising.

Will write more later.

-ang

and, we're off...

2008-08-15T13:06:00.000+07:00

Well, the time has come to say goodbye. Not forever. Just for now.

12 Rubbermaid containers, 4, 60-lb. suitcases, and a box of the art I just couldn't live without, will join us as we make a new home in Kuwait.

I don't know what we've gotten ourselves into. And honestly, I'm too excited to care. The new adventure, the slower pace, and the fresh start is good enough for me.

So stay tuned... the adventure continues.

-ang