Returning Home

Saying goodbye to our fantastic driver, Korn. Very few words flowed between us, rather charades, little gifts both ways, and thoughtful gestures... like his choice to wear the Michigan tee our final night in Thailand. We clicked really well during our time together and I already miss him, especially now with a teenage social calendar to navigate.  

Petite French homecoming enroute back to Michigan

Girls hit their list of favorite Paris restaurants, streets and goodies

Beautiful day with old friends in our fairytale town of Chevreuse

Four years ago they chased chickens on Margaux's egg farm... now they drink coffee. We are hoping Margaux will visit us this summer

Kindergarten buddy, Raphaelle 

Santa sighting at the Trocadero

Froze all week, caught some long lasting bronchial crud, and we were anxious for Noel back home, but immensely enjoyed revisiting a very special place for us all

Thought we might get to stay for holidays. Viva la France and their affair with labor strikes. We were charmed by several in our year there

Sea container made great time in < 6 weeks across Pacific. It surprised us mid-January, then hit a slower leg of journey sitting jack-knifed in neighbor's driveway for the afternoon

Home Sweet Home! That's what I keep telling myself as parades of movers, plumbers, and toolbox wielding strangers steadily stream through our slightly disabled front door. We arrived in Holland for light dusting of Christmas, but were too consumed with sick selves, sick house, grumpy parenting, disorientation, and impatiently awaiting arrival of phones, cars, and a myriad of life's "necessities." Late December and all of January are best forgotten.

We are on to better days. Our focus has been replanting girls and they seem to be rooting well: immediately delving into sleepovers with friends, fitting fine with academics and the right clothing (whew!), Allie's jumping into high school classes so it now really counts, and both girls have been swimming winter season for West Ottawa Swim Club. We all are exhausted, still, but they are loving being back in the Holland swing. That is wonderful to see.

Rob is alright. Work is fine, Holland-based, and has been slowly ramping. He is well into Riverbank and marathon training.

I'm a bit more lost. Girls hardly need me any more, Japan won't have me, neglected house is cursing me. I must create my new existence after more than a decade "home" with kids, only now it is without hope of our family living in Japan. Spending girls' high school days in Holland is our plan instead of continuing to boomerang in & out.

Sawasdee kaa, Thailand. I wonder when we meet again. Perhaps silk shopping for Ry's wedding gown... someday? That's her plan. Mine has yet to unfold.

LET IT SNOW!

A Couple Steps Closer to Home

Twas the month before Christmas, just moved out of Thai house, not a blue spruce was stirring... so we decked our hotel suite's wine tree for our last couple weeks there. Merry, merry!

Moving Day... speedy and barefoot, the entire crew

Prior to moving, we farewelled by the sea with Rob's fantastic Thai team. They arranged mind releasing beach games, seafood, sticky rice & pork, volleyball, and chill time for us all.

Repairing the net

Another long day for the girls. They are tiring of heat, eternal car rides to distant places, "best behavior" for work events, being petted, facing shrimp and octopus. They perked during volleyball, and found their groove again as the sun began to settle the heat.

Already missing Thai sunsets and the fun we have in them.

Giving Thanks

Sometimes feels like they're following us... Amway is all over here

Rob'll be in Singapore on Thanksgiving, Allie's competing in a swim meet in Malaysia this weekend, and we soon kick off our move and many farewells... so we took time to give thanks last weekend for our last visit to the island gem of Koh Chang. Great snorkeling, boat jumping, resorting, sunsetting, and for nearly every meal of our last little Thai getaway, the girls were grateful for Italian. 

Including a small taste on the long drive home... a stop at the Pizza Company where I misordered tiny little pizzas. Still famished, I ordered us another bigger cheese pizza. The darn thing arrived COVERED in little shrimps, octopus and fake crab. CHEESE pizza & SEA pizza kind of sound alike, so it seems. We laugh, pay our bill and grab KFC snacks to go.

There is a lot about this charming life that I am going to miss, including my many missteps through it.

But I am growing a little excited for the coming winter and SNOW! Just got season snowboard passes back home and researched new snowblowers for Rob, though I can't wait to shovel. I ordered us all new, cozy socks. Except for 3 pairs of graying running whites, I haven't really worn socks in almost 3 years. Now I've got a bunch waiting back home for my missteps there and I will be grateful to closet my clumsy flip-flops, for a while.

Vietnam

GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM!

Enjoyed our week of respite from Thai heat. Hanoi felt of warm June days in Michigan, and it was lovely being outdoors without “sweat dripping down my butt crack," as someone in our family often shares.

Not a great photo, but so much going on here... a full tai-chi class on lowest plaza square, up steps to badminton on left and soccer on right, and a huge aerobic party on top square under monument... all at 6ish a.m. while motorbikes galore begin scooting into Monday.  

I do weird things like this in parks back home and feel foreign... here it's common. I felt out of place on this early stroll not because of my white skin, but because I was not joining the energizing buzz.

Tai-chi, portable boomboxes, dumbells, and chin-ups from trees

Exercising social skills

Our Monday friend, Phuong. We found a really cool exchange service, Hanoi Free Tour Guides... college students eager to practice English will guide foreigners around town for day, and not accept money to do it, only small gifts. 

She brought us by local bus to a pottery village where we threw mud.

Ry was in her element

Good for us all

Washroom on left, oven on right

Walked the village while our pots baked

Lots of wires to quick grab if he goes down

Watched streetside pots of tea being brewed all over Hanoi

The charcoal-fed burner

Naked Plates, a la Vietnam

Would have loved for Hau, Rob's foster brother, to join us and share his Vietnam, but we were grateful for our day with Phuong.

Tuesday morning breadsellers enroute 5 hours of horrendously trafficked, bumpy roads to HaLong Bay... fresh, french batards were sold everywhere at the edges of the day.

Your Canon printer may have come from here

Buddhas for sale next to Virgin Marys... 10% of population is Catholic/Protestant, and 100% of homes seem to practice ancestor worship

Beauteous HaLong Bay. Though drive was arduous, it is a worthy destination.

Our ship for next 3 days, the Paloma

Captain & crew on our dinghy

Late afternoon kayak through floating fishing villages

A home

And foundation

Sunset bathing

Mellow fellow, rowing by foot

Rob had no time to enjoy his kayak while home this summer ... happy to paddle here among craggy cliffs

Girls found German-American buddies their same ages, and had a blast exploring ship's nooks and crannies.

Pirates of the HaLong Bay

Evening dip

One, two...

... pray there are no jelly fish! Saw a couple decent ones while sailing, but never when swimming.

Quick shower before a little cooking lesson

We love nem ran, fried spring rolls!

Awoke to our favorite day of the Viet week

Sailed out to a quiet bay with empty beaches where we anchored for some magic

This little cove was base camp for 14 guests and crew. We arrived when tide was in, and beach grew with the day. Explored by kayak and swim the nearby caves and slivers of isolated beach

The crew grilled shrimp & fish for lunch back at camp.

A favorite moment was climbing with Allie under a passage at the above beach, coming out to an open expanse of crashing waters with no people in sight, no boats, only waves smashing into majestic rocks all around us. She exclaimed in awe, and we soaked it all in while as we dove for shells and coral. I hope she keeps this day, always. I will.

  

Herded like cattle through some touristy caves our final morning in the bay, ugh. Still, gorgeous sights.

Girls woke with colds, bummer.

Happy, yet kind of pretending... this getaway gem had passed and the 5 hour return drive to Hanoi was present. Rice fields don't hold same interest they once did after 2 Thai years. Tried to hold our guide's patient perspective on the slow going, "we must share the road," but all we saw was traffic, sneezing & sore throating girls, and I was bribing them even before we left sight of the bay.

Back in Hanoi, found this picture in a war museum... first US pilot captured in North Vietnam, at HaLong Bay. My Marine father (13 months in DaNang) probably never believed some 40 years ago that his daughter might vacation in this place. Wonder if the girls may someday explore Afghanistan or Iraq with their families. May it be so, peace!

A bit disappointed with the amount and content offered at the big war museum, but always interesting to glimpse differing perspectives on war. Yankee me arrived thinking museum would be all about the "Vietnam War" (or American imperialism), but it recognized earlier French imperialism as well.

Awoke our last day, ready to water park with the girls. In National Lampoon's style we took a series of taxis & craziness to get there, only to find the park closed due to "moon calendar" and an entrance guard shaking his head NO. Ry started crying, Allie consoled her with fact that park looked skanky, I sprinted to flag down our cab before he took off too far, and Clark saved the day by pulling out his Blackberry to schedule a cooking class back near our hotel. The kids were pleasantly open to change of plan and Ellen was grateful.

Our chef took us on a quick market tour before starting.

Saw mostly same ingredients we see in Thailand, lots of galanga (looks like ginger, in front), lemongrass, garlic, various peppers, onions and limes.

A few new ones from Harry Potter's pantry... here, Hands of Buddha, a citrus fruit.

Haven't yet seen culinary frogs or turtles in Thailand.

We do see eels at Thai market.

And squid. Over 2 years here now and Ry is still in awe every time we go shopping. She has never been a fan of the sights, smells and noise of Asian open markets which can be overwhelming. 

I'm not accustomed to this sight.

Enjoyed making a spicy papaya salad, lemongrass chicken, and SPRING ROLLS! I think we now have those down, hurray!

Ry & I went to the theatre one night for water puppets while Rob & Al had their own date on the town.

Ry was intrigued with woman in center playing a single stringed "harp" of sorts that moaned.

Another day, Allie was handed a costume & props. Cute, huh?

This sweet woman handed Ry her own costume, and bag of bananas... $5 please, for taking a photo and the fruit. Vietnam is well on its way with capitalism 

From our rooftop terrace we watched a man pulley a dozen cement bags from friend on street

Speedy

An ancient law taxed properties based on their width... thus, buildings and homes are tall and skinny. 

Streetside pedicure

Haircuts and shaves, too. We liked the brick headrest.

Another hardworking Asian pearl