Well, Kan and I had some cultural experiences in Bali the last two days we were there and learned a few things. On Saturday night we set out to have dinner outside the hotel, my first outing away from the hotel since we had arrived. Needless to say I was super excited. The hotel had a free shuttle that went to the "Bali Connection," a shopping center and restaurant area for tourists. It was pouring down rain, but we were told it was covered, so we thought "what the heck." The bus was an open bus, meaning the back of the bus was open and did not have a door. Yes, you could look out and see the headlights behind you. Obviously, not child friendly, but what could you do. We arrived at the Bali Connection to find the entrance was covered, but the shopping area was not. We did find an indoor art/flea market and bought a toy for Miyako and a magazine rack for our new home in Tokyo. The rain finally subsided and we were able to walk around, but it was definitely not the connection to Bali we had hoped for. The Russian restaurant had a live band for entertainment. We heard the worst rendition of Bryan Adam's "Summer of '69" that we had ever heard in our lives. If they had been on American Idol, they would have gotten the boot within 30 seconds of singing. We learned that our definition of shopping and eating is quite different from the Indonesian definition.
On Sunday, our last day, we had to check out of the hotel at 2PM but our flight did not leave until 11:50PM. We rented a taxi and went to this famous temple known for wild monkeys wandering around. We bought the appropriate attire to cover our knees so as not to disrupt the Hindu gods, bought our p-nuts to feed the wild monkeys, and were on our way. The view was amazing. We were up high and overlooked the Indian ocean from a cliff. We enjoyed feeding the monkeys and Miyako eventually warmed up to them. As we emptied our p-nut bags we were looking for a trash can to throw the paper away in. Our cab driver, who had walked with us through the temple, told us not to worry and threw it on the ground. We were both quite puzzled by this. He had just explained to us how old this temple is, how much the people respect it, etc, but then he throws the paper bag on the ground. We learned that our idea of respecting God's temple is quite a bit different from the minds of those in Indonesia.
He also told us of the "best, cleanest" restaurant in the area that also provides free pickup from your hotel. We decided to try it since we had lots of time to pass and did not want to just sit in the lobby of our hotel. The restaurant was called Casanova. That should have told us something. It actually was not bad. I tried a traditional Indonesian dish and Kan had his standard combination fried rice. He said the fried rice was a little bit different than our favorite Wah Mei from back home. My meal was actually decent. However, the high chair was not the cleanest I had ever seen nor was it the "best" food I had ever had. But, it was worth the experience. Again, a difference of opinion. As we sat there eating, Kan told me when he first came to America he thought American food was awful, the worst food you could buy, compared to Japanese food. In Bali, he found something that beat his first impressions of American food. I bet if he stayed in Bali long enough, he would learn to like their food like he learned to like our meat and potatoes (or rice with gravy for him:).
Overall, we were both quite sad as we drove through the countryside of Bali. It reminded us both of Mexico. You have nice, fancy resorts and a mile away you have poverty. Very sad. Very dirty. However, the people were super friendly and the views amazing. The people loved Miyako. Everywhere we went people would touch her, get in her face and goo and gaa over her. One Chinese man even took our family photo with his camera. Maybe he thought we were famous. I think he just thought Miyako was cute. We vacationed with lots of foreigners...there were Koreans, Chinese, Russians and other nationalities at our resort. I was very surprised to hear so much Russian. Signs in our hotel were translated in Japanese, English, and Russian. I was proud that I could still read the Russian and understand some of what was spoken around me. Oh, and one other random funny Indonesian custom. They truly value customer service. Everywhere we ate, whether at the hotel or out in a restaurant, the servers walk by your table constantly, asking you if they can take your plate when half of your food is still on it, and then bowing as they leave your table. When Kan and I would finish our breakfast plate, we would take wagers on how quickly the waiter or waitress would come to take away our plate. It was usually no longer than 30 seconds.
We took the Red Eye flight back to Japan. Only one word to describe that...miserable. Miyako at least slept about 6 hours but it sure did make for a long day. Kan and I were not very nice to each other. It is a good thing we are married for other reasons than just how we "feel" about each other. A driver was waiting for us in Tokyo and took us to our temporary apartment. Only one word to describe it...amazing. Our master bedroom is the size of a hotel room. Miyako has her own room with a little crib. The floors can be heated if you want! And I have a washer/dryer, dishwasher, conventional oven, microwave, and made service to come twice a week. Sigh! I better not get too used to it. The cost of this place for one week is what we have budgeted to spend monthly on rent. I will at least enjoy where God has me right now.
We are in the Akasaka area of Tokyo, somewhere I never made it to during our month long adventure in October. So, I am enjoying walking around and seeing some new sights. This afternoon I am headed to the local indoor play area with Miyako! Pictures of Bali to come tomorrow. I need to upload them on the computer and then put them on the blog and facebook. I am also hoping to make my blog cuter. I do not like computers so much so the less time I am on them, the better; however, I love some of these cute blogs and think I should probably make my blog a little more appealing. We will see. I may just watch American Idol on Sling and not worry about a fancy blog. :)
Monday, February 8, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Breaking all my parenting rules...
So, many of you want an update on how our clan is doing here in Bali. Kan is feeling much better and ate a fairly hearty breakfast with us this morning. Miyako is slowly on the mend. She is still not eating as much as normal, but she is in fairly good spirits and has not thrown up again. Thank you for your prayers and well wishes.
So, in the midst of my Priss Pooh being under the weather and jet lag, I have broken most of my parenting rules. Rule #1 - No pacifier except when taking a nap or in bed or at the doctor getting a shot (which it never stays in her mouth anyway because she starts screaming the minute she sees the nurse). Well, obviously I made an exception with the pacifier on the plane. I would not want to disturb any of my other fellow business class passengers (I still have fond memories of that 14 hour flight). And the exception has continued throughout Bali. Since she is not feeling well she keeps asking for the pacifier (which she calls Ba) and I give it to her. She now likes to hold one while sucking on one. Very cute. She has a rude awakening once we get to Tokyo and it is back to our rules.
Rule #2 - I really only wanted my children to drink water and milk and consider juice a special occasion drink. Juice has so much sugar, I did not want my kids to get used to it. Just a personal thing. Well, once I realized she could not have the milk here and she was not drinking enough water to stay hydrated, I bought some apple juice and mixed it with the water. She downed the sippie cup in like 5 minutes.
Rule #3 - No little babies sleeping in your bed. From the get go Priss Pooh has slept in her room, in her own bed or Moses basket, unless we have been traveling. When we travel she is either in the pack and play or her little tent, but not in bed with us. Well, I broke the rules here too. With jet lag she was waking up around 4/5AM and I would get her out of the tent and bring her in bed with me. She would eventually go back to sleep and sleep until 7. Thankfully once we get to Tokyo we will not have to share a room with our little angel.
Oh, and I realized I spelled lemonade wrong in my post yesterday. Yes, the woman with a Masters degree spelled lemonade wrong. Oh well. Just gives more ammunition for people to make fun of me with...as if they did not have enough.
The weather is gorgeous here. So excited that today is Kan's last day of work and tomorrow we are on vacation together. It will be fun to have someone to hang out with and converse with since my conversations with a 15 month old can only go so far.
So, in the midst of my Priss Pooh being under the weather and jet lag, I have broken most of my parenting rules. Rule #1 - No pacifier except when taking a nap or in bed or at the doctor getting a shot (which it never stays in her mouth anyway because she starts screaming the minute she sees the nurse). Well, obviously I made an exception with the pacifier on the plane. I would not want to disturb any of my other fellow business class passengers (I still have fond memories of that 14 hour flight). And the exception has continued throughout Bali. Since she is not feeling well she keeps asking for the pacifier (which she calls Ba) and I give it to her. She now likes to hold one while sucking on one. Very cute. She has a rude awakening once we get to Tokyo and it is back to our rules.
Rule #2 - I really only wanted my children to drink water and milk and consider juice a special occasion drink. Juice has so much sugar, I did not want my kids to get used to it. Just a personal thing. Well, once I realized she could not have the milk here and she was not drinking enough water to stay hydrated, I bought some apple juice and mixed it with the water. She downed the sippie cup in like 5 minutes.
Rule #3 - No little babies sleeping in your bed. From the get go Priss Pooh has slept in her room, in her own bed or Moses basket, unless we have been traveling. When we travel she is either in the pack and play or her little tent, but not in bed with us. Well, I broke the rules here too. With jet lag she was waking up around 4/5AM and I would get her out of the tent and bring her in bed with me. She would eventually go back to sleep and sleep until 7. Thankfully once we get to Tokyo we will not have to share a room with our little angel.
Oh, and I realized I spelled lemonade wrong in my post yesterday. Yes, the woman with a Masters degree spelled lemonade wrong. Oh well. Just gives more ammunition for people to make fun of me with...as if they did not have enough.
The weather is gorgeous here. So excited that today is Kan's last day of work and tomorrow we are on vacation together. It will be fun to have someone to hang out with and converse with since my conversations with a 15 month old can only go so far.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Sick in Bali
So yesterday was not the picture perfect day I had for my vacation in Bali. When we woke up, at 5AM, I heard my husband moan "I don't feel so good." I asked him if he drank the water and he said no, but he did have two ice cubes which we think is the cause of him laying in bed all day long. No work for him on this gorgeous Tuesday in Bali. So my sweet girl and I ventured to the pool in hopes to give Papa a break from us. She was in a great mood but I noticed she did not eat much for breakfast or lunch. She took the normal 3.5 hour jet lag nap (yes, I love these naps and know it will only last a few more days) and woke up in her normal mood. However, at dinner, her milk came up. So, my little girl is now sick too. The hotel nurse did take her temperature and it was normal, but due to her little English and my non-existent Balinese (or whatever they speak here) we did not get much further with that.
Needless to say Priss Pooh did not eat anything all day and I had a hard time getting her to drink even her water. Today at breakfast she drank her milk but did not eat her pancake or egg. I even tried rice and she turned it down, which is very unnatural for her. Rice is one of her favorite foods. She is half-Japanese and prefers white rice to brown rice. I came back to the room to find my husband had researched "milk in Bali" on google (seriously, what would we do without google?) to find that you are to stay away from the fresh milk here, especially for infants. Well, aren't I the smart mother? Needless to say, I felt awful. I should have done more prep work and research, and if I had I would have brought powdered milk for my little Priss Pooh and we would all be fine. From here on out I am banning all milk in Bali. She did eat an apple for lunch and hopefully she will enjoy some plain rice for dinner and be back to herself tomorrow.
So what have I learned from this? Even in one of the most beautiful places in the world, life can throw you lemons. Will I make the lemon-aid is the question? I spent the evening soaking up time in the Word with my two sick family members on either side of me, thankful for a God who is in control, for a God who cares for both of these people more than I do and loves them and will take care of them, thankful for a God who can give me peace, thankful for a God who prompts friends to email me and help me to calm down and not stress too much about my circumstances, thankful for a God who in the quietness of my hotel room with a small little light on meets me while my sweet family sleeps. Through His Spirit, God helped me to make lemon-aid and He deepened my awareness of Him and increased my faith in Him. As Wednesday on this side of the world is half-way finished, I am praying to a God who knows what tomorrow will bring and asking him for healing and continued graces on our vacation here.
Needless to say Priss Pooh did not eat anything all day and I had a hard time getting her to drink even her water. Today at breakfast she drank her milk but did not eat her pancake or egg. I even tried rice and she turned it down, which is very unnatural for her. Rice is one of her favorite foods. She is half-Japanese and prefers white rice to brown rice. I came back to the room to find my husband had researched "milk in Bali" on google (seriously, what would we do without google?) to find that you are to stay away from the fresh milk here, especially for infants. Well, aren't I the smart mother? Needless to say, I felt awful. I should have done more prep work and research, and if I had I would have brought powdered milk for my little Priss Pooh and we would all be fine. From here on out I am banning all milk in Bali. She did eat an apple for lunch and hopefully she will enjoy some plain rice for dinner and be back to herself tomorrow.
So what have I learned from this? Even in one of the most beautiful places in the world, life can throw you lemons. Will I make the lemon-aid is the question? I spent the evening soaking up time in the Word with my two sick family members on either side of me, thankful for a God who is in control, for a God who cares for both of these people more than I do and loves them and will take care of them, thankful for a God who can give me peace, thankful for a God who prompts friends to email me and help me to calm down and not stress too much about my circumstances, thankful for a God who in the quietness of my hotel room with a small little light on meets me while my sweet family sleeps. Through His Spirit, God helped me to make lemon-aid and He deepened my awareness of Him and increased my faith in Him. As Wednesday on this side of the world is half-way finished, I am praying to a God who knows what tomorrow will bring and asking him for healing and continued graces on our vacation here.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Bali Bound
Well, we have arrived in Bali safely. My little Priss Pooh has got to be the world's best traveler. Already at the age of 15 months she has traveled about 25,000 miles by plane and is now a member of the Japan Air sky miles club. We figured we should register her too since when we travel in Asia we will fly with them. If we were smarter, we would have gotten her a Delta sky miles membership also but we forgot in the midst of our goodbyes.
Saying goodbye was tough, but as soon as we crossed through security we were able to release a deep breath and say hello to this new adventure and life abroad. I do not mean this in a bad way. We love our home in the US, but God has been preparing us for so long to make this change, that we knew it was the right decision for our family. When you know it is right, there is peace in taking that first step forward with something new. Maybe also I was glad to get on the plane simply because the last week at home was crazy and stressful!
Due to my husband's travel and having more miles than we know what to do with, we were able to upgrade to first class to Tokyo. This was so worth it! Miyako had room to play on the floor and she loved climbing from Kan's seat to mine. She also slept about 5 hours which was super. We arrived in Tokyo and had a rough night. She was up hourly for about 4 hours and then gave us a 2 hour stretch of sleep. Our flight to Bali was a red eye and did not leave until 3 so we rested in the hotel, watched the UK/Vandy basketball game (GO CATS!), and Miyako and Kan were able to get naps.
Our flight to Bali was about 7 hours from Tokyo. Thankfully Miyako slept 6 of those seven hours. The plane was not full so she was able to spread out across two seats and sleep soundly. We got off the plane and I instantly smelled incense. Sure enough at the customs gate, it was burning. I felt like Dorothy when she realized she was not in Kansas anymore. Our drive to the resort reminded me of our honeymoon in Antigua. You see lots of poverty and then all of a sudden you come upon the most beautiful place you have ever seen and you wonder how the two places can co-exist in such close proximity of one another.
By the time we got settled it was one AM and Miyako had another rough night. But right now she is sleeping soundly. I am hopeful tonight may be a little better and I can get longer stretches of sleep. It reminds me of having a newborn and it makes me not want anymore children anytime soon. :)
There are not enough words to describe how beautiful Bali is. I feel so blessed to be able to spend a week here. God knew what I needed to refresh my spirits. We enjoyed the pool today. The ocean was pretty rough so we just got our feet wet in it. We are here during the rainy season and last night it rained all night. We felt like we were in the middle of the jungle. We woke up to birds singing, with Miyako. :) Kan is busy in meetings until Friday so it is just me and Miyako for the first few days. I think our plan will be poolside in the morning when it is not so hot and room time in the afternoon. Come Friday we can spend time with Papa!
Thank you for your prayers and well wishes as we traveled. We are here safe and sound. I am almost afraid to post pictures because nobody will feel sorry for me and the "suffering" I am doing for my husband's job. :) The pictures will come soon.
Saying goodbye was tough, but as soon as we crossed through security we were able to release a deep breath and say hello to this new adventure and life abroad. I do not mean this in a bad way. We love our home in the US, but God has been preparing us for so long to make this change, that we knew it was the right decision for our family. When you know it is right, there is peace in taking that first step forward with something new. Maybe also I was glad to get on the plane simply because the last week at home was crazy and stressful!
Due to my husband's travel and having more miles than we know what to do with, we were able to upgrade to first class to Tokyo. This was so worth it! Miyako had room to play on the floor and she loved climbing from Kan's seat to mine. She also slept about 5 hours which was super. We arrived in Tokyo and had a rough night. She was up hourly for about 4 hours and then gave us a 2 hour stretch of sleep. Our flight to Bali was a red eye and did not leave until 3 so we rested in the hotel, watched the UK/Vandy basketball game (GO CATS!), and Miyako and Kan were able to get naps.
Our flight to Bali was about 7 hours from Tokyo. Thankfully Miyako slept 6 of those seven hours. The plane was not full so she was able to spread out across two seats and sleep soundly. We got off the plane and I instantly smelled incense. Sure enough at the customs gate, it was burning. I felt like Dorothy when she realized she was not in Kansas anymore. Our drive to the resort reminded me of our honeymoon in Antigua. You see lots of poverty and then all of a sudden you come upon the most beautiful place you have ever seen and you wonder how the two places can co-exist in such close proximity of one another.
By the time we got settled it was one AM and Miyako had another rough night. But right now she is sleeping soundly. I am hopeful tonight may be a little better and I can get longer stretches of sleep. It reminds me of having a newborn and it makes me not want anymore children anytime soon. :)
There are not enough words to describe how beautiful Bali is. I feel so blessed to be able to spend a week here. God knew what I needed to refresh my spirits. We enjoyed the pool today. The ocean was pretty rough so we just got our feet wet in it. We are here during the rainy season and last night it rained all night. We felt like we were in the middle of the jungle. We woke up to birds singing, with Miyako. :) Kan is busy in meetings until Friday so it is just me and Miyako for the first few days. I think our plan will be poolside in the morning when it is not so hot and room time in the afternoon. Come Friday we can spend time with Papa!
Thank you for your prayers and well wishes as we traveled. We are here safe and sound. I am almost afraid to post pictures because nobody will feel sorry for me and the "suffering" I am doing for my husband's job. :) The pictures will come soon.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Leaving on a Jet Plane...
It was September of 1999 and I was boarding a plane in Atlanta, Georgia with 5 other recent college graduates to spend a year in Minsk, Belarus. My friend wanted to cheer us up and started singing "Leaving on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again." It is 10 years later and my life is quite different now. I am not single and heading out on an European adventure. I am married with a one year old child and I am leaving on a jet plane. I truly do not know when I'll be back again. My husband and I are headed to Tokyo, Japan for a 2 to 3 year commitment with his job. My husband is Japanese so we are headed back to his mother country. Right now, my thoughts about this move are so blurry. On the one hand, I am excited about the adventure and the opportunity for my daughter to experience first hand this part of her culture. On the other hand, I am very sad to leave such wonderful friends and family. I know my friends and family will be a phone call away, thanks to the Vonage phone system, but they are quite a few miles away via plane, 7,000 to be exact. We have been so blessed to be surrounded by such great people, who love us and support us. But this is a new chapter for our immediate family, and I do look forward to creating memories in Tokyo together. We leave tomorrow and fly to Tokyo. Then it is on to Bali, Indonesia for one week. While my husband works, I will enjoy the sunshine and 85 degree weather with my little girl. Sounds awful huh? I think it will be a great way to recover from the jet lag via the beach. If you think of it, please remember us as we travel tomorrow.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
We are home!
I wanted to update quickly and let everyone know we made it home safe and sound. It was a very long day. Miyako did fairly well on the big flight from Tokyo to Detroit. We went through customs and were pushing it to make our connecting flight, only to board and find out we would have to deplane because a bird flew in the plane and got stuck in the cockpit. We boarded a new plane and had to wait for what felt like an eternity for them to come and fill up the gas tank so we could be on our way. These small delays added to mere exhaustion and a state of hunger I had not known in awhile, made us all very happy to land in Lexington. Our homecoming meal of choice for dinner - McDonald's. I know that sounds like such the typical American - coming home from a foreign country (who has McD's BTW) and eating McDonald's, but it just sounded so good. Jet lag recovery has been very rough coming back, a lot harder than going to Japan. The last two nights Miyako has been up from about 11-2/3 crying and upset because she wants to play, not sleep. I wish the job description of mom had included paid time off for recovery of jet lag, but no such luck. As a mom, even if you could sleep, you do not get to when your child can't. Oh well. Hopefully it will be better in a few days.
I have really enjoyed keeping the blog updated. I am sure stateside I will not be as regular, but we do have fun things to post about coming up - this coming weekend is our first Trick or Treat with our little Pumpkin and her first birthday party is on Sunday! Be looking for more updates with these fun activities!
I have really enjoyed keeping the blog updated. I am sure stateside I will not be as regular, but we do have fun things to post about coming up - this coming weekend is our first Trick or Treat with our little Pumpkin and her first birthday party is on Sunday! Be looking for more updates with these fun activities!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Heading "Home"
Tomorrow we are heading back to Kentucky. The bags are packed, for the most part, and I guess you can say we are "ready." I have had a great last week. The weather has been fantastic and I have continued to meet new people while being here that friends back home connected me with. Today Miyako and I met a new friend and her son (who is one day older than Miyako) at the indoor play area we have grown acquainted with. The ladies were so sad to see Miyako-chan returning to America. They loved her there, but who wouldn't right? We also took a long walk and took some end of the trip shots of our neighborhood.
As I contemplate returning back "home" I definitely have things I look forward to...sleeping in my own bed, watching football all day on Saturday, visiting with my family and friends, and being back at church. However, as I sit here looking at the bright lights of the skyscrapers and Tokyo Tower, I know I am going to miss it here. God has really provided me with some great new friends during my month here. What a blessing. And, the big city has so much to offer. One lady I became friends with has been here for 6 years and said she still has not seen everything yet. I will miss too the public transportation...although it was sometimes hard with Miyako in the stroller during rush hour, it was so much easier just to hop on the metro. I forgot how much I enjoyed public transportation from my time in Belarus.
I can tell you though what the best part of the month was for me...our family was not thousands of miles apart. I think this was the first four weeks since March where we were not separated via a trip to Japan. Since March Kan has flown about 150,000 miles. You can do the math, but that is a lot of trips to Japan. We basically try to have him home for three weeks and then he is gone for 10-14 days. It was so much fun to be here together as a family and to not be separated. There were times when we did not see him much due to his busy work schedule, but to be in the same apartment and know he is coming home each night was a blessing for our family. I do not know if Miyako even realized she was so far away from her "home." Home for her is being with mama and papa so she was pretty content while we were here. I guess we can learn from her too. I feel so fortunate to have this little family, to go home to extended family and friends, and to know one day I will be in heaven with an even greater extended family with my Heavenly Father. I have thought a lot these four weeks on where "home" is, and firmly believe home is with Jesus. No matter where I go or what I do, He is the one constant in my life who never leaves me or forsakes me.
If you think of it, please pray for us tomorrow as we fly back to the States. Miyako has a bit of a runny nose and my throat is a little scratchy due to some fall weather coming in the past couple of days. Pray for us to stay healthy and for Miyako to do well on the plane as we travel back.
As I contemplate returning back "home" I definitely have things I look forward to...sleeping in my own bed, watching football all day on Saturday, visiting with my family and friends, and being back at church. However, as I sit here looking at the bright lights of the skyscrapers and Tokyo Tower, I know I am going to miss it here. God has really provided me with some great new friends during my month here. What a blessing. And, the big city has so much to offer. One lady I became friends with has been here for 6 years and said she still has not seen everything yet. I will miss too the public transportation...although it was sometimes hard with Miyako in the stroller during rush hour, it was so much easier just to hop on the metro. I forgot how much I enjoyed public transportation from my time in Belarus.
I can tell you though what the best part of the month was for me...our family was not thousands of miles apart. I think this was the first four weeks since March where we were not separated via a trip to Japan. Since March Kan has flown about 150,000 miles. You can do the math, but that is a lot of trips to Japan. We basically try to have him home for three weeks and then he is gone for 10-14 days. It was so much fun to be here together as a family and to not be separated. There were times when we did not see him much due to his busy work schedule, but to be in the same apartment and know he is coming home each night was a blessing for our family. I do not know if Miyako even realized she was so far away from her "home." Home for her is being with mama and papa so she was pretty content while we were here. I guess we can learn from her too. I feel so fortunate to have this little family, to go home to extended family and friends, and to know one day I will be in heaven with an even greater extended family with my Heavenly Father. I have thought a lot these four weeks on where "home" is, and firmly believe home is with Jesus. No matter where I go or what I do, He is the one constant in my life who never leaves me or forsakes me.
If you think of it, please pray for us tomorrow as we fly back to the States. Miyako has a bit of a runny nose and my throat is a little scratchy due to some fall weather coming in the past couple of days. Pray for us to stay healthy and for Miyako to do well on the plane as we travel back.
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