a walk in our neighborhood...

You like the clothes hanging alongside the fish? =)

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!
May the joy of this season be with you all!

This season was especially busy for us, and we can't wait to update you all soon. Stay tuned... for more updates and pictures.

Happy (belated) Thanksgiving!

[L]: Happy belated Thanksgiving!

Last week marks our 2nd Thanksgiving away from home on the this side of the world. Just like last year, we and some foreign friends managed to buy a turkey, which is great because otherwise, we'd have to settle for chicken or a duck. (And then, it wouldn't really be "Thanksgiving" as we know it.)

As I update this blog, I am at a standstill at what to write because I have too much to share. I am tempted to write more about our recent adventures with the nuances/quirks about celebrating Thanksgiving in a foreign land. (As always, living here has it's share of adventure.) Not only so, we just recently discovered another annoying leak in our apartment. It seems that our upstairs neighbor's sewage drain is leaking into our kitchen through the walls. We have to mop up this stinky liquid every day now... And our landlord doesn't even know how to get it fixed, because it's an internal problem and will require ripping away to walls to figure out. Our kitchen looks really great on the outside, but underneath that exterior is a poor-quality, haphazard construction job. Sadly, this seems to be the "trend" here.

But perhaps I'll save my observations to another post on another day. Today, I want to share more of my heart...

Looking back from last Thanksgiving to this Thanksgiving, I realize that's its been over a year since living in this foreign land. There have been joyful moments as well as hard times. And if I could give a "name" to this past year or so, I think I would have liken it to that of a crucible.

In my good ol' chemistry lab days, I often used the crucible to heat substances to a very high, high temperatures. It can also be used to heat and melt metals, and often is used in processes of removing impurities from them... But the end result, is a yield that is so exacting, so pure, that you don't want to even touch the crucible without tongs, because even fingerprints can add weight to the results.

Perhaps it's been my life this past year or so. Being removed from the comforts of my home, my friends, and family, I find myself often at a "lost" of who I am -- an identity-crisis of sorts. In an isolation from the community of people who really know me, I find myself wondering who am I? I find myself wanting to prove to new group of people who I think I ought to be. And I start to realize, that perhaps I define myself by how others view me, by relationships I have, by friendships I attain. And all of those things are external. So when you remove the external, the internal is revealed. And I finally see myself for who I really am. And I see how much more I desperately need G-d.

This past 2 years can be summarized in the words of Charles Dickens…”It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness; it was the spring of hope...”

I am thankful for this season of life. These years of being away from home has been the best of times, and the worst of times. It truly is a season of light, but also a season of revealing darkness in my heart. But through all of it, it yields a spring of hope. And I am so grateful for that. And I am so grateful that G-d loves me so much, He would take me here to this side of the world to experience yet another facet of His unfailing love.

addendum to our umbrella story...

[L]: So, to continue to keep you posted on our umbrella curse... So far, thankfully, we haven't broken anymore umbrellas. A friend from home wrote us and suggested this wonderful idea -- why don't we wear ponchos? After all, they don't fly away, break, and does not obstruct our views when we ride our bikes. And it seems much safer. So, after much thought... we concur. A poncho is much safer than umbrellas. Thanks for the great suggestion! =)

I have a test tomorrow. And Edwin has to recite a poem in class tomorrow. So, for now, I'll keep this update short. Will write more again soon...

Can you believe Thanksgiving is right around the corner? This will be our second Thanksgiving away from home...

What have I become?

[L]: Today, I caught myself doing it again.

I was riding my bike home and there was a group of people walking in front of my path. They were walking and talking. And walking rather slowly.... And yes, they were blocking my path.

So what did I do? I rang my little bell on my bicycle. Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding.

And they looked and saw that I was coming from behind. They quickly moved out of the way, and I rode past them.

A few minutes later, I realized what I had done. I had, in essence, "honked" at them. But the only problem is, I had no shame or hesitation. What have I become?!

Have I embraced the culture with the honking and the dinging? Or am I just so impatient? Sigh.

Perhaps it's impatience. Although I must admit, part of me likes to believe that I have embraced the culture because everyone else does this. No one seems to mind and have seem to accept it as part of life. Every moving vehicle, thing, object somehow has a bell or horn attached to it. And the horn and bell is used frequently, if not all the time, either to announce it's presence or to tell others to move out of the way.

A few weeks ago, we were in a taxi cab. We ended up going on a tollway/freeway, where vehicles had to go through booths to pay toll. Our cab driver was in a lane that didn't seem to move. (Someone in front had problems at the booth.) Our can driver then stuck his head out the window to scream. After that, he preceeded to honk the horn every 10 seconds. And kept doing it till it moved (ten minutes later). Yikes.

In this society, it seems that waiting is just too bothersome. And if one has to wait, well, let's make the frustrations known.

And makes me question myself... have I too, developed a dislike for waiting in lines? For waiting patiently for my "turn". Or, have I just simply embraced the culture? Makes me question my heart. Or rather, perhaps it reveals more of what's already inside of my heart.

I've come to realized that most everything about life is about waiting. Some best things in life require waiting. I am starting to realize that I need learn to cherish and value "waiting" periods. Because it's part of life, part of who we are made to be. It's also part of growth and character building. It's also what makes the "prize" at the end of a waiting period that much more worthwhile. And finally, it's the waiting that makes us stop for a moment, to pause, reflect, observe, and perhaps learn something new about ourselves and the world.

Have I got a long way to continue learning...

Halloween on this side of the world

[L]: Funny how Edwin and I never really experience certain aspects of "American culture" till we came all the way over here to this side of the world.

Last April was my first ever experience with dyeing Easter Eggs. And it was because I was trying to tell my local friends here about Easter in America. They asked me, what do you traditionally do? As a result, I hosted some Easter parties. And we ended up dyeing eggs. My first.

This past Halloween, is also our very first pumpkin-carving experience ever! It's ironic how some of these tradition didn't happen for us while we were back home. It took coming here to a foreign land for us to finally learn how. It is fun indeed. (Our fellow American friends bought pumpkins and we had a pumpkin carving contest. Edwin and I happen to be in 2 separate teams.)

Here are our proud accomplishments.
Here's Edwin's pumpkin:


Here's mine. A friend and I followed a printed pattern, and it looked like a mess when we were done, so we thought we had messed up. But when we lit the candle in the pumpkin, the face came to life, and it was rather freaky by how real it looks with the shadowy-effects. This face looks menacing...

Hooray for our first pumkin-carving experience. =)

the unthinkable

[L]: So, I just received word from my fellow foreign friend (also my classmate) here. The unthinkable happened. While in our school's bathroom, she dropped her cellphone into the squattie potty. And it didn't just fall in the outer rim. No, it fell into the deep hole, the abyss. Never again to be recovered.

When I use the bathroom at school, I always looked at the deep hole and often had nightmares of what would happened if I dropped something valuable into that hole. I mean, it would be so easy for something valuable to fall from my pants pockets into that hole...

Well, today, it finally happened.

Sorry for your loss today, my friend.

The umbrella curse

[L]: Several weeks or so ago, a big rainstorm came through. There were so much wind gusts that our umbrellas broke. Or rather, it flipped inside out/upside down... and after that, well, it was just never the same again. We bought more umbrellas. And through big wind, it broke again. And of course, on top of that, I accidentally left one in the school cafeteria, and when I came back to look for it, it was gone.

So, Edwin went on a quest to find durable umbrella. He even looked for ones that have "vents" that can sustain high-speed winds, so that he can even ride his bike and use his umbrella at the same time. Edwin saw this kind of special vented umbrellas advertised in a catalog once when we were on an international flight -- you know, those "in-flight" shopping magazines that they place on the back of every airline seat. [Disclaimer: I am convinced that it's not safe to ride bikes while using the umbrellas especially in stormy weather. But I do confess that when push comes to shove (and I am late to class and other things), well... I use the umbrella and speed on my bike too. Sigh. So much for double standard.]

Anyhow, after much research, Edwin finally found a place to order these special vented umbrellas online from America. He got it shipped to our parents place, and through PB who came to visit this past month, we got it brought over. Yeah! =)

That same week that we got our new special-vented umbrella, we went for a walk with some friends to go find a place to eat. The sun was beating down, and so, we offered our umbrellas to be used as a sun-shade.

Unfortunately, our poor friends had no idea that one buttom can close/open the umbrella in an instant. Yes, it's very high-tech! They ended up manually wrestling with the umbrella to close/open it. After lunch, our poor friends sadly returned the umbrella with lots of apologies, confused at why the umbrella suddenly became twisted/bent out of shape. Our poor friends felt so bad... And, our umbrella was broken.

Since then, Edwin traced the origin of this special vented umbrella and found that it was actually made HERE! (Surprise?! haha, most everything is made here on this side of the world anyhow.) It is exported. Long-story short: our umbrella was made here, exported to America, sold there, we bought it, and it got brought back to us here. Being the good resourceful researcher he is, he contacted the place and asked them to repair it! (It had life-time warranty.)

Sadly, no. Though it's made here at the factory, it is to be sold to a distributor in America. And, we have to buy it from the distributor. And if it's broken, well, we need to go to the distributor for it to be fixed! Sigh...

It's like living next to the candy store, but not being able to buy any candy! =(

Such is our umbrella curse.

Luckily, we will go home eventually, and one day, get that thing fixed. After all, there's life-time warranty isn't it? =)

In the meantime, we'll just buy more "local" umbrellas...

INFJ

[L]: Lots of people say that I am an extrovert. But there are also some who adamantly say I am an introvert. For a long time, I couldn't decide whether I am introvert or extrovert. I really enjoy people. But I also crave time being alone. I think I can potentially go to a cave for days, and perhaps still feel like I can enjoy more solitude. Maybe I am just a confused person...

Someone here finally asked me to take this test.

So, here are the results. I took several different tests to see if they have the same results. Without fail, all of them say I am an INFJ. Other tests I take say I am a "melancholy."

Hmmmm.... Here's the profile of an INFJ.

http://typelogic.com/infj.html

If you want to take the test for yourself, here are the links:

http://www.similarminds.com/jung.html

http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp

I would ask you to comment and let me know what you are... but alas, I don't have the comment section enabled. But friends, feel free to send me your results in an e-mail. =)

a glimpse of heav'n?

[L]: For the past months or so, it seems that everywhere I go, I run into people that tell me about a particular mountain I need to visit. From my teachers, to my local (native) friends at school, to any random person... Ahhhh, you must visit this mountain. After that, you don't need to go to any other mountain here.

Okay. Point taken.

We've been busy, and for us to find an opportunity to go is very difficult. However, a chance opened up last weekend. And so, we and a few friends decided go visit this mountain. We stuffed our backpacks and got on a train, traveled like a "local," and arrived the next morning. (We were groggy and barely slept.)

But the weekend proved to be well worth it. The mountain was gorgeous, engulfed in a sea of fog and cloud. There was a point where we couldn't see anything -- only the white thick fog around us. And there were many moments when we were simply exhausted from climbing the never-ending steps (some hard-working people came before our time and carved out steps all the way to the top!). It sure felt like we climbed a thousand staircases, and much of our time, we could barely see.

There were moments when I just wanted to complain, "Are we there yet?!" The staircase gets narrower and steeper... there were parts where I ended having to crawl on my hands and knees. But, alas, an unforgettable moment came when we finally got high enough that we were able to poke our heads out above the clouds.

And there before us, were mystical peaks surrounded by a sea of drifting clouds. It was so beautiful I wanted to cry. Is this what heav'n will look like?! Maybe this is just a fraction...

And suddenly, all my sweat, pain, exhaustion from the hours of climbing those seemingly endless stairs...all disappeared. Because catching this glimpse was truly all worth it.

This reminds me of A. Paul, in a paraphrase -- fight the good fight of fth and take hold of the e. life to which you are called...

And I am reminded also, the hope in what-is-to-come gives us the strength to persevere.

Here's a pic of Edwin enjoying a view:



On our way, we encountered a funny sign. My favorite one is #3.

Some risky business...

[L] So, as you recall, a few days ago, our neighbors from downstairs paid a visit to us because there was something that was leaking from the balcony... The story continues.

So, today, our landlord came to attempt to fix this mysterious leak. This time, he brought with him a repairman, who seemed equipped with a caulk-seal gun and some plastic tubing. After 30 to 40 minutes of them talking, working, banging, crawling around the balcony... The repairman begins to take action.

He climbs completely over the railing of the 4th floor balcony.

He steadied himself by putting one arm around the railing, while the other arm is used to insert the plastic tubing in a pipe. Meanwhile, his sock-covered-feet was on the ledge of the balcony. He was completely OUTSIDE, almost dangling off our balcony, nothing to keep from falling except his feet to steady himself on the ledge while one arm holding onto the railing.

Oh yes, did I mention that he did take some safety precautions. He had our landlord hold onto his arm (the one arm that is gripping the balcony). In the case of a fall, will our little landlord be still holding on to this man's forearm and heroically rescue him from falling 4 stories?! We don't even want to think about it.

Is this legal?!! Back home, there is such a thing as workers comp. Work-related injuries lawsuit. Protection of the worker. Safety-code. Policy and procedures manual. But here, apparently, things just work a lot differently. Apparently, risking your life to dangle on a 4th floor balcony to fix a leaky pipe is okay. It might even be normal. (Just be sure not to fall, that's all.)

We just feel for them. Life and work is hard here. And no one is there to vouch for you if you get hurt.

the peephole

[L]: I generally love peepholes because they are useful in this dangerous world. When there is an unexpected knock on the door, I can always look out to see who is standing out there before I open the door. You know, it brings security. I have observed lots of different peepholes in the doors through the different apartment complexes that I've inhabited, and mostly, they do quite a good job. By this I mean, people on the outside can't see me. But I on the inside can see them. Granted, the people standing on the outside can often tell if lights go on or off inside through little pinhole. Or even, if there is a light, and someone stands before it, you can tell that it's somehow blocked by a shadow. But beyond that, in general, one can't get too much more information standing on the outside.

Well, my little theory came to a screeching halt. (Of course, like always, when it applies to life on this side of the world!) It was a quiet Sunday afternoon. Suddenly, there was loud banging on the door. I turn to look at Edwin. Are we expecting company? No....? Oh okay. As I slowly march towards the front door, the banging continues at a steady paced interval.

Suddenly, I took a peep out of our peephole. And at once, there is an eyeball that is also peering BACK at me!!! Yikes!!! Immediately, I hear (in a different language of course), "AH! Helloo there! How are you? Can you open the door?" KnockKnockKnockKnockKnock! "OPEN UP!!! I SEE YOU." KnockKnockKnockKnockKnock! And this continues even louder and more impatiently.

That is when I freaked out and ran off to find Edwin. Meanwhile the door sounds like its taking a brutal beating. It turns out that Edwin recognized them as the lovely neighbors downstairs. (Remember they barged in our place a year ago, when they claimed our toilet was leaking?? Please refer to entry last fall.) Well, this time, we have a better understanding of the language and could communicate a teensy better. And after talking to them, this time there is ANOTHER leak coming from a mysterious source out on the balcony. And this time, since we could communicate, we and the neighbors were on much friendlier terms. They even said bye and thank you before they left...

Anyhow... my question is, what is the purpose of the peephole if both sides could see one another. Perhaps I shouldn't call it a peephole... Maybe there's another name for it. I just can't think of any at this moment...

my desire to be a morning person...

[L] It has been my desire to be a morning person for so long! When I read bio's and books of people that I admire and respected, many of them have one trait that I admire: They wake up early at the crack of dawn before the world hustles and bustles. Some like the brisk air of the early sunrise while they do their morning jog/walk. Others spend their morning reading, reflecting, and having personal QTs. And others read the newspapers, drinks coffee, or watch the morning news.. before heading off to work, school, or wherever.

Unfortunately for me, I fit in none of these categories. I cannot drink coffee (unless it's de-caff) or I experience some signs of tachycardia (heart beating fast). And the rest of those things... I can only dream about doing at a different time-- which is late late night. For me, I stay awake longer than the rest of the world into the wee hours of the night.

The only time I ever remembering waking up at the crack of dawn recently was when I was jet-lagged. (Of course, this doesn't count the days when I used to work at the hospital when my shifts sometime began at the crack of dawn!) The first few weeks of coming back here, I would fall asleep at 9pm and wake up at 5am. It was beautiful. I sat on the windowsill and watched the sunrise. I had good reflection time, good QTs. I saw the people down below setting up their carts and shops. I saw the workers riding their bikes and scooters, dragging behind them loads of their workgear. And then the big steamers (which steamed at least a hundred steamed buns at a time) would hiss in unison as it was cooking, getting ready for hungry people to buy their breakfast. Over in the far side, I would see chickens in cages, being brought out for sale. And groups of people would squat on low stools, as they gathered to eat their morning rice-porridge.

For some reason, getting to watch all of this brought a sense calmness over my heart. Perhaps it's knowing that I don't have to rush to be in class or somewhere until another couple of hour or so. I have time to entertain random thoughts of life. What would my life be if I was born on this side of the world? What would it be like to be these people downstairs, working so hard to sell steamed buns to make a living. What would my future hold? What are my dreams and passion?

Unfortunately, over time, my jet-lag wore out. And my schedule began to shift later and later. Until it's back to me being a night person again. I realize that the reason I am a night owl is because at night, when things are calm, the world is asleep, I can have some time to recover from the "busyness" of the day. Life is so busy, and it just passes by if I don't stop to think and appreciate what I've been given. However, I sure just WISH I could do that early morning, instead of late in the night. But for now, I guess that'll have to do...

My only solution to counter this busy world, this busy life... is to find pockets of time when things are still. And hopefully, that I get to pause...even just for a moment, to appreciate it.

adventure in the eggs

[L]: This event happened sometime ago. But today, I remembered it because I was out and about, and was buying eggs. One of my foreign friends here was trying to bake a cake. She went down to the local market and bought some eggs. Simple right? Wrong. Of course things can't be that simple. As she finished preparing to mix all her ingredients together, she reached for the eggs and begin to methodically crack them one by one. To her horror, inside each egg was a somewhat developed embryo! There were signs of beak, beginnings of feather, and other unmentionable things. She shrieked. Dumped that egg away, and reached for another. The same thing. More signs of beak, beginnings of a feather, and other unmentionable things. Egg after egg... That's when Edwin and I came over and saw her gripped with disgust. I too shrieked when I saw the thing. Bygone was the fun cake-baking experience.

But then it hits me! Flashbacks to a memory of childhood. I remember my parents telling me how people can enjoy delicious duck eggs, and when you boil them, you can eat the small developing embryo. And then it dawned on me that she bought duck eggs instead of chicken eggs.

So the moral of the story: Know what eggs you are buying, lest you be shocked when you crack it open. =)

an American dream... (and then we woke up)

[L]: Dear friends and family, we are now back on the other side of the world! Safely, thankfully. Though we are transitioning and going through jet-lag (again!), we are grateful to be back and to start another chapter (2nd year) of our life overseas.

The past 4 weeks (too brief!!!) we got to spend in America was like but a dream. A dream where it was difficult to wake up from, because we were so excited in that dream: A place where we were surrounded by our families and friends, familiar roads and streets, a place where people generally smile and nod hello (even if they didn't know who we were!), and we weren't just a face in a crowd. There was such a thing as "customer service" and clean food (something we forgot about). And bathrooms are so clean.

Partly that was why it was difficult to blog or write. (We are sorry for our absence on the internet!) It was such a short time, with so many people to see, so many things to take care of, so many errands to do, and time was so short. And even still, we didn't get to spend time with everyone we wanted to see, and we didn't get to talk to everyone we wanted to. We packed as many activities in every single day, and still, time was short. For those of you who we didn't get to see... please know we are thinking of you.

It was also difficult to write, perhaps because I am in denial. Writing solidifies things. It seals the deal. It makes things feel more "complete". And I didn't want my American dream to end.

In addition to that, I had to complete 30 hours of CE (continuing education) credits, in order to renew my pharmacist license in time (which was due this month). So I sat and read article after article, until my eyes drooped, with random meanderings of "I am finally back in America and yet I am sitting here doing what?! Studying?!". But alas, it is done. My license is renewed and I am still a pharmacist. Thank the Lord! =) I visited my old workplace and ended up staying there from 10 to 3pm! A whopping 5 hours! Brings back memories, feelings of what it was to answer phone, check prescriptions... a place that once was my second home.

Some embarrassing moments...

Of course, the transition of coming back to America wasn't without bloopers. I had to be conscious of my bad habits with mental note-to-self, "Don't do this in America!" -- Don't throw bones on the table when I am eating. Don't push or shove when standing in line. Don't cut in line.

But I forgot something pretty important...

I was standing at the grocery store several days after coming back to America. I was in line at the register, patiently waiting and making sure I don't break any etiquette rules. The lady in front of my, however, seems to keep turning around to look at me. Once, twice, and a few more times. I kept wondering what it was -- something on my face? Food stuck to my teeth? A few minutes later, she finally said, "Excuse me, ma'am! Do you mind stepping back just a few feet?!" Doh! I looked behind me and saw a line of people, all standing equally spaced apart (maybe about 2-3 feet between each person) Little did I realize, I was standing maybe 2-3 inches from the lady in front of me. Facing foward in the line, I didn't see how ridiculous it was for me to stand so close to her, while everyone else was spaced far and wide behind me in line. Sigh. I forgot about "personal space."

Being so used to being pushed against people in lines, indeed, I had lost all sense of personal space. Welcome to America, Lilly. Welcome home.

But now, I am typing this blog back on the other side of the world. My bike is still here. Edwin's bike is still here. We are back in our old place, just as we left here back in early summer. Everything is the same, except dustier. Oh, did we mention that there was a great flood in our city during the time we were gone? So much so that they had to send rescue boats into our apartments to rescue people. We didn't know this till we saw pictures of our local neighborhood up on the world news online!! That's when we were thankful that we live on the 4th floor.

Except now, I am exhausted from climbing it multiple times a day. With groceries. That's when I realize that I've became out of shape when I was away. Back to work. Back to reality. Back to biking, sweating, and sweltering heat.

As much as we miss America, we still are definitely very thankful and grateful to be back... We look forward to what this year may hold...

So surreal

[L]: It's just so surreal. We are about to pack to go home. We can't imagine that our 1st year being away from home is coming to a close.

Though we plan to arrive home in H-town on July 10th, we will actually be "en route" starting this coming Saturday. We will be stopping at 2 other places, on our way between here and America.

One fear that I have as I prepare for our return home, is feeling like I might have become more "socially awkward". You know... how some people just go away for a while and they come back "different"? I am not talking about "hip, cool different." But like "strange" different. There -- I said it. So if you see me with annoying mannerisms or newer quirks than before, please let me know. =)

One thing for sure is that I now have an enormous fever blister on the bottom of my lip. It developed over the course of last week, when things got so hectic that I didn't stop to rest or drink water. This always happens to me since childhood -- if I don't drink enough water or get dehydrated, I develop a fever blister on my bottom lip. It's almost like a tradition. Maybe it's His way of telling me to "slooooow" down. Also, the sun is beating down, and I am becoming darker and darker as I ride my bike each day. And I have some new zits on my forehead. Not attractive, I tell you.

Anyhow, I have more thoughts and mixed emotions about wrapping up this year. But I'll save that for another time. I should start packing now... to be continued.

a prized possession

[L]: So, we recently bought a mosquito net. Who knew that all the countless nights of the past (where at least one of us would wake up with like 5 bites on our faces) would be solved by just a simple net??! There were many nights when I would just pull the covers over my face, hoping that if they don't "see" me, they won't bite me. Of course, that's also because I am too lazy to turn on the light again (for the umpteenth time) looking for that one FAT mosquito that just recently sucked my blood. But, inevitably, we would then cave in, wake up, and hunt down that mosquito(es). The only compensation for this is getting to chase it down with an electric fly swatter (battery operated) and then hear the thing pop and sizzle. The mosquito basically then vaporizes into nothingness but a residual smoke.

Oh yes, the electric fly swatter (shaped like a tennis racquet)! They are mostly battery powered (sometimes I see ones that plug into the wall). You use it by swatting the mosquito and pushing a little button that sends an electric current through the thing. Of course, it also shocks humans too, so probably that is why they don't sell, manufacture, nor distribute in the U.S. (My guess is that it's like a law-suit waiting to happen). But here, in this side of the world, they are everywhere. Unfortunately, it's not very long lasting. Yesterday, I swatted a mosquito and it just got stuck and the electric current barely numbed it. Maybe its time again to buy another one.

Anyhow, back to the mosquito net. It's simply amazing. While sleeping, I can hear the mosquitoes. I sense their presence. I know that they are there. But the coolest thing is that they can't bite me (they are surrounding on the outside, while I am on the inside) -- so no need to wake up in the middle of the night. Now that, I must say, is a good night's rest. =)

pigheads, scorpions, and what else...?

[L]: Hi everyone!

I guess it's been a while since we've posted anything. It truly has been a busy month! Can you believe it's already June?!! We have been here for almost 1 year. Wowsers.

We just purchased our plane tickets to go home this summer! It just seems so surreal that we will be returning home! We will be in H-town from July 10th to August 12. (It really seems just like yesterday when we tearfully said farewell and left to come here!) After 4 weeks, we will leave to return to E.A for a 2nd year. Though we will only be home for a short time, we are super excited to get to see everyone. We hope that we'll get to re-connect with many of you!!!

When I think about going home... there are always tons of questions I have: One of which is, will I remember how to drive a car? Will I be scared of the freeways? Will my friends and family think I look different after being gone for a year? (Always riding my bike in the sun, I am now much darker for sure!! Yikes.) Has my English gotten much worse? How often will I find myself saying... "Oh, what a pity!" (It seems to be my local friend's favorite catch-all English phrase. Maybe they learned it from watching movies or something.)

And the hardest thing for me is to realize that life has gone on without us being home in H-town. Babies have been born. Friends have gotten married. People have moved around. Graduations have passed. Things have happened. A year has gone by. And we were not able to be there to share these big moments. Though my heart yearns in eagerness to see friends and family, a part of me knows that I will have to also grieve those by-gone moments that I didn't get to be part of when I see them. Though there are photos and stories... I will know that I didn't get to live in it with them. But that's the cost of being here and doing what we are doing. And we must continue to look forward and keep our eyes fixed on what's been given to us. And to continue to be thankful.

So, as to keep you posted on what's going on with us... a big highlight was that we got to recently see my dear cousin J! He came to a nearby city with a group of people on a business/school trip. It was so good to see family on this side of the world!!

Another interesting experience... Edwin & some guy friends got a chance to eat SCORPIONS for the first time ever! We were in a different city, and this city happens to sell scorpions-on-the-stick, sold by local street vendors, for about two bucks! The scorpions were still alive and moving around when they cooked (fried) them in oil!!! Yikes.




Here's another reality photo that I took when Edwin and I were visiting a friend in her hometown. It's a picture of a pig's head being skinned and cleaned on the street!!



Below: Here's a chicken perched on top of his cage. And if you look carefully, behind "him" is another chicken, except this one has already seen his fate (met his "end".) I would be a scared chicken...



Oh, and interesting signs. Can't seem to get enough of 'em!
"Don't disturb the growing grass." Maybe that's why we got in trouble for walking on the grass!



And my favorite command: "Please take care of these plants." I suppose that means to stay away?!



Okay, that's all for today! Will try to post again soon! =)

life of the street food vendors

[L]: This evening, after getting out from our evening classes, we decided to go look for street food. Our friend was craving this cold noodle dish that is sold on the street, and convinced us to go with him. So our friend, edwin, and I all biked to the area where street food vendors are at. Well, who knew we would be greeted with a mob. There were the "security guards" or cops of some sort. They were surrounding the street vendors. They tried to pull on the carts and tell the street vendors to put away their stuff or get their stuff taken away. It was so sad to see street vendors beg and asked that their stuff not be confiscated, as their "cart" is their livelihood. (Who knows, maybe the location was not supposed to have the vendors there?). After a big scene, the area was cleared. Well, turns out they just moved to the other side of the lot. So then the guards followed them to that side, so they scurried all away. We just waited and waited. Finally, the street vendors all cleared away. We were sad because there went our "food". But we knew well enough that we should just wait around some more... because around here, things are so random and you just never know what's going to happen. Well, it turns out that as the guards leave, all the street vendors came out again from their hiding places. [???] And there they were, back in business.... Life is confusing here. But at least we got our food. And edwin bought some more squid on a stick. Seems to be his cravings of choice recently.

Happy Easter

L]: Hello friends!

Happy Belated Easter!

Sorry that it really has been so long since we've last posted. Don't worry, we are still alive and well! Besides the fact that we have bags under our eyes from not sleeping enough, we are doing okay. This month has whizzed by so quickly!

Some recent changes:

* The weather -- Ick! It's now hot and humid. Well, it can't seem to make up its mind. One day it's cold, and the next day it's hot. I think I've always been afraid of cold weather, but now, I am prefering cold than feeling like I am melting in class from the heat. I believe that there is no spring here. It's winter, and the next thing you know, it's hot. Wowsers.
* I am not so afraid of the butcher anymore. Well, not quite. The other day I was purchasing some meat and produce, and as I was paying on the counter in the little shop, lo and behold, there is an animal liver on counter next to the money box. The owner just casually pushed aside the liver, and plop down the rest of my change onto the counter. Ugh. What was I supposed to do, except cooly take my money and say thank you.
* I have new appreciation for automatic-flush squatty potties. I never knew squatties had automatic flushing capabilities. But now I know. Yeah! =P

One BIG highlight is that some of our beloved friends from home (PB, AR, GL) came here to this side of the world to visit and do some work here. It was so good to see them!!! Seeing them reminds us so much of home & I just started crying seeing them and thinking of everyone. Their visit brought us great memories and it was huge time of encouragement for us! And they brought with them so much love from home. =)

As we reflect on the family and friends we miss so much, other things started coming to mind about home too:

* I miss my pharmacy back at home!! Check out my "other" home where I spent most of my time at before I came here: http://www.bcpvetpharm.com/about_team_pharmacists.htm
* I miss Jason's Deli, Taco Cabana, Taco Bell... oooh, that's quality fast food right there....
* I miss microwave dinners. Lean Cuisine. Healthy Choice. Night Hawk. Kid's Cuisine. Yumm... I guess one good thing is that since there are no such things here, I actually have to go to the market and buy "real" food. And cook it.
* We miss driving our cars! There's something about driving on the freeway and listening to the radio to decompress after a hard day's work. I thought H-town traffic was bad and full of bad drivers... WELL, I stand corrected. The way that people drive HERE makes H-town traffic look so peaceful. I will devote another post about the way people drive here another day... or wait, did I already do that! =)

Anyhow, one funny sign I recently saw, and it made me laugh. I thought I'd post it to share my recent find with you. I blacked out the original native language "to protect the innocent", but I left the English there for you to ponder and reflect...

belated February updates

[L]: Hello friends!

Sorry it's been a while since we've been able to update. Compounded with slow internet (yay, it's getting better again!) and us being out of the country (we were in TL for a couple weeks)...internet time was a rare commodity. (Leave me a message here if you don't know what TL means, and if you want more details. I will gladly e-mail you!)

There's so much to share with you... where to begin? Well, here are some recent things in our "daily" life...

First off, there was the superbowl. As we live here, there are moments of sadness when we realize how many events we miss because we are not home in the States (such as a cousin's engagement, friends' babies being born, weddings). But not the SuperBowl. Why? Because they decided to broadcast the superbowl LIVE here on our regular network TV. (Yes, here in E.A, a place where people think "real" football is soccer, and American football is too violent.) Downside? Must wake up at 7:30am to watch it. No American commercials. No half-time show. Commentary in foreign language. And commentators didn't look too eager to comment. But you know what? We took what we got. We all woke up bright and early to catch the game, meanwhile trying to translate what the commentators are saying (the few words we know) -- "He's running. Look! Look!"

Oh yes, language classes. We ended our fall semester at the end of January with a final exam that our teacher assigned us: Write 300 word essay about a topic. (The good news? It's open book. Phew!) And we got to choose from ONE of the following topic: 1) Going to the store, 2) My Friend, 3) Studying, 4) My Day. And with our limited vocabulary, our essays had a variety of something like this (in order to fill the 300 word requirement): "I wake up in the morning. I put on my shirt. I put on my pants. I put on my socks. I put on my shoe. Then I put on my jacket..." Our poor teacher, who must endure our articulate literary attempts.

My English, where did it go? I wish I could say that because I live here, I have now proficiently mastered a new language. I WISH. Rather, it's another phenomenon: While I am slowly learning a new language, my English is disporportionately deteriorating. I find myself saying certain things as if it's normal (without even flinching): "Please have a sit." "You go here." "Thank you all the same." "What a pity that you make bad grade" [In trying to sympathize with a friend]. And the funny thing is, my American friends and I hardly notice bad spoken English anymore. Perhaps it's called desensitization...

Well, I've written enough for today. I'll save the rest of my other stories for another time, so I won't inundate you with too many words at once. Here are some random recent pics from my camera:

(Below: No one's shy about their laundry.)


(Below: Apparently, a great place to store dried meats is outside your window.)


(Below: While in TL... we trekked up a mountain, visited a tribal village, and slept in a straw hut. And the view on top of the mountain is breathtaking.)


Happy belated (Lunar) New Year! =)

fresh chicken anyone?

I try to test our internet from time to time. It seems to be slowly getting better every day. Yay. I even was able to upload a picture! whoa--haven't been able to do that in a long while! Here's a picture of the nearby corner shop near our apartment that sells everything from live chickens (usually all in the cage, except there's a white chicken sitting on top--?!?!) to fresh veggies. We pass by this shop every day on our way to class. Fresh chicken anyone? :)

hello world! It's been a while...

[L]: Hello world!! Whoaaa....it's so nice to finally get to be on our blog! We haven't had access to the regular internet websites for so long. There was an earthquake in the Pacific Ocean during Christmas that damaged a lot of internet routes from/to here. It wasn't until recently, that we could finally log on to the internet again and get some e-mails.... BUT things are still moving verrrrrrrry slowly. For example, I will look at the browser, walk away, come back an hour or two later, and there will be maybe 1 more tiny image that just got downloaded. And then it freezes. So doing anything over the internet has been quite literally painful... took me over a couple hours to download just a few e-mails yesterday! But we are thankful to have some sort of internet access to the outside world again!

Can't wait to write more, but for now, just wanted to let you know that we are still alive and well. =) Yes, it's cold here! Our lovely ditch outside our apartment with the nice greenish, brown color is frozen. Edwin and I threw rocks at the layer of ice and the rock bounced off the surface -- perhaps the ice is thicker than it looks?! =P (But our friends still claim that this winter is milder than most. haha!) Riding our bikes to class is still painfully hard every morning in the cold weather, but final exams are approaching, so it won't be long till our semester comes to an end.

Anyhow, we hope you all had a great Christmas and a great new year so far! Time flies so quickly, doesn't it. Christmas was a very busy season for us, with lots of stuff going on. We were exhausted, but it was worth it! Being here has made Christmas a truly meaningful season for us.

We hope the internet will be back to full-speed again soon, so we can catch up more with all of you!

Until then...

Happy Belated New Years!