Our recent adventure

On Sunday evening we decided to go exploring and found lots of local culture. First we stumbled upon a park beside a nearby river where people were playing badminton, mahjong, and other activities. It was nice to see a bit of grass for a change!
After wandering a little farther (providing entertainment all along the way--I'm still not used to all the staring!), we tried some food from one of the roadside stands.
Though we could have gotten pretty exotic, we played it safe with a spicy grilled potato. Maybe we'll eventually work our way up to the unidentifiable meat...















The adventure stepped up a bit as we entered a market street with hundreds of vendors--everything from clothing and jewelery to fresh flowers and all kinds of food. Can you believe that David was able to buy a bouquet of 18 gorgeous red roses for me for only 85 cents! WOW! And that's apparently the going rate around here!

The most common type of merchandise for sale, though, was fresh produce--some people had booths with baskets full of various kinds, others had cartfulls, and some just spread theirs on blankets on the ground. There were many varieties which I've never seen before, and I'm looking forward to adding more new tastes to our repertoire.

The street was definitely alive with quite an array of sights and smells and sounds--horns honking, bikes rolling by, music blaring, shoppers bartering, the scent of smoke, mud, food, flowers, and spices drifting through the air...and people everywhere! I couldn't believe how crowded it was at 7 pm on a Sunday. We've been told that the city culture here is night-inclined, and we've definitely found it to be true--most shops and businesses stay open until 10 or 11 each night.

Anyway, we left market street and wound our way through a neighborhood and down a back street full of little shops and hole in the wall restaurants. People were shopping, playing pool, getting their hair cut, eating, and anything else you might imagine.

I enjoyed seeing the kids playing--some were chasing each other and sliding down this concrete ramp--it doesn't take much for kids to have fun!

As we passed back by the river, we saw some incense burning by the river at the base of a tree, along with some figurines. We look forward to understanding the significance of this ritual one day.

When we finally arrived back home, our legs were tired, but we'd had alot of fun. And the best part is that we have lots more exploring to do--it's a big city!

Our version of Where's Waldo

Can you spot the American in this photo? =) This is a playground about 2 blocks from our apartment complex where we love to take Caleb when the weather's nice. He's had fun with the kids, though it's hard for him sometimes not being able to communicate. One of the little boys was kind enough to let Caleb have a turn on his bike, so he enjoyed that. Meanwhile, Susanna was making friends with another little baby, and later Dave and I had a nice chat with an older Taiwanese couple who spoke English. They were telling us a bit of the history they've lived through--incredible. You never know who lives just around the corner...

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood...

We've been exploring our little neighborhood, and haven't had to go far to find lots of future friends and interesting people. A favorite gathering place for folks in our apartment complex is this little lilypond and courtyard area. Caleb loves playing in the water, and there are lots of kids for him to get to know. Some of them speak English, so they were helping us with some of our newly learned phrases. So funny to have to hang out with kids to communicate!!! But it's good for us. I (Gracy) was able to meet and talk a bit with a lady who had a little boy--children are a relational bridge wherever you are. We are so excited to get to know the people around here--the opportunities are endless! And it will be even more exciting when we can communicate with them a little better!

MacGyver would be proud...

It's amazing what a two year old can accomplish with only a poncho pouch, a broom handle, and a 2" by 4" peephole!

I (David) left the apartment the other morning to take out the trash and retrieve the stroller from downstairs. Where I come from, there are handles on the doors, but not here! You need a key to enter whether the door is locked or not! Worse yet, Caleb was inside by himself--Gracy and Susanna were going to be gone until after lunch. To top it off, my cell phone was inside with Caleb so I could not call for help. My only hope was a 2" by 4" peephole that I happened to have left open. It was well out of Caleb's reach (over 5 feet high), but I could communicate with him through it.

After I let him know I was locked out, he instinctively got my keys out of the drawer (smart kid!). Now we had to figure out a way to get the keys up through the peephole to me. After trying a rolling chair and an umbrella, he was able to find a broom and hand it to me. I then detached the handle from the broom and pulled the handle through the opening. It was hollow and my finger could fit inside, so I could dangle it through the peephole. Now I just had to attach something to the handle (that would fit through the hole!) so that Caleb could put the keys in. Believe it or not, we had a poncho pouch in the stroller, so I attached its loop to the end of the broom handle, slid it through the peephole, and Caleb placed the keys in the pouch. Whew!

After I retrieved the keys and went inside, I showered my brilliant son with praise! I was shocked he didn't panic through this ordeal (though I almost did!). Needless to say, I am now looking for a place to hide a spare key outside of the apartment!

Little celebrities...

Caleb and Susanna have been quite a hit here. Everywhere we go, people stare, point at the kids, smile and chatter to each other. Sometimes they'll even come up and touch them or ask to hold them. I think the kids have enjoyed the attention--especially Caleb, who is apparently already a ladies' man... =)

Yummy...

We have really enjoyed the food here so far. Eating with chopsticks has become almost natural, except to Caleb, who much prefers drumming the table with them. We've eaten out (and sometimes literally "out" on the street, like this photo that was taken at a restaurant right across the street from where we live) or gotten take-out nearly every meal here--partially because we don't have any pots and pans to cook with yet, and partially because eating out is sooooo inexpensive. It only costs 3 to 4 U.S. dollars for our entire family to eat and have leftovers at the average restaurant. Haven't had anything "weird" yet--only delicious stir-fried dishes with lots of spice and flavor. And no, it's not like Asian food in America--much more fresh and flavorful. Kung po chicken here has tongue-numbing peppercorns in it. Now that's an experience!

Sweet dreams...

The time change has been quite an adjustment for all of us! This was the first night in our apartment--the kids were out like a light within 5 minutes of walking in the door, and slept all night for the first time. For the first few nights we were here, they were wide awake at 4 am! So we're glad everyone's finally adjusted!

Some local scenery...

The Market

Shopping in the market is quite the experience here! All of the vendors, merchandise, and activity can be overwhelming. But we went with a coworker to buy some furniture for our apartment--he knows the language and was able to bargain the price down for us on our beds and sofa. Later, they delivered our purchases to our apartment, and you'd be amazed at what a bicycle can hold!

We're here!

So here we are! After a tearful goodbye with family members and thirty hours of traveling, we arrived safely in Asia! This photo was taken at the airport--can you tell we were glad to be finished traveling for a while?!

Little buddies...

We move to Asia in less than a week. Wow!!! Amidst the countless tasks and last minute details, we’ve had the privilege of getting together with lots of family and friends to spend some quality time before we go. Caleb has really enjoyed making a few more memories with his buddies—it’s so neat to see him love people at such a young age. He's had so much fun playing and swimming and giggling with his friends over the last few weeks. Saying goodbye to people you love is never easy, no matter how old (or young!) you are. Memories of precious times with precious people will be meaningful to all of us in the coming years.