Meet Ma'Lady

She's a beaut, isn't she? 

As Baxter and I are about to move to a new apartment, we realized we both could use some wheels to aid us in getting around. Let's just say when I saw this little lady I was done shopping. I call her Tink, partially because of her lovely little bell that I thoroughly enjoy using, but also because she does have some "clankety-clank-TINK" type noises she lets out to let me know a large hill is not easy on a one-speed.  Used is used, but I am THRILLED with my new wheels - it's amazing how much smaller the world becomes with a little mobility! Well, me and Tink are off to conquer another day of moving. She moved my mop and cleaning supplies like a champ, but I wonder if she could handle a microwave . . . hmmm . . . .

The Potty, The Perv, and the Wardrobe

Sheesh, my life is good - if for no other reason than I can have blog titles like that. And yes, that title does in fact describe some of my recent experiences.

We are in the process of looking for a new apartment as the lease (read: prepaid & FREE) on our current location is about to expire. It can be a bit of chore to find a place, and as is true anywhere, it's all about whats available when - and how much you're willing to pay for said availability. Thankfully, we have wonderful friends and teammates who recently made moves of their own, and are willing to help us negotiate the finer points of contracts and "ma-tongs". (This is a word we love - its the word for Western toilet, which literally translates as horse bucket. Fantastic).

The whole process is really quite similar to the US, you meet some agent at a real estate office who shuffles you around to various apartments, all in various states and ends of your price range. Like many homes for sale or rent, previous owners leave a sundry of items behind . . . occasionally making you wonder if that particular locale is inhabited by squatters. And if I'm entirely forthright, the left behind "treats" have always given me the creeps. When you're looking to buy or rent something, you're trying to picture it as yours, not try and figure out what was for dinner based on the dirty plates in the sink.

Last week we had the pleasure of looking at one such apartment, and despite the remaining personal items strewn about, it was a great size and layout.  It was advertised as as a 3 BR/2 BA (I know! We're moving up in size from the 'Ville!), but after an initial walk through we only found 1 bathroom, and not with the advertised horse bucket.

That is, until Baxter opened the built in wardrobe in the master bedroom. Yes, exactly like the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe . . . a secret world lay behind those doors. Unfortunately, it was a secret world we wished we'd never seen. Our friend Tim walks in first (I'll admit, I was already freaked out, it was really dark!) and just dies laughing. He tells us he's found the bathroom and the matong, but we weren't too sure when he emerges with tears in his eyes doubled over in laughter. After steeling ourselves for what might lie ahead we all nervously shuffle in, totally unsure of what might be so funny. Sure enough, there on a TILE on the wall of the shower, was a picture of an asian woman . . . and not just any picture, but you know, one of "those" kind of pictures.

(Yes, this is way WAY more tasteful than what was in the shower.) After our own uproarious/uncomfortable laughter, we came back into the bedroom to realize . . . hmmm . . . the bed is on a funny platform . . . and what are those bottles next to the bed . . .NOPE, definitely not going to look around ANY more!!

Thankfully, that was one of the more eventful apartments we've looked at, and we feel quite confident we can find an apartment WITHOUT such "personal" items left behind.  I thought all such silliness was behind us, until today I passed a butt/buck (your choice) naked man walking down the street.  I couldn't decide what was weirder, that he was naked walking down the street in a city full of clothed people, or that he was tan everywhere. But don't worry, he passed me heading right towards the block where the police station was . . . I doubt his "personal" parade made it much farther.

Here's to hoping for week without seeing any naked Asians . . . or naked anyone for that matter!

A New Normal

It's Saturday here.

Today was filled with what many Saturdays have been and will be across the globe.

Sleeping late, a delicious cup of coffee drank leisurely, grocery shopping, laundry, and dinner with friends.

And sure, I woke up to small Asian voices loudly greeting the morning and someone pawing through the trash outside.

And yes, I had to use an electricity adapter to grind my locally grown coffeebeans. (Shameless plug HERE).

And like every week, I was the only brown-headed, fair skinned whitey at the market.

And my laundry did in fact dry outside this afternoon.

But this is our new normal.

And I have to say, I love it. As I elbowed my way through the market around stares to bargain over sugar snaps, Asian pears, and a host of other delectable goodies, I thought about how much I loved this moment, this new routine in my week.

Sure, there are frustrating days . . . days when I tell someone I'm going to meet my clothes instead of my husband, days when I probably pay too much for garlic just because of the color of my skin, and days when I wish my air-dried towels weren't so crunchy . . . but this new normal suits us well. (The past two days of 60 degree weather haven't hurt either.)

In the new as well as the normal lies an opportunity be stretched within and without, and I hope I never tire of either.

At Our House This Week

There was a significant intake of these . . .

This was a common site so that A) one or both of us could more easily access a nap and B) pajamas were always at the ready

And this is one more reason of which I am thankful my parents paid for years of acting lessons, my pantomime skills came in quite handy at the pharmacy when communicating what I needed. 

But per usual, these items were rarely out of arms reach.

I think it's safe to say -  

Southeast Asian bacterias: 1         Team Bentley: 0 

Thankfully antiobiotics only run us a steep $3.00, so we're on the mend. And currently I am growing some kefir grains in my fridge, and have begun reading up on this. (I mean, why not?) So have no fear, while we may have lost this round, I'm building up our immune systems for the war! Granola/rabbit/hippie health freaks UNITE!

There's No Place Like Home

WHEW. These past few days (weeks maybe?) have been quite the whirlwind. We had to take a little jaunt over to Hong Kong for a visa run, and had a fantastic time eating and seeing everything that HK had to offer.  While it was a remarkably full and occasionally stressful trip (FYI - no you still cannot take butter knives on a plane in your carry-on, even if you just bought them for very cheap in a very cute set from IKEA that you CANNOT get in country, and you completely, utterly forgot they were there), I thought I'd just cover the highlights of our past week or so.

Fun with friends in our city . . .

Enjoying the fruit of the trees outside my window . . .

And don't worry Southerners, it only took me the better part of a month to realize those big things were POMEGRANATES, and I just realized last week that the little guys were FIGS. Seriously, where do I live?! Asia or Eden?

This is what we later came to call "the divine pump fake". Imagine our elation when we got bumped up to first class on our flight to Hong Kong, and how that continued to elation escalate as about 50 (!) 3rd grade students in matching badges and backpacks filed past us on our their way to coach.

We got to our hotel around midnight, with plans to get up early and head to the consulate by seven . . . so imagine the abrupt end of our elation when this happened around 2:30 am. 

Yep, we got to make our way down 5 flights of stairs (did I mention it was around 2:30 A.M. ?!) to stand on the streets in our jammies for about 30 or so minutes. Thankfully Triple BBB has a little more where-with-all in the middle of the night than I do - he at least thought to grab our passports, all I managed was a shirt over my pj's.

I think my favorite part of the whole ordeal was the random man who meandered his way into our befuddled and bedraggled group, and calmly sipped his beer and listened while the firemen assured us it was a false alarm. And no, he was not a guest at our hotel.

His Hotness perusing the madness/fabulousness that is Hong Kong . . . 

And this my friends, would be the UNBELIEVABLE Indian food we had here one night.

The next day we had some delectable dim sum here (sure, we were there for a new visa, but we had to eat, right?) A Chef from the Four Seasons hotel opens a hole in the wall restaurant where lines can be up to 3 hours but cost less than $20 US Dollars? Yes please!!

Overall, it was a wonderful whirlwind of a trip, but we are so glad to be home. Not only because of the MUCH cooler temperatures (hate to break it to you folks, but we've yet to really crack 90 degrees), but because this place has become exactly that - home. We are grateful for time away us to get things done and experience unique things, but that also allowed us to miss the sights and sounds that are our life here.

There truly is no place like home, no matter where it is.

Remiss to Not Reminisce

Sigh. Young love . . . hard to believe this magical photo was taken FIVE years ago! That's nuts people!! We've been caught up in the usual hub-bub of our lives these days (class, practicing our language on innocent bystanders, etc.), and so didn't do anything extraordinary on the actual day. But now that I think about it we did go here a few months ago to celebrate . . .

Needless to say, it was UH-MAZING. The Mr. and I will be heading out to Hong Kong this week for a visa run, so we plan on having a romantic dinner that doesn't necessarily involve flashcards, books, or our tutor. Should be nice : ).

I feel like it's pretty obvious that I think BBB is about the greatest thing that ever happened, so rather than wax on and on about how amazing and magical our life together is, I thought to commemorate our FIVE years of marital bliss I would recall some of my memories of July 30, 2005.  Interesting? Potentially. Cheesy? Absolutely.

I remember waking up short of breath, struck by the magnitude of what that day would hold.

I remember asking my MOH in the elevator post hair & make-up if I really looked "wedding day" pretty, because if not, we needed to march back up stairs and try again. 

I remember telling my mom when we got to the church I thought the flowers in the sanctuary looked like someone had died, but then during the ceremony thinking they were the most beautiful things I had ever seen.

I remember as soon as the director said we could go downstairs to line up I was the first out the door, down the stairs, veil down, ready to G-O. 

I had all these things I wanted to say to my dad before walking down the aisle, but as soon as the door opened and I saw that beautiful, teary-eyed man waiting on me, it was over. I don't really remember actually walking down the aisle, just his face and hoping my tears didn't make my eyelashes stick to my veil.

I sort of remember the ceremony . . . we laugh when we watch the video because every time the minister speaks I get this "oh, you're still here" kind of look of surprise on my face. 

My memories of the reception are what's on our video - it was such a blur of people, hugs, and an overall sense of overwhelming joy. (I'm pretty sure I asked Baxter right after the ceremony if we had to go).

I remember our wedding director told me to be sure and look around and take it all in before we walked out to leave - which I thought was silly because all I saw was dirty plates.  Details, by that point and even months before, were secondary for what the whole day was about for me. 

Driving away in that 1950 something Cadillac convertible was one of my favorite moments of the day - those blue summer skies, my veil flying in the wind and my new husband laughing beside me was absolutely one of the happiest moments of my life. 

BBB, thank you for partnering your life with mine five years ago. I love who you were, are and will be. Thank you for being the kind of man who makes me better for being your wife.

A Few Peeps.

Friends, thank you so much for traversing the uncharted waters of private blogging, and meeting me here on my side of the ocean. While I realize going private is in some ways both a hassle and annoying, it needed to happen.

While we are thankful to be able to live our lives here with relative openness and authenticity, we are daily surrounded by those who are not afforded similar freedoms. Going private allows me to share a bit more about our lives here, as well as doing all that I can to respect the lives and privacy of those we work with and for. All that to say, thanks for taking the plunge ; ).

As your reward, here are some peeps into our world.

First, this is how we be rollin':

We are BIG fans of public transportation in our house. We have a bus stop just around the corner from our apt, and can hop on and off and scurry all over town as we wish. Sure, it can be a bit slow from time to time, and if you don't hop on at the start of the route you may be standing for a while . . . but we're diggin' it!

Next on the tour . . . 

 

Where we be stayin'! Let's just say, we are b-l-e-s-s-e-d folks. The loveliness you see above is our home, 100% because we have teammates here who take care of us. Prior to our arrival, they were looking for us an apartment, and made a connection with friends who would leaving the country before their lease expired. So basically, that played out to mean that we had a pre-paid, furnished apartment to move into upon our arrival.( I KNOW). Sadly, as the lease runs out in just a few short months we will be looking for a new abode. But we are SO grateful for how this sweet, not-so little apartment aided in our quick transition.

Next, here is a delicious treat that I especially enjoy:

 

Milk- tea, oh the deliciousness of milk tea. And sure, a friend of mine calls those black tapioca balls in the bottom "dingle-berries", but I chose to ignore that and enjoy this treat regardless. 

And this . . . 

would be Baxter's new swimsuit!! What's that you ask? Why yes, those ARE tiny spandex mini-shorts, and YES he DOES wear them swimming in public! Last weekend a local friend took us swimming at the city sports center, where we learned that mean are required to wear speedos - briefs or baby-sized shorts are your choice. This is fantastic for two reasons - Baxter gets his choice form of exercise several times a week, AND I always get a kick out of seeing these things! HA!

And in conclusion what I will look for under my Christmas tree for years to come . . . 

need I say more? 

Life. is. GOOD!