Tuesday, September 18, 2012

No More Asian Life

In looking back at my last posts, I wasn't sure if I made it clear that I won't be using this blog anymore. If you have been following me and want to continue following me, you can start following my new blog: The View From Here. Thanks for being faithful readers!

Sunday, September 02, 2012

New blog address

I just started posting at my new blog. Please come follow me there!

Saturday, September 01, 2012

Goodbye Asian Life

Last night we were blessed by all our friends and co-workers coming together to share memories and encouraging words with us. It was fun to see people, new and old, from our time here. A few girls we worked with when we first arrived in 1999 even made it! It was amazing to hear people get up and say, "I've known you for 8 . . . 10 . . . 12 years." There's a lot of history with these people.

And there's a lot of history in Asia. As my final post for My Asian Life before I change my blog, I thought I'd throw out some of the memories that come to mind:

dormitory life for the first three months
the carpet in our first place that was supposed to be tan, but was gray when it came. We were told, "This is what we had at the factory."
Hearing people talk about our "incredibly white" child in stereo whenever we took him outside
The AC unit being installed outside our 20th floor window - they wrapped a rope around the waist of the guy leaning out and gave Erik the end to hold
Favorite restaurants and play areas, and the days we would show up to them and find them a pile of rubble, "Sorry kids, Fundazzle's gone."
Struggling in language class
Riding on the back of Erik's bike side saddle like the locals
Frequently changing the purpose of rooms in our house, "Ok, today I want to make our room Ethan's room and make the office our bedroom."
Paying someone 2 mao to watch my bike at the grocery store
Sweet times with Chinese friends 
Dan Higgins licking off Ethan's sucker that fell in a mud puddle
Holidays with all our co-workers
Going to IKEA as a retreat from the culture (back when no one went there)
Seeing coal dust on the inside of our window sill in the winter
Our last year the first time when an American family lived next door and our children treated them as one apartment, running back and forth

Daily swims at our apartment complex in Singapore
BBQs at the end of the courtyard
Runs in the morning that got me so sweaty I could wring out my shirt
Wet markets
The Singapore Zoo
Waiting out sudden thunderstorms
31A Merryn Road, where we had Bible study and did life with our small group
Thursday morning women's time at IBC
Our makeshift homeschool co-op Pirate class
Hours and hours with my friend Martha while we watched our kids do gymnastics and all kinds of other activities
Catching the bus, the MRT - Singapore's amazing public transport systems
Mustafa Centre!
The Jurong Water Park - one of the few places in Singapore that was inexpensive!
Driving on the other side of the road
Hanging with the Wilsons
the great library system

Running along the canal
The giant urn in our living room that we managed to wrestle outside
Not seeing the kids all day because they were out playing in the complex
Walking next door to the Higgins when the kids were sleeping
Road trips with the Fords
The hardest goodbye ever - seeing the Higgins and the Fords leave in the same month
Renovating our TTY place
co-op kids every Thursday
Eating street food again
Having a jiaozi guy and an egg guy and a fruit lady
Capture the Flag every day for months
Driving the back roads of China
Hearing my kids speak Chinese and seeing our floor littered with character flash cards
Finding Scout
Eating with friends on our porch

Asia has been good to us, and though we are leaving our Asian life, I know that we are forever changed because of our time here.

I'll be changing my blog URL soon. Hopefully my posts will all transfer over and you will be redirected to the new one. Thanks for reading!