Heading Home

Last time we blogged, we were having a grand old time out in the village.

That lasted about a week.  Then we started having health problems that I won't describe in detail here, but which you probably already know about.  By the first week of 2014 it was clear that we needed to return to the United States to get better.  (For those who are wondering, health care in Kuching is actually pretty good.  For us, in this case, it's a matter of being closer to family and friends.)

In half an hour we'll be locking up our house and saying goodbye for now.

One last durian.

Sigh.  I've seen this before.

My baby durian tree.  It's sad to leave it so young...

Christmas in the Kampung --QM

We use this blue mat a lot here! A friend gave the children a rock painting kit for Christmas, and I'm reading a letter from Grandma Schults, a friend from the States. Two wonderful gifts!

Less than a week ago we moved to a village, Kampung Jangkar, for the month of December. We have little internet, little phone service, and no fridge or washing machine--but we are enjoying the many stars in the sky, the nearby stream and jungle, and the new friends that stop by with Durian and Rambutan and sit and chat. And its actually quite empowering to realize what we can do without, to learn how to wash by hand, and keep an icebox. Blessings in disguise...

We are renting this house for just 3 weeks, and love having a quilt from my Mom to make it feel like home.

Our  Christmas tree is hiding nest to the fan. We brought plenty of Christmas touches, including a New Christmas Tree wall-hanging my Mom posted to us! Also hiding from view, sorry...

The outside of our house, and Dorie's friend (Kakak, older sister) Grace. They spend so much time together, and Grace's parents have really shown us hospitality.

We are grateful for this time! James and Dorie enjoy playing with the other children, they are learning a lot of language during this time (a mix of Bahasa Salako and Bahasa Malayu!), and Ethan and I are also growing in our language skills. This is a far cry from Christmas in the States, or even Christmas in Kuching, but we are loving it :)!

James On A Plane

Just a short and sweet post in honor of our son, who is apparently growing up.  I'm not talking about his personality.  I mean that body of his is getting bigger.  He looks especially tall when he wears long pants, which he doesn't do every day because of the very warm weather in Kuching.

James's hobbies include dinosaurs and break dancing.  Some of his current favorite foods are Koko Krunch cereal, spaghetti, and roti canai dipped in sweetened condensed milk.

 

Oh, and there he is on an airplane last week.  (He likes to draw, too.)

Dinosaurs and Dictionaries, Waterfalls, Weddings and Wild Rides --QM

We have entered what feels like a new stage of life, a full and lovely stage of life. We are no longer full-time language learners, and Ethan has now started assisting with a dictionary project. He's at the office every day, and I'm at home more, without the car. I actually think the lack of wheels is good for me! I'm on a mission to organize my house and teach Dorie to 'love to learn' before she (and James) go to school in January. I'm also finding time to go on spontaneous bus rides, to have a weekly morning for painting, and to enjoy the local Dinosaur Exhibition! Life is good.

Oh yeah, its a little scary in that museum...

Ethan was able to join a Word Collection workshop this month to learn some 'tricks of the trade.' These men are collecting words for their dictionary.

I love seeing my little girl draw--both kids will focus a half hour or more on creating their pictures. These days I'm starting to really get into it too--I never expected how fun it would be to draw with my kids.

The children will be attending Chinese classes at their Tadika next year and Dorie was asking me to teach her how to write some characters. I think I taught her "very hot." I'm not the most qualified Chinese teacher!

James and Dorie wowed us with their stamina on a long hike to a waterfall on Mount Santubong. Great day.

Ethan and I stayed at this home for four days for some intensive language learning, and now my friend Nisa is getting married! We arrived too late to see her engagement ceremony-but not too late for pictures!

My friend Morina, Dorie and I went on a quintessential bus adventure. We started the day without a clue of where we would end up, found a great swimming hole, and said hi to some puppies on the way home.

Parting Shot: The Swimming Hole

The America Trip In Eleven Pictures

I just love modern communications technology.  Thanks to the lightning speed of the internet, I can share memories and publish them worldwide instantly . . . a month after the fact.

Yes, Dorie and I spent two of July's weeks in the United States.  There are many things we did that I forgot to take pictures of, especially during the week in Delaware.  (My mother-in-law's blog covers that week pretty nicely, however.)  Here's a bit of a pictorial run-through of our adventure in the U.S., with minimal commentary.

We went to my sister's house first.

 
Dorie played with her cousin Lina.

I went fishing and caught me a trophy.

My heart sang when I saw the old, familiar view from the hill behind Mom and Dad's house.

Very important: we had pizza and wings.  This is my family here, at least more than half of them.

I also made Sarawak Laksa for my family.  It turned out not-quite-authentic but still pretty good.

My brother's Micah's wedding with Esther was the real reason we came to the U.S. in the first place.  I promise this is the best picture I have of them (which is my fault, not theirs).

My brother Jesse played on a playground with Dorie.  Spot her if you can.

I found the pictures on this bar's windows funny.  The billiards guy is about to do some damage to the football player, while the baseball batter may or may not end up clubbing the basketball star.  Is this intentional?

On the way back to the airport in New York, we stopped at the World Trade Center.

Upon arriving in Kuala Lumpur, Dorie ordered a tall Milo Ice.  As you can see, she was a little tired after more than 30 hours of traveling.

That's it!  America and back again.