New Look

I am so excited about our new look!  The next few posts are basically some housekeeping type things just to get things in order.  I want to add some new information about who we are and what we are doing.  There are still a few glitches, like the Facebook link not working just yet, but we will get that ironed out soon!  Let me know what you think and if you are interested in a blog makeover check out Tiffany http:tiffanykuehldesignsblog.blogspot.com

Silent Sunday

A Different Kind Of Fourth

I LOVE the holidays!  I especially love summer holidays...Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day.  Summer holidays mean family and food, swimming in the river and smores.  I knew these would not be big celebrations in Taiwan and I knew I would miss them.  For the 4th Katie and the kids were here.  We had seen an advertisement for an American Fourth of July Celebration put on by the American Chamber of Commerce in Taichung.  Our day was already going to be short because John and I had a wedding to attend in Taipei so we needed to start early. 

The event was scheduled to start at noon, PERFECT, we could go have lunch, listen to a little music, let the kids hang out in the kids area  and play some games and still be home in time to head to the wedding. I don't know what I expected.  Well that's not totally true, I expected to walk through the park amidst smells of home.  Hamburgers and hotdogs cooking on a charcoal grill, maybe some potato salad and corn on the cob. I saw nor smelled any of this. I was hoping for some county music playing on the live stage, I would have been happy with any live music playing on the stage....there was none. I think the music started later in the day as well.  In typical Taiwan fashion being late is the norm even if it's an American Celebration.

There were some vendors with booths set up.  None of which scream America to me.  TGI Fridays was there selling beer and I think they eventually sold some food but not before we left.  A few people were wandering around  but certainly not creating a celebratory mood. 
I ate a Gyro purchased from a Turkish vendor, it was delicious, but not what I had in mind.

When we were getting ready to go to the event I asked everyone to wear something patriotic in color so we could get a picture, this is what my husband chose to wear.  He does not wear loud clothes, khaki is normally his color of choice.  When my nephew made a joke about them his response was...I asked your Aunt Laura to move to Taiwan and she did, if it makes her happy for me to wear these shorts I will. He is not perfect (he might argue), he has his faults, but he loves me and will do anything in his power to make me happy even if he is slightly uncomfortable.

So there were no hamburgers, no hot dogs, not a diet Dr Pepper in sight.  We saw no fireworks, heard no country music but we were together.  Happy Birthday America and thank you to all those we have sacrificed so that we can enjoy the freedoms we have.

My sister and nephew and niece

cousins

The Tiny American

One of the first things people ask us when we tell them we live in Taiwan is, "how does Z like it?" My answer...."he's great!"

The Tiny American celebrating Chinese New Year

Z doesn't know any different.  We moved to Texas when he was only a few weeks old and the first year of his life we travelled the 5 hours back and forth to Oklahoma ALOT!  He had a room in Oklahoma and he had a room in Texas.  He easily adapted to sleeping in a hotel or someone else's house when we travelled to other places.   He is a goer, relaxed and flexible.  He flew for the first time when he was only 4 months old and had logged 10 flights by the time we went international. 

Moving to our new house in Texas

Sleeping in another hotel

View of his new city

When we decided to move to Taiwan of course I worried about how he would adjust.  But I knew he would and he has.  We laugh that unlike most almost 2 year olds vocabulary Z's includes words like airplane, airport, suitcase, and passport.  

Depending on how long we stay (there is always differing ideas on this) he may or may not have solid memories of this experience but it is shaping him into the person he will grow up to be. There are some things I hope he takes away from this adventure.

I hope he is never afraid to follow his dreams.  Geography is just that, don't let it keep you from doing something. 

Take chances, what is the worst thing that can happen?  And taking chances often leads you to discover new things and maybe things you didn't even know you wanted.

The beach in Hulien

Be flexible.  This one is so important and something that I have had to learn to do here....I can't always find exactly what I want or need for a project.  I can't always do things as quickly and easily as I can back in the States, but I am learning to be flexible.  I make other things work and have discovered that there is more than one way to do things. 

Don't be afraid to try new things. Sometimes it's scary, sometimes it's gross, but sometimes it pays off and you find something new that you like to do or eat or  you make a new friend.
Not everyone is the same. I think this is one of the most important things he can learn from living different places. 
There is beauty everywhere. I hope that he learns from us to look for the beauty in everything not just what he sees immediately or on the outside. 

Enjoying the surf in Malaysia

Hanging out with Daddy

 So far he is super flexible.  He is rarely afraid and he has never met a stranger.  He is almost always happy and eager to go!  I hope that through our example we can teach him to live life to it's fullest and to give back to whatever community he is living in.

Visitors

I never imagined I would be lying in a hammock on a beach in Taiwan while my child played with his cousins just a few steps away.  We are so blessed that we are living this adventure and get to share little pieces of it with those we love.

When John told me he wanted to take a job in Taiwan I honestly wasn't sure I could do it.  I wasn't sure I could pack up The Tiny American and move to the other side of the world.  I wasn't sure I could leave behind the big boys even though they were mostly grown.  I wasn't sure I could adapt and I wasn't sure it would ever feel like home.  Because I love him and I trust him here we are. And it DOES feel like home because we are here together.

I can share my experiences via blog and social media.  We facetime with our families but being able to show them in person where we live is so amazing.  I can't describe how it smells when I walk down a certain street or what it sounds like to be standing at the light to cross our road during 5:30 traffic on Sunday afternoon.  I can not adequately describe how tired jet lag makes you, you have to experience that firsthand! I love seeing their faces when they see something that I have talked about for the first time.  I enjoy seeing and hearing their perspective on things that I see everyday. I enjoy introducing them to our favorite restaurants and some of our favorite local foods.

We have been very lucky in the short time we have been here we have had lots of visitors.  My mom visited for a few weeks in April and my sister and her kids returned with us from the states.  Last week for a few days our apartment was busting at the seams when John's sister and 2 daughters were here.  We LOVE it!

I hope while we are here we are able to host many more friends and family and introduce them to this country that we are learning to love.