Thursday, January 17, 2013
Happy 2013!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Vietnam
Ethan and I had the opportunity to travel to South Vietnam to visit my mother's family recently. It was an amazing and emotional experience for me. I have a grandma, 4 uncles, and 3 aunties along with all their families, as well as extended family that live in Vietnam. The last time I saw them was 10 years ago. I enjoyed spending time with them and getting to know them more—this was my second time meeting them in my whole life! They are very kind, generous, and hospitable people that made me feel that I had always known them. I really felt at home there and it was so hard to say goodbye to them. I miss them all ready!
Ethan and I spent ten days in Vietnam, most of the time spent in the country side where most of my family lives—just south of the Mekong in a small farming village in Thot Not. Compared to US standards it was very impoverished. But the people there are very hard working and self reliant. For the most part, they help one another and their community is very tight knit—everyone knows each other. We then spent the last few days in Saigon, going to museums and taking a day trip to Cu Chi.
Most of my family are rice farmers. They don't have farming equipment but labor in the fields using just man power. When we were there the fields were flooded for the season and so they were either taking a break from their labors or were trying to find other means of work until planting season. During the year they have about three harvests.
Everyday life is also difficult compared to US standards. They rise early, sometimes as early as 4 AM. The woman begin their chores including hand washing their clothes, while the men go out to catch fish or other little critters for breakfast and the rest of the meals for the day. Once the critters are caught and brought to the house, the woman usually prepare the meals, but all my uncles are good helpers in the kitchen and are excellent cooks, so it is not unusual for my uncles to prepare the whole meal from marinating to cooking. Some families catch, prepare and eat the food together.
We had so many fun interactions, activities and experiences. One day, my uncle, or cau Dinh, found out I liked eel. He took me, Ethan, and some others out in the marshes along the rice paddies to fish for eel. It was quite fascinating. He had a circular net that was about 4-5 ft in diameter. He and a cousin of mine waded in waist depth water and systematically scooped up a bunch of water lilies that grew abundantly around the edges of the field and dropped them into the net. They then quickly sifted through the leaves and stalks to find eels that lay hidden among the base of the plants.
Within the first couple of days of our visit, there was a wedding. One of my cousins got married and there was a lot of preparations, mainly the food. It was fun to be apart of the food preparation and I loved working along the side of family and friends. They are just a joy to be around.
I also enjoyed being with my cousins, a lot of them are my kids' age. I taught them how to play "Go Fish" one night and we had a lot of laughs during several rounds of cards. My young cousins took Ethan and me out on boats on the rice paddies several times. Ethan and his cousins were out on the water often, boating and swimming.
Riding on scooters was another fun experience that Ethan really enjoyed (so did I!). He especially liked riding with his older cousin Tuan and cau Dinh—both whom rode really fast!
Spending time with family during the quiet moments of the day and talking to them made me so happy. I just relished every moment with them. I spent some time with my grandma and I also got to interview her too. She is the spiritual rock that holds that family together. I told her that she has a very special family, and it is because of her values that have helped shape who her kids are. I love all of them so much!
Another wonderful thing about my trip to Vietnam was the FOOD! It was always fresh and delicious! I enjoyed every bite. Poor Ethan, he didn't share my enthusiasm for each meal. He had a difficult time with the food. Our family though, are so kind and wanted him to enjoy his experience there. They found out what he did eat and made sure to either make it at the next meal or told the others in the family, so they could prepare it for him if we happened to be visiting another family's home. VERY nice people.
I really enjoyed my experience in Vietnam with my wonderful family and I made some awesome friends too, including my translator, Ngoc. We both had a great experience in the country and became good friends. We had a lot of fun too! One night, when everyone was asleep, Ngoc and I drug out our reed mat that we slept on, and placed it on the road out in front of the house we were staying at. We laid down on the mat and gazed up at all the stars, all the while, giggling like little school girls. I am glad that Ngoc could come, she was a part of what made the experience so special and enjoyable. And, If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have been able to speak to my family!
It was so hard to say goodbye to my family, at one point I couldn't stop crying! I can't wait to see them all next year!
See my album on Flickr. Press the expand view button to access the "show Info" option on top right side, to read descriptions.
Ethan and I spent ten days in Vietnam, most of the time spent in the country side where most of my family lives—just south of the Mekong in a small farming village in Thot Not. Compared to US standards it was very impoverished. But the people there are very hard working and self reliant. For the most part, they help one another and their community is very tight knit—everyone knows each other. We then spent the last few days in Saigon, going to museums and taking a day trip to Cu Chi.
Most of my family are rice farmers. They don't have farming equipment but labor in the fields using just man power. When we were there the fields were flooded for the season and so they were either taking a break from their labors or were trying to find other means of work until planting season. During the year they have about three harvests.
Everyday life is also difficult compared to US standards. They rise early, sometimes as early as 4 AM. The woman begin their chores including hand washing their clothes, while the men go out to catch fish or other little critters for breakfast and the rest of the meals for the day. Once the critters are caught and brought to the house, the woman usually prepare the meals, but all my uncles are good helpers in the kitchen and are excellent cooks, so it is not unusual for my uncles to prepare the whole meal from marinating to cooking. Some families catch, prepare and eat the food together.
We had so many fun interactions, activities and experiences. One day, my uncle, or cau Dinh, found out I liked eel. He took me, Ethan, and some others out in the marshes along the rice paddies to fish for eel. It was quite fascinating. He had a circular net that was about 4-5 ft in diameter. He and a cousin of mine waded in waist depth water and systematically scooped up a bunch of water lilies that grew abundantly around the edges of the field and dropped them into the net. They then quickly sifted through the leaves and stalks to find eels that lay hidden among the base of the plants.
Within the first couple of days of our visit, there was a wedding. One of my cousins got married and there was a lot of preparations, mainly the food. It was fun to be apart of the food preparation and I loved working along the side of family and friends. They are just a joy to be around.
I also enjoyed being with my cousins, a lot of them are my kids' age. I taught them how to play "Go Fish" one night and we had a lot of laughs during several rounds of cards. My young cousins took Ethan and me out on boats on the rice paddies several times. Ethan and his cousins were out on the water often, boating and swimming.
Riding on scooters was another fun experience that Ethan really enjoyed (so did I!). He especially liked riding with his older cousin Tuan and cau Dinh—both whom rode really fast!
Spending time with family during the quiet moments of the day and talking to them made me so happy. I just relished every moment with them. I spent some time with my grandma and I also got to interview her too. She is the spiritual rock that holds that family together. I told her that she has a very special family, and it is because of her values that have helped shape who her kids are. I love all of them so much!
Another wonderful thing about my trip to Vietnam was the FOOD! It was always fresh and delicious! I enjoyed every bite. Poor Ethan, he didn't share my enthusiasm for each meal. He had a difficult time with the food. Our family though, are so kind and wanted him to enjoy his experience there. They found out what he did eat and made sure to either make it at the next meal or told the others in the family, so they could prepare it for him if we happened to be visiting another family's home. VERY nice people.
I really enjoyed my experience in Vietnam with my wonderful family and I made some awesome friends too, including my translator, Ngoc. We both had a great experience in the country and became good friends. We had a lot of fun too! One night, when everyone was asleep, Ngoc and I drug out our reed mat that we slept on, and placed it on the road out in front of the house we were staying at. We laid down on the mat and gazed up at all the stars, all the while, giggling like little school girls. I am glad that Ngoc could come, she was a part of what made the experience so special and enjoyable. And, If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have been able to speak to my family!
It was so hard to say goodbye to my family, at one point I couldn't stop crying! I can't wait to see them all next year!
See my album on Flickr. Press the expand view button to access the "show Info" option on top right side, to read descriptions.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Kids Say the Darndest Things!
Just tonight Autumn lifted up her shirt and pointed to her pot belly and said, "baby boy." She recently figured out that there was a baby boy in my belly, now she's thinking she has a baby boy in hers! A couple of days ago Sissy came running up behind me just as I was bending over to pick something off the floor. She ran right into my behind and fell onto hers. I immediately turned around, and said, "I'm sorry Sissy, I guess I have a big bouncy butt." Ethan was listening from around the corner and matter-of-factly chimed in, "yeah mom, you have a gigantic butt!" Thanks Ethan. I still love you! I suppose I set myself up for that comment! Recently I was trying to encourage Jake to come and help me rinse the dishes (one of his chores). Nothing was persuading him though. I suddenly got a flash of inspiration—or so I thought—as I called for Spider Man to help me. Jake loves to role play—especially if its Spider Man–or so I thought. He came running in to the kitchen and saw me standing at the sink washing the dishes. He immediately frowned and turned the other way. As he was walking into the other room, he said, "mom, Spider Man is just pretend." So much for that flash of inspiration!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Autumn Turns 2
We had a quiet family party for Sissy in September. Since her favorite food are blueberries, I baked her a blueberry cake. I think she preferred the ice cream though! Ethan helped me wrap her presents and poor Jake had such a busy day he fell asleep during the party! Time sure goes by so fast. I can't believe she's two already—such a big girl! She's such a talker, a helper, a runner, a quick learner, a joker, a tribal dancer (she's got this cute stomping dance, I'll have to post a video soon), a great eater, and a strong independent individual.
See her birthday pictures:
See her birthday pictures:
 |
| Autumn Turns 2 9/08 |
Camping in Guma
Early in September, we took a group family camping trip to Guma Prefecture, about three hours North-West from our home in Maihama. Two other families from our neighborhood joined us. The campground was in the mountains and it was so beautiful and green! It was nice to get away from the big city and have some space to move around—the kids especially took advantage of this! We stayed for two nights and unfortunately it rained most of the time. When it was sunny we all went out to explore the grounds and feed the animals from a nearby farm. We were hoping to visit the nearby Space Observatory, but since it rained mostly in the evenings, we had to cancel that trip. Instead we had some bonfires—in the rain—and cooked smores, sang songs and told stories (while holding our umbrellas!).
See pics of our trip:
See pics of our trip:
 |
| Guma Camping Trip 9/08 |
Jake's Super Birthday Party
In July, we celebrated Jacob's 4th birthday. We organized a Super Hero themed party for him and his friends. The kids had fun testing their super powers by stomping boulders (balloons), capturing some villains (designated dads) and tying them to a chair with their super-bonds (toilet paper), testing their x-ray vision to help put Superman's insignia back on his chest while blindfolded, and practicing their aim using silly-string on unsuspecting villains. The kids had a blast, especially Jake.
See his birthday photos:
See his birthday photos:
 |
| Jake's Super Hero Birthday 7/08 |
My Sleeping Angels
How peaceful my two boys look when they sleep! And how spirited they both are when they are awake! I love my boys!
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