Pizza

Have you ever heard of the Pioneer Woman? She has a cookbook and blog full of non low-fat foods. Last week I decided to make her potato and leek pizza, inspired to do so mainly because I found Hormel bacon at the supermarket...which was an event in and of itself. I had to contain myself when I saw the bacon because people were already watching me as usual, and I did not want them talking about how the crazy foreigner got excited when she saw bacon. Aside from our brief Christmas trip home, I have not seen anything "Hormel" in 2.5 years. It is amazing how comforting something familiar as a name brand can be...even if I refused to ever eat bacon when I was in the U.S.

Somehow I forgot to actually buy potatoes, but no worries. Our supermarket has also started to stock frozen french fries. We do not actually eat french fries, but I was so excited to see frozen veggies that I bought them anyways. So technically this is a french fry and leek pizza. It was pretty good - a nice variation from our usual homemade pizzas. I think it would be better if I had the different cheeses called for in the recipe, but we are doing good in our corner of Asia if we can locate something other than processed cheese at all. Fortunately for us we can get mozzarella.

Here was our colorful pizza.

Who Ate My Cake?

Two days ago I made a chocolate cake. This cake is a personal favorite of ours. When I was pregnant and struggled to find anything good to eat, this cake always came through for me. It was responsible for the only 10lbs I gained while pregnant in this country, and it was probably responsible for the gestational diabetes I was diagnosed with in Thailand once we arrived there...even though I had only gained 10lbs.

Anyways, yesterday after lunch KB brought the cake from the kitchen joking that I had already started eating my last piece. I did not know what he was talking about. However once he sat the cake in front of me I saw that a little slice had been cut from the cake. KB and I am are scrupulous about having equality in our cake size, so this was not a light matter. I know I did not sneak the slice of cake, and I believe KB when he insisted he did not eat it either. That leaves two other possibilities - either our helper, Ms. Ge, ate the small slice of cake, or our cook, Ms. Song, ate the slice of cake. I tend to believe it was Ms. Song since she has shown an interest in our food before, but why all the secrecy? I would make her a whole cake if she wanted it. Personally I think it is kind of funny. Cake thief.

Why I think I need a fancy new camera

I love this picture. I think it thoroughly captures the cuteness of my daughter. However, I am am so upset about this picture. It is not clear. I try my best to use natural light when I take pictures of AB. I think flashes ruin pictures, and it makes everyone's skin tone look unreal. However my point-and-shoot is not up to speed with me. It seems incapable of taking pictures of less than perfectly still objects in low light. I have tried manipulating it every way I can, and it all ends up with same one way or another - bad quality pictures.

One annoying thing is that if in a hurry it likes to focus on non-human objects, like the elephant in this picture. However, my primary complaint is that it is unable to take clear photos in low light. If I mess with the ISO it will take the picture quickly, but the picture is grainy. I can lower the level of the brightness of the picture, but that just results in a dark "unhappy" looking picture. People have suggested using the "kids and pets" setting, but I think that setting is almost useless and I essentially get the same results, bad pictures.

So, I am saving up for a new camera. KB actually told me to order a new camera for Christmas, but then he realized all we had to buy when we were in the US. He did not actually take back the offer to let me get a new camera, but when I suggested waiting a while he did not say no. If anyone has a suggestion for a basic, entry-level (i.e. not too expensive) DSLR, please pass the word on to me.

What a pity. It is such a cute picture of her.

While in HK...

While in HK for 5 days I managed to only take these two pictures. One picture is of us, obviously, and the other picture is of what we are looking at. What we are looking at is just an inconsequential ordinary street, but I felt like I needed to take a picture of something while we were there.

Kimchi Flavored Potato Chips

AB's Birthday Party

AB's first and only birthday party...and these are the only pictures on my camera. I know my parents and KB's parents have some, thank goodness. Thanks to everyone who came to celebrate AB's first birthday. If I had remembered to take a picture of everyone at the party I would post it now, but as you can clearly see, I do not.

The party was super fun but went by so fast. We ate hamburgers and hotdogs. AB's cake was pink with polka-dots. She was given lots of wonderful gifts, and today her favorite of the gifts are the Little People.

Since it was her first time to eat cake ever, it took her a while to warm up to eating it. I am proud though. She ate like a third of it.

Scary Claus

For just $15 you too can own a genuine "Scary Claus" face mask and suit that is clearly being displayed on a female mannequin.

Flying with Peyton

Our return flight from seeing my grandmother (in December) was not quite full, so after we took off AB and Peyton shared a seat and toys.

Playing with Peyton

AB, my mom, my sister, Paige, Peyton, and I all flew to Lubbock for one day to see my grandmother. While at her house AB and Peyton did what toddlers do best, tear apart a perfectly good Tupperware drawer.

McKenna was a good sport. She often kept an eye on the kiddos too.

My Maw Maw

This morning I received a phone call from my dad telling me that my grandmother has passed away. I was told she passed very peacefully and that all 4 of her children made it to her home before she died. Although not specifically sick with any one illness, her health has been quickly declining over the past 6 months. Her death was not a surprise, but is still quite surreal. In the next day my whole family will be descending upon Lubbock for her burial in Littlefield. I am sad that I will not be able to take part in this time with my family, but I am forever grateful for getting to see her during our trip to the US this Christmas. Bye bye Maw Maw.

New Friends

While at her Lolli and Pop's house AB made some new friends.

This little guy is not too crazy about AB. I can't blame him though. She kept using him to pull up on, to balance on, and she also used him to help her walk. It is like he is saying, "GET HER OFF OF ME!!!"

AB's First Christmas Morning

She was pretty much the center of attention.

Whew! What a Relief!

When we flew back to the Asia we carried with us 5, 50lb suitcases, a stroller, 3 carry-on bags, and 3 personal items. It was a lot of stuff. When the "episode" happened and it was certain that AB and I would be flying to Hong Kong, I frantically opened all of the suitcases, in front of the 6 curious immigration officials...they were especially curious about the Robert Pattinson calendar in one of the bags - gee thanks KB, and started throwing things out of one suitcase, and threw things from the other suitcases back into it. Miraculously AB and I had about 3 days of clothes each, toiletries, a stroller, a carry-on, and a baby bag with us - it is miraculous because I did not even consider what I threw into the suitcase; I just grabbed. KB then had the responsibility of getting everything else home.

Knowing that trying to sneak 4, 50lb suitcases, 2 carry-on bags, and 2 personal items onto the tiny plane that flies us to our city would be next to impossible, KB did the only thing he knew to do. He decided to mail them. He shuffled things around, so that the 2 suit cases he mailed were both 60lbs, and he shoved all of the personal items, and one of the carry-on bags into the two suit cases he flew to our city with. All in all, it only cost $20 to mail 120lbs of luggage. It is crazy cheap.

Since the day he mailed them, we have been a bit nervous. Although they have broken things before, at least everything we have previously mailed has made it to us one way or another. Other people we know have not been so lucky. Friends have told us stories of loosing half of their bag's contents in the mail, or the parcel being "lost" all together. Basically sometimes less than honest postal workers take what they want, and send the rest on. These suitcases of ours contained AB's birthday presents, her clothes for the next year, my awesome new tennis shoes, tons of lovely food from the US, and other random items that make life easier. Most of this stuff we could live without, but cataloguing it for insurance purposes was going to be a pain.

Guess what? They arrived yesterday! Going through the is like opening Christmas presents all over again. I should have left one unpacked just so I can go through the excitement again tomorrow, but I just could not restrain myself. I have already used my new Pyrex 4 cup measuring cup, and it was wonderful.

Jet-Lag

First thing we did the morning after we arrived in the US was go to the mall to take a picture with Santa. We had to do it early before AB's jet-lag set it. On the return trip from the mall this was AB.

Out Of Order

I guess this is one way of indicating a toilet is out of order. Who needs an "Out of Order" sign when you have a super long bamboo stick. It effectively gets the point across.

Happy B-day Loli

Traveling

When we flew to the US we ate lunch at a restaurant in the airport. AB clearly enjoyed her carrot baby food and bread. I think it took like 3 days for the orange to fade from her cheeks.

About 36 hours later she was in a bath tub being give a bath by her Loli.

Going for a Walk

We took this picture just before we left for the US. AB and I are bundled, and Toby is wearing his shoes. I know the shoes look goofy, but they are the only way we let him go on walks and then step a paw back inside our apartment without taking an immediate bath. We have a "no shoe" policy in our home.

Home is Where My Stuff Is

We are finally home! We landed in our city yesterday about 5:15 pm; KB met us there with a waiting taxi and a hot thermos of tea. He was beyond excited to see us. This was the longest he has gone without seeing AB since she was born. While we were flying I saw that every body of water below us was completely frozen. The harbors are also frozen but the ice had been broken up in a few places so that the ships can make it out to sea. So needless to say, it is cold. I am still glad to be home.

In case you did not know, AB got deported when we tried to reenter our country after spending Christmas in the US, and we spent the last 5 days in Hong Kong.

On Monday we dropped off AB's passport at a visa service center with the promise to have it back to us no later than 4pm on Tuesday. However on Tuesday morning I decided since AB had been suffering through a cold for 3 weeks and I cannot take her to the doctor in our hometown, that I should take her to see her pediatrician in Hong Kong just in case. He said she had an ear infection and recommended we not fly until Thursday in order to allow her antibiotics to take away the majority of her ear pain. I felt terrible that she had an ear ache, but she could not have been suffering with it for too long. She had a check-up on Monday last week in the US. I just hate to think her crying on our trans-Pacific flight could have been because she was in pain.

Anyways, on Tuesday we picked up her passport with her spanking new visa nicely stuck inside.

The next day I was amazingly busy for not having much to do. Hong Kong is very easy to get around but it was exhausting because I was on my feet most of the time and AB was strapped to me. It would have been more practical to wear tennis shoes with all the walking we did, but Hong Kong is like New York City. It seemed everyone was willing to sacrifice comfort for fashion. Besides, my new tennis shoes were in another suitcase, in another country with KB. We went to Starbucks a couple times each day just because I needed a place to either rest my feet, feed AB, or go to the restroom. Also compared to the prices of most of the restaurants in HK, Starbucks is quite a bargain.

Thursday morning I made my way to the curb with our large Samsonite hard suitcase, our carry-on roller suitcase, AB's stroller, AB's baby bag, our laptop and laptop bag, and AB strapped to me. If someone wanted a perfect picture of a frantic mother loaded down with junk while trying to wave down a taxi, this was their perfect chance. Thankfully a good Samaritan taxi driver stopped for me relatively quickly and were off to the airport.

The rest of the trip was uneventful. They served Hagan Daz (I have no idea if that is how it is spelled) ice cream on the flight - in economy. It was awesome, but I could not believe the locals were eating something cold during the winter. I was on a great airline, and it looked as if the plane was brand new. If anyone ever plans to travel over here I can give you my list of airlines I recommend and the ones that I would rather take a bus than fly on (i.e. Air Asia).

So right now I am in my PJ's, sitting on AB's sofa, while watching her chew on shoes she has outgrown. Today I have plans to finish taking down Christmas stuff, and maybe go to the grocery store since we are out of chicken. Other than that I plan to do a mix of nothing for the rest of the day and maybe the weekend.

The Adventures of Our Return Trip to Asia

International travel is stressful enough without having a huge, shocking crisis spring on you during the trip...however with the smoothness of our travels in the past, we were due a major, major, MAJOR bump in the road.

First of all, we loved our trip to the US. When we arrived in America it felt like no time had passed at all. Our daughter was the primary proof to myself that almost two and a half years had in fact passed since we were last in the US. Because of our visit I finally realized how uncomfortable and awkward I feel in Asia. We do not blend in by the way we physically look, speak or act. It was so surreal to be in a place where I felt absolutely normal, and it was nice.

Although AB caught a cold almost immediately upon our arrival to the US, she adjusted beautifully to the time change. The biggest hurdle to her contentment was her two new teeth that started coming in the day we flew to Lubbock to see my grandmother, and the 6 injections she received on Monday. I would like to say though, I was as pleased as could be that I was not the person giving the injections - yea for awesome nurses! On Friday morning we boarded a plane bound to San Francisco then to Asia with our 5, 50lb bags, 3 carry-ons, 3 personal pieces, and a stroller. AB did not do as well on her return trans-Pacific flight, but I guess I had it coming with all of her calmness in the previous flights.

The real drama happened when we landed in our country. All ex-patriots know that 1.) You protect your passport, 2.) never let your visa expire, and 3.) ummmm...the Maclaren stroller is the greatest (I made that one up). Which of these three did I violate? None of them. So, why was AB deported on Saturday evening? Unknown to us, in June they mistakenly issued her a visa that only allows one entry into the country, and we used up that entry when we made our trip to Hong Kong in September. However they issued KB and I the correct multiple entry visa. When we were going through immigration on Saturday they told us that her visa was no good. I thought, they must be looking at an old one, but after taking us into "the room," an hour later they finally told me that we either must return to America or fly to another country immediately. It was official, AB was being formally rejected from entry into the country. I tried crying, but it did not soften them up.

KB and I decided that we would, of course, not fly back to the US. Instead two hours later AB and I boarded a plane to Hong Kong without KB. Right now we are in Hong Kong waiting for AB to be issued another visa. KB is home. The whole situation kind of stinks, but somehow it still feels okay. All in all AB and I traveled 35 hours on January 8-9th.

By the way, Saturday was AB's birthday, so when she plays that game "Two Truths and a Lie" she can say "I was deported on my first birthday" and most people will think it is a lie.

AB at 11 Months

Reverse Culture Shock

Reverse culture shock is real. It is what us ex-patriots experience when we re-enter our first culture. I went overseas several times in college and experienced it then, but I never went overseas for for years at a time, just months. The really "hard to deal with" culture shock comes much later, but these are my first impressions so far.

1. American is so diverse! We cannot stop staring at all the people of different ethnicities. I think that AB believes she is Asian since at home everyone except for her parents are Asian. It is great!

2. From my perspective, people are so much more polite in the US. I have missed male chivalry! In America men I do not know have held the door open for me. People apologize when they bump into me. Also, other than those nasty kids at the movie theater, no one has cut in front of me in a week. Wow.

3. For the most part, it is much much more clean. I am no longer the only person washing my hands in the public restrooms, and everyone is using soap! I have not seen snot rockets, adults picking their nose, adults cleaning out their ear with their fingernails, flying lugies, and so far no one has defecated in public. The servers at the restaurants have washed their hands, and most importantly WE CAN DRINK THE TAP WATER!!! Even after a week here I still cringe inside whenever I fill my cup from the tap, but I just keep telling myself "it is okay."

4. Ummm...I am a little out of place in the US. Today when at Chipoltle KB and I walked off without bussing our table. Thankfully our family caught it and took care of us, but in Asia we are not supposed to buss our tables. Gosh, that would have been rude of us.

5. I get to use my credit card for purchases that are not just online. In Asia we have to carry around a huge wad of cash everywhere, and I have a constant fear that I will not have enough at the grocery store and I will have to explain (not in English) that I need to return part of my purchase because I do not have enough money. This is especially embarrassing because everyone is watching me anyways, and because most of our cashiers like to yell out how much we spent to appease everyone's curiosity.

6. In the US I think a lot of young girls have lame fathers and mothers who do not realize how trashy their daughters look. Some of the "clothes" I have seen the young girls wearing here in the US cover just about as much or less skin than that of the prostitutes in our lovely Asian hometown. The amount of unnecessary skin that young "ladies" show in the US has always shocked me when I have returned from a more conservative country. I am not saying all shorts or tank tops are bad, but if the shorts could double as panties and if the top leaves nothing to the imagination, then yes it is bad. Put on some clothes hoochie mammas.

7. What is up with all the teenage mothers? I am 100% pro-life, so do not confuse me with with wanting less babies born. It is just the amount of babies conceived by high school aged mothers that concern me. Everyone knows the statistics regarding the difficult future for both the baby born to a teenage mother and for the mother, yet why can't people outsmart their hormones? We waited, and we are not weirdos - I think.

8. Fur coats in Houston? Russians wear them to help them survive their -50 Celsius winters because they are the warmest coat in existence . I litterally started laughing when I saw a woman wearing one at church here in Houston. It was not even freezing outside. Maybe it was faux, but probably not. Whimps.

9. What is Twitter? It sounds worse that Facebook.

10. Lastly, I was horrified when I caught myself almost telling my friend her baby was cold because he was just wearing a onsie inside his warm home. If you have read my past blog posts, you will know I am frequently accosted by my annoying but well- intentioned neighbors telling me that my baby is cold...when I can clearly see that she is not.

BONUS - Today I committed the ultimate no no. I asked a woman, who was clearly wearing a maternity top, when she was due. Yep, she was not pregnant and had never been pregnant. People, please protect me from myself! How could I forget? Have I become socially awkward now? I am terrible, terrible, terrible.

Bath-Time with Lolli

This was AB's first bubble bath. I think she liked it, but I think she really liked that her Lolli has been giving her baths since we arrived last week.

Crab flavored Pringles

America

So in case you did not know, we are in America right now. On Monday evening we flew to the capital; then on Tuesday afternoon we flew to San Francisco and on to Houston. We will be in the US until January 8th. At the recommendation of other people who have come in for a short trip from living abroad, we were keeping it on the DL for a while, but since we are here and everyone who knows our parents probably already knows that we are here, why not start putting up pictures from our trip?

We are having a lot of fun. First thing off of the flight we went to eat Tex-Mex! It was glorious! On Wednesday morning we attempted to renew KB's driver's license, but thanks to their holiday hours I am getting to sit behind the wheel until KB gets his expired license renewed tomorrow morning. I was a little concerned that I would be a bit rusty after not driving for more than 2 years, but it turns out I am still better at driving than a lot of other people : )

After the failed visit to the DMV we took AB to the mall for a formal rite of passage - her first picture with Santa. The line was like 4 hours long, so we paid to get a picture with a better looking Santa. They were able to get one picture in just before she lost it, but that was good enough. Turns out my kid is just like all the other kids when they meet Santa for the first time. We also enjoyed some Chick-Fillet, super yum!

The rest of the days have been filled with eating, shopping, and seeing friends and family.

Mold on the ceiling in KB's classroom