playing the tourist

The last few days we've spent seeing the typical tourist spots: the Hanoi Hilton/Hao Lo prison, the Ho Chi Minh Museum and President's Palace, the ancient house at 87 Ma May and St. Joseph's Cathedral. I definitely need to do some studying about the importance of these places. Too often, the brochures have limited translations to English, so the amount that I can learn from them is very limited. (I think researching the history may be a good homeschooling project for the kids, too!) I'm still hoping to make it to the Temple of Literature, though we did get to see it from the outside, I would like to tour it. It's difficult with the kids though because they don't have enough information to gather up much interest in the sights and I can only help in a very limited way. So their attention is quickly lost and then misbehavior ensues.

Did I mention the traffic? If not, every other Westerner has already, so I will suffice it to say it is scary to cross. I'm okay with it, but dragging a child into oncoming traffic is not the easiest thing to do. It goes against much of what the job of a parent is...keep the kid out of harm's way. Instead, I drag mine right into it. I'm sure the Mom-of-the-year award is waiting for me.

The weather has turned a bit chilly today and I didn't bring a warm enough jacket, not that I had any room for it in the luggage anyway. The kids have some warm clothes, but not much. We may end up heading toward the clothing area and do some shopping there. I'm sure I will be overcharged and have absolutely no idea, but that's the way it goes, it seems.

We'll be having dinner with Keith's friend and family this evening, then back to the hotel to sleep in the new year. If I can possibly sleep that is. Even with the sleep medicine, I only managed to get just under 5 hours of sleep. -sigh- What I wouldn't do to wake up with the sun, instead of hours before it.

We did it.

We are officially in Ha Noi and I'm so very happy to finally arrive. It has been a long and arduous process, one which I was entirely sure would happen.

It was an incredibly long trip and a bit trying on us all, but so very worth it. We had three flights, all very different. Portland to Seattle was on a tiny little plane. Seattle was a trying experience and i don't recommend their airport to anyone. We had an easier time finding where we were going when we landed in Korea, for goodness sake. Anyway, that leg was on a big ol' jet with 9 seats across, each with a movie/game/music player that also featured a map thing that allowed us to see where we were. We saw Alaska, Russia, and China as we flew over them. We spent only an hour in Korea, where I spent nearly $5 on 2 bottles of water, but did get Korean coins. :) Then we hopped on board a smaller (6 seats across) plane for the flight to Ha Noi. It was slightly less than 4 1/2 hours, most of which the kids slept. Thankfully.

We arrived in Ha Noi at 10:40pm local time (which was 7:40am PST) and made it through all the scary paperwork, getting our luggage (it all made it!) and saw that my friend Keith was waiting for us. His 6'4" stature made him easy to spot. He'd gotten a taxi for us, so we hauled all our stuff out there, loaded it a few different ways trying to get it all (3 suitcases, 3 backpacks, 2 duffels and Mr. Spooky). We finally made it back to the hotel and in bed at around 1 am.

Today (Thursday) we went with our new friends from New Zealand, Tamra and Summer, to Hoan Kiem Lake. We walked around it taking lots of photos and getting to know each other in person, rather than via email. Tamra get along well and Summer and Audrey have really hit it off. The girls were a hit with a few groups of people at the lake who wanted their photos taken with the cute Western girls. I'd warned Audrey, but Summer was a bit overwhelmed by it the first time and it ended in tears.

We managed to find a supermarket and had a great time strolling through there and checking out all sorts of things. Blueberry-flavored gum, deer jerky, yoghurt drinks, Japanese jelly candies, etc. Stuart was taking photos and was strongly asked to stop by a police officer-looking fellow.We ended up buying some candies (or lollies, as Summer calls them) included fake Kindereggs. Horrible. We spent a whopping 92,000VND. ( About $6) The dried bananas were good, though, and we bought oranges off a lady in the street. Yes, she was carrying them in the baskets held over her shoulders.

This afternoon we visited Keith's school (he teaches English there) for a Q & A session about us visiting Viet Nam, traveling abroad, etc. Quite fun. The class invited us to join them for drinks at a cafe across the street. Audrey had nuoc cam (orange juice) and I had something like lemonade, but made with another citrus fruit that i can't remember the name of. We took a taxi both ways from the hotel to the school and back. All by ourselves. I was quite proud that we made it and I didn't get ripped off. It cost about $1.10 for each way. The oranges were about $1.00 for about 20 little oranges. Very yummy!

So, we're back at the hotel, killing time until dinner. Stuart isn't feeling so well (both he and I decided to wait until Christmas Day to get sick), so he is trying to sleep it off. He is doing better today and I'm pumping him full of vitamins and water. :)

The kids are doing great and their attitudes and willingness to accept things that are not easy continues to amaze me. The traffic is scaring the bejeebers out of Audrey, though. Basically, you just walk in to the street and keep your eyes on the scooters zooming toward (and hopefully) around you. It's honestly NUTS. Traffic goes whichever way it pleases whenever and there's honking at all times. Girls ride side-saddle on the back when they are in skirts. Whole families are stuck onto one bike. And they carry everything from vegetables to soda, to fishing nets, to pigs!

wings at the ready

It's 3 a.m. and we're holed up at the Ramada Inn near the Portland Internatioanl Airport. Sleep, again, was intermittent and not very friendly. I'm dealing with a cold (now that I finally stopped moving frenetically) which doesn't make the prospect of air flight very enticing. But A. woke up with a big ol' smile: "Today we go to VietNam." Yes, finally. After all these months of planning, all these days of craziness leading up to clearing out our house... the time has finally come.

Goodbyes are always painful and I've said so many in the past week that I don't want to do it again for a very long time (though I know I'll be saying goodbye, again, to K. in a week). I did get to say hello to my new neice, Samantha, who was born on Saturday. Good timing, sis.

Well, I'm off to take a shower, then get all our stuff piled together and head for the shuttle. I'll see you from the other side of the globe.

so very close

It feels like the never ending struggle at this point, but we're getting there, slowly but surely. It feels like the house is so empty until I try getting it into boxes and then there is suddenly more than I expected. It's like dishing up a big bowl of Grape-Nuts, only to realize that a cup is way more than I can eat.

We did take a required break to visit the museum's special Egyptian exhibit; S. got tickets for his birthday and this was the very last day we could possibly go, so we did. Then we joined up with my friend G. and saw "Night at the Museum." A cute flick and it was good to laugh, thought at one point the laughter nearly dissolved into tears. Ah, the join of stuffing emotions.

Suitcases are packed. Closets are empty. Rooms are nearly empty. Viet Nam is so close I can almost feel it. We have so much to do before we get there, though. Grandma's got to get out of the hospital. My sister's having her baby tomorrow. The big family party is tomorrow, too. Then suddenly it's Christmas Eve and hopefully I'll get to make some caramels.

Three more days.

teresa

the countdown is on

We have six full days left in this fair city. Six! Remember when I was excited that we were under 100 days; now we're under 1 week. A. and I realized today that this is our last Tuesday in Portland. How strange that sounds. Things are plodding along, not as well as I hoped, but it's getting there. The big furniture is moved; I am currently sitting on hardwood floors of a living room that echoes the taps on the keyboard as I type. Beds are still here, so I will sleep in one tonight. The kids are having last minute sleepovers with family.

The goodbyes have begun. Today it was to my in-laws, K's brother, and Jaymee. Tomorrow it's my neices, nephew and Erik. Last Saturday I said goodbye to too many to list. It's only slightly saddening to me, perhaps because of my recent purging of tears. I'm all cried out at this point. I think I'm running on auto-pilot anyway. I'm forgetting to eat and losing track of the days. It's bound to get even more interesting as the week continues.

guilt can do a number on the mascara

-deep breath-

Today was the last day of school for the kids at M.L.C. This is their third year and we have loved that school more and more each year: the teachers, aides, students. It's just a really wonderful school and has been so good for and to my kids. And today they each had to say their goodbyes.

S. had a small pizza party, mostly with staff members. (He's always gotten along better with the adults.) A.'s class had a little gathering, each child expressing a wish for her. Then she got her gifts: a book about Portland, a pen with the MAX train on it and a deck of cards with individual messages from the students.

-deep breath-

This is where it gets emotional for me. Some of the wishes were simple, "I hope you have a fun time at Vietnam." Others tugged at my heart, "I will miss you while you are in Vietnam." But one just about tore my poor heart out, "We will be miserubl without you." Even now, I cannot stop the flow tears down my already damp cheeks.

The guilt of taking these friendships away from my kids has hit me like a falling piano. Out of nowhere. And painful.

I worry, though, that this will have unforeseen consequences and I can only hope that they are more positive than negative. Our travels will no doubt change many relationships. I fear the loss of many of those relationships. But, I keep my fingers crossed that those who have said that they will stay in touch, do. I know it will mean a lot to S and A. It will mean a lot to me.

-deep breath-

In the meantime, I have to dry these tears and get some packing done. The big goodbye parties are tomorrow and at this rate, I'm going to be a sobbiing heap of woman by the time my friends hug their final farewells. Okay, just one more...

-deep breath-

census results

Who Americans Are and What They DoThe New York Times

Full of tidbits of info about Americans from the 2004 census. Most interesting to me....
- Americans are (still) the fattest people in the world
- The average home 2,227 sq. ft. [mine is about 900 sq. ft.]
- 90% of adults are taller than 5'6"
- The divorce rate (3.7 per 1000) is the lowest it's been since 1970
and
- The number of the people getting professional degrees is almost evenly divided between the sexes.

Check out the article. Just don't use it to stereotype Americans. :)

plowing through

My piece of advice for anyone thinking about moving abroad.
• Do NOT do it at Christmas time.
• Do NOT attempt to make it coincide with finishing your university studies.
• Do NOT wait until three weeks before leaving to finish off the procrasinated to-do list.
• Do NOT forget to pay your utility bills because you are scrambling so hard to save money.

But most importantly,
• Do it.

Despite the craziness of my life right now, I believe with everything in me that it is the right thing for us to do. There haven't been many things that I've been confident of in my life: getting married, getting divorced and going on this adventure. Everything else, I just kind of hoped it was the right thing. Luckily, it has often proven to be (though I've been wrong on more than a few [dozen] occassions). As Martha says, "It's a good thing."

Now, back to the Xmas sewing.

deep breaths

It's about all I can do right now to keep going. One day at a time, right?

It's Official.

I have officially panicked. There is simply more than I can possibly do and I'm not sure what can be cut out. Today's schedule requires:
-audiogram for A. 9:40
-appt. with audiologist for A. 10:00
-bring computer along to work on program for work while waiting during the appointments
-take A. to my sister's for the afternoon 11:30
-pick S. up from his friend's and take him home 12:00
-go to work and finish layout of program plus additional info book
-leave at 4:15 to head to radio station
-go on the air 5:00-5:30
-pick up A. 6:00
-get home at about 6:30
-make dinner for kids
-read more, take notes for the essay and then
-finish 4-6 page final essay on the religious healing customs for the Navajo, Greek and Corsicans; turn in by midnight.
Did you notice that still nothing is getting packed. A week and a half left in the house and the closets are still full. Christmas presents still have to be made. Clothes have to be packed. The lawn hasn't been mowed in way too long and the neighbor's leaves are nearly covering my front lawn. My poor roses are out there frozen in mid-bloom. And I'm fighting off something in my lungs. Could we please pack a few more hours into each day? Or a few more days into December?

Happy Birthday, Sis!

And after all these years I still love you. Of course, now I have to reach way up to hug you. Happy 33rd!

Marcella and Teresa, circa 1975

International Volunteer Day

It's a holiday that requires (unpaid) work, but International Volunteer Day is an important time to take note of all the volunteer work that happens all over the globe. Every little thing that we can do, helps out. I know I've been on the receiving end of volunteer help many times and have appreciated every gesture. On the giving end, it has made me more aware of others and appreciate my own ability to help others in need. What do you do as a volunteer? I've taught classes, sewn costumes, read to kids, addressed envelopes, baked cookies, and more over the past 6 years, much of it through my kids' school. There are plenty of other ways to volunteer, but if you need any ideas on how you can help in your own community, check out the Volunteer Match or Action Without Borders website. If you are in Portland, check out Hands-On Portland--a great site for numerous local opportunities. Then get out there and donate a couple of hours of your time. I'm pretty sure human kindness keeps the world spinning.

"You're so brave."

I'm never quite sure how to take this comment, though it is one of the most common. Is it bravery? Bull-headedness? I am a Taurus, maybe that explains it. Maybe a determination to prove my indepence as a single mother? Sheer insanity? Perhaps a bit of all of that (and more) add up to our decision (and sticking with it). It's been a long 9 months since we first toyed with the idea of going abroad. Here we are, 22 days before we get on that plane, and so much has changed: my initial reason for wanting to go, my relationship with friends (for better and worse), the kids' growing enthusiasm, and the state of my house (in complete chaos these days). How strange it is that the things I've planned are coming about.

We're in contact with another volunteer in Tam Ky and she's passed on some needs that we could help fill at the orphanage. If you'd like to help out, check out our main page for a list of what they can use. If you'd like to donate cash to purchase these items while we are in-country, please mark it in the subject line. I'm hoping we can bring a bit of the things with us and purchase more in Ha Noi. I'd love to make a lasting difference and not just a passing change in faces.

Must solve the travel insurance issue this week, if possible.