We're Home!

How lovely it was to walk into our apartment in Hung Vuong 2 and feel like we were home.  It looked like home, even smelled like home.  I had prepared myself for the worst I think - that we would walk in to mold and a tremendously funky Asian smell, but we didn't.  After a 24 hour trip, we stumbled and fell into our own beds.  Hard beds, yes, but they were familiarly ours.  It is one of those moments in your life when you realize how much joy can come from being prone.

On a side note, Charles had an important discovery the other day about why all Asian beds are so %#$^&* hard.  It has to do with the teaching of Buddha.  One of his tenants is not to have a luxurious bed.  Just great.  Even a bed topper has not yet brought ours to my acceptable comfort zone.

I had a renewed realization about myself and about Vietnam as I walked home from the bookstore this evening.  I have always been on the move in my life.  The longest I have lived in one place is in one of our South Carolina homes, I think.  I am comfortable with change, even embrace it.  On the other hand, I am such a creature of comfort and habit.  When my favorite linen pants got a hole and were to the point of no return, I wanted very desperately to have the very same pair new.  And maybe two more for when those wear out.

Vietnam is NEVER the same.  I walked past no less than 10 restaurants or stores new, gone, or completely overhauled in the time we were gone. You, blog readers, have already heard too much about how you can't find the same thing at the grocery store twice. Vietnam is a place where you have to accept what's offered, to play with the hand you're dealt. 

And we are back to play our cards.

School is off to a soaring start for us.  After a week and a half, the Waugh family is a little less exhausted and settling into routines.  I am certainly enjoying being back in 5th grade, but also have a tremendously larger respect for my former amazing colleague Tim O'Keefe, who taught most of my students for two years before I taught them for two.  I strongly feel our differences in first language and cultures in our room.  But this is a plus too.  I am learning new things every day.  My students have such unique and interesting perspectives on the world that make me think, and challenge me to explain things in new ways.  It's pretty fascinating.  

My favorite quote so far is when one of my students looked at me and said "Mrs. Waugh, what is "Holy cow?"  

But I am getting ahead of myself!  I need to share our summer of adventures.  It was so great to see our family and some of our friends.  We enjoyed the ease of US living, and I gave our credit cards the hardest workout they have ever had in such a short period of time.

I can't believe that I didn't mention this first....we are no longer property owners in North  America!  Certain cause for celebration.  We can already feel the financial belt loosening.  

My Mom and Dad are as we speak moving to San Diego, and we just missed meeting our new family member, Sam, who my mom and sister picked up in China at the end of July.  Did you notice that I did not use the words calm and quiet to yet describe our trip?

We did enjoy the cool, almost cold weather at the cabin for a month.  I never knew how much fun it could be to dig out sweatshirts and sit in front of a fire in the morning with a blanket.  I savored every chilly moment.

 Here, Maeve models her chosen Halloween costume, ala movie star, on the hammock.

         

We had a great visit with my brother and his wife at the cabin.  Here he gives the girls a cozy push.

     Sophie takes her aunt's lead and looks closely at the world as she sketches in the hammock.

Reading in front of the fire.  Life is good.

     I got to reconnect with my wonderful colleagues from the Center for Inquiry in South Carolina with a surprise visit to the International Whole Language Conference there.  It was great to see people and re-immerse in the land of literacy which I missed so much.  I got to see neighbors, and say an official goodbye to our favorite little house on Trenholm Road, as we closed on our house a week after I was there.

A trip to the cabin would not be the complete without a visit to the Grayling fish hatchery, a place I have been going since I was a kid.

My sister and her daughter visited too.  Here, Maeve models birthday balloons on the celebration of my 41st.  

The girls keep talking about Mackinac Island.  It truly made an impression on them.  The fudge, of course, is foremost in their minds, but our bike ride around the island, and Fort Mackinac are  in those memory banks too.  (Charles has been reading up on making fudge.) 

      Maeve was at first so nervous about riding with Charles like this, she cried a bit.  As you can see, tears quickly gave way to all smiles.

Maeve and Aunt Lauren on the ferry to Mackinac.

Always happy when he is on a boat!

     Back at the cabin, Sophie models her favorite attire in front of the fire.

We saw SO MUCH rain in the U.S on our trip, it was almost comical. Wherever we went, it rained.  Here, sun and rain mixed.

The girls at Hartwick Pines State Park "Wood Shaving Days".  All crowds were noticeably smaller in a place that is usually pretty crowded in the summer.  I think many people have given up summer travel in the hard economic times. 

At the logging museum.

Back at our favorite place, the dock.  Sophie checks the minnow trap.

Nature Girl, with dragonfly.

Family walk on K.P Trail

Junie B. Jones in the hammock.  (Our summer ride in the background.)

      The BIG pack.  We took up every ounce of our potential 400 pds.  Charles' CAPITALISM book weighed the most.  It was my job to give him a hard time about it.  I feel like a rich woman with all of the supplies that fill our cupboard and closets.

Picking flowers for Grandma.

Grandpa's treat - pony rides!

      Charles wanted to ensure that he had a humongous American breakfast on one of his last mornings.  Dad's favorite New Jersey diner came through.

Our flight home, although SO long (24hours total), was our best yet.  No bodily fluid incidents - a first!  We left Newark without boarding passes for the last leg of our flight - Tapei to Ho Chi Minh.  We were met in the hallway in Tapei, asked if we were the Waughs, given first class seats for our last leg (!) and walked onto the plane which had just started boarding.  Yahoo EVA airlines!  At that point both girls had big fat colds and hacking coughs. I braced for the worst as we came to HCMC.  I had heard about how they were taking temperatures at the airport because of the swine flu and we had to fill out health reports for each of us with immigration forms.  

We had no fevers, however, and when we did not show red in the ultra cool crowd temperature radar, we got right through.  We were home within 45 minutes.  : )

H1N1 is indeed in HCMC, and has shut down a few schools - not ours yet.  We have a new uber hand washing policy and hand gel available throughout the school.  All kids under 2nd grade have their temperatures taken before they go to class in the morning.  This may be a very good thing for all of our health this year!

Maeve was a seasoned pro as she started first grade this year.  She still loves school and has another great teacher this year.

   Sophie has entered another whole part of her life.  She loves school too, and has a huge new cache of things to talk about at the dinner table. (Her least favorite part - like her sister last year - rest time!) Charles talks about how Sophie gets her temperature taken and quickly says "Bye Dad." with a kiss in the morning.  He's not allowed to stay.

We have a lovely new house helper, Thuy, sister of Trang who helped us last year.  She is here 20 hours a week and wow is this apartment ever clean every day when we get home.  Definitely a plus.

And our life moves on in a foreign place, that is not so foreign any more.  There are still moments when I wonder why we left the comfort and ease of living in the States, especially those moments when it seems like everything is difficult and nothing works, or the gecko who has decided our bedroom drapes are home and keeps coming back even though we keep letting him outside is making his gecko mating sound at 2AM.

But life is certainly not boring, and my daughters cry "I want to go to the Japanese restaurant!", and one talked about missing Com Suon (grilled pork over rice) this summer and likes it only from her local place, and thank yous in our house come in all languages.  

Tam Biet for now. Don't be a stranger.

Four Candles and Our First Year Ends

      Our little Sophie girl is four.  No longer a baby, and able to stand up to her big sister in more ways than one....  We had a lovely celebration on her special day, delicious chocolate cake included thanks to our friend Bonnie.  Sophie has grown so much this year, and she talks so much more than when we first arrived in Vietnam. It's hard to imagine that she was just out of diapers when we arrived.

 

New Lego train set, favorite sleeping friend gecko, and Viewmaster.  Does it get any better than that?

Yes, indeed, strange Asian balloons...  They looked cute in the package.  (?)

Maeve celebrated  extensively with her kindergarten class to mark her first year in school.  What a successful year it was for her (and us!)  He teacher was wonderful, and she had a great crew of kids to spend her days with.

Maeve reads her story at her Author's Celebration.  It is a joy to see how much she is reading and writing, and how much she loves writing especially.  

A proud author.  : )

Maeve will miss one of her best friends Rae who is moving this summer.

     One of the most different and interesting things about being in an international school setting is just how many goodbyes you have to say!  Between students and colleagues, I have said more goodbyes in the last few months than in the last ten years.  It is not my favorite part of this life.  I feel like I just got to know people. On the elementary staff I am joining in the fall, only 10(half!) are returning.  This is an especially large turnover, I understand, but in general, saying goodbye to people and moving on is "something you get used to in international schools".  It sounds like often you get to cross paths with people again.

Sunday morning breakfast at the restaurant around the block.  

A self portrait sculpture for Dad on Father's day.
      

    This school year end marks the first time in my entire career that I walked out the school door with my students completely done for the summer. A little weird, but great right now for sure.  My friend Kari figured out something a long time ago that I should have thought of, and encourage all of my teacher friends to consider, even if you do not live in Southeast Asia.  She announced to me at the goodbye to teachers ceremony that we were going right to Zen spa for a massage as an early birthday present. I wish I would have made myself do something like this earlier in my 18 year career.  I sauntered home afterwards without all of the tremendous fatigue and weepiness I have never been able to shake right at the end of a school year.  Thanks Kari.  

    We sure are looking forward to seeing my dad in a couple of days.  It is nice to have a couple of down days to relax before we leave.  I am appreciating the fact that we own very little, especially in this time that I am taking stock and packing suitcases inside of suitcases for our trip to the States.  It is mucho liberating.  I must admit I do have my detailed lists of things to buy and bring back.

        I think in one of my earlier blog entries I had a picture of a Korean baby  papoosed on his mother's back.  I watched him grow this year, smiled each time I walked by him and got a chubby grin. I saw him walk the other day and it struck me then. We have been here 10 and a half months!  Charles and I talked over coffee this morning about not knowing what to expect about what "visiting" our home country will feel like next week.  It has been a good year for sure, but not without its stresses.  (Charles and Sophie were sick yet again this week.  We can't seem to get out from under it.  I think we need some Northern Michigan fresh air.) I am going to try to make myself do some journaling to keep track of my thoughts and ideas this summer.

      What I do know is that one suitcase is packed with Vietnam souvenirs that I can't wait to pass out, we are frantic to get hugs from family and friends and catch up on their lives, and kick back on the dock on KP Lake.  And I know that when we come back this foreign place just won't be quite as foreign.  Friends will be happy to see us return, and there will be many, many new friends to meet.  We are moving into a new Waugh family era with both girls in school and two incomes. Life feels good.

    Now, if we could only sell our lovely house on Trenholm Road which is again for sale this summer.  The price can't be beat, so if you know anyone who is interested please let us know.  

    Tam Biet from Vietnam for the last time this year.  It has been one we will always remember.  Thanks for reading and sharing a part of our experience.

     

Counting Those Last School Days...

We're dusting off the suitcases.  10 school days and counting!  We are nearing the end of our first year in Vietnam.  The end of the school year feels much the same as it always does - it has never been my favorite time.  Kids are squirrely, my patience runs short, you remember....

Quotes from the Waugh household in the last months:  (No joke.)

"Maeve, what will you do in the future? "  Charles

"I don't know.  I have never been to the future."  Maeve

"What kind of family doesn't buy their kid what they want to drink?"  

Sophie, in the midst of her chocolate milk detox.

"No, I'm going with your boyfriend.  I'm not going with my boyfriend 

because my boyfriend is always tired." Sophie, to Maeve as they dressed 

to the nines for evening "dates".

"Ooooh.  I'm all messed up."  Smoothing her dress, 

"But I still look beautiful."  Maeve,  after she climbed out of the way back 

of a taxi.

Charles Waugh has found a new favorite thing; fresh coconuts.  He drinks at least one a day and often makes them into coconut smoothies like he is here.  I had never before tasted fresh coconut milk.  At the grocery store, they are readily available with the outer husk taken off, and they run about $.33.

Scraping the flesh...

Maeve and Sophie enjoy a spot of tea.

New hairdos and an evening stroll on the river.  

One of the highlights of our week for Maeve and I was the all school art show at SSIS.  It was so impressive!  An evening opening event was so much fun.  There was so much great art to see, and an auction where you could bid on student art to take home.  (There was some magnificent artist created art that was beautiful as well, but a bit out of our bidding range.)  I did procure a delightful little student acrylic for my new classroom.  Here, Maeve checks out the kindergarten gallery.

Cool lit sculptures.

Maeve proudly displaying her new necklace that she purchased from the middle school jewelry club.  It matched her dress, of course.

One of Maeve's pieces in the show, a puzzle inspired by Eric Carle's work.

High school sculpture and lanterns on the stairwell.

Maeve had a special part in the performance art part of the opening night.  She got to model the art sombrero that her kindergarten class created...

along with her Chinese dragon bag with fireworks that she created.

She started the show and worked the runway....

Ms. Helen is her spectacular art teacher.

    Another highlight of the week happened again at the dentist.  I noticed that Maeve had a big hole in her tooth. (Ugh.)  We stopped in at the dentist to make an appointment, on a Saturday (!), and she said "Come right in!   Let's take a look."  20 minutes later, Maeve had a white filling, and I almost passed out when I saw the bill.  150,000 VND.  Equivalence in US Dollars?  Almost ten.  So there are some great flights deals from the states these days - maybe you would like to schedule a medical holiday to visit us and get your dentistry done?

   Maeve had yet another virus this week.  (It has been quite a year for her!  Hopefully next year will be better.)  I had an interesting middle of the night hospital visit for a vicious UTI infection (which is now better, thank you, thanks to a follow up visit to our regular medical practice here, which is quite acceptable.)  It was a moment when I was happy to be forty and not afraid to look at the doctor on duty and say, "No I am sure that I do not need painkillers via an IV."  

   I mentioned my new classroom above.  I am officially going to 5th grade in the fall, and really happy about it! I missed it more than I ever imagined I would.  I am happy for the opportunity to return.

   Maeve and Sophie practice their cheetah kung fu (Don't ask me, ask Sophie.) in their ao zais.

And once again, people from Charles past continue to emerge and share priceless pictures via Facebook.  (I appreciate that no one seems to have these kinds of pictures of me to share...)  This one has the best blackmail potential yet.   But keep them coming those of you who may have even more humbling pictures of my significant other.

    Hey!  We will be in NJ on the 24th of June for a week, in Michigan for a month, and back to NJ for a July 29th return to HCMC.  Do let us know if our path will cross yours.  

We also signed papers to put our house back on the market this week.  If you know anyone who is looking for a lovely house in a phenomenal neighborhood at a great price, please don't hesitate to look it up. 

       Can't wait to see some of you.  Coming back to the States will be fascinating and great, I think.  I'm sure I'll post after Sophie's big day this week.

Tam Biet.  Don't be a stranger.