Wow, it's been a really long time since I've written. Although I've had good intentions to write over the many months (I guess six of them now) since my last post, too many things have come up to distract me...trips, sicknesses, work, annoying children, etc... So we've now been in Singapore long enough to experience the major holidays and other annual events a second-time around, and even though they may not be as new, they've been fun and exciting nevertheless. Sadly, we've also already been around long enough to say goodbye to new friends that we've made here.
Since my last post, Isabel celebrated her birthday with an art party with her best girlfriends, we went sari-shopping for Deepavali, and pushed our way through throngs of people to score Halloween candy. More recently, we've enjoyed hearing the sounds of drums accompanying the lion dances being held all over the island to bring in the Year of the Snake. Coincidentally, we actually saw a snake while hiking a couple of weeks ago, which I'm hoping means more good things to come for us this year!
Last October we visited Yogyakarta, on the island of Java (Indonesia). The town is about 3 hours from Jakarta, and is the arts and cultural centre of Java. What I loved most about the town was the lovely maze-like neighborhoods hidden just beyond the major streets - although you can't really see them from the road, you can explore them via half-hidden footpaths that wind between the houses and shops. We learned how to make batiks in one of these wonderful neighborhoods. The other big draw to the area are the temples of Borobudor (a Buddhist temple) and the Prambanan (a Hindu complex), both of which are UNESCO sites. One of the highlights for us was an open-air Ramayana dance competition - held at night and back-lit by the Prambanan - which ended with much of the stage being set on fire!
Another great trip for us was our visit home for Christmas. It's funny, but in some ways "home" seemed almost as foreign as Yogyakarta. The streets outside our house in Phoenix, which we drove on for over seven years, seemed unusally wide, and the people everywhere seemed exceptionally lively. It's truly amazing how much your frame of reference can shape your perceptions:) It was really great to see friends and family, although our visits with them were far too short, and there were too many people that we didn't get a chance to see. We were heartened to see how much the "buy local" movement is growing in Phoenix, which seems (at least to me) to be playing a big part in the improving economy. We were soooo happy to eat our fill of Mexican food, too:) Visiting Isabel's old school, shopping at the Farmer's Market, and running into friends around town reminded us that we're still part of a wonderful community there, one in which we're proud to have roots.
Visiting friends and family in the Quad Cities was also great, despite our short time there. One highlight was ice skating with our niece Elaina, nephew Jack, and Grandpa Jim (who enjoyed the fun safely from the sidelines). Isabel's parting from her cousins was tearful, although she was somewhat consoled by the knowledge that they'll be coming to visit us in Singapore for the entire month of July - which we couldn't be more excited for.
We also had a mini-adventure on the way back to Singapore. During our 10-hour layover in Beijing, we visited the Great Wall of China! We were tired, freezing, and jet-lagged, but it was absolutely amazing. We got there at sunrise, and either because of the time of day, or the frigid temperature (it was seriously cold), we had nearly the entire section of the Wall to ourselves. Truly incredible:)
Our trip home marked the half-way point for us here in Singapore, as Chad's contract is up in June of next year. It also provided us an opportunity to reflect a bit on where we've come from, where we are now, and where we may be going next. We don't know if we'll stay in Singapore longer or what our next move may be, but we're definitely aware of the potentially diminishing amount of time left for us to explore this part of the world. We're doing as much as we can, both in Singapore and around the region, and are still loving every bit of our adventures here. Until my next post, take care...
