We loved our time with the Blairs these past few weeks. One of the hardest things about living so far away is the lack of time we get to spend with our families. At the same time, one of the blessings we have is that when we do spend time together, we cherish it more and don’t take it for granted. This time with the Blairs was just that - cherished and special.
As we took a load of pictures, I’ll post in several sections. Upon their arrival, we stopped by our house briefly for dinner and to pack and then we headed to our former city (4 hours away) because the next morning was Ryan’s graduation. Here’s the first few days in pictures.
Ryan shaking the Sultan’s hand and receiving his Master’s Degree. Coincidence: We recently went to a neighbor’s daughter’s wedding and this same Sultan was the guest of honor at the reception. Small world.
Our view, all 3 hours of it
Ryan’s parents and me with our graduate!
Ryan and his dad decided to go parasailing
Yep that’s them
Our friends, the Girlings, hosted a party in Ryan’s honor
Some of Ryan’s classmates who came
We also went to one of our favorite places for afternoon tea
The desserts
Filed under: Uncategorized on August 26th, 2010 | 1 Comment »
Earlier this month, my good friend and former language teacher, Awin, got married. She and her older sister, Mazwan, shared the day as they both celebrated their new marriages at a huge reception at their parents’ village. It was a great privilege to share in this day for them, and I was even asked last minute (b/c that’s how things work here) to be Mazwan’s escort for the afternoon. My job was to carry an umbrella to shade her from the heat, wipe any sweat from her face, and powder her nose. Weddings receptions are often called “King and Queen for a day” and it was my job to make sure the Queen was taken care of.
Some of the wedding guests sitting next to the hantaran (gifts sent from the bride to the groom’s family)
Anas, Awin’s new husband reciting his vows to the Imam (like a pastor)
Our family with the happy couple
The tents set up outside for the reception
The wedding processional. The bride and groom walk behind a traditional band playing drums as they approach the tent to the special chairs and table set up in their honor
Making our way to the reception and busy at work trying to keep the bride shaded
The wedding party
Filed under: Uncategorized on August 26th, 2010 | No Comments »
As of last week, we are attempting the 4th and final internet connection service here. If this one doesn’t work, well, then I might just boycott blogs. That said, this one seems to be faster and more consistent, and hopefully will enable me to upload pictures faster than 1 a day. So, for now, here’s a little of what happened in our lives in July.
We began the month with Shahim’s 2nd birthday. What a party - complete with lots of kid toys, yummy food, and a cake with Shahim’s face on it.
Shahim and his nanny getting ready for the party
Check out my cool ride!
Shahim ready to blow out the candles…and J trying to sneak a bite of frosting
Also, in June, we set up the plastic pool for Jackson. Here he is with Ana, my friend who cleans my house, sometimes babysits J and also teaches me language. We love Ana!
On the 31st of July, my good friend Awin got married..but that’s a blog in and of itself. Stay tuned.
Filed under: Uncategorized on August 21st, 2010 | 1 Comment »
When living overseas, it is easy to forget to celebrate certain US holidays. However, we always make sure to celebrate the 4th of July with what else? A BBQ!
This year Grandma Peggy and Grandpa John were the hosts. Grandma Peggy is such a great hostess and of course had everything prepared and ready by the time we all arrived. One of our friends even brought a Happy Birthday America cake. And while we do not live in America currently, we are still proud to be Americans and grateful for our country’s heritage and future. Here’s to you America!
The cake
The friends
More friends
Filed under: Uncategorized on July 13th, 2010 | No Comments »
We did it! We ran a 5k. Now I know for some of you runners out there, a 5k is just like your warm up. But listen, when we first started training, I could only run for 1 minute at a time, so 5 kilometers seemed out of the question.
We ran in a 5k downtown along with thousands of other people and it was so fun. I’m already looking forward to finding a 10k to train for next.
Picture taken at 6:30am b/f we left for the race
Trying to pass all the walkers…Ryan ran ahead to take this shot. Can you find me?
The finish line!
The proof!
Filed under: Uncategorized on July 4th, 2010 | 2 Comments »
We have lived in the region almost 3 years and this was our first trip to Singapore. I’ve wanted to visit, but Ryan always said we’d have plenty of opportunity while we were here. So, last weekend we took that opportunity and spent 2 nights there. Singapore is an interesting place. It’s quite expensive when we are used to thinking in our local currency, it’s very clean, and it’s mostly safe (the new government has accepted caning as punishment for crimes). Singapore reminds me of Asia’s version of New York City - busy streets, lots of designer shopping, etc. We had a great time walking around mostly. I think we visited at least 8 malls. We even found a great Mexican restaurant (something we don’t get around here). We find that getting away for a few days every few months helps us with the cultural stresses of living here. And while we enjoyed ourselves, we both said to one another that we are glad we live where we live and were ready to come back.
Ryan’s modeling debut. Along the street we saw these magazine covers where you could pose a take pictures of what it would look like to be on the cover. I’m sure the editors will be contacting us soon. 
My runway debut
We have the coolest Starbucks in this part of the world. This one was inside a mall.
Exhausted from all the walking around
Up for more!
We bought Jackson a new toy in Singapore. Every toy store we went into, he seemed to find a stroller to push around. Problem was, they were all pink. And since for now there’s no pink allowed in our house, we ended up finding a blue one to buy for him. He loves it. What? Don’t you push around a stroller with a funny orange animal in it while wearing a straw hat?!
Filed under: Uncategorized on June 11th, 2010 | 3 Comments »
Recently, our friend “Uncle” Rick, celebrated the one year anniversary of teaching English at the neighborhood flats. Our friends here all helped host a celebration/program to honor the kids involved and show off what they’ve learned. I, along with Uncle Rick, and our friend Nikki, helped the kids sing “If You’re Happy and You Know it,” “Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes,” and “I’ve Got Music.” The leader of the apartments (different flats here have leaders to represent them) came and gave a speech praising Rick for his work and the kids’ efforts to learn English. Of course there was food, catered by a friend who owns a food stall. And Starbucks even donated coffee and muffins.
These are sweet kids, many of whom have difficult life situations. I’ve enjoyed the times I’ve spent teaching them and look forward to what God will do with Uncle Rick’s classes in the future.
Passing out the gifts to each student with Uncle Rick and the Abang Zul (the leader of the flats)
“Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes” at its finest
Some of the proud parents
Filed under: Uncategorized on June 11th, 2010 | No Comments »