Three Things Thursday: The New Year

I’ve had a lovely three weeks with my husband and his sister here in Iowa. That makes me smile, even though getting on the plane to head back to Michigan does not. Well, that’s not entirely true. I am looking forward to getting back and seeing my daughter and grandson and my parents. I am even looking forward to getting started with the new semester and meeting my new students. So even though it will be hard to leave David behind, I can smile about all the great memories from our time together.

On a related note, the second thing that makes me smile is that I got to play a part in helping the sorting and de-cluttering process here at his sister’s house. Yesterday was the day Salvation Army came to pick up the first load of stuff that she’s been wanting to get rid of. With all the furniture from the basement and the bags of clothes, and the stuffed animals, and boxes of video tapes, they pretty much filled the van. Whether or not she ultimately moves is immaterial; the place is now beginning to become more her own. After Salvation Army left, Dave and I wrestled the sofa from downstairs up to the living room. With the bulky furniture out, and the streamlined versions in, we got to surprise her when she came home from work. Well, she knew that Salvation Army was coming, and she had told us what she wanted to go and about wanting the sofa brought up, but while we were the ones making it happen step-by-step, she was able to come home and just see the results. I couldn’t wait! And the smile on her face was worth all the little aches and pains we felt this morning.

The third smile is that because of #2 above, we have shaved some time off of how long Dave will need to stay in Iowa. Dave will still need to have Salvation Army back one more time (I know it’s hard to believe with everything that went yesterday), but he aims to get that done next week. But with any luck, he’ll be home by mid-February or even sooner! And that’s definitely something to smile about!

This post is part of JusJoJan and Three Things Thursday.

Discernment: One-Liner Wednesday

Discernment is a dance of knowing when to tap loudly across a stage in charisma and when to soft step a delicate ballet across the ice that only comes with the experience of trial and error. 

–Lisa

This week’s quote comes from Lisa at Underground Energy.

 

***

This post is part of One-Liner Wednesday and is my post for Day 6 of JusJoJan.

 

Finding My Way Back Home

It may not look like much to you, but I’m thrilled to have half of this wonderful corner room in my parents’ basement. Now I have space for my books, files, and other work-related odds and ends. I also have a desktop (and one of the file drawers in the desk) to call my own.

My parents have been awesome about letting me move back in with them while I get on my feet. I live in the guest room with access to half of the closet and three dresser drawers that were vacated for my arrival. I appreciate these arrangements immensely, but it was clear to my parents and to me that the bedroom wasn’t going to allow me to get much work done. (Although, I did have this cute mini station figured out, where I put a TV tray in front of the chair in the guest room. My lightweight netbook fit very well on it, but it didn’t allow for any materials to be on a surface next to me.)

Luckily, my parents have two tables in the dining room, and we cleared off one of them for me to have a temporary space. During the last few weeks, I worked there in the evenings, but it was an adjustment for both my parents and for me to have me in the living space. After all, they’re accustomed to it being just the two of them. Going to other locations, such as the library (remember this cool place?) or a coffee shop or even a bookstore(!), worked well. It gave us all a break, and I got reacquainted with some of my old haunts. But I’m not always quite as productive as I’d like to be, because of the travel and set-up time. OK and all the amazing things to look at when I’m at the library or bookstore.

A few days ago, when I came home from one of my outings, my parents told me they had a surprise for me. And they took me downstairs to show me the space you see above. My dad had sorted things that were stored in the room and on the desk to make this space for me to work. (My mother and I have been sorting through other areas of the house in preparation for a rummage sale at the church, but that’s a whole other story. Let’s just say, we’ve been quite productive!)

Over the last few days, I’ve been moving my books and work-related things to this basement space. In the meantime, I was still working on my netbook either upstairs or at one of my neighborhood haunts. Yesterday was productive, with major progress on three different writing projects. And today is my first day in my new space. It’s quiet and comfortable, and all of my stuff for my projects is within arm’s reach.

I just had a lunch break with my parents. With a cup of coffee, I’ve just returned to “my office” to work for a couple more hours before heading out with my mother this evening. Since classes (and other work projects that will be discussed in a future post) will limit the time I have to work here, it’s nice to know that I have a place where I can work without reconstructing my workspace each time. Now back to finish my syllabi for next week.

Thanks, Mom and Dad!  🙂

It’s All Relative: SofCS

Just Fooling Around with Bee – a month-long blog-hop is going on in recognition of Love, called Love Is In Da Blog is a month-long blog-hop from Just Fooling Around with Be. The week 3 prompt is Family Love. During February, Linda collaborates to make the Stream of Consciousness prompt cover both events. So here is the prompt for this week’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday: “relative/relativity”. It can pertain to a person, a thing, a theory, or a concept. Play with it and have fun!

Having spent the last 5 1/2 years in a foreign country, the idea  of family has become a blurry concept. Of course, I have my parents, my siblings, my children on the other side of the world. I miss them terribly, and although I’ve visited 4 of the summers during my teaching position in Taiwan, I am eager to return to them next summer. During the last four years, I’ve been blessed to have my husband here with me, but the first two years I lived and worked here, I was on my own.

Still, I had a few people that I knew (including the one who invited me to consider teaching here), and from those early beginnings, I’ve grown another family here in Taiwan. We may not be officially related, but it hasn’t stopped the friendship and caring that are part of so many relationships I have here. I’m going to share a few of them, but the list is not exhaustive. But you’ll be finding out about some of these (and other) people and the ways they’ve touched my life, as I plan to focus on posting about these people and events as I wind down my time in Taiwan.

In all kinds of ways, big and small, there are people who’ve made me feel like I belong, even though I’m living in a foreign country, where I still can’t speak the language. People are very kind and giving. From the first day, I arrived here, Amy met me at the airport and helped me find a place to live.

Diane and her family were my anchor during the Christmas and New Year holidays. Several times, I was invited to their home over the two years we both lived in Taiwan. When my children were half a world away, I felt privileged that she was willing to let me be part of their family and spend time with their children.

Through Diane’s husband, Erik, I also met Mei-Hung, who has been our adventure lady, both before and after Dave arrived in Taiwan. I have written about some of our adventures, and there are more write-ups to come. She has been such a dear friend over the years here.

When I had my knee surgery in my second year, Jessica C. was the one who came early and stayed through the day with me. Steve and Patrick helped me change apartments just weeks after the surgery.

Mac, the taxi driver, took me under his wing and was as close as a phone-call away. He and his wife invited me to dinner at a Japanese restaurant. Another time, they invited me to their home. After Dave moved here in my third year, he took us to a meal to welcome Dave to Taiwan. On another occasion, he took us to the ceramics museum in Yingee.

I found out that I have a twin brother I didn’t know about. Well, maybe Joe isn’t really my brother, but once we connected as colleagues, we discovered we thought so much alike on so many things that we tell people we are twins who were separated at birth. We are both from the US, but Taiwan is where we finally met.

Mina and I have been good friends even though we have a very small shared vocabulary. Between friends, Google translate, guesswork, and body language, we’ve done quite well over the last three years. I first met her at the coffee shop around the corner, and when she moved to work at another restaurant, I still visit her, even though it’s not nearly often enough.

I am surprised at the things that came out in this post. The people I’ve introduced here are only the beginning of the people who have become my family here in Taiwan. Future posts will mention others and provide some details of the activities and events that we shared. So if you’re part of my Taiwanese family, and you don’t see your name listed above, check back. There’s more to come.

http://lindaghill.com/2015/02/20/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-february-2115/

 

If We Were Having Coffee: Semester Break Ahead

If we were having coffee, . .

I’d tell you that I got a lovely gift from my son, Doug, and my future daughter-in-law, Jessica. A photo album with a collection of their engagement photos. The photos are lovely, and I just keep smiling as I look at them. Their wedding will be in Florida in October of this year. And I’m so happy that I will be in the US not only to attend their wedding, but to be more connected with their lives (as with the lives of my other three children, their spouses, and my grandson, Mr. Logan). Thanks, Doug and Jessica, for the lovely gift, and for sharing your joy with us. Best wishes for continued love and joy throughout your marriage.

I’m also eager to spend time with my parents. While our Skype time is great, it will be wonderful to be in the same room again with all of them. I haven’t even been in the same country now in over 17 months.

Speaking of Mr. Logan, I’d tell you that he will turn 4 years old on Friday. At the right, you can see him (with his father, Gabe) on the day he was born. The cliche is true: I can’t believe how fast it’s gone, but I think that it feels even faster because of  the limited time I’ve spent with him over the years. Taiwan is a long way away, and I’m happy that I will have the opportunity to live closer to him and to be more involved in his life once summer comes.

 I’d tell you that I’m in the process of grading mid-term exams as my last formal responsibility for the semester. The other project I need to complete this week is for the beginning of next semester. I need to finish reviewing and revising the teaching materials that I will use for the Japanese students who will visit from Tottori University in March.

Even though this is the third year that I’ve taught all of the writing classes for this program, I adjust my teaching materials each year depending on student response.I’d tell you that I had a new idea about how to present the writing process in a more visual way. So even though this is my third year of teaching the writing component of this intensive English program, I’m redesigning some of my teaching materials for the 28 hours of classes for this year’s visit from the Japanese students from Tottori University. Teaching 28 additional hours over a three week period is a bit overwhelming, but it goes so fast that I don’t have much time to think about it. I’m sure I’ll be giving you updates in future coffee gatherings.

I’d tell you that Dave and I had such an amazing breakfast date on Friday. When we got to our usual (not very often, but consistently chosen), the only available tables were on the “patio” in front. Normally, at this time of year, this would not be a prime spot. However, it was unseasonably warm that day. We initially took the outdoor table, hoping that maybe an indoor one would clear by the time our food was ready. But amazingly, besides being sunny, it was also warm enough to be very comfortable. Here is my yummy coffee.

A lot of these family-owned eateries are like this: closed in on three sides, with the fourth side open to the outside. Getting take-out food is common (as evidenced by the number of my students who arrive at early morning classes with their breakfasts). From where I’m sitting in front of my coffee, I can turn 90 degrees and get a picture of the kitchen area.

And half-way between that angle and sitting directly in front of my cup, is this lovely scene. I should mention this is just around the other side of the block from our apartment.

 AND I would tell you that an article that I co-authored was published this week in the Journal of Studies in International Education. It came out at a perfect time, since it will look great on my CV while I apply for jobs in the US.

Finally, I’d tell you that it’s 120 days until 60 AND ~159 days until I land in the US!

THANKS to Diana for gathering everyone together this week.  🙂

https://parttimemonster.wordpress.com/2015/01/17/weekend-coffee-share-2/

Gone Fishing!

OK, maybe not exactly fishing, but I’m going to be absent from Blogland for a few days. I’ve now posted daily for over 40 days, and I’ve achieved several of my crazy blog goals that I set for August–knowing it would be the last month I had to devote that much time to blogging for a while. During the next few days, I will not be writing for my blog or posting on my blog. In addition, after the next 12 hours (a little time tonight and a little time tomorrow morning), I will not be visiting, commenting, or liking other blogs (unless I slip off the wagon) until my return toward the end of next week.

During these next few days, I will be focusing on a few deadlines and projects that need my attention. To be honest, blogging is more rewarding than some of the projects I need to do. The “responsible” part of me had considered a long-term leave from the blog, but the “rational” part of me vetoed that crazy idea. I learn so much about myself while blogging, and I am unwilling to give up the community that exists among the bloggers I interact with. My life would be so much less without blogging and the people I have met because of it. So I’m taking a short break–just a few days–to try to make sense of my schedule in a way that allows me to get things done and to honor this blogging thing, which has become so much more than simply a hobby to engage in only when I can squeeze it in.

During August, I intentionally made blogging a priority. I’m hoping that by telling myself that I’m taking a break, I won’t say to myself (16 times a day), “Oh, I could blog about that.” And I won’t be asking my husband, “Oh, could you get some pictures of that.” In other words, taking a break is intended to remove blogging (which I really enjoy) from the forefront of my thoughts as I figure out how it fits into my life during the normal schedule.

To help with my blogging withdrawal, I will spend some time doing some sewing on the quilt top for the summer mystery quilt challenge. Hopefully, I can begin to do some regular drawing practice. Or at least, alternate it with Zentangle. But my main focus is to create a schedule for the coming academic year that provides a balance between what must be done and what I want to do.  Such a schedule may be too big a project for a week, but I will see how far I can get, while knocking off a few things on the project to-do list.

I have a couple of blogging “questions” that you can help me with, if you are so inclined. First, I would be interested in how other people organize the reading of and commenting on other blogs. Do you have a system that you would care to share? Some of you seem to get around much more than I do, even when I spend some dedicated time on it. So any suggestions would be welcome.

When I come back (probably on September 4th or 5th), I hope to have a blog plan. The free-flowing thing I’ve been doing may become more structured. It may not. If you have any preferences about which of my posts you enjoy reading the most, I would be delighted if you would let me know in the comment section. You can choose as many as you wish. I’ve listed a few that you can refer to by number (see purple list below). Or if you have other ideas, that’s fine too. This is also a good place to ask questions if you have any curiosities about me. Although, I’m sure that’s not very likely. Right?  😉

1. Responses to challenges where you learn random things about me?

2. Posts about Life in Taiwan?

3. More about my family and the experiences that got me here?

4. Quilting and creativity?

5. The eclectic mix that I currently do?

6. A decluttering challenge.

OK, thanks for all your support. Your comments will help me as I figure out my blog plan.

I’ll see you in about a week!  🙂

261 days til 60!

Sharing My World from Last Week!

Thanks to Cee for keeping Share Your World challenge going. I always discover something unexpected when answering these random questions. That’s why I’m answering this quickly before this week’s questions are delivered to my mailbox. On to the questions.

Do you believe in ghosts? 

I live in a country where Ghost Month just ended. I have to admit though, I didn’t personally see any ghosts at any time during the month.

Irregardless of your physical fitness, coordination or agility:  If you could play any sport professionally what would it be?  Or if you can’t picture yourself playing sports, what is your favorite sport?

Figure skating or gymnastics. Or swimming. Or diving.

Do you prefer long hair or short hair for yourself?

I prefer Goldilocks hair. Not too short, not too long, just right.  🙂

If you were on an small island, who would you want to be with? And where is it?  How big is it?

Although it’s not very small, I actually already live in an island. And even though there are lots of people here, including my awesome husband, Dave, and many friends I’ve made over the past 5 years, there are many people that aren’t here. They live half a world away. So if I could add a few more people to this island (or get an island closer to them), I’d like my parents, my children, and my grandson Logan to be on the island.  But for me, it’s all in the timing.

I will return to the US next year, and then it will be the people on this island that I’m leaving behind. My husband will still be with me, but all of the people I’ve met here, the people who have become my family on the other side of the world, will be on the island, and I’ll be back home. It’s odd having a home on both sides of the world, but I feel pretty darn lucky to have this kind of oddity in my life.

 

266 Days til 60

 

So Amazing to HEAR: Stream of Conscious Saturday (Part 2)

Linda’s Friday prompt for Saturday’s Stream of Consciousness post is “hear/here.” Part 1 was about the “HERE” part of this prompt. Now, I’m going to do one for “HEAR.”

This little guy is Logan when he was 23 months old in late 2012. Logan was born during my second year in Taiwan. So during January of 2011, while I was recovering from knee replacement surgery in Taiwan, my daughter Kate gave birth to this sweet little guy back in Michigan. Had I known Logan was going to come along in 2011, my time in Taiwan might have played out differently, but this is the story of how it had played out and how hear has become an important part of that story.

Logan is now 3 1/2, and I love the stories I hear my daughter about all of Logan’s milestones and the events of his life. My direct involvement can be summed up (unfortunately) in the few paragraphs below.

2011

The first time I got to hold Logan was in the summer of 2011, when he was five months old. It was such a delight. The summer went quickly, but I had lots of chances to spend time with him during those two months. When it was time for me to go back to Taiwan, he was seven months old. When I left him that summer, I had no idea that I would ultimately be in Taiwan for six years — I just completed my fifth.

2012

In the summer of 2012, Logan was very mobile when I visited. He was 17 months old when I arrived that summer. It was a delight to see him moving around. He had become quite a “dancer,” and he was quite entertaining. I brought a quilt I made for him, and he did some posing with it. You can see him (and the quilt) in the upper right section of my blog. That summer, it didn’t take Logan long to warm up to me.

2013

It took Logan a little time to warm up to me again, but it was a lovely summer. I had to be patient as he was very much his own person. The 2 1/2 year old Logan had a mind of his own, but he was such a delight. When my oldest son was visiting Michigan that summer (from Florida), he and I went with Kate and Logan to see Despicable Me 2 at the theater. Logan was so much fun! And by the end of the summer, he would hug me. He was saying a few words, and it was so much fun to watch him learning and trying things.

2014

For a variety of reasons, I am not in the US this summer. This is the first summer since Logan has been around (and since I’ve lived in Taiwan) that I haven’t gone for a summer visit. The thing that makes this tolerable is that my family is totally behind me 100 percent. If I stay in Taiwan this summer and focus on the tasks I need to finish, I will be able to move back to the US next summer — a goal my husband and I are ready to tackle.

Of course, Logan talks a LOT now. He picks up things that are funny as heck, and it’s fun to hear about them, even if I can’t hear them from him. See explanation below.

Logan as Captain Hook, Halloween 2013 (33 months)

When Technology Fails

One of the things that has made it possible for me to be in Taiwan for this long (including the first two years without my husband) is that technology allows us to stay connected on opposite sides of the world. As recently as 2004 when I visited Asia for the first time, it was difficult to maintain contact through email and internet connections for those 2 1/2 weeks. What a difference 5 years made. When I came here to live (in 2009), Skype was well established, and I was able to communicate regularly (sometimes daily) with my parents and my husband. My mother joked during my first year here that she talked to me more with me in Taiwan than she did when I was in the States.

My children are all pretty tech savvy, but when it comes to Kate, we could not get her microphone to work. So when we Skyped (which had its own challenges), she and Logan could hear me, but she would have to type messages to me. I know about the cute things Logan says because Kate tells me (either in Skype texting or in Facebook messages). Don’t get me wrong! I love those messages from her, but especially this summer with no in-person visit, it’s rough not to be able to “hear” him when I can see him and see his mouth moving.

Good News

So this is my long-winded way of telling you that after all this time, I can finally hear Logan. My oldest son came up with a plan and enlisted my help so that he could surprise his sister with a new laptop computer while he visited this last month. Now when my daughter Skypes, I can hear them. It’s awesome. Our schedules haven’t allowed for very much contact yet, but hearing him is no longer limited to the summer visits. So even though I am not in the US this summer, I can still hear the little guy from time to time and see his world through his eyes.

This post is part of SoCS: http://lindaghill.wordpress.com/2014/08/01/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-august-214/