Kim is out of quarantine. Penny is with us. We are in our new apartment. I feel that I can finally say that the moving to Vietnam mid-pandemic is over. I’m so happy! The last few days I have felt an overwhelming sense of joy and contentment. We have had so many months of uncertainty and worry, with plans A through Z and then some, it is surreal to finally be on the other side of it all. And now, now we can go on with all the fabulous things that come with arriving in a new country. Setting up house, exploring all the areas, trying all the new foods, finding adventures in the every day, and enjoying the sense of newness. That is exactly what I am trying to do now, not rush through this special stage of aw and new. Like our first Banh Mi (Vietnamese sandwich) or exploring our neighborhood or getting to know new fabulous people. School has been going wonderfully. It’s a rush to get the year started and an adjustment to these new grade levels. I am teaching 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade which is a shift from Middle and High School that I’ve taught for the last few years. But I’m not a newbie when it comes to this age range either. I’m slowly rearranging my room and starting to get it set up for proper student agency. I’m so use to just focusing on having the right resources but now I feel that I can actually take the time to make my room a beautiful and inspiring place. No hurry though, I feel I’ll be here for awhile. Especially with the open-access COLOR photocopiers/printers ; ) This was the first week collaborative artwork that I organized with my fellow art teacher (grades 1-2), Nick. Each student drew themselves or something that represents them. We had two more COVID tests, one and two weeks after our release. The last one was the absolute worst. The tester made me gag 3-4 times as he stuck the swab continuously down my throat. He was so rough with the nose swab that, for the first time in 8 tests, it continued to hurt for awhile afterward. I’m SO glad to be done with all of that. On Monday I signed the lease to our new beautiful apartment. I absolutely love it! My top three priorities were a place close to school, that allows Penny, and is within our budget. This fits all of those while being nearly across the street from school. I’ve been lucky enough to be able to walk to school for the past five years and I didn’t want to have to deal with a commute. Additionally we were looking for at least two bedrooms and we got three! One master, one guest bedroom, and one art studio room. We wanted a huge kitchen for Kim with a nice stove and oven. This kitchen is so big and lovely, it has 3 gas burners and 2 electric ones, plus the owner bought us the biggest toaster oven I have ever seen! It also needed to have LOTS of natural light which is abundant in this apartment. It has the master bedroom on the backside of the building so it is nice and quiet and faces the sunrise where the rest of the rooms have glorious huge windows overflowing with light. Plus one whole wall in the living room is just a big glass sliding door. We were also hoping for wood flooring, check, and nice lighting, check check. There is also a perfect entry area with built in storage which I realized was important to me after looking at many apartments that opened directly into the living area. The place is fully furnished with a modern look (most had hideous furniture that we would have had to keep). In addition, we have a bathtub, two balconies, stunning molding throughout the whole place, a pool, AND the owner bought us a dryer! I seriously could not ask for anything more, we are so in love with this place! Kim is so beyond happy to be out of quarantine. I took the day off from school to get her properly settled. It was such a joyous reunion!! To finally be here, all together, I just don’t have words. We spent the day walking around the neighborhood, buying pillows, trying some different foods, and wandering for hours around various grocery stores. Penny has been enjoying our new place and neighborhood. She is pretty hot so we take her for a walk early early in the morning and later in the evening when the sun goes down. I’m happy to be in a quiet area where she can wonder off-leash without any problems. We've spent a chunk of change at the vet already for a gunky eye and getting her regular meds (heartworm, flea, tick, etc). We decided to become "members" at the vet which means for a fee we get unlimited consults for the year - I'm certain we will get our moneys worth. We did get caught in our first monsoon the other day. Penny was very unimpressed. Over the weekend we ventured out of our area, District 7, for the first time. Friday night we went to a kitchen store about 15 minutes away and then walked around. We found a bustling street lined with food and drink stalls, produce sellers spilling out into the road, fish and meat sellers cutting up their goods (including plump still-hopping frogs), and so much more. It was rush hour which means there were motorbikes coming from every direction like a swarm of bees. It was insane and a bit much right off the bat. I was happy to return to our quiet, clean, open area of Phu My Hung. Saturday we went off to another area, District 2, which had a fun hipster vibe to it. We searched a few boutique house-goods stores for the perfect dishes. I’m hoping to take advantage of this opportunity we have to set up a home completely from scratch by being very conscientious of what we buy for it. I intend to curate our home carefully and make it a beautiful, inspiring, and lovely place. Which means we are on the hunt for beautiful, inspiring, and lovely things. It was fun meandering around and looking through the shops. We bought some dishes that I’m happy with but I might just have a hand at making my own as well. Later on, we stumbled on the American style diner and had our full of milkshakes and burgers. Kim was super excited to get a stack of pancakes (something she’s been craving for weeks). One of the fabulous things about Saigon is that you can get anything delivered. And I mean ANYTHING. It has become part of the culture here and is so convenient. We just got a beautiful new bed set delivered yesterday. Kim also picked up a big selection of plants for me and a new watercolor. I’m excited to start nesting and making this our ideal home. Random Goodness: As I mentioned in the last update, it was a struggle to do everything without Kim. But she managed to find a way to order me flowers and get them delivered to school even before she was out of quarantine. Saw a rainbow while walking Penny and video chatting with Kim (while she was still in quarantine) Went plant shopping and found this cutie straight out of a Dr. Seuss book Breakfast time has been yogurt with mangos served in our drink glasses because we have not yet gotten any bowls. Plus a new notebook and pen for my morning pages. Bubble tea and pedicures is my new weekly ritual. I can finally say that the saga of moving is finally complete! Kim and I have begun the new chapter of our lives in Vietnam. I can’t wait to continue sharing all our adventures with you all. I want to thank each and every one of you who have reassured me over the last few months, who have listened to each and every part of this saga, and who are rejoicing with us from afar. I love you xoxo
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Freedom never felt so good! The day we were released from quarantine was such a celebration! We all staggered out of our rooms, squinting from the sunlight that we haven’t been exposed to in two weeks. And it couldn’t have come sooner because we were all starting to feel it, slowly becoming one with our beds and loosing all semblance of motivation to do anything. It hasn’t even been a week since then but it’s been a whirlwind of getting acclimated to the neighborhood, starting school, and enjoying social time that doesn’t involve a screen. When I first left quarantine and arrived at my airbnb I nearly had a breakdown. The security guards checked my temperature on the way into the building but it came up as 99.5* F (37.5*C) and they wouldn’t let me in the building. I tried to explain to them that I just came from quarantine and I just had a COVID test the day before, but they weren’t having any of it. No way were they going to let this strange foreigner chance infecting their entire building, even if it was only because it was my first exposure to SE Asian heat after 15 straight days in an air conditioned room. This was my first experience after the long long wait to get here and it was going horribly and I was about to break down when right then the new-teachers liaison called to check in. She arrived by my side within minutes of the call with a triage of help including the school’s head nurse. It took a few calls, the production of my quarantine certification, and a few more temperature checks, but finally they let me through. After I dropped my bags and opened my welcome grocery bag from school, I joined the other new teachers in the area for my first real food out of quarantine, a veggie panini. Then I met right up with my real estate agent to see an apartment that was about to be snatched up by someone else. Afterward I headed straight over to the pet boarding house where Penny was waiting. Our reunion was as expected, without much excitement but with a lot of joy. The people who looked after her were so so sweet, one of them cried when we started to leave. But we made it back to the Airbnb fine and I took Penny on her first walk around the neighborhood. She was all about exploring her new turf. Although she is still just as stubborn about being on leash and has proceeded to lay down in the middle of the road while passing car drivers laugh at the two of us. By the time I got back from the walk I was beat! I had only walked a mile or two but it was more than the last 15 days combined. I met up with my new friend Brianna for dinner at a craft brewery in my building before we did a quick shopping trip. I hate grocery shopping on a normal day, put me in a new foreign grocery store when I’m exhausted and the results equal two pints of ice cream, cereal, a dragonfruit, yogurt, bananas, water, and goldfish. The next day I got to go into school for the first time. I met my new team of elementary specialists, along with a couple dozen other wonderful people. This is the largest school I’ve worked at with about 1200 students. I am one of three elementary school art teachers! It is fabulous to be a part of a team of teachers rather than the lone wolf tucked in a distant corner of the school that no one even knows where it is. And folks, brace yourselves, because I. HAVE. MY. OWN. CLASSROOM. Eeeeekkkk! For the first time in six years I will be able to take full ownership of my classroom space, get ready for a rainbow fiasco!! It was a day chock full of meetings, greetings, and HR presentations. So many forms to sign. It was no wonder that all of us newbies ended up at a Kim-recommended Mexican place with pitchers of margaritas, telling stories and laughing away. But seriously, my new school is all sorts of amazing. Not only does it value innovation, but it expects it. I can finally teach the way that I know is best and have full support to push the boundaries of the current practice of Art Education. Plus I’ve fantastic colleagues that are doing the same and keeping the expectations high. I feel that this is a place where I will finally be able to reach my true potential as an educator while being fostered and encouraged. Kim arrived early early on Wednesday morning. She is quarantining at the Holiday Inn and my school is doing an equally fabulous job at taking care of her, showering her with welcome baskets and fulfilling any requests she makes. We video chat every time I take Penny out for a walk so she is starting to get familiar with our neighborhood as well. I even took Kim on a long neighborhood walk the other day where we checked out the local restaurants and shops. On Thursday we had student orientation during the day, and at night, a fabulous social for the newbie teachers with the admin at a local pub owned by a former student from school. Friday was go day, the official first day of school. I haven’t been in front of students for FIVE months, but as soon as they came in the room I snapped right back into my teacher mode. It was invigorating having them there and so so nice starting to get to know them. By the end of the day I was so energized that I rearranged my whole room. I can’t wait to see what it will look like in a month or two from now! I started the weekend off by getting a very thorough two-hour long health check that included everything from a stomach ultrasound to teeth and eye checks. Then I went shopping for a care package for Kim. I tried to find the most strange and unusual foods I could which resulted in me getting seaweed Pringles, chicken nugget shaped chips, a Japanese poofy cheesecake, chicken flavored cheese spread, and ramen noodle snack bites. Plus a large range of ramen noodles including cheese flavored and a spaghetti version. Also a variety of local beers so she could have a little tasting party. We had another social Sat night at the craft brewery again. I brought Penny down to meet the crew since everyone had heard all about her long journey getting here. She convinced many people to give her pets and belly scratches. Sunday was all about apartment hunting and I’m so excited to share that I found a place that I LOVE! It fulfills all the requirements that we were looking for and more. It is only about 3 minutes from school and it is gorGEOUS!! We are working with the Realtor now to finalize the negotiations and will hopefully be able to move in next week! It also resulted in me taking my first motorbike ride with the landlord in between apartment buildings. It went well and was not scary at all! I think there is hope for me yet. I can’t wait until Kim can get a bike that we can take on all sorts of adventures. It’s been a lot this week. But all good things. I’m just not used to landing in a place by myself. Usually Kim takes care of the home stuff so I can focus solely on work but I’m currently doing it all (well, doing as much as I can) as Kim waits eagerly to join. But I’m managing just fine and I’m simply glad that we are all finally in the same country. It has been such a long time coming, so many months of uncertainty and worry. And we are on the other side, nearly completely to the end of this insane journey. And you know what? I couldn’t be more glad. I am SO excited for this new adventure. (PS Here are a few extra snaps from the week)
Looking back on 2018 makes me wonder how I am going to be able to keep topping these amazing experiences that make up my life. Seriously. They say to live the life you love and love the life you live and I am unabashedly doing just that. The year started off with the best treat of welcoming our new golden retriever, Penny, into our family, followed by a spring filled with visits from my family members, including lots of Turkish road trips and unbelievably beautiful adventures. The summer was kicked off with our Myanmar family in North Carolina for a wedding celebration and stretched long allowing us to fully soak in all the goodness that is family time back home in Maine. The fall brought our second year in Istanbul, a blooming of my personal art making, plus more travel in the winter. Each year that I have put together these blog posts (2014, 2016, 2017) I feel a deep sense of gratitude for where our journey has led us and the soul-warming experiences we have had along the way. Thank you for being along for the ride. So, without any further ado, here are 18 memories from 2018. 18. Adopt Penny One of the very best decisions we made this year was to invite a new 4-legged member into our family. The story of her adoption starts back in Myanmar. After we accepted the move to Istanbul in the spring of 2017, we both began researching the new city that we would call home - me in the form of the art scene, the history, the neighborhoods, and the things to see and do. Kim devoted her research to two topics, the food (street food, restaurants, grocery store prices - she knew walking off the plane how much to pay for an apple) and animals. As I’m sure you know, Kim’s family has always had golden retrievers and they take up a big part of her heart (bigger than my section I’m sure). This is when Kim connected with Yasemin, a woman who has devoted her life to rescuing (mainly) golden retrievers off the streets of Turkey. The story goes that years ago golden retrievers became the “must have” for the Turkish high class, and so everyone began importing and breeding them. Quickly they became over bred and less desired and turned onto the street. Since goldens are so docile, they have little chance of surviving on the streets against the other, more aggressive, types. So Yasmin steps in when she can, rescuing every golden she can find. She then works with golden adoption agencies in North America to send them to people who are anxiously awaiting a golden friend. Unfortunately, this whole operation has to stay underwraps because she has gotten threats from locals who think that she is stealing dogs and selling them. But, she goes on to do her good work, quietly. Kim quickly offered to become a foster home for dogs who are awaiting their ticket to a new home. We had also talked about the possibility of getting a dog this year. While we were in Egypt for our winter break Kim got the message from Yasemin, she had a dog for us. Kim must have watched the video Yasemin sent of (what would be) Penny every minute of our trip, while anxiously and excitedly wishing it to end because she now had a four-legged friend to get back to. The day we came back, January 1st, Penny walked into our apartment and Kim knew she wouldn’t be leaving. Penny has been a joy to have with us all year long and makes us smile and feel loved every single day. She was a very shy, anxious, tiny creature, who has grown into a friendly, sweet, not-so-tiny member of our family. From spending her days on the streets and then in a cage in a pound, she quickly took to Kim and now follows Kim wherever she leads. Penny flew to Maine and back with us this summer and just blossomed, running around in the yard and going on hikes with me. She got very itchy and come to find out she is allergic to Maine grass - seriously. Penny loves her giant bed, walks to Krispy Kream where she convinces strangers to feed her their donuts, and having her head rubbed. We are so, so glad she is ours. 2. Black Sea Birthday Road Trip For Kim’s birthday this year I surprised her with a long-weekend road trip. As you know, Kim loves driving and I love riding. So we hopped in our rental car (having to pick Penny up and place her in the back because she had no idea what was going on), and set on our way. I had randomly picked out a place for us to spend the night, having no idea that it was a spectacular little gem of a city called Safranbolu. It was jaw-droppingly gorgeous, straight out of a fairy tale. We wound our way through the mountains that bordered the Black Sea, and winded our way back down. We found a castle, jaw dropping mountains, and bee keepers selling honey street side. Read about the whole trip over here. 3. Dad & Pam Visit Istanbul In March we had a fantastic week when my Dad and Step-mom, Pam, visited us in Istanbul. Neither had ever traveled abroad before and it was an absolute joy to be able to share in their first international experience. I’m not sure how to put into words the depth of fulfilment it gave me to be able to provide/share this life-changing experience of traveling to/with the man who made it possible for me to be able to live this amazing life of traveling that I do. I think out of all my seven siblings that I am the most like my dad, from him I got my understanding and compassion, my quiet, observant quality, my work ethic and my overall personality. We share similar processes of how we form opinions, translate thoughts about the world, save memories, and react to situations. He has quietly encouraged each of us to dream, always supportive of whatever way we choose to spend our lives. Finally, he got a little peek into what my life was made of. It was a whirlwind of a time, trying to show Dad and Pam all Istanbul had to offer while stopping to enjoy the little intricacies that only appear to a fresh-off-the-plane set of eyes. We visited all the sites, wrode the tram down Iskale street, took a ferry ride on the Bosphorus, showed them our neighborhood, and treated them to all our favorite Turkish foods. Oh, and then there was the hilarious costume photo shoot we found ourselves in that I still cannot stop laughing about! 4.Ephesus/Pamukkale Road TripWe didn’t just stop in Istanbul though. They were set on seeing as much as they could so we hopped back down to southern Turkey to walk the ruins of Ephesus and visit the Virgin Mary’s house. Seeing my dad sitting in the grand amphitheater, taking it all in, is a sight I will keep close to my heart. These places meant a lot to Dad who connected with the stories from the Bible in a way that was not possible before. We popped over to see the calcite pools of Pamakkale and almost got lost on a long dirt middle-of-nowhere road that Google sent us on. They then went to spend a few days seeing my oldest sister Renee in Egypt before having one last Turkish breakfast with us and then flying home. I think that we may have ignited the travel bug in them and I hope that we will be able to have another adventure abroad again so very soon. 5. Family Trip to Athens, GreeceKim and I weren’t alone for long because only a few weeks after Dad and Pam left, my sister Amanda and her husband Josh joined us. These are two of our favorite people in the whole world and to be able to share another adventure abroad with them is what dreams are made of! You might remember them from our road trip around Israel. This time we were headed to Greece! First stop, Athens. We spent a few days in this ancient city traipsing around the Parthenon, taking in all the history at the museum, enjoying every stop on Kim’s personally made food tour around town, and of course taking ALL the pictures. I’m still thinking about the Greek yogurt top cream with honey and nuts we had *drool* 6. Santorini aka Heaven on Earth It was easy to decide to make Santorini our other stop in Greece. After seeing just one of the jaw dropping photos of the white houses clustered on the cliffs over the ocean, I was sold. And boy was it perfection. We had decadent meals served by waiters who became friends and invited Kim into the kitchen. We had adventures out on quad bikes, zipping around the island and eating sandwiches we whipped together on the back of the bumpers. I had a quiet morning wandering session squeezing through all the nooks and allies of Oia and being blown away by the beauty at every turn. We even took the time to hire a professional local photographer who got some unbelievable photographs of all of us exploring the island. The whole experience was perfectly incredible. 7. The Fairy Tale that is Cappadocia We weren’t done yet though. Amanda and Josh had one more stop they were dying to make and that was back in Turkey. So we flew back there, grabbed a car and made the not-so-quick drive down to Cappadocia. A town in central Turkey known for its land formations in the shape of cones. It has underground cities that you can still go and (try to) squeeze through and an astounding show every sunrise where the sky fills up with hot air balloons that bobble around through the clouds. This was such a special place and I already have plans to return back in 2019. 8. Bike Ride to Bulgaria Back in Istanbul it was a normal week when I saw an online posting for an opening on a weekend bike ride from Turkey, through Greece and Bulgaria, and back to Turkey. I thought about how insanely awesome that sounded by the insane outweighed the awesome in my mind. The next day my colleague/partner in crime/work wife mentioned that she would be going on a bike ride that weekend. Could it be? Yes, the exact same one. And quickly the decision was made, the plans were booked, and I was on a bus to the most north western town in Turkey. Two days, three countries, 28.4+ miles, one night in Bulgaria, and one very sore bum later I had a fantastic experience with some even more fantastic people. 9. Wilmington Wedding Immediately following our last day of school in Istanbul I flew to Wilmington, North Carolina to meet up with Kim and our Myanmar tribe. I am so grateful that we have been able to get together two years in a row despite being in all different parts of the globe. Sharon, Steven, and their two kids are in Malaysia currently and Shelly & Luis are in Florida. We all got together to celebrate Shelly & Luis’ wedding in Wilmington. It was such a festive time that was jam packed with quality moments of the everyday sort - dinners together, drinks around the pool, walks around the adorable little town, and all the conversations that we could squeeze in between wedding prep. The ceremony was lovely, funny, and heartwarming; and boy did everyone dance the night away. As always, it was too short to spend with some of my favorite people in the whole world but I’ll take the little slivers of sunshine and hold on to them tight. 10. Boston TAB InstituteMid summer I took the train down to Boston where I joined other Art Educators from all over the world at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design for the TAB Summer Institute. TAB stands for Teaching For Artistic Behaviors, an art teaching pedagogies that I have been following since I very first started teaching. TAB teachers follow a three sentence curriculum: What do artists do? The child is the artist. The classroom is their studio. When I want to explain my method of teaching simply, I tell people that I don’t teach children how to make art, I teach them how to be artists. It is challenging as an art teacher to not have many people in the same field as you in the same space to bounce ideas off of. Then on top of that to be committed to this amazing choice-based methodology, greatly limits the amount of like-minded art educators I’ve come in contact with. This can often be a challenge to continue to grow professionally. This is why I was so excited that my school, MEFIS, approved my request to attend this conference. For a week I was surrounded by art educators who are passionate about giving the student artist as many opportunities for agency, independence, and choice as possible. We had round-table discussions about what is working and not working in our classrooms, presentations from some well practiced TAB educators, and talked with the founders of TAB. We also had a large studio open all week with a variety of different centers set up for us to go in, be inspired, and make art. It was a week of being re-centered in my teaching philosophy, networking with other talented educators, getting inspired, and making art. Plus, I spent a glorious half a day wandering around the spectacular collection at the MFA Boston - sketching, gawking, and trying to take it all in. It was everything you want from a Professional Development and more! 11. Summer in Maine What a luxuriously long summer we had in Maine. It was the longest I’ve spent in Maine since we moved abroad and it was just chalk full of all the summertime goodness - campfires, unintentional family get togethers, strawberry picking, swimming, hiking with the pup, sunsets behind the mountains, ice cream trips, so many sleepovers, shopping, camping, and on and on. Kim was happy to accept a job as a prep cook and baker at the Gingerbread House in Rangeley which kept her joyfully busy for most of the summer. Meanwhile, I hoped around from couch to couch soaking in as much family time as sanely possible. Just a few of the summer highlights included Meg’s adorable book themed baby shower, frisbee golf afternoons and spontaneous sunset hikes with Drew, planning and watching Sam & Cody get engaged, going to the Great Falls Balloon Festival (a tradition I haven’t made it to in 4 years), family amusement park day at FunTown SplashTown, spending hours in the craft store with Autumn (and then nights watching movies and trying out all our purchases), attempting stand-up-paddleboarding and then kayaking while pouring out our deepest worries and biggest dreams with Amanda, hanging with Zane - the coolest nephew ever, wandering my home-town fair with all the fam, wedding dress shopping for Sam with all the girls, avoiding the freezing mountain water at Smalls Falls with Nikki, Mac, and Danny, endless hours of driving just to share conversations with Andrea, hiking with Lanie, and all the amazing meals from the grill enjoyed on our picnic table with Kim. Just before I was to head back to Istanbul in early August, I got word that the school building was still under construction and they moved our orientation to online which meant that I got an EXTRA two weeks at home!! In this time I was able to photograph a last minute wedding down in Boston - which allowed me to fund my camera replacement (from the one that got stolen last year). 12. Second Year in IstanbulAfter the extra time in Maine, as much as I hated to leave, I felt myself getting antsy to get back to our normal routine and at the end of August I headed back to Istanbul for our second year in this big, beautiful city. The first task at hand was unpacking our new apartment. We were happy to move into a different school-provided apartment still directly next to the school. We were looking forward to more light, a small balcony, and (mainly) a much bigger kitchen. Kim arrived a few weeks behind me so I spent that time arranging and rearranging, unpacking, and organizing. I bought a stunning kitchen island, a water cooler, a bigger mattress, and even more plants. I feel really good with what I was able to arrange for the unique space we were given and both of us feel much happier than last year. Kim is able to satisfy all her kitchen needs while I have my own little art corner, these are both in the same open space so we can each do our own thing while still staying connected. I’m enjoying my second year teaching art to grades 5-8. I feel that this is my ideal age-range. I know that middle school can make most people cringe (I said for years that I would never teach middle school), but there is something that clicks in place with these students around this age, they are old enough to do more advanced things, have depth in their ideas, and have longer spurs of concentration; yet they are young enough that they still really want to do what they are supposed to, they don’t (usually) have that teenager attitude (yet), and they are funny. I enjoy my schedule and my extra responsibility of being Head of Department for “Group 6” aka the specialists. Kim is just beginning a new work venture that has a lot of potential and we are both excited to see where it goes. I’m glad to say that Kim and I will be staying for at least a 3rd year, if not more after that. I’ve had days of playing tourist and wandering the grand bazar, riding the ferry over to Asia, and exploring the nooks and crannies of new neighborhoods. But most of our days are simple, walking Penny through the park, having a tea down on breakfast street, or spending the evening cooking/art making at home. We are very comfortable and happy with our little but grand life over here. 13. The Art of PapercuttingThis school year has seemed much calmer than ever before. It took me a few months to realize that this is the first time in my seven years of teaching that I am not in my first year at a new school, nor am I job searching (which is practically a full-time job of it’s own). This has allowed me to have a lot more time and headspace to work on my artwork. Starting back in May, I was inspired to create a papercut map of istanbul to place over my Ebru artwork. Ebru is the traditional Turkish art of water marbling that Kim and I took a six week workshop in (Kim continued with private lessons afterwards). After that, my love for papercutting was reignited and I began making all sorts of papercut artworks. Our friends Katherine and John who are still teaching in Myanmar commissioned a Yangon themed papercut from me and it will forever be one of my favorite artworks I have ever created. I made a letter “O” for little baby Oakley’s baby shower, and a few other little pieces. When I returned to Istanbul I continued working on the papercuts. I began designing little scenes encapsulated in circles that could be shown against a real life background, I created geometric designs, and then I returned back to maps. “The Places the Make Us,” is an ongoing series of layered map papercuts. The original one I created included four maps, one for each of the places that Kim and I have called home since we were married. I just adore cutting maps and am so happy that others have liked them too. I have created three commissioned pieces from this series, personalized for the special locations of each client, and have three more on the docket. One of my goals this year was to find a way to get my art out there more and I love that I can create these one-of-a-kind, individualized artworks that are beautiful and layered with meaning. Please get in touch if you are interested in commissioning an artwork from me. 14. World Record Setting in Kas My oldest sister, Renee, is a professional freediver currently living in Dahab, Egypt. She has unrelenting ambition to make her dreams a reality which led her to the World Freediving Championships in October. Coincidentally, these were held in Kas, Turkey - just a short flight and a few hours drive away from Istanbul. It was priceless to be able to watch Renee surfacing as the new USA National Record Holder, after her record-breaking free immersion dive of 63 meters (203 feet). For those who are unfamiliar with free diving, it is diving without using any breathing aparatas aka holding your breath. It is always uplifting spending time with Renee who is an inspiration for all of us Blundon siblings. Kas is the cutest little ocean-side town on Turkey’s southern coast. The sunsets were unbelievable and the vibe was quaint and breezy. We even took a quick trip over to Demre, the home of St. Nicolas - the man who eventually became known as Santa Claus. There we were also able to visit the rock tombs of Myra, an ancient city. 15. Moroccan Road Trip Winter break this year brought us to Morocco, a country that has always been in the back of my mind. When planning our two week trip, I came across story after story of scams, harassment, overwhelming touts, and other forms of things that traveler’s dread. Now, we are no nieve travelers but the vast amount of these stories that I read gave me pause. I arrived in Morocco very guarded, ready to fend off the numerous hassles that I was told I would face. You know what happened? Absolutely nothing. Not once did I feel any more harassed or harassed or tricked than any other country we have gone to. I felt perfectly comfortable as a woman, traveling with other women, despite all of the people telling me the contrary. To our advantage, it was winter so my legs and arms/torso was nearly always covered, and we had a car so we avoided many tourist heavy areas (like bus stops). Our friend Katie joined me and Kim for the two-weeks as we drove around from fantastic city to the next. We flew in to Casablanca but did not spend any time there as I had researched that it was nothing but a big industrial city. Driving up the coast we spent on night on the ocean-side town of Assilah before heading to the mountain village of Chefchaouen. From there we went down to the ancient city of Fez, spending days wandering the incredible median (main city area where no cars are allowed). After enjoying the culture of Marrakesh we finished off our trip at an all-inclusive resort before heading home. Morocco was everything I had hoped - beautiful chaos, endlessly winding medinas, stunning mosaics, cute towns, tasty couscous, cactus gardens, and an overall fabulous adventure. 16. The Blue Perl - Chefchaouen Hands down, my favorite place in Morocco was the mountain village of Chefchaouen. This is known as the “blue perl,” due to the blue paint that covers the majority of its buildings. Some say it is to bring the sky down to the earth so the people are closer to God, others say the blue keeps away the mosquitos, whichever the reason everyone can agree that it is absolutely stunning. I spent hour just wandering the narrow walkways taking pictures at every turn. It was a photographer’s dream for sure! 17. 30th Birthday Surprise Trip to Paris Kimberly made my dreams come true when she surprised me with a weekend in Paris for my 30th birthday. The whole trip was absolutely magical. It was beyond anything I could have hoped for. It will truly be a memory to last a lifetime. I can’t believe how lucky I am to have a wife that would give me such an experience. Read about the whole wonderful trip here. 18. 4th Year MarriedIn May of 2018, Kim and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary. I am in awe every year of how much we manage to still learn about each other, what elements we are still discovering, and how our relationship changes as the different aspects of our individual selves continue to develop. Although we have faced challenges, just as all others do, we continue to come out stronger and closer as a result. And still, there is no one I would rather adventure, through the world and through life, with. Well there it is, another big, long, way-to-many-photos, yearly blog post. If you’ve made it all the way to the end, cheers to you! Thanks for following along on our adventures. See you in the next one!
-Alisa I took my students on my first Field Trip in Yangon today and the experience was so much more than I could have ever imagined. I had a simple intent, take the students on the train to practice their photography skills. As we have just finished our photography basics unit, learning the ins and outs of our cameras, and the students were itching to try their skills in real life situations. Pair that with not having access to our usual computer lab classroom (because of standardized testing) and you have the perfect opportunity for a one day field trip. The train is an ideal option for this trip. There is a train station that is only a 10 minute walk from school and it takes a four hour loop around the city, returning back to the same station. After a few calls to the station from my assistant teacher, we had the schedule and a plan. The students were mildly excited mostly because they wanted to get out of school. They were less enthused by our 7:30 am meeting time. Permission forms were signed, the principal approved, and the day finally came. Nine half-asleep AP 2D Design students wandered into the lobby, cameras in hand. We set off quickly, knowing that the train waits for no one. We rushed through the bustling market and down the dusty streets arriving at the station already sweating in the tropical heat. No sooner had we purchased our tickets then we were swept away on the train. The students stayed huddled together as a group in a corner of the train car surrounded by people. My first thoughts were that they were frazzled by our hasty departure but as I observed them I noticed an interesting occurrence. The students seemed to act more like tourists, strangers to this place that they call home. They were nervous around the unknown people and hesitant to leave their well-known classmates. As I encouraged them to break off and explore down the train they stayed attached to the group as if they were in a foreign place. I began considering what I know about these students. Firstly, they are privileged. The school we come from is a private school for Myanmar’s wealthy class. Secondly, they are very isolated. Being ushered from school to tutors, from events to formal functions, from home to their chafer driven car, these students rarely experience the street life of Yangon. It took me aback when they showed up this morning in jeans, long sleeve shirts, and sweatshirts. I would have thought it obvious on such a hot day that we would need to wear cool clothes, but I later realized that these students are never outdoors. They have no reason to walk around the streets. In essence they truly are foreigners in their own city, seeing and experiencing the life of a “commoner” for (perhaps) the first time. For an expat who spends her weekends exploring the streets on foot, riding the local transit, and eating at the street stalls, it was strange to be introducing these students to their own home, one that I have only been living in for a year. To think that I have experienced more of the daily Myanmar life in my short time then they have in their whole lives is mind blowing. As the train began to empty, the students got a little more adventurous, wandering to the lengths of the car in small groups. They moved from taking pictures of each other to being comfortable at taking pictures of the surroundings and the people. Having no separation between themselves and the local environment, they began to truly observe and record what they saw. No longer were they sitting in their fancy cars with a window detaching them from the world, they were immersed in it. We arrived at the main station to switch to the train that would take us the rest of the way around town and back to our station by school. We all took off running through the insanely crowded platform to catch the next train. I counted as each student stepped up into the train car but came up missing two. Hoping that they had gotten on through the next door, I hopped on the train and quickly searched through the adjacent car to find it empty of students. My worry heightened as the train began moving. I sped through the train, rushing past people, looking for the rest of the group in hopes that I didn’t see correctly and they actually made it on before us, but, no luck. Resisting the urge to panic, I had a student call the phone of one of the missing members, who were in fact left back at the main station. After insisting that they stay where they were we departed at the next stop and quickly grabbed the next train in the opposite direction where I found the two students sitting calmly on a bench taking a selfie. Reunited we quickly regrouped to make a new plan. Luckily my time in Myanmar has taught me a great deal about not being attached to how things are “supposed” to go, and always having a plan B (and C, and sometimes D). So after confirming the train schedule back to school we had a quick retreat at a local café to cool off and fuel up. Then we continued on to explore the downtown area while waiting for the next train. I led them through streets where they explored and (in some cases) interacted with the local community. One student ate as much street food as he could manage. It made me laugh when he bought something from practically every stall that we passed. Later in conversation I found out that his parents don’t let him have street food. They believe that it is not sanitary and prefer to eat in proper restaurants or at home. The last time he had street food was when he was young. He used the day as an opportunity to make up for lost time. It was also interesting for the students to see how people treat me differently as a foreigner. A couple times on the train locals stopped to take pictures of me. At one point a woman excitedly pointed me out to her young son by pointing to me and then touching her face to bring attention to my skin color. In addition I got stopped a few times by sellers on the street hoping I would buy a bus ticket, a tour, or a souvenir. The students related these experiences to ones they have had in the US or Thailand or other countries but had no idea that it also happened here. As these students are being groomed to be the next leaders of Myanmar, they are gaining worldly education through international trips and mindsets but we forget to connect them with their own back yard. As our short but eventful trip came to an end I was not the only one who had a sense of euphoric fulfillment. We walked back to school from our station drenched in sweat with huge smiles on our faces. Stopping one last time for a street snack of fresh squeezed sugar cane juice (the first time for almost all of us) the students excitedly talked about where else we could take a trip to. As they chatted about different possibilities I heard a different attitude in their voices, one of anticipation in getting to know more of their own country, their own culture. It might by my hopeful teacher brain but I think next time they might be looking forward to a little more than just missing school. We have been back in Myanmar for over a month now and we are settling in quite well to our jobs and home life. It seems crazy to be back, yet comfortably familiar at the same time. The amazing summer we had back home left us feeling reenergized and refilled with the calm patience necessary for life in Yangon. This crazy city with its insane traffic, constant market callers, chanting monks, dinging bells from passing trishaws, and always bustling streets, has welcomed us back with its usual chaos and smiles.
Our biggest news is that we moved to a new apartment. Not only are we no longer living in school provided housing, but we are living in a more local area only a short walk from school. We found our apartment before we left in May with two friends of ours. Shelly and Luis both teach at ISM with me and have been awesome roommates! This apartment is very inexpensive which means we will be saving even more money this year with our housing allowance that the school provides. It has great qualities to it like a huge living area, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a large open kitchen, and lots of windows. We were able to buy all of the furniture from the previous tenants so we were all set to move in as soon as we returned from summer break. The move itself was interesting. Back home we would call up a friend or family member with a truck to help us move, but in Yangon no one we know has vehicles. We could have gotten a few cabs together because we did not have that many belongings but we do have a large house plant and two chairs. So we arranged for a truck through a kind friend of ours who has local connections. It was a confusing time meeting the truck and a scary ride to our new place with Kim and our plant hanging out the back, but we made it and only had to pay $15 (plus a $5 tip for each of the guys who helped us lug everything up stairs). We have had a couple of challenges like bugs and electricity. But instead of waiting hours or days or even weeks for a worker from our old condo to fix our issues we are able to fix them quickly ourselves with the help of our attentive landlord and our kind neighbors. There was this one time when the power went out, not unusual for Yangon, but annoying nonetheless. Strangely it was still out a few hours later even though the other apartments in our building had the power returned. So Kim tried to talk to one of our neighbors, the man didn't speak any English so he went and got another man who got another one who got another one. This final man, Aung, not only spoke some English but he "make power work" (works as an electrician). He quickly got his toolbox and came up to the apartment, took an hour working on our regulator, and finally fixed the problem. When Kim tried to give him a payment he simply replied "We neighbors, we help." Then there was the first morning of school when I woke up early to have a quiet start to my morning, I poured myself a cup of tea and opened a window to let some air in, and sat down with my journal when a BAT flew in the room! It was an entertaining 30 minutes of running around with a laundry basket trying to catch it as it swooped around my head. In the end everyone in the house was up watching me trying to usher it out and it just flew right back out the same window it came in. A few weeks ago we hosted a big housewarming party in the new space. It was great fun to have our friends over to fill the apartment with great vibes. Here are a few pictures from around the neighborhood
Living close to school has so many benefits! Instead of dreading the hour plus bus ride home in the afternoons I have been staying late to enjoy teacher activities that other teachers offer like ultimate Frisbee, yoga, and work out classes. I feel very lucky to be able to take advantage of all of these great things! Plus, Kim is so close on her days off that she has been joining me for breakfast or lunch occasionally. We usually eat at our favorite shan noodle and tofu noway stand in the mornings and enjoy a lunch stall run by a Pakistani man in the afternoons.
On the school front I have been busy as a bee developing a curriculum that better fits my teaching philosophy and designing two new courses. Last year I taught Art 1 (foundations, intro art class for mostly freshman) and AP 2D Design (advanced placement digital art course for upper levels). Continuing with those classes I have also added a Digital Art course (photography, digital drawing, animation, and other graphic media) and an Advanced Digital Art course (independent study for a small group of students interested in continuing their work in digital art). Having four different classes to prepare for has been challenging but so rewarding! Here are a few photos from different classes that I have taken this month. I am very proud of the classroom website that I have redesigned. I have used various methods in the past but feel satisfied that this website is one that can grow with me as an educator. I have set it up with resources for both students and fellow teachers. I’m excited to continue growing the content of this site and making it usable for a wider audience. The site is called In The Art Room, take a look at it here.
Kim has been enjoying being back at work too. For those who don’t know, Kim is the executive chef/kitchen manager for a Mexican-Asian fusion restaurant called Fahrenheit. Taking the tex-mex basics and infusing Asian elements, Kim has created a truly original taste that people love! The chic atmosphere and the craft cocktails make for a perfect surrounding to enjoy a great night out. Since Kim has returned, she has been hard at work making new delicious concoctions for the new menu. Favorites like the pad thai chimichanga and the garlic curry chicken tacos will now be joined by items like pumpkin tofu empanadas and (my favorite) frozen margarita pie. Kim is really going to the extremes at stretching her culinary skills to bring together two of the top cuisines. Just wait until you try her hand made chocolate ice cream with chili hot fudge sauce. I joined a few friends down for a private tasting a couple weeks ago that was out of this world!
One of my favorite things I have started this month is baking bread. The other week Kim was planning our weekly dinner menu and I voted for homemade pizza. She agreed on the deliciousness of that idea but said that she wouldn't have time to make the dough. I piped up saying that I could make it. Seeing as Kim is a professional chef and I well ... burn things, she reasonably laughed. A lot. I tried to defend my capabilities by evidence of the last time I made dough but it had been so long that she didn't believe me. This made me so sad to realize that something I love, baking doughs and breads, hadn't been experienced in so long that it was forgotten. That week I made the pizza dough and the smell of the yeast mixed with the kneading of the dough and the anticipation of the rise brought it all back. Since then I have spent the past two Saturday mornings devoted to making bread. Such a calm, meditative, and satisfying time creating something from nothing. Plus, there is nothing like the taste of fresh made bread straight from the oven.
Another perk to living in SE Asia is insanely inexpensive spa treatments. I joined my friend Ashley on a weekend trip to her favorite spa to get pampered. I got an hour long full body massage that was on the rougher side (I had requested oil massage since they are not so rough but it got lost in communication) (cost $10). Then I enjoyed a “Shampoo” which I found out did not only consist of shampooing my hair but also a 30 minute head and shoulder massage that finished with a blow dry and style (cost $1.50). Afterwards we both got our nails done by a spectacular nail artist who did immaculate designs by hand (cost $6.50). It was such a fun afternoon! A treat that I never would have been able to afford in the States, my total cost was $18.00! A week after my spa day with Ashley, I was home with the roommates on a Saturday afternoon when the power went out for the whole neighborhood. I suggested that we take the opportunity to check out one of the many hair salons on our street. So we went across the road and found a place offering “Shampoos” for $3.00. After listening to them pump water from a hand pump in the back of the salon Kim, Shelly and I all enjoyed a (slightly rough) massage and (slightly chilly) shampoo. Luckily they had a generator that they turned on to blow dry our hair. Shelly also got a trim for $1.00.
We bought a rice cooker (one of the only things that didn't come with our apartment, a necessity in Asia) They are now selling frogs at the market. I ate my last bowl of honey nut cherieos from the stash I brought back from the States. It rained. A lot. We were reunited with our favorite expat family. Overall it has been a fantastic month reconnecting with friends and students. We have had dinner dates, night wanderings, rainy afternoons inside, school events, parties, and so much more! I am grateful to have the opportunity to continue working and living in this still confusing, still frustrating, still enigmatic place. I am happy to have a great place to live with great people making my day to day life so much easier. Here are a few random photos from different times throughout the month.
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Alisa & KimTwo expats living, teaching, and eating their way across this beautiful world Archives
October 2020
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