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)
I’d like to tell you what day of quarantine this is but honestly I’ve lost count, maybe day 10, or 11, or 32, or 87?? What I do know is that we are nearing the end and I am so grateful for that. I wouldn’t want to admit to you how many hours of these days I’ve spent in front of a device and I’m honestly a little worried about my transition back into the real world. But I’m excited, that is certain. Week two of quarantine has been filled with meetings for school, binge watching Shark Tank (I have no idea why, I’ve never been into the show but apparently it is my quarantine companion), and trying to figure out where I will live when I am released. The days are blurring into each other and this strange life I’m living is starting to feel normal - which is concerning because it is anything but. My school continues to care for us in so many ways, like delivering these potted flowers to brighten up our rooms and celebrate the second week of quarantine. I’ve started ordering a few meals in to change it up from the fried rice and noodles. I’ve had delicious pizza, some vegan food, and tasty Indian food. I’m excited at what the city has to offer not only for Vietnamese options but International cuisine as well. I’ve also been able to order in a few ciders which have all been sooo good! International food and ciders were pretty rare in Istanbul (surprisingly) but seem to be readily available here. Virtual orientation started on Tuesday, which was a welcome event. I got to meet my new Elementary Specialists Team and talk with some of the colleagues I’ll be working with. We had a great PD session about Assessment that challenged some of my past practices and gave me some food for thought on what I want to change in the future. These have been so helpful to get me into the school mind-set. It’s a strange mix of trying to prepare for only a few days from now, while it still feels so distant. Thankfully, each administrator at my school has made it abundantly clear that our wellbeing is their top priority. Because as we all know, we cannot care for others if we have not first cared for ourselves. They often use the analogy of putting on our own oxygen masks first. They have really gone out of their way to live the values they believe in as a school community. Fabulous news: Penny arrived safely to Saigon on Friday! We had to hire an international pet transport company to move her from Istanbul to Saigon. It cost us an arm and a leg but I’m so glad that it is done and it all went smoothly. She is now enjoying her time at a highly recommended boarding house where she will be rolling in the mud until I can go get her. She also has been barking a lot at the dogs who are playing, she prefers them to settle down and behave, so she has been moved to the small dog play time where she runs around with little old dogs. A huge stress has been lifted for us and I’m so glad that 2 out of the 3 of us are in the same country.
Kim is set to fly in within the next couple days. We are hoping that none of the flights get cancelled like last time, and that she will be in Vietnam before the week’s end. She is saying her goodbyes again and taking a few last trips around Istanbul. For me, I’ll have my final COVID test on day 14 then will (hopefully) be released when the results come in after a day or two. When I do get out I’ve rented an airbnb for a few weeks to give me time to look for a permanent apartment. The start date for school is on Thursday the 13th so I’ll be hitting the ground running for sure. Wish me luck!
I’ve made it to Vietnam. I’ve been waiting to say those words for months now, unsure if I ever would be able to. Moving continents mid worldwide pandemic is not for the faint of heart, that’s for sure. It was back in November when we excitedly signed my contract at Saigon South International School, a top tier school in the amazing South East Asian metropolis of Ho Chi Minh City. Kim was over the moon about moving to Vietnam, a place she has been itching to get back to ever since we visited back in 2015. I was convinced by the top notch reputation of the school and the phenomenal benefits package that it came with (including worldwide health insurance and yearly flights for both myself AND Kim). We were ready. That was, until Coronavirus took over the earth and threw us into an ocean of uncertainty. From March to June we rode the waves of emotions. I saw countless other international teachers’ contracts get cut due to countries shutting down, watched as the cases soured and boarders closed. We grasped blindly at any smidge of information we could get. I begun to cling to Istanbul, my friends there, and my belongings. Not wanting to let any of it go for a world of unknown. Kim was a rock during this time, or at least we were able to take turns being so in order to support each other’s troubled mental states. Thankfully my new school, SSIS, was a shinning light during this period. They pulled out all the stops to support us, holding weekly video meetings, sending countless emails to keep us in the loop, and relentlessly working the Vietnamese government to get us in the country. I headed back to the US at the end of June to take care of a few things and visit with family while Kim remained in Istanbul until we figured out what to do with our dear dog, Penny. Vietnam was doing a spectacular job at keeping COVID at bay, having only 270 cases in the entire country and not a new one in months. As fabulous as this is, it made it all the more difficult for my school to get us into the country since the boarders are still closed (no commercial flights in or out). After weeks/months of waiting, finally the word came that SSIS chartered a flight from Seoul, Korea. I would fly ahead and then Kim would (hopefully) follow shortly after on a different flight chartered from London. It didn’t feel real until just a day or two before I was set to fly. Only when the trip was in my grasps did I allow myself to begin thinking beyond just the arrival stage. I packed and repacked my bags at least 5 times, unable to have the mental capacity to make decisions between what items to bring. I spent every second with family. I said goodbyes for another year. And before I knew it I was sitting alone at my departure gate. I know there is a lot of curiosity around traveling right now so I wanted to share my journey. In total, from leaving my Dad’s house in Maine to arriving in my hotel room in Saigon, it took 42 hours. Firstly, I needed to get a COVID test done a few days before I left. Then I took off from Portland to Detroit, a fairly uneventful quick flight at only 2 hours. I had a 5 hour layover where I staked claim to a very comfortable sofa that I snoozed on a bit in between catching up with video chats with friends. When checking in for my flight from Detroit to Seoul, the airline agents were very skeptical. Their system showed that Vietnam’s boarders were still closed. I showed them my itinerary for my chartered flight and my Visa approval letter. They discussed between themselves as I armed up for a fight, but then shrugged and said that it would be up to the airport in Seoul. Thankfully, I knew there were going to be travel agent representatives waiting for me there. Relieved, I settled in for my 14 hour flight. After resting, movie watching, and some surprisingly good food (including a mini container of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream), I stepped off the plane in Seoul to find an escort waiting for me. He brought me through the back entrances and into a completely empty and closed terminal. There I found, for the first time, many of my colleagues, along with teachers from two of the other schools in town. We spent the layover time getting to know each other and sharing tales from our transit. Before long, it was time to board the final flight to Vietnam. The airline personnel handed us full coveralls for the flight. We looked like a scene from an apocalypse movie as we all boarded. We had some trouble taking off and ended up on the runway for an extra hour or two but honestly, I was so tired I spent the whole time - plus the 5 hour flight - sleeping. The great thing about flying during a pandemic is that the planes are flying at half capacity or less which means I have the whole row to myself to lay down on : ) Arriving in Ho Chi Minh was surreal, I spent so long stressing about getting here, I think it is going to take a bit for my brain to catch up with the fact that I finally made it. The airline and airport crew wore fully protective equipment the whole time, which was crazy because it was hot! Oh, I should mention here that I also wore a mask for the entire duration of the transit, only taking it off to eat or drink. We waited a few hours for them to process our visas, all of us sitting around getting to know each other. Finally we were allowed to enter. I was so happy to see all of my bags waiting for me on the other side! A part of me was convinced that they would get lost in the tricky transit. We didn’t need to wait much longer before we were bussed to the local IBIS hotel (only a few minutes from the airport). We picked up our keys to our rooms and the COVID procedures we are expected to follow. We need to now complete a 14 day quarantine in the hotel. We are allowed to leave our rooms only to go in the hallway (the entire floor is quarantined off for only us). Thankfully we have a delicious menu of room service meals that will be brought to us when we call three times a day (plus snacks and drink options!). My school prepared this lovely welcome basket for me in the room filled with Vietnamese snacks. I took a quick shower and recorded my temperature (something I will need to do twice a day for the length of my stay). I ordered breakfast and then was requested out in the hall for our first COVID test. It was an easy throat and nose swab that was done in seconds. Back at my room, I found my first meal waiting for me, Vietnamese vegetable and tofu soup. It was delicious and I’m excited to continue having it for breakfast - I just have to remember to ask them to leave out the spicy green chillies haha So that’s the update. I’ve made it to Vietnam. We are awaiting word on Kim’s flight and then will be able to arrange for Penny’s transit in as well. I’ll spend the next two weeks participating in an online orientation and planning for teaching, since we will begin school only two days after I get out of quarantine. Plus finding us a place to live and anxiously waiting on Kim & Penny’s arrivals. I can’t believe that I am actually here and this chapter, that I agonized over for the past few months, has finally begun. I hope you are ready for more blog posts because I’m sure I will have so much to share from this land of Vietnam!
Thinking back to the moments that made up 2016 makes my heart swell because they were filled with adventure, laughter, travel, family, new experiences, delicious food, friends, and all of the things that make my soul happy. Kim and I were lucky enough to start our third year living abroad as I continued to teach High School Art as well as starting as a Technology Integration Specialist at the elementary level of an International School in Yangon, Myanmar. We spent the first half of the year in our apartment we shared with two dear friends, then I spent the beginning of the summer becoming a certified yoga teacher before sharing the rest of the summer with my family in Maine, and returning to Southeast Asia in the fall, traveling in bits throughout the whole year. I still enjoy going back to visit my 14 Adventures of 2014 blog post as a little peek into that year of exciting changes so I thought I would return to the idea and create another reminiscent post for 2016. So here it is, 16 Epic Parts of 2016: 16. Cruising into New Years in VietnamKim and I woke up on the first morning of 2016 to the sound of the ocean lapping against our boat as we cruised through Halong Bay, one of Vietnam’s most beautiful landforms. The limestone crests jutted out of the water to every side of us as we peacefully sailed along into the new year. After that we found our way up into the mountains of Sapa and spent days motor biking the chilly twisting mountain roads. What a way to start out the year! 15. Biggest Buddha in the World When we do my dream road trip across the US I am going to have to plan lots of extra time because I am a sucker for “biggest in the world” things. Let’s be honest here, who isn’t? Okay, maybe it’s just me. Nonetheless, when we visited the quiet Myanmar town of Hpa-An I heard that there was the biggest reclining Buddha in the World just a short ways away and I was sold. Of course we HAD to go see it. I also thought it was a great idea to take the scenic route which ended up being a very long, very dusty, dirt road. Our motorbike was not impressed (nor was the driver – Kim). Just as the sun was setting we managed to pull into Win Sein Taw Ya and it was quite the spectacular site. This paired with a weekend of cave exploring and motorbiking with friends made for a memorable time. 14. Our First No Plans Trip 10 days and no plans, that’s how our trip to the Philippines started in April. With nothing booked besides our plane tickets, we backpacked our way through the Philippine island of Luzon where we hiked to see hanging coffins, ate empanadas on the cobblestone streets of Vigan, and enjoyed to waves of Pagudpud. Although it was not the “perfect” vacation that I could have neatly planned, it was worth it in so many surprise ways. 13. Solo Art Exhibition In May I completed one of my top artistic goals, to host my first Solo Art Exhibition. The body of work was a series of digitally manipulated (glitched) photographs of Myanmar culture. Since this country is still not completely free (earlier this year a man was imprisoned for using an image of Buddha in a bar advertisement), I held the show in a private location as invitation only. The completion of the show was also intended to model the process of exhibiting your work as a working artist for my advanced art students who also had to host similar shows on their own. 12. Yoga Training in the Indian Mountains I’m not sure how to summarize the life-affirming experience of yoga training in one simple paragraph so please head over a read the long version of my month in India learning the traditional and modern approaches to yoga. After a month of practicing, learning anatomy, questioning everything through philosophy, and more practicing, I accepted my yoga teacher certification as a full fledge yoga instructor. 11. Megan’s Nashville Bash Directly after yoga training I flew from India straight to Nashville, Tennessee where the beautiful Meg was parting away with her fantastic gang of girls. It was a weekend of cowboy boots, honkey tonks, and tons of drinking. Unfortunately for me it also included catching some sickness on the plane and being in bed for a good chunk of the time. Nonetheless, it was a time to remember, cowboy hats and all. 10. 2 Weeks (2 Short) in Maine Such a short amount of time but in just two weeks I squeezed in SO much love, laughter, and memories. For what felt like a blink of an eye, I was surrounded by all of my favorite people and just thinking about the long summer days we spent camping, BBQing, lounging around, and just hanging out fills me with so much happiness. 09. Meatless Me Okay, this one is not one moment in time but it is HUGE and deserves a slot; half way through the 2016 year I decided to no longer eat meat. It is something that I have considered for some time for many reasons, health wise, ethics wise, and environmental wise. It has had its challenges but for the most part has been rather easy thanks to the goddess that is my wife who has taken on my vegetarianism as inspiration and is constantly concocting delicious new meatless creations. Mainly I feel like I am living less in duality now, that my beliefs match my actions, and that makes my soul happy. 08. Maine Island Clam Bake Cabbage Island is a small piece of land just of the coast of Boothbay harbor, Maine. It is also the location of one of the oldest Clam Bake traditions in the North East. Kim and I spent an afternoon with her family, Robin and Steve, sailing about the coast before enjoying lobster, clams, corn, potatoes, onions, and other goodies that were cooked under a blanket of seaweed. Nothing tastes more like Maine than that! 07. Road Trip Around Israel What is better than a summer road trip? How about a summer road trip with three of your favorite people!? How about a summer road trip with three of your favorite people discovering a new country!? On our way back to Southeast Asia in July, Kim and I stopped in Israel to visit my sister Amanda and her husband Josh (who were there while Amanda completed a summer program and internship for her Law degree). Our short visit brought an overflow of fun as we road tripped around Israel. We explored the city of Tel Aviv, walked through the streets of Jeruselum, stopped to ride a camel in the Judaian desert, awed at the mini grand canyon in Ramon Crater, and took a mud bath in the dead sea. I don’t think there were another four days this year that were filled with more fun, exploration, exciting new things, adventure, or love. 06. Meandering Through a Japanese Garden I did not expect to find peacefulness when I went to the giant city of Hong Kong for a work conference in September, actually I didn’t expect to like it all that much. Fortunately, both of those were way off. Hong Kong is a fascinating city with so much uniqueness, all of which I enjoyed very much. My favorite part of it though was not the huge shopping centers or the bustling streets, but rather a quiet little park called Nan Lian Garden which echoed that of a Japanese Tea Garden. I had learned about these in my college Asian Art History class. The pathways are twisted and uneven to purposefully induce slow walking. Landscapes are created to produce the most picture perfect views with every branch and stone as an intentional brushstroke in the most stunning painting. Water is trickling and soft music is drifting through the leaves adding to the meditative atmosphere. Asian gardens are not manicured pieces of land, they are living art work experiences. 05. Snorkeling in the Andaman Sea With such an exciting year, Kim and I decided to take our “fall” break and chill out on some of the best beaches in the world. Lucky for us these are found right next door in southern Thailand. We spent the week snorkeling off Koh Phi Phi, enjoying the sunset on Railay beach in Krabi, soaking in the natural hot springs, and adventuring around. The most memorable time for me being the spectacularly turquoise blue waters that were so stunning in color it was almost unbelievable. 04. Half Marathon Trail Run Sometimes I get some crazy idea in my head and it just sticks. I’m trying to go along with my life and it is sitting over in the corner of my brain tapping its fingers, waiting for me to pay attention to it. This was one of those ideas. On a warm November morning I spent 3+ hours running 13.1 miles through the mud on trails in the Myanmar mountains to complete my first ever half marathon. My legs were shaking but my smile could not have been bigger when I crossed the finish line to a greeting of friends and congratulations. It took a lot of hard work, early mornings, and focused training, but I did it! 03. Yee Ping Mass Lantern Release When I first decided to move to Asia I began a list of interesting places to visit and three years later I have forgotten everything on that list except for this one. It took a few years to manage the timing and to get ahold of tickets but it was worth the long wait. On the November full moon I joined hundreds of others on the outskirts of Chiang Mai, Thialand, in a mass release of sky lanterns and it was the most breathtaking sight I believe I have ever seen. 02. A Month on the Indonesian Islands I didn’t have a lot of expectations, or plans, when we got on the plane for our winter vacation in Indonesia but by the time we left three weeks later I was head over heals about the string of islands. Starting off on Java we adventured to the highest peaks at the top of Mt. Bromo, an active volcano, then down into the blue lake Ijen Crater to view the blue fire alight from the sulfur gases. By the time we got to the island of Bali we more than enjoyed a much needed rest at our friends Ashley and Matt’s villa. The day after Christmas we grabbed a motorbike and hit the road to spend two weeks cruising along the coast, up the mountains, through the rice terraces, and by the temple towns of Bali. We spent New Years at a black sand beach, saw dolphins, got drenched in a mountain down pour, enjoyed mornings of yoga and monkey walks, and so much more. I can see now why Bali stays in the heart of so many, it has a way of rooting down into your soul. 01. 2nd Year Anniversary 2016 was a year of epic proportions filled with more adventures than most people get to experience in a lifetime and I am so very grateful to call this my life. Yet, not one of these moments would have been half as amazing if I didn’t have my beautiful wife by my side. Her constant encouragement and support through all of my dreams, big and small, makes my life so much fuller. Whatever plan or crazy idea I conjure up is always met with a Yes! My travel companion, my fearless motorbike driver, and my goddess of a chef; the one who always makes me laugh (even when it’s the last thing I want to do) I am so thankful to have celebrated two full years of marriage this year. I read somewhere once that if you love someone, travel with them, for then you will know their true self; happily I can say that I have found someone who loves my truest self right back and that is the most epic part of them all.
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Alisa & KimTwo expats living, teaching, and eating their way across this beautiful world Archives
October 2020
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