Chalk it up to bubbles

It was a nice Mother’s Day weekend for us.  It was lazyish and playful.  J got Kiddo some sidewalk chalk and bubbles, so there was some outside time and playing, but it also attracted the attention of some of the kids in the area and so Kiddo had some playmates.  I was on errands and cooking, but I was told that the kids playing ranged from some little ones ups to some of J’s 5th graders.  Chalk and bubbles… a hit for all ages.  We also had a day out and did lunch.  I then went to the grocery and the girls headed to the library to return and get some new books.  Kiddo was in her Kid Glory just chatting J up as they went.

I’ve just been adjusting to the bifocals.  It’s weird.  I can see clearly, but if I look quickly or have my head at a weird angle, it’s dizzying, because the lens shift.  I’m getting used to it, slowly, but it’s been an adjustment.  It is nice to be able to see far and near however.

Today, I’m at a new cafe that opened near us and I found lunch on the way.  J has told me about Noodle Guy and that I should try it.  It is well worth it.  I had some burn going on in my mouth for a while.  It’s a cold noodle dish and it’s just got this tangy, spicy, soy flavor to it.  The shredded cucumbers and fresh bean spouts give it a nice crunch.  I need to avoid the peanuts and that’s a bummer, but I’d rather not have future stomach problems with my diverticulitis.  

In updates on life, we replaced Everest with two new turtles.  They like hanging out under the platform, so I’ve not been able to get pics yet, but they are starting to come out more and more.  Not that I’ve remembered to get pics when they are out, but I think they are adjusting.  Once I can, I’ll get pics.  The new guys are named Nile and Amazon.  Kiddo has a way with names.

Also, drumming is done.  Kiddo liked it and wouldn’t mind picking it back up in the future, but for now she’s wanting to do other things.  She wanted to learn hand drumming and bongos, but the school didn’t teach that.  Kiddo might try a debate club or addition for a play.  Both are up in the air right now and we don’t need to decide this minute.  Unlike some of her friends, we don’t feel the need to shove her into groups and clubs 5 days a week.  We’d rather let her be a kid and explore what she wants.  Drums were fun and a cool skill to monkey with for a half year, but now she wants to try new things and that’s cool too.  Debate might flip her lid, it might not.  Being on stage might be a blast, it might not.  Go out and try.

Also, recently, I read something that Anthony Bourdain said, “Be a traveler, not a tourist.”  I thought that fit us pretty well.  Much like my noodles today, our market time in BKK, walking into random pho shops in Vietnam or finding the random market in Zahua and eating.  We travel places and explore them.  Take what they offer and try to find the local places, not the tourist places.  Even the coffee shop I’m in writing this…. It’s not an English friendly place.  I needed to use my (limited) Chinese to order or pantomime it.  I could, easily, get to a Peet’s or Starbucks and have a (somewhat) English speaking staff and a western experience.  Or, I can stay local and not pump money into mega conglomerates and corporations.  

We travel.  We explore.  We like walking into places and have the staff assume we are lost and then be amazed as we eat and act like a local and not some tourist.  We stay off the beaten path of the tourists and follow the beaten path of the locals.  In our experiences, the food is better and yes, we faux pas from time to time, but it’s nothing that is culturally disrespectful.  We’ve learned to laugh at ourselves when we make mistakes and just move on from them.  End of the day, I feel and gather that we are more respected for trying and not touristing.  We are recognized as giving our child an experience and not just McDonalds or something familiar, but we try and learn in that.  Besides, what better experience to give her… A willingness to try, to explore, and to take in a culture and not just judge it as different and, therefore, strange, wrong, or incompatible.  

Let’s go, Kiddo…. We will see the world as it is laid out for us.  We have about 6 weeks until we get to the Avatar Mountains and take a ride on one of the high speed trains.  Then, we get to explore and experience more newness, more areas of China, and another small little piece of this rock we live on.  As time goes on, we will see more and more, experience more, and explore more.  Let’s take the time to fill up the passport we got and then more after that.