Hannah picks out her own clothes, often more than once a day. It is a treat to see what she comes out wearing. During one Skype with my parents she changed 4 times!

We enjoyed a fun day out playing with friends. Playing darts, riding carts, trying new foods, made a great time for all!

Hannah’s school took a trip to an apple orchard in the mountains. I was so glad, too. My mom and dad had just sent me photos of the apple tree behind their house, so I loved being able to participate in the fall with them.

Hannah is wearing a dress a local friend made her and she wanted “apple hair” that day, so I obliged.
At the end of the day, there was an apple carving contest and we won second place!

Joshua started soccer this season, we were so pleased to have found a team out here! Culturally, walking on grass is taboo, so it had been awhile since we had enjoyed this.

One week after I gave the kids their allowance, Joshua walked by a used electronics store to find parts to build with. When the shop owner realized that Joshua didn’t care if the item was broken, he pulled out an old VCR. SOLD! Joshua delighted in taking it apart. Hannah, not to be outdone, bought a calculator phone.

Joshua passed a milestone tonight!  The losing of his first (second, actually) tooth!  We began a new family tradition.  Instead of the Tooth Fairy, everyone gets a popsicle. Quite tasty!

Hannah attends a national kindergarten where she learns songs and dances and receives excellent care. Sometimes too excellent.

A few weeks ago, the English teacher from the school called to say Hannah needed her “mummy”, and something about a red ear. I phoned David in his class and he left immediately. My house helper and I rushed (3 blocks) to the school to see what was the matter. The teachers showed me the saloon style doors into the classroom that had previously worn metal handles (now removed) and went to the class where the English teacher was having a lesson. I said... “Where IS Hannah?” Without a word, the administrator who was with me pointed out of the window at a nearby hospital. That is what I mean by too excellent.

Well, we hustled over to the hospital and found Hannah in her teacher’s arms, just exiting the hospital registration. Our school carries insurance on each child just in case of these circumstances. I took Hannah (the teacher gave her up reluctantly) and followed the three escorts from the school up to the 6th floor, pediatrics. I was relieved to have my house helper and dear friend who translated from the doctor to me by using her phone to type out characters back and forth (instead of a pad of paper). David arrived: alcohol, iodine, gauze and we were done. They wanted to give her a shot, but I politely refused, “It’s just not my culture”.

Most hospital or clinic visits include an IV and a shot. One weekend my house helper returned from a visit to see her folks and filled me in. “I had 4 IVs and 2 shots because I had a sore throat. Huh? Just a different culture!

On our way home, the three escorts from Hannah’s school informed me that they would stop by tonight to check on her. I quizzed my house helper, “Does this mean I should fix dinner? When will they come? What should I expect?” So when 6 o’oclock rolled around, I had tidied the house, prepared snacks and drinks, and laid out house shoes. David went down to meet the incoming party and sent me a text, “Ten people coming!” Sure enough, our living room was soon full of people!

Hannah offered them soy beans and chips and everyone politely refused until I offered again. Then each person took one chip.
I had gone shopping and picked up a plant to thank the administrator for helping us with Hannah, but when I asked the English teacher who to give it to, he quickly corrected me. “Don’t give a gift unless you have one for everyone.” Oh no! I thought. So they left and I texted back and forth with the English teacher and go the whole gift thing straightened out. Turns out, he was concerned that I not overlook “Teacher’s Day” on the following day. No problem. He also suggested I give a gift to Joshua’s former teacher as well, advice which I took as I reflected on how much extra work he was for her in the classroom.

Two weeks later, Hannah’s ear is completely healed, but will always have a scar. The school has a very polite thank you note from us, that also outlines in no uncertain terms that she is not to be taken to any hospital without an adult, and that no immunizations, medications or even vitamins will be administered. “It’s just our culture.”

Joshua and Hannah dressed up for a friend’s birthday party in national attire. I was tickled because I talked 40% of the seller’s prices for the outfits.

Hannah and Joshua began school this week. Joshua at an English speaking, international school and Hannah at a nearby preschool in the majority language. Both were very excited to start the new year (Hannah packed her bag gleefully). Hannah’s school provides three meals a day and Joshua’s school has us make luches and provide snacks. Hannah’s school is completely in the majority language here, but has English classes and Joshua’s school is in English but provides classes in the majority language. Hannah’s school is 3 blocks away, Joshua’s school is a 30 minute van ride. At Hannah’s school I visit to see what she is doing during the day and I have teacher’s notes home translated. At Joshua’s school he has homework 3 times a week and parents are encouraged to volunteer in the classroom. Hannah’s school is ages 2-7 for 10 hours a day, Joshua’s school is ages 4-17 for 7 hours a day. Hannah’s classmates are all nationals and Joshua’s classmates are all internationals. We are so grateful for the opportunity for our children to attend schools that are meeting their specific Third Culture Kid needs and giving them the niches they need to find friendship and belonging.

My trips to Hannah’s school are usually quite different than I expect. Like the day I packed sunscreen and snacks for a “parent’s event” and it turned out to be parent teacher conferences. Or the time I was invited to Hannah’s class and all the parents stood around and watched their children eat breakfast, take turns going potty, and basically cry for their parents who were standing off to the side, because it was ‘observation day’. Monday was Hannah’s first day back to school and her teacher came up to me and said there would be a trip on Tuesday and I was invited to go. She told me the name of the place, but I couldn’t understand her. So I packed water and a camera and Hannah and I set off the next day. Hannah usually comes home for the day after lunch, and I pretty much planned on doing so. Other students stay at the school until 6pm after dinner has been served. I was greatly shocked to see that chartered busses were waiting for us and we embarked on an hour and a half ride to a dinosaur park. Needless to say, I was not returning home early from this parents’ outing! This park was so new that all of the trees had been brought in, including the largest banyan tree I had ever seen moved. Many of the dinosaur skeletons were dated as having been excavated just 13 months ago! One building housed almost a hundred complete dinosaur skeletons and had glassed floors so we could watch current archeological excavations. One building displayed a life-sized, motorized T-Rex (Hannah was terrified and clung to my leg), a surround movie with a moving floor, and a gift shop where we bought Hannah a stuffed stegosaurus. Hannah’s friend Pao Pao (“Pow Pow”) who spent the day with us got a green brontosaurus. We learned the word for “moon cake” when our friends shared a little meat cake wrapped in paper famous for its September holiday. We returned home after our 10 hour field trip, David encouraged me that this was the field trip I had been waiting for all this time. And he was right!

The kids’ national school is of the highest quality care, and we have been very pleased with their language development during the time they were there. Here you can follow them on their way to school and through their morning exercises.

Joshua has been really interested recently in electronics. He took apart his Cars watch and his head phones before we caught on to this interest. Our friend Kathy said she actually bought an old cassette player to teach how to take things apart. Not a bad idea. So the next day I was in a toy store looking for something that had a motor or a light or something and found just about the best thing I could have. An electronics set. It comes with a siren, two lights and multiple switches. Circuits are formed with connecting snaps. It has been a great point of connection for my dad and my son, talking circuits and making plans.

Hannah was running along behind Joshua and I after a trip to MacDonalds one day, and fell flat on her face. She was holding a toy in her hand which I think she was trying to save in her fall. I immediately took emergency measures: I bought her a popsicle. Arriving home, we called a local American dentist who turned out to be not answering his phone. So I headed out to the unthinkable, to visit a national dentist. Halfway there, our local dentist friend called me back and had me turn the taxi around. The driver was quite confused and muttered all the way back to my apartment. Hannah was fast asleep. When we got home, he checked on her tooth and said he would wait a week to make any decision. Teeth can be knocked loose temporarily, then firm up over time. It is ironic, this tooth is the same one that Joshua had pulled when he fell on it at the age of two!

Last week we were at a training event all day. The kids came, too. Occupied in their separate room, they colored, watched movies, joined us for snacks, and Hannah cut her own hair. That night I took out her hair ties and was brushing her hair, oblivious to what she had done. Great locks of hair came out in my hand (ok,she probably cut a patch the size of a dime). I asked her, what happened, and she replied, "I have a rat tail, like Joshua".

Joshua has joined the throngs of bicyclists in our country, on a two wheeler! He learned in a day, in a few hours, having practiced with training wheels since he was two and a half. Here he is with Hannah, she is riding as passengers often do on bicycles.

Equipped with orange Home Depot aprons, the kids are creating Easter Eggs on our new furniture. Joshua's tongue helps him concentrate. Hannah offers to paint the camera.

Rat Tail... in the year of the rat.
Joshua has wanted a haircut like this for quite some time. I just had to get over my visions of the 1980's and recognize that he wanted to be like his friends at school! He says when it grows longer he will knot it and look like the guy in Fearless (the movie). You must see this. I must take a photo...

TCK stands for Third Culture Kid. This means that a child has experiences in both a home culture and a host culture, but is at home somewhere in the middle. Hannah speaks English, has American family, and looks American. However, she was potty trained on squatty potties and sits on the lap of any grandma or grandpa on the bus who offers it (as long as mommy is nearby).

Joshua cracked himself up the day he wanted to eat spaghetti with chopsticks. "I am a third culture kid!" he offered as an explanation. This is a perfect analogy of being neither exclusively of one culture or the other, but a combination of the two: third culture.

One Saturday I took the kids to Bird Lake. Joshua bought a bow and suction arrows, Hannah bought a big red ball, and I bought bird food to throw at the thousands of sea gulls that migrate through. It was a BEAUTIFUL day and we had a great time walking around. We did have a man who persisted in taking our photos. Three different times I saw him doing so and put the big red ball in front of my face. But the third time I had had enough. Pushing subtlety aside, I used the words I knew: "Don't want!" I spoke like a child in preschool. He walked off repeating my phrase to his wife, amazed that I would not want to be photographed. It seemed to him as amazing as if a sea gull or a flower had reacted with distain.

And then, as if the day could not get any more perfect, Joshua got to walk on water (now that IS perfect!). See the video under Joshua's Corner.

I played in refrigerator boxes when I was little.
How fun to cut windows and doors in these boxes for our children now.
Washing machine and fridge came. We smell better now and can eat at home. Smile.

Hannah spends quality time with her thumb.

Busted.


The architect/designer.