We just spent three days in Singapore. Kris says it is very swank...too swank probably! Jana says it is very organized. There are signs that say how long anything and everything is gonna take and it is not rounded to the nearest five-minute interval, it is like "17 minutes" and "3 minutes" etc.
To understand the next analogy you have to understand that "jeruk Bali" is pomelo, a very yummy fruit that the kids have discovered they love to eat.
Upon leaving Singapore, Aaron described it like this, "Singapore is like a rich brownie. A brownie tastes great, but you can't eat too much of it. Indonesia is like jeruk Bali. Jeruk Bali has a little bitter after-taste, but it's addicting!"
Ah yes! Indonesia is addicting! We were glad to get back home!
Monday, April 25, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Singapore
We had to make a quick trip to Singapore to get new visas for our work here. We had one full day to do something...So we decided to go to...
The Singapore Zoo! We took a taxi, a train and a bus and arrived for a fun day. So we took a picture in front of the main entrance...then we entered...
Crack! Boom! A thunderstorm hit!
After trying to wait it out, we forked out a little more money and bought neon ponchos!
And we toured the zoo in ponchos in the rain!
Though it was wet and we felt like plastic ghosts floating from one exhibit to the next, we had a great time and will definitely always remember our day at the
Singapore Zoo!
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Now What?
Kris and I are finished with language study! Woohoo! Well, "official" language study that is. My language study buddies accuse me of spending my time eating bon bons and watching Indonesian soap operas all day now. Thanks guys. In addition to those gripping "sinetron" episodes, we are also getting ready for our big move. Did you see the countdown over there on the right side of the page? Yup, the countdown is on.
This week Kris is attending a training so he is gone all week. He is on a steep learning curve, but is loving it. I am the sole captain of the ship this week which, I have discovered, is much easier now that the kids are older. My only problem so far is keeping enough food around to fill up three boys' bellies. Don't they ever tire of eating? Today I am going to the grocery store to load up.
So this week while Kris is gone, I have dedicated my time to preparing for homeschooling next year. Nope, folks, I have never homeschooled before. Well, I did homeschool A while we were in the States for 7 months, but that was it. This time I will be diving in with all three boys at once. Grades 7, 5 and 3. I am a research junkie, so I cannot be accused of not researching the topic enough. In fact, several years ago I thought we'd be moving to the middle of the desert (that's a long story for any of you who don't know our history) and that I would be homeschooling. I did TONS of research back then. So I am not starting at square one in the information department. At any rate, here's what I've done to get myself prepared:
1. HOURS of research online, asking friends, perusing catalogs and lots of prayer for wisdom.
2. Hours of changing my mind on curriculum and going back to #1 again.
3. Finally choosing a curriculum (well, several) and ordering ALOT of material.
4. Asking my parents to bring all that "ALOT"ness from #3 when they came last month (thanks Mom and Dad!)
5. Receiving the material, getting all giddy with excitement, stamping the books with my handy dandy new "homeschool material" stamp, then repacking alot of it into boxes to be shipped to our new home in a few months.
6. Figuring out how I am going to organize myself once school gets started. That included a general "plan of action" and I even made my own Excel spreadsheet that calculates the grades for all subjects by 6 week periods and then puts the final grade on a seperate "report card" sheet. I know, I'm a nerd.
7. I think I am ready. You know why I did all of this so early? Well, our schedule is insanely crazy between now and August and I wasn't sure I'd have time for preparation before it is time for school to start. I like to be prepared. Now I am.
The other things we need to do in the next couple of months is to get our paperwork in order (visa to stay here), pack up our belongings (and weed through all the stuff we've collected since we moved here last year), and find a house to move into in July. I suspect Kris will be spending much of his time studying and getting up to speed on what he needs to know for his new assignment. He is excited about it, so this is definitely not "drudgery" for him.
So that's it in a nutshell. That's what we are doing when we aren't eating bon bons and watching soaps! :)
This week Kris is attending a training so he is gone all week. He is on a steep learning curve, but is loving it. I am the sole captain of the ship this week which, I have discovered, is much easier now that the kids are older. My only problem so far is keeping enough food around to fill up three boys' bellies. Don't they ever tire of eating? Today I am going to the grocery store to load up.
So this week while Kris is gone, I have dedicated my time to preparing for homeschooling next year. Nope, folks, I have never homeschooled before. Well, I did homeschool A while we were in the States for 7 months, but that was it. This time I will be diving in with all three boys at once. Grades 7, 5 and 3. I am a research junkie, so I cannot be accused of not researching the topic enough. In fact, several years ago I thought we'd be moving to the middle of the desert (that's a long story for any of you who don't know our history) and that I would be homeschooling. I did TONS of research back then. So I am not starting at square one in the information department. At any rate, here's what I've done to get myself prepared:
1. HOURS of research online, asking friends, perusing catalogs and lots of prayer for wisdom.
2. Hours of changing my mind on curriculum and going back to #1 again.
3. Finally choosing a curriculum (well, several) and ordering ALOT of material.
4. Asking my parents to bring all that "ALOT"ness from #3 when they came last month (thanks Mom and Dad!)
5. Receiving the material, getting all giddy with excitement, stamping the books with my handy dandy new "homeschool material" stamp, then repacking alot of it into boxes to be shipped to our new home in a few months.
6. Figuring out how I am going to organize myself once school gets started. That included a general "plan of action" and I even made my own Excel spreadsheet that calculates the grades for all subjects by 6 week periods and then puts the final grade on a seperate "report card" sheet. I know, I'm a nerd.
7. I think I am ready. You know why I did all of this so early? Well, our schedule is insanely crazy between now and August and I wasn't sure I'd have time for preparation before it is time for school to start. I like to be prepared. Now I am.
The other things we need to do in the next couple of months is to get our paperwork in order (visa to stay here), pack up our belongings (and weed through all the stuff we've collected since we moved here last year), and find a house to move into in July. I suspect Kris will be spending much of his time studying and getting up to speed on what he needs to know for his new assignment. He is excited about it, so this is definitely not "drudgery" for him.
So that's it in a nutshell. That's what we are doing when we aren't eating bon bons and watching soaps! :)
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Bye to Lola and Papa
Last week we drove to the capital city and bid my parents goodbye. Goodbyes are always hard, but for me they are over-shadowed by the gratefulness I feel that we got to have them come and visit us for a whole month. We really packed in the fun and memories. We have a lot to be thankful for!
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