catch you on the flip side

Over these past couple of weeks of traveling around Southeast Asia, I’ve found myself taking photos for future “daily(ish)” pictures and making Jules wait to eat until I’ve snapped a pic of her food each meal. I still find myself writing little posts in my head as leave this sight or that, making mental notes on what I thought about it so I could later share it with you. Old habits are hard to break, but after much thought, I’ve decided this is the end of the story. At least this particular one.

I’ve been writing for over 4 years about our lives. It has been amazing to share it all with our loved ones back home and new friends, some we’ve never even met. It has been a labor of love and sometimes just a labor. For those of you who blog, you know what I mean. I am thankful to have these memories recorded and to have shared them with you.

I can’t begin to sum up these past few years. When I think about how they are ending in just under 12 hours, I am overcome with emotions. I have said it before and I’ll say it again- it is time. We both feel it and we both know within the depths of our bones that we will miss traveling, but our next adventure is at home.

I want to end all of this by answering the question we get most. It is the question that almost every single person in our lives and those we meet asks…

“What is the most amazing/awesome/favorite/incredible thing you’ve seen?”

I’ve been unsuccessfully working on a collection of short stories about our travels. I always need a bit of perspective about things before I can write about them or at least that’s my excuse for not having gotten very far.

I’m going to share with you a very short excerpt from what will be the final chapter in my book. Yes, I realize working on the final chapter before even finishing the first one is a little odd, but hey, you should know I’m not that conventional by now. Anyway, it answers that question.

…

Each time I try to focus on what it is exactly that we have come away with from all this, my mind swirls around and around, but ultimately lands on the same thing- an overwhelmingly deep appreciation for human kindness.

Human kindness has allowed us to see the world. It is the one thing that I have found in every single corner of the globe. Without fail.

When I say human kindness has allowed us to see the world, I mean it in the most literal sense. Living in places foreign to you, where you don’t know the culture, don’t know the language- you find yourself completely reliant on the kindness of strangers.

The guy behind the wheel of the taxi takes you where you need to go. Eventually, anyway.

A waiter smiles and helps you decipher the menu and points you to the best dishes.

People on the street see your look of complete confusion and help you find your way.

The tour guide shares his culture, his people’s history and takes a thousand and two photos of you along the way.

The cashier at the store helps you count out coins on the counter to pay the correct amount.

People you’ve known for just a few weeks listening, sharing your joys and your sad times, filling in as family when yours is so far away.

Strangers overhear your conversation and suggest a better way, a better sight to see, a cheaper way to get there.

The receptionist at the doctor’s office laughs and puts you as ease as you both struggle to fill out the paperwork.

People all over the world have granted us patience, have lent us their hand and have helped us in a million ways. Without them, without their kindness, we would have never seen all we’ve seen, never experienced all we have or enjoyed it as much as we did.

We are different. We speak different languages. We wear different clothes. We eat different foods. We listen to different music. We worships different versions of God. We value different things. We live different lives.

Yet, we are all human. Even if our stripes are different, we recognize ourselves in one another and we honor that innate drive to take care of our own.

It has been a humbling experience to be on the receiving end of so much kindness. It is truly the most awe-inspiring thing we have seen in this world. By far.

…

Thank you for reading, for humoring me and for being such a big part of all this.

xoxo,

MAV

the daily(ish)

I was blessed with the opportunity to cross off two more things from my Life List during these last few days of  2011…

#100- See Angkor Wat…

and

#101- Spend a day with an elephant in Chiang Mai, Thailand…

Both were just as amazing as I had hoped that would be.  2011 was truly a great year.  

I’m really looking forward to what 2012 has in store for us, obviously a lot less travel, but I’m sure a whole lot of wonderful as well. 

May you all have a healthy, peaceful and joyful New Year.

xoxo,

MAV

the daily(ish)

We missed Christmas at home this year.  It was a decision that really weighed heavily on us because we’ve never missed a Christmas before and we really miss our family and friends. It was tough being away from loved ones, it is for a lot of the holidays we miss during the year.  The good part was knowing that this would be the very last holiday away from them since we’re moving home in just a few days.

Christmas wasn’t too Christmas-y for us.  We traveled most of the day on Christmas Eve and thanks to a couple of delayed flights, we missed out on what was going to be a fairly traditional Christmas meal.  We spent Christmas day on a tour, we didn’t exchange presents and we ate Thai for dinner that night.  We did sit up singing carols to each other, laughing at how many we didn’t actually know the words to and watching snippets of Charlie Brown’s Christmas Special on my phone. 

I’d say the most Christmas-y thing we did do was buy a teddy bear in Siem Reap from our hotel…

The bears were to be given to children in a local hospital and all the proceeds donated to their care.  I was so happy to see how many bears had been purchased by guests before us. The real spirit of Christmas, of giving to those less fortunate and doing what you can to make someone else’s day a little brighter- that’s really my favorite part of the holiday anyway. 

the daily(ish)

I was able to cross off a few Life List items in China...

#40- Eat and swallow a piece of Durian

It was cooked and I still want to try it raw, but I liked it. It tasted like an onion.

#107- See rice terraces

Saw them!

#56- Eat a soup dumpling in Shanghai.

Check!

BTW- Wasn’t that good, but I also just picked it up from a random vendor instead of the famous place because the queue was crazy long and it was freezing outside. Julie said she liked it though…

the daily(ish)

I may have been on a first name basis with the owner of a pearl store in Shanghai…

I’ll miss you, Sara!!

the daily(ish)

If we lived somewhere really cold I would have totally bought one of these little hot water bottle muffs…

I borrowed this one from a hostess stationed outside at a Xiantiandi restaurant. Of course, I would get one with a panda.

the daily(ish)

I never got around to posting about our cooking classes in Shanghai.  Better late than never, huh?

Click the pic to read all about it…

the daily(ish)

Wishing everyone near and far a very merry Christmas!  I hope Santa and his precious reindeer brought you everything on your list!!

the daily(ish)

Shanghai really has some incredible buildings.  Architecture in Asia is just insanely modern.  This was my favorite building…

Not the craziest design, but I just loved it!

the daily(ish)

I think we were the last hotel in Shanghai to get a Christmas tree.  The night we came home and they were finally decorating the bare tree that had been up for 3 days I decided to help them out…

They didn’t really want my help and I didn’t really care.

the daily(ish)

I finally got it up!  Click the pic to read all about our night market food challenge!!

Contemplating the seahorse…

the daily(ish)

Aw, we did have some fun in Shanghai…

Yes, that is the Ching Dynasty guy behind us.  He was hard to shake.

the daily(ish)

This is some of the singing from Beijing’s Temple of Heaven park that I mentioned before…

I think it is absolutely awesome that all these people meet to sing each weekend.  Who wants to start this in Piedmont with me??

flashback friday

As I have mentioned before, this time in China is our last round on the road. Although the Wife has yet to leave the department, we are scheduled to be in Atlanta the 1st round of next year and during that time we’ll both be finding jobs. In Atlanta.

I don’t know how three years have already passed. With everything we’ve done and everything we’ve seen, I still don’t feel like it’s been more a few months that we’ve been gone, maybe a year, tops.

Yet, here we are on our last day of our last round on the road. I’m honestly in disbelief. I think it’s because we’ve got a bit of travel ahead of us before our feet touch Georgia clay. And hey, until Jules finds another job we will probably have a couple of weekend trips in Atlanta.

The adventure isn’t quite over yet.

Nor will it ever really be, I suppose. We will slow down, of course. It will seem a snail’s pace in comparison to these past three years, but we will never lose our wanderlust. Our desire to see the world has only gotten stronger as we’ve colored in our map. Our list of places we want to see is actually much longer than it has ever been in our lives. The more of the world you see, the more you realize how much more is left unexplored.

Today we’re flashing back to my first post on the road, in India, January 2009. It seems like yesterday, but it also sounds like another person wrote it. Mainly, I’m struck by how spoiled I now am. I’ve never once stopped being grateful for this opportunity. I thank God every single day for this blessing. What I’m talking about is being spoiled, not ungrateful. Like, how much I appreciated the hotel’s beauty, when now I barely register lobbies. Of course, I had no idea then that India would offer a level of service we would never encounter again. I just seemed to really take in every detail of everything- the flight, the hotel, the airport for God’s sake.

This post makes me hopeful that once we’re settled again and take normal vacations like normal people that I’ll regain the ability to really appreciate all the little bits of luxury and service you get when you travel. I’ll marvel at chandeliers and pools and the days of this all being my “everyday” will feel like a dream. Which is exactly what it has been.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

first impressions

I bid a bittersweet farewell to the midtown skyline as our plane taxied into the take-off line yesterday. Saying goodbye to our nearest and dearest was much harder than I had imagined. Fortunately, the heaviness I felt in my heart got easier and easier to ignore as the anticipation for what lay ahead grew stronger.

19 ½ hours proved to be as tiring as expected. The flight to Paris left much to be desired. I am always amazed at how dismal accommodations are with Delta. Domestic flights are usually short enough to overlook them but 8 hours in coach to Paris was pretty trying. The layover in Paris was nondescript saving the overly friendly woman with security who seemed to enjoy her pat-down duties just a bit too much for my liking.

The flight from Paris to New Delhi was far more pleasant. I find European Airlines to be so much more comfortable, have more amenities and by far more accommodating and pleasant staff. Air France was no exception and with a slight upgrade to the 2nd level of the 747 we found ourselves each with an entire row to ourselves to stretch out and get some much needed sleep. As the plane started its dissent into Delhi I was overwhelmed with curiosity.

Luckily, my expectations of the Delhi airport were well off-base. Although it is far from modern, I found it to be quite easy to navigate and fairly clean. Our line through customs was a bit long but ordinary and baggage claim was a breeze. Dare I think my lost baggage curse is over?

So far all the warnings of initial shocks; smells, crowds, waiting…India had yet to even make my heart skip a beat…the most discomfort we encountered was the heat and the humidity in the airport, but even it was no worse than some in Mexico.

Our drivers were waiting just outside baggage claim and it was as we stepped into the night that I had my first case of “India shock”. I had read much about the pollution in Delhi but I could never have prepared myself physically for the shear thickness of the air. The smoke and dust were so overwhelming (even in the car with the air conditioning running) that I found it difficult to imagine that this air wouldn’t kill me, much less keep me alive for the next 7 weeks. After a quick 15 minute ride from the airport (only once was I nervous and that was when all lane lines disappeared and it seemed a free-for-all was going to ensue) we arrived at The Trident.

In one word….breathtaking. As we got out of the car we were greeted by numerous people and given business card after business card but in truth I found it difficult to pay attention. With each turn of the head my eyes were filled with grandeur…from the enormous reflective pool at the entrance (above photo) to the 30 foot glass doors that opened into the stark white lobby capped high above with an impressive gold dome…it was a welcome to this country I couldn’t have imagined. Our room, is of course beautiful and each staff member we’ve encountered could not be more accommodating and pleasant. As I lie here in the sunny spring-like weather next to the enchanting pool listening to the sound of the flowing water of the infinity feature encircling above (even the air seems a bit lighter) I cannot imagine being more comfortable and relaxed... the two emotions I felt sure I would be running low on in this country.

They say India is a country full of the unexpected…with just 12 hours under my belt I have found this to be true in a most delightful way.

the daily(ish)

Wow, this guy was beyond awesome…

Not only did he want to dance with us nonstop all night, but he also showed us a photo of the last emperor from the Ching dynasty and claimed to be his descendant.  I think.   He did show us the picture on his Ipad and honestly, he looked just like him.

Each time I looked over at Jules she had his eye makeup smeared on her face.  He was a hoot, although he kinda freaked me out when he was dancing with me doing the sign of the cross saying “Hallelujah! Praise God I want to go to heaven!”

Oh Asia, I will miss you.

the daily(ish)

We went to this pearl museum (read: place to be pressured into buying pearls) one weekend and the guy demonstrated taking a pearl from its little oyster home…

I guess I expected the pearl to be sitting pretty on top of a pink little tongue like in the cartoons, but that thing was really deep inside the meat. I’m going to be very careful the next time I’m eating a dozen raw!

just 2 more days

Can we talk?  Obviously, by that I mean- can I type and you read?  You could comment and then I could comment back and it would almost be like a conversation, but I think we’ve established a couple of things over the past 3 years- a. most of you don’t like to comment and b. I don’t have any problem blabbing on and on with or without responses.  It works for both of us, no?

I feel like I’ve been treading water on here for a while now.  I post the daily picture, I edit the weekend photos and give you the story and we go down memory lane on Fridays,  but it’s been a while since I’ve shared my actual thoughts on here, so I thought it was about time to remedy that.  Especially since I’m doing more thinking than I’d like to these days.

We’re just 2 days away from the end of the round.  Let me rephrase that- we’re just 2 days away from the end of the last round we’re traveling.  2 days away from the end of this so-called life. 

We’ve officially been assigned to Atlanta round 1 of next year.  We had requested it so the Wife can actively pursue job opportunities. I'll be doing the same.  She’s ready to move on from this job; I’m more than ready to have a job.

On top of the whole “find a job” thing we’ll both have going on at the beginning of the new year, we’ve also got to tackle the all the minor and major aspects of rebuilding our lives in Atlanta. 

Yes, we’re moving back to a city we know and back to friends and family, but if we’re being honest, we’ve got a lot of relationship rebuilding to do.  Life has gone on without us over the past 3 years and we’re coming home to a lot of changes.  Families have formed, babies have grown into toddlers, toddlers into kids, more babies are on the way, relationships have shifted and changed and we’re going to need to adjust to all of these things in one fell swoop.  Even with seeing everyone a couple of times a year, it’s still weird for me to think about how much change we’re coming home to- it’s almost like we’ve been asleep for 3 years and will wake up to find everything the same, but also very, very different. 

We’re going to need to buy cars, find a new house (or even more daunting/exciting build a new one), buy furniture, decide on our future in a million different ways and God help us, unpack all the things we left behind and all the things we’ve picked up along the way.

I’m excited.  I’m scared.  I’m up at night running through mountainous to-do lists in my head all while refusing to acknowledge this chapter is actually coming to an end.

I’m also trying to decide what I’m going to do with this here blog.  I started it a year before we left.  That’s 4 years of documenting our lives.  I did it to stay connected, to share our experiences, to preserve our memories of this incredible time in our lives. I think it did all those things and I’m really very happy to have had the outlet through it all. To feel that connection of sharing with loved ones and new friends has really meant a lot to me. 

I’m just not sure where this story ends.  Is it now?  Is it after our home leave vacation?  Does it continue through our readjustment period back home?  Right now, I’m just not sure.  Which is kind of our stock answer for every question that gets thrown at us or that we throw at ourselves these day. 

I know these one-sided convos have worked well for us in the past, but I may need some actual input on this one… 

the daily(ish)

I will never, never, never stop loving or stop laughing hysterically at these instructional posters in bathrooms.  This one may be the best yet…

I wish I could steal one to frame in our guest bathroom!

the daily(ish)

They had a speech from ol’ W printed on a wall at the DMZ rail station praising the effort of North and South Korea finding better ways to work together and open trading.  Unfortunately, North Korea changed their mind in the last minute and the rail station was never used for it’s purpose.

What killed me is the photo of Georgie…

Couldn’t they have found one where he looked less like an idiot? 

Oh, wait, I guess not.

the daily(ish)

I’m not going to lie and say I haven’t found the bathrooms in China difficult.  I mean that both figuratively and literally.  Literally because hey, my knees just aren’t what they used to be and well, I grew up with toilets and we like what we know. I’m always on the lookout for a handicap stall.  Always.

Going to Seoul was a treat because they have embraced the Japanese style “smart toilets”.  These things will sing you a song, play water sounds to help you along, warm the seat and maybe dance a jig…I just haven’t found that button yet.

The bathroom in the airport even had a digital screen to show you what stalls were free…

America needs to do some serious catch-up in bathroom technology!