Noodle And The Goose

There's a new blog in town

Because this one seems to have been about something else altogether. 

I know. No Vietnam pictures were forthcoming here, but if you know me, friend me on facebook and you'll see many, many of the same. 

But the new blog, the new space for the new life we seem to have fallen into is:

Noodle and the Goose Again

I'll keep this one here for a bit, but go there.

Now. 

We're still here, assimilating. Or trying to. I'm finding the most difficult thing is to not speak to strangers and shopkeepers in Bahasa Indonesian. Yeah, after all that fussing about learning the language, it seems I've forgotten my native tongue. And no. Most North Carolinians cannot tell you "Berapa harga pas?" if you're wondering about the price of something. And yes, they will look at you askance if you ever-so-politely wish them a "Terima Kasih". Ah well.

We're still without home internet and hand phone (OK, okay, 'cell phone') service, but hopefully by tomorrow Baba will have completed his research into other options so that we can go with the option I suggested sometime last week.

Boxes are mostly unpacked and the house is livable. But if yet another appliance or electrical outlet or water pipe stops working I will quietly implode and vanish into the ether.

The girls and I have been working on my flower beds which no longer contain flowers. Why was I foolish enough to believe that perennials might actually be perennial? Maybe the fault goes to the renters who apparently parked their cars in the beds. And rarely paid their rent.

Luckily we've been rescued from the brink of despair on numerous occasions this week by friends appearing at our door with good cheer, good gossip and my favorite potato casserole - it is the food of the gods, my friends. Which makes this move BACK easier than a move forward to a place where we don't know anyone and have few connections. We're pretty unsure what the Universe (and everything that is) had in mind sending us back to NC, but apparently our time here is not yet complete.

Onward and upward.

The answer is "YES"

The question, posed by my Dad during a visit on Saturday, "Are you happy to be back in America?". At the time Noodle answered with a resounding "YES", Goose looked uncertain and I - totally emotionally and physically leveled by a week of sorting and packing up my Mama's house - mumbled "Yes, I think". 

But the answer is "Yes", yes, I am glad to be back in America. Surreal as it is. I'm glad to be home. 

We left Indonesia June 23 and spent a fun, fun week in Hanoi (photos to come). Arrived at LAX June 30 and then on to Ohio. Once there we fell headlong into a frenzy of getting my parent's house ready for sale. Lots and lots and lots of stuff to sort through. It was hard. Very hard. A long week of work punctuated by stories evoked by things found, one niece's beautiful wedding, another niece's head-banging rock concert (oh yeah, y'all that girl is a rock star), being in the presence of my favorite Aunt, after whom my Goose is named, freak-out trips to the supermarket (ye gads! things are expensive here), late evening talks on my brother's back porch watching my girls chase fire-flies, July 4th fireworks, plenty of good food, more than a few tears and a goodly measure of soul-cleansing laughter ( I think my brother's family particularly enjoyed our impromptu rendition of "How Much Is That Doggie in the Window" prompted by the discovery of our childhood 78 of the same.) 

By Saturday last the really important stuff was found and released into the care of myself, my sister, my three brothers and the 15 grandchildren. Mom's paintings, Great-Great Grandma Mary Ann's sugar bowl, Great Grandpa John's glass bowl, Great Grandma Sarah's quilt patterns, Grandma Matilda's dishes and the baby clothes, shot-records and even the curl of baby hair (whose hair? we're not sure) that Mom saved in her cedar chest have new homes where they will be cherished, not for their thingness, but for the love and memory they remind us of. Dad took a last walk through his home, sighing, "This is home, I wish I could be here", before returning to the Assisted Living where he now lives. 

Yes, Daddy, this is home. And we are happy to be here. Though we too miss Mom so much it some times feels impossible to breathe. Yes. 

There's still a pile of work to be done at my parent's house, but on Saturday we turned to our own house, our own stuff and our own pile of work. My sister and brother and sister-in-law and nieces helped us pull out the mountain of boxes and furniture that equal our worldly goods from another brother's warehouse and Oma's attic into a monster moving truck. Sunday afternoon we slowly motored our way down to North Carolina and our house, oh goodness, our house. The house that we left 4 years ago thinking we'd not be back to, though the housing market had other ideas. We arrived here late Sunday evening. Monday morning Baba recruited some homeless men (thank god for the homeless) to empty the truck into the "big room" and garage and we've been slowly, slowly, slowly getting reacquainted with our stuff - though we keep asking each other "Is this ours? Did we have this before?" and remembering what we  loved -the hardwood floors, the sunlight in the library - and what we hated - the kitchen - about our house. We're ruing the disaster left behind by our worthless to the point of being evil and very soon getting not only a piece of mind but also, perhaps some legal action rental agency - broken refrigerator, new plumbing problems, completely over grown yard - and re-connecting with our good, good neighbors who still like us, even after 4 years of having to live next to the house from hell. We have lots of work in front of us. Lots. 

But it is all okay. Baba is working on getting a job. Pray, if you are so inclined, that that happens soon. The girls are doing okay - they love their 'new' room and the rediscovered toys and books, but they miss friends in Indonesia. I'm okay. Haven't really had time to think much about actually "being" here. It is all so strange and so familiar. So much has changed here. There are so many white people. And everyone speaks English. It is so odd. 

This morning on my way to Starbucks to use the wireless - we haven't figured out how to get it at our house yet - I heard a heat advisory on the local NPR station (NPR in real time, so freaky!). Today it will be 98 degrees with a heat index of 103. People in risk groups are advised to stay indoors. If you have to be out, take lots of breaks and drink plenty of water. 

This is how I know, we are not in Indonesia. 

And yes, the answer is still yes. I'm happy to be back in America. 

A wee bit of Hanoi

We've taken Hanoi by storm and have nearly done ourselves in. One more dinner evening and then we're off to the US in the morning. I've too many photos and am too weary to sort them out, so this one will suffice for now. We're having a great time. 

One last night

It is our last night in Indonesia. 

This hardly seems possible. Hardly at all. 

These last few days have been so full of packing and saying good-bye and packing and saying good-bye again we've hardly had time to actually inhabit the reality that we're, you know, leaving, and not coming back. Goose especially is utterly mystified by this. 

I think that it will take us a good long while to process this experience. 

So much has changed, in our lives and in our world, since we first set foot on Indonesian soil September 1, 2007. Goose was not yet even 2 years old. Noodle was only 5. Most of my hair was brown, not gray and Baba? Well, he had a whole lot more of the stuff on his head back then. Four years is a (normal) University Undergrad experience and a US Presidential term. It's a really long time.

Tomorrow morning we fly to Kuala Lampur. We'll be there until 5 am the following morning when we fly to Hanoi for 5 days. Then back to the US through Guangzhou (of all places!!!) and LAX. Hopefully we'll find internet access and unearth the camera cable to put up some news of our journey. 

In passing here are the girls' newest VISA photos - the closest thing we get to school photos apparently. I had to drag them to the photo studio yesterday because the ones from last year didn't look like them any more. My ever so grown up little girls.

  

 

Last Day of School

Remember this from last August?

Today we had this.

Half day of school, free-clothes (no uniforms!!) and grumpy, grumpy kids (there was some dispute about having the gate open or closed for the photo, clearly an issue sibling spat-worthy).

Heh, closer inspection shows that Goose is now wearing the same shoes that Noodle was wearing in the first photo. They are a bit big for her, but the race is on for little sister to pass up big sister in size and height. They are four years apart in age but N is on the low end of the weight/height continuum and G on the high.

bits and pieces

We had a whole lot of worn out tee shirts that I couldn't just throw away.

So I cut them up.

And made a pile of rugs out of them.

To leave behind for friends to wipe their feet on. 

I think that my thrifty Amish Fore-Mamas would approve. 

Orchids

I'm having trouble putting anything into words right now, so some photos will do. For today.

Orchid farm in the kampung on the way to the kid's school.

 

There is something about living in a place, where, on any given afternoon, you can happen upon a field of orchids.

Among the things I will miss

Lunch.

For example:

Exhibit A:

Pineapple, Papaya, Bananas, Crispy Fried Tofu, Blistering Hot Sambal, Mangoes, Red Rice, Stir-Fry Veggies - chinese cabbage, bean sprouts, hot peppers. 

Exhibit B:

Sweet Chicken Curry, Tomato, Onion, Garlic & Green Herb (what is it? I'm not completely sure, but it isn't cilantro as it might be in the US)Chutney, Mangoes, Large Pile of Mashed Potatoes.

All sitting there on the table without any effort on my part. 

This happens. Every. Day. Except Sunday. 

We may be a wee bit spoiled by having a really great cook for the past 3 years. 

May. Be. 

Stuffed.

That's what my English-as-a-second-language Mom used to call 'stuff'. Stuffed. 

It is apt for our current activities.

Do we need this item? Do we want it? Can we get a replacement in the US? Can this item be stuffed into the already stuffed suitcases. Stuffed.

Or can we box it up and leave it behind?

What to do with all the stuffed?