So, Alaina comes up to me yesterday while I was writing an email. She crawls up on my lap (making it very difficult for me to type) and she shows me a band-aid that she has on her knee. Then, she says to me, "So if I put another band-aid on top of this band-aid, would that be a violation?" No, sweetie, I don't think that would be a violation! LOL!
What in the world? A violation? WHERE do kids get this stuff? I don't know, maybe she picked the word up on a safety DVD she has checked out from the library a few times. For some reason unknown to me, she loves this video. I don't remember the name of it but it is done by the lady who made all the Baby Einstein videos and John Walsh (I think that is his name), the guy from America's Most Wanted. It teaches kids all about stranger safety and what to do in certain situations. I find the video completely annoying but it DOES have good information and she has learned a lot from it. Being overseas, my kids aren't used to not just being able to run around and go anywhere they want without a parent (and no, I did not just let me kids run the streets of Malaysia...we had a large campus and lots of eyes looking out for my little ones!) Being in the States scares me a bit. At least in Asia of someone were to try to walk off with you child it would look a little odd -- an Asian person dragging along a little blondie. But in the States it could happen in an instant, especially in crowded places. So I guess if Alaina has an obsession with "staying on the safe side" (as the video teaches) then I can rest a little bit better at night.
All of this makes me think of all the questions I get about being back in the States and how we feel about it. We have been back for seven months now. The times goes sooo fast! People always assume that we are THRILLED to be back...(you know, since everything in America is so perfect...please note the sarcasm here).
The thing is, America IS wonderful. It has so many amazing things and gadgets and places and opportunities. We ARE loving it (for certain reasons) and being here also makes us miss Asia (for other reasons). So, here you go, a short list of my favorite things about being back and the things I miss most.
1. I love to CELEBRATE! I love the holidays in the States...I love the hype and the products and the parties and the way we just make a BIG DEAL out of things. I guess this is just about how BIG everything in America is...whether it be a restaurant portion or the way we do Valentine's Day. I love to celebrate and so we have really enjoyed the holidays this year. Fall was especially fun since we haven't had fall in so long. We loved all the pumpkins and the corn and smells of fall.
2. I love the EASE of everything here. If you want something done you just make a phone call or send and email and it is done. In Asia, things take forever. First you have to figure out WHO to call, then you have to get them to understand what you want, and then you have to WAIT. In India, it was really bad. Life in Asia is about telling people what they want to hear, not necessarily the truth. So, when I take something to the tailor to be made and they say it will be done "tomorrow" they may know perfectly well that it will be three weeks. But they won't usually TELL you that. They will keep saying tomorrow because you want it done tomorrow.
3. I love some of the products that make life easy, or just plain fun. This may sound silly, but there are three things I have gotten to enjoy since being back that just make me happy. And they are sooo small and insignificant!
I LOVE this stuff! Like seriously LOVE it. It MAKES ME WANT TO DO DISHES! The smell is amazing and I just love all the foam and yes, I know I am crazy but I actually smile when I see my bottle of Dawn Direct Foam! When I first got it I bought the Orange (citrus). I adored it. One time when I was at Wal-Mart I went to grab a bottle and they were all out. I just stood there in the aisle thinking, "what in the world am I going to do?" I really need SOMETHING that makes me want to do dishes. So I stood there, unjustly discriminating against the green bottle that was sitting there whispering "pick me! pick me!" After much deliberation I reluctantly grabbed the green bottle and threw it in my cart. When I sucked out every last bubble of foam in the orange bottle that was at home I opened my new green bottle and was getting ready to NOT enjoy doing my dishes (why am I sooooo reluctant to try new things??). And then...wait...what is this? It smells good? It smells as good (but different) than my beloved orange bottle? Wait! No! This can't be! Now I have to CHOOSE each time I go. Which do I like better? I don't like big decisions like this (yes, I do know I am crazy). So now, I usually keep one of each on hand. And maybe I should give that little blue guy a try. Who knows.
Oh the love I feel for this bottle of pop! Before moving to Malaysia, I never drank diet pop at all. Hated the stuff. But then I went on Weight Watchers and I couldn't imagine drinking water for the rest of my life and Crystal Lite is no where to be found so I had to learn to drink diet. Unfortunately, in Malaysia, the only diet pop to be found is Diet Coke (called Coke Light) and Diet Pepsi (Pepsi Light). So, I learned to drink diet Coke. And lots of it. Now I can't even drink regular pop. I really enjoyed coming home in the summers and enjoying the wide variety of diet pops available. Not all of them are good (can't stand diet Dr. Pepper which is too bad since I love regular Dr. Pepper). Diet Sprite is REALLY good. But my all-time favorite, the love of my life (yes I am exaggerating here) is diet Pepsi Jazz (Black Cherry and Vanilla). This stuff is soooo yummy! Like seriously GOOD. I drink it every day. You would never know it was diet. Even the bottle has diet written in the tiniest little letters. There is so much flavor! Now when I drink diet coke at Fazoli's it takes yuck. If you haven't tried this stuff, go do it! The strawberries and cream flavor is just okay in my opinion. But the black cherry vanilla is yummy yummy yummy!
My third favorite US product is this:
Oh my goodness this stuff is AMAZING. I love it! I have always despised Saran Wrap -- never could get that stuff to cling to anything other than itself. But I was was my sister's house (I think it was there) and I used some of this and I was hooked. This stuff sticks to ANYTHING except itself! It is the most fantastic kitchen product ever! It creates an airtight seal! You can put it over a glass of liquid and tip the glass over and nothing spills! When we first got to our apartment on campus one of the window panes in the door broke a few days later. I didn't have any plastic so I put some of this press and seal over the open window and it stayed like that for over a week! Blocked out everything. I swear, this stuff is the female duct tape -- it can be used for everything and anything!
Okay, now that you all think I am totally nuts, I will just continue on with my little list of things I love/miss!
4. Driving. I LOVE to drive. I really do (unless it is somewhere I have never been and there is traffic. Then I can't stand it). I really love the freedom it offers me. I drove in Malaysia...not a lot, but I did. But I NEVER enjoyed it. The streets are crowded and the lines on the road are just mere suggestions as opposed to expectations. You ALWAYS have to be totally aware of what everyone around you is doing (or not doing). Turn signals are unheard of. There are people and motorbikes and well, I just didn't find it very relaxing. And India...let's not even talk about India. I would NEVER EVER drive there! Total chaos (but remarkably I saw less accidents there than I do here). Just watch this and see what I mean about India!
I don't know if that worked or not. I tried to embed a YouTube Video of India driving. If it didn't work you can see it HERE
Yes, there are a lot more things I love about being back in the States (like Fazoli's, being near family, etc.) but those are the little things that make me smile.
Now, onto
1. The people -- so warm, friendly, welcoming. I remember being in India and realizing how "American" I was. People would come to the door and I would stand there talking with them. I wasn't trying to be rude, I really wasn't, but that is what we do. In Asia, if you go to the door and someone is there (even uninvited) you invite them in, offer them coffee of tea, and make them feel welcome and not as intruding. I love that. I loved being able to feel welcome in people's lives instead of feeling like an intrusion. I loved the fact that people DID go to other people's houses. In India we had dinner at people's houses all the time. It was such a social community. I miss that.
2. I miss the chaos. I know that may sound weird, but I really do. Something about the pulse of Asia just fits with me. I love the sights and sounds waiting for you. You never know what you are going to find.
3. I miss how cheap everything was. We could order 2 large pizzas from Dominoes for about $7.50. We could go to McDonald's and pay less than $5 for all of us to eat. Jason and I both had hand-phones (cell phones) and it cost us $15 a month for BOTH of us to use our phone as much as we wanted. We usually had time left over. In India, it is even crazier. Our first year we traveled around India for seven weeks. So, for 35 days we stayed in hotels every night, ate out three meals a day, traveled thousands of miles and saw many sites, bought souvenirs, and enjoyed ourselves fully. The whole trip cost $1500. The most expensive hotel we stayed in was $5.00 a night. Now we weren't staying in 5 star hotels, but come on...$5!
4. I miss the understanding that people have that the world is bigger than where they live. Americans unfortunately don't seem to realize that there is a huge world out there...that there are people who live differently than them and that it is okay. People who realize that other cultures have amazing food and music and clothing and customs. I want my kids to grow up seeing the whole world, not just America. I want them to know that God created the whole world and every tribe, tongue, and nation will be in eternity. That means that God loves every tribe and tongue and nation and we are not the special ones.
And yes, there are a lot more things I miss. These are just a few things that strike me today.
So, there you go. Yes, I am glad to be back. And yes, I miss Asia terribly. I knew from the first time I went to India in 1997 that part of my heart would forever be there. I am proud to be an American and I love all that America has to offer. But, I know that the world is bigger and I see America with a different viewpoint now.
*******
Wow...hadn't planned all that. I was just going to pop in and share a few pictures from the weekend! Oh well...it was therapeutic!
So, the weekend was great. Just a laid back family time. Jason joined Alaina and I for craft time even! I bought a big box of craft sticks last week so they have bee busy working on building a house with them. Alaina paints the sticks and Jason does the construction. So fun!
Yesterday the boys had doctors appointments so we did that, then had lunch, and a long trip to the library. We all really love going there. It is fun for the kids -- they have a big doll house and a large train table where the kids can check out the furniture/people/trains and play. Then the kids stock up on videos and books. I checked out a bunch of new craft books so Alaina and I will have lots of fun stuff to work on!
On Sunday I stayed home from church with Caleb since we still don't know what is causing the swollen parotid gland . We didn't want him passing anything yucky onto other kids. But before church I caught this:
And this...
Sooo sweet!
**********
Okay, I am out of here. Today is going to be a no-computer day for me. I have a lot of things to do around the house -- organizing the craft cupboard, lots of laundry, getting my office sorted, dusting, etc. etc.
Hope you have a wonderful day!
Great to read your lists Janet! I chuckled with some of the US ones-and yes, I admit I am curious about the cling wrap-it's horrid here-so is aluminum foil here. While we were in the states this summer we housesat for 3 weeks and I loved cleaning there-why-same as you....I LOVED the cleaning products :) Glad to read the things you love in Malaysia too :)
Posted by: Margie | February 08, 2007 at 03:18 AM
Great to read your lists Janet! I chuckled with some of the US ones-and yes, I admit I am curious about the cling wrap-it's horrid here-so is aluminum foil here. While we were in the states this summer we housesat for 3 weeks and I loved cleaning there-why-same as you....I LOVED the cleaning products :) Glad to read the things you love in Malaysia too :)
Posted by: Margie | February 08, 2007 at 03:18 AM
That traffic video is just INSANE! OMGoodness! I don't know how I'd make it driving there, LOL. Love your comparison lists on here, very cool idea :)
Posted by: Andrea C. | February 10, 2007 at 08:08 AM
Hi Janet!
You don't know me at all. I followed the link from DST to see your beautiful layouts, and they are beautiful, but I had to comment about your one on India. You totally described me to a T. I haven't been there since 2000, and when I was there, it was only for short TDY's, the longest was 3 months, but it definately got into my heart and under my skin. As frustrating as it was, it was also magical. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one it affected like that. I also loved the video. What a hoot, and what funny memories it brought back.
Thanks so much for sharing all of that!
Jan
Posted by: Jan | February 10, 2007 at 09:05 AM