Change is Good; Changing is Hard

Jeffrey's class motto in first grade was "Change is Good" and it made me think. I don't mind change, I usually enjoy it. But it is the transition time, the changing, which I find so difficult. With that in mind, it has been a wild month of living out of our suitcases and changing.

The trip here was remarkably uneventful, besides losing my makeup bag. The children were extremely good and slept better than we expected on our multiple leg trip that lasted about 24 hours. I had tremendously low expectations for the trip and we felt blessed to lose no luggage or children. A special thanks to Pete for buying the Harry Potter books as well as lego mini figure sticker book and a Snow White DVD which were a big hit.

However, changing our body clocks back 12 hours was a bit of a nightmare. But let's skip that part. Our new house is cute and cozy, our neighbors quite friendly. We are already settling in: ward, the school, the van, the work, the city. Laird informed me,

"Virginia seems regular. I thought it would be more like India."

Thank goodness! Here is a brief summary of the changes for everyone in the family:

Pete now stretches his mind studying Spanish 8 or more hours a day. He has already learned a great deal in two weeks with classes, presentations, and an array of study devices. He is out running in preparation for the marathon next month.

Reverse cultureshock has been my big surprise coming home. Is it possible that a country is really so vast, forested, with clean and new buildings? After living in a city with people stuffed in buses and malls and homes, it seems so empty and orderly here. Driving at 55 mph seems frightening after not going faster than 25 mph in two years. I feel most comfortable in heavy traffic. And apparently having four children makes most people I meet here fumbling for words. I am still adjusting.

Jeffrey enjoys his new school which luckily includes Spanish twice a week. After meeting his teacher, Jeff said, "I feel like I always get the best teachers!" Jeffrey has not only been visited at home by his new Primary teacher, but also by his new Cub Scout leader. He has been excited about for scouts for YEARS.

Laird has begun piano lessons and already can play the Star Wars Theme. Only five days before the first day of school, we decided not to enter him in kindergarten this year. He has been very helpful at home and loves to make James laugh. He has discovered the joys of reading are almost as great as playing legos.

Not taking lessons, just having fun.

Lucy found packing up to be incredibly difficult but already adores our new house and van. She is especially glad her little white table has arrived so she can help me mix and stir for meal times. She also has her babies' crib set up next to James's crib and has found that her futon bed also works well to read all five of her babies stories.

James is crawling - teething - and off. He loves to eat, anything and everything we give him. Or anything he can manage into his mouth (last night he crawled into the fireplace!!) Pete currently entertains him and feeds him at the dinner table every night, much to James's delight.

This is a terribly long post and thanks if any of you have made it through. We are excited to be back in the States and hope to see you if we can! More photos to come.

Off We Go!

When we were hiking to the Taal Volcano, Lucy picked up the phrase, "Off we Go!" and said it over and over. In less than 24 hours we will be leaving this tropical home. It is strange to think soon this life, this adventure, will be just pictures and memories.

What will we miss? Here is a top ten list.

1. Mangoes. And fabulous tropical fruit. Lucy doesn't remember life without mangoes...

2. Country pride. Like you have never seen or heard. It might be a good lesson for us, actually, how much pride Filipinos take in their country.

3. People who are not in a hurry. Like Hawaii and Mexico, life here goes at a different pace. And people don't worry about time so much. It can be aggravating until you realize that 4 means 3 or 4 or 5. But for the most part, I have enjoyed not being in such a hurry.

4. Expressive Body Language. Every country, every family uses different amounts of communication - words, body language, tone. Here, everyone always uses a kind voice. And words must never embarrass those around you, even if it is a total lie. But body language is the real mode of communication. Lips especially, are good for pointing to what you need. I have been rather fascinated watching everyone use their gestures, eyebrows and faces to tell the real story. Of course, it also is because I don't speak much tagalog!

5. "Climbing the trees" says Jeffrey. We have fantastic trees in our "garden" or backyard as we would call it.

6. "The friendly people" says Laird. We make friends everywhere we go. Truly a very kind, friendly people.

7. "Jeepneys" says Laird. We love Jeepneys, even if we aren't usually allowed to ride them :) They make driving very entertaining.

8. A high value on old and young. I think this is an Asian value, that the very old are to be respected. "Po" is like "Usted" in Spanish or "Sir" in English and used so much every day. Babies are to be loved. My father also noticed how much people love babies here.

9. Correct people in private. Also called "saving face" and is super important here. Not a bad lesson for us all.

10. Our friends. Of course! We love you all, God bless you until we meet again.