I Left My Heart in Houston

Full color photo on a cloudy day

Ever since I took my Girl Scout troop on a trip to Houston at the beginning of August, I've been meaning to tell you about it. But this isn't the happy post I was planning on writing. With all the catastrophic flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey this week, that fun trip seems like it happened an eternity ago.

Houston is my hometown. It's where I grew up. It's where I went to university. I met and married my husband there. He's a Houston boy, too. My parents and in-laws are there. My mom-in-law was born in Houston back in the 1940's and has witnessed so much change in that time. Thankfully, they've been spared from the flooding. My husband's aunt and all his cousins have not been as fortunate. Their homes may be flooded, but at least they are safe.

Houston keeps reinventing itself.
The very cool McGovern Centennial Park is only 3 years old.

Houston has been through hurricanes and floods before. Houston is strong. Houston will recover.
But my heart is breaking seeing all the photos on Facebook from my friends and family there. I wish I could be there to help. These past few days, my mind has been in Houston. If the roads are passable, we're driving there over this upcoming long holiday weekend. Then, I can be there both in body and spirit.

I strongly believe that travel is an important component of personal development. It expands your world view and lets you experience first-hand how other live. However, I don't think you necessarily need to grab a passport to get the benefits. Sometimes, all you need to do is hop in a car and drive to a place that's different than wherever you call home. That's why I wanted to take my troop of 11- and 12-year-old girls to Houston which is a mere 3-4 hour drive from Austin, Texas where we live. We hit different parts of the city — not just the pretty, visitors bureau-approved sites.

One of the many chemical and petroleum refineries in Houston

Unlike the rolling terrain of the Texas Hill Country that extends west of Austin, Houston is flat. Flat as a pancake flat. Back in university, I was driving around Houston with my friend from Pennsylvania. As we reached the top of one of its massive freeway interchanges, she looked at the landscape surrounding us and commented, "Wow. I didn't realize just how flat Houston is." All that flatness makes it hard for Houston to drain. I never saw a rushing river when I grew up in that town. Just miles of lazy bayous and creeks.

Houston is flat.
McGovern Centennial Garden in Herman Park

On our troop trip, we stopped on the west side of town to pick up delicious and cheap food from The Original Marini's Empanada house. That restaurant is now just beyond the edge of the Mandatory Evacuation Zone a full one week after the torrential hurricane rains started falling. Our little caravan continued east on the Westpark Tollway heading into town. At one point in the drive, the road dipped down under another freeway, and the other chaperone commented on the flood level marker by the side of the road. These handy rulers let you know how deep the water. Looking at how it reached up to 14 feet high, she asked in disbelief if it ever got that bad. In Austin, the only problem areas during floods are low water crossings — never a main thoroughfare freeway. Thinking back to the 2015 Memorial Day Houston Flood, I assured her that it really was a danger. From photos that I've seen this past week, some roads must have had water 12 feet deep. I'm hoping that flood level marker saved a few lives. As they keep saying on the news, "Turn around. Don't drown."

Happy days feeding the sea gulls

The Girl Scout troop spent one day in Galveston Island. As part of their trip prep, I asked them what was the significant event that took place there in 1900. The answer is the Galveston Hurricane which still holds the record for deadliest natural disaster in US History. A 15-foot storm surge wiped out numerous buildings and homes on September 8, 1900, killing an estimated 6,000 to 12,000 people (counts vary). To guard against a similar calamity in the future, civil engineers came up with a plan to raise the city by 17 feet and constructed a seawall to protect against high waves. The design has, for the most part, protected Galveston, but it still endures floods when Category 4 or 5 hurricanes score a hit. For lunch, we stopped at Star Drug Store which was the first desegregated lunch counter in Galveston. The girls noticed that the high water mark of a more recent hurricane was a few feet above our heads. At the time, it was hard to imagine that much water inundating the island.

Looking out from  the top of the San Jacinto Monument at the Battleship Texas,
refineries and the Houston Shipping Channel.

On our last day, we headed out to the San Jacinto Monument which marks the battlefield where Texas won its independence from Mexico. Many people remember the Alamo which the Texian army lost, but few who are not required to study Texas history remember San Jacinto. The monument overlooks the Battleship Texas which last saw duty in World War II and the 50-mile-long Houston Shipping Channel. Our lunch table at the Monument Inn gave us practically front row seats to watch the massive container ships and barges making their way to and from the Port of Houston. The port is 25 miles long and is the busiest port in the USA measured by tons of foreign cargo. Most Volkswagons and Audis sold in North America are unloaded here. After lunch, we drove along the Pasadena Freeway which is lined with one petrochemical refinery after another. (It's also the opening sequence of John Travolta's Urban Cowboy movie.) We passed one small neighborhood which The New York Times had that weekend featured in its Daily 360 as "A Toxic Part of Texas" and called "one of the most polluted neighborhoods in America."

Pastries, cakes and bread from El Bolillo

Our last stop in Houston was El Bolillo bakery. What a place! Our eyes practically popped out of our heads at the self-serve display cabinets on every wall filled with Mexican pastries.  It felt like we had been transported to Mexico. We were the only non-Hispanics in the building, and the sound of Spanish filled the air. One girl from my troop asked how much the churros were, but the 6 weeks of Spanish instruction they had received last year in middle school was not enough for the troop to figure out what the employee replied. This very same bakery made the news during Huricane Harvey. Trapped inside the building for 2 days by flood waters, four employees kept their mind off their worries by baking 4,400 pounds (1996 kg) of flour into pan dulce (sweet breads). When the owner was finally able to rescue them, they brought the abundance of baked goodies to various emergency shelters in Houston. (The girls have wondered what happened to the tiny stray kittens we found in the parking lot. I have optimistically claimed that they've all been rescued.)

Underground passageway at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston

I feel like I left part of my heart in Houston. I spent last weekend worried about my family there, especially when Facebook posts by childhood friends mentioned a tornado that touched down a couple miles from my parents' home. One of my husband's cousins posted pictures of wading through chest high water to rescue their dog, and another one shared a video of rescuing their cats in a small boat. I'm hoping that we can be of help when we visit.

If you are looking for a way to aid the people who have been impacted all over Texas by Hurricane Harvey, please consider making a donation to my fundraiser page at Austin Disaster Relief Network. They are partnering with the Red Cross to provide immediate assistance to evacuees, and they also have a program to help with the long-term recovery of these hard hit areas.

Click here for Fundraiser page for Austin Disaster Relief Network

At the very least, I hope that you keep all the people who have been affected by this hurricane in your thoughts. 

It’s Your Turn, Link Up Your Newest Travel Inspiration

I've joined up as one of the co-hosts of Weekend Travel Inspiration.

1. Link one of your inspirational travel photos or stories to this post by adding your info.
2. Copy and paste our badge and a link to this page.
3. Visit some of the other wonderful travel bloggers, read their posts, and leave a comment.  It would be great if you could comment on 2-3 posts.
4. Tweet it and include this hashtag. #wkendtravelinspiration .
5. Follow all the hosts of Weekend Travel Inspiration who are working hard to spread the word on what wonderful work travel bloggers are doing.
6. Don’t forget to check out my amazing co-hosts and their pages: Reflections Enroute,  ContentedTraveller, Albom Adventures, Safari 254, and FamiliesGo.

I've also joined with the following linkups. Check them out for more around-the-world travel inspiration.

• Travel Photo Thursday on Budget Travelers Sandbox, Budget Travel Talk, Tanama Tales and Rachel's Ruminations.
• The Weekly Postcard on Travel Notes and Beyond
• Weekend Wanderlust on Justin + Lauren

The Fading Art of Map Reading

What's your favorite way to figure out directions to a place? Maps app? Google Maps? Waze?

I'm all for using my smartphone apps now, but I remember how fantastic I thought the portable Garmin GPS Navigator System was when I first bought it many, many years ago. Just plug in my destination, and it gave me turn-by-turn instructions in real time. Miraculous! It was a pain, though, whenever the suction cup gave way, and the entire thing tumbled onto the floor just out of reach on the passenger side. Luckily, I could haul it over to me by grabbing onto the power cord.

The Future of Travel

Buddhist monks staring up a the Washington Monument... and a teeny, tiny Lincoln Memorial in the background

The beginning of the year always seems to turn my thoughts to the future. What does 2016 have in store? What will it be like when my kids get older and the family trip becomes optional for them? How will my travel style change when it's back to being just hubby and I exploring places? My youngest is only 10 years old, so I'm really getting ahead of myself with that last question.

I took the photo at the top of the post as I was exiting the Washington Monument in November. After spending so much time in Asia taking photos of Buddhist monks at temples, I enjoyed seeing them being tourists just like me. I also bet that this was the first time some of the other people at the monument had ever seen a monk.

The Road Goes On Forever

I had a different post planned for this past weekend. It's only half-written at this point, and with a little luck, I'll have it done by next weekend. Ever since we moved back to Texas from Malaysia, I've felt sooooo busy. I'm convinced it's because I now spend all my time in my car driving around. It's something that my friend who repatriated at the same time I did also commented on when we first returned. At least we have great music on the radio!

Dreaming of an Indian Summer

False store fronts hid the 5-foot-way of Armenian Street when it was transformed into the town of Simla, India.

Dreams are a weird thing. They can be familiar but with details thrown in that keep them from seeming completely real. Friends rub elbows with characters from movies. Scenes plucked from your memory are altered until they no longer seem like something belonging to you. And when you wake up, you find yourself grasping at the remnants as it drifts away and trying to decipher what in the world it means. As strange as it may sound, I fell into a kind of dream state watching television last night even though I was wide awake.

Indian Summers recently premiered in America on PBS Masterpiece. Originally broadcast on BBC Channel 4, it's been deemed the heir to the "period costume drama" crown currently held by Downton Abbey. Set in Simla, an Indian town in the foothills of the Himalayas, in 1932 as the British Raj is beginning to unwillingly loosen its hold there, the on-location filming is visually rich and enticing. Except, it was not filmed in India. Indian Summer was filmed in Penang, Malaysia. Simla had an overabundance of modern structures and a monsoon season that would wreak havoc with the production. So, the producers cast their sights further afield and decided on Penang instead. Sharing the same British colonial history, both cities have similar architectural influences. There's also a sizeable Indian population in Malaysia and plenty of white expats to serve as extras.

A Free Trip to Europe

Where in Europe would you love to go?

Where would you go if you won a free, all-expenses-paid trip to anywhere in Europe? Yes, anywhere. Ten days — flights, trains, hotels and meals all paid for. You even get a little spending money. Wouldn't you be beyond excited at this opportunity to travel without spending a dime out of your own pocket?

The contest rules were:

• Enter by suggesting a destination
• Present a  proposal of five sites to visit or things to do while on the trip.
• Destinations will be ranked by all the contestants plus the people funding and organizing the trip.
• Winner will be the top ranking destination.
• Contestants must be under 18 years old. 

Best of all, contestants are guaranteed a spot on the winning trip even if theirs is not picked.

Don't Believe Everything You Read on Facebook

Last week, two things happened to me.

I celebrated my birthday.

I am now solidly, right smack in my mid-40s. I can't claim "early-40s" or "just past my 30s" any more. Without a doubt, I am middle-aged. 

I will admit that I've been feeling a bit... well... old. 

At least I've managed to dodge that whole Midlife Crisis bit. In my 40s, I've found fresh interests and excitement while staying happily married and avoiding any crazy stunts or purchases of convertible automobiles. 

I'm feeling kind of old, but I like the life I've led so far. 

And, oh yeah, something bizarre happened.

7 Mondays

For the past seven weeks, we've been a very busy, globetrotting family.  Life and the whole world have been going by so fast that I feel like I've been spinning around and around with arms outstretched and my face turned upwards toward the sun. I've dizzily collapsed on the grass and lie in the field but everything still seems to be moving. I'm at that point where you relax and lay still, trying to recover your equilibrium while the memory of everything you've just experienced still shines brightly in your mind.

I'm a Cover Model!

Something really unexpected happened the last few weeks that we were in Penang. I got an email from Expatriate Lifestyle, a glossy print magazine in Malaysia, asking the kids and I to be on the cover of their July 2014 issue. A sane person in the midst of ending the school year, preparing to visit the Philippines and Italy, AND moving the household across the ocean that month might have replied, "Sorry, I'm busy." I am not a sane person as my hubby will attest. He constantly tells me, "You're crazy," to which I retort, "Well, you married me. So, who's the crazy one?"

Farewell to Penang

We are moving back to Texas. As I write this, the movers are here packing up my belongings for the sloooow boat ride back to America. On Friday, I'll lock the door behind me, get on a plane, and say goodbye to the place that I've called home for the last three years. My husband will return on business trips, but I have no idea when, if ever, the kids and I will come back to Penang. It's a long way, and the company will no longer be paying for the airfare.

Seeing how much the island has changed in just the short while that we've been here, I know that it will be a different place in the future. A little more polished. A few more highrises. A few more malls. I'll never come back to Penang as it is at this exact moment in time. My local friends may still be here. My expat friends will have most likely moved on.

Living in Malaysia and all the travel that we've done has been such a learning experience and broadened my mind. I feel like there's been an explosive growth of brain synapses that hasn't occurred since I was a young child exploring the world anew.

I originally created this blog as a way to update "in real life" friends and family about our time as expats. About our fish-out-of-water experiences. It turned into something more public and enabled me to meet people in the virtual world. Astonishingly, it's lead to being able to legitimately call myself a professional writer. Because of this blog, freelance opportunities have fallen into my lap.

But the real audience that I write for is something more narcissistic. I'm writing this blog to me. The me from four years ago. The me that I was as I prepared to move. The me that was so worried and depressed about the great unknown that was Malaysia. Mothering in Malaysia? Daily life in Malaysia? Could I do it? Was I strong enough? Would I end up resenting my husband and the job that took us here? The job that brought a sparkle to his eyes.

I'm writing this blog to the old me and to anyone else who frets about moving to Malaysia. I want to send it back through a time portal to tell myself not to worry so much and that life here can be fantastic. Yes, it has its challenges, but the pros outweigh the cons.

It's a great launching pad for travel. Hop on a plane for a few hours, and you end up in a place with a very different culture and history. While I also enjoy traveling in the United States, there's a certain "Anywhere, USA" aspect wherever you go. The same Wal-Marts. The same Targets. Most of the time in America, I don't look out the window and marvel at the exotic lives of the regular people passing by. I enjoy visiting the landmarks, but I don't find myself wanting to simply soak up the culture.

I will miss the company paying for some of our airfare as is commonplace with many corporate expat packages. When someone offers you money that is earmarked solely for airfare, and it's a "use it or lose it" situation, you should definitely use it!

I will definitely miss Malaysia. It will always hold a cherished place in my heart. Here's a look back at some of the wonderful things I am going to find lacking when I move back to America.

Street Art — There is public art everywhere in George Town.

Monkeys — Once I am back in Texas, I can romanticize monkeys instead of finding them to be thieving ruffians as I currently do.

School Field Trips — We visit amazing places around town like the Reclining Buddha Temple with its golden stupa and jewel-like naga statues.

Trishaws — I have a love-hate relationship with trishaws. They are such an iconic part of George Town that I bought professional photos of them, but getting stuck driving behind one totally sucks.

Festivals - With a mix of Malay Muslim, Indian Hindu, and Chinese cultures, there's always seems to be an interesting festival going on. I will never forget Thaipusum and the accompanying body piercings, but I won't post a photo here in case if you are the queasy type. The water fights at the Thai and Burmese temples during Songkran are also a stand out. Night after night of fireworks for Chinese New Year were a literal eye opener as it is impossible to sleep early during this multi-week celebration. Here's a photo from Loy Krathong when I and hundreds of other people floated candle lit lotus blooms out on the water.

Heritage Bungalows — Many of these gorgeous, old mansions are a leftover from the period when Penang was a British colony. They seemed to have been mostly built by the rich British residents or wealthy Straits Chinese merchants. This one is on Gurney Drive surrounded by high-rise condominiums. The family hasn't lived here for ages but are so wealthy that they've refused all offers to buy.

Shophouses — If the heritage bungalows belong to the elite, the shophouses belong to the commoners. I enjoy wandering around George Town's UNESCO World Heritage area and looking at all the shophouses. Armenian Street is my favorite place to explore, although I think it's getting more touristy by the second.

Living by the water — Penang is an island, and I've been so fortunate that the company has put us up in a beach-side place with an amazing view of the water. I cannot believe that I get to wake up, look out the window, and see this.

Water activities — So much happens on the water, too. From our condo, I can see fishing boats and parasailers, jet skis and sailboats. My boys have tried open water kayaking. A cruise on a yacht or catamaran is a great way to see the island especially at sunset. Whenever I look at this picture, I will think back at the happy times spent with friends in Penang.

Hawker Food — One of the things Penang is most famous for is its food. You know that tip about living frugally by not eating out? It doesn't apply in Penang. You can get a delicious meal that's both filling and inexpensive at hawker stalls. Sometimes, it costs less than making it yourself. All this is just US$4.

Drive-up Fruit Stalls — Drive-thrus are difficult to find in Penang. There's not one for a bank as far as I can tell. Only a few of the McDonald's have drive-thrus. What you can find all over the place is drive-up fruit stalls. You don't have to get out of your car if you don't want to, and you can still head home with healthy eats.

What I will miss most about Penang is the slow pace of life. An abundance of free time is what enabled me to do so much exploring. I spent most of my last decade in Texas being a stay-at-home mom to young kids. Whoever thinks that life is easy is nuts. Every morning when I woke up, I felt like I was jumping on a treadmill and sprinting through the day, trying not to fall down but getting nowhere. There was always so much to get done. As a trailing spouse in Malaysia, that's not the case.

I wonder what life will be like when I move back to Texas. Some of my friends who have already repatriated tell me that their life in Penang just seems like a dream, like it couldn't possibly been real. I'm hoping to keep up this spirit of exploration I've developed and turn it towards reintroducing myself to a town that I previously called home for two decades. It's time to leave Malaysia, and whatever the future may hold, I'm ready to catch a new wave.

P.S. You haven't heard the last of me. This blog will keep going, but I'm going to have to think of a more apropos name now that I'm no longer meandering around Malaysia.

This post is part the following linkups. Check them out for more around-the-world travel inspiration.

• Travel Photo Thursday on Budget Travelers Sandbox
• Sunday Traveler on Frank About Croatia, Chasing the Donkey, A Southern Gypsy, Ice Cream and Permafrost, and Pack Me To...

Prayers of Hope for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370

Normally, I post some fantastic travel story on Thursdays, or I show you a little more about Malaysia where I now live. Many people in the USA where I am from are unfamiliar with Malaysia, and it's been a bit of a mission for me to educate the world about what Malaysia is like. Now, Malaysia is making headlines for all the wrong reasons, and I can't bring myself to write a jolly post for the week.

As I'm sure you know, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 vanished on Saturday night during a red-eye flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Five days later, no trace of the plane has been found. My last few travel posts have been about my own family's trip from Malaysia to Beijing last October, albeit on a different airline. I can't help identifying with the passengers on that plane. I'm sure that the same question has crossed other travelers minds. What if I had been on that flight?

Memories of our own trip from Malaysia to Beijing

I remember when my parents were visiting Europe and scheduled to fly home on September 12, 2001. I got the days mixed up and thought that they were flying home on September 11. When the attacks on the World Trade Center began, I vividly remember calling their phone in Texas and leaving a frantic message on the answering machine. "Are you home? Did you get home? Do not get on a plane!" They probably couldn't understand me; I was so hysterical. What if my family or friends were on a missing flight?


Wednesday night's update in a string of sometimes confusing and contradicting reports indicate that an unidentified blip was caught on military radar 200 km northwest of Penang at roughly the time that MH 370 disappeared. Could it be the missing aircraft? Did it turn back towards Kuala Lumpur? The search area has expanded from the east coast of Malaysia over the the west coast and the Andaman Sea that surrounds Penang. No, I have not seen any search planes or boats. Penang is in a heavy shipping lane and populated enough that someone would have noticed if the plane went down within sight of the island, so the rescuers are focusing on the vast expanse of water instead. Still, I cannot help looking out my windows to the Straits of Malacca spread out before me in hopes of spotting something —  a life raft, fragments, or, God willing, the whole entire plane floating by.

Looking out at the Straits of Malacca, waiting and searching

There has been an outpouring of support from the people of Malaysia. Radio stations broadcast people's phoned-in messages of hope for the missing plane between songs. A local mall is holding a paper crane origami event on Thursday and Friday. They aim to offer up 5000 cranes, 5000 wishes, and 5000 prayers for the 239 passengers and crew members. University students stood near the flight path of planes taking off from Penang International Airport holding up signs that proclaimed, "Pray for MH370."

Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, pilot of the missing flight, attended Penang Free School. Over a thousand teachers and students there gathered to pray. The Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, and Sikhs went off to separate areas in the school to supplicate their respective god(s) for the plane's safe return.

As is typical in this day and age, people expect total transparency and updates on the search and rescue efforts. News updates are given over the local radio every 30 minutes. The New Straits Times website adds multiple new articles an hour with all the latest information. Sometimes it's about area fishermen pledging to do everything they can to help with the search and rescue mission. A group found a badly damaged life raft floating 10 nautical miles from Port Dickson on the west coast of Malaysia on Wednesday. Unfortunately, it sank while being transferred on board the boat operated by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency. Other times, it's about family members of the missing losing control of their emotions and giving in to grief and despair.

The locals I know are upset about how the government seems to be bungling the search and rescue operation. They had hoped that this emergency would give Malaysia a chance to shine and demonstrate its capabilities in the world. Instead, they've come up with nothing. The Dewan Rakyat (Malaysia's House of Representatives) has gone from observing a moment of silence in honor of the missing flight to members of the opposition party accusing officials of mishandling the incident and calling for the Prime Minister and Acting Transport Minister to present themselves to the next day's session to provide an explanation.

In the end, what everyone wants to find out is where is the plane. We hope that somehow the passengers and crew are safe. That six days out, this story will have a happy ending. That's what I'm praying for.


This post is part of Travel Photo Thursday on Budget Travelers Sandbox. Check them out for more around-the-world travel inspiration.

The Sunshine Award

It's time to pull the curtain aside and reveal a little more about the woman behind the blog. I'm sure all of you picture me as an omniscient, glamorous, jet-setting, housewife of mystery... or not. Ahem... If you've been reading my blog, you probably know a little about me. I have a family, I'm from Texas, and I'm living in Malaysia. I love to travel.

Thanks to Brittany Ruth over at The Rococo Roamer, you'll learn a little more about me. Brittany tagged me for The Sunshine Award for bloggers who "positively and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere."

The Rules

Acknowledge the blogger who nominated you.

Share 11 random facts about yourself.

Answer 11 questions the nominating blogger has created for you.

List bloggers.

Post 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate and let them know they have been nominated. 

11 Random Facts

1. Because of my mother-in-law, Christmas doesn't seem right if the vinegary smell of German Red Cabbage cooking on the stove does not permeate the air.
2. In high school, I was an extra in the movie A Tiger's Tale starring C. Thomas Howell, Ann Margaret, and Kelli Preston. You can clearly see me for about 3 seconds.
3. No, I cannot speak Chinese, even if I look like I should.
4. I like my chocolate with a cocoa content of about 65% and have a ridiculous assortment in my fridge at any point in time.
5. One of my favorite quotes: "For me, parenting is like dieting. Every day, I wake up filled with resolve and good intentions, perfection in view, and every day, I somehow stray from the path. The difference is with dieting, I usually make it to lunch..." by Marion Winik in The Lunchbox Chronicles.
6. I've always been a bookworm. My first memory of reading was when I figured out that "r" + "ice" is "rice". Is it a coincidence that my mom served rice at every meal and that I attended Rice University years later?
7. I rode a bicycle-built-for-two for the first time last week.
8. I've been married for almost half my life.
9. My list of what I want to be when I grow up is longer than when I was a child.
10. My sister passed away after a 19-month battle with brain cancer. She was 17, and I was 19. I still miss her but am grateful for the few months she was in remission.
11. The lessons I most want to pass on to my children are "Be kind," "Be thankful," and "Remain hopeful."
     

11 Questions Asked of Me

1. What is the first concert you ever attended?
I vaguely recall going to an Air Supply concert at Six Flags Astroworld because it was free, and I was already there that day. Then, there was that Tony Orlando and Dawn dinner show in Las Vegas when I was a kid. I remember the Wedge Salad more than the performance.

My first "real" concert where I actively wanted to go was ZZ Top's Eliminator Tour at the Houston Astrodome with Joan Jett as the opening act. My friend lived next door to Frank Beard (the drummer and the only one in the trio who does NOT have a beard), and he had offered her parents free tickets.  I remember wearing a headband around my forehead and leg warmers. We stopped by his room at the old Shamrock Hotel to pick up the tickets for floor seats, and my hearing has never been the same since.

 2. Do you have a pet?  What is it? No pets. Three crazy kids is all I can handle. Before we became parents, I gave hubby a Tamagotchi virtual pet and told him that we could discuss having kids if he managed to keep it alive.  

 3. Name a mini goal of yours and a long term goal that you have or will be working on.

Mini goal: Learn how to bake bread with a good, crisp crust like the kind you get at a French boulangerie.

Long term goal: Keeping my marriage as happy as it is now and has been over the last 2 decades. I want to be that cute, little, old Asian lady next to the tall, white-haired, elderly man, holding hands on the park bench. Our first dance at our wedding was The Beatles' "When I'm Sixty-Four." We're still headed in that direction.

 4. Coolest place you've ever traveled to?

Last week's trip to Tibet. TIBET!!

 5. If you had no limits, what would be your dream job?

Baker and cake decorator. I enjoy it but take so stinking long to make a cake that I'd have to charge hundreds of dollars to make it worth my time. In Texas, I baked cookies for the Mobile Loaves and Fishes organization which feeds homeless people so that I could use my powers for good instead of evil.

 6. What are the top three qualities you look for in a friend?

• Not a zombie. I like my brains just where they are.
• Does not judge me for my love of cupcakes and all things sugar-related.
• Likes my family. We are a package deal.

7. What are you obsessed with right now?
As always, chocolate.

 8. If you could learn to play a new instrument, speak a new language, or instantly fix one of your flaws, what would you choose?

To quote Jerry Seinfeld: "I never get enough sleep. I stay up late at night, cause I’m Night Guy. Night Guy wants to stay up late. ‘What about getting up after five hours sleep?’, oh that’s Morning Guy’s problem. That’s not my problem, I’m Night Guy. I stay up as late as I want. So you get up in the morning, you’re exhausted, groggy… oooh I hate that Night Guy! See, Night Guy always screws Morning Guy. There’s nothing Morning Guy can do."

I'd instantly make Night Michele give a hoot about Morning Michele.

 9. What is something you regret that you wish you could change, or do you live your life with no regrets?

I wished I didn't study so hard in high school and had more fun.

 10. What is a new hobby you've been wanting to try out?

Stand up Paddleboard. I tried it in Hawaii and loved it. We thought about getting one for Penang since we live on the beach but did not think that it would fit in the elevator.

 11. What is something readers don't know about you?

I once played basketball while riding a donkey.

 

11 Questions for my Nominees

1. What are you obsessed with right now?
2. What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
3. Have you ever been camping? Did you like it? Does that count as 2 questions? Three?
4. What souvenir did you buy on your last trip?
5. What was the last sporting event that you watched?
6. What do you think of when you hear the world "Malaysia" (except for this blog)?
7. What is your dream trip destination?
8. If you were not allowed to work and had sufficient money, what would you do with yourself?
9. If you absolutely had to work but had no limits, what is your dream job?
10. What's the last new thing you tried?
11. Would you rather read a book or watch TV?

My Nominees

Here are my nominees for those who positively and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere. Play along if you have time and the inclination.

• The Chronicles of Ellie Bellie Bear
• More Kids than Suitcases
• Rebecca, Who Always Spoke Loudly
• Wild Tales of... 
• Penang Momma

Was it just a Childhood Dream?

Looking down from Hurricane Ridge, Olympic National Park to the waters we had traveled the night before.

I was only halfway listening to my son, then just 6 years old, as I impatiently waited for him to put on his shoes so we could walk to school. Perhaps you are familiar with that feeling of knowing that you could do it faster for your kid, but you're trying to teach them self-reliance. He was chattering away and not really concentrating at the task at hand.

"The boat was really big. I was eating a hamburger and looked out the window and saw a whale! Then, we went to a log cabin and went to sleep. We went upstairs, not downstairs, and had pancakes for breakfast..."

"That's a great dream, buddy," I said. "Now hurry up and finish putting on your shoes."

"It wasn't a dream!" he retorted.

"What in the world are you talking about?"

"Don't you remember?" he asked me.

I still had no clue. After some more questioning, it finally clicked! He was talking about our international ferry ride from Victoria, British Columbia to Port Angeles, Washington State and our stay at Elwha Ranch Bed & Breakfast in Olympic National Park. It sounded so magical through the eyes of a little boy.

Photo from another ferry ride earlier that day from Vancouver to Vancouver Island.

What amazed me the most is that we had taken the trip two years earlier when he was only 4-years-old. This was the first time he mentioned it. We had not been reminiscing about it recently or been looking at photos. It was just so special that it stuck out in his mind, although I had no idea at the moment that it was happening.

My boy is now 10-years-old. I brought up this story the other day, remarking at how incredulous I was that he'd remembered a trip so well even though he was young when we did it.

"Yeah," he said, "I still remember what I was drinking when I saw the whale."

"Really?" I couldn't believe it.

"Chocolate milk."

To all of you parents out there who include your preschooler in your travels, you may also be surprised one day at just how much they remember.

The next morning on Hurricane Ridge, Olympic National Park

Not realizing what a great time my boy was having, I seem to have taken zero photos of one of his best memories. At least it lives on in his heart.


Related Post:
U.S. National Park Week: Part 1


This post is part of "Travel Photo Thursday" on Budget Travelers Sandbox, Friday Postcards on Walking On Travels, and "Oh the Places I've Been!" on The Tablescaper. Check them out for more around-the-world travel inspiration.

Bye-bye Summer, Hello School

Today is the first day of the new school year, and with that, another summer draws to a close. I don't feel quite ready, yet, believe it or not. I started off June with good intentions of all that we were going to do these last few months, and there are still so many things left undone.

I clearly remember my first summer as a mother to three young children. As I picked up my boys from preschool, I burst into tears. Perhaps it was because my oldest one would start "big boy" school the next year, and I was saying goodbye to that phase of his life. Perhaps it was because I had given birth to my girl only five days earlier and the postpartum hormones were still running crazily through my body. Perhaps it was because I had no idea how I was going to occupy these kids and keep them out of mischief for three long months.

Now that they're older, my expectations go beyond merely surviving the summer with my insanity intact. I wanted to keep their skills up throughout the school break. I had notions of doing multiplication drills with flash cards. That happened all of twice. The school library summer reading program leaflet stares at me accusingly, devoid of any books listed or minutes logged. My kids are great readers; they're just bad record keepers. Oh, and I never quite got around to giving my 10-year-old "The Talk". You know... the one about the birds and the bees. He'll just have to enter 5th Grade (Year 6) ignorant of how exactly babies are made.

Then, I decide to stop focusing on the unchecked items on the To Do List. Sure, we didn't get everything done, but we accomplished a lot. For one thing, we hopped westward across three continents. We took a gigantic field trip encircling the world. The family explored Paris from the tippy top of the Eiffel Tower to the dank corridors of the subterranean catacombs. The miles ratcheted up on the van's odometer driving around Texas from big cities to small ones, from state parks to Galveston Bay. Touching back down in Penang, Malaysia, we remembered what it was like when we first arrived two years ago, and how much more we now know about this place we currently call home. Certainly, all this travel must count for something.


We saw paintings by Da Vinci, Seurat, Matisse, Picasso and Warhol up close in Paris. The kids clearly had more of an affinity for realistic paintings than modern art.

The kids attempt to pose like the figures in the Picasso.

My eldest boy learned how to build a shelter out of yaupon branches, rope and a tarp, then spent the night in it. The next night, he did away with a shelter altogether and slept under the Texas sky.

Who needs a tent when camping out by the shores of Lake Bastrop?

The kids got a first hand physics lesson in aerodynamics by experiencing the interaction of body position and airflow when they went indoor skydiving.

Held aloft by nothing but wind

We found a new museum to explore science and visited some old favorites. Hands-on is always more fun than reading it in a textbook.

Austin Children's Museum * Houston Health Museum
Cite des Enfants in Paris
Mayborn Museum in Waco, Texas * Children's Museum of Houston

My younger son had time to sit and build his LEGO Legends of Chima fighter. Then, he decided to modify it with LEGO Mindstorms to turn it into a controllable robot.

Building robots out of toys

The Fourth of July (America's Independence Day) was spent remembering their roots, reconnecting with cousins and watching fireworks. Boy, was I surprised when they spontaneously started singing The Star Spangled Banner, our national anthem.



The rockets red (or white) glare

We heard music with our ears and felt the rhythm down to our bones at a performance of Drum Corp International in Houston. I'm hoping it provided some inspiration for my budding percussionist.

The Boston Crusaders

So yeah, we didn't get every academic thing on my list done before school started. But I have to remind myself that it's not just the books and flashcards that count. Living life and taking in the world goes a long ways towards expanding young minds, too.

Bye bye summer. Hello school.

Farewell to Friends

Numerous farewell gatherings for friends continue this week in Penang. They started in May as the school year drew to a close. As with any expat community, so many people are here for just a few years, and a high turnover rate is the norm. Our school even sells T-shirts at the end of the year with either "Jumpa Lagi" for returning students and "Selamat Tinggal" for those who are leaving. They'll fly away home or onward to unknown adventures in other lands.

I'm sad to see you go. Farewell, my friends.

A few expats left before the school year ended. The goodbyes are sometimes brief as in when my friend told me on the playground one Thursday that she was starting a new job on Monday... in Swaziland. But most expats leave over the long school break, and the process of saying goodbye goes on for a few months.

One of my biggest fears about moving somewhere new, especially overseas, is that I would lead a solitary, friendless existence. Boy, was I wrong.

Luckily, the expat and local community here is so welcoming that finding a sense of belonging was not a problem. All expats seem to remember that deer-in-the-headlights feeling they had when they first arrived here. So, they go out of their way to help newcomers, just as other people did for them. When I was still a faceless stranger posting school selection questions on the Penang Mommas Discussion Forum, one kind momma specifically got testimonies for me from older students at the school where her own children attended preschool.

All the newly arrived expats bond hard and fast like it's orientation week at university and we're small town kids in the big city for the first time. We cling to each other, taking comfort that the other person looks just as slightly freaked out as oneself. As we figure out how to satisfy basic needs like food, healthcare, and banking, the information flies back and forth in hopes that pooling our collective brains will ease the transition process. For instance, I had no idea that the only place on Penang island with cobra anti-venom is General Hospital, not one of the private hospitals frequented by the expat crowd. Good info to have!

I imagined that I'd learn about Malay life by living here. I definitely have, but an unexpected bonus is the world view that the international crowd has brought into my life. For instance, I'm in a book club that has had members hailing from Norway, Germany, Australia, England, Malaysia, and the United States. It's fascinating hearing what everyday life is like in each friend's home country. I'll admit that I was somewhat lost when some of them started reminiscing about the Eurovision Song Contest and Top of the Pops since I grew up in Texas watching Solid Gold and Hee Haw. These friends enable the group to examine literature under a global lens whether we're reading about transsexuals in small town America in John Irving's In One Person or about Palestinian refugees in Mornings in Jenin by Susan Albuhawa.

We friends lead by example to encourage each other to try new experiences. I bought unrefrigerated chicken at the wet market only after another American friend assured me that she'd done it numerous times with no ill effects on her family. Traveling to Laos and Myanmar seems less daunting when you know people who brought their preschoolers there. I would have never tried Bikram Yoga except that one of my friends started leading a class here.

As I give each departing friend one last goodbye hug, I know that they'll be missed. Inheriting the contents of their liquor cabinets or leftover small appliances is small solace. I think the sadness will really hit when the school year starts up again and people who were intrinsic parts of my weekly routine are missing.

I know that I'll definitely reunite with some of them since they're from my hometown of Austin, Texas. I keep promoting Spring Break Austin 2015 to my friend recently returned to New Hampshire since so many of us Penang expats will be back by then. Others are spread out all around the world in Africa, Europe, and Australia. Visiting them gives me a good excuse to continue my international travels. I wish them all the best as they either repatriate back into their home countries or experience another new culture as a serial expat. My time in Penang has been all the richer for having known them.

21 Years of Traveling through Marriage

We'll be heading off to Paris soon. I remember the last time I was there. It was summer. I was young and in love but traveling with my parents while my boyfriend back in Texas was packing up to move to another city. Would the relationship last? I had no idea. I definitely had my doubts. It would be at least two more years before I would graduate from university and could contemplate joining him.

May 1990 —  I first visited Paris one month after this.

The friendship between this boy and myself started blossoming into something more the year beforehand when we started writing letters to each other while he was away on a summer internship. Yes, actual letters — on paper, in envelopes with stamps... the kind where you have to check your physical mailbox to see if the postman had left you something. I didn't realize at that time that we were at the end of an era. Do young folks smitten with each other still pen missives to give their romance an epistolary kick start?

Joyfully, our relationship survived the distance and the many trips back and forth to visit each other. Well, it was him driving to see me 99% of the time.

One of the things that really impressed me about this guy was his traveling childhood. Every summer, his family of  two parents and four boys would jet off somewhere to explore the world. Machu Picchu, The Forbidden City, the Coliseum, the Sydney Opera House, the Pyramids at Giza, and on and on... He'd been everywhere.

June 6, 1992 — Our wedding day

We were married twenty-one years ago on June 6. "D-Day" is usually the first comment I get when I tell people our anniversary date. From the reception, we headed directly to the airport for our honeymoon, our first vacation together. It was my first big trip without either my parents or a priest (high school church ski trip) accompanying me. I was married and felt so grown-up! We sailed out of Miami on a Caribbean cruise. He had many cruises under his belt, but this was my maiden (matron?) voyage. Afterwards, we spent a week at Disney World. Who needs kids to hang with the Mouse?



January 2008 
Disney World with kids almost 15 years after our honeymoon there
 

This summer, we're headed to Paris. My love will be by my side instead of an ocean away.

I'm such a different person than the young lass who visited there decades ago. My black hair is starting to show strands of gray. My mid-section is squishier. I'm no longer somewhat insecure in my relationship. It feels rock solid, unlike my abs. I've graduated from being the kid to being the mom — three times over, no less.



Hanson Bay, Kangaroo Island, Australia — January 2013

 

Happy 21st Anniversary to my much adored husband.

I am blessed to call you mine.



This post is part of Travel Photo Thursday on Budget Travelers Sandbox. Check it out for more around-the-world travel inspiration.

One Thousand Gifts

Last year, my older son's teacher assigned each student to come up with a list of One Thousand Gifts. No, not a Christmas wish list. Inspired by the book by Ann Voskamp, the teacher asked for a list of one thousand things to be grateful for. One thousand! I can easily rattle off 30 items I'm thankful for, one item for each day in November. With a tiny bit more work, I can probably crank the list up to 100. But 1000 is a lot. To come up with 1000, you have to dig really deep. It took the entire school year to compile.

My son started off easy, listing "All fifty states" as one line item (#64) followed by each state named individually in alphabetical order. But eventually, he uncovered a depth of gratitude that I didn't know existed inside him. It was like a tween's journal but with absolutely no angst, just sunshine and happiness. This lesson entered his life at a good time. Like many coming of age stories, my boy was beginning to leave that childlike sense of wonder behind him and become aware of the realities of the world. Seeking 1000 gifts focused his gaze on the realities that are good and beautiful instead of the ones that make you lose faith. So with his permission, here are a few of those gifts, mostly travel related.


10. A sunset with an array of colors

Watching the sunset over the Pacific Ocean at Kalaloch Lodge in Olympic National Park, Washington.
For all you Twilight fans, this is in Forks.

 

293. My brother who is a serious Pokemon fan



Making brother's dreams come true with a visit to Tokyo's Pokemon Center.

374. The countless hours of free time on an intercontinental flight.

So much in-flight entertainment, so little time on the flight from Los Angeles to Hong Kong.

434. Having random thoughts of Maine when eating lobster.

The view from Thurston's Lobster Pound in Bernard, Maine where lobster boats unload traps right at the restaurant.

472. Hearing the drums banging at the dragon dance celebration



500. 500 -- exactly half of 1000 gifts -- halfway before your goal's end to make you say, "Wow, it was hard, but I managed and thought of 1000 thankful gifts."


714. Monkeys that crawl all around Malaysia and want to steal your food

Training baby monkeys on the fine art of stealing food at the Penang Botanical Garden

849. Pike's Peak where "America the Beautiful" was written

They only allowed us 40 minutes at the summit before heading back down to avert altitude sickness.

858. Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, full of hardened magma and glowing volcanoes



Devastation Trail had tiny bits of solidified lava known as Pele's hair and Pele's tears

1000. The one thousandth gift is completed. Flipping back in the book will remind me of all the fun I had in sixth grade.


This post is part of Travel Photo Thursday at Budget Travelers Sandbox and Friday Daydreamin' at R We There Yet Mom? Check them out for more around-the-world travel inspiration.