Last Week of School...and my office lights

This is our final week of school before our three weeks of holiday, and it's nearly over already! It's been a reasonably quiet week in the office so far (unless you count the unfortunate red-eyed child who was stuck in here yesterday...), but busy, busy, busy otherwise. There's been basketball games, our open house, parties, and now tonight the elementary students are having their Christmas program. It's also finals week for the high schoolers.

In my attempts to be Christmas-y, I hung a big "Merry Christmas" banner and lights in my office. Now, all the lights I've used in the States had two options: you could set them to stay on constantly or blink. The lights I bought here in Singapore came with a box that allows them to do EIGHT different things. They have names like "slo-glo" and "twinkle flash" but it should really be "sparkly insanity" and "may cause seizures". Some of the settings are pretty, but I have to wonder who programmed the other ones.

Just over a week to go...

...until Christmas Break! We get an entire 3 weeks off of school here, which is amazing. I don't even know what I'm going to do with all that time off yet.

That said, I feel like I ought to talk a little about Christmas in Singapore as compared to Christmas in Wisconsin. For one thing, it's HOT here. If it's not hot, then it's rainy. No snow, no icicles, no chilly breeze to make you wish you'd worn an extra layer of clothes. Sometimes, I'm incredibly thankful for the warm weather and other times I really miss peeking out a window late at night and seeing the sparkle of moonlight (or, well, artificial lighting...) on a blanket of snow.

Another thing is that there aren't tons and tons of Christmas decorations: if I walk around my neighborhood, I might see a Christmas tree in a window and the Fairprice (grocery store) has decorations up. To see lots of decor, you need to go to a mall. The malls are decked out with trees, garland, lights, and other totally random decorations in every color of the rainbow. Orchard Road also has plenty of decorations. If I was a really awesome blogger, I'd show you all pictures - but I'm only a mediocre blogger. : )

A few things that have stayed the same:

Kids' Christmas plays. Here at school, the elementary kids are putting on two presentations complete with music and costumes. There are posters up around the school and sometimes I get to hear them singing Christmas songs. So fun! I'm excited to see their big shows!

Christmas at church. The church I go to observes Advent, which I really love. If you're not familiar with it, it's basically a period of waiting for Christ's birth and Christmas. Every Sunday during the four weeks leading up to Christmas, a family from the church lights a candle in the Advent wreath. The church is also getting ready for a children's Christmas presentation and some other activities. Two weeks ago they had carolers standing on the steps leading up to the sanctuary - I loved it!

Coffee shops. Walk into any Coffee Bean or Starbucks and they have the Christmas-themed cups and drinks just like in the U.S. (You can make mean faces at me, but I really like Coffee Bean better - as a non-coffee drinker, I'm loving the tea lattes...)

So, those are just a few observations. I've been trying to get into a Christmas-y mood and hung lights in the First Aid Office - they haven't caused any seizures yet, so I think it's okay. :)

Oh So Thankful

Today I celebrated my first Canadian Thanksgiving...in Singapore! It was a special treat to be able to have turkey, stuffing, and all kinds of other delicious things and all in the company of a great group of ladies.

We had to list three things we were thankful for, and mine were the following:

1.) Lots of emails from family and friends back in the States recently. This is so encouraging and gives me that extra little boost that I really appreciate. It's so nice to know that there are people out there thinking of me.

2.) New friends in Singapore. It's wonderful having fun times and good conversation with some of the great people here and is definitely making this new place more and more like another home.

3.) My job - it comes with it's own set of unique challenges and stresses, but God has been so good in helping me to handle each one as it presents itself. I'm learning yet again that He is good and faithful each time.

Further blessings abound...let me share a few:

- No major injuries during sports games the last week and a half!
- Hearing from the director of one of our sister schools in Turkey via Skype during the staff meeting today (the cream puffs were also good)!
- Getting to watch a baptismal service at the church I visited this last Sunday & hearing one lady's awesome testimony!

God is good...all the time.

Please be praying as our school has its annual Carnival this Saturday! It's going to be a busy time, and we get a lot of visitors to the school. A few moms and I will be on first aid duty - let's hope for tons of fun & no injuries!

Like, Love, Etc.

Another weekend over. It's really true that time flies when you're having fun.

"Big" stuff from this last week:

- Attending the Singapore Slingers basketball game and cheering like a crazy lady (they won!)
- Seeing some of our students play in a fabulous benefit concert
- Hanging out late and catching the last train on the MRT home
- Walking through the Helix Bridge
- Visiting another new church and getting to see the kids' songs and play for Children's Day

What I wished I had this week:

-Instant ice packs, pre-wrap, and a sam splint.
-Pizza fries.

Little things that are making Singapore a home:

- The Cheers store in the MRT station. Once every week or two, I stop in for an ice cream bar to eat on my way home. Every time, they offer me a voucher for $5 off overseas shipping.
- My teva sandals. I finally bought a pair last weekend and now I feel like I can explore this place without sore feet, in typical i-care-about-comfort-before-style fashion.
- Our talking elevator. Nothing like being greeted with a cheery "Going up?" when you get home.

Regarding work:

These kids are starting to get to me. We start our eigth week of school today, and as I get to know them more, I find that I feel bad when they're sick or hurt - especially some of the students that I've seen multiple times. I want to make sure that they sleep and eat and use tissues and wash their hands - but I can really only control what they do in my office and, to an extent, what they do at school.

2 Months

Today marks two months in Singapore. On the one month anniversary of my arrival, I got food poisoning and puked in a bush. Today, I'm the the head-full-of-phlegm phase of a cold. I'm hoping the third month anniversary of being here doesn't involve being sick. : )

It's been a good week so far, and I'm reminded that I'm so blessed to be able to do this job. I get to experience another country, work with wonderful staff and kids and families, and the amount of stress I deal with on a daily basis has gone way, way down. God is so awesomely good. Sometimes I wonder what He has in store further down the road, or how all the different things I've experienced are going to come together, or even if they're ever going to come together in a way that makes sense to me.

The leaves are still green

I've been thinking a lot about autumn in Wisconsin lately...I miss ripe tomatoes and making salsa, the changing colors and the way the trees on Rib Mountain look when I drive past, and that crisp, chill -but not cold! - weather that's perfect for sweatshirt-wearing. It makes me think about riding my bike through piles of leaves, apple picking, and making pie.

The more I think about these things though, the more I realize that I haven't done very many of them during the past few years. Bike-riding and apple-picking all happened in college. Singapore is a lot different, but it's bringing with it a new host of experiences worth remembering.

I know I've talked about the stages of transitioning to a new place before, and more and more I realize I'm in that second phase where differences make themselves more apparent and you notice so often the things you miss: Taking cheese fries out of the oven. Sitting in the tiny wedge of space between my futon and the coffee table. Shopping at Target and Festival Foods.

It makes me a little sad to write about it...I've been in Singapore for almost 2 months and I think it's almost time to get a tear-jerker movie so I can have myself a good, healthy cry.

Let me say that there are so many things to love about Singapore too - the plethora of fruit juices, huge thunderstorms more often than Wisconsin could ever supply, plants and flowers and trees every where you look, and the wonderful community of people at our school. I'm curious to see what kinds of things are going to stick with me from here, the things I'll miss sometime far, far in the future.

3 weeks down!

The students and I have survived three weeks of school with no life-threatening injuries: Thank You, God! This really is a heartfelt praise, because I guess I forgot just how accident-prone kids and young adults are. They knock each other over in P.E., fall off things, and get well-acquainted with the sidewalk...on pretty much a daily basis. Tripping down the stairs is less frequent, but has happened twice already. A large chunk of me wants to wrap every last one of them in bubble-wrap, but with Singapore's heat and humidity, the prevelance of eczema, and the current fashion trends, I don't think that would go over very well.

Learning names is something of a challenge too - I have no seating charts to go by, and it's a random draw of which 350+ students are going to walk in each day. Names are important though. I remember when I was younger, it was crushing if someone I considered important didn't remember my name (or worse, used one of my younger sisters' names!). I'm trying to make an effort to remember them, but it might take some doing!

There are, of course, a few familiar faces already. One kid I've seen a few times popped in after school for something and I asked if he and his parents were going to come to the open house tonight. He said he thought so, and I suggested that it would be nice for his mom and dad to see his classroom and his teacher. "And you," he announced - which I'll admit made me just a bit tickled pink.

Shopping in Singapore: Uniqlo

Being of the cheap, frugal variety, I get excited every time I think I get a deal. I've been in Singapore just over a month (yay!) and one of the things I've realized is that my love of clearance rack shopping probably isn't going to be as easily fulfilled here. So, every time I find a store I really like, I'll try to do a little blog about it (mainly for the benefit of my shopping-obsessed sisters).

Uniqlo is a Japanese clothing store - they have shops in a few other countries, including one in Manhattan. It reminds me A LOT of Old Navy: the quality is okay, and most of the clothes are casual with a small selection of dress clothes, sports outfits, business appropriate wear, and sleepwear. There are also a lot of basics like t-shirts and tanks in a solid color range. I only looked through the ladies' section; there's a large men's area as well and they seem to have about the same selection.

Prices are affordable and there are a lot of sales. The selection seems to get changed a lot, so while I haven't found a clearance section, things are "on sale" for as low as S$10.

Sizes range from S to XL, but they run small. I wear a S/M in Old Navy's clothes, but a M/L here. I didn't try on any jeans so I can't tell you how those run.

Uniqlo also provided me with my first fitting room experience in Singapore: you'll have to queue up (get in a line) and an attendant will take everything off the hangers for you and find you a cubicle. You'll be required to leave your shoes outside the cubicle. When you're done, the attendant will take anything you don't want.

The best part?

If you're short like me, and want your pants hemmed, Uniqlo does it for FREE (unless you buy something under a certain price; then it's S$5).

If you want your bottoms altered/hemmed:

1.) While in the dressing room, ask an attendant to come over. They'll help you decide on the length and mark the garment.

2.) Take all of your things to the check-out counter. Make sure to mention which items need to be altered. They'll staple a tag to the garment and have you provide your name and phone number.

3.) Take the item that needs to be altered to the alteration counter. It's probably right near the dressing room. They'll let you know what time you need to return for it.

4.) Leave. Alterations usually take between 2-4 hours. Best make Uniqlo your FIRST shopping stop of the day.

5.) Return at the appointed time and retrieve your garment. You'll have to show your receipt as proof of purchase. You can try it on again there to make sure the alteration is suitable.

That's all!

4+ Weeks!

I've spent just over four weeks here in beautiful Singapore - a month from tomorrow, I was flying into Changi Airport for the very, very first time. I still remember a little bit of those first 24 jet-lagged hours: the confusion over whether or not I should tip the porter (if you're wondering, the answer is no), seeing our lovely flat for the very first time, and the late evening walk by the Esplanade, complete with blurry photos that I was too tired to frame better. I can't remember what I ate for lunch.

And now it's very, very nearly been a month and we've survived two weeks of school already. I'm quickly learning that working in a school is much, much different than working at a hospital - there are very few things you can predict, occasional uneventful hours, and other times when the office is invaded with chaos (or sixth grade boys).

If you ever worked with me on 8 North, let me tell you that I'm incredibly thankful for what my years with all of you taught me: how to stay calm when you're concerned, the ability to grab what you need and take off running, triage questions, the value of watching and waiting, how to appreciate a conversation, and how to wrap an ACE-bandage. ; )

In two weeks there's been plenty of excitement too: a bloody nose, allergic reactions, a couple bumped heads, and the usual variety of fevers, headaches, scrapes, and puke with a little local heat over-exposure thrown in. I pulled a tooth. I've called plenty of moms and dads. I'm basking in the delight of the short conversations about summer vacation, pink shoes, puppies, sports, and kids' lit, among other things. Today I got my biggest scare - if you're in the medical field, you know the words "come right now" are never a good thing. I don't want to downplay a broken arm, but let me just say I was relieved when I had to get a taxi instead of an ambulance!

It's also been a joy to be around kids again. I want to write so much, but I think "joy" sums the feeling up pretty sufficiently.

On a final note, I also got pranked today. I'd offer some advice on how to better convince me you've severed two fingers, but I'm a bit concerned someone would actually try to see if the methods worked. ; )

Singapore: 2 Weeks Down!

I've officially been in Singapore for 2 weeks now! I'm better at navigating the bus and can now identify bus newbies when they try to board from the wrong door. I've tried more new foods. The office is beginning to feel a little bit more like my office.

Things I Really Like:

Being able to walk around alone at night and still feel safe
Hearing more than one language on a regular basis
Trying new food almost every day
School people
Seeing kids walking around in uniforms
The nice people in our neighborhood
Hearing more than just American music in malls

Things I Like that I Didn't Think I Would

Boxed milk
Living high, high up in the building
Learning a new currency

Things I Don't Like:

Broken aircons
Feeling gross almost all the time
Crazy expensive American food
Walking into a bathroom and realizing there are no Western toilets

S'pore - Week 2!

So I've officially been in Singapore for a whole week! This place continues to present me with new experiences, challenges, and especially new food. I'm definitely enjoying all the Indian food and am working up some bravery to branch into the more unfamiliar Chinese cuisine (fish balls, anyone?). The flat is starting to feel like home: a few days our power went out and we went on a scavenger hunt for the fuse box (we ended up having to call someone else to look...but met some of our Singaporean neighbors in the process!). We saw (and Kara killed) our first cockroach. I've successfully plugged the sink, but haven't figured out how to unplug it (whoops!). We don't have hot water in the kitchen, so to do dishes we carried water from the bathroom. After we learn how to work the stove/range, we should be able to just boil water on the stove for cleaning. We continue to learn the bus system a little more every day (I think I can finally recognize when to push the buzzer for our school stop...).

We also started school orientation this week and I've been spending plenty of time tidying up my office and getting first aid kits ready for all the classrooms. My cupboards are full of all kinds of pharmaceutical and bandaging goodies and my goal is to successfully complete a supply order by the end of tomorrow - it's a challenge because all the brand names for products are different, and medical supplies are usually referred to by their brand names. I'm used to coverlets, kerlix, and Band-aids...not the mysterious "elastoplast" and "helioplast" ("-plast" is a great ending around here, apparently...).

Tomorrow I have an appointment regarding my green card/work pass and sometime in the next few weeks we'll be working on getting me recognized as a registered nurse in Singapore. For the time being, I'm a First Aid Officer. Whoop-whoop! Your prayers that this process would go smoothly would be appreciated!

The returning people from school continue to be absolutely wonderful: I feel like we're constantly going out to eat with people or having a meal at someone's house. There's such a great feeling of community and I absolutely love it. The new people are awesome as well! It's fabulous to have people drop into the office to say hi or to be able to peek into the junior kindergarten during a break. Today a group of us ate lunch at the hawker center near school...more delicious Indian food.

Did I explain hawker centers? It's basically a huge complex with tables for eating and tons of food and drink stands where you can get something to eat. There's no aircon, but the food is super cheap ($2-$6 SG) and there's plenty of different things to try. The hawker near school is huge: there are also tons of shops, a bakery, and a wet market (fish smell!) nearby.

Tomorrow's goal: learn to do laundry. Our washing machine is itty-bitty compared to the commercial washer back in Wisconsin, and we don't have a dryer. Get ready for an adventure!

I realize I still haven't posted photos...NEXT TIME! (I think I've taken about ten photos total...sad!)

In Singapore! (Lonnnnng post)

Today was Day 4 in Singapore! I wanted to blog the first few days, but jet lag sucked up all my motivation & I'm definitely still in watch and learn mode. But if you want to know what I was up to:

Monday (WI time): I headed for Minneapolis, departed at about 9:30 pm, landed in San Francisco and then started my longest flight yet...I thought Paris was long, but Hong Kong ate up an entire day (well, 14 or 15 hours)! I spent about an hour walking around in the HK airport (free wifi!) before heading on to Singapore. I don't have any plane photos because I was in the aisle seat & it was dark for almost the entire 24 hours I traveling (35+ when you count in the time change).

Wednesday (SG time): I landed at about 11:20 am, was picked up at the airport by the awesome Kendra C. & my equally fabulous roommate, Kara. Saw our wonderful flat (apartment), took a shower, and then headed for school! I ate all Western food the first day: Subway for lunch and pasta for supper...but I was too zombie-fied to care. My memory from the day is pretty hazy, but I'm pretty sure we also set up my phone, walked around by the Esplanade, and...yeah, I can't remember anything else. I think my brain had checked out by around 8:30 pm, but my body managed to stay awake until 10!

Oh! And I got to see my office. HUGE. Since coming to Singapore, I've felt strangely large and awkward (even if in the States I'm short & average) so maybe in such a big room I'll feel small-ish again (doubt it).

Thursday: What did we do this day? I don't remember what the morning involved (did we go to school?), but we went to Vivo City towards afternoon & had lunch at Food Republic (visit #1). Vivo City is a GIGANTIC mall and Food Republic is it's all-Asian food court (various Chinese, Indian, Korean, etc. food). After that we saw Inception (definitely recommended if you like complex movies...loved the use of repeated line). In Singapore, you choose your seat when you buy your movie ticket - nice system! Unless, of course, you're one of the last people to get your ticket. : ) Kara and I also found a grocery store within walking distance of our flat! Not sure if I remember exactly how to get there now, but I'll figure it out!

Friday: This was medical exam day. A batch of us were "chosen" to get exams before getting our S-passes (green cards/work permits)...I imagine that since I've been exposed to all sorts of glorious organisms, they wanted to make sure I'm not diseased. Had my first chest x-ray ever (the RN in me wanted to type "cxr"), blood tests, and the fastest interview with a doctor ever. If they were doing an H&P on me, I think it would be a sentence or two. Afterwards, we headed back to school and then I got my first taste of Indian food & it was delicious! ("Where have you been all my life?" feeling...all the Indian residents & doctors back home should definitely push to get a place open in Marshfield!) After that a couple of us headed to Sim Lim Square (electronics paradise, if you're into that) and then...back to Vivo City again. Found a huge & lovely bookstore (Page One), but all the knitting books are exactly the same as the ones back home (just more price-y!). Had my first dish of chicken rice (Singapore food!) at Food Republic (visit #2) and then saw Inception again. Seeing a movie twice in a row is very, verrrry untypical for me...hope it doesn't turn into a habit. : )

Saturday (today!): All of the new staff met at school for a Singapore Scavenger Hunt/Mission ("mission" sounds so much cooler than "hunt"). We were all over the place & I started to wish I had a pedometer to keep track of just how much we were walking around. We also took the MRT (subway/train), bus, and taxi. Where'd we go? Vivo City, yet again...and guess where else? Food Republic (visit #3). I tried more Indian food (murtabak chicken with curry sauce...which may just convince me to transition back to eating eggs again)...good again. After Vivo, we headed onwards to Chinatown (cheap stuff galore!) and then Clarke Quay & the merlion fountains. We had to take LOADS of photos (thanks Kendra!) so you may just be able to see some. ; ) After all of our hunting around, we had a staff dinner at Chili's (dear French fries & ketchup: I like you a lot). And now...chilling out with the aircon in my room.

I think that's all...sorry for an absolute truckload of information. It's been a very full four days in Singapore and there's plenty more to come!

QUILT-ZILLA IS COMPLETE! Also, bye Wisconsin.

I've been working on a quilt for over a year (long story) and finally finished the binding today. I worked on it in the car, during intermission at Cinderella, and at other random times in between everything else happening during the last week. Pictures someday.

I spent...hmm...roughly 18-20 hours driving between Tuesday and Saturday, and I'll be in the car for a 3 hour drive to the airport tomorrow. I was blessed to see many wonderful friends...so good. The week also included:

Eating sushi for the very first time (stickier than I assumed...)
Searching for a match on State Street to light a cupcake candle
A poem about an onion
Driving in the rain & fog & sunshine
Going for coffee and consuming no coffee at all
Dilemmas involing the La Crosse Family Restaurant
Home-made bread and one absolutely good-natured baby
Pancakes in taxidermy central
A new baby, new paint, and introducing a small child to the word "whack" (not pertaining to the baby)
Getting an impromptu bath during a hibachi/teppanyaki dinner
Giggling at stick-on mustaches
Washing the same white pants two days in a row
Crazy woman glasses
A family picnic
Neon ugly step sisters
Lots of hugs & good-byes

Last night in Wisconsin for a lonnnng time. Stars and moon, I like you from this side of the world. Looking forward to seeing you yet another way. : )

Packing...

Because my original plans for today didn't work out, I spent the day packing.

Oh. My. Goodness.

I totally stink at packing. I know many of the rules of Good Packing, such as:

-Roll your clothes
-Put heavy things at the bottom of your bag
-Cram socks (or, in my case, skeins of yarn) wherever they'll fit
-Etc, etc, etc

However, when it comes to minimalism, I'm kind of a failure. I know that in theory, there is absolutely no reason for me to need eight sweaters in Singapore. Hello? It's hot there. But I like the green one and the red one and the white one and the other white one and...do you see the problem here? Something tells me I really need to work on my clothing coordination skills. Very soon.

Sorry, Buddy, you can't come with.

RAFT Building 101

fI've been home in Wisconsin for almost 2 weeks now and I've got...10 DAYS LEFT! Crazy! Can I effectively pack in 10 days? We shall see, my friends, we shall see.

While I was at PFO (which I now realize I never explained...) we had a wonderful talk on leaving your home country, along with several on moving to a new place, entering a new culture, etc. One very important concept covered in this session was the necessity of building yourself a good RAFT.

Very quickly, the "R" stands for reconciliation: if you've got issues with somebody, it's important to resolve them before moving away. The "A" is for affirmation, or letting your special people know just how awesome they are. The "F" is for farewells and "T" is for Think Destination.

I'm in a crazy combo circle of affirmations, farewells, and - you bet - I've got Singapore on the brain almost 24-7. Last night I had dinner and three great hours of conversation with a long-time friend (Hannah A., if you're reading, you're fabulous!). This weekend I'll be saying good-bye to several relatives (after driving 8 hours together, maybe we'll want to say good-bye?). And next week...well, it's going to be a little insane - but maybe in the best bittersweet way possible.

You can thank David C. Pollock and Ruth E. Van Reken, authors of the book Third Culture Kids: The Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds, for the RAFT concept.

Friday, Friday

PFO continues...it's hard to believe that at this time next week, I'll already be home in Wisconsin. Time flies! Or doesn't fly, depending on the changing factors of: 1.) how long a session is and 2.) how hungry and/or tired you are. Today all of the sessions I attended were geared very, very much for teachers - I'm not sure if I was required to be there or not, but it was okay to be along for the ride. I'm trying to be open-minded about all of this information about curriculum, the multi-cultural/multi-national classroom, etc...you never know when something is going to come in handy (maybe at a trivia competition? Probably not).

There was also a meeting on our health insurance. Guess who stayed wide awake.

What else, what else? My favorite part of this whole experience is still the people. You automatically have something in common with every person you meet: 1.) they're all Christians and 2.) they're all involved with teaching overseas. You have this instant connection with just about anybody - it's pretty fabulous!

I think we have praise and worship in the morning - excited. I kind of wish we'd sing something in a language other than English, but that's okay. Yae Su Sa Rang Hae Yo (sorry, can't do Hangul) has been stuck in my head all day...I doubt we'll be singing it here, but I'd be thrilled if we did!

PFO - I'm Here!

So...I sat down to write tonight and the first thing that came to mind was that I don't particularly enjoy trying to make this blog look pretty and appealing...at least not when my computer isn't cooperating. Hence, I'm chilling (rather literally) in the computer lab here at PFO and settling for just an update.

HOWEVER - nobody needs (or probably wants) to hear about the trials of me picking out font colors. I have indeed sucessfully travelled to Pre-Field Orienation and with two days behind me, it's been a blast! I think the most fabulous thing so far has been being able to meet all of the wonderful people I've been communicating with via email, skype, and facebook in person: member care people, home office staff, and especially members from my very own team in Singapore (and what an awesome team of people they are!). Blessings abound.

We sleep in classrooms on cots (surprisingly comfy) and have attended most of our meetings in the auditorium (reminds me of high school). Everywhere you go, smiles and introductions are everywhere (Urbana, anyone?). I'm awash in thoughts of a hundred very good things and am already learning so much: we've just breached diving into new cultures and this afternoon we spent a few hours going over one of my most favorite personality assessments, the Myers-Briggs. It's been awesome discussing the featured traits with other people and especially the coping skills we develop out of our needs to succeed, conform, and build new and/or lasting relationships. If you're ever bored, I could babble about that for, well, quite awhile.

There's much, much more I could start writing about (good food, waking up extremely early, the awesome story of how NICS started [ask me about that!] and all the fabulous people I've been able to meet)...but I think this is enough.

Baggage

There are certain things I really dislike shopping for, and in the last 6 months or so, I've discovered I really don't enjoy shopping for luggage at all.

When I went to France, I - being ever so clever - thought a rolling duffel was the smartest thing in the world, since it would be compact when unpacked. Try rolling the thing up and down the steps in the Metro - not so fun (especially after it lost a wheel...)! Of course I could have just carried it...except that I'd overpacked the thing to the point of it being excessively unmanagable. I think there must be an art to duffel packing: I imagine it's got to be perfectly balanced so that it's liftable and yet doesn't tip over when upright.

In addition to that smart move, I also brought a smaller shoulder bag as my carry-on, as well as a laptop case...which was all fine and dandy until I had to carry both through multiple airports.

Suffice it to say that I have developed a keen appreciation for handles, wheels, and a bag's ability to stay upright, intact, and under the airline's weight restriction when crammed full of my worldly possessions. Also, for colors other than black, black, and more black.

So...today consisted of trips to multiple stores (including three separate trips to two different Kohls stores) and a fair amount of somewhat unnecessary online comparison. Add in a trip through the check-out five minutes before closing time and an additional online purchase, and my luggage-buying is over...I hope.

On the upside, everything was on sale and I had coupons. Also, the luggage area is right across from the footwear department in Kohls, and I found some great shoes. Skippity-do-dah!

Moving...and indulging

Last week was one lonnng week. I packed, cleaned, and moved...among other things. Someday soon I'm going to have to take a photo of the massive pile of wordly objects I've acquired...which are all sitting in my unfortunate (but oh, so kind and uncomplaining) parents' family room.

Dad and Buddy in the U-Haul (which was as tightly packed as possible).

Apparently, bringing masses of stuff into my parents' home prompted them to get rid of a fair amount of things themselves - namely, old furniture. Reallly old furniture...the sort even Good Will doesn't want. Nothing a fire pit and a burning permit can't fix. It also gave my two youngest sisters an opportunity to burn up some old homework - I'm all for recycling, but letting the occasional horrible geometry test go up in flames is okay with me.

The flames got MUCH bigger. It reminded me of tales of the infamous InterVarsity guys' manly bonfire...or whatever they called it. As a girl, I was never allowed to go - but I heard about the quest for old furniture and the questionable inclusion of baking products.

The last few days have been a lot quieter. There's been time to relax, read, catch up, reflect...and indulge. Yesterday my sister Jamie and I had a little sisterly bonding time while getting pedicures - definitely worth the cheap-o beauty school rates!

Guess who can't tan? And yes...we're 100% related!

Summer "Break"

Technically, I have the summer off, but it's already feeling like an incredibly short summer. I've been spending this week packing up my apartment - and I'm convinced that no single person needs as much stuff or as much boxed food as I've accumulated over the past 2 1/2 years. What did I ever think I was going to do with a half a dozen cans of pineapple or an entire cupboard of Hamburger Helper? And speaking of excess, why did I ever start a snobby yarn stash? You can't just sell off a bunch of 100% wool yarn for a dollar a ball at a garage sale...which might be why I have three rubbermaid totes full of the stuff. *sigh*

I've also revisited the joy of booking airline tickets. I was raised to hunt out bargains, which makes ticket buying an insanely long process: checking travel sites, checking the airlines' sites, weighing the option of leaving at 6 am for $100 less than leaving at 10 AM, etc. It's all good though - I've got both my ticket for PFO (summer training in Mississippi) and SINGAPORE! Feels fabulous - I am incredibly, incredibly blessed.

Name, Birthdate, Etc.

Yesterday night I received a new mountain of paperwork to fill out: boxes to fill in, photos to acquire, copies to make. I don't mind it, but I wish I had a huge chunk of time just to do it all. I feel like I'm trying to cram a whole lot of things all into a space ot time they can't quite fit inside. Or, they can't all fit in there comfortably anyway. Despite this, I still pile in other "non-essential" activities: writing letters, knitting socks, making hour long drives to see family on my days off.

Feels sort of like college.

Moving Out, On, Forward...

I got my move-out confirmation letter from my apartment manager today - more and more things are happening that make the transition and move to Singapore and a new job/ministry more and more real. Our next schedule draft at the hospital has me abruptly disappear halfway through the work days. Magazines I've failed to renew have stopped coming. My shopping lists are shorter: what do I need another three rolls of paper towels or five pounds of flour for?

The task of deciding which items to take with, leave behind for later, and give away is becoming more immediate. I'm beginning to realize just how much stuff I have: yards of fabric, piles of papers, cupboards of food, lotion, and dishes. It's a little like a chore, a little like a fun project.

If I ever ask you if you need anything, respond honestly. I might have it, and I'm probably more than willing to part with it.

Recent Failures and Successes

One of my current projects (I have a lot) has been to find a veggie burger recipe that equals or surpasses the frozen burgers in the store. My only attempt prior to the one below involved lentils and is not worth repeating. This one sounded promising: plenty of shredded potato, carrot, and zuchinni - I even photographed the whole process in preparation to share it with everyone.


This is the only picture I'll actually share - if you want a veggie PANCAKE recipe, this one will work. It tastes okay, but it's not particularly satisfying on a bun. I've found another recipe and plan to test it out later this week.

A recent success was this Super Delicious Cake! My sister Jess made a Serbian cake for Easter last year (complete with The Best Frosting Ever), but I'd say mine is a possible contender. Thank you, Taste of Home magazine. This is their Chocolate Strawberry Celebration Cake (with poorly drizzled ganache...but it was oh, so good) from the January 2010 issue.


I've also started cutting pieces for my second quilt. This has actually been a work in progress for over a year: I've been writing on all of the fabric since March 2009. I love the colors, but I've decided to add some blue pieces...which means more writing, ironing, and cutting before I can actually piece the thing.

I'm a List Lady...

Warning: This entry contains nothing of much importance/significance.

This is where I work when I'm not at work. I have a table and desk, and yet I always seem to end up on the floor by the coffee table. I have no good explanation other than the fact that I did the majority of my reading/homework/art projects on the floor as a kid.

Quite some time ago, I came to the conclusion that I'm definitely a list person: I make lists of things to do, things to buy, things I'm thankful for, etc. If you've ever seen my extreme grocery/coupon/sale list, you know I take it to unecessary levels (I wonder what sort of label a psychiatrist would give me...). I even list things I've already done just so I can have the satisfaction of marking them off.

Today's my day off, and there's plenty of things I have to do/acquire, which once again "necessitates" a list. Write letters, pick up vacation photos, backlog entries in this poor neglected blog...it goes on. Lately, these lists seem to be getting longer - is it a sign of a life more full, or just more busy? : )

Wednesday: Paris is Better With a Friend!

Note: I'm typing this entry over a week after the events, so it's not as fabulously spontaneous and fresh as my earlier vacation entries. Oh, snap. That's what happens when I don't turn on my computer.

Wednesday started off bright and positive - a good night of sleep does that for me! My hostel was pretty noisy at night (typical of hostels, I guess - people moving their things, talking, and turning on the lights at all hours), so being the oh, so clever person that I am, I took some benadryl.

It worked fabulously. There could have been a jackhammer outside and I probably would have slept through it. I love the sleep-inducing effects anti-histamines have on me, but it means I usually have to suffer through my random allergy symptoms during the day if I want to be able to drive.

Gladly, I had no issues with allergies while abroad.

ANYWAY. After yet another hostel breakfast of cocoa crispies, orange juice, and bread with jam, I pulled my massive quantities of luggage next door to the Holiday Inn to meet up with the lovely Maria and her mom.

Let me tell you, it was pretty fabulous to have an entire sofa sleeper all to myself. Kudos to Maria's dad for setting us up with a hotel for a few nights!

It was a pretty lovely day: Maria and I ventured off to Musee d'Orsay - and what's not to love about Impressionist art? The museum isn't nearly as overwhelming as the Louvre, and you feel like you can take your time a little more. Definitely enjoyed it!

Musee d'Orsay: A converted train station that houses Monet, Renior, Degas...a lovely way to spend part of the day!

After that, we headed to Notre Dame and then Sainte-Chapelle. Notre Dame is impressive - I saw it on my walking tour, and on Wednesday Maria and I went inside. Sainte-Chapelle is smaller, but the windows are definitely worth paying to see. It was actually sunny outside when we went in, and the stained glass is amazing. Beautiful. It's not something to be missed.

Yours truely in front of Notre Dame.

Following this, we headed to Shakespeare & Co. - an English bookstore in the Latin quarter. If you're a fan of kitschy bookshops, be sure to stop by this place. Although I absolutely love books, there are so many other little things to love about this place: the typewriter, the entire room (complete with books-not-for-sale) devoted to reading, and especially the wall covered in notes from visitors from all over the world. The more I visit bookstores like this, the less and less I like chain bookstores.

The day finished off with dinner - onion soup (sooo good!) and something akin to a hamburger with extra tasty sauce. Mmm.

Tuesday: Sopping Wet Walking Tour (and Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower!)

Today started off with another tasty hostel breakfast (cereal, juice, bread & jam) and a quick jaunt to the store for batteries. Yay for a camera that works! I took pictures today, but don't plan on posting any tonight...it's already late so I'm going to try to keep this short.

The touristy portion of the day started off with a 4 hour long walking tour offered by New Europe. Fun times! Tour Guide Matt was knowledgable and very perky/spunky and wedged in enough Paris trivia to create an entire column of questions in Jeopardy. We popped by all the major landmarks - didn't actually go inside anywhere, but it was a fabulous introduction to everything and made for some good photo-ops. I'd recommend it! All the tour guides work on tips alone, but they make it a really interesting/fun time.

The only downside of the tour was the weather - rainy and windy on and off. At one point I was pretty well soaked, but gladly I am not wicked enough to melt.

Following the tour, two other girls from the hostel and I made our way to the Arc de Triomphe. The tunnel is kind of fun in it's own way, the stairs are a work-out, and the view from the top is pretty terrific.

It doesn't compare with the view from the top of the Eiffel Tower though. If you're going to do Paris, you must do the Eiffel Tower - and if you're going to do the Eiffel Tower, you must go all the way to the top. Cold and windy, yes - but still pretty amazing. We went after dark and the lights were pretty fabulous. It was also fun to pick out some of the monuments/buildings we saw earlier in the day.

I'm beginning to understand why Paris is known so well as a city for romance - factor in a bunch of love-y dove-y art (Cupid and Psyche, The Kiss, etc), breath-taking cathedrals, astounding views - and heaps of couples enjoying it all - and everything kind of falls into place.

I forgot to mention the deliciousness that is a crepe. YUM.

For the record, nothing particularly disastrous happened to me today. : )

Monday: The Louvre!

I set aside an entire day for the Louvre, which may or may not have been necessary. First off, I proceeded to get lost looking for the appropriate metro stop. On my mini-adventure, I came to the realization that Paris has a lot of, well, smells. Bakeries (yum!), Asian food, flower stands (my favorite so far!), and lots and lots of colonge/perfume. Whew!

Importantly, I also located a super market, which eventually helped me acquire that most impossible to find item on the Paris Scavenger Hunt List: WATER. I was practically giddy upon acquiring my one bottle of the stuff.

On to the Louvre! Getting a museum pass was worth just being able to slip right on in to the museum - you get to go through a special entrance where there is NO LINE. Security was a breeze and I was on my way to seeing some awesome art within 15 minutes.

The Louvre is pretty overwhelming...not only is it huge, but it's also pretty confusing. My almost non-existent French vocabulary has been supplemented by one word today: sortie (exit). Trust me, even surrounded by vast quantities of awesome art, you will eventually want to leave.

Despite the fact that the lovely Mona Lisa is probably the most famous piece of art in the world, I've never been too impressed. I was by far impressed with 1.) how hard she was to find despite all the signs pointing me in her direction (limited French considered, my brain jumped to the conclusion that Spanish might be useful if necessary - donde esta la Mona Lisa? was running through my head the whole time I looked) and 2.) the crowd of people gathered around her (it triggered memories of waiting in line to see a baby panda. I liked the panda better).

Favorites: all the medieval coffin lids with precious pets carved at their masters' feet, Cupid and Psyche (and lots of other beautiful statues in the same room), and, as always, practically any painting featuring children (too many to list).

I'm definitely looking forward to meeting up with Maria and her mom, because while Paris solo is interesting, it's also lonely. There's no one to discuss anything with and no one to take your picture. Bummer. I didn't take many photos in the Louvre because 1.) my camera's batteries keep going dead, 2.) I've taken photos of art pieces before and never did anything with them, and 3.) the art always looks better on the postcards you can buy anyway.

Post-Louvre, I headed back to the hostel (with a little detour to the super market for my precious water) because my feet hurt, where I proceeded to take a two hour nap (a result of lots of walking and not much sleep last night) and then update this crazy blog.

Tomorrow, I'll probably do the walking tour offered by my hostel (it hits most major sites) and then...who knows? Musee d'Orsay is on the list, as is Musee de l'Orangie and the aquarium. I doubt the aquarium has much I haven't already seen, but there's just something about watching tropical fish that I like. Oooh...I wonder if they have jellyfish. : )

Phase 2: Welcome to Paris!

Did I mention that I slept for a whopping eleven hours when I was in Serbia? Well, I did. This was in addition to all the dozing I did in the car and on the plane.

Flying from Belgrade to Paris was not as nice as flying in the other direction. I was in the exit row again, so I've now memorized the pictograms that detail how to remove the panel in the plane's side (not that I ever actually want to do it...I'm not to keen on any sort of emergency landing/crash). Now, why was this flight not-as-nice? Same company (Air France), same seat, same whatever.

Disgusting lunch. Amelia, if you're reading this, think back to our cafeteria days of orzo. Orzo by itself is probably okay (despite it's vague resemblance to small maggots), but every time I've had it, it's been mixed with a conglomeration of random stuff so as to prove less than patable. This wouldn't be too bad, except that the flight attendant never picked up my tray. Hence, I was forced to endure the presence of orzo for (almost) my entire flight.

The rest of the afternoon/evening proved exhausting.

After landing in CDG airport (once again), I proceeded to passport control/customs. Oh, the joy of waiting in line with all the carry-on junk you don't actually need with over a hundred other people. And, of course, I ended up in the slowest moving line possible (China line, I am jealous). I don't why it was so slow...when I finally got to the window, it took all of ten seconds to get through. Maybe they thought an idiot with a bunch of hideous pink baggage was pretty harmless (they were right).

Proceed to the baggage claim: no bag. My trip really is cursed! I think I was more concerned about losing the 4 tubs of Eurocreme Branislav's family sent with me than anything else. However, the lost baggage people were extremely kind/reassuring. I described my bag. I filled out forms. I was thrilled to hear my bag would most likely be delivered to my hostel in the morning. They even gave me an overnight kit, even though I had everything I needed in my carry-on (maybe you really do need to tote around all that junk...).

And then I saw my bag on my way out of office.

They let me keep the overnight kit anyway.

Proceed with the further difficulties of situating oneself in Paris upon arriving all alone. It's like being on a scanvenger hunt with a huge pile of baggage (I find that I'm really starting to resent all my stuff). You must find:

ATM
Tourism office (for museum pass)
Photo Booth (for Pass Navigo, if you choose)
Place to exchange large bill received from ATM for small bills to use in photo booth
Transport office
Appropriate train
Appropriate metro stop
Appropriate place to get on metro so that you're going in the right direction
Appropriate metro stop to get off the metro (this, at least, is easy)
Hostel
Toilette (difficult to find)
Water (near impossible to find)

Easier said than done! Gladly, every person I approached for help was genuinely helpful - one guy even carried my 20 kilo bag up the metro steps for me. Now, for future reference, if you're going to take a crazy amount of stuff on the Paris Metro, bring a very sturdy bag. Mine's lost a bit of a wheel already. : / Now, huge bags aside, I love public transport. Yes, the seats aren't always comfy and the company isn't always the best, but it's definitely convenient!

Finding my hostel was a little tricky (I might have been lost for just a wee bit), but I got there in one piece and the place is nice.

No tourism the first night. My introduction to CDG/Paris transport/hostel was enough for one day. : )

Phase 1: Serbia

So...even if I'm writing about all my travels thus far on the same day, I'll split everything into separate posts. I should have journaled sooner, but...I didn't. That shouldn't be any sort of surprise.

The flight from Paris to Belgrade was a-okay: I was in the exit row, so that meant a little more leg room, and they fed us a second breakfast after my oh-so-delicious (not) egg thing. A croissant, a chocolate croissant, and a yogurt - not bad!

Now, nobody told me quite what it's like to go through passport control/customs, but as a U.S. citizen going into Serbia, it's not bad. Still, it was a little confusing...go through one window, get all your bags, go though another check... Picking up your baggage is also an experience: in Belgrade, you don't have to pay to use a luggage cart, so everyone gathers around the baggage claim with carts/kids/whatever.

Everyone in Serbia was extremely nice, and it was definitely neat to see the place my brother-in-law is from. The only pitfall - I was pretty beat from my glorious overnight plane ride. Not too disastrous, because I was definitely still awake to completely enjoy the great spread of food Branislav's family had waiting for me! Everything was delicious (hence the few Serbian words I learned - torte and pie - are both food words) - but one thing tops all. I don't know what it's called...pardon me while I do a quick little search on the ever-helpful 'net.

KAJMAK!!! (<--look, Branislav, I learned another word!)

It's like cream cheese, but softer and most definitely tastier. It's also pretty addicting. I ate a lot.

One thing about Serbian food is that it's very, very hearty - which is something I'm not used to. Bread, kajmak, soup, and lots and lots of meat make for a very full Sarah! I swear, I'm probably still full a couple days later.

I do have one goofy food story - in the evening, Branislav's family asked me what I wanted for breakfast. I said, "Anything but eggs."

Bright and early the next morning, there was a great big skillet of - you guessed it! - eggs! Oh, the language barrier. When I mentioned that I don't usually eat eggs, the response was, "We asked what you wanted for breakfast, and you said eggs, so that's what we made!"

I seem to be on a bit of an eggs-for-breakfast run.

What else about Serbia/Novi Sad? We dashed out for a quick bit of sight-seeing, but the weather (wet and cold) made it a very quick bit. Petrovaradin Fortress is AMAZING - I would have loved to see more, but it was extremely cold. Look it up on the web - this place deserves more attention!

I could write a whole lot more, but I call it quits for now. : )

A post?! For real?!

Yikes...I really am like the worst blogger ever. I even included my blog in my Christmas letter this year (with a warning that it's rarely updated) - and I haven't posted a single thing since before that letter went out.

So...right now I'm stuck in the airport in Paris, waiting for a flight to Serbia. Crazy, huh? You don't know the half of it. I was supposed to be doing all of this yesterday.

Here's the story, morning-glory: I made it safe & sound all the way to Chicago, where I was supposed to catch my next flight. Being the naive first-time International traveller that I am, I was completely oblivious to the fact that you catch Air France flights in a completely different terminal. Instead of high-kicking it over there, I ate some McDonalds, surfed the net (it's crazily expensive in airports, peeps - I'm being self-indulgent and it has to stop), and responsibly checked the flight boards for my gate assignment. By the time I was freaked out enough to ask someone, I had about half an hour to get all the way to another terminal, hurry through security, and run to the gate...

...to find out I had just missed the final boarding call.

Commence the horror of having to get my flight re-routed. Air France said to go to the ticket counter, so that's what I did...and no one was there. One phone call later and I was dragging around about a hundred pounds of luggage (mostly clothes and chocolate) to another terminal and checking at the Delta ticket counter. Delta told me to talk to my booking service, who then told me I had to talk to Delta again. At this point about three hours have passed.

What's a girl to do? Apparently you need evil witch facilities to get your flight re-routed promptly...and I'm sorely lacking in them, I think. I cried. I called my mom. And my sister & brother-in-law. I paid the ridiculous airport internet fee and skyped. I cried some more. I spent an hour on the phone with three different Delta agents (who were all lovely and responded well to my distraught pleas for assistance) who managed to get me re-routed with only a day of travel time lost. Kathleen, Sue, and Kathy: you saved the day!

To my awesome sister Jess: thanks for booking me a hotel that night. Crashing into bed hasn't felt that good in a long time.

My first International flight was spent attempting to sleep. You get a pillow that looks like it came from a doll hospital (it works surprisingly well) and a blanket which resembles a sarong made out of T-shirt cloth. Cozy. Fabulously, however, there was an empty seat between me and the other person in my row - yay for a place to dump all the junk you don't really need to bring with you on a plane! Also, it was a nice place for elbows.

Dinner was lovely (a sort of unidentifiable mass of pasta, pesto, and cheese - but it was tasty); breakfast was swallowed quickly enough that it didn't have to be tasted (it involved an egg).

My only other comment for now is that I'm surprised at how cold I am. The flight was cold; the airport is cold - and I'm wearing a wool coat. The oncology nurse in me briefly suggests that maybe I'm going to spike a temp...not likely, but that's one of the first things that came to mind. ; )