KTV

People here love KTV (aka karaoke). Or perhaps I should say they live it.

I think I have previously mentioned the home that is located between us and grandma's place, that we pass every day and that often has a group of KTV'ers in their 50's I think, singing loudly and unabashedly - and off keyedly in most cases - into the mic, with big sliding mosquito-netted doors not buffering the sound out towards the street at all. I will try and inconspicuously get a photo and video of it one of these days.

Then there are the park areas that have the resident KTV-tent set up, along with tea and snack vendors scattered about.

The park by the Confucius temple in Hsinchu is no exception. At the outskirt of the park we have this tent. Usually it has 5-7 people in it, but this time it was just this one guy (and the entrepreneur):

At the end you can also glimps one of the tea-brewer's set-ups.



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more gardens

As an encore to the park-garden post, here are two bigger residential garden areas in our neighborhood (other people have mini-gardens outside their homes, in buckets and Styrofoam 'boxes' practically on the alleys and lanes).

The first one is really close to our house, in an empty lot enclosed by buildings on all sides:

[Assumption: the various lots are tended by different residents and not by the owner of the lot itself] 

 

The second is right by the train station:



[Five plots more likely put there for little flower/shrub gardens, but residents have put them to much better use] 

And the thriftiness doesn't stop there - check out the protective material used by this guy - other people's land/house 'For sale' signs snagged from wherever they had been hung up around the area, and as with the other plots, other general recyclables:

There is seriously so much to love about all of this! In terms of 'culture me this' I mean, not in terms of the pollution that is being absorbed into the food (unavoidable due to location location location - seriously dirty looking gardens when you get up close and personal)~~ 

 

 

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a little train excursion

We live a 10 min walk from the nearest train station on a "side-line" that goes from the main line in to the mountains, through our town. Our destination was, well, the train ride itself actually. For NT38 each (us adults) - a bit more than US$1, we got ourselves a round-trip to the last stop on the line, a tourist destination village at the mouth of the mountains - 30 min ride each way.

 

One thing I really like about Taiwanese local (slow) trains is the round-circle in the middle of them, as it is oh-so Chinese:

[Empty train at one of the stops at a tiny village on the way, as it was this train's end-stop ... we were waiting for the train that would take us onward and the conductor let us hang out here]

[and so hang out we did...literally]

[The train station]

 

 

 

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park gardens

You are perhaps thinking flowers and nice bushes when I mention park gardens, but in Taiwan there is a trend of people in the neighborhood using their local park areas as their own little garden lots, as in they grow their own vegetables there. No joke.

Previously we have come across people using the separator (that originally had bushes and grass) that goes down the middle of the road to grow their vegetables in a residential area. Today we happened upon this set-up:

[Tending to their vegetables] 

[Note the wall...]

[They removed a section of the bushes on the wall separating the park from the side-walk to plant cabbage and other stuffs. Here you can also see more of the park-area.]

[Looks like it is for own consumption, as they seem to not be using pecticides]

It's not technically allowed, but it seems no-one really minds.

 Yet another reason I love Taiwan.



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scooter rider

Riding a scooter isn't exactly the safest thing to do in Taiwan (duh). However, as it is pretty much the most common form of transportation, you can see a huge variety of different scenarios on the roads, from families of four, to a parent or grandparent picking three kids up from school - with their backpacks hooked onto the mirrors so there's enough space to sit, to people transporting the most random things, to infants or toddlers strapped onto the driver's back in a traditional carrier or sitting in a stool wedged between the seat and the front of the scooter, and more.

Usually anyone under the age of 12 or even 15 are helmetless, especially toddlers and infants as no helmets fit such small heads (that we have found at least).

Anyhow, I am principally against our girls going on the scooter, as it is not worth the risk, but last week or so we asked Leona if she wanted to ride the scooter just a little bit down the alley we live on. She declined.

Then today Judge was going to head out to buy some stuff for lunch, driving on smaller roads around town, and asked if Leona wanted to come with him and ride the scooter. Again, she declined, saying she was scared, but that she wanted to walk (not an option this time). Suddenly we realized she misunderstood, thinking she had to ride the scooter by herself. Once she found out that Judge would be driving and she would just be going along for the ride, she was excited to head out.

I was putting Eliana down for her nap when they left and didn't get to see them off, so once Eliana was asleep I headed outside to wait for them to come back...with the camera. After a few minutes I saw this:

 

He had (smart-thinkingly) had her wear her bicycle helmet, and had a little plastic stool that she could rest her feet on so that she could sit on the seat in front of him.

She had looooved it.

It won't become a frequent event, but Judge mentioned to me tonight that no matter how careful one is, he knows it is still dangerous, but that it felt really wonderful for him to be able to share this experience with her. It is such an ingrained part of the culture - and is a part of it that we both love so much.


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test-taker

I got my driver's licence 17, yes SEVENTEEN, years ago (!).

I mean, I have been 'driving' since I was much younger than that. I do not quite remember how old I was the first time I actually sat behind the wheel ... and drove I mean ... but back in the day when I was 13 and living a year on Maui again, my dad would let me drive down the long bumpy road to our house in Huelo. It was a dirt road and so full of pot holes I couldn't even drive fast enough to switch to second gear (as far as I remember), but I was driving none the less.

When in high school at Maxwell, me and two of my good friends went and took the written test together, after which I took all of three driving lessons - around Shawnigan Lake (so one stop-sign in the village and that was pretty much it), before taking the actual driving test in Duncan - the first time I ever drove in town.

I barely passed, just a couple demerits short of failing. An example of a mistake was I saw a pedestrian wanting to cross the street that I was going to turn onto, and I stopped before turning, waving him across. He hesitated for a good while before crossing...and it wasn't until I took the turn that I realized he had the red hand and I had a green light. Not sure if I actually got dinged for this, but still. Another mistake was the tester told me to turn left at the next intersection, and then as I failed to move into the left-hand lane (as it was a one-way street...not sure I had noticed that), he told me to never mind, just keep going straight.

Anyhow, my licence expired a couple years after I moved to Taiwan (so about 6 years ago), and so I have been without a car driver's licence since then.

Now that we have kids though, I have left the scooter life behind me for a while ... for the most part ... for communal travelling at least, which is the majority of the travelling I do, and so in order to be able to head out somewhere just me and them (or help with the driving if it is the four of us), I have purchased myself a Taiwanese driver's licence.

"Purchased", you ask?

In a sense, yes, as I have paid for the driving school so that I can pass the test. And the reason I was willing to fork over the 'big' bucks for the classes is the driving test is administered on a special off-road course, with nine different stations you have to make it through:

- the back-into-the-parking-space
- the s-road (drive-forward-and-back-up)
- the parallel parking
- the stop-at-the-railroad-crossing
- the stop-and-start-on-a-hill-without-sliding-back-at-all-or stalling
- the stop-if-it-is-a-red-light traffic light
- the switch-up-to-second-then-third-gear-on-this-short-straight-away
- the stop-for-the-pedestrian-crossing
- the stop-the-car-and-get-out-because-you're-done

I could have just tried to make it on my own, but I think it would be near impossible to make it through without failing as it is one shot for each station, and if you hit the outlines of the parking spots or road you get 16-32 demerits. The s-curved road part is especially hard, as it is quite narrow.

They basically give you a cheat-sheet-method for the entire course.

For example - backing into the parking space: back up until the 'pole' part of the car separating the front and back door windows lines up with that pole outside, then crank the steering wheel all the way to the right and keep an eye on the front right corner of the parking spot in the right door's mirror, then continue backing up until you see the back left corner of the parking space in your left rear-view mirror, then straighten the steering wheel out and continue backing up until the back-line of the parking spot lines up with the handle of the back door.

Each of the 'stations' has this detailed a step-by-step, so that the students are almost guaranteed to pass (as long as they practice enough).

You can choose to take the test on an automatic car or a stick shift...but if you take it on an automatic you are not allowed to drive stick (!).

You have theory classes you have to take (that I skipped and just signed for when I came in to practice driving), as well as practice hours - an hour a day, five days a week, for about 5 weeks or so, where the instructor sits with you some of the time. I went approximately every other day, and for the last few weeks just for about half an hour or so (three or four runs through the course without making an error). You also get three hours of road-driving, which I just did one of. As the DMV will check their records, I was asked to sign that I had come in on all days that I had actually skipped.

Though driving is like riding a bike (you don't forget how to do it) I actually did learn a couple tricks, all for the start-on-a-hill (I used to be a pro on Maui, driving out of Ho'okipa, but never actually learned how to do it from an instructor with official how-to). My instructor had me try two different methods where you don't use the hand break, just for kicks - spicing up his day. One is where you work the break and gas pedals at the same time with one foot, and the other is to just switch my foot from the break to the gas really fast (so the food is never touching both pedals at the same time), while also working the clutch just right. Easy peasy!

Anyhow, the written test is on the computer, so I also did practice tests the last few weeks, before practicing my driving (I took the test in English). I have to say many of the practice questions are hilarious. Some examples.

In any event, I am now the proud owner of a car license here in Taiwan. Woop.


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example practice test questions

Some of the many gems in the English practice booklet for the written part of the driver's test. Note all spelling and punctuation is replicated as shown in booklet:

Knowing human lives are the top priority for drivers, we have to respect the pedestrians whenever we are on the road. Therefore, we have to yield to the elderly, children, and the disabled. T/F   (...but if you're not elderly, a child or disabled you are free game for drivers...?)

Yield and tolerance are the best manifestation of driving morals. T/F

We check our cars thoroughly before we drive. We make sure our cars are in perfect condition. We always watch for pedestrians and other vehicles. That's how we demonstrate our morals. T/F

It is immoral to tab the horn and make noise without second thought. T/F

I saw a vehicle in front overturned. No one helped him. I'm running late. Although I see people injured and yelling for help, I just cannot give them a hand. T/F

The car behind us overtook us just to avoid dusts. I hate dusts, too. That's why I have to overtake the front cars. T/F

I've been driving for many years. I am a skillful driver. That's why I always chat with the others and sing when I drive. That's how I demonstrate my skills and has nothing to do with safety at all. T/F

I've been driving for a long time. I know how danger speeding-up is. Even if passengers ask me to speed up, I just cannot promise them. Also, I will tell them how terrible it is. T/F

When you drive, you are required don't rush any minute and any second; and are required don't neglect any minute and any second. T/F

Those who are mentally retarded, blind, and epilepsy disorder are prohibited from taking driver's license test. T/F

Those who report accident-causing drivers, assist the injured, and drive with outstanding records are eligible for the awards granted by the government. T/F

If drivers find the vehicles on the next lane have turned on direction lights, they are required to speed up in order not to be overtaken. T/F

If drivers find the water temperature meter pointing higher than the ceiling, they must pull the vehicles to the roadsides, pull the manual brake, turn off the engine immediately, and then open the water tank to check the water level. T/F

You must not keep the unnecessary objects in the vehicles. Thus, you can reduce weights for your vehicles, save fuel, save money and, most importantly, protect the environment. T/F

Vehicles are provided with rear mirror and interior mirror: (1) to help drivers expand their visions and keep up with the road situation behind their vehicles, (2) to facilitate drivers using cosmetics, (3) as decorations.

If all tires' pressures are uneven, that is likely to cause: (1) engine knocking, (2) biased driving, (3) nothing.

Which of the following is the most important for drivers: (1) respecting human's lives, (2) speeding up if drivers are in a hurry, (3) watching the scenery all the way to the destination.

Drivers have to abide by laws, because: (1) they don't want to be penalized, (2) they abide by laws for their responsibilities, honors, as well as the safety for themselves and the others, (3) they are under supervision.

If drivers are intending to maintain an orderly traffic for the safety of the entire society and for the happiness of their families, they are required to: (1) abide by driving morals and disciplines, (2) improve their driving skills, (3) not smoke and not drink, either.

When driving in a long tunnel, drivers throw objects, cigarette or flammable items out of the vehicles: (1) is an extremely immoral and dangerous conduct, (2) is not a problem as long as drivers are happy to do that, (3) is the best way to keep their vehicles clean.


I love Taiwan.


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corporal punishment

The other day I was sitting in the living room when I suddenly heard a kid get yelled at, a smack, and then him crying. I started to feel ill. It continued. "Sit down!" smack smack. "Don't hit me, don't hit me" the kid whimpered. Smack. "Sit down I said!" Sudden strong defiance in his voice: "NO!" Then sobbing (remorse for such defiance?): "I'm sorry...I'm sooorry...". Smack.

By now I'm physically ill. And yet, there is nothing I can do, making me feel even worse.

Corporal punishment is still strong here - not as strong as before perhaps, but still super common, almost universal it seems. All to different degrees, and there are some families that go against the mainstream and have a no-hitting, no corporal punishment, philosophy.

Most most common there's corporal punishment and shaming. It seems they go hand in hand.

Interestingly enough, it doesn't always make me feel sick like this, and I never thought I would not cringe when it was being delivered.

But - the elementary school's baseball coach has a rod, and he uses it on the boys for every missed ball they make during most drills (whacks them across the butt). But the boys don't seem phased by it at all - they trot over to the coach and line up for the smack, sometimes flinch a bit and sometimes not, the smile or grin often not leaving their face (if they have one at the time) and then off they trot to get back in line for the drill. The coach is super strict, both yelling at them and with the rod, but there is no anger, fear or rebellion towards him, it seems they respect him despite it....not because of it...I mean, I think they would respect him without it as well (?). But it is the way they do it.


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Beipu - old Hakka village

We headed out to Beipu (北埔) today, an old Hakka village really close to here, just to walk around and to drink some lei-cha. 

The village is filled with old-school three-sided Chinese-style houses, super narrow alley ways, and various eats and drink shops/restaurants, as well as roadside stands, all filled with traditional Hakka food and drink (lei-cha), as it is a major tourist (Taiwanese mostly) destination. 

We chose today, Monday, to avoid the crowds. The price we paid was a lot of places were closed, but since our goal wasn't shopping it suited us just fine.

In a newer restaurant, filled with wooden and other old and artistic things there was also this:

[Seriously coolest phone I have ever seen in my life]

We stopped by the temple, of course, where my dad took a ton of pictures, and I took this (notice no steel fencing around the entrance serpents! Pretty much only place I've seen this left out):

Then there was the lei-cha drinking. We ordered two cold ones, one hot one, and one slushy one, all of which are delicious, as well as a portion of mochi (Hakka style).

The tables here are also awesome - the bottoms are old pedal-run sewing machine bottoms. They had lots of different brands, Brother being the only one I've heard of before (the others were Hotaru, Seiki, Newnew and Kangaru).

And as we were walking through some of the back roads/alleys I came across this one that looks like it's still in use.

An example of an old-school house, with huge rock boulders in front (most likely found along some river by the house owner and manouvered back home...somehow), along with a more old-school scooter:

[A stripped scooter...most likely being rebuilt of course]

I really should have taken more pictures of the houses and alley ways (because they are awesome!), but was busy just enjoying the stroll. However, I couldn't help myself with this one, as it is also so super typical here:

[Not traditional at all, but perfect example of mish-mash of different styles in one building. The second story is super typical architecture/exterior of buildings that are not old-school.]

I am sure we will go there again, and I can use my then-newly bought camera phone for better quality pictures (I currently have an iPhone 4...oh, and a Canon Kiss X3, but it is so much trouble to take it with me and actually take pictures with it when out and about with the girls...hence wanting a better camera phone to shoot daily life stuff).

Still haven't decided on what kind of phone I'm going to buy though. Wanting to stay away from Samsung phones as I don't like their business practices. I know Nokia Lumia 1020 has a kick ass camera, but not quite stellar for taking pictures of fleeting moments with the kids (I have read/seen on youtube). So maybe iPhone again...but I will head over to a store and try out the different ones to find one that suits my current 'daily life' needs best.

Do any of you have any advice?


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mid-autumn family BBQ

Tomorrow is Taiwan's mid-autumn festival - when the moon is at its biggest all year. There's a whole big story behind the festival, but today it is basically turned into a national BBQ-day(s), where everyone sits outside their houses - along the streets - with little grills, BBQ'ing the evening away. Story has it that this tradition arose because everyone is supposed to hang out outside and look at the moon, and since they're already outside what better excuse than to BBQ? It's a food-loving nation, seriously.

I remember my first year here, I went with a group of bboy-friends to the beach, and then we headed to one of their homes and BBQ'ed. I had totally missed the fact that it was a holiday, and thought it was just a regular get-together-and-BBQ like is so common in Hawaii (and so many other places), and on my scooter ride home through that part of town, seeing practically a grill or two outside every door, with groups of people squatting/sitting around chatting, eating, drinking and having a jolly good time, I thought to myself: Now this is my kind of neighborhood! thinking it was a regular occurance. Little did I know this was going on throughout the entire country. In fact, it wasn't until the following year that I actually figured it out.

Anyhow, we started a day early - today - because Judge's dad is heading back to China tomorrow. So that we could participate too, we did it here at Judge's parents' house, and were in total 17 adults and four kids, all family. From Judge's perspective:

• Grandma, 3rd great uncle, a great aunt and her husband, second uncle and aunty and their daughter, 3rd uncle and aunty and their two kids, Judge's parents, my dad, Judge's sister and her two kids, and us four.

It's not often they all get to gather together anymore, so it was a really great evening, full of good eats and laughter. Plus, Leona and her cousin Owen love playing together (Zoe too, but she's just under a year and a half so not quite up to speed and agility to be able to keep up all the time), and totally get along, which is super great for me and Judge as well :P

Don't have any pictures from after everyone had arrived, but:

[The sky before the lighting and thunder - thankfully no real rain though!]

[3rd great uncle smoke-roasted two chickens]

[my dad loving the comb and head

he surprises Judge's relatives constantly with his enjoyment of all the 'strange' eats here]

[Leona and Eliana's cousins sporting pomelo hats - a must-wear during for festival]

[Eliana and her great-grandmother]

Side-note: Man I can't wait until I buy a new phone with a better camera (will be doing so soon). iPhone 4's sucks! And taking out my canon, transferring pics to the computer, editing them and uploading is just too much work at the moment. So sad. Have to make due with these sub-par quality shots for now.


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unfunny jokings

Seems a common joke here is for adults to be holding Eliana and say to Leona: I'm going to take her home/away with me, ok? Or, if we're at their house and heading home: You go home and Eliana will stay here with me, ok?

She is very good at saying 'No' to this, very seriously, and then they often will repeat it, thinking they are so funny.

Today she showed us twice that this is starting to have a deep impact on her. The first was when Judge's mom was holding her. I don't think his mom said anything like this (we live with her so there is no reason for her to say such things), but Leona came over to me and said, while shaking her head: A-po ho'ju (A-po is grandma in Hakka and ho'ju is 'hold you'...she still uses 'hold/help you' and 'hold/help me' as terms in and of themselves). I thought his mom had said she wanted to hold Leona and Leona didn't want to, so I said she could tell her she didn't want to be held. Then she clarified (while shaking her head): A-po ho'ju Ana (=I don't want A-po to hold Eliana), and then continued with: Mama ho'ju Ana, while pointing at me for emphasis.

I was surprised, as this was the first time she's ever dictated who should hold Eliana, but I didn't link it to the 'joking' people do until this evening, when her grand-uncle was holding Eliana, and walked out into the alley with her. Leona followed to the door and kept looking out, and someone joked that he was taking her away. She loudly and angrily said: Ana 'side (inside), and pointed down to the floor. Then she looked at me and repeated it. When we translated this, everyone busted out laughing, thinking it was so cute.

I have to admit I smiled too (hopefully not so she saw it), as I thought it was phenomenal she felt comfortable enough to take action. It was cute. But only because she is cute. Her seriousness and agitation was, well, serious business though, not a laughable matter.

Anyhow, Judge and I talked about this after - he also strongly dislikes these kinds of 'jokes'. Young children don't understand jokes like this. For them they believe what is said. For them it is no laughing matter. So we decided when people say these things we will tell her there and then in English that they will not do it, that Eliana will always come/stay home with us, and also thank her when she shows her protective nature, as that is also important.

Is this a common joke world 'round?


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You know you're in Taiwan when...

I love Taiwan. Seriously. There is just so much awesomeness here. Of course there are the staples of convenience, good food and lots of it, good drinks and lots of them, the hustle and bustle, the busyness of the streets both in terms of people and signage, scooter-life, temples and all that comes with them and the Taoist beliefs, and more.

But being back just for two weeks so far, most of the time of which has been filled with typhoon-affected weather (super hot and humid, with heavy rains), a fever (me), colds (Judge and I), and of course our lost luggage hunt, I have still managed to experience some "only in Taiwan"s - some that make me smile and giggle happily to myself, some that make me sigh internally in knowing exasperation.

1. ...you are walking along the street (not on the sidewalk because there is none that is walkable), and see someone sitting outside a hair salon at a table with chairs, with curlers in their hair, and you think it is an older lady getting her hair done, but when you get closer you realize it is a young 'badass' guy in his early 20's sitting there having a smoke with his buddy waiting for the curlers to set. No-one bats an eye.

2. ...beetlenut chewing blue-collar workers (70+ year olds) are riding around on their scooters with pink helmets (Doraemo helmets).

3. ...a mom, who is following her daughter who's the same age as Leona around hand-feeding her cake and bread bites for breakfast, along with milk in a baby-bottle, comments "...and she's still wearing diapers?!" when she hears Leona is 2 years and 4 months old.

4. ...opening (or early) conversation questions thrown at me by random strangers are:

• What does your husband do? (after hearing Judge is Taiwanese) - I think I will just start answering with the current truth: 我養他 - which basically means I'm his sugar mama :P
• You guys must be rich over there (I answer with: Yes, Norway is an affluent country because it has a lot of natural resources; they clarify: No, I mean your family)
• Where do you live? (as in where in the town do we live)
• Do you live with your parent-in-laws?
• ...and many many more at this degree of so-personal-they-can-be-considered-intrusive-but-are-just-out-of-extreme-curiosity

5. ...you can see women jogging around the track at elementary or middle schools after school's out, for example, fully covered (long pants, long sleves, and even a hat that amply covers their face and necks, when just sitting in the sun - or shade even in my unaclimatized case - can cause sweat to drip down your back.

6. ...you are walking home from your daily dinner at grandma's and walk past a 'store front' that is actually someone's living room, and a group of 50-year-olds are sitting there singing kareoke, full blast.

7. ...you go to see the doctor and leave with an offer to tutor the doctor's 6 yo daughter in English [you can also replace 'doctor' with random person on street, shop clerks, and pretty much anyone else].

8. ...a grandma you are talking with at the play ground comments loudly to her friend that comes over: Her (Eliana's) dad is that guy who looks like he's in high school, can you believe it?

9. ...people comment to each other about your kids when you're at the play ground: look at that foreigner kid, she's so cute/white/etc., and no matter how many times you say to the person she's Taiwanese, they keep calling her a foreigner - because if you're not of 100% Taiwanese aboriginy or Chinese ancestry - or a mix of these, you will never be considered Taiwanese (meaning Taiwanese goes by blood, not nationality).

Looking forward to the many more of these you know you're in Taiwan when... experiences to come.

[My high school aged husband and foreigner kids]

 

 

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road-tripping it with a 21-month old

After arriving in Taiwan on Wednesday evening, we had us a bit of jet-lag where Leona was falling asleep around midnight or a bit after. For example, on Friday she fell asleep at about 1am...and we had to wake her up an hour and a half later as we were heading out on the big family vacation - leaving this early to beat the Chinese New Year's Eve traffic.

And thus began what felt like a four-day marathon of driving to and along the East Coast. In many respects it was great, as we were a three-car caravan that was made up of us three and Judge's parents in one, and in the other two an uncle on Judge's mom's side with each of their families of four, plus Judge's grandma. Thus we had lots of time with family we hadn't seen in quite a while, who all get along really well, and who have all missed Leona tons and looked so forward to us coming back.

For Leona - and thus for me - however, it was a tough four days because the car-time was way too much and too often, and there were just so many people who all love her and wanted to connect with her again, and so were all very proactive about it - meaning she didn't have the time or space to observe them first and be able to take initiative herself, leaving her constantly pulling away and back and seeking shelter with me and Judge. It's hard, because we can't really mention anything about their approach to them, to try and let her have the space she needs, because of 'rank'. And knowing they all just love her so much makes it kind of heart-wrenching as well, as of course I just wish she could feel safe and happy with them all.

At one of our stops, we were at a beach full of wonderful rocks - Leona LOVES rocks - and 2nd auntie choreographed this picture, which represents it perfectly:

[The 13 stones in a circle represents the 13 adults, and the little rock in the middle represents Leona 

- she really was the center of our big family on this trip!]

Four days means three nights, all spent in B&Bs. At the first the 14 of us had two rooms, and we were split girls and boys, except Judge and his grandma swapped spots so that it was also snorers and non-snorers (thankfully, as I'm an uber-light sleeper). Though I was super nervous for how it would go in terms of Leona and some night-crying, it went exceptionally well, as she kind of folds in on herself and doesn't dare let loose with lots of people around her ... not that I wish for her to hold back of course, but it let them all sleep well, and she has ample opportunity to really let loose with just me and Judge ;)

Second night we had three rooms, and they were split between our three families with us, his parents and grandma in one. Not as smooth sailing as there was quite a bit more noise from the others both just as she was almost asleep as well as earlier in the morning, so her (Leona's) amount of sleep was cut down by a few hours (sleep she was still really short on).

Third night was the most comfortable for me, as it was us three plus two of Judge's cousins in a room - both of whom were super thankful to be sleeping in the same room as us rather than their thunderous dad.

Third night Judge's sister and her family of four joined us as well, so Leona got to hang a bit with her two cousins (Owen is a year older, Zoe is a year younger), and the focus got spread between the three of them - also a blessing.

Because everyone really enjoyed having this kind of exclusive family time, it was decided that next year we'll do a trip as well. This time, however, Judge will plan a lot of it, and we're thinking of just heading to Tainan and booking a B&B for all three nights, and then people can radiate out from the central hub as they wish. This is our plan not only because we love and miss Tainan dearly, but because we want to have a more kid-friendly trip where we can stay out of the car and keep our routines as much as possible.



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an EC motivator

In Taiwan I used cloth diapers for the most part. Washed them by hand mostly. No, not down by the river.

It wasn't such a big deal because I was ECing Leona and so there'd just be maybe 3-5 slightly wet inserts per day that I would rinse'n'wash. The shell could last a day or even two - though I tended not to let it go past a day. Then, for nights I'd use a disposable (so we wouldn't have to do a full wake-up and diaper change mid-sleep/grog).

I'd like to say the main motivator for the cloth diapers was the environment, but to be honest it was more that disposables cost around NTD 5 each. Of course if we look at the fact I was willing to spend NTD 30-50 a day on a yummy tea-drink, NTD 5 per diaper isn't so bad...her whole daily diaper consumption would equal my one drink or less.

But the mind works in mysterious ways.

Because we were ECing, if the disposable diaper was just a little damp, which most often was the case, it would tug at my frugal heartstrings when I'd check if she needed to go, as there's no way I'd put such a diaper back on her after. Poof, NTD 5 was gone without being used to it's full capacity. Ouch!

For some reason letting her keep a slightly peed-in diaper on until it was heavier seemed ok - assumption being a slightly peed-in diaper wasn't really uncomfortable for her as absorbancy is strong in those things.

There were no such qualms with the cloth diapers though. For one, if it was just a little damp, I wanted to get it off her as fast as possible - the aim was to always have dryness for her. And every time I had to wash an insert my heart would sing a little song "NTD 5 saved - wohooooo!".

Coming to Norway, land of the expensive, I was sure cloth diapers would feel even better for me here. But surprise surprise, if you go for the store-brands (ie. for Coop it's Xtra) you can get a schwacklaod of items on the cheapcheapcheap. Sure, for the "mega" diapers, quality is leagues below the pee-stripe and poop-catcher-band we enjoyed on the disposables in Taiwan, but that fades into oblivion when we get 58 diapers for NOK 20.

No, that is not a type-o, it really does say twenty kroner. Same as a can of coke costs. Giving us 3 diapers on the krone, and thus when comparing purchasing and earning power et al., rather than a 1:3 Taiwan:Norway ratio we're realistically at about 1 diaper Taiwan for the cost of 10 diapers Norway.

And because there's major recycling going on the only stuff that's heading to the landfill from us are the disposables I almost feel no qualms about is. Hrm. Actually I basically try to just not think about that aspect of it all, and rather enjoy being able to use disposables and EC to my heart's content, because if I do think about it qualms start to rise.

Byebye cloth diapers! Reselling them here in Norway doesn't give much back to the bank though, unfortunately. Good thing I got them on a steep sale in Taiwan then, and since they're already a sunk cost then anything I get back is good.

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Taken two months ago, Jan 21st when we were getting ready to head out on our failed sun-hunt. Long ago, I know, but oh-so cute! (Currently lacking newer pictures...will remedy this soonest.)

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commuting

There are a couple things that are surprisingly similar between my Hsinchu vs Tromsø commutes to work. The first is that they both took/take around 30 minutes. The other is that they both went/go at breakneck speeds. Oh, and then that they both occur on "twos".

Hsinchu:

• Drove scooter (two wheels)
• I lied, it was not at breakneck speeds. I drove at a rather responsible km/h seeing as I was pregnant, and because I value my life in general. However, I did have a healthy amount of momentum that included weaving back and forth in traffic in order to stay safe, rather than just cruise idly behind whoever was in front of me.
• Sometimes 100's of others on the road with me, merging in from all the side-roads onto the main road heading to the science park

Tromsø:

• Walk (two legs)
• Trying desperately to keep up with my mom (whom I realized, after about two weeks, is trying desperately to keep up with me..doh!)
• No cars or scooters in sight as we walk on the ski-trails leading down through the length of the island...but also with hoards of a total of 3 or 5 other people converging in on the main path leading to the university (we work below the uni)

[Along part of our path to work - notice how bright it is! 

Sun's staying longer by leaps and bounds each and every day.]

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field of flowers

Before we left Taiwan, during our last week or so, we searched and found some fields of flowers - they are rice-fields that are being 'rejuvenated'. Leona loved it!

Bending forward to get a closer look:

Settled down for some real investigation:

Destruction!

Oops, probably shouldn't eat that~~

Some really awesome flowers too:

And tons of busy bees (do you see their pollen leg warmers?):

And me!

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