drumroll please

[CliffsNotes at bottom again.]
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After months and years (it feels like) we have finally (again) settled on our plan going forward.

The verdict is Taiwan.

Here's why:

After talking with Judge's dad a few times regarding the business and where it stands, Judge realized his dad really needs him as a partner here if it is going to be successful as Judge has a background within material science. This gives him the ability to really understand the technical and detail side of the housing material/process, which is key in building and closing deals with customers; his dad's business partner in China is a wizard in certain areas (like coming up with the whole structure and material stuff by combining various methods that eliminated those methods' weaknesses), but in the sales department ... well, let's just say his magic is more of an un-magic...dis-magic...anti-magic, and leave it at that.

Of course we could head over to Norway for 3-5 years to save up some money first so it's not such a big risk we're taking, but we're tired of moving half way across the world. The way we see it is if we're going to do this, we want to do it now since we are already here. If we are successful, the world is our oyster (meaning we can live in Norway when we're ready, and buy or build a house, etc.). If we are not successful, we move back to Norway and live the stable life, kind of starting from scratch savings-wise especially, as this is a non-salaried gig pre-success.

[Insert a hearty thanks to Norway and the maternity-leave income I get up until April/May next year! Norway-money goes a long way in Taiwan...]

We actually made the choice about a week ago, but it has taken me a while to feel settled with it. The whole potentially using up our savings (and failing) is kind of neither here nor there. I mean, we are not millionnaires (in North America or Norway at least) so it's not huge sums we're talking about anyhow. Plus, if it doesn't work out and we move to Norway, both of us would be getting jobs as the girls would be big enough to start pre-school, so saving up again would go really fast with two salaries.

The bigger issue is the uncertainty of how much time Judge will get to spend with us. I feel like it will not be way little...in fact it can be a good amount even, potentially. It will depend on how much travelling he will have to do to meet with people around and about.

Then there is our living arrangement. Thankfully I have recently been able to finally conquor one of my long-standing internal demons (discomfort over certain waters under the bridge between me and my mother-in-law that I have struggled with and have previously not been able to keep it from coloring the way I interact with her), and so for the time being we will continue to live here at his parents' place, which is culturally expected/required of us as we do not own our own home. Certain blessings come with this.

However, living in someone else's place is not the same as having your own home. So though it saves us on rent (we just pay the electricity bill and stuff) and it takes huge burdens off my shoulders in terms of house-care and cooking, as well as provides the girls with extra love and entertainment/play, we will be on the look-out for a suitable apartment. I'm just too western like that I guess. "Need my own space" and all. No rush though, thankfully, as good and comfortable (in our view) apartments are not easy to come by around here - especially when we have a lower upper rent-limit than we'd have if we had proper income.

The greatest bummer, however, is that my mom is not here. That's the curse of international families. Whatever place you choose you will be far away from someone. I just think it sucks that that someone is my mom this time around. So we will have to be good with blogging, dropbox (pictures and videos), Skype, and annual visits. Thank goodness for today's technology! Back when I was a wee little one and we lived half way around the globe from my grandparents there were just letters and recorded cassette tapes every now and then. What a difference 30+ years make!

[Leona enjoying one of her favorite things: Running]

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CliffsNotes:

We'll be staying in Taiwan for the next 2-3 years at least to help Judge's dad's business enter and build up a presence in the Taiwanese market. If it is successful we will see what our next step is, if it is not successful we will head to Norway and live the stable 9-to-5 (or 7-to-3) life.

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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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problemsolving smarts

Leona's really good at solving issues she faces in ingenious ways, not only when it comes to communication, but in general as well.

For example, at the playground the other day:

Me to Leona who just slid down a yellow slide: Leona, you can slide one more time and then we will go home.

Leona looks at me in confirmation and runs over to the net-ladder, climbing up again, then: [Points at the red slide] Red slide [emphatically]. Yellow slide [points at the yellow slide and shakes her head] x 2.

Took me a couple seconds to grasp what she was telling me, then a light-bulb went on and I smiled hugely, and said back to her: Yes, the red slide, not the yellow one.

She gleefully slides down the red slide, starts walking around to the teeter-horses, points to them looking at me and repeats the dialogue: Horses [emphatically]. Yellow slide [pointing at it and shaking her head].

I replied: Two more minutes, then we go home.

My 'slide one more time' was translated for her into meaning once she slid down the yellow slide one more time we would go. So she found the loop-hole where it was within the relm of our agreement to play on the red slide and other playground things as long as she didn't slide on the yellow slide; yellow slide = the period at the end of that play trip.

Then there was the time she was supposed to be falling asleep, but wouldn't stop talking.

Me: You need to be quiet now Leona, it's 'sleepy time' (Judge's way of saying 'time to sleep').
Leona [Whispers]: Ana sad (Eliana had been crying).
Me: Leona, you need to stop talking and go to sleep.
Leona whispers Ana and signs sad.


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why Norway - why Taiwan

I love Taiwan. Seriously. Something about the 熱鬧 (re4 nao4) 'hot and noisy' atmosphere that really appeals to me, along with all the other goodness there is to experience and enjoy here.

But for right now, where we are in our lives, Norway seems like it's the place to be, for one winning factor, and the only one that matters for us now and in the coming years: the possible quality and quantity of family life.

All the other 'negatives' of Taiwan when compared with Norway are overcomable by extra effort on our part.

For example: The girls being looked upon or treated differently (mostly in a positive way) because they are hapa haole (Hawaiian term). "Oh look how cute the foreigner kids are; oh look how white her skin is; my what pretty eyes you have" etc. So we would have to work with them so they know they are different but no different than the other kids. That is to say all kids are different and have value in their own right. Yadayadayada. As well as help them feel and know that they are truly Taiwanese (and Norwegian), they are not foreigners, help them make sure they feel they belong and fit in here if they were to have difficulties in that area.

In Norway society is more mixed (though far from a New York or Paris kind of mixed), and there are lots of kids adopted from Asia (especially Korea), so it is easier for the girls to be accepted as 'just another Kari'. I am not saying I want them to feel unspecial...but...you get my drift.

Another example would be the educational system. It's not so stellar here. When Judge was growing up there was corporal punishment (I am not a big fan!). Now, however, there is no corporal punishment but also no alternative discipline/guiding actions the teachers are allowed to take (too many parents have a hissy fit if the teachers try to discipline the kids, yet they themselves have to work such long hours that they do not have time to guide their children either, leaving a mess and a lot of bad incidents).

It's not perfect in Norway either, of course, perhaps even far from it, but there is at least a focus on tolerance and inclusiveness (story books where the families are not 'traditional' - maybe two moms or two dads or a single parent or ethnically mixed families etc.), a focus on letting kids be kids - play outside and inside, investigate, etc., and on guiding discipline rather than corporal punishment or no discipline.

So we would have to take some focus off of school work (grades and cram schools from super early on) and make sure the girls have time to be kids as well as find an internal work ethic that is strong (the latter is something we of course have to help foster wherever we end up living).

Another item is the natural environment. It is much easier for the girls to be out in nature and breathing fresh air in Norway than here, unless we live in the mountains or on the east coast.

All of the above (and more) would require extra effort on our part. It's not that we are opposed to or scared of extra effort, especially because we love Taiwan as much as we do. It rather just comes down to the deciding factor of quality/quantity family time. The girls are small for such a short period, and once it's passed it's passed. We don't want it to slip us by.

On the flip-side, choosing Norway will require extra effort in the Chinese department, not to mention the lower risk career wise in Norway also comes with a lower potential payout in the short/medium/long? term.

Basically, we will make our choice soon, live by it, and be happy we are living where we are while at the same time missing the other place. C'est la vie.

[Taken on our kite-outing the other day]

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step by step

Both mine and Judge's dads arrived Thursday last week. It's my dad's third visit to Taiwan, but hist first time seeing the girls, as the other two times were in 2008 and 2009, before their time.

It's great for me to see them all together. Makes me happy!

Judge also spoke with his dad a bit about the business-and-us. First concensus is that we don't go to China - it is no place for the kidlets. I am feeling really good about this actually, as though we are not in our routine here like we had in Norway, it is still starting to stabilize; getting us all moved over and figuring life out in China after all the travels and moving we've already done seemed like a big effort and switch-up that could have been done successfully if necessary, but boy am I happy it is not.

So Judge will head over to China for a week or so next month instead and learn about the business, product and process, and gather the info we need for, second consensus, us to make sure the company's web-site is made in a way that provides easily manuverable quality and useful information.

This will allow us to put together the right information to provide my two connections for potential markets as well, for which we will be the contact-point.

All that remains to be determined is whether we will stay here and set up shop for the Taiwanese market - and take on some risk with that - or if we will head back to Norway where we can earn up savings and live a more risk-less, family-time-full life for the stage we're in right now...and then have the option/opportunity to set up the Taiwanese market in a few years when everything is more stable (financially) both for us and for his dad. This will depend on estimated costs of said setting up, which hopefully we will be able to determine in the coming month.

Progress!


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