Sorry I haven’t written in awhile but we haven’t really been doing much. Our days have been revolving around a simple routine that frequently includes tennis, massage, entertaining the kids and exploration of local restaurants and foods. Life is quite good. While we speak frequently of where we’ll head next, we never seem to get the energy to actually make plans to do so. At this point I think mid March will be our likely departure date to a new destination. (Yes we can change our Visas once again but it’s truly the last time). In the meantime we've decided we really like it here. There is enough around here to keep things new and interesting so we're staying. 
Some of you have mentioned that we might not return at all. Well if I have my way that might be true, for a while anyway. I just don’t have any sense that “going home” is something that we should be doing. In fact, the opposite is true. I feel “at home” and want to delve deeper into living abroad. It provides fulfillment and opportunity to live a completely different lifestyle, experience new points of view and interactions. For me variety is truly the spice of life and this type of living experience fulfills that need. I love it and feel blessed to have such an opportunity.
Over the past years, and during this stay in particular, we’ve become so accustomed to being surrounded by foreign languages that we hardy even notice it at times. You learn to communicate through other means and over time the hesitant and somewhat uncomfortable feeling of doing so just disappears. Even the kids use gestures and talk with their hands to get their point across. Most often this occurs when the kids are ordering desert or the roaming ice cream vendor appears.. The ice cream vendor (not a truck but rather a moped and trailer)song has a very different sound here, something like elevator music, but it has the same effect on kids.
Anyway, at some point we’ll be getting on to Vietnam and we’ll have something to write about. After that it’s anyone’s guess. At one point Africa and Kenya were on the short list but I suppose we’ll have to change that plan. We'll let you in on the plans as they develop. We enjoy hearing from you all. Feel free to comment, are just let us know you’re alive. The Ihdes
Some of you have mentioned that we might not return at all. Well if I have my way that might be true, for a while anyway. I just don’t have any sense that “going home” is something that we should be doing. In fact, the opposite is true. I feel “at home” and want to delve deeper into living abroad. It provides fulfillment and opportunity to live a completely different lifestyle, experience new points of view and interactions. For me variety is truly the spice of life and this type of living experience fulfills that need. I love it and feel blessed to have such an opportunity.
Over the past years, and during this stay in particular, we’ve become so accustomed to being surrounded by foreign languages that we hardy even notice it at times. You learn to communicate through other means and over time the hesitant and somewhat uncomfortable feeling of doing so just disappears. Even the kids use gestures and talk with their hands to get their point across. Most often this occurs when the kids are ordering desert or the roaming ice cream vendor appears.. The ice cream vendor (not a truck but rather a moped and trailer)song has a very different sound here, something like elevator music, but it has the same effect on kids.
Anyway, at some point we’ll be getting on to Vietnam and we’ll have something to write about. After that it’s anyone’s guess. At one point Africa and Kenya were on the short list but I suppose we’ll have to change that plan. We'll let you in on the plans as they develop. We enjoy hearing from you all. Feel free to comment, are just let us know you’re alive. The Ihdes
1 comment:
Hi Eric, big sis again. I really like your descriptions and several of your antedotes would make a lovely short story or guest commentary in the travel section of some big newspaper. You might consider that. Anyway, your casual observations have been interesting.
If you get a chance, I'd like to know a bit more about how hard or easy it is to live as an ex-pat in Thailand. Do you have to have a lot of money? Could a woman travel there alone or would it be unsafe? Are places to stay cheap. I know the massages are cheap from your report, and certainly some of the food, but what about safety and places to stay? Thanks, Leslie turningpoint@stny.rr.com
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