4 People/3 Countries

Well this week the SSIS High School is having their Week Without Walls trips. Mike is in Ubud, Bali on a trip that focuses on art. I got an e-mail from him yesterday and he said Bali is amazing and art is everywhere in their culture. He also said he's tapping into his artistic side, which is a really cool opportunity that you don't get everyday. We're visiting Bali in March, so now I'm even more excited to go!

Aidan is in Chiang Rai, Thailand. I haven't heard from him at all, but I'm not surprised. I'm not sure if he has access to e-mail or if he's having too much fun to write his mom! It's a very outdoorsy trip where they're going to build their own raft and do ropes courses. I'll post more when the boys return.

Brenna and I are enjoying our Girl's Week! We've played a lot of card games, watched a few movies and last night ate grilled salmon and Greek salad out on our terrace. (No, I didn't cook that, it was take-out!) It's special to have the time alone with her.

So, we're a family of 4 in 3 different countries! Next week, the boys will be home and Brenna is off to Cambodia for a basketball tournament. Then Mike and I can enjoy time alone with Aidan. We don't get that opportunity very often. The week after that we'll all be on common ground, back home in Saigon.

Facebook Blocked in Vietnam?

I haven't been able to get on Facebook for the past 2 days. It was dodgy last week, too. Facebook has been blocked in China for a long time and maybe Vietnam has decided to join in the fun. Ugh. This is my 5th year living in a communist country and 99% of the time I can't tell the difference....but when big brother starts monitoring my Internet usage, it's a massive bummer. I'm not sure if this is permanent. I really hope not.

So...if you don't hear from me on Facebook for awhile, it's because I'm in the communist vacuum.

Saigon Snapshots

The bike repair guys on the corner, one of the many conveniences of living in Saigon. They're always on the major intersection between home and school. Today I needed air in my tires. 25 cents well spent!

They haul anything on their motorbikes! In this case it's 14 tires! This was taken last weekend in downtown Saigon.

A Mother's Duty

Today we celebrated Halloween at school. Brenna went as a hippie. She wore the same costume she wore in 4th grade - she loves it, it still fits and no one has seen it, so why not?!? They had a costume contest and she took 2nd place for the 6th grade. Woo-hoo! She got beat out by a boy dressed as Lady Gaga. It's tough to beat an 11 year old boy in a wig!

She excitedly told me about her day. Her English teacher gave candy to all the kids that dressed up. She said, "He gave us this really delicious candy with chocolate and caramel inside. Milk Way or something" I replied, "Milky Way!" "That's it," she said, "They're really good!"

It's little moments like these that remind me that although Brenna is a native English speaker, was born in the US, spends every summer in Wyoming, and holds a US passport, she's not your typical American pre-teen. She just doesn't have the same experiences and background knowledge as her American counterparts. I laughed at her discovery of the Milky Way and told her it was Oma's favorite chocolate bar.

Where did I go wrong? I am a total chocoholic. My daughter is 11 and just tried a Milky Way for the first time? Have I been depraving her? What other delicious chocolate treats have been neglected? Surely she's had a Snickers and Reeses, but what about Twix? Has she experienced the cookie crunch?!? Baby Ruth? Mr. Goodbar? Butterfinger? I have definitely found a teachable moment. My mission is clear. My daughter needs to experience her home culture. It's what any good mother would do!

Looks Like Vacation, But It's Just Home!

To commiserate the end of our Fall break, we went out for breakfast at one of the local cafes. There are a bizillion to choose from, but we went to The Gourmet Shop for some yummy omelets. The nice thing about living here is it really feels like we're on vacation - nice weather, outdoor pools (Brenna and I played underwater charades in the pool yesterday!), cafes, massages - it's all good!

I had a tomato and onion omelet. Delicious! I didn't have the guts to try the Omellet Mixed Her Cheese. Not really sure what that's all about!!! Hmmm, maybe next time...or not!

Our Trip to Hoi An, Vietnam

Yesterday we returned from the quaint town of Hoi An in central Vietnam. The old town is a World Heritage Site with streets of cafes and shops full of artwork and handicrafts. And tailors. Lots and lots of tailors! We definitely supported the local economy and bought our share of lacquerware, a quilted wall hanging, a t-shirt, refrigerator magnets and even a painting.

The cafes were delicious and cheap and the town just had a cool feel to it. Our favorite restaurant was Good Morning, Vietnam. They had excellent Italian food. Vietnamese food is delicious, but we can get it anytime we want. Getting good Italian food is not easy for us, so we ate there 3 times! Bring on the pasta, pizza and risotto!

We didn't need to have any clothes made, but the kids discovered that they could get shoes made. We're not talking patent leathers, we're talking whatever shoe is in fashion right now. Aidan was super excited about it all and had a tough time deciding what to have made. He finally chose a wicked pair of black and gray high-tops. Brenna designed a funky pair of slip-ons (like Vans) that are purple and green with peace signs embroidered on them! Aidan got his shoes less than 24 hours later, but they messed up Brenna's peace signs and actually made Mercedes-Benz signs instead! Waaah! They're going to deliver the shoes to Saigon within the next couple of days. We plan on returning to Hoi An during our winter break. I'm sure the kids will have a bunch of pictures of shoes to have made. The tailors also make jeans and whatever else you want, so I have a feeling that we'll hit a couple tailor shops as well!

When we first arrived, it downpoured for about 36 hours straight! We would wait for it to slow down and then run to the next shop. The water in the street was to our ankles at times. It was amazing how much water could fall from the sky! We still were able to walk around, but it wasn't very pleasant. We were much relieved when the weather changed on Monday and we hit the beach. (I didn't take too many pictures in the rain, but check out the one on the right.) The beach was nice, but the undertow was very strong. It was still a great day.

On Tuesday we booked a tour to My Son ruins with Hoi An Motorbike Adventures. Very fun! Mike drove a Russian Minsk motorbike with Aidan on the back and I drove a scooter with Brenna on the back. We drove down country roads and sometimes just paths, through villages and rice paddies. It was a fantastic way to see "real Vietnam". Waving kids ran to the side of the road, yelling, "Hello! Hello!" I'm sure they don't get many tourists back in those areas! The ruins were interesting and our ultimate destination, but the real thrill of the day was seeing another side of Vietnam.

On Wednesday we scootered and walked around the old town, played pool and ate at Good Morning Vietnam one last time. It was a fun trip, but it's always nice to get home, too.

So Why the Title?

Unless you're writing about plumbing, "Mom, Can We Flush the Toilet Paper" is an odd name for a blog. So why did I name it that? Well, it reminds me of when my kids were little and just brings a smile to my face every time I see it! Although we're American, my family and I have lived overseas since the kids were 3 and 6 years old. (They are now 11 and 14.) When we lived in Venezuela, we couldn't flush the toilet paper because the plumbing there couldn't handle it. Whenever we'd fly somewhere, inevitably we'd have to go to the bathroom in the airport and my daughter would always ask, "Mom, can we flush the toilet paper here?" It always made me chuckle! It also made me realize how different my daughter's childhood is from my own. Things I took for granted, she has to learn. Things I didn't know existed, she has experienced.

The other question that always came up was "Do they speak English here?" That conversation always included, "You can't talk about people - they may actually understand what you're saying!" We didn't generally go around talking about people, but when a 5 year old sees a huge mole on the face of the girl working at the ice cream shop, she's going to say something! That incident had us stifling huge laughs after my daughter imitated Austin Powers, saying "Moley, moley, moley"!

So, "Mom, can we flush the toilet paper?" sums up our life of adapting to different countries and cultures and doing it as a family.