Windy (32)- Home Sweet Home. It has been a longer and more difficult journey than expected but here I am in my own little home in Green Valley, Arizona, in the United States of America. The year started out in Taiwan where many family members came to visit. I am so grateful for all the help packing and moving, especially the extra luggage space!
I had a wonderful birth experience in the Taipei Women and Children’s hospital. My doctor, Calvin Chiang, was wonderful and allowed me to have an all-natural birth with my husband in attendance (much to the shock and horror of the Taiwanese nurses and thanks to our neighbors, the Wheelers, for babysitting Elnorra overnight). Ben was handed our little one immediately after the cord was cut and said “hello…uh…Cordelia” We are so happy to have our “girls” even though I was convinced we were going to have a little boy, I wouldn’t trade our miss “Dilly” in for anything! I survived the birthing in a foreign county in large part due to dear friends, the Jolley sisters (Robin and Camille). Robin had a job with odd hours and came over often with food in hand just as I was about to collapse! Good thing Chinese take out was cheap and readily available (he he).
I am so grateful for the countless friends who touched our lives while we lived in Taiwan. I am so glad I was able to see another corner of the world and glimpse life in a different culture. The Taiwanese as a people are very friendly and honest and willing to help. It was sad not to learn much Chinese, but so much the better for a foreign mom to feel welcome rather than rejected. As I say... “Don’t worry if the vendor doesn’t speak English, the person behind you in line will.” And they will help before you ask, especially if you are stumbling over your Chinese. Taipei is relatively comfortable for us poor monoglots, but sad for the language acquisition. I discovered that there really are two universal languages: ******@****.com (E-mail addresses) and bad English! It was impressive to me to realize that all those folks who speak bad English can do at least two things I can’t. Speak a second language and communicate. After all that’s what language is really all about-communication!
We flew to the Tucson airport on the 4th of June and stayed in Arizona for just a few days until we drove (in our new to us “big car”-Thanks Emily and family) all the way to Beaver High Adventure Base, Boy Scout camp east of Beaver, UT. We spent the next two months living in an old army tent (a GP small) where you can stand properly and have a bit of furniture. The camp had a “population” of 25 staff members at 10,000 feet altitude and about 10% humidity. Talk about shock factor. We came from a sub-tropic city of 4 million and 80% humidity on a dry day. It was such a joy to finally be chilly again and need a jacket. Elnorra made the adjustment very well and loved the freedom of running around the lodge with all the big folks to play with and get attention from. Dilly didn’t adjust as easily, but I’m sure she was relived to be out of the heat. She hates being hot but loves being bundled up when it is cold! Oh yeah, she loves being held and there were plenty of other folks around to hold her while I was preparing dinner for the staff members.
We decided to come to Green Valley to be near my mom and my truly dear and sweet mother offered to let us stay in her guest room and use her garage for all our stuff for a few weeks while we settled in. The first week or two was nice and fun, quality grandmother (aka Grandee) granddaughter time, mom and daughter chats, travel logs and social calls. After much research we put in an application at the only apartment complex that was a viable option (there are only three “family” complexes in retirementville). Ben had finally received interviews and leads on jobs and the apartment was supposed to take just one week before moving day. Then came the biggest trial-five, count them 5, weeks passed where we expected moving day to be on Saturday and found out later than 4:30 pm on Friday, and in most cases on the day itself, that we still had to wait. Then once we were in the 800 square foot apartment then we had a long journey of unpacking before we have made it livable space. We had enough stuff in storage to furnish a 4-bedroom house and also brought some stuff home from Taiwan. Many months after the process started we have the apartment well lived in (we even have our pictures hung!) and mom’s garage is nicely sorted, organized and easy access to our long term storage stuff and a ¾ shop (no chem room) for me to work on instruments part time. I have had a steady stream of work in the repair shop and each new project gets me to unpack another box. The shop is nearly at capacity now and will settle into true efficiency in the next month or so.
I had a wonderful birth experience in the Taipei Women and Children’s hospital. My doctor, Calvin Chiang, was wonderful and allowed me to have an all-natural birth with my husband in attendance (much to the shock and horror of the Taiwanese nurses and thanks to our neighbors, the Wheelers, for babysitting Elnorra overnight). Ben was handed our little one immediately after the cord was cut and said “hello…uh…Cordelia” We are so happy to have our “girls” even though I was convinced we were going to have a little boy, I wouldn’t trade our miss “Dilly” in for anything! I survived the birthing in a foreign county in large part due to dear friends, the Jolley sisters (Robin and Camille). Robin had a job with odd hours and came over often with food in hand just as I was about to collapse! Good thing Chinese take out was cheap and readily available (he he).
I am so grateful for the countless friends who touched our lives while we lived in Taiwan. I am so glad I was able to see another corner of the world and glimpse life in a different culture. The Taiwanese as a people are very friendly and honest and willing to help. It was sad not to learn much Chinese, but so much the better for a foreign mom to feel welcome rather than rejected. As I say... “Don’t worry if the vendor doesn’t speak English, the person behind you in line will.” And they will help before you ask, especially if you are stumbling over your Chinese. Taipei is relatively comfortable for us poor monoglots, but sad for the language acquisition. I discovered that there really are two universal languages: ******@****.com (E-mail addresses) and bad English! It was impressive to me to realize that all those folks who speak bad English can do at least two things I can’t. Speak a second language and communicate. After all that’s what language is really all about-communication!
We flew to the Tucson airport on the 4th of June and stayed in Arizona for just a few days until we drove (in our new to us “big car”-Thanks Emily and family) all the way to Beaver High Adventure Base, Boy Scout camp east of Beaver, UT. We spent the next two months living in an old army tent (a GP small) where you can stand properly and have a bit of furniture. The camp had a “population” of 25 staff members at 10,000 feet altitude and about 10% humidity. Talk about shock factor. We came from a sub-tropic city of 4 million and 80% humidity on a dry day. It was such a joy to finally be chilly again and need a jacket. Elnorra made the adjustment very well and loved the freedom of running around the lodge with all the big folks to play with and get attention from. Dilly didn’t adjust as easily, but I’m sure she was relived to be out of the heat. She hates being hot but loves being bundled up when it is cold! Oh yeah, she loves being held and there were plenty of other folks around to hold her while I was preparing dinner for the staff members.
We decided to come to Green Valley to be near my mom and my truly dear and sweet mother offered to let us stay in her guest room and use her garage for all our stuff for a few weeks while we settled in. The first week or two was nice and fun, quality grandmother (aka Grandee) granddaughter time, mom and daughter chats, travel logs and social calls. After much research we put in an application at the only apartment complex that was a viable option (there are only three “family” complexes in retirementville). Ben had finally received interviews and leads on jobs and the apartment was supposed to take just one week before moving day. Then came the biggest trial-five, count them 5, weeks passed where we expected moving day to be on Saturday and found out later than 4:30 pm on Friday, and in most cases on the day itself, that we still had to wait. Then once we were in the 800 square foot apartment then we had a long journey of unpacking before we have made it livable space. We had enough stuff in storage to furnish a 4-bedroom house and also brought some stuff home from Taiwan. Many months after the process started we have the apartment well lived in (we even have our pictures hung!) and mom’s garage is nicely sorted, organized and easy access to our long term storage stuff and a ¾ shop (no chem room) for me to work on instruments part time. I have had a steady stream of work in the repair shop and each new project gets me to unpack another box. The shop is nearly at capacity now and will settle into true efficiency in the next month or so.
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