Lunar New Year - Part 1

Happy Year of the Snake! 🐍

The kids returned to school this week after the lunar year break.  We went to Indonesia (Bali + Komodo Island) and Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh).  Too much fun to pack into one blog post, so Part 1 is focused on Indonesia.

The first part of our Indonesia trip was a beautiful resort in Bali.  We swam, ate, read, and the kids went Kidz Club each day.  This was the first time Tori was able to join the big kids in the programming, so that was really fun to see.  These aren't the types of trips that I would have planned before, but have learned to enjoy them as a family.  

Bali highlights:

• Resort buffets - the resort had several great eats, but the kids (and I) most enjoyed the Japanese buffet where they cleared out all the salmon sashimi. I didn't take nearly enough pictures of the delicious food.  🍣
• Swimming - we spent A LOT of time in the pools.  The kids enjoyed the beach, by which I mean they enjoyed looking at the beach from the swimming pool.  
• Kidz Club - Tori, Ellie, and Lexi were all able to join the kids club together for games, arts & crafts, and definitely some video games.  Their favorite was the ginormous ball pit. 

Our big excursion during the Indonesia trip was an overnight to Komodo Island. This small island and the nearby islands have so much nature and beauty.  The guide said "welcome to jurassic park" when we arrived and it definitely delivered. Trekking to see the Komodo dragons would have been exciting enough for me, but there was so much more.   

(Optical illusion photo: we're really about 10 feet BEHIND the komodo dragon and there are lots of tour guides to keep us safe!) 

In addition to the komodo dragons, we visited a pink beach (from the red corral bits), Warren went swimming with manta rays, we saw baby sharks swimming nearby, saw a few dolphins, and experienced the vast beauty during our boat tour. 

Our very short visit to Indonesia was lovely and we're so grateful to get to see so many Asian countries this year. 

Upcoming family adventure year trips: 

✅ Warren: Bali & Komodo Island Indonesia for the Komodo dragons (Jan 2025)

❑ Mel: Kyoto, Japan for the cherry blossoms (Mar 2025) (Moving Kyoto to Feb 2025 with Michael & Richelle and will search for cherry blossoms in Taiwan)

✅ Lexi: Chengdu, China for the giant pandas (Oct 2024). She also voted for Komodo dragons. 

✅ Ellie: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam for the underground tunnels.  She also voted for Komodo dragons. (Jan 2025)

❑ Tori: Hong Kong for Disneyland (May 2025). She also voted for the mall. 🤷🏻‍♀️

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I'll be adding some practical travel tips for anyone traveling with younger kids, mostly so I don't forget when people ask me in the future. :) 

Practical travel tips for Komodo Island (Kids ages: 3, 7, 9)

• Carrier: I took Tori in a carrier given the uneven terrain. This was a definite must for a toddler.
• Clothing: Hats + bathing suits + shorts was fine.  It was very sunny and hot (85°F) when we went. I also brought a small portable fan, which the kids shared. 
• Shoes: Kids wore their crocs, which was fine.  If I did it again, I'd probably have chosen their sports sandals (Tevas) since we did about an hour of hiking with some hills. Our tour guide gave E a piggy back ride when she got tired. 
• Tour:  We would recommend a high speed boat as we were able to see a lot during our trip.  Some stops were between 30 mins to an hour away from each other.  We passed a lot of the slower, more cruise-like boats, which is different trade off if folks enjoy time on a boat. 

Holidays in Taipei

We had a lovely (and busy) time celebrating Christmas and New Year’s in Taiwan.  We are also awaiting our Lunar New Year break coming up in a few weeks.  

Warren’s little sister and my sister were able to visit during the month of December.  We were able to do some good eating and more Taipei sightseeing. 

A few highlights:

Jana (W's sister) in Jioufen

Mekong gondola with Megan's (M's sister) family

New Year's Eve with the Sturm & Kim (visiting from Korea) families

Now that we are into 2025, our adventure year is officially half over.  I knew the time would go by quickly and it truly has.  One of our biggest surprises (and delights) is the number of friends and family that travel through the area. We've been able to reconnect with so many people during our time here.  We feel lucky to be across the world and yet still connected. 

Next up on our adventure year in January:  Indonesia (W's pick) & Vietnam (Ellie's pick).

What do you do all day?

Before when I was working, I would sometimes daydream about what life would be like without a full time job.  After all, I was probably spending 50-70 hours there for the last decade.  Would it feel like a forever vacation?  Would I lose weight and be super fit?  Would I be exactly who I was meant to be with all this extra time?  Would I be the best version of myself? 

It’s been almost a year and the reality is lot more mundane.  Back in April, I wrote in my journal about “what I hope I will say” about my sabbatical year. And here are a few things I wrote: rest, be present, create core memories, exercise, learn something wildly impossible with a full time job.

So I started our Taiwan year with goals in the “Important, Not urgent” quadrant: my health and relationships. 

Stephen Covey’s Time Mgmt Matrix, which after some googling is said to come first from Eisenhower

The biggest shifts since I left working:

• Sleep
• Consuming content: books/TV/podcasts
• Exercise
• Household chores: soooo many household chores (Boy do I miss our nanny!)

And, of course I made a chart. :)

Even Apple is telling me I’m doing much better with sleep!  It was a very low bar, but getting healthier.

While I had hoped to get back to my pre-pregnancy Tori weight AND have my eczema in tip top shape, progress is slow. So I'll keep at it. There hasn't been a dramatic change to my life, but I will say that living more slowly -- hanging out with my parents as an adult, spending more time with the kids (higher highs and lower lows with this one) -- has truly been a gift. 

For those who are still dreaming of taking a gap year (or summer/month), I see you and hope you find a way to make it happen. 

Sports Day 運動會

Life in Taipei has moved into a predictable rhythm and thankfully the weather has really cooled off, so we can spend more time outdoors.  

Recently both schools had their sports day (運動會), which is common across the city.  It’s an official school day on Saturday where everyone participates in performances, games, and athletics.  What I enjoyed about it is that we were able to see the kids interact with their friends and meet some other parents. While there are some social activities here, there are far fewer than in the US. Sports day is an encouragement for the kids to develop habits in healthy eating, exercise, and sportsmanship. In general, I've found that a centralized system on health and wellness makes a lot of sense. The kids even get their flu shots, dental fluoride, and other check ups at school. Definitely feel like the US could learn some things that Taiwan has figured out.

Here are some photos of both sports days. 

Kuei Shan Sports Day (Lexi and Ellie)

Cheng Mei Sports Day (Tori)

Home of the Giant Pandas (and red pandas too!)

We recently came back from a short trip to Chengdu, China in the Sichuan province.  It is famous for being the home of giant pandas, Sichuan food (yes, even the non-spicy items felt spicy to me), and 变脸 Biàn Liǎn.

With all things nature, it can be quite unpredictable with animals.  We were lucky with good panda weather (raining and cool) and delighted to see a lot of activity at the Chengdu Research Base. 

Warren and I were reflecting that we both enjoy animal experiences and have had a chance to see such a wide range: gorillas in Uganda, elephants in Thailand, wombats in Tasmania, and safaris in Tanzania.  The pandas are right up there for uniqueness.  So even through the girls prefer stuffed animals over the real ones, we thought it was a wonderful visit. 

After seeing the pandas, the kids really enjoyed the 变脸 performance.  There was music, dance, and comedy.  

A few things I appreciate about being back in Taiwan are: 1) clean bathrooms wherever you go - for anyone with a recently potty-trained toddler, you will understand this!  2) lines 3) more gentle sales techniques.  I think living in China for a year would have been very difficult for me with culture shock. 

We've now finalized our excursion trips for the year.  W got started on the calendar Tetris so the kids do not miss school.  Lexi doesn't want to miss out on "perfect attendance".  Ellie requested scheduling our trips to miss school on Thursday's as that is her weekly Chinese test.  The sibling differentiation is real.  

• Warren: Bali & Komodo Island Indonesia for the Komodo dragons (Jan 2025)
• Mel: Kyoto, Japan for the cherry blossoms (Mar 2025)
• Lexi: Chengdu, China for the giant pandas (Oct 2024). She also voted for Komodo dragons. 
• Ellie: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam for the underground tunnels.  She also voted for Komodo dragons. (Jan 2025)
• Tori: Hong Kong for Disneyland (May 2025). She also voted for the mall. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I'm already jealous of my kids' international travel at such a young age.  My hope is that these experiences expand their worldview, but I also have a fear of entitlement.  As we grow as a family, I want to expose them to how big the world is and to grow in gratitude and generosity.  I definitely welcome ideas from folks who have thought about that juxtaposition of privilege and avoiding entitlement.  In the meantime, we're working on having grateful hearts for all that we're experiencing this year - the good and the hard. 

Wave of Light 2024

Dear friends and family, 

It’s that time of year again. The Wave of Light is a tradition for our family to remember Louie and other little ones who are no longer with us. October 15 is infant & pregnancy loss remembrance day and observed through the international wave of light. We invite you to light a candle tomorrow (or send "light" thoughts/prayers) from 7pm-8pm in your local time zone. 

This year I’m writing from the other side of the world in Taipei.  After moving here over the summer, we’ve recently celebrated our compressed season of birthdays (3 in 30 days!).  In lieu of birthday parties, each one of us got to design an entire day for our celebration. Lexi chose Din Tai Fung, DIY music boxes, gaming at the arcade, and finished off with Kura Sushi. I got to see the secret escape slide at the Grand Palace Hotel and picked a chocolate panda cake.  Ellie started with her favorite waffle spot, picked a movie (Wild Robot - highly recommend), visited a meerkat cafe, and ate at Kura Sushi (again). It’s been lovely getting to experience each kid’s individuality and interests emerge. The small details, the specific preferences, the fleeting favorites - I cherish (most of) those moments as our family here. 

And one day… maybe I’ll get to experience just one day designed by my son - a day that I got to remember instead of imagine. 

Until then, we will honor Louie with our light. I do like to imagine that wave of light dancing across the world connecting all of us who have loved and lost… and learned to love again.   

Sending you all love and peace.

Made in Taiwan

One unique aspect of Taiwan culture for kids (and adults) is the world of DIY crafts.  It's reminded me of my high school scrapbooking and young adult crafting days....something I completely forgot about once the kids came along.

We've done some clay modeling (overpriced)

Tufting (you use a tufting gun to make custom carpets)

Music box creation

And there's so much more (e.g. felting, slime-making, sewing, grid art).  Crafting has been one of the best indoor activities we’ve found to beat the heat. Ellie, in particular, has taken a strong interest in all things art-related which is fun to see. 

Now that the weather is starting to cool down…meaning mid-80s, I’m looking forward to exploring anything outside.  I’ve been feeling some “cabin fever” from staying mostly indoors since we moved here.  I definitely miss bike rides, hikes, and generally being outdoors.  

Our next family adventure year travel excursion is planned to visit Chengdu, China to see the home of giant pandas (Lexi's pick).  Stay tuned and hopefully we will have some cute photos to show.  🐼