Reflections From A Year Abroad

It was July 25, 2011 when we boarded the plan in Austin, and July 27, 2011 when we got off the plane in Singapore.  We've been here for a year.  Life has changed so much.  So many things are really different and yet, some things are just the same.

We've lived a year without a car.  I love it!  Sometimes I think about how car-dependent my life was from the day I turned 16 and got my drivers licence (and my first car!  Yes, I was spoiled!!) until the day I boarded the plane and moved to Singapore.  Driving was something I did every day, and now I haven't driven at all for a year.  The public transit here is really easy and fantastic.  There have definitely been a few times where it really would have been nice to have my own car, but those times have been few and I was able to find another way.  I'm impressed with how well the kids have adapted to walking everywhere.  They are really tough!  At first, with Wyatt being just barely 3, we ended up buying a stroller so that he didn't have to walk all of the time.  I put our stroller away about 3 months ago and we haven't needed it once.    

We've lived in a small space for a year and it's great!  My home in Austin was over 3000 square feet.  At the time that we moved, I really wanted to find a smaller home and see if we could live with less space. I was feeling a strong need to tread more lightly on the earth and reduce my carbon foot print.  It seemed like a big thing at the time to be open to living in a space smaller than 2000 square feet.  Well, I got my wish!  Our condo here is only about 1170 square feet and it is totally fine.  It's plenty of space.  We can function perfectly well and have all the space that we need.  It's really amazing how adaptable we all are.  I would choose this space again.  

We are traveling a lot.  I guess that's a bit of an understatement!!  Once upon a time, a long time ago, Scott and I were both travelers.  Separately, and then together, we ventured out into the world and tried to see a little piece of it.  Then we had kids.  There was one trip when Lily was about 17 months old that went terribly bad.  After that, we proclaimed that we would NEVER travel again!  We stuck to that for a long while.  Slowly, little by little we took a few trips and things went better than expected.  It was definitely more complicated as we continued to add more children, but we learned and managed.  Then we moved here and now we've been traveling every month.  We're trying to make the most of the time we have here and see the things to see on this side of the planet.  The more we travel, the more we realize how little we've seen of the world.  Our travel wish list just keeps getting longer. 

 I think of my children, their passports only have a few blank pages left!  Where is life going to take them when they've spent their young years playing on the beaches in Malaysia and Indonesia, climbing on temples in Cambodia and sea kayaking in Vietnam?  The whole world is their playground.  I am striving to raise kids that see themselves as 'world citizens'.  I want them to feel connected to the entire planet and to do what they can to foster world peace.  

Hiking up to the Hindu Temple in Bali, Indonesia

I love that they see pictures of the places their friends have visited or have moved to and they say, "Can we go there?!" or Madeline a couple weeks ago said to me, "So Mom, what country is it this month?".  Wow.  Their idea of what is possible is limitless.  What a gift!!

Some things are just the same.  Most days are filled with school, homework, playing with friends, dinner and bed time.  We try to find the time for the little things we enjoy.  Scott and I both enjoy reading.  Our digital book collection has dramatically increased over the last year!  It's really nice to be able to download any book you want to read and have it immediately available.

Scott still loves the Steelers!  Although, I don't think watching the game by himself on the ipad very early in the morning (sometimes at 4:00 AM) is as much fun as going in the evening with his friends to the sports bar. 

We are still dedicated to healthy living and eating.  I'm still forcing my family to eat whole grains and mostly plants.  We've eased off a bit on the strict vegan-ism.  We try, but it's MUCH harder here and not as practical, so we've found a balance that works for us.  I've just signed up to run a 21K (half-marathon) in November.  I'm excited!  There doesn't seem to be the kind of running community that Austin has, so I'll be training on my own more (or with friends), but that's okay.  

Singapore Zoo

Singapore Elephant Parade, December 2011

Lighting a lantern on the beach in Thailand.

Riding Elephants!

Lily's birthday and her AMAZING cake!

Scott fishing with Wyatt in Malaysia.

Hiking through the temples in Cambodia.

Jumping off the pier in Indonesia.

Ha Long Bay, Vietnam.

My sweet little Wyatt has started school!  I kinda breezed over his birthday in June.  It was a really busy month.  He's grown up into a sweet boy.  Preschool started last week for Wyatt.  He LOVES it!  I think he is really ready to have some time to play with the kids his own age.  I'm really proud of him.

Just a little collection of pictures of Wyatt from the last year.  My sweet little baby has grown up so much!

If everything goes as planned, we will be heading back to Austin about this time next year.  Wyatt will be ready to start Kindergarten (I can't believe it!) and the girls will be ready for 1st and 3rd grades.  We're halfway through our Singapore adventure.  I'm loving every minute and so very grateful for the chance to be here.  We miss our families and friends so much.  It's hard to be so far away and to miss all the ups and downs with the ones we love.  We'd LOVE to have some more visitors!! 

I feel a little like I'm missing a piece to this reflection of the last year.  It's difficult to articulate how something has changed you, when you are still in the middle of it.  I can remember what life was like in Austin before, but I'm sure there are many details that I am forgetting.  Peace and love to you all!