No pictures today, but I thought that I might share some things about the Kamala Beach area.
- About 50 meters up the road from our condo is a Muslim Mosque. Along the road that our condo is located is also speakers on the power poles. These speakers broadcast the call to prayer everyday. It is fascinating to be walking home from dinner with the family and hear this broadcast. Growing up in Alabama and living in the south for all but the last two years, it is fascinating being around such a different culture/religion. On a funny note... during the call to prayers one day last week, the man that was speaking got a tickle in his throat. It brought out a chuckle from Sarah and I.
- Our condo is about 50 meters from the main road. When you get to the main road, on the immediate right is a restaurant called the Coffee Corner Shop. We eat at this restaurant at least every other day and often times we stop everyday for at least dessert or a drink (Sarah loves the Banana Coffee Shake). Some of our favorites are the Pad Thai, Shrimp Fried Rice and Club Sandwich. We have become quite close with the owners. It is owned by a Swedish man and Thai lady. They are a little bit older than us and have a daughter who will be two tomorrow. Brynn was actually invited to her birthday party tomorrow. The female owner does all of the cooking, while the man does all of the baking (I love his chocolate brownies). She is actually going to give Sarah Thai cooking lessons this week. We are extremely excited for Sarah to add Thai food to her expanding repertoire!
- Sarah and I barely possess enough clothes to wear something different for a week, much less a month. On top of that, Sarah and I did not check luggage for this trip and only brought three carry-ons. Needless to say, we have visited the laundromat on a frequent occasion. Laundromats in Thailand are relatively cheap and your clothes smell about 100-times better than in China. We have made friends with the owner of our laundromat. She actually likes Sarah and I, but adores our children. Similar to China, she likes to take our children and show them off to other people. Also like China, she will inform Sarah if Aubrey is not covered well enough from the sun. She is also very trusting, as on a couple of occasions she did not have the correct change and told me to just pay her later.
- We have also noticed that many of the European families at our complex have a nanny. These nannies are Thai, so we are infer they must get hired upon arrival. Sarah and I are intrigued by this idea. If we come back to Thailand in the near future, we will be hiring a nanny to help with the children.
- Our banana pancake love got even better last night. Instead of Nutella, I went with crunchy peanut butter. Oh my goodness... it rocked!!!! Sarah will be learning this recipe in cooking classes.
- Tomorrow, Brynn begins her time in the big pool without water wings. I have convinced her that she must give them to Aubrey. We will see how it goes. I am not expecting her to become a swimmer, but I want her to not fear the big pool without her water wings.
- Aubrey has reached a monumental milestone in her life. In my opinion, it is much more important than her two bottom teeth, her ability to sit up and pull up to a standing position and even her basic crawling. She can now GROWL!! Starting this morning when we put her in the pool, she started to make a growling noise and it has not stopped. When you talk to her, she just looks at you and smiles, followed by a cute growl. We went to the clinic and she does not have rabies!
- Sarah and I just laugh at our lives. At this current moment, Sarah and I are laying in a bed with Aubrey who is in a crawl position constantly growling. Brynn is jumping from our bed onto the mattress in the floor (2 foot drop) where Aubrey sleeps. In the last 10 minutes, Brynn has bounced into the wall which led to tears, while also having Aubrey yank out large junks of her hair. It is only 7PM, the night is young!
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- About 50 meters up the road from our condo is a Muslim Mosque. Along the road that our condo is located is also speakers on the power poles. These speakers broadcast the call to prayer everyday. It is fascinating to be walking home from dinner with the family and hear this broadcast. Growing up in Alabama and living in the south for all but the last two years, it is fascinating being around such a different culture/religion. On a funny note... during the call to prayers one day last week, the man that was speaking got a tickle in his throat. It brought out a chuckle from Sarah and I.
- Our condo is about 50 meters from the main road. When you get to the main road, on the immediate right is a restaurant called the Coffee Corner Shop. We eat at this restaurant at least every other day and often times we stop everyday for at least dessert or a drink (Sarah loves the Banana Coffee Shake). Some of our favorites are the Pad Thai, Shrimp Fried Rice and Club Sandwich. We have become quite close with the owners. It is owned by a Swedish man and Thai lady. They are a little bit older than us and have a daughter who will be two tomorrow. Brynn was actually invited to her birthday party tomorrow. The female owner does all of the cooking, while the man does all of the baking (I love his chocolate brownies). She is actually going to give Sarah Thai cooking lessons this week. We are extremely excited for Sarah to add Thai food to her expanding repertoire!
- Sarah and I barely possess enough clothes to wear something different for a week, much less a month. On top of that, Sarah and I did not check luggage for this trip and only brought three carry-ons. Needless to say, we have visited the laundromat on a frequent occasion. Laundromats in Thailand are relatively cheap and your clothes smell about 100-times better than in China. We have made friends with the owner of our laundromat. She actually likes Sarah and I, but adores our children. Similar to China, she likes to take our children and show them off to other people. Also like China, she will inform Sarah if Aubrey is not covered well enough from the sun. She is also very trusting, as on a couple of occasions she did not have the correct change and told me to just pay her later.
- We have also noticed that many of the European families at our complex have a nanny. These nannies are Thai, so we are infer they must get hired upon arrival. Sarah and I are intrigued by this idea. If we come back to Thailand in the near future, we will be hiring a nanny to help with the children.
- Our banana pancake love got even better last night. Instead of Nutella, I went with crunchy peanut butter. Oh my goodness... it rocked!!!! Sarah will be learning this recipe in cooking classes.
- Tomorrow, Brynn begins her time in the big pool without water wings. I have convinced her that she must give them to Aubrey. We will see how it goes. I am not expecting her to become a swimmer, but I want her to not fear the big pool without her water wings.
- Aubrey has reached a monumental milestone in her life. In my opinion, it is much more important than her two bottom teeth, her ability to sit up and pull up to a standing position and even her basic crawling. She can now GROWL!! Starting this morning when we put her in the pool, she started to make a growling noise and it has not stopped. When you talk to her, she just looks at you and smiles, followed by a cute growl. We went to the clinic and she does not have rabies!
- Sarah and I just laugh at our lives. At this current moment, Sarah and I are laying in a bed with Aubrey who is in a crawl position constantly growling. Brynn is jumping from our bed onto the mattress in the floor (2 foot drop) where Aubrey sleeps. In the last 10 minutes, Brynn has bounced into the wall which led to tears, while also having Aubrey yank out large junks of her hair. It is only 7PM, the night is young!
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man...how long of a vacation do you guys have? A month in Thailand?
ReplyDeleteWith the way Christmas Break and Chinese New Year fell, our school system went with a school calendar that included a 5-week break. With us having went home this summer to have the baby, we decided on a vacation for the 5-week break instead of a visit to America like some of our families at CDIS. Chengdu is cold and wet during January, so we thought Thailand would be an excellent alternative.
DeleteCongrats on the new daughter. We loved following the pictures. I am also glad that Justin is doing better. We were praying for you guys throughout the travels and ordeals. Hope all is going well!
That's awesome...as nice as it would be to visit the states, I am sure that having a nice long vacation in a sunny locale is a very relaxing alternative.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the prayers...congratulations, right back at you my friend.