It's Official!

Finally got my hot little hands on some diplomatic passports. All 5 of them! At some point I might actually write up the saga, but for now, I'm just thrilled to have them in my possession. Now we just have to make plane reservations, households goods shipment arrangements, pet shipment arrangements, apply to the international school...

Island Hopping

Sorry for the length of time between posts. I have been consumed with frantic Tagalog training (realized my test is less than 8 weeks away, and I feel like I am no where near where I need to be to pass the test!) and taking up all kinds of new activities. L & I got Groupons for a Pilates studio in McLean and have attended a couple of sessions (don't think I will continue after the Groupon sessions are up...I wasn't that impressed with the studio). Husband and I are also hitting the ice in hopes of keeping up with our kids. Our instructor has been letting me sneak in on her lunchtime adult class (she's awesome!), and I surprised myself with how well I skate considering I haven't been on the ice since I was a kid. Husband and I also joined a gym (courtesy of Living Social this time). I'm not crazy about gyms in general (I prefer working out when no one is watching), but I don't have any of my equipment here and I was really, really missing my heavy weights. Then, C's volleyball season has really kicked into high gear. She has a clinic on Sat from 1-3, practice scrimmages on Sun from 8-11, practice on Wed from 6-8, Thus we have to help the club set up for the Capitol Classic from 5-9, Fri she has practice at the Washington Convention Center from 6-9, then Sat-Mon is the tournament with us parents helping out with tear down after the tournament has ended. I'm tired just typing all of that out!

But, the most exciting news of all is that we got word on where our second assignment will be. My plan to be a beach bumming FSO is in high gear 'cause we are headed to freaking HONG KONG, bitches! Going from Manila to HKG is like being sent to Hawaii to New York (if NYC had beaches and was made up of almost 70% green spaces. Plus, escalators, people! HKG is the land of the pedestrian commute!). We are so freaking excited!!! This is an amazing post for everyone in the family. Husband will be able to easily find a job (either at the Consulate or on the local economy - thank you weird HKG non-mainland status!), English abounds so it will be easy for the family to get around, there is no quarantine period for animals (!!!), and the international schools are some of the best in the world. Plus, the HKG airport is amazing! You can fly anywhere in SE Asia (likely anywhere in the world), and it is super clean and efficient. The only drawback (for me anyway) is that Mandarin is not the common language, so it will be less of an immersion for me. I still get to come back to FSI for six months between tours to brush up on my Mandarin (which I desperately wanted since it will have been 3+ years since I used the language by the time I get there), and there are pockets of Mandarin speakers within HKG - I will just have to search them out. And I can always venture across the bridge for immersion trips to keep my Mandarin up to par.

So what does all of this mean? Well, we now know where we'll be for the next 5 years, which is more stability than I've ever had in my adult life, and it means we can really start making some plans for the future. And now that we know we'll be in the same part of the world for the foreseeable future (HKG is only 2-3 hours from Manila!) we can take our time and plan out trips to visit all the places we want to see. And, it means that all of you lovely people can take your time with your own trips since we won't be leaving the region any time soon! :)

Walang Balita

I apologize for the recent blog silence. I really do have lots of posts in my head that never seem to make it to the screen. We recently received word that my grandfather is heading quickly downhill. This was somewhat unexpected (in spite of the fact that he is nearing 90), as we did not know until just last week that he had a life threatening illness. My father has blogged more extensively than I am willing to, but this event has dredged up some powerful emotions. I was with my grandmother on her deathbed, but one of my greatest regrets is that I did not get to see her one last time when she was still coherent. Now I fear the same will be true with my grandfather. I had more to say, but I think it's best if I just leave it at that. This is, perhaps, no longer the forum to air my private thoughts.

Bidding Again Already??!!

That's right, folks, the CNL (now called RLP - Recruitment Language Program) bid list is out! I am excited about all the possibilities for our 2nd tour. We are required to bid on everything that even comes close to being a fit for us, but looking at the issues of timing (i.e. when I am due to leave Manila + home leave + time for additional training at FSI), I think our list is narrowed significantly. All of our options are exciting and interesting in their own way, so I think we'll be thrilled no matter where we end up going. Our lists are due in about a week and a half, and I'm not sure how long the matching process takes, so it may be a while before we know definitively where we'll end up in 2014. It's going to be weird to have the next 5 years of our life fully mapped out after living with such uncertainty for so long. If only we had little black passports to match!*

*I promise an update on the saga of getting our diplomatic passports in the next post or so, but it's going to take more time than I have on hand to explain!

Ovetjkin Jr

I'd like to say the above pictures were due to an awesome hockey fight, but, sadly, we must blame that sole piece of metal playground equipment spared by the late 90's, early 00's plastic revolution: the slide. A and the slide don't get along to well and eventually the slide got the better of him. Unfortunately for A it took the school about 30min to track me down at work (I keep my phone off during class and the school had Husband's number written incorrectly). Poor kid sat around gushing blood until we finally showed up almost an hour after the slide one upped him. As usual, he didn't shed a tear. I, on the other hand, wanted to cry the minute I saw him. An ER trip later, A was off to the pediatric dentist to have one of his front teeth removed. Luckily he was able to keep the other one, but it's root was likely killed by the impact, so he may end up losing it at a later date anyway. On the plus side, he looks like a real hockey player now!

I begin to see how fortunate people with careful children are. C was a very calm child with few accidents. Between J&A we've had multiple ER visits resulting in stitches, heads glued back together, heads stapled back together, and now teeth knocked out. His skating instructor suggested it might be best if he wear his hockey helmet all the time instead of just on the ice. She may not be wrong!

Holiday Spirit

I was going to title this post, "Suck it. Bitches." but my husband was concerned that all of the other newsy bits would get lost in my crowing over how I WON MY FANTASY FOOTBALL LEAGUE.* That's right, people. I am AWESOME!!! Bow down to the great power and ability of yours truly to pick the right players and kick major fantasy ass. What? What's that? Well, no. It's not actually a sport. Fantasy football is where people pick players who actually do play a sport and then get points when they do well. You know what, why don't you just Shut the Hell Up. I am the WINNAH!!!

I know, I know, I kept meaning to post over the vacation, but I was too busy trying to relax to get around to it, so there is a lot to catch up on. We spent an awesome (and way too short) few days with the extended Pu clan in good old Albuquerque, where we had a perfect white Christmas. Strangely enough, Abq has never failed to deliver on the white Christmas front. It was a balmy 50 degrees here in DC when we got back! It was so nice to visit with the family and meet my new niece, Lia, who is sooo precious! Cousin Y and J are just 6 months apart and the girls were inseparable for the entire vacation. It sucks that we get to see them so little. We did the usual: ate, ate, then we ate some more. I think there may have been some conversation in there...mostly about the food and how we were cooking it. I must have gained 10lb. Anything less would have been an insult! I would post pictures, but I hardly took any. I have come to the conclusion that I am just a terrible photographer and maybe it would be better for my temper if I just gave it up altogether. My mom and BIL are both excellent amateur photographers, who documented the event well enough for all of us. So I'll just poach their pictures when posted!

You know what else Abq is good for (besides snow at X-Mas)? Sleep!! That's right. I slept with no problems at all the minute I arrived in Albuquerque. I feel like I have finally caught up with my sleep, and I hope it stays when I get back to work on Tuesday. Speaking of which, I have not studied one bit this entire vacation. I have some lingering guilt over this, and I am sure that I will be regretting it greatly when class starts back up. But, right now, it seems like the best decision ever. I so needed a break from studying after this incredibly intense year.

C turned the big 1-3 yesterday, and I came to the sudden realization that I am the mother of an honest to god teenager. WTF? You know you're old when suddenly your kids birthday milestones make you feel older than your own! I took C to see Breaking Dawn Part 1 as one of her birthday gifts. I am happy I did so because she absolutely loved it, but that must be one of the most excruciatingly boring films I have ever seen. They spent the 1st hour solely on long, dramatic face shots of the two leads as they gazed at each other adoringly. And there's still a part 2 to live through!! Have you ever seen the Seinfeld episode where Elaine is forced to watch the English Patient? That is how I felt. I hope C knows how much love it took to sit through that ;)

So I guess that's mostly everything. Oh, I also got a Mac. Yay, me! The only problem? Now I have to learn how to use a whole new OS :( Boo! I'm too lazy for that. I think I'm going to sign up for classes at the Apple Store in Ballston because this no right click thing is killing me (I also never realized how much I used the page up and down buttons!). This is primarily why this post is so short. I am getting to frustrated! Now off to figure out how to sync my iPod without losing my folders. Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. Here's to an even more exciting 2012!

*And also it doesn't really sound all that diplomatic. Bleh. 

Cultura Overload

Otherwise known as Pu Dances the Tinikling and Goes to Church.

I have been meaning to post about the SLS Fair that occurred, oh, maybe a month ago, but I just kept forgetting to get permission from my teachers & classmate to post pics. One of my friends in Hindi posted a video about their class cultural experience, which inspired me to get off my ass and make this post! The SLS Fair gives our FSI instructors an opportunity to share their different cultures with each other. Students don't usually participate, but the Tagalog section is so tiny that our instructors asked if we might help out. First they taught us about two different Philippine holidays, the Flores de Mayo and the Ati-Atihan Festival, that we would be representing. Then we got all Imeldific! L & I got to rock some sparkly gowns, heels, tiaras, and sashes as Philippine beauty queens, but the real fun came when we learned and then got the chance to to teach people how to dance the Tinikling. My teachers made it look incredibly easy and graceful, but, to me, it was like jumping double dutch for two straight hours. I was so gross and sweaty by the end of it! On the plus side, we were by far the most popular booth at the fair. L & I posed for pictures, enticed people to come dance the Tinikling and try on traditional costumes, we played music, and generally had a blast. There was a booth next to us from a different part of the world (we'll be ultra-diplomatic and leave out said country's name) and man were they pissed! They kept complaining about how noisy we were being, and how we kept getting in their space, blah blah blah. As they sat there stone-faced and pouting, I couldn't help thinking how happy I am that we are headed to the Philippines! After having spent so many years not being represented (for a long time the Tagalog section only had 1 teacher, so there was no opportunity for her to participate), my teachers were so proud to have the Philippines be represented so well. Plus it was a total blast (and I got a good workout in!).

Teacher G and Language Supervisor M show off the traditional Ati-Atihan costume

L posing in front of the Philippines booth

Teacher G & I in front of our booth

Teacher S strikes a mean Tinikling

Three lovely Philippine ladies taking a break from dancing

This last week we did something on the opposite end of the spectrum and attended the first night of Simbang Gabi with my teacher. The Mass ended up being in English since the priest was not Philippino, but all of the songs were in Tagalog and we got to converse with people after the service while eating a traditional Philippine breakfast (lost of simple carbs and chicken soup!). The only negative was that we had to get up at 4am to make the 5am service. Mercifully, our teachers took pity on us and let us out of class early to make up for the fact that we started our day so early. This was a big plus for me since the other item on my agenda for the day was to get off my ass and haul the family downtown to get our diplomatic passports. I will post about this journey separately since it was truly its own adventure!