Happy Un-Easter, Visitations

Well, I certainly missed Easter this year.  The three Kinder eggs are still in my drawer.  I had plans to give Richard, Kyle, and Hannah one each (the kids' first at-home Easter experience), but a wake-up call from a classmate's mom at 8am made me miss the moment.  I had the Cultural Education class at the kids's school at 8:30, so Richard nicely looked after the three girls that came to visit for the morning, and some of the afternoon.

We did actually go to an Easter picnic yesterday, with Taipei City Playgroup.  It was really a lot of fun, despite the worry about Skippy running around our countryside with a three-meter chain dragging behind him.  (Skippy is our three-legged Taiwan mountain dog that a friend rescued and gave to us.  He escapes daily, bringing a new dimension to my already interesting life.)

Kyle with his basket.

Hannah, not sure if she wants her picture taken.

Case of the sneezes.  This is a really nice park.

Running around looking for the dads who were hiding with candy to give the kids.

We have a group of expat parents that meet a few times a year for big events, and weekly with a playgroup for kids not yet in school.  It's a very nice group of people and it's fun to catch up with families I might only see once a year or sometimes even less often.  People here are quite transient, so they may go back to one parents' country for a while, then return again to Taiwan.  It makes it hard, saying goodbye so often, but I have learned that many times, there will be a hello a few years down the road.

After the picnic, the worry about the dog was too much (the neighbor had called), so I canceled my other plans and we headed back home.  When we got to the driveway, there was Skippy, bouncing around without his chain.  Someone had taken it off him.  I am telling myself some nice old lady needed the chain to make her quota for the metal recyling, and that I have inadvertantly done a good deed.  I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, as I now had no plants, no library books, and no new clothes from the bargain store where we had just been in town, and here was the dog, wagging his happy tail at us.

I came in, put my things down, and the phone rang.  Richard's parents were on their way, to stay for dinner. Panic!  I threw together a salad, curry rice, dumplings, and fruit, made some lemon and mint tea, and ran around cleaning up enough to look like we care.  Richard was at the car repair shop for the day, so it was all on me to entertain and provide. I'm so lucky to have easy-going in-laws!

The kids and grandma and grandpa went for a walk and then we sat down and had dinner. We had finished just about everything when Richard called to tell me he and two friends would arrive in five minutes and they hadn't eaten.  Richard's mum helped me make the leftovers look like they had been prepared for the three guys, and I cooked some more rice and put beer in the fridge.  Luckily, those guys are easy pleased when it comes to food, too.  I was running out of supplies seeing as the grocery trip had been cut off by the dog.

About 9pm, Richard drove the guys back into town and I got the kids ready for bed.  Hannah collapsed before she even got a shower, but Kyle managed to stay awake.

Next morning, Sunday, I got up at 7am and started to get ready for the Cross Cultural Education class at school.  Kyle had been sneezing all night so I gave him the day off table tennis.  At 8am, Hannah's classmate's mum called to ask if she could come over...now...  Richard said it was fine, so she and the three girls headed over on their scooter (yes, four people, one scooter, one helmet).  I passed them on the way to school and she said, "I'll see you this afternoon when you get back."  Indeed, they were there when I got back and ended up staying until 2pm.  Richard helped turn the curry rice leftovers into enough for the eight of us.

At the class, the school principal had me dress up in Vietnamese wedding gear so she could take pictures of me.  She had visited a Vietnamese woman and picked up a lot of artifacts for the upcoming school cultural exchange day.  We read some interesting books, including one "The Night Tree", which I recommend as an alternative, environmental Christmas story.  It's not about the religion, it's about the custom of tree decorating. The family go and visit a tree they are growing in the woods.

Anyway, I came back home to the family and the neighbor's daughter playing with the kids, and the mum waiting patiently on the sofa.  Richard and I got some lunch together and I had a chat with the mum.  She finally got up the courage to ask me how much Richard had paid for me and how to arrange the broker.  Her brother is divorced and needs another mother for his children.  I was tempted to throw out a large number proving my worth but decided to be truthful.  I can understand why people think Richard bought me.  It is what they know based on their experience.  This family has some financial difficulties, raising three girls on Taiwan's low salary, but the mum helps out by collecting recycling stuff with the eldest daughter on their bicycle.

Talking to all these people, the biggest realisation is, no matter where you are from, you have the same base wishes and desires, and troubles, too.  Circumstances may well be very different, but the heart is often very similar.  Being a mother with children in public school has opened up a whole new area of Taiwan for me, as has getting out of the Taipei city.  Life is definitely a journey.

The girls having lunch.

big sister looking after Hannah

Hannah's classmate

So, once again it is Monday morning.  We have "no" food in the house, the floor needs a good clean, and I still haven't tidied the pile of stuff on the sofa.  But, looking back, it's the people that matter.   (Anyone want to come mop for me?)