Transients, Vagrants, Immigrants and Us

So it's been a week since we arrive in Thunder Bay...my Dad sent me this

Marla - in regard to your blog - your friends around the world would like to hear that you have survived the Sasquatch of B.C. the Grizzlies of Alberta, the Potash mines of Saskatchewan and the rains of Manitoba and the moose of Ontario on your way back to this backward town; where they have a sleeping giant made of rock.
Love your Dad.

So I thought that I'd let all of you know that we made it and survived the hazards and insanity of three weeks on the road with our 4 girls. We made the trip more about time together and visiting friends than about sight seeing and 'educational' things. I think that was a good call so that when it was really hot and uncomfortable we just hung out without trying to squeeze activity into every moment.

Our time in South Korea was a balm to us. CH provided us with time to reconnect with students, who were very affirming of our work with them.

We also had the chance to indulge our taste buds in every sort of tasty way...R and M even worked up the courage to eat raw fish!!! We also had the chance to sit in hot tubs of assorted colours...brown, green, yellow(a bit disconcerting), pink and whitish. The spa we visited had a variety of hot tubs filled with various kinds of tea, as well as a grape one and a rice water one...unfortunately no photos...but we tried them all. And as a conclusion we visited CH's home town and attended Wednesday evening service with the congregation that his mother pastors. Again we were so blessed...we felt truly welcome among them. We left with an extra suitcase filled with beautiful as well as tasty gifts.

Landing back in Canada was so different...no one was there to meet us...the cheapest transport to the hotel in Vancouver was a limousine. And everything had the strange feel of familiarity although we hadn't been there for a long time.

As we crossed the country we stayed with friends along the way...it was a slow easing back into Canadian culture. I remember someone telling me that when you had to take the boat to India at least you got time on the way home to process some of what you had been through and prepare for what you were entering into. In the age of air travel, we still took the slow boat home.

Upon arriving we found that P likely had an ear infection...one problem our health coverage needs a few months to kick in... My dear mother-in-law got on the case and found a clinic that we could go to that didn't require payment nor a health insurance number...what kind of place is that, you might ask. Well, as we learned it is a service geared towards the sector of society that for whatever reason is transient; which includes those among us who are vagrant, homeless, new immigrants and apparently us! But happy for us, the clinic is staffed by competent medical professionals who wanted to serve us without needing lengthy explanations. And since we weren't looking for narcotics ( which several large signs declared they would not give out ) we left with a prescription in hand, which quickly alleviated P's sore ear...

Unfortunately two days later we were back, with M this time...and then the next day A had the same symptoms... By this point I didn't really feel like going for a third time in four days back to sit in a waiting room to hear the same diagnosis and receive the same prescription. However, since we are no longer in India I had limited choices...so I took out the antibiotics that we already had and tried to figure out how they could be split among three children. Fortunately for me the nurse practitioner gave me a ten day prescription for M...I had only a 5 day prescription for P...so I am just coming to the end of about 7 days for M, six for A and P finished her 5 days on the weekend.

The annoying thing is that there are no options...I must have a prescription to buy most medications. Whether or not I have a doctor who is able to see me...whether or not I should have a standing order...I need a new prescription for each round of medication. You might think that it is a sensible thing to distribute drugs with only express Doctor's orders. And generally, I would agree with you, but there are times when regulation just adds to the work and cost of getting what you are compelled by necessity to get.

I was think about this in regard to child/baby carseats...now I am not objecting to the use and efficacy of carseat...but the problem I see is legally requiring something that must be bought at nearly prohibitive prices. And then for those of us who have large families the cost is increased because your carseat will have an expiry date...5 or 10 years...which might seem like a long time to someone who has 2 children, but for 4 you end up having to re-buy. I was wondering at the fairness of requiring something and then allowing those things to be sold on the free market where they can be priced as high as the makers would like to price them because you have to buy them?!...

Well, that's my current beef with life in Canada. On the other hand, it has been a boon to us to have family around caring for us...I have been enjoying an abundance of tortilla chips and salsa...the girls love their new pink room...B has painted my kitchen apple green and yellow(I love it!!)...we planted some more flowers today...and tomorrow we plan to find the Farmer's Market to avail ourselves of seasonal fruits and berries.

Thanks to all who housed and fed us on our excursion...I have not forgotten you, I'll be in touch with a personal thanks when life settles a little more into a routine.

Lost in Translation...

One of the challenging things of the last week and a half has been the lost feeling of not being able to communicate. Over the years in India we all learned Hindi and could communicate, at various levels. However, the biggest initial blessing was that upon returning to India in 2000 B found that he could still read the devnagari script.

Being able to read signs, prices, menus, addresses are all so helpful as you navigate a foreign country. Otherwise you truly find yourself at the mercy of the local people. We have had the good fortune that we have had only a few incidents that have been frustrating or disconcerting. But as we argued with a taxi driver in Hanoi...we knew that we knew that he was ripping us off...we found that we had no recourse...without being able launch an appeal in his language or elicit support of others there was little we could do. So we paid the fee and grumbled on our way.

Another evening B and I were out at the Green Tangerine for our anniversary dinner... 13 years... We missed the last number 9 bus and had no idea how to make our way back...other than hiring a taxi and that wasn't an option we wanted to consider given the potential cost (see above paragraph). We found the last number 9 bus as the conductor was disembarking. Unfortunately, he spoke no English and the extent of our Vietnamese was a noodle dish and cup of iced coffee. The funny thing was that he did what we had seen many English-speakers do...he spoke clear, slow, loud Vietnamese. He finally tore off a bus ticket and wrote down 2 and 32 and sent us off to another bus stop. So we got on the bus and tried to ask this conductor if we were headed in the right direction...apparently helpfulness is not a cross-the-board characteristic of bus conductors. But this time there was a wee Vietnamese woman who smiled and said, "You, follow me." And she got us off the number 2 and on the number 32 and then off that bus until we were in the neighbourhood we needed to be in.

Well, we are currently in Seoul, but between Hanoi and here we spent a few days with friends in Singapore. It was a lovely and relaxing time, in the end we just spent time with our friends and took the girls swimming. Oh yeah, and B enjoyed the ample amounts of available technology and now we have a camera and a laptop that works... our camera settings were switching in a haphazard manner and the backlight for the screen on our laptop was out...

The really nice thing in Singapore...other than the national dish of Chilli Crab(see pic)...was that we got to know the couple we stayed with. We had met A on several occasions in India and only just this week met S. The icing on the cake was that the little girls got on well with their little boys. It was such a relaxing and hospitable home...just reminded me that I am looking forward to having a home to welcome friends in...and I want to be able to build a home that is refreshing and welcoming.

It's late and my thoughts are getting increasingly random...so here are a few pics from our time in Singapore...

Vietnam...Hanoi and Halong Bay (edited)

Well, we are just finishing up our week in Vietnam visiting with our dear friends Mark and Anne. It has been a hot week, but nonetheless an enjoyable time just kicking back and relaxing.


Mark booked an overnight for us on a boat. We left Halong Bay on Monday morning and visited a floating fishing village...explored some amazing caves...and swam in the China Sea.

This evening we are off to Singapore for a couple of days then on to South Korea; where Cheon Ha has a jam-packed itinerary for us, hopefully including tons of KimBap...wa-hoo!!!




Sorry for that folks...I was writing this in Vietnam where everything came up in Vietnamese and I couldn't remember which buttons to click on...

One of the oddest questions came from a Tour Guide, who asked me if P's hair was natural! She has rather blond hair that has a tendency to stand on end. I realized that he was asking a serious question, so I replied that it was her natural hair. To which he commented that in Vietnam that would be very expensive hair!!!!

I was amazed the number of people who counted us when we were out. Generally, we were counted by Vietnamese in Vietnamese...however one man counted us in English and didn't notice P on my back until I walked by and he began to laugh uproariously and loudly said,"Six People!" It'll be nice to be back in a country where the culture curbs that kind of attention.

Overall we found Vietnam pleasant. Mostly the company of our dear friends was balm to our tired souls. B and I enjoyed many a cup of Vietnamese coffee...you'd be hard pressed to find a better cup of potent coffee. Apparently, after Brazil Vietnam is the second largest coffee exporter!!!

Off to Singapore...