The Adventure Continues!

              

Well, we're doing it again! Drew and I have decided to fulfill a bucket list item and live internationally again, this time with our kids, Emerson (6.5yo) and Avery (5yo). This was an idea we actually created during our time in Hong Kong; we saw all of these expat families with kids, and the kids were thriving in such amazing ways, learning new languages (sometimes multiple in HK!), experiencing new cultures, traveling to new places. It was teaching them invaluable life skills: resiliency, courage, adaptability, empathy for the wellbeing of the entire world (not just the United States), a love of travel. The list is long. We knew we wanted this experience for our own kids if we could pull it off, so we made a plan about 10 years ago to try to make it happen. We tried to time it as well as we could by waiting until the boys were their current ages, 6 and 5, for a couple of reasons. First, I want them to remember this dang thing. Second, the boys are much easier to travel with in general these days. Anyone who has traveled with infants before knows the luggage wrestling match I am referring to, and we plan to travel as much as possible while down there, so being car seat, pack and play, and high chair free was going to make our lives much easier. On the flip side, we also didn't want to wait too long, as the boys are at a great age right now to learn a new language easily (Drew and I are well aware they will be putting us to shame in this regard, and I'm excited to see it). They also are not so entrenched in their friend circles that leaving would be a horrendous heart break for them.           

                       

As for Drew and I, we are still very capable to pull this move off on our own (more on the logistical differences between the HK move and this move in another post), our parents are in good health, so leaving them for a few years feels ok, and we've got the travel itch again, so LET'S DO THIS THING!

Here is our general timeline for the move. Our flights are booked for Jan. 8, 2025. We fly from Denver to Atlanta, meet Drew's parents there, and then we all fly from Atlanta direct to Santiago. The flight is around 9 hours, and it's overnight, so fingers crossed that the boys sleep a little. We found a lovely renter for our house in Denver who wanted it furnished (Score!, less packing work for me!), but she also wanted to move in before the holidays, so we officially move out of our house on Nov. 20th. Not ideal, but we knew we needed to take advantage of this opportunity with this good renter when we found her; finding another one during the holidays was going to be super difficult, so we adjusted accordingly. We'll be spending 3 weeks in Michigan visiting Drew's family and my extended family on my mom's side over Thanksgiving. Then we'll be staying with Leah and Osman in Boulder for a week, then with my parents for 2.5 weeks over Christmas, and then finally with Steph, Kane, and the cousins for the final week before take off. Many thanks in advance to all of our family for putting us up during this transition period. We are excited to spend some substantial quality family time with everyone before we leave. 

When we get to Santiago, we will be staying in an Airbnb for a month while we get our feet under us, and a HUGE thanks to Drew's parents for agreeing to stay with us during this time to help watch the boys while Drew and I go apartment hunting, furniture shopping, bank account opening etc. Overall, we plan to stay in Chile until summer of 2027. That gives the boys 2.5 years in school there, (the school year in Santiago is March - Dec. due to their opposite seasons) and sets us up for a clean start for school in CO when we return. It's enough time to travel, learn Spanish, settle in to the community, and hopefully make some new friends (doubtful we'll find friends like Tiff and Andrew again, as they are one in a million, but, we'll try). In general, long enough to make all of the work to pull this unassisted move off worth it. But not so long that we lose touch with our friends and family back in the States. 

              

So, it's happening. Is it bittersweet? You betcha. We have such a fantastic community of friends and family in Colorado that saying goodbye, even for just a couple of years, feels much harder than the first time we did this. Is it scary? Yes, change and the unknown is always scary. But, Drew and I believe in our bones that the pros outweigh the cons, and so we're jumping on this opportunity while we have the chance. 

Disclaimer: I will be writing this blog to document our adventures while overseas, both the good and the bad. It was the same for all of my previous posts while we were living in Hong Kong; feel free to peruse those as well. But that's the only reason. I'm not doing it to hopefully get ad sponsorships or to become vlogger superstars; I cringe at the thought. Ya'll know I'm too introverted for that. So more often than not, this blog will feel unprofessional, rushed, and even raw, and it is. I am not an elegant writer, Leah holds those cards in the family, I am the practical one. So you're welcome to follow along on our journey to Chile and back, I gladly hope that you do, but please know that I am not writing this for you. I am writing it for Drew and I to reread when we are decrepit old folks who can no longer have adventures such as these. And, as any parent knows, with kids tagging along there will be high highs and low lows, and I plan to document as much as feels necessary to fully remember this roller coaster experience.  So climb aboard, but I can't promise Cedar Point. It might only be Lakeside Amusement Park. C'est la vie, or more appropriately, Así es la vida!

First Weeks in Nashville

We made it to Nashville! First order of business was to buy a new car. Check out this flashy Ford Fusion we found! Drew and I definitely aren't car people. If it gets us from point A to point B reliably, then we're good. 

Car two was a black Toyota Camry! So basic. 

It was definitely nice indulging in some American comfort things that we couldn't find in Hong Kong, like cheap American Tex-Mex, which, for me, meant a giant Qdoba burrito. Mexican food was always super expensive in Hong Kong, so missed this for sure. And a nice welcome home to American portion sizes. Ha!

Trig was very happy with his new digs and toys to ease the transition. 

If there is a squeaker, I must find it and destroy!

It was certainly nice being back in a place that loves dogs, and big dogs at that.  We found a nice dog park close to Vanderbilt that we have been taking Trig to often.

Check out these boots I found in a vintage store! Apparently they were made for Dolly Parton!  Not sure if she ever actually wore them, but this brush with Dolly made me smile. I love her. Look at how tiny they are!

For my birthday, my MIL took me shopping for cowboy boots. Check this puppies out! When in Nashville!

There is a really nice park in Nashville called Centennial Park, and it has a replica of the Parthenon!  Couldn't tell you why, but it was cool to see!

One of the best parts of living in Nashville so far is diving into the music scene. All sizes of venues, all genres of music. Fun to explore.

Drew and I are subletting an apartment near Vanderbilt for a month or so until we find a house of our own. The folks we're subletting from are Vandy PhD students and are super cool. Love the historic looking building we're staying in!

Last Weeks in Hong Kong

Once we knew we were going to be leaving Hong Kong, we tried to make the most of our time with our friends and wrapping up anything on the Hong Kong Bucket List that we still needed to do, such as having high tea at the Peninsula Hotel.

For Christmas, Drew got us tickets to go see the Phantom of the Opera at the Asia World Expo. He surprised me though by inviting a whole bunch of our friends along too. It was really fun; I'm pretty sure Andrew and I sang along with every song. Recognize my dress Stephy?

We also went around trying all of our favorite foods one more time, because we knew we'd be trading in Ramen for BBQ and Curry for Country Ham.

This was green tea ice cream from my favorite Japanese dessert shop. So delicious.

We, of course, went back for Korean BBQ one more time. The lady we always go to had moved to a new restaurant in TST, so we made the trek over to see her one more time. I'm always amazed at how many dishes come with a Korean meal. Literally you can't fit one more thing on the table!

Drew also planned a massive surprise for Andrew and I around our birthdays. We thought the four of us were simply going out for dinner at a surprise location. When we got there, we sat at the front of the bar in a lounge, where we learned we'd be eating in the dark! So we were definitely surprised there. But, then, we go to the back of the bar, to see all of our friends there to celebrate with us! This was the second time Drew had really surprised me in the last 3 months! We had a really great time; eating in the dark is an interesting and unforgettable experience. We had to lock up our phones and anything glow in the dark before sitting down, and we had to guess at what every course was, as it was all pre-determined for us. Later we got to look at the actual pictures of what we ate and see how good our palates are. It was really fun!

We also, or course, made sure to visit Stone's one last time, our favorite American bar and burger place. It may seem weird that we wanted a burger before going back to the US, but out of all the places we went to, Stone's and the Korean place really felt like 'our" places, so we wanted to make sure we went back one more time.

This is Terry, Drew's old coworker, and his new wife Jamie!

It felt like every night until we left we were going out with someone to say goodbye. We really were blessed to make such amazing friends in Hong Kong over such a short period of time. It was really the best part of our time there.

This is our last goodbye to the Tai Hang neighborhood, the area within walking distance of our apartment. Stone's was located here, as well as Buddy's Bar. Several of our friends lived in this area as well.

And finally, we had to say goodbye to our apartment! We will certainly never live in a place as high up or as glamorous as this. We really couldn't have lived in a better spot. 

And, on to the actual flight! Look at the gaggle of staff it took to check Trig into his flight! Not really, I think alot of them were just hanging out there, but it looks funny. 

Happy to go back to family and the USA!

Sad to leave Asia and our Hong Kong friends behind. 

A sunrise from the plane window! 

Trig and I did have a slightly rougher time getting to Nashville than anticipated. US Airways has a rule that they won't fly animals if the weather is too extreme, meaning temps above 85F or below 45F, for good reason. Originally we were scheduled to fly through Chicago, but I read about that rule and decided to be clever and fly through LAX instead. Well,, unfortunately, LA was experiencing a heat wave, and it was 88F when we were supposed to take off around 11am for Nashville. So, Trig and I hung out at the airport for 14 hours waiting for the sun to set and the temps to drop. It honestly was not as bad as it sounds, because more than a dozen people came up to me during the day to ask about Trig and chit chat, so the time really went by rather fast. And, what a better spot to people watch than in LAX. Below, paparazzi are waiting for someone famous whom I didn't recognize, as well as "graphers," which are people who get cool things autographed by stars and then sell them for a living. Didn't know those people even existed. But on to Nashville!

Sri Lanka Chinese New Years

The second part of our trip was to none other than Sri Lanka! Drew and I had asked to go to somewhere we hadn't been before in Asia, which was a bigger challenge than you'd think. I had never been more excited than when we finally figured out where we were going. We have wonderful friends, the Samaratunges, that are from Sri Lanka, so we had heard alot about it from them, so we were dying to experience it. We couldn't have asked for a better place to spend a week with our best friends! Not only was it stunning, but it was incredibly untouched. 

These two pictures are from the living room of our villa that we rented with Airbnb. That's right! This was our view every day! A wonderful pool with the ocean waves rolling in behind, it was paradise. 

The house was really lovely too. The outer wall that faced the sea was covered in large panels that, when opened, essentially removed the back wall of the house, connecting inside to the outside, the house to the sea. It was stunning. 

We had fun walking around the nearby point which lead to the closest little town Mirissa Beach, with about 3 bars and restaurants. The scenery though was unbeatable. 

One of the really wonderful things about Sri Lanka was that it didn't seem overworked, like much of other places in SE Asia do, Phuket for instance. As we walked along the beach, we'd see all kinds of sea life living in the tidal pools, such as schools of minnows, crabs the size of your fist, etc. There would be fisherman out every morning using spear guns to fish. Maybe that's why. Net fishing doesn't really give the ecosystem a chance. Drew and I also went surfing one day, and we saw about 5 turtles swimming around us! Stunning!

The sand was so great. Some was pure white and soft as butter, while other patches were black, volcanic, and slightly gritty. Great contrasts to experience on one's beach stroll.

The third day into the trip, we took a 30 min tuk-tuk ride to the town of Galle, which was originally built by the Portuguese in 1588, but then became a Dutch stronghold in the 1700's. 

The area is now a Unesco World Heritage Site, and for good reason. The fort seems very much intact, its low thick walls probably designed to withstand cannon balls. Inside of the walls was an entire town, filled with gorgeous colonial architecture. Reminded alot of Hoi An, but less touristy. 

Alot of the buildings still utilized old-style construction, with round poles in the roof instead of flat sheathing. Not exactly the most insulated, but we are talking about Sri Lanka here.

Of course, it couldn't be Sri Lanka without someone practicing cricket somewhere. These were boys practicing after school. The cricket World Cup was also going on; it was all anyone could talk about.

We also walked through the original Dutch church, which had tons of tombstones, both inside and out. Always interesting and sobering at the same time.

This is the main street of our little town by our villa. It feels very much like a lot of the other developing countries we've visited, like the Philippines, but all of the buildings and infrastructure seemed much more substantial. Our theory is that because Sri Lanka is just one island, getting materials and resources from one place to the other is very doable. That is not so doable of a task in the Philippines, which consists of hundreds of islands. 

One of our best memories of Sri Lanka will undoubtably be all of the amazing food. We had two ladies cook for us everyday, so we really never ate out at a restaurant while we were there. There was no reason to! I don't think we could have found better cooks if we tried! Dahl, which is essentially cooked down lentils with coconut milk and turmeric was a staple for every meal, as well as all sorts of spiced meats and veggies. Curried okra anyone? I think we all put on 10 pounds by the time this trip was over. But it was so worth it. 

This lady was the sous chef and cleaner of the house. She had the most beautiful light brown eyes and was so friendly. It was her wish to take this photo. 

The lady in the middle is a mother of 5 and the main cook. The guy next to her was the house helper, and would get groceries or drive the tuk-tuk. I think they didn't want their picture taken, because normally they are super smily. These three Sri Lankans were the personal staff of the family who owns the house we were staying at.

Andrew and Tiffany, you two are the best friends we could ever ask for. Thank you so much for planning such an amazing, beautiful trip to the lovely land of Sri Lanka. This was a vacation we will never forget!