Suman brought in by my helper for a company dinner. Suman is a sticky rice dessert, usually wrapped in banana leaves, and it's especially good covered in a coconut milk and sugar syrup.
I recently finished a book by D.E. Stevenson called "Mrs. Tim of the Regiment." It's based on the author's memoirs of her years as an officer's wife in Great Britain, and I smiled quite a bit through this book. There was plenty of moving houses and dealing with household staff and worrying over what her kids would be doing for school when they moved and whether or not she'd like it there or make any friends. In short, I found some definite similarities to my expat life here.
Should I keep a careful journal so I'll have material for a book one day? Seriously, there are so many points in some days that I think, "This is my life? I can't believe that just happened."
The other day, we got in our elevator, and some sweet Indian grandparents in our tower were already there. Indian Grandpa offered them Filipino suckers, and they were thrilled. (These suckers deserve a post of their own. They're like DumDum pops, but the amount of skill and effort that it takes to get the wrapper off of one makes me think there is something essential my kids missed out on because they didn't go to Filipino preschool. "Ok, children, now that we have shown you how to wash your hands, we'll have our lesson on getting into a lollipop.")
Evan and Ben hopped out on a lower floor to go visit their good friend, a Filipino American kid who they love not only for his charm and kindness, but for his kind ate (all around helper) and nanay (mom) that let them go and scavenge in the pantry for merienda (snack) whenever they feel like it.
Seth and I got off on the ground floor, where we said hi to another friend just getting home from his day at school. We were greeted with a smile by the doorman and the front desk staff, like we always are. "Hello, ma'am. Hello, sir." I'm handed our phone bill... because they know who we are and where we live, even though we live in a huge high rise tower with at least 50 stories. (My mind was blown by this when I realized it only a couple of months after we got here.)
I walked Seth out to the circular driveway in front where our driver had pulled up in our minivan. (This poor minivan is not only bewildered because it has been moved to a foreign country where people are regularly surprised by its automatic doors, but also because it is shockingly clean every day of its life. It doesn't understand either of these things.) Seth climbed in, and I reminded him how to get to Boy Scouts when Rey dropped him off at this international school (that he doesn't attend) for his meeting. I told Rey that Seth would get a ride home with another family, and that he could leave for the day after he's dropped Seth off.
Then I went back upstairs and thought for a second about all of the things I have just experienced that I have only ever experienced living overseas. :)
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