Here we go again...ADDIS ABABA!

Just when you think you've got the Hoffman's pinned down to a patch of hard grass under the hottest sky, we move yet again! This time to exotic and medieval Ethiopia. Let me tell you folks! I have never dealt with such culture shock yet I am African! You would think nothing would faze me after having grown up in Kenya. No! This I was not prepared for. Addis Ababa is one long stretch of a village within a village. Beggars, cows, goats, sheep, dogs, cats, and donkeys roam the streets alongside the 1920's vehicles that shine on the beautiful, wide roads of the city. This is a true contradiction. Addis is caught back in time while rushing to catch up with the rest of Africa, and the rest of the world. For instance, Internet, along with every other piece of Western influence is heavily controlled by the government. But you can get internet, for a price. A USB card that is attached to your laptop becomes your wireless internet that you can take absolutely anywhere. So...you can afford wireless connection but cannot afford just good old broadband in your house! See what I mean by contradiction?
Let's start all over again. A lot has happened. No, we are not expecting baby number three despite the persistent insistence from parties that know themselves all too well ;)
Leaving Philippines was certainly less emotional than when we left Nepal. Here's why. We barely had any time to say goodbye! We simply packed our stuff and left within a month's notice! Barely enough time for me to complete my shopping list (and I mourn the trips missed to furniture stores, clothes stores, oh, the list is long. Manila, you will see me wandering your malls in the not-so-distant future).
Now we miss the convenient life, but are slowly adjusting to the simple life. It's funny how you go from one thing to another and somehow find ways to recreate your comfort zone. Well, I just had a salami sandwich in my rickety apart/hotel. Last night I had a tasty glass of Cabernet sauvignogn. And now i can barely remember what the good life was/is. I'm not missing much, not even my unlimited access to the internet. All around me I'm surrounded by filth in the midst of cafes that serve the world's best machiatos.
Contradictions...
I refused to blog in the first week of us being here (it's now been three) simply because I was sure I was never going to make it here alive. I thought I would die of hunger alongside all the starving beggars. I couldn't bear the homeless mothers with babies on the dusty streets, holding out worn out umbrellas with one hand and the other held out for a coin from a kind soul. I still cannot bear it. There is this one woman I see on a daily basis completely asleep, deep asleep like in a coma (but I know she is alive because she is often awakened by the movements of her baby who nurses on her bare bosom completely oblivious of her harsh reality). It is not the sight of the woman that haunts me. I could care less for a needy adult. It is that baby on her lap. The smoke and the smog, the dust and noisy movements of people passing by is this child's reality. How dreadful! To be subjected to that life everyday, and not know any better, much less know that you have a choice! This woman, I would wring her neck if I had my way. But then I am reminded all too sadly that maybe, just maybe, she is completely and utterly hopeless. This bothers me on all levels of humanity. And this is just the beginning of a long posting in Addis.
Our kids are doing fantastic. Vera is now at the International Community School of Addis Ababa and she absolutely loves it. Noah is keeping us busy at home. He is singing and dancing as usual, and talking a whole lot more. Vera is now reading books like an adult and wants to do so all the time. She is also writing better and better each day and has even learnt to write her name in cursive!
There is a lot to say, most of which could be really depressing. It's hard for me to keep that sense of humour after that account of the lady on the streets with her little baby. Yet I know that there are so many such stories in Addis, let alone the whole world. But for now, let that sink in as my story. I hate that it's my story.
Peace from rainy and cold Addis.

Catching up!

So much to say!
Can't believe it's been nearly FIVE months since the last post!
Well, a lot sure has happened. Noah is ow officially a music composer. Actually, wait! He is a one-toddling entertainment industry! He's the whole package! All he needs is a set of drums and back-up singers! Teeheeeee! The boy is so hilarious, and I cannot believe how overwhelmed I am with love for that lil' man! I am now fully aware of the mother-son bond. I think there's a fair chance that the girl who wins his heart will have a hard time convincing me :). My boy is perfect, I dare say, and she too better be beyond perfect! Hehehe!
Vera is amazing. Reading, writing, swimming like a fish and a budding ballerina! It's crazy how seriously she takes ballet! Geesh! I thought it would be a great distraction, but boy, it has become a full on commitment! But it's all good. Maybe she and her bro will hire me to manage their careers when they make it big on broadway! I know, I know, dreaming, and possibly, just possibly, behaving like the archaic mother who tries to live her dreams in her children! Watch them become free spirits living in the mountains of Tibet! Hehehe!
Chris has been away in Geneva for an entire month! It's been hard, and given that the Philippines right now is about the same degree as the surface of the sun, it is suffice to say that I am so jelous of him right now, enjoying spring in switzerland! Argh! He went biking through the French countryside and actually had the nerve to share that piece of info (not with the intention of making me mad, but just sharing the "boredom" that is his supposed european experience!). Needless to say, I gave him a lecture on how to employ selective memory when sharing info that your wife may find just a little bit touching on the wrong nerve :)
All in all, I think the Philippines has finally grown on us! It is widely said that it takes at least one year to move from 'expat' to 'resident' of a foreign country. I can certainly attest to that. Now, if only I could have the house fully air-conditioned 24 hours, then I'd truly be in paradise!
My mom just turned 60! Wow! She could've fooled even me! She doesn't look a day older than 45! Hehehe! But it's a sordid reminder that I too are growing old. I am facing 30 in exactly NINE days! And I will face it with courage. I am not going down, no way! Afterall, isn't 30 the new 20? Not that I would like to relieve the twenties, to be honest, I think I'm actually looking forward to 30. Now 40, will be a whole different story :(
I feel truly blessed, beyond my wildest dreams. I am living a very happy life. great husband, wonderful kids, and a cultural experience beyond any other. I am addicted to this expat life now :))
Uh, oh! I didn't even bother to share about Vera's big 4! My, was that a day or what! And a party fit for a princess, of course! it was such a beautiful day! Vera all dressed up, and a bunch of friends (more like Vera fans! Hehehe) came along for the celebration. It was truly remarkable! Now she won't stop asking when she'll be turning 5! Aiiiii!!!! And she's already begun planning for the event (I can see a bridezilla in the future!). The theme for the 5th party changes by the week. She is such a control freak!
School's been out for a whole 2 and a half months but we've had nothing but fun, fun, and more fun! We went to Guam in March and that was out of this world exciting! The white beaches are amazing. We had a blast.
It's kind of hard to keep up with the blog, I must say. I can only promise to try harder :)

Horror plane trip to the States!

We made it! Barely!
What an exhausting trip! Started at 3am in ther Philippines. Well, rewind that to Dec 23rd, the day of Vera's ballet recital. That was intense! Vera and I were at the theatre at 2pm, the show started at 5pm, Noah wasn't allowed in, so our two sweet yayas had to alternate babysitting him at the Jollybee across the street from the theatre.
Vera did an excellent job. She looked so cute, and she even had make-up on, just for fun. She liked the lip gloss the most :)
Then we went home, took about an hour, went to bed at 11pm, woke up at 3.30am, made it to the airport at 4am, boarded the plane and took off at 6.30am, in Hong Kong an hour and a half later, then a two hour layover, and another plane to board. 15 hours straight to Chicago. That was by far the worst experience of my life! Vera was a trooper. The best 3 year old traveler in the world. She stayed calm, happy, entertained, and she even slept!
Noah was the complete opposite. He was impossibly difficult to contain. We barely had any leg room, so the poor kid had to stay on my lap the entire time, most of which he screamt and kicked. He ate virtually nothing, and slept a total of about 4 hours (not continous). Not my idea of a fun plane ride. Never happening again.
Upon arrival in the States in Chicago, we had about an hour to pick up our bags, recheck them and board the next flight to Ohio. We didn't make it! Missed our flight by about 5 minutes! We are talking Christmas Eve, being stuck at an airport, not knowing if we'd find another flight out. By sheer luck, we managed to beg ourselves into the 4pm flight, which meant a 4 hour waiting period. Noah slept most of it, Vera kept colouring (she better be the next Van Gogh after all the colouring she has had to do!). Made it to Columbus in 45 minutes, which was the most nightmarish flight ever, with Noah this time having completely lost his mind and all of us not caring one bit anymore. The kid screamt the entire 45 minutes and wanted nothing to do with anyone! Argh!
Straight from the airport, we headed to Chris' aunt Shirley's for the traditional Christmas eve party. That was a lot of fun, even though we were all completely spaced out. Went to bed at midnight as we had a lot of gift wrapping to do. Woke up at 7am, had the usual Christmas morning breakfast of Mary's special cinammon rolls and coffee, then the exciting part of opening gifts. There was a lot. We had fun with that part. Quickly took our showers, dressed up and went to Chris' great aunt Sharon's for Christmas lunch. Kids took their naps there and that was the only time we had to socialize like adults. Made it back home around 5, by which time I was ready to collapse, not having slept for the last 48 hours. So I went to bed with the kids around 7pm, and today, I feel like I am finally alive!
Merry Christmas!

Noah's 1, Christmas is calling, Vera is an actress...

Phew! How can I possibly keep up with life? I need to clone myself.
In summary, Noah turned one last month (Nov 11) and as the good mother I SHOULD be, I never posted anything about that major event. So here we are, a month and a half later. Noah is talking, commanding everyone of us with demands as tall as the Eiffel Tower. He is a smarty pants, rude, and feisty. He CAN be LOVING, SWEET, but he is mostly ADORABLE : )
His big day did not go unnoticed, of course! Afterall, he is NOAH, Mr. Popularity! We had all of his newfound little terrors, er, I mean, sweet friends, over for tea and cake. Lots of chaos, but the greatest thing about kids this age is that they come accompanied by adults! Hehehe! Noah had an airplane for a cake (he's crazy about planes), of which he ate very little. Vera stayed home that morning to celebrate the little brother's big day. But mostly just so she could eat all of the icing off the cake, like she always does at everyone else' birthday party!
Chris has been traveling here and there, the most recent trip of which was to Geneva. The worst thing about that trip is that I ended up canceling a progressive dinner with loads of great fun-loving friends. The idea of going dateless wasn't too appealing. The best thing about the trip to Geneva is that I got a box of Swiss chocolate, which I am still devouring bit by bit, not sdharing with a soul. Shh, let's not let the secret out now!
On another note, I can already begin to smell the Christmas cookies. Chrismas here in the Philippines begun at the end of September, otherwise known as the "BER" months. Any month that ends with ...ber automatically calls for celebration. Therefore, we have been enjoying an array of christmas lights, christmas parties, karaoke, and all kinds of other festivities. Sigh!
We are headed to the States on Christmas eve, which is just a dreadful thought (the trip itself, not the destination) because Miss Vera is in a ballet recital that takes place on the 23rd.
Enough said! Enjoy the photos!

Update, long awaited!

Phew! It's been a few hectic weeks, months! I knew I wouldn't be super with this blogging thing, what with Facebook, yahoo email, photos, etc, everything just gets in the way. But I'm back with a bang!

Where do I begin?


First of all, the major updates on the kids (with photos too). Noah is WALKING and TALKING! He started taking his first steps around end of August, and we didn't believe him since he was only 9 months then, and out of nowhere, he was not only walking but running too! Now we can't keep up with the kid! He is fast, he is active, and he won't sit still for more than a few seconds.

He has also emerged into an entertainer of some sort. When prompted, he dances like no kid I've seen (mostly wiggling his bottom), flirts with every female in sight (kisses and major nibbles on all of our cheeks!), and has learnt to fight back when involved in a quarrel over a toy with his sister. They have learnt to deal with each other too, which is great. Now we just sit and watch as the drama unfolds. Noah says "NA! NA!" meaning, "NO! NO!". He calls us all mostly by our names- mama, dada/daddy/papa, Eeera (Vera), Tita (Marissa, the yaya), and Beth (Beth, the helper/cook). He also says, "I yav-uuu",(I love you) "Where aryuuu" (Where are you) and "I-shii-uuuu" (I see you). It's sooo cute!





Vera, on the other hand, has blossomed into a little misses! She is now in ballet and is practicing for a major christmas recital which wil be held at the national theatre in Manila on Dec 23. It is BIG! There's a lot of pressure! She has learnt her moves and is the youngest in the group. All the other kids are above the age of 4! The rest have been practicing since January this year. Vera just joined the class two weeks ago and she's already learnt her moves! Such a smart little girl. She will also officially start school at Maria Montessori Foundation next Tuesday. She is so thrilled and I am so nervous. You'd think after having her with me for so long, after enduring all the challenges of a toddler, the terrible twos and threes, I would be happily sending her off! But, much like her trial school that she did a few months ago, I'm just never going to be ready to let go of her. And this is daily, Monday through Friday, 9am to 12 noon! But I'm happy for her and I bet she's going to love this place. It's exactly where she belongs, and she did pass all her placement tests, and her teacher-to-be said she has never had a student as talkative as Vera. Not sure if that was a compliment or not, but she did mention that if she could have her way, she could've had Vera join her class there and then! I just hope she has the kind of energy needed for a personality like Vera's and the patience and creative mind to answer and come up wirth answers for all of Vera's millions of questions!







We have more or less settled into the Philippines and are loving every moment of it. We went to the beach a couple of weeks ago and loved it, except for Noah! The poor kid, who had just started walking, wanted nothing to do with the sand, and would scream bloody murder when placed anywhere near it! Shocking! Vera, on the other hand, spent the entire 3 days on the beach, building sand castles and jumping the waves.





We then had visitors most of last week- Jen, John, and their kids, Lukas and Alex and Jen's mom, Carol. It was mayhem, and loads of fun. We had 4 kids below the age of 3, and 5 adults, not counting the helpers! We made a trip to Tagaytay to see the lake and the volcanoes, and then had the best Filipino lunch. So yummy!

I joined a belly dancing class! Yes! It is so much fun! And not as easy as it seems. My old bones have had a rough time with the stretching, but I'm not about to give it up as it's the only exercise I get all week!

Vera is also in a gym class (little gym) and she absolutely loves it. She's learnt to somersault, do rolls, and a host of other physical contortions only a child her age can do!

Noah has a weekly singing class here at our house, for which he doesn't pay any attention and terrorizes all his friends who just sit quietly and watch both in horror and admiration at his courage!

Well, that's mostly the update. I will get more creative with stories later. For now, enjoy the photos.

Trouble blogging....

OK, so that last post was bogus. What, with those badly posted photos? And can I not get the layout right? Where are my brains? I'm working on it, people. No pressure!

Here are more photos from last month before moving to our new house.

Vera took part in a swimming class which she absolutely loved. Noah was in the mommy and me swim class, and he was the star of the class. Totally rocked the flap and shake :-) No photos since I had to hold him in the water. 
Vera didn't need any help getting around. She's all for, "I can do anything that's everything all on my own". That would be a quote taken from Charlie and Lola (said with a British accent!).

She takes swimming way too serious, but hopefully that means we'll be running from the olympics pool to the bank with a fat cheque in hand!

The swimming teacher is goofy and just the best for kids this age. Even I could use some lessons from him...

This is where it all began...

Photo updates

This was last month when we were still staying at the apartment in the city. Vera is no longer going to Appleseed Montessori, but she will soon start school here in our new village at Maria Montessori. She's dying to go back to school.




No need for words. That will come much later! Too busy with the kids!

Enjoy these for now.

PS: Finally, got it right with photo downloads! YAY!!!!

Chris in Hawaii, me, the kids in Manila

How does a husband get a business trip to Honolulu, and how, you may ask yourself, is he permitted to leave his wife, two kids below the age of 3, in a foreign country, in a hotel, where they don't know anybody, for 3 whole weeks?

And how, you may further ask, is a company allowed to do this to people relocating for work?

Well, the answer is simple- start working for the UN or any other "humanitarian" organization, and forget that you are human! A friend once put it plainly, "The UN cares more about the people it helps than those that actually work for it!" True! True! 

So Chris has a hard life! Geeeesh! Business trip to Hawaii? Then off to the Marshall Islands, and then off to Micronesia! And we cannot be with him. We have tried. I just got off the Continental airlines website, looking for tickets to Honolulu for tomorrow (I know, I know, last minute, but I thought, hey, you never know what's possible). I did find one ticket (which means both my kids would have to sit on my lap!) for 3000 US Dollars (which also means I'd have to break our bank account), and then I have the choice of either going to NYC, or to Seattle or to LA! It will take me all of 13 hours, by which time I will arrive Honolulu on Saturday, just in time to turn around on Sunday, heading back to Manila! No, they don't have direct flights right now that have room. It's high season!

However, I could pay 500 bucks to Philippine Airlines (on which we are forbidden to travel due to high rates of crashes), but even then, since this is a deal (whatever!), I'm only allowed to travel between August 16 (by which time Chris should be back in Manila) and September 30. Hey, that doesn't sound too bad (except for the potential to crash in mid-air). I could take a holiday when Chris arrives then HE can know what it FEELS like to be left in MANILA ALONE WITH TWO CHILDREN!

I have a third option of flying to my beloved Bangkok (Noah's birth country) for 100 dollars round trip and staying with my good old friend Jen (who at this point might just come over to get me and force me on the plane already!). She has enticed me with the deal of having her sweet mom over to babysit our little rascals (she has two active boys) while she and I head off to the beach for the famed Thai massages and shopping. Note: Her husband John, who might as well be Chris' brother, is in Singapore. He too has committed the hideous crime of leaving his wife and two kids below the age of 3 in a new country (they also just relocated) ALONE! He too, works for the UN...

Oh, well, maybe I'll just stay in Manila and 'deal with it'.

I am having trouble downloading photos to accompany my blog. Not because I don't know how to do it (although that has happened in the past but I'm well versed with the digital world these days) but because my Mac notebook cannot accept a memory card. It doesn't have a slot for it. You see, the makers of Mac did not, for some strange reason think that we may actually want to download photos directly into the computer without the help of cables and cords! Argh! And of course Chris has his good camera with him in Hawaii where I'm sure he has not taken a single photograph!

In short, this blog is going on without photos for the next 3 weeks, I'm afraid!

Vera is enjoying her time at Appleseed Montessori. She even has a green uniform and a green backpack (photos to come much later). She looks forward to going there and I couldn't be more proud of her. 

Noah is doing great considering...But he has taken to sleeping next to mommy and waking frequently to play! Do babies come equipped with the ability to irritate and press the exact buttons that would send their mothers losing their minds at the ungodly hour of 3am? He even has an evil smile on his face when he wakes up. There is nothing angelic about babies at 3 am. I am a walking zombie and I'm dying for some shut-eye.

There is a silver lining though. I discovered the wake-up pill that has kept the likes of my mother-in-law and my super energized (Read; Hyper!) father-in-law alive and kicking and in good spirits for the last few centuries (Heeee! Heeeee!) and many more to come. COFFEE. 

Now, I know that this is old news, but it's worth noting that I do not drink coffee. I'm a tea addict. I do not drink tea prepared by anyone else but myself because tea is my specialty. Except it doesn't keep me awake. So I ventured out of my comfort zone (it's not like I needed much persuasion seeing as there are Starbucks everywhere I look) and went for coffee. What actually ticked me off was being in one Starbucks with Chris before he left and seeing an ad for their latest blended "Tanzanian" coffee! Since when did Tanzania grow coffee? Coffee belongs to Kenya, and Kenya alone! So I said, that's it! And I went ahead and ordered a "Kenyan" coffee!

Change of topic- Vera asked me last night what LOVE means. How do you explain such an ambiguous philosophy to a 3 year old? Time to stop reading that Cinderella storybook! I told her love means liking someone so very much, much more than yourself. She looked at me, pensive, like Einstein about to get his light bulb moment. Then she said, "I love YOU mama!" Turned my heart into butter...

I then informed her that she would have to at least be as tall as mama and nearly as old to get married to a handsome prince like Cinderella's. But she announced with such conviction, "I want to get married tomorrow!"

 

Vera's first day of school

Vera started school two days ago, and she couldn't have been more excited!

She had lots to say too. Her teacher, Kristie, said she loved the singing and dancing the most. No surprises there since the girl can belt out any tune on earth! The dancing....er, well, she's still only 3- wiggling would be more appropriate a term to use in place of dancing :-)

I thought she would start screaming the minute we left her (Chris came too!) but she was perfectly fine and didn't even seem to care much :-(

I, on the other hand, was on the brink of a panic attack, just thinking of my child, in the hands of a foreign person, for 3 hours! I sat at the restaurant right across the street from the school (I could literally see all the kids from there!). Then after an hour or so, I'd had it! I went straight into the classroom, only to find Vera sitting comfortably eating her snack and having a merry time with her new found friends! I asked her if she wanted to go home (praying she would jump and say yes! mommy!), but nope! She shook her head and said, "See you later, mommy!" That did it! I walked out of there, sulking, feeling let-down. No drama on first day of school? What happened to all the tears, the supposed mixed emotions that are typical of first day of school all over the world? The kid holding tightly to mommy's skirt, not letting go? Prior to going to school, Vera had teased me (yes, in hindsight, I will call it teasing because obviously she didn't mean any of that theatrical performance) with the entire scene, saying she would miss me (she did, but only for what? 5 seconds?) and even went as far as to demand that I stay with her at her school. That's when I panicked! Thought she'd never want me to leave. I envisioned myself, old and grey, sitting through her university classes, because she would never allow me to leave. So I had to devise an action plan to put that morbid thought to rest! Aha! Dr. Seuss on call again! (may he rest in eternal peace, that lovely man). I told Vera, it would be very "wacky" for me to stay in her class with all her classmates, and it wasn't even "Wacky Wednesday!" I even made her repeat it- "Can mommies stay in class with the children?" Vera's response, "NO!!! That's wacky!" Bingo! Now that we had that out of the way, we were good to go to school. Cameras, Noah in the stroller, completely oblivious of the importance of that walk, Marisa (our yaya) and Chris awaiting us at the school door. We took lots of pictures, made a HUGE commotion of the entire deal, and sent her off to class. The girl never looked back! Not a single tear!

So, what exactly is the matter with me? Isn't that how I wanted things to be? FREEDOM! What freedom? I sat at that restaurant, all alone and realized just how lost I was without my daughter. I tried to think of what I used to do before the kids came along? I had friends, we had many coffee dates, we chatted and gossiped, and that was basically my life back then. But now, now I have the company of this 3 year old, with whom I have burdened with the responsibility of being my only friend....

And it seems I wasn't the only one making this realization. Back home, I found Noah completely out of sorts! For being 8 months old with no speech skills, it was pretty clear what was bothering him. Lacking the company of his sister! 

So Noah and me, brought together by our common feeling of despair, begun a bond that will hopefully last past the first day of school...