Happy Midsummer’s Day

  • June 21, 2010 3:25 PM

Happy Midsummer’s Day! It’s the longest day of the year, though here in Belgium, the sun is barely peeking through and we’re huddled inside. Instead, I’ll tell you about my Midsummer’s Day last year in Sweden. It was really fun!

Picking Wildflowers

Closeup of Maypole Decorations

Thomas was working in the US and I couldn’t go along, so I headed up to Stockholm to visit my in-laws. In Sweden, Midsummer’s Day is a national holiday. Celebrating the longest day of the year is important when their winters have only 5 hours of daylight. The celebrations start with raising a maypole decorated in greens. Then, with wildflower wreaths in their hair, Swedes dance around the maypole and sing traditional songs.

My favorite is called Små grodorna:

Små grodorna, små grodorna är lustiga att se.
Små grodorna, små grodorna är lustiga att se.
Ej öron, ej öron, ej svansar hava de.
Ej öron, ej öron, ej svansar hava de.
Kou ack ack ack, kou ack ack ack,
kou ack ack ack ack kaa.
Kou ack ack ack, kou ack ack ack,
kou ack ack ack ack kaa.

English translation:
Small frogs, small frogs are funny to see.
Small frogs, small frogs are funny to see.
No ears, no ears, no tails have they.
No ears, no ears, no tails have they.
Quack quack quack, quack quack quack,
Quack quack quack quacka.
Quack quack quack, quack quack quack,
Quack quack quack quacka.

To celebrate, my in-laws took me to Skansen, an open-air musem and zoo in downtown Stockholm where there was a big Midsummer’s Day celebration.  Until it started, we toured through the 19th-century replica town, where my Mother-in-law pointed out things that reminded her of her grandmother’s home.  We also checked out the Nordic animals in the zoo, and watched visitors picnicking and making wildflower wreaths.

Traditional 19th-century farmhouse

Making wreaths

In the afternoon, we headed over to the maypole where there was a band in traditional costumes singing and dancing.  They raised the maypole and everyone joined in a circle for more singing and dancing.  Thankfully, my mother-in-law translated for me. :)  It was great fun to let loose and be silly – folks of all ages were joining in.

The Midsummer parties head on late into the night. At this time of year, the sun is up almost to midnight. Swedes enjoy a smörgåsbord (large buffet of Swedish food – bread, cheese, meatballs, pickled herring, strawberries, etc. – and lots of vodka. Bonfires are another tradition. They say that if you jump over the bonfire (the vodka may help here), the height of your jump predicts the height of the crops in the following year.

Overall, it was a really fun celebration and I can’t wait to go with Thomas and Baguette there sometime in the future. If you’d like to see more photos from Midsummer’s Day, I’ve posted them on PicasaWeb:

Whirlwind Spring (with photos)

  • June 1, 2010 3:03 PM

It was a whirlwind Spring this year. Though our trip to the US was fun, I’m not sure it would be catagorized by most as relaxing – we were pretty go, go go… It’s a long post, but here’s what we’ve been up to:

Marisa and Baby Emiliano

Meeting Baby Emiliano

Remember the baby shower I posted about a couple posts back? That was for my friend Marisa, and she had her baby right before I went to Taiwan/Japan, but I had the flu and couldn’t meet him. I finally got over there for a quick trip right before our US trip, when he was already a month old. He’s adorable, but I’m sure he’s already changed a ton since then.

Fly to US

The week before we left, the volcano in Iceland cancelled most European flights. We anxiously watched the news, and we’re lucky to be one of the first flights back in the air. We arrived in the US without a problem, just some lost luggage, but it arrived before Thomas had to fly out the next morning.

Dave and Lauren’s Wedding in Dominican Republic

Happy, Tired Clover

Thomas was the Best Man for his friend Dave’s wedding in the Dominican Republic. It was a tiny wedding (just 9 people there), but Thomas said it was beautiful. Thomas also posted some amazing shots of birds he saw around the resort.

Relaxing in Raleigh, NC

Unfortunately, due to costs, I couldn’t make the wedding, but that gave me some much needed family time in Raleigh. My whole family was traveling, but coordinated so that I could visit with each person at some point through my trip. It was great to be able to drive a car, speak English, and know where I’m going. I spent lots of time shopping, snuggling with Clover, eating American food and watching American television – it was even worse than when I left. :)

Monks blessing the Mandala

Meow Kiat and Nick’s Wedding, Bloomington IN

When Thomas got back, we headed up to Bloomington, Indiana where I went to graduate school. We attended my friend, Meow Kiat’s wedding, and had some time to visit our old haunts. It was such a joy to have all our old friends reach out to us to get together while we were there. We also fit in some geocaching and saw a new mandala being built at the Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center.

Connor plays with her Grandmother

Connor’s 3rd Birthday

As soon as we got back, Thomas headed up to Lenoir, NC for work. He came home on the weekend to spend Mother’s Day with me and my Mom. We also went to Connor’s 3rd Birthday – yup, the same Connor from Belgium, except her family moved back to the US on the same day we flew there. Since Reid and Kirk’s families live in Raleigh too, we will surely overlap some of our trips ‘home’.

Three and a half generations!

Mother’s Day Trip to see Mama C

Thomas headed back to Lenoir, and my Mom and I flew out to Beaumont, Texas to visit my Grandmother for a late Mother’s Day. It was a relaxing long weekend with lots of time to chat, a chance to visit with some of my Mom’s sisters, and I got my Rummikub fix with Mama C. Meanwhile, Thomas was able to celebrate Amanda’s 5th birthday back in Raleigh.

Thomas’ 32nd Birthday in Boston

When I got back, Thomas had headed up to New Hampshire for a DNS conference where he spoke about his latest open source project, Namebench. At the end of the week, we met up in Boston and celebrated Thomas’ 32nd birthday with his family who was also in town. We stayed in an awesome YWCA hostel and did some touring of the city.

Meeting Friends and Family in Boston

Thomas and his brother, Dr. Michael

Thomas’ entire family, plus some family-friends from Sweden all flew in for the weekend to celebrate Thomas’ older brother’s PhD graduation. We enjoyed many good meals with his family and did some touring too.  We met up with a couple friends – Thomas’ friend, Aaron drove in from New Hampshire, and Georgy met up with us a couple times.

Dallas and Sarah Jump!

Saying Bye to Sarah

We flew back from Boston to Brussels, switching from gorgeous 90 degree weather to rainy 46 degree weather. Fortunately, we had no plans for a couple days and were able to focus on laundry and catching up on sleep. My quilty friend Sarah spent the night before she moved back to Canada at our house. I’m going to miss her, but Thomas captured his favorite-style jumping photos of us before she headed off.

At the moment, we’re enjoying having no further travel plans this year, but I’m sure our calendar will fill up with a trip or two before too long.

Back in the USA

  • May 10, 2010 9:40 PM

I’ve been hanging out in the US for a couple weeks now and have had a very relaxing time. I’m staying in Raleigh, NC, where my parents live. We moved here when I was in high school. I went to college here and I had my first job here before moving away for grad school.  Though I haven’t lived here for a few years, I still consider it home.

Watching TV at Mom and Dad's in my pajamas!

After being away for a while, in a different culture, several things have really stood out to me:

On this trip, I drove for the first time since December of 2008. It all came back naturally – just like riding a bike. :) It’s so easy to hop into a car and get wherever you want, whenever you want, but I do miss walking like we do in Brussels. I had forgotten about drive-thrus, drivers talking on cell phones, and needing to pay for gas. I hope when we move back to the US, we can find a happy-medium.

In Belgium, we don’t watch much TV. At most, we usually get only 1 English show at a time and it’s usually something that aired in the US several years back. My parents have about 400 channels…and I was surprised to find out that it’s still mostly crap. I’ve finally seen shows I’ve only heard about – Glee and Survivor, not really a fan – but HGTV can still suck me in. I even watched a show on the History channel that claimed ancient Egyptians were aliens and dragons were spaceships.

I forgot how easy it is to shop in the US! The clothes fit and the prices are reasonable. Thank goodness we have luggage restrictions to limit us. I love that the salespeople are friendly and chat with me. I usually shop for clothes when I’m here, but I’ve held off knowing that my baby belly will soon be growing. I also can spend hours in a book store – thank goodness for used books on Amazon.com. I’ve perused a few thrift stores and consignment shops for baby items, but haven’t picked up too much. We’re hoping to go on a simplicity route, but it’s still fun to look.

Finally, the restaurant dining experience is completely different here from Belgium. As soon as you’re seated here, you’re served water! with ice! In a cup bigger than a shot glass! with free refills! The waiter checks up on you throughout the meal and you can take home leftovers. I was quickly reminded that tipping is the norm and noticed children are much more welcome in restaurants. Many Belgian places will not even have high chairs. Still though, I do like the relaxed, slow dining experience we’ve learned in Europe.

It’s been a great trip so far and I still have a couple more weeks here. I do miss my regular routine, and my bed (I’ve been sleeping in a single guest bed), but it’s great to get so much time with my family.

Observations of Taiwan

  • March 30, 2010 10:12 AM

Hi, we’re in Taiwan this week. Thomas has been working at the office here and I came along for the ride. Next week, we’ll be traveling to Japan for vacation, but in the meantime, Taiwan has been a great introduction to Asia for us. Neither of us had ever been on this continent before this trip. Thankfully, Thomas’ coworkers have been really great guides. Besides touring us all over Taipei, they’ve also taken us up to the coast and to many temples and markets.


In a way, Taiwan doesn’t feel that different from the US, but there are also some differences that really stand out…here’s some of them:

  • Scooters are everywhere… Thomas’ coworker told us that in Taipei, 50% of the residents commute by scooter. They gather at stoplights and scoot in between cars, looking like little motorcycle gangs.  They also carry lots of cargo, more than I would imagine could fit, including a family of 4 on one scooter.
  • There is lots of paranoia about sickness… To get into his office, Thomas has to have his temperature checked for fever, twice – once to get into the parking garage, and once in the lobby.  Thankfully, they check it just with a laser gun aimed at his head. We’ve also seen many people wearing masks on the street.  Some are for pollution, but I assume some are for sickness too.
  • The architecture reminds me of South America.  Though there are many skyscrapers in Taipai, apartments look worn from the outside.  They’re staggered on hillsides, often with narrow streets.  The city is also lit up with more lights than Las Vegas. It’s quite a contrast with the tropical vegetation and green mountains in the background.
  • American clothes are in style… If I compared an American and a Taiwanese solely on clothes, I might not be able to tell the difference.  Even American brands (Hollister, A&F, Gap) are popular here.  This is not true in Belgium, where Thomas and I stand out with our loose jeans and brightly colored jackets.
  • The food is very different… Thomas has tried shrimp with legs, welk, abalone, iced soup, stinking tofu, an entire fish (head and all), and evil jelly. I haven’t been as adventurous. If I lived here, I think I would become vegetarian, as I haven’t cared for a lot of meat that I’ve tried and the food is a lot saltier than I’m used to.  I’ve had very good sauted spinach, spicy tofu, and dumplings though. Another challenge is that jellied food is very popular here, and I can’t just get over the texture to enjoy the taste.

  • There are a lot more edible things under the sea, than I thought… Thomas’ other coworker, Macroni, took us to the fish market and I saw many fish that I had only seen in books when I lived in Florida.  The market sold (to eat) parrot fish, sharks, earthquake fish, blowfish (which we were warned not to eat unless prepared by a very skilled chef), seaweed, and snails.
  • Temples can decorate better than the Griswalds at Christmas… As a religious location, I expected temples to be simple and solemn, but they are brightly-colored, ornate, and many have tacky animantronics out front. Thomas’ coworker taught us how to ask Buddha a question, by tossing wooden shells, but our response was always “laughing.”  I guess Buddha just doesn’t understand English. :)
  • Many toilets are basically a hole in the floor… You’re supposed to just squat and aim to do your business. It’s definitely odd, but I guess not that much weirder than camping. At least they don’t charge to use them, like Madame Pipi in Belgium.

It’s been a great trip so far and I’m looking forward to next week in Japan. We coincidently planned this trip during the cherry blossom season, so I’m looking forward to seeing some beautiful gardens. Until then…

I’ve posted our photos from the first half of our trip to PicasaWeb:

P.S. My favorite difference in Taiwan is that the garbage truck plays music like an American ice cream truck.  This lets everyone know to hurry outside and bring their trash.  That would make the chore much more enjoyable for me…

Bon Appetite – A Walk in Julia Child’s Footsteps

  • March 4, 2010 10:58 AM

In the US, Julia Child is a household name.  She was the slightly nutty chef on TV from the 60s to the 80s, but did you know that she was also an expat wife? When the movie, Julie and Julia came out, I instantly connected with her story. In her mid-30s, Julia Child moved to Paris for her husband’s job. She didn’t speak any French and struggled, just as I do, with how to spend her time in a meaningful way. She decided to take up cooking.

The movie, Julie and Julia, is based off of two stories – Julia Child’s autobiography My Life in France, and Julie Powell’s blog where a 30-year old girl tried to add meaning to her life by conquering Julia’s cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, in 365 days and blogging about it. A couple girlfriends and I recently finished Julia Child’s autobiography, and decided to take a daytrip to Paris to see some of the sights mentioned in her book.

Our first stop was “81 Roo de Loo” – the apartment where Julia lived. We laughed as we remembered her describing her apartment, and the similarities we all had when we moved to Brussels – tiny bathrooms, kitchens missing major appliances… Julia and her husband lived on the second and third floor. Though you can’t tell from the photo, it was a gorgeous area, just a block from the river and down the street from the metro.

Julia Child's Apartment

Reid, Jill, and Nikki at 81 "Roo de Loo"

We continued on to Dehillerin, Julia’s favorite cooking supplies store. It reminded me more of a little country hardware store with it’s dark, narrow aisles and crates stacked up high. Though Julia is not well-known in France, the guys at the store knew who she was and were eager to help us. We wandered around admiring the bins of knives, shelves of cake pans, and walls of copper cookware. We picked up a couple of souvenirs and headed next door to lunch.

Julia's Favorite Cooking Shop

Rugged Shelves in Dehillerin

After lunch was my favorite part – we toured the cooking school Julia attended – Le Cordon Bleu. We saw the demonstration rooms, the practice kitchens, and learned a bit about the history of the school. The chefs and students were so friendly, sharing their fresh-baked treats with us. Nowadays, there are two tracks of classes – 3-month programs for professionals and 1-2 days workshops for amateurs. I will definately have to keep this in mind for future trips.

Le Cordon Bleu, where Julia learned to cook

Master Chef shares his Madeleine cakes

Though only a daytrip, this has to be one of my favorite outings. I had a great time with my girlfriends and we were all inspired by this famous woman who lived such a similar life to what we are living now in Belgium. I can’t imagine doing it before the Internet exhisted, as she did. If you’d like to see more photos, I’ve posted them on PicasaWeb: