A Year in Review

It's been one year since we started our adventure halfway across the world - and WOW - what a year it has been! While some days have felt like a lifetime, at other times, I can't believe how fast it has gone by. We have had the amazing opportunity to see another part of the world, meet some wonderful people, and learn so, so much.

In the past year, we have:

• Explored six new countries:
• Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand,  Vietnam; Cambodia
• Travelled via:
• Car, Airplane, Boat, Inflatable Raft, Canoe, Bamboo Raft, Bus, Subway, Taxi, Monorail,   Elephant, Oxcart, Cambodian Tuk-Tuk (not to be confused with a...), Thailand Tuk-Tuk, Cable Car, Sky Ride, Tram, Speedboat, Becak; Zip-line

• Made new friends from countless places including (but not limited to):
• Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand,  Vietnam, Philippines, Singapore, Korea, China,  Australia, California, Arizona, Florida, Texas,  Sweden, Norway, Canada, Brazil, Netherlands, Japan, Germany, Hungary; Tawain
• Learned to play the Gamelan and the Angklung

• Dustin flew on his first airplane - and his second, and his third, and his fourth, and his fifth, and his sixth, and his (I've honestly lost count)...
  

• Hiked our first active volcano

• Hugged our first Tiger.

• Visited our first:
• Sultan's Palace, Safari, Ancient Temple, Floating Village, Hindu Temple; Monk Chat

In the past year, I have learned:

• Exactly where Indonesia is on the map.
• A little about 5 new religions: Islam, Balinese, Buddhism, Hinduism; Baha'i
• I can live without a dishwasher, but I really, REALLY miss my garbage disposal.
• A tuk-tuk is a fun way to explore a new country.

• How to distinctly identify the smell of a durian.
• I should have paid more attention to Metric Conversions in math class.
• Kids are able to play and become friends - even without speaking the same language.
• I'm not a big fan of traveling via oxcart.

• How quickly a family of four can get into the habit of taking their shoes off as soon as they get inside a building.
• Learning a new language is a lot of work.
• The inventor of Skype/FaceTime deserves a raise.

• "It's a Dry Heat" means absolutely nothing. I'll take this humidity over Arizona's dry heat any day!
• Cooking rice is a true art form (I'm talking real rice - not minute rice!)
• "Personal Space" means different things in different countries.
• Traditional Vietnamese music is...indescribable!

• Showing tolerance and understanding for different cultures will garner you the same respect in return.
• It's best to look for a blue taxi in Indonesia and a red taxi in Thailand.
• The ability to laugh at yourself is one of the greatest lessons you can learn.

• I've developed "itchy feet." I'm constantly planning what part of the world we will be exploring next (if you ever want to join us, let me know and I will give you a rundown of what's in the works!)
• Having a refrigerator roughly the same size as my four year old means daily trips to the grocery store.

• Things are not always black and white.  
• Grab it while you can...just because you see something here today, does not mean it will still be here tomorrow (nor will it be available anywhere for the next 6 months)
• Expect the unexpected - You never know when a giant Orangutan is going to fling a pile of poop at you.

• Patience is the key to living in any foreign country.
• Target is a WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL place!
• No matter how much I love Asian food, American food will always be my comfort food.

• Living in a hotel is not as glamorous (nor as horrible) as it sounds.
• Never go to the grocery store without at least two back-up plans for dinner. Typically, our dinner consists of one out of three planned meals depending on what ingredients are available at the store on that particular day.
• It's a small world - You're bound to run into someone you know in the oddest of places.
• My kids are much more resilient and open to adventure than I ever could have hoped.

• Someone calling everyday at 5:00PM to make sure we don't need housekeeping is strangely comforting (even though we have said no every time they have called for the past year).
• Just because it's 1.6 Kilometers away (1 mile), does not mean it will take you less than half an hour to get there.
• It's all about your attitude - After several months of hating the way we are constantly stared at, Emilie turned to me and said, "You know what Mom? They're always going to stare at us, so I've decided to stop being annoyed. I'm just going to smile at them and take it as a compliment."

• There are many differences between the cultures of the world - As well as many, many similarities
• Learning to say thank you in a country's native tongue goes a long way with the locals.
• The world is filled with truly wonderful, diverse people.

• I can't wait to see where the world takes us this year!