Back in the Bubble

Well, here we are back safely enveloped in the big boring bubble which surrounds the land of my birth. Don't get me wrong - there are things that I LOVE about life in the bubble. It is very safe for one thing. So safe that Nothing Ever Happens. Which, again, is good - for example, I haven't been nearly run over by a motor vehicle since we touched down in L.A. I haven't had to outwit a pack of feral dogs, either. No unmarked manholes without their covers, come to think of it...No, the only things that seem to happen here are routine, pleasant, and enjoyable.

It is also very clean - no dingy haze clouding the horizon, no blowing black gunk out of my nose before bed. There's also very few mounds of dog poo on the sidewalk, I've noticed. Many more dogs, but all of them leashed and being followed by a pooper scooper weilding human. Limited amounts of trash strewn about although Jason and I both made the comment that there seems to be more than in the past...don't know what's up with that.

It is so very, very quiet here, as well. At night there are no car alarms, racing motor cycles, no cats-in-heat screaming bloody murder, no constant whine of cicada's wings....just birds chirping, breeze in the trees, and silence so unaccustomed that it rings in my ears and I make a dive for the TV remote just to relieve the silence.

Finally, the weather has been brilliant, as well. Cool and breezy. We're actually cold and huddled under comforters at night. The last few days before we left Taiwan were the kind where you can actually feel the little bubbles starting to form in your blood as it rises to the surface just under your skin and begins to boil. I don't sweat as much after an hour of Jazzercize (oh yes, what would a summer be without Jazzercize?) as I do just sitting in front of the computer at home.

The best part, however, has been just taking a break from school - well, not a total break - I was writing questions for a homework assignment last night as a matter of fact - but not the every day craziness of the last semester. So far, our trip has been just what the doctor ordered. I'm so happy to see everybody here. It seems impossible that for the majority of the year we are on the other side of the world. Very poor planning on my part, it seems.

In another few weeks the bubble will start to become a bit stifling but until then, I'm lovin' the bubble.

Graduation Day

I've been practicing the following imaginary conversation in my mind (sometimes out loud when nobody else is around) and I can almost carry on the conversation in real life without stuttering, stammering, or breaking down completely.

Rudy with Mom, Dad, & teacher Mr. Wang

Person: So, do you have any kids?

Me: Yes, we have three boys.

Person: That's nice. How old are they?

Me: (deep, steadying breath) Well, our eldest is going into....junior high school.

Person: Really? Wow! You certainly don't look old enough to have a child entering junior high.

(Ok, actually nobody ever says that last line but in the fantasty conversation that's what would logically follow.)

Yes, Rudy has graduated from elementary school and will begin junior high in the fall. The actual graduation ceremony was yet another bizarre cultural experience for me. I don't remember much about any of the past graduation ceremonies I have witnessed or participated in but I am almost positive that there was absolutely NO kow-towing involved. Rudy's ceremony kicked off with a kow-tow to the Father of the Republic of Taiwan and was followed later in the program by kow-tows to the teachers and kow-tows to the parents. (Okay, I admit it, I secretly liked the kow-tow to the parents part.)

While most of the girls were weepy and nostalgic, Rudy was fairly stoic throughout the entire program. When I asked him about it afterward, he just shrugged, "I'm not happy or sad, Mom. I'm just glad it's over." Spoken just like his dad.

We went out to Rudy's favorite restaurant, Tasty, and found that there were a few new items on the menu. My favorite new addition was: Mixed Greens Consomme with Shark's Lips. Jason says this is not an entirely accurate translation for what this dish actually is, but it sounds very interesting, doesn't it. Jason's mom came with us and it was a very nice way to celebrate Rudy's graduation.

Rudy will attend ZhiShan junior high school in the fall. It is right across the street from our apartment. In fact, if we could somehow install a zip-line from our balcony, Rudy could make it to school in under 10 seconds. I can't really believe that he is going to be joining the ranks of the gangly, squeaky-voiced, hair-sprouting, pimple-covered, quasi-humans that I see every day on my way back from picking up Jay from preschool. And God forbid he becomes one of the arm-thrown-casually-around-a-girl-smooching-on-the-way-home boys. Or possibly worse, cigarette-dangling-from-the-corner-of-the-mouth-racing-motorscooter-around-the-block boy.

I knew it was coming, but somehow receiving Rudy's junior high notification letter in the mail was a huge shock. My hands were shaking as I opened it and, for the first time ever, I wished that I couldn't read Chinese. Jason, thankfully went off and took care of the actual registration details. Theoretically, Rudy is supposed to be going to school for the entire month of August. But, since we're here he's exempt. Sometimes, I just secretly wish I could exempt him from the whole growing up thing.