What to do with all these mangoes in Manila?
Christmas in the Philippines
Christmas this year came in between two long stretches of rain. While many friends and family back home were bundled up for a white Christmas, we were breaking out the umbrellas and boots. We didn’t let that dampen our spirits, though. This was the fourth year we’ve spent the holiday outside of the United States….
The Year of the Volcano
2018 in China marks the Year of the Dog (cool fact: both my son and I were born during the Year of the Dog—and on the 19th day of our birth month). In our family, 2018 also marks the Year of the Volcano (and I don’t just mean our daughter’s explosive tantrums). Without meaning to,…
One Month in Manila
This Monday marks one month since we arrived in the Philippines. The last four weeks have flown by, but we’ve really only just begun exploring our new city. We finally decided to brave venturing out for a little through the streets of Makati. One of the main reasons we didn’t do this sooner is that…
New Home and New Book!
Today marks three weeks since we’ve moved to the Philippines. We are still getting used to our new country, but it’s funny how quickly things start to feel normal. In our past assignments, we rushed to set up and get settled. Some places (like France) were definitely more comfortable than others (like China), but we…
Mabuhay to the Philippines!
In case you’ve been wondering, “Where in the world is Becky these days?” the answer is…Manila! Yes, we packed up our little family (now plus one new member) and left the lush coolness of the Pacific Northwest for the hot and humid Philippines. It’s been a summer of big changes for us. Baby Boy was…
A Little Update on Life
That title may be a bit misleading. I mean, we’ve had a lot of major changes in the past few months—and have more to come! First of all, we moved from Chengdu to Portland at the end of March. It was a literal breath of fresh air to come to a city so green and…
Life in China: Three Months in
Happy New Year! We’ve officially made it halfway through our assignment in Chengdu. I’ve been derelict in my duties to my blog, but for a couple of good reasons. The first is a super-secret project that I’ve been working on. One of my goals for 2017 was to finish my first book. With the help…
Happy Halloween from China!
Happy Halloween! For the third year in a row, we are celebrating Halloween in a foreign country. As far as we’ve seen, no one does Halloween like the U.S. (though I have heard Japan is hot on our heels). I mean they don’t even do pumpkin spice lattes here! Gasp! Our building hosted a Halloween…
Hello, Chengdu!
Nǐhǎo! There you have it. That’s just about the extent of my ability to speak Chinese. For the first time in our nearly three-year journey, I am completely out of my element when it comes to communicating in our current home country. It’s a challenge, for sure, but it really adds to the adventure. Let…
Eat, Drink, Move (Repeat) 