We made it to Taipei!!!! It has always been a dream for us to live abroad, so we are extremely excited for this new chapter. If the past 3 days are any indication of our lives here, things are looking pretty good (minus the complete and utter exhaustion!). I could write so much more than is in this post, but I figure it is better to get something posted than nothing at all.
 |
| On the airplane the girls were seriously sooooooo good! People always warn you about the flight, but I will gladly say that the days following the flight are a million times worse.... Jet lag makes kids (and parents) crazy! We've probably used tv more this week to distract our kids than we've used in the last two years. |
 |
| His company put us in a swanky 5 star hotel until we find a permanent place to live. Here's the view from our hotel. It's absolutely gorgeous and I love how the city is surrounded by mountains. |
We eat breakfast every morning in a restaurant in the hotel. The waiters can hear, see, and probably smell us coming. They have been extremely patient as we run to and from the buffet about 30 times. Everytime we leave breakfast, I feel so bad because it looks like we had a family food fight. There is syrup smeared into the table, crumbs covering the floor, and more unfinished food from the toddlers than is okay. From this photo you would never know that this was perhaps the worst restaurant experience we've had with all three kids. For the record, today was better than the first day, so we are hopeful. The highlight of breakfast each morning for the girls is the mint they can have on the way out. Oh, the little things in life.
Our mornings these past few days have been less than ideal. So, imagine that you have three jet-lagged kids who wake up around 2:00 a.m. Then breakfast doesn't start until 6:30 am, so you spend the morning giving them baths. (One morning I had given Mabel two baths by 5 am!) Our fancy hotel has a tv right in front of the bathtub, so we watch Animal Planet in Chinese while I feed them tomoto-flavored pretzels as they bathed. Then we read books on the bathroom floor so we didn't wake up Edith who was still asleep in the other room. When all three girls were equally whiny and frustrated, we sat on the big bed and watched preteen dramatic sitcoms (in Chinese) on the Disney Channel. Haha. What could be finer? FINALLY it was 6:30 am and we could go eat!
|
 |
| The breakfast buffet at the hotel is the most incredible thing ever! Here is a traditional breakfast of congee--the Chinese version of oatmeal made with rice and topped with peanuts and kimchi, and other fermented veggies. I love all of the flavors, but I'm pretty sure I smelled like garlic the rest of the day! Another new favorite is dried plum powder sprinkled on fruit. Who knew? |
 |
| Mabel chillin' at some crazy hour on the red crushed velvet chaise, watching Sesame Street, eating cheese and bread. This girl is always the first awake! On a positive note, I feel like I've gotten lots of quality time reading books and playing with her this week. |
 |
| This is our first room we had, but we got moved to a bigger room because we will be here for a few weeks. I don't know that I would say it is very family-friendly, but it sure is beautiful! Besides trying to keep them from climbing on the glass shelving and velvet upholstery, we are loving the room. The excitement here is the Japanese-style toilet (with a toilet seat warmer, 4-setting bidet, motion-censored lid that lifts when you walk by, and lit toilet bowl so you can find it in the middle of the night!) |
 |
| Eating mango shaved ice! |
 |
We found a little park about 10 minutes away from our hotel. The girls were in heaven, but I can't even begin to explain how hot and humid it is!
 |
| Edith enjoying the park, as well. |
|
 |
| Cora took this picture of Mabel posing for her! |
|
|
 |
Cora became instantly attached to the woman who helped us look for apartments yesterday! Cora insisted on holding her hand to help her walk, wouldn't go to the bathroom without her, and giggled as the woman taught her Chinese phrases. I admire Cora's love for people and her excitement to just jump into a new experience!
 |
| At a shopping center. Sterling helped the girls calm down by taking them to watch the fish. That whole idea that fish are calming is totally true. Those doctor's waiting rooms know what they are doing. |
 |
I don't think I've ever felt so bad about pushing our girls beyond their limits as I did yesterday. We spend ALL day looking at apartments in the crazy heat with a snack deficient diaper bag, strangers, and no sleep. We even paid the tuition for Cora and Mabel's preschool at the Taipei American School. Just yesterday they let us know that Cora got a slot! We had been on the waiting list, so this was a huge blessing. The girls were absolute rock stars, but it got pretty wild towards the end. Cora crashed so hard when we got home (after a massive meltdown).
We found a place that we are excited about, but we need to work out a few details before we know if we can get it! It is between the two schools for Cora and Mabel, so it would be perfect! We will look at a few more apartment options today and/or tomorrow.
Can't wait to get settled but we are loving it and everyone has been so helpful.
I'll write again soon. Love you all.
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment