Birthdays in Vietnam

Our friend Gary recently turned 50. We had a good party for him. It started by going down to his place and carrying him down the street to a friends house where we had a surprise party lying in wait. We did some games, had some great food, and had a nice time.

Birthday's and parties seem to be a common thing with our circle of friends. It also gives us a change to get together, but also gives us an opportunity to show off Ava. People are always astounded at how big she's gotten. When you haven't seen a two year old for four or five months, you've basically missed a fifth of our life. Some people were at the party couldn't believe how she's grown.

Birthdays are not just fun, they are those opportunities for the expat crowd to get together. Living in a foreign country can be a bit alienating some times, and despite living in Asia for 10 years, I'll always be seen as a foreigner, not one that has integrated into the local way of living.

Sadly, that crowd of friends comes and goes; especially in international teaching. In the photo above, 6 people will not be here next year. They've all put their fingerprint on our daughter and we'll have to bid them "adieu" when June rolls around. I wonder if we'll meet up in the future and if Ava will remember them. Only time will tell.

How to clean marker off your toddler

I should have known she was up to something. When you're resting after a long day at school in the living room while your toddler scrummages around the house, you use your senses to detect what mischief they're getting into. The opening of the fridgerator and kitchen drawers have distinctive sound, so we exclaim when we hear them: "Close the fridge!" and "Close the drawer!" to which we hear a hurried close and a plead for a piece of cheese or a knife with which to cut it. Nowadays, Ava has been becoming very independent. She can get herself snacks from the fridge, and drags her step stool (that we got so she could wash her hands in the bathroom) around the house strategically using it to climb up higher places. Getting fruit from the island is no problem these days. Nor is getting dishes from the dish rack. My how kids learn to solve problems.







Getting back to my original point: I should have smelled trouble when we didn't hear anything. We heard her quietly at work at the dining room table, but as Lisa was showing me a website for a possible business idea, we weren't giving her much attention. At times like this, she is usually reading or playing with toys. This time was different. This time, she had gotten a hold of the permanent marker that I left out and proceeded to paint her toes and fingernails with it.









She had come into the living room and exclaimed "so pretty!". She was really proud of the job she had done. What was puzzling was that the nail painting was not confined to the nails, but her face, legs and arms. Furthermore, it was the most permanent shade of marker, so I hope that she likes the color royal blue to accentuate her style for the coming week.

This brings me to my topic of today: "How to clean marker of your toddler." Apparently, the key is to use tooth paste or hand sanitizer mixed with a little bit of water. Although we've done that, she still has very visable marks on her face. Tomorrow, she's scheduled for school at 8:30 am. What will her teachers think of us?