Yesterday morning I was at Frunty's school to share our experiences and cultural background with his class. Part of the curriculum is to have a 30 minute bring-a-parent-to-school for show-and-tell. Coming from the Belgian school system, this sort of thing is a real treat. In fact, the school is trying hard to involve parents and Frunty's teacher was excited to see that I was so prompt in accepting her invitation. So I prepared several photos for a slide show and the pupils were very happy. Frunty was also very proud.
Saturday, 23 January 2010
3 kilometers
Two weekends from now we're going to the Zoo. They have organized a 6 km fun run open to all ages and a 3 km course for children. I've signed up and asked if Frunty would like to try the 3 km run. The course snakes through the grounds of the Zoo and Night Safari so it will be interesting to run around the animals. To give Frunty a taste of what 3 kms is like, we marked out a circuit in our neighbourhood. Today we tested it with Frunty on bicycle and I on foot. His report was that it didn't seem so far and that it was easy but by the time we got home, he was complaining of being very hot and sweaty.
Saturday, 16 January 2010
Bicycle Mechanics
We spent several hours today repairing some old bicycles. Or rather, we cannibalized old bicycles for parts and made a few good ones that we could really use. In the process, Frunty got his hands very dirty with grease and Pit got his training wheels back on. Both were very happy and they indulged themselves in some good "clean" fun. We pretended to be mechanics in our "garage": essentially the underground road network beneath the footpaths at ground level. It's actually quite special because the basement level is open to the sky above so natural air and sky can be seen from below. But the best part that I didn't realize until today is that we live at the dead-end of one of the roads. This means there is no through traffic which makes it a perfect place for the boys to scoot up and down the roads on their bikes.
Friday, 15 January 2010
Night Safari
Last night we went to the Night Safari. It's very magical because of the darkness and the Disneyland-like, psuedo-Balinese-Fijian-African ambiance. We arrived just after sunset and grabbed a front row table to eat our Bongo Burgers while we enjoyed the tribal dance show. Frunty said his favourite part of the evening was watching the fire-breathers swallow fire and spew huge clouds of flames. Pit was a little scared because of the blasts of heat we could feel sitting in the front row.
We then took the guided tram ride past rhinos, lions and hyenas before alighting at the East Lodge. From there, we walked on the Leopard trail to see....playful leopards, porcupines, and another highlight of the evening: giant flying squirrels. The boys were amazed to see the animals spread their "wings" as they leaped overhead. They look very cuddly with a guinea pig like face, the body of a very big squirrel, and an extremely long bushy tail. We eventually went back to the East Lodge to catch the next tram to make it back to the main entrance. We passed elephants and hippos and at the end of the ride, Pit fell asleep. He kept sleeping until 8am the next morning and Frunty passed out on the taxi ride home.
We then took the guided tram ride past rhinos, lions and hyenas before alighting at the East Lodge. From there, we walked on the Leopard trail to see....playful leopards, porcupines, and another highlight of the evening: giant flying squirrels. The boys were amazed to see the animals spread their "wings" as they leaped overhead. They look very cuddly with a guinea pig like face, the body of a very big squirrel, and an extremely long bushy tail. We eventually went back to the East Lodge to catch the next tram to make it back to the main entrance. We passed elephants and hippos and at the end of the ride, Pit fell asleep. He kept sleeping until 8am the next morning and Frunty passed out on the taxi ride home.
Thursday, 14 January 2010
Those Monks
We live next door to a Buddhist temple and can hear chanting at 6pm everyday and smell the delicious food each day. The worst part is peeking over the fence and seeing the wonderful spread of fried fish and rice dishes. I'm still not quite sure how their system works. I thought the monks who live there, lead a very frugal lifestyle and are suppose to beg for food. Yet their tables are plentiful. I suppose the community supports them.
At dinner tonight, while we were listening to the chanting, Frunty suggested that we go next door to get beer from the monks. Then he added, maybe they make bread and cheese too. Welcome to Asia Frunty. These monks are different those we used to visit in Belgium.
At dinner tonight, while we were listening to the chanting, Frunty suggested that we go next door to get beer from the monks. Then he added, maybe they make bread and cheese too. Welcome to Asia Frunty. These monks are different those we used to visit in Belgium.
Wednesday, 13 January 2010
Better Today
Fruty went off to school this morning because he's feeling better. We're really proud of him for waking up at 6am for his school bus pickup at 6:20. It`s pretty nice that the mini-bus comes right to our door but he does spend a lot of time on the bus. The direct travel time to school is only about 15 minutes but because he is the first pickup, he doesn't get to school for another 40 minutes while the driver makes his rounds. This means Frunty gets to school by about 7am which is 45 minutes before class starts. Sunrise is at 7am so he gets a chance to get into school mode but I hope he isn`t just sitting around feeling tired from a 6am wake-up call. Luckily, on the way home, he is the first drop-off.
Pit was cheerful to go to his school today. I took him again and this time we hugged just outside the door and then he purposefully walked away to wash his hands and get his temperature and throat checked. This is standard school entry procedure to prevent sick kids from making everyone else ill. We`re glad he enjoys going to school... mostly.
Pit was cheerful to go to his school today. I took him again and this time we hugged just outside the door and then he purposefully walked away to wash his hands and get his temperature and throat checked. This is standard school entry procedure to prevent sick kids from making everyone else ill. We`re glad he enjoys going to school... mostly.
Monday, 11 January 2010
School Run
Frunty and the Mommy were not feeling well this morning but Pit still needed to get to his school. It's his first day where he stays in school until 2:20pm because he starts his science class. The Mommy gave him jelly beans in reference to the book we have about the Jelly Bean Scientist. He was very excited but still a little apprehensive to let go when I dropped him off. It's a pleasant 10-15 minute bike ride and this morning's weather is exceptional: clear blue skies and not too humid thanks to a good breeze. It still means I got home covered in a fine layer of perspiration but nothing the pool couldn't fix.
