You Know You Have Lived in Asia for Five Years...

Five years ago, last week, we arrived here to our city of 2 million people, in the middle of a cold winter, and found a new home.  Some days it feels like home, other days we are very aware of our foreignness.  Our lives have definitely changed, things that used to be so hard have become easier, and things that used to be so important, don't really matter any more.  Our five year anniversary deserves a list, so here we go:

You know you have lived in Asia for five years when...

**your children have nightmares involving elevator doors closing on them.

**your dad comes to visit and your son asks him if he should call him Uncle Grandpa.

**your English vocabulary has dwindled and you discover that many Asian words are now included in your English conversations.   (Sometimes the Asian words just work better.)

**you hear your seven year old bragging to a friend that he has been to America TWICE in his life.

**you discover, while teaching your kindergartner to read, that he already knows lowercase letters and sounds, however the letter names and his pronunciation of the sounds is definitely not English.

**milk, grains, vegetables, water, and propane gas are all delivered directly to your door.

**your three year old daughter knows to cup her chin in her hands and bounce her knee and hip when she sings.

**your youngest child's second word (and third and fourth) were not in English.

**you wear a face mask while walking kids to school and do not feel out of place.

**your children prefer rice and vegetables to macaroni and cheese and hot dogs.

**going to the market every morning for the day's groceries is part of the daily routine.

 We arrived here with a five month old, and two and a half year old.  Kiddos are now 7, 5, 3, and 1.  Our lives are continually changing!  Thankful for each day.