A marketplace is where a community comes together. People gather to buy, sell, eat, drink, laugh, gossip and connect. Around the world, so many family’s livelihoods depend on a thriving market. In America, we don’t really have an equivalent. Farmer’s markets are fun & quirky, but rarely does an entire community do their shopping at… Continue reading My Favorite Markets in Asia
Tag: culture
7 Reasons Why I Love Indonesia [After Living Here for Two Years]
We just celebrated a huge milestone. We’ve been living in Indonesia for TWO YEARS. This is the longest I’ve ever lived outside of the US. Many people here on the island and even back home ask us how long we plan to stay. Indonesia has burrowed itself deep in my heart, and I don’t see… Continue reading 7 Reasons Why I Love Indonesia [After Living Here for Two Years]
Balinese Wedding Day
If you ever get invited to a wedding in another culture, always say yes. That’s exactly what I did recently, and I don’t regret it at all. When our Balinese neighbors invited us to attend a wedding of a family member in a nearby city, we accepted immediately. The day started early, with us in… Continue reading Balinese Wedding Day
8 Things Everyone Must Know About Me
Even after almost a year and a half of living in Indonesia, I still have moments of feeling like a stranger in a strange land. I never blend in, and I always stand out. But I also live in a beautifully relational country. So instead of just staring at me like a stranger, I regularly… Continue reading 8 Things Everyone Must Know About Me
Happy [Balinese] New Year!
Happy New Year! Yes, I know it’s March. No, I’m not losing my mind. Just recently, we celebrated the Balinese New Year known as Nyepi. Much like the Chinese New Year in China [been there] and the Thai New Year in Thailand [done that], the Balinese New Year is unique and special to their own… Continue reading Happy [Balinese] New Year!
All About the Oleh-Oleh
Several years ago, I took a test to determine my “love language”. It’s not as weird as it sounds. It’s the idea that we all have specific, and sometimes different ways, we best give and receive love. My personal love language is receiving gifts. Now, I know that makes me sound like a materialistic, gold-digging… Continue reading All About the Oleh-Oleh
Temple Wanderings
If there’s one thing I love about Asia, it’s the age & history of the region. This continent has been civilized and developed for so many centuries, and each generation’s handiwork has been left to behold. From the temples of Angkor Wat in Cambodia to the Great Wall of China to all the Biblical historical… Continue reading Temple Wanderings
Becoming Beautiful in Bali
In high school, I attended my friend’s quinceañera for her 15th birthday. I still remember that party, and how lavish it all was. It was all so foreign and so fascinating. Each of the “court”, similar to bridesmaids at a wedding, were escorted in in beautifully bright party dresses. Then the birthday girl looked like… Continue reading Becoming Beautiful in Bali
#5 Mastering Two Wheels – Top 15 of 2015
When we visited Asia last year, I knew I would have to learn how to drive a motorbike. Everyone in Asia gets around on two wheels! Singles, couples, families with kids, families with pets…all on motorbikes. Last year, I let my husband drive the whole time, and I never even attempted it. I was scared.… Continue reading #5 Mastering Two Wheels – Top 15 of 2015
Surf, Sand & Sayulita
Life in Sayulita, Mexico feels like an eternal vacation. The tiny beach village on Mexico's Pacific coast was really "discovered" in the late 1960's, as a newly constructed Mexican highway brought in wandering surfers. Even now in 2015, the town feels like it's been stuck in the 60's and the surfers still run the place.… Continue reading Surf, Sand & Sayulita
An American Mom in Asia 