October 2007

Play Doh

Just thought we'd share some pictures of Gracie playing this past weekend. She loves play-doh!

Steel City

Last weekend, Jason and I traveled to Pittsburgh. Jason went to a conference for the International Baccalaureate program (it's a program being offered at his middle school). Edmontonians know what I.B. is, but this is new to most Fresnans. The best way for me to describe the program in a nutshell is that it's global. If someone is a part of I.B. in Fresno, moves to Edmonton, and enrolls in an I.B. program there, it'll be the same methodology. It's designed to develop higher level thinking. Anyway, I went along because... well, why not? I'll probably never have an actual reason to visit Pittsburgh, so I decided to just go ahead and do it. Jason and I left on Friday morning. We got to the airport at 6am to discover that his school district (this is Fresno Unified for you) had booked the wrong date on his ticket. The agent would not let me transfer my ticket to Jason. He made Jason pay for another ticket (of course to be reimbursed), only to leave after me (since my flight was full), and make connections in 2 other cities. I left on the first flight, completely anxious because I didn't know if the hotel in Pittsburgh would let me check in since everything was reserved in Jason's name. I was fearful that I'd end up having to wait in Pittsburgh's airport for 7 hours until Jason's flight came in. Luckily, the person I sat next to on the Pittsburgh segment was also going to the same conference. She let me join her in the taxi (since her district was paying for it. If I had gone on my own, it would have been $40 to get to our hotel). The taxi driver was a maniac, and it was worse because it was rush hour. If you know me at all, you know that it doesn't take much for me to get nauseous. He wove in and out of traffic, and was constantly slamming on the brakes. When we got to the hotel, I was so glad they let me check in. I went right to bed and was miserably nauseous, waiting over 7 hours for Jason to arrive. I threw up minutes before he walked in the door at 1am. What a day!
The next morning, Jason went to his conference and I set off to explore Pittsburgh on my own. I spent a good portion of the day at the Heinz History Center, taking my time through all the exhibits. I particularly enjoyed learning about Pittsburgh's history, seeing Heinz ketchup bottles and their interesting labels (imagine what a Heinz ketchup label looks like in Korea!), a glass exhibit (I'm completely fascinated by glass), the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum (I was hoping to see a lot more about hockey- it was disappointing), and the Smithsonian Institute's "First Ladies" exhibit (this was packed with people). When Jason and I met up later in the day, we walked in the rain to get to Fort Pitt Museum. We got there with only an hour left- one of the workers guided us around and gave us an in-depth lesson. It was so fascinating. Just a few weeks ago, I had taught my 5th graders about the French and Indian War- now I was learning detailed information about it! There's so much history in Pittsburgh- we both loved that! Next, we walked to the Strip District for dinner, an area known for its eclectic mix of shops. On Sunday morning, Jason once again headed off to his conference and I set off to explore Pittburgh's downtown on foot. I did so much walking! The city has done a good job of preserving its buildings. When Jason was finished for the day, we took the subway to Station Square, across the river. We looked through some shops, and then walked along the river to get to Duquesne Incline. It went up Mount Washington and provided awesome views of downtown. I was so tired from all of my walking that we called for a cab when we got to the top. The cab took us to the South Side, an area known for its many restaurants (it reminded me of Edmonton's Whyte Ave.). We found this small Greek restaurant that served gyros (donairs). Yum! We haven't found any place that sells great gyros in Fresno... (Let us know if there's a good place you know of). To get back to our hotel, we took a bus. The next day, while Jason was at his conference, I took a taxi to the University of Pittsburgh to see the Cathedral of Learning. It's beautiful- built in the 1920's, is designed in a gothic style, looks like a European cathedral, is over 40 stories tall, but is actually full of classrooms. Some of the classrooms have been completely redesigned to reflect different cultures. They are called the Nationality Rooms and I must have seen over 20 cultures, including Sweden, Austrian, German, African, Indian, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, Greek, etc. It was so cool! Jason decided to leave his conference early to join me. From there, we walked to Heinz Chapel (lots of things are named for the Heinz family in Pittsburgh). Unfortunately, the chapel was created only as a memorial to some Heinz family members, not really as a church. Jason and I walked on Craig Street where we found Lulu's, a noodle restaurant (similar to Edmonton's Oodle Noodle). We're bummed that Fresno doesn't have this type of restaurant either. (I've often told Jason that if I wanted to open up a restaurant, this is the kind I'd want). After lunch, we took the bus back to the hotel to get our bags, and headed for the airport. Thankfully, the trip home was uneventful.
I hope you've enjoyed reading about our experiences in Pittsburgh! We had an awesome time- we both loved that city and are glad we had the chance to visit it. There were so many things about it that reminded me of Edmonton... Can't wait to visit "home" this summer!

Day Trip to San Francisco

We were able to do a quick getaway to San Francisco this past Saturday with Don and Lavonne. We are so grateful for our friends, the Lees, and the Sieberts, for allowing Grace to join them for the day!

The first stop we made was at Emeryville's IKEA. I love that store! We had so much planned for the day that we skipped the showrooms, and went straight for the goods. Afterwards, we went to Pier 39 for lunch. Jason and I have visited San Francisco so many times, in particular, Fisherman's Wharf, yet we had never actually been on the pier. We stopped by the candy store for some saltwater taffy, went to see the sea lions, and then had lunch on the pier.

From there, we walked to Ghiradelli Square for dessert. Yum!

The rest of the afternoon was spent at the Exploratorium. Don and Lavonne had never been there. It was fun, being little kids again, exploring, and playing around. We only wanted to go there to have fun, but left actually feeling like we "learned."

After it closed, we went for a walk on the grounds.

The Palace of Fine Arts is amazing. We found a bench and just sat- it felt so peaceful. This was the perfect way to end our visit with Don and Lavonne. They're heading off to Pismo Beach for one more week of relaxation before heading back up to the "Great White North." We truly are grateful for such wonderful friends, and already miss them greatly!

Don & Lavonne

We are soooo excited that our close friends, Don and Lavonne Harms are here visiting for a week. They arrived on Sunday night after a long day of traveling. It's so great to be able to spend time with them. We have missed them so much, yet when we're together, it feels as if they had never left (Don and Lavonne currently live in Winnipeg). I've made two Vietnamese meals for them- before they left almost two years ago, I hadn't ventured into trying to make anything Vietnamese. I have never made as much Vietnamese food as I have in these last two weeks. Anyway, on the first night, I made them a pretty simple meal- Lemongrass Chicken with Rice. The next night, we had a Vietnamese-style fondue, where each person cooks their own beef and shrimp in butter (yup, nice and healthy), then wrapped in rice paper, with rice noodles, lettuce, tons of herbs, and bean sprouts. They are then dipped into a spicy dipping sauce (made of fish sauce). It was fun- this meal brought back memories of when I was a kid and we'd have this meal on special occasions. There would be so many people that no table was big enough. We all sat cross-legged on the floor with everything in the middle. Back then, the meats were mainly cooked in rice vinegar, not butter. Of course, I prefer butter!!!

Last night, Lavonne insisted that I not do any school work (that in itself is a big deal), and we played games all night. After rounds of Pick 4 (Thao & Peter- we've introduced this game to soooo many people!), and Perpetual Commotion (aka Dutch Blitz or Nertz), we ended the night playing... Life: the Star Wars version. I actually bought the game for my 5th graders at a thrift store, but keep forgetting to bring it to school. I don't know why, but we were cracking up the whole time. It took us quite a while to figure out how to actually play the game. Everything just seemed so funny, especially when Jason put in his Star Wars Soundtrack. (And no, we weren't "drinking" anything)! It neared midnight when the game finally ended. Jason was a Sith Lord, and both Don & Lavonne became Jedi Knights. I was too tired to finish the game. I guess you can say I dropped out of Jedi training.

Belated Vietnamese New Year Lunch

After having to cancel last Sunday's Vietnamese New Year dinner due to Gracie being sick, we were able to get together today with our small group and our families today for lunch. The neat thing about our small group is that we all have young kids who get along really well. After the kids finished eating, they went off and played while the adults talked. Jason and I prepared Spring (Imperial) Rolls) and Grilled Beef Skewers with Lemongrass, which were eaten with rice noodles. It was a nice, but short lunch, since it soon became apparent that all of the kids needed naps! Joining us today were: the Lees, the Sieberts, the McCrearys (minus Brian- he couldn't make it), and new friends, the Cos.

Chopsticks and Fork

Last week, I mentioned how celebrating Vietnamese New Year's helps me to embrace my heritage. Being Vietnamese is part of my identity. I often think about Gracie and wonder what I can do to help her grow up with a healthy identity of her own. In our society nowadays, it's so easy to just gloss over everything, and assume that we live in an age where people are accepted no matter what ethnic backgrounds they come from. It's ideal, but not reality. I can't tell you how many times I've been asked by people if Gracie is mine. I am well aware that for the rest of my life, I will be asked that question. There is nothing that could cause me to reflect on my identity and who I am more than when a person questions whether or not my daughter is mine, simply because of how she looks. I've often been told that Gracie looks like her dad. Does she really look like Jason, or is it because she doesn't have distinct Asian features so people naturally think she doesn't look like me? I don't want Gracie to grow up feeling like she has to decide between two cultures: her mom or her dad's. Or, that since she's multi-racial, that she doesn't have a cultural background to call her own. There are so many stereotypes that she is going to have to come to terms with. In a book I read last year about raising multi-racial kids, some "mixed kids" often feel "mixed up." Being told that a person is part of one thing and part of another often makes them feel as if they aren't "whole." We're going to try and help Gracie understand that she is fully Vietnamese and fully white/Mennonite. She is a whole person. We're going to try and introduce her to as much of our cultures as we can. From her mom's culture, that includes learning how to use chopsticks.

Gracie embracing her cultural identity: chopsticks AND fork

A Day in a 5th Grade Teacher's Life

Since this blog is supposed to give you daily updates about what goes on in our lives, I'll share with you about my day yesterday. Our 5th grade team took our classes on a daytrip to Sacramento to tour the Capitol, discover Old Town Sacramento, and explore the Railroad Museum. My day started at 4am. I was responsible for picking up breakfast from school for our classes. Afterwards, I went to pick up two of my students from their homes, and we headed to Fresno's Amtrak station. Yup, we traveled to Sacramento via Amtrak. It was my first time on Amtrak, and it was rather uneventful. Well, I didn't get sick (those of you who really know me, know that's a big deal)!!!. Our tour of the Capitol was great- we all learned a lot, and my kids really enjoyed it. In fact, they were still regurgitating facts to me today as if I hadn't been there with them at all yesterday. I was so fortunate to have 15 chaperones join us (26 kids). That meant that most parents only had to chaperone their own kid, and maybe an additional student. For a daytrip out of town, I couldn't have asked for better! I didn't assign any kids to me, so I was able to go back and forth between all of the kids. There were a lot of things happening in Sacramento yesterday, so after the tour, everyone went off on their own to have lunch. My grade level partners and I had lunch at this place called Cafe New Orleans in Old Town Sacramento. I can't recommend it based on the meal I had (Etoufee or something- similar to Jambalaya but really runny and flavorless), but the others enjoyed their meals. Most of us met up again at the Railroad Museum. I must say, I was surprised at how much my class enjoyed this museum. It was pretty interesting. We had everyone meet us at Sacramento's Amtrak station at about 4pm, and headed back to Fresno. After driving several kids home, I walked through the door at 8:30pm. Needless to say, I was fast asleep the minute my head hit the pillow. All in all, it was a great day! I never would've been able to do anything like this if I was still teaching 1st grade. Yet another reason why I'm happy to be teaching 5th grade this year!

Chuc Mung Nam Moi! (Happy New Year!)

Today is Vietnamese New Year! Around this time of year, I often get really homesick. Last year, we decided to use this special occasion to help me "remember my roots," and embrace my Vietnamese heritage. We had our first celebration last year. Traditionally, Vietnamese Tet takes place over several days. For this year's celebration, we decided to ring in the Year of the Pig with a two-day affair. Unfortunately, Gracie has been sick and she's gotten worse, so we're going to have to postpone today's dinner celebration until next week. Pictures of that dinner will be posted at a later time.

(Julie and Diane were hard to see in the first picture, but here they are. And Jason took the picture so he's not visible. By the way, have you heard about Julie and Rod's news?... Just kidding! That little one Julie is holding is Diane & Filipe's new son)

Last night, we had some friends come over to feast on some Asian dishes. I made a Vietnamese Chicken Salad, a Spinach & Watercress Stir-Fry, and Spring Rolls (Imperial). My mom is well-known for her Spring Rolls. Of course, nothing could compare with Mom's, but look, Mom! How did I do?

Several people contributed to our meal. Adam made Beef with Chiles, and Spicy Shrimp. Both of those dishes were so fiery, we joked that the party favors should have been heartburn medicine. Katie and Chad brought Pork Skewers, and Jamie brought a Cashew-Pineapple Chicken dish. To finish off, Adam made a Banana Tapioca Soup, and Jason prepared some Vietnamese coffees.

It was a great time! Thank you again for helping me celebrate!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Gracie's New Dollhouse

Grandma came over last night and among the many things she brought with her was a new dollhouse for Gracie. I tried so hard to get Gracie to look up while she was playing, but she was pretty stubborn. Sorry, these are the only pictures that came out.

On another note, remember in the last post how I mentioned that Gracie had yet to to color on the walls? Well, it was bound to happen, right? Not only did she color on the walls this past week, but she used markers... and they weren't our walls! She colored on our friends' walls!!! Aaghh!! My jaw dropped when I saw the scribbles all the way down their hallway. She was in charge of cleaning it up- thank goodness they were washable markers and easily wiped away. Will we be so lucky next time? Probably not. (Sorry again, Russ & Alison!)

Cra-nons

Gracie has discovered a love for coloring. We have plenty of coloring books for her, but she prefers to color on blank pieces of paper. She seems to have a thing for "circles" and always asks us to draw them for her. She scribbles wonderfully, and has even "decorated" her own table and chairs. She hasn't thought of coloring the walls or other furniture (yet), but she has tried coloring herself (it was very weird- I went to change her diaper and when she lifted up her shirt, her belly area was all green. It took me a few minutes to figure out what had happened. So, if you were wondering if crayons can color skin, the answer is yes.)
One of the first things she'll do when we get home every day is run towards her table yelling, "Cra-nons!" She can spend a lot of time just sitting and coloring. This last week, Jason's mom came over for dinner, and of course Gracie spent some quality time coloring with Grandma.