I want to wish a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year (happy holidays!) to my children and granddaughter in the United States -- and everyone else I know, have known, and will know. I don't like being away from my family in the U.S., whether they want to see me or not. I hope to get back there to live with Phuong and Joanna in the future. Until then, I hope to be blogging and raising my family in Kety, Poland. Who knows, maybe we'll settle there.
Oh yes, that reminds me. It looks like our family will be on the move. I've accepted a job teaching English in Kety, Poland, with a company called Face2Face. Now, the hard part begins. The CEO is working on getting a visa for Phuong to live in Poland. I'm extremely motivated to work there because I believe the CEO is a bright and compassionate woman, the small town of Kety near the border with the Czech Republic looks lovely, and the weather is cloudy and temperate. I have no doubts the students will be great. They were great in Vietnam and mucho (mas?) great in Peru. Face2Face uses the direct method, which may be challenging at first, but a motivated White Monkey has the ability to produce quality. Like I said, I'm motivated. The direct method uses only English, a question and answer format much of the time with lots of conversation, and no real grammar instruction ... to speak of (ha ha). Even though I've been referred to as Grammar John, I'm sure I'll adapt and deliver the best lessons I can.
If things don't work out with Phuong and the visa, I can't take the job because I can't separate the family. I've been down that road before and it doesn't work. And Joanna really needs her dad -- who else will stop her from walking on the kitchen table during meals and watching cartoons? I'll be extremely upset and disappointed if we can't move, but my wife and daughter and I will be together, and that's how it should be and will be. But I have the utmost confidence in the woman I'll be working for in Poland; I believe she can move mountains for Phuong.
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My lovely wife Phuong really enjoyed making kimchi in Seoul, and now she's making it for us at home in Vietnam. Phuong knows I like hot stuff, and she laid it on thick in the first batch. The White Monkey was swinging from the chandeliers. Well, we don't have chandeliers, but we have four bathrooms. Anyway, Phuong is a perfectionist -- worse than me -- and she's been tinkering with her recipe. Fantastic stuff and a fantastic wife.
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Our daughter Joanna has an amazing skill like every child. In a pile of 50 toys, she can find the one item she shouldn't have -- a pair of scissors, or nail clippers, or lotion. Why is that stuff with her toys? Because she puts it there, of course. She grabs the air conditioner remote and cranks up the fan. She still turns off the fan downstairs, where we need it. She still shakes her head no when we pray before meals, and I laugh because it's funny. In my pre-meal prayer, I sometimes thank God we don't go to church anymore because noisy, energetic, and full of life babies aren't welcome. Joanna still shakes her head no.Joanna has taken a shine to coffee. She loves the foam when I get cappuccinos and she'll sip regular coffee out of the mug and go "MMMMMM" like it's the best stuff she's ever had. Funny kid.
I mistakenly gave Joanna seaweed with wasabi. She loves the green seaweed that looks like a sheet of paper, and I thought that's what I was feeding her. Well, I was giving her the normal looking seaweed, but there was wasabi in it. I usually taste everything I give her, but I let this one pass because I thought it was regular seaweed. Anyway, Joanna ate it, and started crying. Not crazy crying, but crying. I gave her orange juice and water and she cooled off. Then, she sneakily reached for the wasabi-infused seaweed again, snagged a piece, cried again, drank again, and reached again. Kids are the greatest. No exciting Joanna news otherwise. She got Bluetooth headphones, a Mr. Microphone, and a clock for Christmas. She's still big and growing, smiles, fusses and talks more, and is communicating at a higher level every day. She's such a source of joy. She'll do well in Poland, no doubt, although she'll be dealing with yet another language. But so will Phuong and I.
I think we'll all enjoy Poland, if we can get there.
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If a handful of people read this blog, I should reach 30,000 hits all-time. Reader No. 30,000 gets a special prize: A collection of all my blogs I'm putting together (with photos). But since I'll have no idea who reader No. 30,000 is, never mind.
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