On the Edge

 

   A few things about Kaelen... she is smiling and goofy and silly all the time, EXCEPT for when anyone is taking a picture.  Then she immediately takes on a "sour grapes" face.  Also, she likes to get very close to the edges of mountains and cliffs (which we discovered on a trip to Hanging Rock State Park, which is one of Jon's family's favorite places).

Raisin' Em Right

   One of the things about being from North Carolina is to make sure you're fully convinced about the goodness of NC BBQ and also which you're partial to (Lexington or Eastern Style).

   So we've been making frequent stops to our local BBQ establishments to make sure the kids learn to appreciate it...

'MERICA

    Our kids haven't really been able to do some of the "American" experiences as they have grown up.  So during the summer months, we have tried to squeeze in a lot of things that were typically American (the good and the bad): national parks, hiking, road trips, Doritos, Chik-fil-A, a trip to the capital, cookouts, Apple fritters, etc.

Coonbert

    This little guy was wandering alone on the middle of a busy road.  One of our family members scooped him up before he got hit.  Before he was taken to the rescue shelter, Kaelen and Kenan got to spend a few hours with him.  They named him Coonbert.

 

Saying Goodbye

    Leaving Indonesia is always difficult for us.  A lot of people ask us how it is to be home.  But in reality, Indonesia has become home for us.  For our kids, they were born there and grew up there.  It's the only home they've known, so leaving is hard.

   Kaelen especially had a tough time saying goodbye to all her friends and teachers in Class 1.  There were a lot of tears and hugs and promises to send each other videos.


   Jaiden is also really established in terms of her studies, her friends, her extracurricular activities.      So the time in America is something that is not necessarily "looked forward to".

   Thanks to everyone who has been gracious to us as we're trying to adjust.

Three Globetrotters

   Way back in 2004, we named this blog threeglobetrotters.  Which originally meant Kristi, Jaiden, and Jon.  Now that has changed to mean Jaiden, Kenan, and Kaelen.  These three kids have really grown to enjoy traveling, adjusting to new settings, and finding out interesting stuff about the places we visit.
   This is a bad picture (our kids cannot seem to "just smile" in pictures).  However, the kids in the picture... they're pretty cool.

Bali United FC

   Kenan has been a big supporter of our local soccer team, Bali United FC.  Their games regularly attract 30,000 wild supporters.  We went to our first game a few weeks ago.  Kenan was happy to get in on the action.  It was a big 3-2 win for the home side.

   Bali United ended up coming in second place in the Indonesian Premier League, losing controversially to a team that is run by the national police force.

   Indonesian soccer games have a reputation for getting out of control.  Smoke bombs, firecrackers, and water bottle bombardment of opposing players are commonplace.  Sadly, one fan even died during an Indonesian Premier League game this year.

He's 9

   It's hard to believe, but Kenan turned 9 last month.  As you can see, he's getting really tall.

   Unfortunately, he has also become a ManU fan.

Tentara

   The military stationed in and around our city recently put some of their equipment and vehicles on display at the local park.  Interestingly enough, all the kids were allowed to get in to vehicles, hold guns, throw knives, etc.

   I am not sure how "safe" it was, but it was a good time.

Tentara means soldier...

Mud Wrestling

   Bali has a traditional form of martial arts that is very sophisticated and refined... mud wrestling.  Seriously.  Kenan's class took a trip to the rice fields to learn about mepantingan (mud wrestling).  Kenan loved it because he got to get really dirty and wrestle with his buddies.  Can you spot Kenan in the picture?

   (Remember you can click on the picture to make it bigger)

Kaelen's First Ride

   We don't really have any open, empty spaces near our house.  Mostly just small roads with lots of motorbikes and cars.  Even the little side street we live on has become increasingly busy over the years.  So Kaelen has always been a little worried about riding her bike (Jaiden's old bike) on our street.

   Recently, not long after her 6th birthday, she worked up the bravery to consistently practice riding her bike.  It didn't take long and now she is riding on her own.  In classic Kaelen style, she is a little too brave and confident in her abilities...  trying jumps, turns, and small trails without too much thought of crashing.

Photobomb

   We were in Australia to get our short-term visas, and Kenan really wanted to get his picture with the little plane that we had flown into Arnhem Land.  This was also one of the smallest airports we have ever been in (and we've been in some small ones).  Kenan had big plans for this shot, but unfortunately his sisters (and Mom) had other plans.

The Ride Home

    Kenan really wanted to ride his bike to a friend's birthday party.  It wasn't far from our house, and all five of us can't really fit on the motorbike anymore anyways, so we let him ride by himself.

   One of our neighbor's kids had a serious accident riding his bike out on the main road, so we've been extra cautious about it ever since.  We ended up staying at the birthday party longer than we thought, and it was dark by the time we were ready to go home.  Kenan's confidence faded due to his tiredness and a couple of motorbikes that zoomed past right as we were about to leave.

   So Jaiden reluctantly stepped in for the pinch hit.  The bike was too small for her, and she definitely didn't feel cool, but she wanted to help out her brother.  

   Kristi decided to record it.  It's quite embarrassing.  Two paranoid parents, one kid on an undersized bike, lots of instructions, and lots of laughing.  We're not proud of it, but we'll share it with you...

   The important thing is... she made it home in one piece. 

Packages

 



   Our kids love getting packages.  This happens a few times a year.  They love trips down to the post office when they know some Legos or dolls are waiting in a package.

   

Merry Christmas

  From our family to yours... Merry Christmas!

Champions

   Jaiden is a doer.  She is always up for a new book, a new challenge, a new sport, etc.  She started playing volleyball and got good at it pretty quick.  Her team made it to the finals and they faced an undefeated team.  Jaiden's team got more nervous and scared as they watched their opponent dominating everyone else in earlier rounds.

   But when their match started, Jaiden's team put the hammer down and won 2 games to 0.  Jaiden served to finish out the match.

 

Star of the Week!!

   Kaelen is a firecracker, a nonstop bundle of energy and talking.  She likes to talk... a lot.
   She is in Kindergarten.  Her teacher speaks Indonesian, and there is also a part time teacher come in 2 hours a day to speak English.
   The classroom is full of a mix of Indonesian and English conversations.  So Kaelen has been picking up lots of Indonesian.  Even funnier, she's learning to read, in English and Indonesian.  It's really fun to see her little brain differentiating between the two languages and her ability to switch in and out of a good Indonesian accent.
   She got an award last week (pictured on the left) for being active in class discussions and for her confidence in sharing ideas in Indonesian.
   I'm proud of my kid  :o)

Kaelen's Favorite

   Kaelen's favorite place to eat is, unfortunately, McDonald's.  It's been stated before on this blog that McDonald's is not famous for its burgers in Indonesia.  Their fried chicken is what draws everyone in...

   Kaelen's favorite is a chicken nugget happy meal, which costs about 29,000 rupiah (a little over $2.00).

   If she's been good, she sometimes gets an ice cream.  Although McD does offer a very tempting mango-chili pepper McFlurry, Kaelen goes with the traditional vanilla cone.

Jaiden's Favorite

   There is a Balinese dish called Betutu.  It is a chicken dish (sometimes duck) with a rich blend of spices and coconut and almost always has a super spicy sambal (salsa) served with it.
   It's really popular in Bali and is found all over the island.  Different regions of the island serve it in unique ways, which reminds me a bit of how NC BBQ is unique according to the region of the state you're in.

Cleaning the Plate

  Betutu is Jaiden's favorite, and she usually asks for extra sambal because Jaiden, and Kristi, somehow enjoy unnatural amounts of spiciness.

Kenan's Favorite

   Kenan loves roasted corn.  It's his favorite.  He talks about it quite a bit.  Although there are corn roasters all over our city, he doesn't get it as often as he'd like.
   Here it is usually served with a slathering of spicy, buttery sauce.  We've had some really bad stomach episodes from eating the spicy sauce, so now we just order it plain.
   Kenan is happy either way.  He finished this in about 90 seconds.