In just under two weeks we’ll celebrate our 1-year anniversary of our arrival in Medan. Hard to believe it’s been a year. Also hard to believe it’s only been a year! We’ve met a lot of people in this year, and continue to meet new folks regularly which is a joy and blessing. But there… Continue reading Goodbyes
Category: Change
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year from Indonesia! We celebrated Indonesian-style – by launching fireworks on the street outside our house. The din from fireworks going off all over the place throughout the city was impressive at midnight! We pray your New Year celebration is safe and happy!
Merry Christmas!
Moving to the other side of the world necessitates choices. What to take, what to leave behind? There was no shortage of advice from people on both sides of the world about what they found invaluable or what they realized they could do without. But at the end of the day we had to decide… Continue reading Merry Christmas!
Standing Out
We’ve been in country now for nearly 11 months. I’ve learned to ignore the stares (mostly) and turned heads from locals amazed at seeing a bule (Caucasian) way out here in Medan. We have routines of a sort, places we usually go, and after a while you stop thinking about it. This is partially necessary… Continue reading Standing Out
Happy 18th, Mika!
Hard to believe it, but our daughter turned 18 Saturday. Her birth was in Arizona, her first few birthdays were in St. Louis, fourteen of them were in California, last year she celebrated in Arizona again, and now in Indonesia. Instead of a birthday cake Gena made her a bunch of cinnamon rolls. I know… Continue reading Happy 18th, Mika!
Mika’s Birthday!
How can it be that our daughter is about to turn 18? It seems so improbable, such a long time in the making to be over in the blink of an eye. So Gena and I went out to get her birthday present. I thought the store was a short walk away from where we… Continue reading Mika’s Birthday!
Christmas in the Tropics
While I was gone the family was busy not just with visas but with preparations for Christmas. We were ecstatic to find out (back in September!) that Christmas decorations (including artificial Christmas trees) could be purchased in Medan. The kids were particularly excited to make the place feel a bit more festive for the Advent/Christmas… Continue reading Christmas in the Tropics
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch
As I was off traveling, the family needed to renew their visas. Currently because of travel we are staying in Indonesia courtesy of Visitor on Arrival visas. These are good for 30 days from the date of entry into the country, and can be renewed once for another 30 days. While there are other, more… Continue reading Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch
Thanksgiving I
Living overseas you know things will be different. You don’t always know which things or how they’ll differ, but you know in a general way life is going to be different. One of the more obvious differences is holidays. Each country and culture celebrates their own holidays. Some overlap, others don’t. Thanksgiving is one that… Continue reading Thanksgiving I
Fall in the Tropics
It’s that time of year again. Leggings. Sweaters. Scarfs. Hints of cool weather turning less subtle, leaves on the trees yielding to mortality in blinding beauty. Pumpkin spice…well…everything. It is that time of year, but you wouldn’t know it here. Same heat, same humidity, same sun, same rain – and palm trees are not deciduous,… Continue reading Fall in the Tropics
The Nelson Family Indonesia 