Driving lesson

We signed the kids up for Driver's Ed this week...

And the Winner is...

Bethany kept us on the edge of our seat by not asking for sentences with the words "will" ("Is that a name?" she asked. "Yes, or a verb," was the answer) and "plain" but still she made it out victorious from the first and second grade spellers at school! We'll have more from her after school!

On The Outside Looking In

Can you see that kid? It's our neighbor (a Korean kid) that likes to stand in the street and watch cartoons.

A Looming Crisis

"Everybody makes mistakes, everybody has those days." So says the immortal poet and semi-Kentuckian Hannah Montana. (Editor's note: if you don't know who Hannah Montana is OMIGOSH!)

At any rate, we have been watching Season 2 of "24" the Fox series. We watched a couple of episodes Sunday afternoon then when we were returning the disc to the little case, we realize we have TWO copies of disc 1 but NO copy at all of disc 4. We didn't realize it but we have actually be watching "20" because 4 hours are missing. They are like the Watergate tapes!!

Of course, our first reaction was, "No way ... we got these at WAL-MART! These aren't bootlegs, these are the real deal." And they really are. Except "Fa real dough we ain't got all the discs" (as they say in Louisville). So we'll have to go to the bootleg store and try to find 7-11 (the hours on disc, not the store which is called Tujuh-Sebelas around here)!!



Now don't be a spoiler. We know you probably watched season 2 five or six years ago and know how it goes. Just wanted to make the point that sometimes everyone is wrong. Even Wal-Mart.

More complicated

The major difference between living in the US and living overseas (at least over the sea we live near) is that everyday stuff is just more complicated. Not un-doable ... it just takes more time and effort. Drinking water comes from a filter and not the tap. Popcorn involves a pan and oil not a microwave. Washing dishes involves your hands and a not machine. Cornbread requires baking soda and powder and corn flour and wheat flour not Martha White. And biscuits require buttermilk, shortening, and yeast.

The funny thing is you get a much greater sense of accomplishment when you put a little more into it. I know because I made my first batch of cornbread this week. It was (almost) great. It would've been helped in a serious way if we had the cast iron skillet that was broken during transit last fall.

Maybe the thing we realize now that we didn't realize before was just how much easier life was in KY. Not easy by any stretch of the imagination but things just go a bit smoother and almost always like you expect. Or at least in a way that seems understandable. Now when we see something that just seems extremely crazy we just look at each other and say, "Well, of course it would be THAT way."

Of course, not everything is harder. A guy delivers bread to the door every morning. Someone else the filtered water. Another guy vegetables, still another fruits. Even strawberry delivery guy just came by ... but they still need to be washed three times and soaked for 10 minutes before you can eat them:-)!

Wii are back in business!!

After 250 trips to the store, a few weeks, two new cords, and 250 trips to the store Wii are back in action! Here is how it all shook out. We bought a new power cord and got electricity going, we had sound but no video. So we took the Wii to the store and tried it with a component cord and it worked! So we knew it was the A/V cable.

Monday we took the cable and it tested fine. The guy said to bring the Wii back and test it. Which we had already done and knew the machine was working. But finally Wednesday we loaded it ALL up and took it back to the store. At the store we hooked up our cable and our Wii to their TV but it didn't work ... AAARRRRGGHHHH!!!

So we tried a cable with audio and S-video separate and it worked! Hurray! Except our TV doesn't have component OR S-video. But the TV we borrowed while our was broken does have S-video so we are at least back to playing again. It must be that the analog video out is bad but the digital video out is OK (but I am no tukang servis).

These photos were taken in the "computer lab" just before a bunch of crying broke out and we made everyone turn it off for the night. It was a new record after being gone for weeks it was back for 10 minutes. You can see Bethany trying to make her case about some injustice and the difficulty brewing in her eyes.

How does Papa Ron's Pizza Taste??

This seems to be the question of the day. Pizza is just not pizza without PORK! You guys just don't realize how important pork is to your everyday life. The pig just doesn't get his credit. Just think about the "meat lovers" pizza(which is a Davis favorite). You have sausage, pepperoni, bacon, ham, canadian bacon, pork yang lain. You just can't find that here. Contoh(example): We had a rare Friday night without 2 of the 3 kids. We decided to order Pizza Hut and eat it on the couch in front of the TV while watching The Bourne Identity. We ordered a Craig favorite- Supreme, and a Angie favorite-Meat Lovers. Oh we were so excited about it. Just remembering how good it tastes. Then the motorcycle arrives with our hot, fresh, pizza. We poured our drinks and settled in for a great night of movie watching. Imagine the horror of discovering the meat lovers was topped with what appeared to be little hot dogs chopped into little circles, and other things that we didn't really recognize. It was not at all what we expected. Now back to the original thought: how does Papa Ron's taste? Pretty good actually. It was much better than the hot dog topped pizza from Pizza Hut. The only thing wrong was we tried to explain that we would like a small amount of tomato sauce, but instead what we got was ketchup on top instead of tomato sauce. There is a difference. Oh well...... when our language improves, maybe we can get light sauce.

Revenge of Full Shmull

This is a shot from after lunch on Sunday. Ours is the blue vehicle that has TWO cars parked behind it. You see, you just block people in and then when someone wants to leave they come in and ask you to move.

Those of you in KY may notice the pizza place was called "Papa Ron's" what you may not realize it that it shows your ethnocentrism that you think its a rip-off of Papa John's based in Louisville. Obviously, Papa Ron's here was first. I mean, really, Papa JOHN'S who would ever believe that?!?

spelling bee top 100!

I'm the first place winner of the spelling bee in our class! I'm so exited and nerves at the same time. I hope I do good!

Thanks for reading

We found this new widget that maps where folks who read our blog live. Everyday we check a page that shows us your flags but we thought it would be cool to let you know what you are a part of. I especially like the fact that it flashes while folks are on! You think the Red Sox nation is big? You guys are everywhere!!

Now we know we have some friends in some places they'd rather not broadcast so if you HATE this idea, let us know and we'll rethink it. Just drop us a message craigandangiedavis@gmail.com and let us know about your objection. Did you ever know so much information about who you are and what you do on-line is available?!? Although I do suspect some folks are using the little programs that make your IP address bounce around so no one knows from whence you surf. Or maybe we just have readers in Estonia!

Again, thanks so much for reading and we hope your enjoy our insights and drama about video games and the like. If you find your town in a blue star, drop a comment and make your claim to fame.

Good news on the horizon?

Yesterday I finally called for some help for our TV/Wii situation. I placed the called at 9:30 but unfortunately the guy couldn't come "until 11". So after waiting ANOTHER whole hour, these two guys rolled up on a motorcycle. They took apart the TV and said they could fix the sound and input on the back for $40.

Then they checked out the Wii power supply. It turns out that thing has some special screws which are no match for two guys with needle nose pliers and screwdrivers. He checked out the inside of the Wii power supply and said it was broken. So during our Valentine date went to the mall and believe it or not they HAD ONE with the local plug end for $9.

When we got home we plugged it in and WOW the power came on. We turned on the right TV channel and we had sound but still no video. But we could hear the game starting and noise being made and feel the remote shaking. Today we spent some time looking around for the Wii to TV adapter A/V cable thing which we couldn't find.

We are thisclose to some good news. Wii'll keep you posted!!!

BTW, these guys said the TV would take "2 or 3 days" but it turned out to be less than 24 hours and we are rolling again for just $40!

AND these actions photos were taken by Hudson so no one would get mad for us taking pictures.

Dingin Sekali!!

I know you think its cold where you live. But is DINGIN SEKALI DI SINI (very cold here). This is from Friday morning. Can you see that?!? 69 degrees! If that is not bad enough around here "the wind gets in" your body and then you get "the flu". Right now not too far from the equator my poor toes are cold and my neighbors all have the flu from the wind getting in.

Is that how its supposed to be in the tropics? NO! And you know whose fault it is? GLOBAL WARMING! ARRRGGGGHH and Alas your cans of hairspray!! The people of the past have doomed me to cold toes and frosty non-tropical Februarys.

Who can save me? John McCain or Hillary? Obama? Al Gore certainly could save us if he were here. Borat? Maybe Joel Osteen? Or maybe I should just put some thicker socks on. Nah, personal responsibility is overrated...

Full Shmull

This is a typical parking garage at a typical mall. The awesome thing is that the garages are never full. Now I don't mean all the spaces are never full. Its like that ALL THE TIME. I mean even when its full, its not "full". You just drive around the 'SORRY--We're FULL' sign and go in anyway.

Then a guy shows you where to park (along with much shouting and whistle blowing) then you get out and leave you car in neutral. Right-O. You leave it out of gear. So that when other folks need to go home, they can just push your car out of the way! Isn't that dangerous ... err ... I mean, ingenious?



That is what this cool guy is doing. Pushing a car out of the way so we can go home! If you look inside that awesome blue piece of machinery and listen carefully you can almost hear Angie saying, "Would you please sit down and buckle up?!?"

The garages here are like that lots of times, almost every weekend; but the worst part is the elevators. If the garages are like this the elevators have to be worse, right? RIGHT! So once we found out how cheap the valet is we use it often.

At one mall we can easily wait 15 minutes for the elevator after looking 20 minutes for a parking spot. Or we can pay 50 cents and have the valet do all that! That IS amazing! And helps the economy, too...

Fitting in...

Well, it seems we are fitting in a bit better. In one way at least. Friday when we left for the puppet factory we got to the car when we all decided it was freezing and at least I (Craig) and Hudson needed long sleeve shirts. We checked the temp outside and it was 71!!!

This morning we are going through our routine wishing for some slippers for my cold toes and wondering about this cold weather. When I just checked it was 72.5. Now we understand why the people say its always cold here.

Maybe the sun will come out and warm us up. (Special for those of you in KY ... just because its going to be 14 there tonight, don't think you are colder than we are. Cold is all relative ... well, no forget that. You guys ARE freezing! Sorry!!)

Update--Hudson just woke up and said, "Its too cold in here." But he still wants to wear shorts today...

Puppet Factory

Friday we took advantage of the holiday break by visiting a couple of puppet factories. Well, one was like a factory and one was a man and wife making and selling puppets from their home. Here are some of the puppets. You can see some of the Indian influence that has been in the area here for 1,000 years. Most of the puppet shows are based on Hindu legends but have been mixed with some local traditions.

These are at the actual factory. They had 20 or so folks working, doing painting carving, sewing, etc. If you notice they are girl, boy, boy, girl, boy. Notice the different shirts. Their faces look the same. Behind the "good" guys are some "bad" guys!



These are from the Mom and Pop operation. We bought from them liking to support the little guy and because they let two of our kids use their bathroom :-). The Pop even stopped smoking and acted like he was painting for a photo (which turned out to dark to see AARRGGGHHH!) Not a tremendous difference in the puppets themselves.


This is more traditional and modern. The modern don't have white faces or painted bodies. They also have a differently shaped face. We liked the face that was not so much like a smurf or something. The white face all seems to run together (at least that is what they say here...HA!)


Finally some good guys and bad guys. Notice the nice features of the front row and how their heads are bowed in humility. Then check the exaggerated features and mean looks of the back. Wouldn't it be nice if the bad guys were so easy to spot in real life?


When the Mom was wrapping up our Prince Arjuna puppet I explained she didn't have to wrap it for shipping since we weren't tourists and live here. She didn't buy it, though, as local people don't buy these puppets she said. They just go see the shows! Here I am with our $11 prince.

Happy New Year (Take 3)

We had our third new of 2008 this week (Jan 1, Islamic, and Lunar/Chinese). We went to a local mall for some festivities. Its not our favorite mall but has an Ace Hardware and a Thai restaurant that we REALLY like.

One problem with our language is that the focus in school is on "formal" language like you'd use in business or as a college student speaking to his dean, something like that. Well, as is the case everywhere no one speaks formally. They speak "sehari-hari" or everyday language. The differences aren't huge but when you don't have much in the way of language skill, it matters.

Imagine at Wal-Mart, you see a person you know from Little League and you say, "Hey howsitgoin? Ya'll playin at Red Cross?" Or you see someone you know who is new to the country and say, "Hello. How are you? Will your son be playing baseball this summer?" The enunciation is different, you use a few different words. Maybe a "Hello, how are you?" As opposed to "Wuzgoinon?"

In-between is where miscommunication lies and where we live. We understand and can say lots of things like, "Good afternoon, sir." Just try to remember the last time someone greeted you with that one. I understand the strange looks I get from people when they say, "How are you?" and I respond, "Fantastic. How 'bout you?"

At any rate, what all that means is that when it was time for the Chinese Dragon thing---THE thing we came to see we didn't know where it was. We heard the DJ on the stage say something about the floor out back but things like "floor" and "out back" can be very fluid (as can things like "yesterday" and "cousin"). So we had no idea where to find the Dragon. We did see half the Dragon walk by and determined to follow him but then we ran into a friend who wanted us to watch with them.

We went from floor one (which of course is the "ground floor" and below floor #1) up to floor 3 (which is #2). There our friend asked a man crowded at the rail if this is where we could see the Dragon. "I don't know," he responded. Leaving me wondering why he was standing in a crowd by the rail.

But ALAS! you couldn't see the Dragon from there so we went back down to the GF where we were about 10 people deep from the show and completely unable to see. And THEN people started to crowd in and it got a little ... um ... cramped even by local standards. So we gave up. I did go and ask if it would be in the same spot next time but found out it would be moving around.

We did grab a glimpse of it on the GF while were were up on 2 or 3 (which, of course is 3 or 4). Here is what we saw:


Angie took this one at our first viewing attempt. Thankfully we are taller than all but the tallest folks here. And if you know how short we are that is saying something!!


This is what we looked like to the people across the mall from us. Except we are white and were yelling at our kids!


See the Dragon in this crowd? That gives you some feel of what the crowd was like and how overwhelming it can be in the midst of it!!


When you are inside there and loud music is playing I think even the nationals ask, "What did he just say?" That makes us feel a bit better. May your New Year be TRULY prosperous and not just a financial windfall!!

Americans just don't know how to celebrate stuff

Today we went to a party to celebrate the fact that two boys had been circumcised. Isn't that a great things to celebrate ... if it wasn't you?? Lots of folks were there. They had shut down the "lane" in front of their house (its only big enough for a motorcycle really). There were tents set up, a live band, and a ton of food.

At one point they started throwing rice, candy, and money. If you think bridesmaids are bad fighting for a bouquet, you ain't seen nothin' yet!!



Speaking of food this is Caleb with a guy serving up enough rice for the whole neighborhood ... they hope.



There is fish in there among the veggies. Careful, though, it still has its bones!



The lucky guys are the two little ones. The party was in their honor. Somehow we were being treated like family. We even got to eat first. Which had the reverse effect they hoped for. We ate very little and later I wished I had two plates full.



We dressed in our finest shirts. Angie just got hers on Wednesday. Doesn't she look great?!?

A look inside the party

Like I said there was a live band at the party today. This is their music with some of the pictures we took, too. It was a pretty good time. Lots better than we expected!

We Made It

Well the trip was really something, but we made it back and forth to the capital today. The big road has speed limits that range from 80-100 kilometers an hour (50-60 MPH). At one point I was thankful for some language skills since we were going 140 KMP (86 MPH). I never realized how helpful it would be to say, "A little slower, please."

It is really something to see a bus pass a car in the emergency lane. Yeah. That is how they roll here. Not enough space ... no big deal just make a lane. After driving around the capital for an hour we finally found the embassy 5 minutes before lunch and got our passports dropped off. Then we drove around for an hour trying to find the Chili's.

But then we found it!! A Chili's with nacho chips and salsa. They even had free refills and the Louisville-Marquette game on ESPN. We bought our meals and the plates came and they were HUGE. We could have all eaten off the plates Angie and I got. Have we gotten so used to it here that American portions seem to take on their actual size? Yeah, it seems we have. Most of it went by the wayside.

The big surprise of the day? Going to the embassy is not like in the movies. Lots of security and once you are inside its like being at the Social Security office in Bowling Green. The only benefit was that since we are US citizens we didn't have to wait in the long line of people wanting visas right after lunch.

So, none the worse for wear we did it. And can't wait to NOT do it again. You can have the capital ... its got about 9 million people too many for me!!

We're moving on up!!

Fun with markers

Hooray! markers are banished from the davis house! (not really, we might do this tomorrow too) =)