The Island Sojourner

The kids at home

2008-11-24T22:35:00.002+07:00

Ian with family

2008-10-23T21:39:00.003+07:00

Introducing Ian Strider Crane

2008-10-23T21:32:00.002+07:00

Relating to the desa

2008-08-02T23:31:00.002+07:00

In Indonesian, the word "desa" means "village." Even though we live in a city of maybe 500,000 (hard to know exactly how many post-tsunami), some have called this place a "mega-desa." In so many ways, it is. Having grown up in Bangkok, city of 12 million, give or take a couple of million, and then spending the 6 1/2 years prior to moving here in San Francisco, I would call myself a city girl. I thus find it a struggle often when trying to relate to some of my neighbors here. I really WANT to relate to them, but find myself tongue-tied at times, in large part because the direction of the conversations (aka, the questions fired at me by one and all simultaneously) are so completely unexpected.

Today, for example, I took Jaden for a walk, where we met some neighbors we had not met before. After they ascertained that I spoke Indonesian (none of them were English speakers), the questions came fast and furious. Not too far into the conversation came the question as to what type of contraception my husband and I used. I shouldn't have been surprised, I suppose, as I've gotten that question before, just generally not during the very first meeting. They then proceeded to ask me why I hadn't brought some of it for them, because they were sure it must work better than theirs. "The pill makes us fat," they said. I explained that this sometimes happens in America, too. "Can't you bring us some of yours?" Well, no, I didn't exactly stock a supply for a village. Somehow this seemed to not make any sense to them. And the fact that it didn't make any sense to them didn't make any sense to me. And this is how I often feel in the middle of the conversations ... a vague feeling of having completely lost a connection with any type of logic that I recognize.

Reflections on Thailand family vacation

2008-07-17T14:54:00.002+07:00

This was our largest attempt at a Kinnison family vacation abroad. 12 of us (the three of us, Mom, Dad, my brother, his wife and 2 kids, my aunt, cousin and cousin's boyfriend) all traveled to Phuket in southern Thailand to enjoy a week at a resort. Unfortunately, several illnesses managed to make their way through almost everyone, causing at least one or two of us to be less than 100% every day of the vacation.

The last time I was in Phuket was 1997 and things have really changed. The main beach area (Patong) now has multiple Starbucks, as well as lots of higher end restaurants. It's also crawling with people, and this was the off season. We took a boat trip out to some of the outlying islands, including Phi Phi, one day, and I was stunned at the number of tourists zipping all over the place in large speed boats. It's still beautiful, but snorkeling with 20 people around you somehow lacks something (I think the fish are more aggressive these days, too; one nipped my aunt!). Part of that little tour was a visit to the beach where "The Beach" was filmed. I definitely recognized it from the movie, but any trace of the movie's mysterious, secluded island was long gone. I think you could barely have found a spot to lay down on that beach. Speed boats filled up the bay. Something about us Americans causes us to want to experience nature in a more solitary manner, and these parts of southern Thailand definitely no longer offer that.

So, being with family was fun, the resort we stayed at was nice (and more off the beaten path, thank goodness), but I'd have a hard time recommending Phuket to anyone looking to experience peace and quiet in a beautiful tropical setting. I guess you might find it if you went even further out to more rustic islands. You definitely have to look harder these days.

Family vacation in Phuket

2008-07-16T16:13:00.004+07:00

Hanging out with elephants in Thailand

2008-07-14T23:10:00.003+07:00

2008-07-14T22:56:00.002+07:00

Everyday life

2008-05-31T11:25:00.002+07:00

2008-02-10T21:27:00.001+07:00

2008-02-10T21:18:00.001+07:00

2008-02-10T21:07:00.001+07:00

2008-02-09T21:36:00.000+07:00

Normal Life

2008-01-28T21:34:00.000+07:00

The holidays are behind us and we’re trying to focus now on … well, just normal life, I guess. Putting grass into our yard (that’s been quite a project for the poor workers who have continued shoveling gravel in the midst of major downpours the last two days!) so that Jaden will have somewhere to play. Most kids in our neighborhood play in the street, which is not exactly wide with lots of speed bumps or “children playing” signs! There are some ways in which we want to contextualize our lives here, but other things are simply not an option, and sending our kid to play in the street (something we joke about in the U.S.!) is one of the non-options. Instead, once the grass is in, we’ll probably have the entire neighborhood in our yard. We’ll see if we don’t regret putting grass in by the end …

Other non-options – giving our child sweets any time he fusses, never taking anything out of his hand that he wants, chasing him around with spoonfuls of food. I don’t know how often we have horrified locals when we let him express his displeasure during his nap and didn’t go pull him out immediately. It’s akin to child abuse here, I think, but Jaden would never nap otherwise. We did have to simply abandon his nap the other day when some locals were over for a meeting and he was particularly set against sleeping. Michael said he could see the pain on the faces of our friends!

Overall, Jaden is doing well and so are we. The extrovert in him serves him very well here, and everyone wants a piece of him. To be shy and white here would not be a good combination, so we’re grateful for his outgoing nature.

ahh, Thailand

2008-01-03T21:04:00.000+07:00

57 degrees F in the tropics! Who would have thunk it?? I think I've spent warmer Christmases in Alabama! We're enjoying our time here in Chiang Mai now, although the colder temps were actually in Nan, where my (Karen's) parents live.

Jaden seems somewhat confused by this cold weather. As his lips were turning a pale shade of blue earlier, he had a look that seemed to say, "What's wrong with me?!" Apparently he has yet to develop the appreciation we have for it.

Besides the cold weather, I have to say that each successive trip back to Thailand serves only to highlight for me the wonderful qualities of this country. Perhaps it's living in Banda Aceh that causes my heightened level of appreciation. Well, I guess I could say it's DEFINITELY living in Banda Aceh that's affected that! Chiang Mai in particular has made an art of capturing "Thai" and packaging it for western consumption. That sounds very ... materialist, capitalist, shallow, etc., and maybe it is, but, nonetheless, at the end of the day, it's awfully appealing. Check it out yourself, and you'll probably agree with me!

Opening Presents

2008-01-03T09:13:00.000+07:00

Watering the Garden (...and Jaden)

2008-01-02T23:01:00.000+07:00

An Escape Attempt

2008-01-02T22:52:00.000+07:00

Since we weren't letting Jaden out, he figured he would find his own way outside.

A little playground in KL

2007-12-31T11:57:00.001+07:00

Time with old friends in KL

2007-12-31T11:48:00.000+07:00

2007-11-12T11:42:00.000+07:00

Culinary Delights in Penang

2007-10-28T16:27:00.000+07:00

Malaysia is my favorite place to eat! It could be because Malaysia is the culinary playground of my childhood. Whether it was the steamy piles of flavor on a banana leaf at an Indian restaurant, a deliciously greasy roti chanai soaked in curry washed down by a thick glass of coffee, or Hainanise chicken rice smothered in chili sauce the eating was fabulous.

On a recent trip to Malaysia, the tradition lives on. The chicken rice was just as I remembered. Succulent pieces of chicken splayed over rice cooked in chicken broth topped off with a sweet chili sauce. I had a breakfast of two roti chanai with egg and strong coffee for less than a dollar. Chicken biryani was the perfect comfort after a day of travelling. And the banana leaf restaurant still remains on of the world’s best kept secrets.

The Penang hawker stands are famous. People make sacrifices to sit on a flimsy plastic stool and slurp the stir-fried creations of each booth. I had heard about Penang Laksa and wanted to give it a try. The flavors were intense, almost too intense. It was as if the cilantro was at war with the lemon grass in my bowl. For my money, the creamy, cholesterol-laden laksas of Singapore or northern Thailand still win the day.

Growing up, our family would occasion the hawker stalls in Kuala Lumpur. All of the sights and sounds that might be new or even shocking to the average westerner was old hat for me. What was unique, however, was the man walking around with a tray of sushi. Or the stall serving up burgers and fries. My first response was that these outsider foods don’t belong here! It is an offense to the great foods of Malaysia to piddle with these other foods. But, as I mulled over this, the thought occurred to me that the thing that makes Malaysian food so great is the incessant drive to experiment, improve, tweak, and explore the infinite number of possibilities. I have lived in a number of places and in many of those places the majority of people want their food the way it has always been. The culinary imagination is stunted. So, I appreciate even the entrance of outsider foods because it tells me that Malaysians have not stopped their quest for exquisite eating.

The Quirkiness of a Pluralistic Society

2007-10-24T21:24:00.001+07:00

These pictures were taken in downtown Penang.

A Trip up a Hill

2007-10-24T08:39:00.000+07:00

On our vacation, we went up to the summit of Penang Hill. Upon reaching the apex of the peak via vernicular (sp?) train we were stuck in a torrential downpour. Our cab driver/meteorologist thought the rain would blow through pretty quickly. This was not the case, every five minutes the rain seemed to step it up a notch. Half way up the hill, we had to switch trains. There was still enough of a view at this time, thus the picture.

On the trains going up and down, however, were an amazing variety of people. There were representatives of at least four different continents and at minimum five major religio-cultural worldviews. Even though Jaden was visibly a little sick, every one loved him and played with him. One man, with good intentions, slipped him a Mentos before we could stop him. We just prayed that Jaden would chew this little choking hazard very thoroughly. Thankfully, he did.

Jaden's First Real Playground Experience

2007-10-24T08:00:00.001+07:00

While we were on a short little vacation in Penang, Malaysia we had occasion to take Jaden to a playground. The place we live does not boast much in the way of playgrounds. Jaden had a great time exploring and especially enjoyed the thing on the left (I don't what to call that thing).

Potential Leaders of the Future

2007-10-12T09:39:00.000+07:00

These are some of our students that hope to study abroad. When they return, they will be leaders in their respective field and perhaps in the government.

It feels like a real neighborhood

2007-09-25T09:38:00.000+07:00

A few days ago we felt the whole house rattling. Was it an earthquake? No, it felt different from that. It was a steamroller going down our little gravel lane. The days leading up to Ramadan (the Muslim fasting month) and now during Ramadan, they have been paving roads furiously. One day a truck came by and sprayed tar all over our stream-rolled gravel, but then nothing else happened. Walking or driving out onto our street involved stepping on warm tar. Then, yesterday, they finished the job with asphalt and several runs with a steamroller.

Our house had the feel of being just outside of the city we live in (even though it isn't). We don't have an address at our house, city water doesn't come our neighborhood, and we could only be accessed by narrow gravel roads. Now, with fresh pavement, we feel like we in a legitimate neighborhood...kind of.

Now if we could just get broadband internet:).

Enjoying the pool with Uncle Chris

2007-08-17T08:52:00.001+07:00

Hanging with Grandma, Grandbaba and Aunt Bekah

2007-08-17T08:34:00.001+07:00

Black eyes, garlic and such

2007-08-17T08:23:00.001+07:00

Hanging with Grandmom and Granddad

2007-03-26T21:49:00.000+07:00

Good times in Thailand

2007-03-26T21:25:00.000+07:00

The Lil Slugger

2007-03-10T20:31:00.000+07:00

Here are a couple of pictures of Jaden in his spring training uniform.

Jaden's First Real Food

2007-03-07T19:36:00.000+07:00

Jaden is not sure about his baby cereal, but he enjoys sitting at the table with mommy and daddy.

Family Photo

2007-03-07T19:31:00.000+07:00

Time in the village

2007-01-05T10:19:00.000+07:00

This is us visiting in one of the villages we have helped in. The little girl next to Karen belongs to the family that received the house we are sitting in.

Jaden is popular in the village.

Christmas at Home

2007-01-05T10:06:00.000+07:00

Jaden's Grandparents visited for the holidays. Jaden loved the extra attention.

Happy with his Christmas wear from his other Grandparents and Aunt
kl

Gettin' to know the ladies

2006-09-19T14:37:00.000+07:00

He is still content with a little bit of arm and leg flailing - a budding gymnast?

"Four score and seven years ago ..." - he's perfected the classic speech gesture early in life.

Jaden is getting to meet a couple of girls that were born around the same time he was here in Chiang Mai. It turns out that he still needs some work on his social skills.

A budding scholar

2006-09-14T11:36:00.000+07:00

Step 1) Learning shapes and colors. Step 2) Mastering theological treatises.

Where's Jaden? The yellow camouflage almost worked.

Bonding with Granddad.

Days of life in double digits

2006-09-07T15:47:00.000+07:00

Jaden received his full fledge sponge bath last night. As you tell, he enjoyed it immensely. His little bath towel says "I love daddy." But, apparently, not right now.

Here we have a little comparison of Jaden's hand compared to mine. He has itty bitty hands, but still manages to yank on my goatee pretty good.

Here he is back in his little duck outfit again. He is gonna love this picture when he is a teenager.

One of Jaden's favorite sleeping positions is with his hindquarters sticking up in the air like a weather sock.

A little duck outfit

2006-09-01T20:53:00.000+07:00

Nothing could wake Jaden up today. We tried to get a passport photo of him today and we could not get him to open his little eyes. Now tonight he will be awake and hungry all night.

Jaden hit the town of Chiang Mai in his new little duck outfit.

And more pictures of Jaden

2006-08-31T09:52:00.000+07:00

Jaden is starting to get a little adventerous, scrambling around on Daddy.

He is having a little bonding time with mom. Even though mom is absolutely exhausted, she has warm glow around him.

He is not always peaceful.

Looks like little Jaden is going to enjoy playing peekaboo a little later in life.

More Pictures of Jaden Benjamin Crane

2006-08-30T22:37:00.000+07:00

To be swaddled is to be king.

Our first family photo with Jaden.

Welcome to the Island Sojourner Blogsite!

2006-08-30T22:15:00.000+07:00

The arrival of our first child inspired the creation of this blog. I will cut to the chase and post a picture of Jaden.

Jaden was born on Monday, August 28, 2006 at 11:42 pm. This picture was taken two days later when we brought him back from the hospital in Chiang Mai.