Lists Revisited

Before we came, we compiled a post of what we'd miss of Penang and what we were looking forward to in Canada.

Now we've been here over a month, this is what our lists look like:

What we miss of Penang:

1. Visits to the beach
2. Multilingual, multi-ethnic environment
3. Hot weather
4. Fruit
5. Consistent sunshine
6. Cheap yummy street food
7. Roti
8. Chicken rice
9. Biking as our transport
10. Uncomplicated dressing - it's always hot!
11. Tropical insect and bird calls
12. daily runs
13. Swimming
14. Train travel
15. Chinese school
16. Cheap airfares
17. Our friends
18. Chinese church
19. Needing tile floors to keep you cool
20. Home

What we're enjoying in Canada:

1. Baths
2. Sharing life with grandparents and other family
3. nature walks
4. Fall: colors, smells, crisp air with blue skies
5. Backyard bird feeders
6. Bunk beds
7. More time to do things
8. Free babysitting from family
9. Always clean air
10. Wide open wild spaces
11. "Real" school (Jasmin)
12. Participating in our home churches
13. Community activities
14. Quiet
15. Star gazing
16. Better quality assurance on purchases
17. Cheerios
18. Imma's cooking
19. Real milk and affordable dairy
20. Home

We weren't that far off in our lists...

Timidly Bold

...the perfect oxymoron for the only visitor to our bird feeders that stays long enough to get a decent photo!

 

 What else can be described as timidly bold?

Aiden on the "big kid's playground" joining in after school play

Random kids asking for underducks from "Aiden's mom"

Sidewalk poppy sellers

Hockey team fundraising door-to-door chocolate carriers

Tiny costumed candy seekers

Scared girl at parents'  bedroom door

Greeting new yet old friends with real questions

Inviting new friends home for lunch

Young ones looking longingly at Timbit box

Jasmin on her first day of local school? (on the 10th)

Ourselves approaching the Throne of Grace with a request?

October Experiences

Discovering Canadian Wildlife:

A huge toad found under a window...  there was great excitement about a new pet, but it escaped less than an hour later, and no one even noticed until the next day.

Watching and feeding ducks on the pond at the beach...

and bird and squirrel watching from the kitchen window

 Learning about Nova Scotia beaches in Fall:

 

When it was first said we were going to the beach Jasmin exclaimed, "Oh good! Where's my bathing suit?" Proof we haven't been in Canada long!  They still had good fun in the sand and spotting and feeding the ducks.

Rediscovering toys that came with us

 Helping Imma repaint the family home for rental

 Discovering Canadian shopping:

 

  BulkBarn has replaced morning market breakfasts as the fun place to go with Mom. Yogurt covered raisins are a good substitute for roti. And the amazement of the huge stores and parking lots... so we had to commandeer a shopping cart to get between stores.
... and lots of surprise with the different Canadian vegetables...

 Finding playgrounds everywhere:

 Posing on a dinosaur!  This playground is at the Rec centre where the girls are in ballet (Jasmin) and drawing (Grace).  Their classes overlap by 1/2 an hour, so there is lots of time to play on the playground.

October actually began with us saying goodbye to Abba. It was rather a confusing time for the kids with 15-20 relatives in and out of our home (we're next door to Abba and Imma) on no set schedule at all with lots of high emotion.  We had about 10 days with Abba before he went home to heaven, and he was alert for most of that time, for which we are wonderfully thankful.  The girls coped rather well (other than being thoroughly confused with who is who!) but Aiden is still recovering.

Now we are focusing on finding our new normal for our family, and getting settled in with violin lessons, schooling, and play dates, etc. 

In Memorial

On a fall morning of
Warm sun in
Blue skies over
Bright trees
Waving in the breeze

In a quiet room of
Steadfast love in
Long vigil
Sacred space
Holy place

Under watchful eyes and
Compassionate arms
Words of sacrifice
The love of years
Defying tears

The gallant man
Precious soul
Father, Abba, husband, shepherd
With last breath
Passed through death

Breath to breathe again
Legs strong to run
Fingers supple again
Voice to sing
Praises to the risen King