December Recap

December was a month of sickness, work and me not picking up my camera. Apparently at all. This month I'm really thankful my cellphone has a camera!! Some days I would get to work at 8:30 am and not leave until 9ish pm.For four weeks I did it three times a week! Dave worked just as hard. No wonder it feels like we didn't do anything but work all month!

How long we’ve been here: 441 days, or 1 year, 2 months and 15 days

Favourite thing to eat:

Dave:  Real, authentic shrimp and pork spring rolls!!

Steph: Hmm… I was really sick this month so anything that wasn’t part of the BRAT diet made me really happy!!

Coolest thing this month: visiting the pagodas at night- we’d never seen them in the dark before! Unfortunately, they were closed so we couldn’t climb them, but it was a different experience seeing them aglow!

Thing you’re looking forward to most:

Dave: Having crepes with my brother in March.

Steph: Being home. Snuggles with the nieces and nephews. And animals. Lots of animals all around me purring and barking and mooing and clucking. I miss my animals!!

Favourite thing to listen to: Um, Christmas music of course!!

Biggest Surprise: How much it did NOT feel like Christmas here!!

Something you’ve learned:

Honestly, just how much the Taiwanese work. Westerners are often considered ‘lazy’ because we work fewer hours and take longer vacations. I’m looking forward to having a ‘lazy’-type job again! 

Came home from Oz to a VERY messy desk. I was less than impressed with my coworkers...

Found this on FB. Can you find the Chinese symbols I did?!

Nothing like date night with my husband. Sometimes, you just have to order take-out!

And sometimes you have to check out possibly-sketchy alleys!!

Here in Taiwan I'm not really into buying decor because I either have to sell it, give it away or ship it home. So instead I've just been making it for the past year. Last year we had the most perfect wooden backdrop for snowflakes or bunting or garland... now we've got a lovely orange and yellow striped wall with a green couch. So I made snow flurries!

On our way to my work's Christmas party, we found a sweet market in Kaohsuing!

We also found these two boys sneaking into a school.

The pagodas at night!

So many of those lights are Christmas lights!! (The blurs are scooters!)

Somedays, it's sooo cold here with the humidity.

I got to dress up as Santa for the second year in a row!

Can YOUR wisemen rap??

My 'Christmas photo' this year- I had the flu!! (For the THIRD year in a row!)

Dave missed home so much he made his family's Christmas eve tradition- poutine râpée. Miles away, his brother Josh made some for his family as well! Mine was eaten with a healthy dollop of ketchup, as per usual!

If this is what we buy eachother for Christmas, what does that say about our normal grocery lists?

We made Christmas wreaths in class!

I'm still not sure where they found it, but thanks to the Shao fam for Dave's new shirt!!

My kids are getting so big!! Now they can draw recognizable shapes and even people!!

Ringing in the New Year in Taiwan with three of our favs (baby Peter didn't seem to care much for our countdown!).

Yup, toasting with soda.

I know I look like I just woke up. I did.

Annnnnd this is how you ruin a photo!