I love surprises, and got a series of them on this B-day. Paul and I met after my class yesterday, and he announced, "we are going to Taipei! Let's get on the bus!" What? What about the kids? Don't worry, they are all taken care of!
What a treat! We walked around the area near Taiwan University. After being parents, we found that sometimes the best treat is just to hang out without kids and not have to worry about time. That's exactly what we did. Tried to shop, but honestly, I feel a little bit out of fashion and "more mature" than the fashion in that area. The girls are so fashionable here--made me feel old, though happily so. Then, he took me to a German restaurant, where, surprise surprise, my parents and the boys were waiting for us!! Noah screamed, "Mama, there's appetizer, appetizer, come eat!!" He apparently insisted on waiting for me before eating. Oh, I am so touched.
Ah-ha! So the night before, the dinner with my parents was just a distractor! I can't believe we got two dinners out of this birthday.
I am touched by such a thoughtfully planned and well concealed surprise. And I am so glad to be celebrating in my home country after being away 14 years.
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3 comments:
Dear Sylvia,
How great to share with you even your birthday! We're glad that you got not one, but two dinners out of the occcasion, and a nice surprise trip to Taipei. Your family does indeed love you (as do your friends!), and we're glad that they are able to show it to you in so many ways.
We've been enjoying keeping track of your adventures. We were sorry about Ben's finger, but delighted to read about your walks and your trips, and especially the one to you old school. we also love all the descriptiosn of FOOD! What fun!
Things are going well for us here, as well, though without the kind of excitemnt of being away from home. I (Raffaella) am a lot less stressed, now that I have less work to do, and a lot happier.
Happy Birthday to you, from all of us, and a big big hug,
hi,
what a great story! What a great way to celebrate your birthday at your birth place. I would love to do that one day, celebrate my birthday in taiwan one day.
well, enjoy the time with your mom in town. You and Paul should go out and do things just by yourselves. Explore Taiwan to the fullest-jenny
Dear Raffaella and Bob,
So great to hear from you and happy to hear that you are reading this little blog. Glad your sabbatical is giving you some time to de-stress. You always joggle so well with so much. This is a much- deserved break.
We thought of Gabriel during Ben's post-burn trauma: Paul remembered him getting teary just at the thought of a fall in Italy (when Paul met you guys at the airport). Ben was exactly the same: every time he accidentally sees his burnt (and awefully ugly!) finger or hear us talking about it, he bursts into this cry-whine saying "Boo-boo"!
Enjoy the autumn in DC--that's our favorite season, something we probably won't experience here in Taiwan.
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