Halloween

One of the great traditions in the KL community is the annual Halloween around Taman Tar.  It is so much fun, with the routes and houses marked on maps ahead of time and all the kids out and about.  For the first time in the last six years, we got quite a bit of rain that night - but still managed to get a massive haul of candy! This year, the route was a bit different, which was a nice improvement and less dodging of traffic from the KLers who wonder who the crazy dressed-up kids are.

The family portrait also includes a very strange visitor from a hand-made mask (well, his mom is an art teacher, so that hardly counts). 

Rania, dressed as a Diva / Pop Singer did her best imitation.

It was also interesting to see a lot more Halloween decorations and candy in the stores than I remember from several years ago.  I guess the commercialism of Halloween is making it even to KL!

Early Halloween

We had a fun gathering with the KLIFF hangers group for Halloween.  Wow, was Jen amazing with the games, and the kids had some yummy food and fun times together.

Reeve, dressed as a historic relic - Peyton Manning in a Colts uniform - helped make sure that Samuel looked very mummy-like.  Rania was tough competition too.

Visit to Grandpa

Unfortunately, grandpa had to spend an overnight in the hospital due to a scheduled surgery.  So we got in the car and made a trip to visit grandpa and try to cheer him up.  Thankfully he was doing pretty well, with boredom being one of the main obstacles.

Get better, Grandpa! We love you!

Juvy Birthday

To celebrate Juvy's birthday (a few days late), it was fun to have the kids say a tiny thank you for all the incredible work that Juvy helps us with.  What a delight to have her as part of our family and for all the amazing help that she provides. 

Happy Birthday, Juvy!

Bouwens

It is always nice to have friends over, and how great to have the Bouwens over.  And my goodness how fast babies grow!  We had a nice little Sunday afternoon gathering, and the boys had a good time playing on the field - a bit of football, a bit of soccer, and lots of fun.

WAB

I'd heard wonders of WAB's beautiful architecture, as though that was the gold standard of international schools.  I will admit that I had high expectations and thought there was no way that WAB could live up the hype I had heard.

I will admit, it was quite impressive seeing the use of green spaces, the blend between nature, and the bridge between the two campuses across the river.  Having perfect weather with uncharacteristic blue skies in Beijing sure didn't hurt!

Music in Beijing

I learned quickly that when traveling with Dave and Joan, finding great music in the city becomes a high priority.  We were delighted to find these amazing performers, and for two nights in a row, we had the chance to hear them.  The second night, we were most of the audience as they performed.  Dave, Joan and Max even took their turn on stage. 

How fun to see Brian and Charlotte again.  Great memories of our old team. 

Summer Palace

Before the start of the conference, we made a trip to the summer palace.  What a delight to experience such a beautiful place.  It brought back memories of my first time visiting it - but instead of freezing and sliding across the ice with my brother, I was enjoying nearly perfect weather (and more typical Beijing haze) and time with colleagues.

A paddleboat ride was a highlight -- seeing who had the bicycle thighs and who could manage the steering the best.  We all took our turns, and it was good fun. Thanks, Rami, Gretchen, Tim, Tony and Lyn for the fun afternoon.

Beijing Acrobats

It was incredible to see one of the most memorable shows ever.  These acrobats were incredible.  If you don't believe the beautiful pageantry (with some typically hilarious English translations), then check out the video. 

Imagine how many motorcycles you could fit in a tiny globe all going around at the same time! In the end, I think they got up to seven. Many thanks to the performers for a memorable evening!

Great Wall

For the Learning 2.012 conference in Beijing, the flight schedule resulted us getting in early the morning before the conference after a red eye.  Unfortunately, Tracy was very sick and unable to make the trip - feeling absolutely miserable.  We were looking forward to going back to where we first met, but sickness did not permit it. 

Dave, the guru in the know, had a van meet us at the airport and took us straight to the Great Wall.  We got there early and it was quite cold.  Dave bought a $6000 sweatshirt (or so it seemed), which quickly became ridiculous as the sun came out and absolutely perfect weather ensued.

After being in the heat and humidity of KL, the clear skies outside Beijing were amazing.  We commented on how we would have loved to come on a hike in this area whether or not there was one of the greatest man-made monuments on Earth - the Great Wall.

It was spectacular, and a highlight was going beyond the "tourist" area to the overgrown section of the wall, which was not maintained.  How incredibly fun to be exploring, if only for a few moments, what was really more of a trail over ruins instead of the restored sections of the wall. 

It was quite the fun start to the trip.  On the way back, the rich colors of the corn drying on the side of the road was one of many sights, sounds and smells of China that welcomed us.

Dinner Out!

Thanks to my parent's generosity, we took advantage of a coupon at the Mandarin Oriental and went out to dinner with Sim and Maria.  Coming most recently from Switzerland, Sim and Maria always feel sad when their friends send pictures of wonderful powder on the mountains.  But in return, he sends pictures of delicious food - which is a highlight of KL. 

The buffet dinner was an absolute treat and we felt so adult-like getting away from the kids for a nice dinner with adults.  Let's just say the old camera on my phone isn't quite up to the quality of the food.

International Fest

One of the great traditions at ISKL is International Fest.  Somehow I ended up being a volunteer for the dunk tank.  I thought my trash talking would intimidate those students, but even my own children paid real money to get daddy wet!  What a popular stand, as the line was snaking.  Let's just say my swimsuit didn't seem so cool when Bertie showed up in a suit and tie for the next round.  ES PE teachers must be too cool. 


This year instead of the bouncy castles and lost of inflatables, they had a game area where kids could play games on the deck.  Of course, the spectacular food is the highlight of International Fest!