Redistricting

Well, I've been in the Washington, D.C. area for over a week now, and what a busy time it's been! My orientation for the Foreign Service has been overwhelming at times, and there are still roughly five more weeks to go before it ends. I'm not allowed to go into a lot of detail, but suffice it to say there are a lot of processes that I'm going to have to get used to, not to mention a dizzying array of acronyms (welcome to the federal government!). Still, I've managed to survive the first week, and I'm sure I'll get through the following ones as well.

I'm currently living in Falls Church, Virginia at a complex that can be best described as a combination apartment and hotel. I'm living in a two-bedroom unit, though without Amber and Pamela around, it feels very lonely (not to worry, daughter and spouse will join me here on the 8th of June). There's a fitness center, tennis courts, a swimming pool (which just opened this past weekend), a dry cleaners and even a convenience store on site. All of this isn't cheap, but my stay here is being paid for courtesy of the U.S. government, in a case of your tax dollars at work (if you're an American, anyway). Don't worry, taxpayers, I won't trash the place. Here's the view from my balcony:

The apartment complex is located in an upscale neighborhood. Unfortunately, there isn't much in the way of shopping or dining nearby, with the exception of Eden Center, a shopping complex that serves the large Vietnamese community in the area. There's a Safeway supermarket about a 15-minute walk away, which isn't a problem for me, but will no doubt be a serious impediment for my wife when she gets here. As a result, I'm looking into a long-term car rental for the time we're here, so that Pamela will be able to get around while I'm at work. 

About a ten-minute walk away in the opposite direction of Safeway is the East Falls Church metro station. The Washington, D.C. area has an excellent rapid transit system, and the stop for the State Department, Foggy Bottom-GWU, is only 15 minutes by train (we even have a free shuttle bus running from the apartment complex to East Falls Church station). However, most of the time I'm at the Foreign Service Institute in Arlington, VA, which is the State Department's primary training facility. There are shuttle buses going back and forth between where I'm staying and FSI.

As I mentioned, this part of Falls Church is very suburban. So much so that yesterday when I took a six-mile (ten kilometers) round-trip walk around the area, I saw nothing but houses, with the exception of one small shopping plaza that contained a pharmacy and a 7-Eleven. There are a lot of nice houses to be seen while walking around, a testament to the overall affluence of the Northern Virginia area. Many of the homes are made of brick, which comes as somewhat of a surprise to this transplanted Californian:

It may not be easy getting around without a car, but there are a number of parks nearby, along with biking and running trails:

There's also plenty of bird-life to be seen:

 

In Northern Virginia, horses are at the top of the pecking order:

Behind my apartment complex is the Oakwood Cemetery. Many of the gravestones date back to the 19th century:

This day is Memorial Day, which is why I didn't have to go into FSI today. I can't remember the last time I was in the States for this holiday. There's a lot of talk being made in the media over the weekend about "remembering those who sacrificed their lives so that we can be free". While it's important to honor those who died fighting for their country, I wish some attention would be given to the circumstances in which so many had their lives ended prematurely. Certainly, the 58,000 Americans killed in the Vietnam War (not to mention the hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese who were killed in a needlessly prolonged civil war) should not have died in a war not worth fighting, and the same arguments can be made today over our insane and wasteful (in terms of both money and lives) involvements in the fighting going on in Afghanistan and Iraq. The grave of Corporal Winterbottom, killed by an IED in Iraq, sadly brings home the futility of it all:

RIP, Corporal. I support our troops, which I why I wish they could come home now, bodies intact and not in caskets, to be with their families and out of harm's way.

Reverse culture shock?

Actually, despite the title of this post, it hasn't been that hard readjusting to life in the U.S. True, I'm no longer the tallest person around, and there are a lot more non-Asians to be seen, but getting over the jet lag (first, from flying across the Pacific, and then by crossing the contiguous USA) has been the more difficult adjustment. I'm starting to settle in to the apartment in Falls Church, helped in no small part by getting to meet up last night with an old friend from UC Davis, Jim, who is also starting a new career in the Foreign Service (he'll be posted to Ukraine in August). This morning I took a walk through the neighborhood and discovered a couple of really nice parks, one with a cycle path that beckons to be explored on foot. And this afternoon there was a small get-together that gave everyone a chance to get to know their new classmates. Registration at the State Department is tomorrow, and orientation begins in earnest on Tuesday. Things are certainly going to get busier.

One thing I am having trouble getting used to is being here by myself. Pamela and Amber won't be joining me in DC until June 8, so I'm on my own until then. Considering that I'm living in a complex populated mainly by families, it isn't easy being separated from them. Still, my daughter seems to be enjoying herself in the States, and I'm sure she'll like this area when she gets here. Here are some photos of Amber taken since we arrived in the US from Taiwan:

Modeling Dad's clothes

 With Aunt Karen

Helping her Nana celebrate Mother's Day

Not fearing the sharks at the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma

With Rhubarb at a Tacoma Rainiers game

Playing miniature golf for the first time

Enjoying the rides at a small carnival in the Silverdale Mall parking lot

I can see clearly now

As I write this, I'm sitting in my new (albeit temporary) apartment at the Oakwood Falls Church complex in Falls Church, Virginia. Orientation and training for the new job begin on Monday, but for the next three weeks I'll be here by myself until my wife and daughter fly out here next month. It's almost 1am Eastern time as I'm writing this, but my body still thinks it's about 10pm Pacific, so I'm not sleepy at the moment. What better way to kill some late night time than to update the blog...

We've been staying at my parents' house in Bremerton, Washington since leaving Taiwan earlier this month. Although I was pretty busy seeing to a lot of various matters before flying out to Dulles Airport today...er, last night, I still managed to make some time for walking. The neighboring community of Silverdale has a network of trails that roughly follow a stream known as Clear Creek. The walks are hardly strenuous, but the scenery changes a lot along the course, ranging from the shores of Dye's Inlet (on Puget Sound) to forest to open fields, making for a nice variety. There is plenty of wildlife, mainly in the form of birds and squirrels, to be seen, though one morning I was pleasantly surprised to see a seal swimming around and under the pier at the waterfront park in Silverdale. Amber joined me on a couple of occasions, but for the most part my daily walks were solitary affairs. I'll have to see where I can go walking and/or hiking in this area.

写真を見てください...

Welcome to Sleazy Town

Our last night in Taiwan was spent in the northern city of Taoyuan 桃園 as we had a morning flight the following day out of the airport and a lot of luggage to take with us. Taoyuan, especially along Zhongzheng Road leading away from the train station, is far from my favorite area in Taiwan. Basically, it's like a compressed version of Taichung's 台中 own seedy downtown district, only with more people and traffic. The area around the NOVA computer arcade is especially sleazy due to the presence of several questionable nightlife establishments. Still, for people with a short layover at the airport who don't have the time to go all the way into the capital, the city can provide a sampler of the smells, sounds and tastes of this island.

This temple sits at the end of Zhongzheng Road.

Our last meal, fittingly eaten at a street stall.

Silent night.



The Last Assembly

This Sunday is Mother's Day, of course, and the assisted living care facility where my mother is staying will be holding a steak-and-lobster lunch that day to celebrate the occasion. Last Sunday Amber's kindergarten held its annual Mother's Day show, which also provided Amber with her last chance to say goodbye to her teachers and classmates. Amber's class first gave a short violin recital, then my daughter was called up onto the stage, where it was announced that she would be leaving Taiwan for the United States. In a nice gesture, my daughter was given her graduation gift early (the actual ceremony isn't until July) - a large pink Minnie Mouse backpack that proved useful as a piece of carry-on baggage. Later in the show, all the mothers came up to receive thanks and hugs from their children. 

Kindergarten has been a very positive experience for Amber. Her school didn't overemphasize academics (unlike the kindy where I worked!), with lots of time provided for outdoor play as well as arts and crafts. There were also opportunities to take extra classes in art, math, dance and even the Japanese game of go 囲碁. But the best part of the kindergarten experience for my daughter was that it allowed for an only child to make friends and to learn how to get along with others.

When I asked Amber if she felt sad about leaving her friends and classmates, she said she wasn't. Her reasoning was that she could make new friends in her new home and at her new school (she'll start elementary school this fall), wherever those places turn out to be. Considering the effect her dad's new career is going to have on her life, it seems Amber already has the right attitude.

Back in the U.S., back in the U.S., back in the U.S. of A.

The next step in the journey has taken place - after several weeks of packing and shipping (not to mention throwing out) our things, arranging immigrant visas and making travel arrangements, we finally arrived in the United States yesterday morning. I'll be staying in the Bremerton, Washington area with my parents for the next ten days or so, taking care of a lot of small details, before flying to the other Washington (D.C.) on the 18th. Amber and Pamela are going to stay here for about a month before joining me, partly to keep my dad company, but mainly to allow my wife plenty of time to get used to life in her new country of residence (even if that's likely to be of short duration).

Once again, I'd like to thank everyone back in Taiwan who took the time to say goodbye and/or to wish us luck in our new adventure. I wasn't able to see everyone in person, but I appreciate all the comments I received. Here are some of the farewells:

Saying goodbye to my best friend Steve at the Frog in Taichung 台中, and wishing him success in getting his school up and running:

Driving up with Michael Turton to Hukou 湖口, where I had the pleasure of finally meeting MJ Klein, along with his wife Hui-chen and a couple of his friends, Rashmi and Van (not pictured, unfortunately):

I was invited out to dinner on a couple of occasions by some of my students, a few of whom I hadn't seen in quite a while:

And on our last night in Fengyuan (Sunday) 豐原, we took Pamela's mother and brother out to dinner at a local Japanese restaurant: