Happy Birthday Son!

Today is Madison Luke's 4th birthday, happy birthday son! I wish I could be there for his birthday bash on Sunday but alas, I can't. I'm so jealous of everyone who's gonna be there!

I am planning a little birthday celebration for when he gets here on the 15th of August, including hiding a present for him in every room of the house and having him hunt for them (that should be fun).

Now that Rachel and Maddy's visas have been approved we have decided that they will be coming over to join me on the 15th of next month, which should give them time to visit with family while I try and get us some furniture.

It's hard to believe we've had Maddy for four years already, it's gone by so fast!

Visas Approved!

Great news, Rachel and Madison's immigrant visas have been approved already! We weren't expecting an answer from the Embassy til the end of this week but lo and behold they sent the approved visas to them in the mail yesterday.

I think there was some divine intervention involved, not for me but for my son, who I've been told misses his daddy a lot. Not only that but BatGran and Papa have graciously offered to help us with the travel costs so we can be together sooner rather than later, a gesture that has left us all lost for words and deeply moved.

What would we do without family?

Just Imagine

Imagine that you just moved in to a new place and it was totally unfurnished. What would you get first? I have spent the entire weekend thinking up a list of stuff I need to get (I came up with 43 things to get) but need to narrow it down to a "Top 5" if you will. Here's my list:

1. King sized bed (All 3 of us can sleep on the bed until we can get a singe bed or bunk bed for Maddy later on down the line).
2. TV set (Seems kinda excessive but have you ever sat in a room for days with nothing to do but stare at the walls? I want Maddy and his mommy to have a TV to watch while I'm at work, so there!).
3. Dining table and chairs (need a place to eat)
4. Sofa set (gotta have a place to sit)
5. Pillows, sheets and duvet

I wanted to add "computer" to the Top 5 so Rachel could keep in touch with friends and family but there's always the phone (for now) and if it's urgent I always have email access at work. I wanted to add "iron and ironing board" to the list but I discovered a neat trick; putting my wrinkled clothes in the drier for 10 minutes gets rid of most of the wrinkles. What would you put on your Top 5 list?

One Step Closer

I got an email from Rach this morning that said that her interview with the Embassy went well and only lasted 15 minutes. Super news! She'll probably have to wait a week to hear back from them and then they'll be able to come over to join me in D.C. In the meantime, Madison's fourth birthday party is scheduled for tomorrow and it should be great. I hope they take heaps of photos so I can post them here for everyone to enjoy.

The New Place

If you're wondering why I keep changing the appearance of Maddy's blog, you're not alone. I wonder the same thing myself sometimes but in a nutshell the change was made for two reasons; firstly the page was too blue which made it hard to read and secondly it was a commonly used template so it was used in too many other places which is like wearing a shirt to work only to see everyone else on your floor wearing the exact same shirt. The first urge you have is to run home and change, which is basically what I've done. I like the new scheme which has a few palm trees growing between some skyscrapers, a nice representation of our island family living in the big city.

I moved in to our new place in Virginia last night. It came unfurnished so although it's a pretty big place already, it seemed virtually cavernous because of the lack of furniture. The electricity wasn't on when I got there, which was odd since I was assured by the power company that they had switched it on the day before, so I broke into the utilities room downstairs and switched the master key on myself. Yes, my misspent youth came in handy.

So it was nice to go upstairs and have the lights work and hear the hum of the central air conditioning. The first thing I did was turn the aircon on all the way to cool the place out quicker. I woke up at midnight regretting that decision because the place felt like a freezer and I hadn't bought any sheets yet. The good news was that after turning the aircon off completely, I discovered that our place is well insulated which should save us money on power; the bad news was that I was cold and had no way of staying warm in bed. I didn't get much sleep last night.

Rachel's interview with the Embassy is today in New Zealand, I hope it goes smoothly and their visas get issued without any complications. Wish us luck!

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

Rachel and Madison in NZ

Being the unorganized person that I am, I called Samoa this afternoon hoping to catch Rachel before she left for NZ. Boy was I surprised to hear that she had left 4 or 5 hours earlier and was almost in NZ already! Their visa interview is scheduled for tomorrow in Auckland and if all goes well they should be with me in Washington DC in no time at all.

Congrats Aunty Lagi & Uncle Tolly

I was reading through some of Maddy's old posts from the archive and came across a post in August 2003 about Lagi and Tolly getting engaged which in turn reminded me that I got an email the other day saying tht is now "official" since Lagi just got a flash diamond ring on her finger! Congratulations again guys, we're all very happy for you :)

Welcome Back Right Foot

I've had the misfortune of having gout for the past 6 weeks straight. I managed to use a pair of crutches that were donated to me by a work colleague and see a doctor last Friday so I could get a prescription for some anti-inflammatory drugs to help ease the pain. Crutching it ten blocks in the summer heat wasn't one of my more fun experiences but I made it and I'm glad I made the effort. The pills have done their job and I now have the use of my right foot again. I'll never take walking for granted again!

The countdown to Rachel and Madison leaving for NZ is down to 3 days and I'm excited for them. I wish I could come with them, Maddy's birthday party is shaping up to be the event of the year!

I'll be continuing to move house tomorrow and Tuesday. Thanks to a very generous co-worker of mine, I have been able to house-sit at her place while she was away on business, rent-free, and save up for a place of our own. I don't know what we would have done without her help.

My family will be here with me soon and I am sooooo looking forward to seeing them again.

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

Maddy's Upcoming 4th Birthday

Where did the year go? Geez I can't believe it's July already and Madison's 4th birthday is less than 3 weeks away. Lucky for him, BatGran and his aunties Sachi and Lagi are on the case and have a fabulous day at Junglerama planned for him. He's so fortunate to have a family that adores him so much.

He's at an age where he'll remember this birthday (I doubt if he'll remember any of his past birthdays in years to come) so this birthday will be extra special. This will be his first birthday not held at McDonalds in Apia I think!

Work has been busy, which is good, and Rachel and Maddy's immigration process is right on schedule which is a big relief. It won't be too long until we're all reunited. WOOOHOO!

Long Overdue

It's been awhile since I updated Maddy's Journal and for that I apologize. The past 3 weeks have not been kind to me healthwise. I spent 2 weeks at home sick and haven't quite recovered yet. I don't think I'm eating well, I eat too much fast food and am not looking after myself like I should. I'm not young anymore and my body can't handle this much abuse without reacting to it I guess.

I can't wait for my family to get over here. It's like my life is on hold til they arrive. My mind is in hibernation and I'm finding it hard to focus, there are so many things I have to do but am finding it hard to find the energy and the motivation to get it done. I hope I break out of this mind numbing malaise soon. I miss Rachel and Maddy.

Work has been good, the staff have been very supportive and it's good to know that they are there if I ever need a helping hand. I'm lucky to be in such a position.

Last week I finally found us a place of our own, it's in northern Virginia, just outside of Washington DC. It's a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom condo on the second floor in a nice area. It's close to one of the better elementary schools in Fairfax County and right across the street from the Dunn Loring Metro stop, so commuting to work will be a breeze from now on. I sign the lease on Wednesday and move in on the 15th of July. Exciting times ahead!

Rach and Maddy will be heading to NZ on the 19th of July to await their immigrant visa interview with the US Embassy, a trip they are both looking forward to. I hear that BatGran is planning Madison's 4th birthday bash and that there might even be a surprise visit from aunt Sachi and uncle Mark from Oz so it sounds like I'll be missing out on a fun day. Take lots of photos guys!

Happy Wooden Anniversary!

Yesterday was our fifth wedding anniversary which traditionally is celebrated with a wooden gift. I doubt Rachel would like a baseball bat as an anniversary gift so I think I'll break with tradition and buy her something nicer. Looking back and speaking for myself, it's been a wonderful five years, the best five years of my life. From our wedding day to the day Madison joined us as a family to our latest adventure in Washington DC, it's been a great ride.

Rachel is my ideal partner in life, she and I complement each other in many ways and I am lucky to have her as my wife. She looks after me when I'm sick (and like all men we're big babies when we're sick), takes good care of Madison and I and is always there to cheer me up when I'm down. She's a strong woman who is supportive and always takes the time to listen to what I have to say, even when she knows I'm wrong. It scares me to even think of life without my wife and perhaps that is the ultimate test of love.

Happy 5th hon. I love you and miss you :)

Keeping in Touch

Keeping in touch with Rachel and Maddy in real time is proving to be more difficult than I anticipated. I am 7 hours ahead of them in Samoa so that means that when I get up at 7am in the morning, it's midnight for them. When Rachel gets to work at 8am, my day is almost done at 3pm. When Rachel gets home at 5pm it's already midnight for me over here. In terms of having a nice phone call conversation, it's tough to have one without one of yawning due to the lateness of the hour.

We've tried out chatting over VoIP on the Internet using Skype with headphone sets and while it's great because it's free, we still can't manage to chat for long due to the time differences. It was so much fun chatting to Madison using the headset mic, but it would be better if we didn't have to go to these lengths just to stay in touch.

Parallels

There's safety in familiarity, being around people and places we've grown to know, following a path that we've travelled before. I guess that's one reason I moved back to Samoa after ten years in New Zealand. It was a safe move for me, I was going home and while moving back to the States could also be viewed as a move back home since I was born here, it doesn't really feel like it. Maybe that's why most of my extended family still live in New Zealand and to a lesser extent Australia; it's in the comfort zone and it's become a safe place to be.

However, I can gain some comfort from the parallels I see in how I was brought up as a kid and how Madison will be raised now in the States. My parents moved back to the States from Samoa and raised us three kids for the first third of our lives (for me it's more like a fourth now yikes!) in the States and I can safely say from experience that the school systems in the US are superior to what's available in Samoa. It should give Maddy a head start in life, something every parent wants for their kids.

The difference for Madison will be that while we spoke English first before picking up Samoan, his first language is Samoan so he might struggle a li'l bit communicating with other kids here in the US. Then again, he might not because he's such a clever little boy and I shouldn't put it beyond him, I'm sure he's smarter at this age than I was at the same age.

My Two New Roommates

Yesterday my quiet Chinese roommate moved out and was promptly replaced by 2 young, loud, gay black men. Not only has the stifling heat of summer arrived but now I have my very own soap opera next door. My life is officially hell now. They are forever fighting, locking themselves in the bathroom for attention, calling each other names and threatening to leave each other every five minutes. It wouldn't be so bad if (a) they would let me use the bathroom every now and then, (b) stop walking around the place in their undies all day. I'm pretty liberal minded but I can only take so much.

Ways NOT to Stand Out

I'm finding that part of the process of adjusting to city life is trying not to stick out like a sore thumb. It's the little things that draw the distinction between a newbie tourist and a true blue local.

For example, when on any escalator, whether it's on the Metro or in a shopping mall, if you're gonna just stand, make sure you stand on the right hand side. The left lane is for the people who walk up the escalator and believe you me, if you're standing on the left hand side, people will let you know about it.

While riding the Metro rail, if you can find an empty 2-seater, you're expected to sit against the window, leaving the aisle seat available. I didn't really figure that one out til yesterday. I have been sitting in the aisle seat to deter people from sitting next to me, all the while wondering why people were giving me the evils as they walked by.

Never ever call a black man "bro", don't ask me why, just don't.

While riding the Metro, never laugh out loud, snicker or smile when eavesdropping on the conversation in front of you. I did that a few times and found out the hard way that the correct etiquette is to pretend you aren't eavesdropping even though you are.

When exiting the escalator, do not, I repeat, do not slow down to step off because the resulting bottleneck behind you causes people to hit their brakes and bump into one another like a stack of dominoes. I think it's funny when that happens but apparently most people in DC don't find it to be that amusing.

Noone has a sense of humor in this place, I tell ya.

When someone in DC invites you to lunch, don't expect them to pay for it. I can't figure that one out. I floated the idea of the inviter paying for the invitee's lunch to a colleague and he looked at me is if I was stupid.

I was standing behind an old lady on the escalator this morning (on the right hand side of course) and I noticed that she kept looking back at me while gripping her purse. At first I was a little insulted that she thought of me as a purse snatcher (like I could outrun anyone here anyways, most people walk faster than I run) but then I comforted myself with the knowledge that in a predatorial environment like the neighborhood I am currently living in, perhaps it was better to be viewed as a wolf rather than as a sheep. Except of course when a police car rolls by, then I try to look as innocent as possible, which is not an easy task for a 6'1" 280lb Samoan.

Pros and Cons About Living in the City

Now that I've been here for almost 2 weeks I think I now have a better idea of what I've gotten myself into.

CONS

In Samoa I drove a Ford Explorer, now I walk and ride the Metro Rail.

In Samoa I didn't pay taxes, now I do.

In Samoa it took me 5 mins to get to work, now it's an hours commute.

I used to play golf every weekend, 'nuff said.

I used to have my own office, now I'm in a cubicle.

I used to wear flipflops to work, now I have to wear socks and shoes ARGHHHH!

PROS

Here, I live near a zoo, not live in one.

Here, I can dial up any number of pizza places and they deliver.

I get paid in US Dollars not Samoan Tala *Praise the Lord*

Now I have a flash flip phone, medical insurance, life insurance and a credit card.

With the exception of the US Dollars *Praise Jesus*, I could pretty much live without everything else (well maybe not the flipflops). Living in the city has it's ups and downs and I'm sure its gonna be an adventure for Rach, Maddy and I.

Week 2 Update

I went to a baseball game at RFK on the weekend. It was a big game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Washington Nationals called the Battle of the Beltway since the 2 cities are cross town rivals. There were about 42,000 people in attendance and most of them were rooting for the home team. It was quite an experience since I've never been to a baseball game before, the atmosphere was something else!

I also went for a haircut at a black barbershop in my neighborhood. As soon as I walked in, everyone stopped talking and stared at me. I almost walked back out! But as soon as they found out I was Samoan and not Hispanic/Mexican I was good to go and the chatter started up again and I felt like I was in a movie or something, it was quite cool!

I saw a few movies on the weekend (since I don't have a TV yet) and while I liked Mission Impossible III, I thought the Da Vinci Code and Poseidon were a little boring. The popcorn was good though since they let you pour your own butter on, and I really poured it on hehe.

Update From DC

Well here I am, in Washington DC working for the US government. I started work on Monday and tomorrow will complete my first week as a federal employee. It would be glamorous if it was FBI or CIA or even NSA but somehow Peace Corps doesn't seem to carry the same level of coolness but hey, it's a start!

It's been rather daunting finding a place to live but alls well that ends well. I'm living in the ghetto, trying to save on rent money and it's been pretty interesting seeing and living in an area you'd normally only see on TV. I haven't encountered any trouble yet and I've even walked home from the train at night by myself with no problems whatsoever. Having said that, as soon as I get my first paycheck I'm moving the heck outta here.

People walk so fast in this country. I tried walking at their speed but couldn't keep up for much longer than a few seconds and besides I feel silly walking that fast. It's almost like running. I'm walking down the street wondering where the fire is. I doubt if I'll ever get used to walking like that.

Riding the train everyday to get to and from work is another experience. I offered an old lady my seat this morning and she looked at me as if I was crazy or something. Everyone looks down while riding the train, which is funny because as an islander who is new to the big city, all I do is look around at all the different people from all over the globe who are in the train with me every morning.

That's a picture Rachel took the other day of Maddy saying he misses me and loves me. If you haven't seen the video of him at the playground on my Bebo page, you need to see it, it's great.

Hope everyone is well.