My Treo

From Brad.

A driving principle in my life since I moved overseas is, 'If it adds convenience to our life here, then we pretty much want to get it.' Of course this has limits, but because life over here can be quite annoying/frustrating at times, a few extra dollars spent to alleviate some of that frustration is plain ole' good stewardship.

Before I came over, a friend who was already here recommended that I purchase a Treo to bring over. I have owned a palm pilot since the late 90s and even different smartphones (palm+phone) since 2001 so I was familiar with the Treo. However, I had no idea you could buy a cell phone in America and use it overseas. As it turns out, there are 2 major networks that cell phones operate off of...GSM and CDMA. Long story short, if you purchase a GSM phone and get it unlocked, you can use it anywhere in the world where they have a GSM network (basically...). So I got an unlocked Treo in America and have been using one here ever since. My Treo ranks closely behind my God and my family when it comes to the loves of my life. Of course I'm jesting, but I never knew how integral this tool would be to almost everything I do here. Here are the different ways I use my phone...

1) Cell Phone

2) Text Messaging - better than email with the Treo's Querty keyboard.

3) Bible (for free! Greek, Hebrew, English, etc).

4) MP3 Player - Either for music, messages, or language files. I will often listen to MP3s of my local language while walking to class of the text/vocab we'll be discussing that day. Also, my Treo will plug into my apartment's speakers functioning as a sort of stereo. It also has a small but powerful speaker on it if I want to play some music for my kids at bedtime, etc.

5) Calendar - reminds me of important appointments I can tend to forget.

6) To Do List - I love checking things off

7) Calculator/Converter - Converts pounds to kilograms and all those other annoying things. Isn't it time for America to join the rest of the world in the metric system! Oh college engineering courses would have been so much simpler.

8) Movie player - Yes, I can take my DVDs and put them on my Treo to watch. Better than a DVD player, I can watch about 6 hours of movies before the battery is dead. Also, this program was Free! With an 8gb SD card to boot, I can throw lots of music, messages and movies on there.

9) Timer - especially helpful for kids in 'time out' :) or Granola in the oven

10) Voice recorder - can record classes or funny songs the kids like to sing

11) My English-Asian dictionary. This dictionary wasn't cheap, but I always have it with me and whenever I'm talking and don't understand a word they're saying, I can type it in and (usually) figure out what they're saying. What is wonderful is if I deem that word to be helpful, I can immediately add it to my electronic flashcard pile. As a mostly visual learner, I can later see the word I learned and add it to my repertoire. Often my study time will consist in cranking through some 2000 flashcards I have created since I got here last year.

My Treo is simply a tool that enables me to function more smoothly in a society which seems anything but smooth a good portion of the time. Amy has one as well and its become so important to us, we now have a backup one just in case we lose our (like I did in a taxi 3 months ago). Remarkably you can buy the older 650 model on ebay used for $80-130 or new for about $150. Extremely affordable in my opinion and I've read reviews that say it really doesn't fall too short of the $500 iPhone. If any of you have smartphones, I'd love to hear how you use it and if they have features the Treo may not have.

It's About Time....

by Amy

Well, if you're still a faithful Morello Madness blog-checker, I'm impressed - and shocked! My parents were in town for about a month, so we were super busy. And, having an extra person battling for the computer didn't make it any easier to find time to blog. But, I will say that between our camera and my dad's we did a capture quite a few fun moments that I'll gladly share with you -- over several posts....

First week and a half highlights and pics:

Having my parents here was a lot of fun, for us all. I was pleased at how quickly they adjusted to the 14 hr difference time zone. Their second night here we celebrated Mom's birthday. She actually spent her birthday in an airplane. I'm not sure exactly how it worked out, but this year her birthday was only about 7 hours long. They got on a plane in LA just after midnight on her birthday, chased the sun, crossed the International Date Line and arrived in South Korea at 13 hours later. But, it was already the day after her birthday. Bummer.... We were all happy to get to be together to celebrate the 60 years of life my sweet mom has had.

About three days after they arrived we headed to the BIG city just north of us. Again we stayed in a three bedroom serviced apartment for the week. It was great. We were able to do several fun things on top of eating at all the great Western restaurants we always hit. My dad and I had fun shopping the markets and bargaining for all the knock-off goods available. The kids had fun playing at a HUGE indoor play area a couple of times.

We also discovered a really fun park not too far from the hotel. It had a lake, and lots of fun carnival rides/games. We went on a beautiful, sunny day, but it was a little chilly.



Our favorite thing we did there was watch a 4-D movie about fish. Do you know what 4-D means? I didn't....It's basically a 3-D movie on steroids! Not only do you wear the lovely glasses that make it seem like the shark is going to bite your head off, but the seats you sit in move, water sprays in your face, and air blows on you -- all corresponding to the events in the movie. It was great!!! My kids weren't too sad when it was over, but I was. It was really fun!



We also had fun visiting a really big wall just outside of the city we were in. We had been to this city about 5 times, but never seen the wall. We were happy to use my parents as an excuse to get out there! It's one big wall!! The day we were there was also a beautiful day. And, since it's winter, it wasn't too crowded.

Here my kids are posing for one of about 50,000 pictures they had taken of them that day. They had great attitudes about it though! I was thankful!

One afternoon while the kids were sleeping, I took my parents out to see a really famous square that was down town. To be honest, it wasn't much more than some old looking buildings and a huge picture of a dead leader, but now we can all say we've been there.....It was interesting to be standing where so many college students were killed 20+years ago during a political demonstration.

On our last night there, my parents took me and Savannah to an acrobatics show. It was amazing. Savannah loved it! Here are a few of her comments as she watched the show: "I'm not allowed to do that!" "That would hurt!" "Wow! How do they bend like that!" "That's amazing!" It was so fun sitting next to her, getting to listen her as she enjoyed the show so much.

We returned to my house exhausted from a great trip! We rested a day or two, then the fun kept on coming. But, I'll have to save that for another post!

Pain-free

by Amy

My parents are coming today!! We are all so excited! They'll be here for almost a month! This Friday we'll be taking them to visit a big city north of here. This city has 2 of the 4 or 5 chiropractors in our entire country. So, when we go there, I usually try to see one. About a week ago, as I was calling to make my appt., Brad asked me to make one for him too. After his recent back issues, he thought this might be helpful. This morning as he left the house, he asked me to call and cancel his appt. For a couple of days now he has been completely pain free! His back, leg, head -- everything feels great! PTL!!!

** FYI - I'm chalkin' it up to the new crocs!

Culture Shock

by Amy

When preparing to move to a new country, there's always tons of discussion about culture shock. When you get to a new place, things are so different, that at first you think it fun and exciting, but after 2-3 months, the honeymoon's over and the reality/shock sets in. This place is weird. Why do they do it that way? America's system is way better/effective/safer, you name it.

I don't feel like we ever went through the whole culture shock thing after we moved here. Looking back, I attribute it to several things. First of all, I was in contact with a couple of Americans that live in our city. I was able to ask them tons of questions, thus able to have a pretty good idea of what I was getting myself into. Secondly, I had pretty low expectations. Having been out of America twice before, once to Africa and once to war-torn eastern Europe, I expected trash to be ever where, for grocery stores to be non-existent, for my home to be pretty rugged, etc. When I got here, I was pleasantly surprised. Thirdly, I know America is not the best place on the earth. Lots of things are great there, but there are lots of problems too. I (try to) realize that my American way is not the only way, or even the best way to do things. Finally, I'm married to Brad. He he helps me laugh rather than get stressed.

While we were on vacation in SE Asia, I often found myself enjoying many aspects of being in a more developed (if that's the right word for it) country. For example, English is on most of the signs, the majority of the food products in the grocery store, and many store clerks are even able to speak English. The malls put the Galleria to shame. They are huge and have any and everything you can think of. The hospitals/Dr.'s offices we visited were clean --even sterile, high-tech, wonderful, and stocked with reliable meds (And REALLY cheap -- Brad's visit to the ER in the middle of the night, including meds cost $25.) Not to mention the western foods and restaurants available -- incredible. It was also nice to be just another foreigner, not that American family with 3 kids that everyone recognizes, and wants to touch. But, even as I took this in, I never once found myself wishing I lived there instead of here. I thought back on my home - I love our apartment. I like that our taxis use meters, instead of often having to bargain upfront for your ride. Women in my city dress more modestly than women there. Brad and I often found ourselves saying, "This is great, but we are glad we live where we do."

Then, I came home. The cloudless sky was dull and almost gray from all the pollution, not a crisp blue as it had been over the beach. And, I had forgotten how dirty everything is here. Everything is covered with a not-too-fine layer of dirt (cars, trees, sidewalks, roads, hand rails, windows -- everything!) The roads are pretty bumpy and have a few more pot-holes than I remembered. Most of the buildings look run-down because they are so dirty, have paint peeling, or rust stains and often broken windows. The contrast was shocking. When I first came here, everything was so new and exciting. Rather than noticing the peeling paint, I was surprised there wasn't a hole in the side of the building from a grenade. Rather than noticing the dirt, I was thrilled trash wasn't all over the streets.

Last week I was in culture shock. I didn't want to leave the comforts of my apartment. I was irritated at the 100s of shortcomings I saw in this culture, and I wasn't even motivated to contact my local friends. I'm not sure I'm totally out of it now, but the Lord used two things last week to renew my love for this country. First of all, while Savannah was at school, I took the boys to our "pretty park" down the street. Walking through the gate was like walking into a new world. It was dramatically cleaner in the park than anywhere else outside. The birds were chirping; it was fairly warm, for February that is. Lots of people were working in the grass raking, so the park seemed tidy. It was not crowded since it was the middle of the morning. And the people that were there cheerfully talked to me about my boys instead of touching/pulling on them. (They were running too fast to be caught!) As usual, my trip to the park, helped renew my love for this place and these people. Secondly, we went to a lantern festival on our street. I'll post pics later, but basically, it was a fun, energizing, ride-less carnival. People were cheerful and smiling. They were speaking a language that was comforting and familiar, even though I didn't understand everything I heard. I loved being there. And, as I looked around me at the masses, I remembered that I didn't move here for the comfortable, convenient lifestyle this country has to offer. I know why I'm here and again, I can say, I'm glad to be here.

Say It Ain't So....

by Amy

About three or four years ago, my dear friend from Colorado, Krista, bought a lime green pair of crocs. I was living in Louisville at the time, but she sent me a picture of her feet. I didn't hesitate one bit to tell her that they were the ugliest pair of shoes I had ever seen. (Her husband gave me a hearty "AMEN!") Krista just laughed and assured me they were extremely comfortable. Well, about a year later, one of my other friends from Colorado, Anne Marie, was having issues with her feet. Her Dr. told her to buy some crocs. She too began to rave about these ugly shoes. To quote her directly, she told me and her daughter-in-law that, "You haven't lived if you haven't worn crocs!" That's a pretty strong endorsement. Becky and I decided we were happy walking around dead.

About a year ago, as I was preparing to move to Asia, I began to take inventory of my shoes, knowing that I was moving to a place where I'd be doing a lot of walking. And, I finally admitted that even though I had a lot of cute shoes, I only had one pair that I considered really comfortable: my tennis shoes. So, when went shopping, I started looking at crocs. My husband was shocked and continued to comment on how ugly they are. A month later, after shopping, buying and returning black shoes, I bit the bullet and bought a pair of black mary-jane crocs. I decided the mary-janes were a little cuter since they were smaller than the normal croc. Brad said that I could keep them if I really wanted to. "I guess they're not as ugly as the other ones." After a week in those shoes, I was hooked! I got to Asia, where you don't wear outdoor shoes inside, and quickly realized that walking on hardwood floors barefoot everyday was killing my back. So, my dear friend Krista came through again! She sent me my second pair of crocs for indoors. I love them so much that all our American friends living in our city have since bought them -- even the men! They are all hooked -- all except my husband that is....

Well, about 4 months ago, Brad's back began to hurt a bit. Immediately, I suggested he buy crocs to wear inside. He claimed he could take a pair of tennis shoes, cut the back out, wash them, and they'd be just like crocs. So, this is what he did (see a previous post). But, after all the issues he had while we were on vacation, he decided $30 was a small investment if there was a chance it could help him. So, I'm happy to report my husband is now a proud owner of a real pair of crocs! And, after wearing them for a couple of hours, he said, "You know, these are better than those tennis shoes I cut up." It took all I had to not retort with an, "I told you so!" I'm sure the smile I gave him sent the same message, though. :)




And, since Savannah, Mommy and Daddy all have crocs, Pedo and Alex couldn't be left out. (The kids have the $3-market variety!)

Pedo's Greatest Hits

Technology is wonderful. You can capture your kids favorites songs, just perfectly off tune, for the whole world to hear. Its about 4 minutes long...have fun.

Nutty Mishaps

by Amy

As I shared before, our time at this conference has been really great. But, we have had a few mishaps as well. When your kids have nut allergies, it’s always a risky thing to leave them with someone else while they eat. This is why we take Savannah to her kindergarten after breakfast and pick her up before lunch. It’s not worth the risk…. But, I didn’t have that option here. My kids were fed lunch and two snacks (morning and afternoon) while they were at childcare, aka VBS. I explained to the workers in both classes our kids were in that they were allergic to all kinds of nuts. I packed snacks in their bags, as a back-up in case a nutty snack was provided. And, I also left the epi-pin. Each day, as I dropped off the kids, I reminded their teachers of the allergy. (I had also filled out paperwork three months ago, so they could expect and plan for my kids’ allergies as they cared for them for eleven days.)

Well, on Tuesday, I got paged. So, I hurried to the nursery to find that Alex’s teachers had accidentally given him a muffin with peanuts (or some kind of nut) and he ate half of it before they remembered his allergy. After picking up Alex, I checked on Savannah. Thankfully, she looked carefully at the muffin given to her and noticed the nuts, so she ate the fruit snack in her backpack instead. In the past, when Alex or Savannah had exposure to nuts, they would vomit about 2-3 hours later. We expected the same this time. But, within half an hour, Alex began to complain of his tummy hurting, and became really lethargic. He vomited twice and still seemed really weak. So, I took him to the clinic. (We have a make-shift clinic and pharmacy in our hotel staffed with volunteer US doctors and nurses 24/7 while we are here! What a huge blessing!) After giving him Benadryl and watching him for about 20 minutes as he slept in my arms, they sent me home to put him down. But, after about 10 minutes, he started coughing, threw up again, and began wheezing. His breathing became rapid, so we went back to the clinic. There he was given a steroid and albuterol breathing treatment. The exposure to nuts had basically caused an asthma attack, as well as a rash on his back and stomach and an immediate flaring of his eczema. This was by far his worst reaction ever! He’s still on daily medication as a result of it. His VBS teachers felt horrible. I am thankful that they called me right away, and that he could get good medical attention here in our hotel. And, most importantly I praise the Lord for guarding his little life.

Later in the week, Savannah ate two bites of a cookie that caused her to vomit. We assume it either had nuts in it or was contaminated by nuts. Her teacher tried it first and said it should be fine for her to eat….

We have been in contact with the guy in charge of this conference are trying to get a nut-free “VBS” next year. We’ll see….