Adventures of Living Abroad

I had to go on the hunt for my cat Corky, AGAIN. She escaped a few weeks ago and I was in a panic because I didn't get her sterilized yet. She was constantly crying at the door to get out and finally snuck through and made her big escape. It wasn't until after her escape that I realized she is in heat! Crap!  I heard her cry from the other side of my wall, but it was getting dark and I couldn't see her. Ted climbed up onto the wall and started walking across to see if he could spot her. I took off on my motorbike to find the street to the house on the other side of the wall. Simple right? Not in Indonesia....the house that is literally right next to my house requires me to drive out and around and down a totally different street.  Here's the wall behind the pool...she climbed up the tree in the garden and off she went!  I start knocking on doors showing pictures of Corky while Ted is talking to neighbors from atop the wall. We became quite a spectacle an...

We were fortunate to have a 5 day break in February and we took full advantage of that time by island hopping to Gili Air. Gili Air is a small island located about a 2 hour boat ride from Sanur, Bali. Gili Air is part of a 3 island cluster off the coast of Lombok. There's Gili T, Gili Air, and Gili Meno. We opted for Gili Air as it wasn't as busting and party-like as Gili T but not completely secluded like Gili Meno. It was a relaxing and peaceful trip! We spent our days taking walks around the island, eating delicious crepes, drinking fruit juices, and reading while lounging on the beach.   The boat ride to Gili Air We've arrived!   The view from our hotel/bungalow  The main street around the island - no cars/motorbikes allowed :)  Morning fishing...all we caught was a plastic bag :( A view of the volcano on Lombok from our fishing boat

You never know the people you will meet and the friendships you make when you choose to pick yourself up and move halfway across the world on your own. In Brazil, I was blessed with making many new and lasting friendships. Mary is one of those great friends I had the privilege of connecting with.  Shortly after returning to work in January, my friend Mary came to visit! Mary and I taught together in Brazil for two years and I was so excited to hear that she was going to make it over here to visit! There's nothing like having a great friend who knows you so well come and visit :) So good catching up, Mary! Can't wait for our next meet up!  Going away bash last year in Brazil I took her to see the Kecak Dance at Uluwatu Temple because I loved watching it so much the first time!! :) Great performance... The blessing before the show began What a view! Weekend trip to Balangan Beach... I really miss having ...

The surgery went well and I was a bit more mobile than I first imagined I would be. I was able to walk with crutches but was unable to put much weight on my leg. It was hard to move in and out of bed and the shower for the first week or so.  Using crutches and being partially immobile was a huge challenge for me. It was hard to sit still and not try to do things myself. It was hard to have not 1 but 2 people doting after me especially when I just wanted to do it myself. But I know I am very lucky to have had both my mother and boyfriend around to help take care of me and keep me from pushing myself too much in the initial weeks. I also learned that Bali is not equipped for anyone with a handicap. We decorated for Christmas and took my mom around Bali as much as we could in those 4 weeks so was here. I was so proud of her for flying across the world on her own, walking around Sanur and trying lots of new food! Here are the highlights of her trip.... At my house decorating fo...