well hello there

Meet the Lafree EA-601, my primary mode of transportation for trekking to and from Declan's school as of yesterday.

I am tres belle.

It has literally halved my commute time from forty minutes of sweaty stroller pushing to less than twenty minutes of power assisted pedaling. Declan is also much taken with it. Petra refused to get out of the child seat I'd installed on the back. 

My initial plan had been to get a moped, like the Vespa I bought with my first (and some of my second) paycheck of my first post-college job. That companion now belongs to my aunt since seven years ago. But then I heard a sermon in which the speaker said that the world's top spending goes to (1) weapons, (2) drugs, and (3) petroleum. For some reason, that made me want to avoid petrol consumption as much as possible, so an electric moped became of interest. Besides, the electric route would mean I don't need to update my license and I get NT$3,000 subsidy from the Taiwan EPA.

Alas, I then found out that the electric moped I had my eyes on does not have a detachable battery. Or rather it does, but the battery is incredibly heavy to remove for charging portably. "Much too heavy, especially for a girl." The salesperson said. That got me rolling my eyes and saying offhandedly that I can handle it. Unfortunately, an attempt to pick it up indicated he's correct--but still not because I happen to be a girl. I wouldn't want to subject Daniel to being that battery carrier either.

Then, right as I was resigning myself to an uglier e-moped with a much lighter detachable battery, the salesperson reminded me that mopeds are prohibited within college campuses. Which just won't do since I live on campus. 

So that is how I ended up with an electric bicycle. And all the benefits I'd already mentioned.

I'm going to call it Liel.

first day of school!

Oy, I'm exhausted. But I am perfectly happy to be this exhausted if everyday is like today with Declan. I had been a little anxious about Declan's first day at a new school environment in yet another foreign (to him) country. His teacher's multiply-expressed concern about whether he'll be comfortable in an all-Chinese class didn't assuage my own wondering on that count.

 So I prayed before bedtime yesterday, and this morning before I pushed him in the stroller while back-carrying Petra the four kilometers to his kindergarten--that he would not be anxious, would listen to the teacher, would learn good things, make new friends, and all-in-all enjoy his new school. I also prayed for extra support for his teacher, who seem really nice and patient about my missing or inappropriate school gears for Declan that apparently all the local parents have prepared well in advance. I finally gathered everything tonight, so yay. (and whew!) Throughout the day, when I started worrying and imagining that he might be having a meltdown at school, I stopped to pray that he's having a good time. When I went to pick him up, he smiled a huge one and came to give me a hug. The principal had spotted me upon arrival and came up to tell me some details about Declan during lunch and snack times, and overall I already knew that his first day went fairly well before we reunited. I was so relieved! And then, amazingly, it was like Declan become responsible and reasonable over a matter of hours. I usually get into power struggles with him about what to do when and how about almost literally everything. This afternoon after pick-up, he ended up playing at the large outdoor sandbox at his kindergarten for an hour--and Petra joined in too--before we had to walk 20 minutes to ride a 15-minute free bus shuttle home. He listened well to all of my opinions and shared his own thoughts without the usual tyrannical edge in his petition. It. Was. Incredible.

He was patient with his sister, and talked gently with her by bending down to her level and asking questions to her quietly while looking at her kindly. He held her on the bus ride home and let her play with his hands even though he initially protested "My hands are not a toy, mei-mei. I am a people!" I could go on, but suffice it to say, he really acted like "a big guy" all the rest of the day. I took out the utensils and bowl he used for lunch to wash after we returned home, and discovered that they've already been washed--by Declan. His teacher taught the whole class to clean up after themselves and brush their teeth after lunch. She wasn't, however, able to persuade him to leave his toothbrush kit at school as everyone else did. I guess he remembered that I still needed to buy him another set for home use.

Instead of being my usual pessimistic self and waiting for the other shoe to drop about the return of Grouchy Declan, I just give praise to God for so many things. That we were able to register Declan for this kindergarten, that he enjoyed the first day, that he seems to be picking up good things about the Taiwanese culture (taking initiative to use chopsticks with a respectable degree of competence during dinner), that I genuinely enjoyed hanging out with him this whole day as opposed to the usual fear that I just don't have the energy/patience/love to take care of him properly. Kids being kids, I don't expect Declan to always be this perfect. In truth, he's a pretty cool kid even when he's being annoying. (Only when he's cruel to his sister do I usually blow my stacks.) I have to remember this, these things. Store them up like a squirrel towards nuts in case of the barren days.