A NEW YEAR'S LETTER HOME

4th January, 1994

Greetings Everyone,

Hope you all had a good holiday. As usual, I'm in my "Post-Christmas-Blues" phase -- which always starts at least a week before Christmas. I just can't stand for it all to be over with for another whole year! To cheer myself up, and because I was such a good girl and didn't even go on the ladies Christmas shopping trip this year, I'm taking Alexis out to Singapore just for the fun of it this weekend. We hope to take in a good movie and eat at T.G.I.Friday's. A new Chili's restaurant is supposed to be opening soon, but I don't know when.

Christmas day at the Tates' house.

Things were fairly quiet around here compared to Christmases past, but there was still plenty going on. Only trouble is, instead of having to see the same bunch of people over and over again at every party, you now have to see the same itty-bitty bunch of people over and over again. John and I sometimes stand there watching them, and wonder what on earth they could possibly have to talk about after all this time. (Answer? Each other!) The most fun party of the season, if I do say so myself, was the Bunco/dinner party for 8 couples that John and I threw. Also, another girl and I did a cookie exchange for the older kids, and that was fun too. I would have loved to make your new chocolate trifle recipe Mom, but we can't get Heath bars here, so I had to take my old traditional version to our annual Christmas day get-together with the Reehs and the Tates. The really exciting news this year is that, for once, our driver Yusuf and his family did not come for their usual two hours of just sitting and staring at us on Christmas day! For Christmas Alexis got about 99 different craft projects, including a candle-dipping set, a lap loom, a paper-making kit, etc. Unfortunately, by the end of the first week of vacation she'd done them all, and she was B-O-R-E-D! The second week was somewhat tedious.

We were a little shocked when we discovered that Kathy and Bud had sent 15 videos for the Silverman's son to bring us. I had led him to believe that there would only be a couple. Apart from the fact that he didn't have a lot of luggage space, there is the problem that videos are contraband here and can be confiscated by customs, so you have to hide them. He did manage to sneak in five, though, and we have really savored them. They are also in high demand around the compound. We shared our episodes of Seinfeld with the Silvermans, who are from New York, and they went wild over them. I'm sure they will put pressure on their son to squeeze in a few more tapes when he comes back in March. Can't wait!

Alexis' big excitement is that she may get to have an article published in a magazine! Prisi gave her a subscription to American Girl magazine, and apparently sent in a little information about her as well, when she saw that they were hoping to do an article about American girls who are living abroad. Anyway, this week she got this big, special delivery "urgent" envelope containing a questionnaire for her to fill out, and asking for photos as well. She is so excited! Unfortunately, a lot of other little girls received that same questionnaire, so let's hope her story makes it into the magazine.

The new cook is working out fairly well. I guess. It's great not having to make three meals a day from scratch, day in and day out -- especially when you consider how little I have to work with over here. But, I absolutely hate the fact that she's gradually rearranging my kitchen to suit herself, and now I can't find anything. Also, the kitchen has always been my home base, kinda like my hangout. Now Era keeps the door closed most of the time, to keep the smells in I suppose, and I find myself sort of drifting aimlessly about the house, not sure exactly where to settle!

P.T. Arun took away everyone's company cars as of the first, so we're back to being a one car family. Also, we know that they are pulling a few work permits in March, but the only one that we know of for sure is our next door neighbors, the Lyons. They are none too happy, since he was hoping to hang on another two or three years, until he can retire. Not sure if he will be able to find something else at age 57, or not. It's going to drive us crazy, not knowing what's coming, but there's nothing John can do but wait for his boss to find something in the job postings he gets, that might be suitable for us. In the meantime, we're trying to make plans for our summer home leave, and haven't a clue what to do! Should we travel home and back together, so we can get round-the-world tickets and stop in Denmark to see Eric on the way home, and in Hawaii on the way back, or should we wait and do Denmark and London next Christmas? Will we even be here still next Christmas? Should the kids and I stay all summer, so they can go to camps, etc., and just forget about stopping somewhere with John? But what if it's our last chance to ever see any of these places? The one thing John really wants to do is try and manage a trip up to Colorado to see Patti and Brad, who moved to Cortez when they left here, and maybe go to Creede while there. But should he take his vacation in June, July or August? If any of you have answers to all these questions, please feel free to share, so we can get this show on the road! In the meantime, I'll be right here, fretting. Take care, and write soon.

Oh yeah, Theda -- John really enjoyed the book and cologne you sent him, and the kids were ecstatic about their $40. We gave it to them in Indonesian money, which came to 80,000 rupiah each. They feel like millionaires!

A CHRISTMAS CARD, AND THE PINEWOOD LESSON

Cards must be ordered rather early when you live halfway 'round the world,
so I had to use a photo from the previous year.

From our 12/93 Christmas Card:

Dear George & Theda,

Only 12 more days! If you get a mystery package delivered from Spiegel, it's from us. Lex and I made a really neat gingerbread house with see-through candy windows, that you place a candle behind. Austin and John are making a pinewood derby car for Cub Scouts. I finally finished quilting my beautiful new tree skirt, then promptly covered it up with a mound of presents! (what was I thinking?) Found a cook and decided to give it a try, just for the fun of it -- she starts tomorrow. Tuesday night is the kid's big Christmas party with Santa -- Lex finally gets to be one of the elves! School lets out Friday at noon, and we are having 16 for dinner, Poker (for the guys) and Bunco (for the gals) that night.

This very happy elf-girl is holding a somewhat faded elf doll that my family always put out each Christmas when I was a kid,
and whose outfit was almost identical to hers!

Love,
Becky

About that Pinewood Derby. Well, this was the first one we'd ever participated in, and we are firm believers in being there to answer questions and assist with the hazardous parts of our kids' projects, but never directing or outright doing it for them. So John let Austin design and paint his own car, which had a shape that resembled the modern, sleeker version of a VW bug. He was over the moon about it. John and I both started getting nervous as soon as we walked through the door, and discovered that every other car there was shaped like a simple flat wedge of cheese. If you are a parent, then you know what it was like to watch Austin being deflated like a pricked balloon, and having to work harder and harder to fight back the tears and quivering lip with each successive race. Ahhh, life's lessons can really suck sometimes!

A LETTER FROM JOHN: WELCOME TO MAGGOTVILLE

December 1, 1993

Dear Mom & Dad,

Well, Merry Christmas Holidays. Becky officially has begun the Christmas season. The tree went up last weekend and the lights are out in front. Unfortunately, all the wooden yard decorations she had made have been eaten up by termites (Inserted by Author: writhing heaps of disgusting maggot-like creatures, possibly Formosa termites?). Santa was half gone, as were the candy canes. Owel.

I'll mention to my boss about the problems you've been having calling in. Apparently several other people have reported similar incidents. In the future, you might try giving the phone extension number in both English and Indonesian:

Phone Number 1246

Phone Nomor Satu (saw-too), Dua (doo-ah), Empat (im-pot), Enam (e's are short, like in "pet")

Maybe this will help.

What has Mike got to be upset about, with Geoffrey shaving his head? As I recall, Mike doesn't have any hair up there either, right? I take it Geoffrey's school  has some liberal dress codes. A lot of schools won't allow students in class with "disruptive" styles of dress, including hair styles. I guess he's just flexing his wings a bit.

Panning for Gold!

I think everyone enjoyed Australia. It was nice. In some ways, they are a few years behind the States in things. Apparently many products, such as electrical items and so forth, are tightly controlled. One store owner told me that you can't import electronic items, like games, into the country yourself. Everything has to come through a government-controlled import agency, which controls pricing. Sounds fairly bureaucratic to me. The Perth landscape is not too unlike west Texas, fairly sandy and not a lot of vegetation. The people seemed real friendly and pleasant. The funny thing was that while we were there, they started opening stores on Friday night for shopping. Up until now it was like the States back in the 50's, with stores only open late on Thursday evenings. The rest of the time they closed around 5:30 or 6:00. I don't think much was open on Sundays, as a rule. The restaurant owners are upset about the Friday night openings, thinking it will decrease the Friday night food trade. 

On the catalogs, you might try sending some via the book surface rate. Just stuff as many as you can into the standard mailer for that rate. It will take a while to get here, but that's ok. Any letters regarding upgrades or offers, though, go ahead and send regular mail.

Was her name Mimsy? Can't remember.

Alexis brought home a baby kitten the other day. So I guess we have another animal around the house. The goldfish haven't fared too well. Austin has lost several, plus his tank leaks, and when we returned from Australia, one of Alexis' three had died. I think the cat will be easier to take care of.

Well, UT cost me another case of beer to Dan Reeh this year. I sure wish they'd be able to beat A&M for once. Saw the ending of the Dallas/Miami game on the news. Looked like the snow was pretty deep. That must have been some game.

Not much else to tell now. I'll see if Becky wants to add anything before finding someone who is heading out to mail this for us.  Take care.

Your Son,

John

LETTERS HOME: W. SUMATRA WRAP-UP

25th November, 1993

Dear Folks,

Just have time for a quick note since I want to hand this off to someone who is leaving for the states in the morning. Mom, would you please share yours with the Dallas gang and pass the photos around? Seems like I've been gone most of November, and although I really enjoyed Bukit Tinggi and Perth, it's awfully good to be home -- especially since I can officially start decorating for Christmas tomorrow! Bukit Tinggi was so fascinating. Believe it or not, it's actually quite clean up there! And cool, too, since it's up in the hills. Each little village has its own special craft, so we visited one where they all weave beautiful cloth with gold threads, another where they are all silver smiths, another where they craft brass irons and musical instruments, etc. The flowers were unbelievable. Every house, no matter how poor, had gorgeous gardens and window boxes. The most unusual thing about it was that the Minangkebau people are a matrilineal society. Everything, including the family name, is passed from mother to daughter, and the men don't own a thing! Brilliant, no? I'm not sure how they reconcile that with being Muslim, though. Our area of Indonesia is the antithesis of everything we saw in W. Sumatra. It is the most fanatically Muslim area in all of Indonesia, and for some reason, that seems to discourage beauty and creativity. (Note: all photos here are from W. Sumatra. Perth photos will follow.)

One of the underground tunnels left by the Japanese in WWII

When I returned from the trip on Saturday evening, John was pretty frazzled. The kids from the Medan school were up here for an exchange week-end, and they had assigned four little Malaysian girls to stay at our house! Luckily, we still had our temporary cook then, because they all had to have special diets. I was only home for six days before we headed off to Australia. Perth was wonderful, but one week in Australia just isn't nearly enough! I'm afraid we concentrated on all the typical touristy things, including a good bit of time at K-Mart and Target! While I was there, though, I did pick up a book about home-stays in eastern Australia. It includes everything from B&Bs to sheep stations in the outback. I just hope we get a chance to go back some day.

I'm really sorry that everyone has had such a hard time getting through on the phone. I'm afraid there's nothing we can do about it though. Mom, thanks so much for getting that book for me to instruct Alexis on communion with. We will start after Christmas. How much do I owe you for the book and postage? Is Dad's knee any better? We nearly died laughing at one of your answers on my "Christmas Memories" questionnaire. Modie's special Christmas dishes were dates and prune whip? Well, no wonder Dad had to teach himself to cook at such an early age!

Theda, how was your Thanksgiving with Betty, and the trip to Roswell? Hope you had a good time. Has Taz tried to pull down the Christmas tree yet?

Laura and Ruth got pulled on stage to participate in a cultural performance we attended. The native dancers are all barefoot. Wonder how often they get their toes stomped by clumsy tourists?

Prisi, how was Steve's wedding? Did everyone wear black and orange? When you described Megan's first visit home from college, it reminded me of a Donna Reed episode I once saw, where Shelly Fabares did exactly the same thing!

Guess that's all for now. We're about out of Kool-Aid here, and I couldn't find any in Singapore, so if anyone would stick one little package of the pre-sweetened variety (any flavor) in their next letter, we would be eternally grateful!

THE BEST CHRISTMAS EVER: PARTY DOWN!

Our two kids (far left), accompanied by our friend Crys on the piano, perform in the school Christmas program.

Dearest Friends,

The Christmas season of that second year in Sumatra turned out to be one of the best ones yet. Just like the year before, the celebrating began at Thanksgiving and went non-stop through New Years. What made this season so special? Well, we were no longer the newbies who didn't know anyone, for starters. Also, one of the very best parties (in my opinion) was going to he at our own house, and I had lots of wonderful people helping me to pull it off. Best of all, though, was the fact that this time, we would have a special guest here to celebrate it with us!

In preparation for the big bash, Asnah and Fatima helped me to clean house, polish silver, and crank out enough appetizers to fill my freezer; our gardener and driver helped us move most of the furniture out to the garage and polish up the dance floor; and we had four wonderful couples co-hosting with us, who borrowed bartenders from the restaurant and helped stock our bar for the evening. Dig my cute hubby in his "Texas Tux", complete with jeans and boots!

Our friends Tom and Teri Hall came in costume. Get it? Deck the Halls!

I flew out to meet my sister Carolyn in Singapore, and we got back just in time for the company Christmas dinner and kid's party up at the restaurant. The only downside was that, once again, Alexis was somewhat ticked about not being old enough to be one of Santa's Elves!

When it was all over and done with, and I would normally be feeling a bit blue, my sister and I still had something really special to look forward to. Hong Kong!

LETTERS FROM SUMATRA: JOHN WRITES ON CHRISTMAS

December 24, 1991

Dear Mom and Dad,

We will probably have talked to you before this gets mailed, but I thought I'd start a letter anyway.  We got Dad's long letter and sure enjoyed reading it.  Your package with the magazines showed up this week.  I don't think we will do that again, at least not for a while.  Customs went through all the catalogs wanting to know what the value of each was.  I had a hard time convincing them that they were free.  After about 30 minutes or so, they finally charged me about $1 and let me go.  Not really worth the effort, considering what was in it.

We went to a real nice Christmas party last Saturday at the restaurant.  We had dinner and then the kids got a visit from Santa.  All the parents had brought gifts up earlier, so Santa would have something to give to each of the children.  It was a lot of fun, particularly for the kids.  They can hardly wait for tomorrow.  We will let them open one present tonight, but save the rest for in the morning.  There have been quite a few new faces around here the last couple of weeks, as many people have relatives in for the holidays.  If you are seriously thinking of coming over, this would probably be a good time to do it.  Nothing like floating around the pool on Christmas Day!

Speaking of trips, it looks like I will attend an ASME conference in Cologne, Germany June 1 - 4, so that will put us back home sometime around the 6th.  There's an outside chance I may have to spend the first 3 days in Dallas working on a committee, but this will just extend my home leave by that many days.  We will work out the details later on.  I'll be coming back to Indonesia around the first of July, but Becky and the kids will probably be staying through until mid-August, so there'll be plenty of opportunities to put the kids on the plane and send them down to you for several days.  I may come on down to Odessa right at first, then have the family follow a few days later.  Just don't know what the plans will be right now, but we'll get the kids to you as soon as possible.  You might even think about coming up to Dallas when we get there, if you want.

Word coming out of Midland is not too good.  I know it was hard on you for us to move away, but apparently it was announced that Mobil would reduce its workforce by 1/3.  That's quite a few layoffs.  They don't have anywhere near enough people nearing retirement that they can minimize the impact by using early retirement packages.  Mobil is selling a lot of properties as well.  It looks like next year will be a really bad year to be in the domestic groups, so it may have been a good move on my part, taking this job and getting out of the country for a while until things settle down.  I just can't understand Bush ignoring the domestic economy.  I read every day in the papers about other companies laying off people.  I wish our politicians would quit fooling around and do something constructive for once.  I would like to be able to come home some day!

Well, I guess you two are pretty happy now that Dallas has made it to the playoffs.  This was a funny year.  Houston and new Orleans finally won a Divisional Title, and Texas has a new coach.  At least Makovich isn't an old UT player.  I think it was high time to get someone in who has a different point of view.  I'll close for now and will add some later, after Christmas.

Dec.26

Well, it was good talking to you yesterday.  I hope your Christmas wasn't too quiet.  Ours turned out pretty nice.  I think the kids really enjoyed it.  They seemed pretty happy with everything they got.  We did miss all the family though.  I hope you two really do think about coming over next year.  I think you'd have a good time.  There are a lot of activities going on during December.  Anyway, we had a nice Christmas dinner.  Danny and Peggy Reeh came over, along with Allen Mobbs, whose family is in the US now.  We had a whole lot more food than we needed.  We were both pretty tired by 10 that night, and had no problems going to sleep.  Especially since Alexis had woken us up at 1:30 that morning.  Sound familiar?  Don't know what got into her and Austin, who came in at 5:30.  Usually it's Becky waking them up on Christmas!  Well, here we go, on into the next year.

My promotion and raise came as quite a surprise.  I had not anticipated that for at least a couple of more years.  I was led to believe they were going to be pretty tight about promoting people into the Tier II level.  I guess it helps to have Jim Wingate in charge of all the engineers in Mobil.  He was the one that approved my move over here.  I'm really sorry I didn't get to see him before he left Indonesia and went back to Fairfax, Va.  Anyway, the promotion is really nice, plus a sizable raise.  With all the extra bonuses added in, it amounts to another $900 or so a month.  Gee, I'm making so much money, I just don't know what to do with it all!  Sometime after the first of the year, when things settle down a little, I'll have to evaluate what my finances are and make a few decisions on what to do with some of this money.

Well, guess I'll close for now.  Take care, and we will be seeing you both before too much longer.

Love,  John

(a postscript from Miss Becky -- you have already seen the photos she refers to in previous posts)

P.S. Here are some photos that John took around the house during the holidays.  The furniture out on the porch belongs to P.T. Arun, but I had it recovered in fabric I brought with me.  The furniture in the living room is our new stuff that we ordered in Medan.  It got here just in the nick of time for the home tour!  I'll write more later.

OUR FIRST CHRISTMAS IN SUMATRA

Dearest Friends,

Following are a few scenes from that first Christmas abroad with the kids.  It turned out to be a whole lot more fun than we were expecting!

There were parties and school programs for the kids...

lots of parties for the adults, a more intimate get-together with our good friends the Reehs on Christmas day, and a humdinger of a company party for everyone.  The kids didn't have time to be homesick!

Mrs. Claus and her helpers greeted everyone as they arrived.  Lex was so jealous of the older kids and their cute elf costumes!

The ever-dapper Mr. Woodard (John's boss) took his duties as emcee and Santa liaison very seriously, checking in with Santa on his walkie-talkie periodically during the program to find out his location and weather conditions. 

At last, he arrives...

and he always had a pretty cool gift for every single kid in his bag!

RISKING LIFE AND LIMB

Dearest Friends,

In John's letter home, he mentioned our visit to a tiny Christian church in the town of Lhok Seumawe.  Visiting that little church was an annual event for a handful of expat families, and though I wouldn't call it our favorite Christmas activity, it was certainly one of the most meaningful.

The first time we were invited, my kids were pretty excited about it.  They'd practiced some songs they were to perform, and had been told it would include dinner, plus a gift for every kid there.  Of course, it wasn't quite what they had pictured.  We climbed aboard a little bus and made the hour's trip into town, arriving right at dusk.  The church was very small and rustic, with folding chairs rather than pews.  I'm sure the building served some other purpose during the week.  Under each seat we found a cold boxed dinner containing some local treats.  I'm guessing my picky daughter probably just rolled her eyes and stuffed it back under her chair, possibly grabbing a piece of bread, if there was one.

Once we had finished our meal it was time for the musical entertainment -- a few carols from our kids, a few from theirs, and a few we all sang together.  There was a lengthy sermon, difficult to follow even with the translator provided, and then there were the promised gifts -- a few small trinkets, rather than the shiny new toys my kids probably envisioned.  At last we climbed back onto our bus for the ride home.  The kids were probably asleep before we made it out of the parking lot, and were still rather bleary-eyed when they left for school the next morning.

So why did we drag our less-than-enthusiastic kids back for more of the same the following two years? Well, because sometimes it's good to be reminded that not all people have it as easy as we always have  -- especially where religion is concerned.  Some, like these families, like Jewish people throughout history, and like Moslems in America after 9/11, risk life and limb just to practice their particular faith amongst those who are rabidly opposed.  Though this small band of Christians was being tolerated at the time, they all knew that things could change in the blink of an eye, as it had in the past, with disastrous results.  Perhaps I was hoping that a little of their faith and certainty would rub off on me.

LETTERS FROM SUMATRA: HE SAID/SHE SAID

Dearest Friends,

Often times John and I would both compose letters home at around the same time, and they would end up being mailed in the same envelope.  Not only did it save on postage, it also allowed the readers to see things from two different perspectives.  I found the following two letters in the same envelope with that Christmas letter that I posted last week:

DECEMBER 10, 1991

HE SAID:

Dear Mom & Dad,

As usual, Becky is really getting excited about Christmas.  She had the tree up even before we had all our shipping cartons unpacked.  The house is beginning to look a little bit more like home now.  The kids are settling in, although Alexis is still having a little problem adjusting.  We had a meeting with her teacher and principal last week to discuss a few things we can do to get her caught up and all.  They are willing to work with Alexis a little after school to help her out.  Then we've set up a schedule for her and Austin to follow each day for home work and studying.  I think in the long run this will be good for Alexis.  If we get her into some good study habits now, it will make it a lot easier on her down the road.  What is great is the teachers' willingness to work with her after school.  That would never happen back in the Midland system.

There are a lot of different Christmas activities going on now.  Last week we went into Lhok Seumawe to attend a Christmas service at the only Christian church anywhere around, other than ours on the compound.  Quite an experience.  With all the functions and children's activities scheduled over the next two weeks, there will be no idle time between now and Christmas.  Our house is on the womens' Christmas parade of homes this year.  Becky is a little upset because it doesn't look like the new furniture she ordered will make it in time.  She really wanted it to fix up the house.

Dad, Mom mentioned that you were going over to the Y and doing a little exercise.  That's great.  Are you just doing something on your own or with a group?  I know you'll feel better just getting out a bit.  I plan on playing a little golf after the Christmas holidays now that my clubs are here.  Becky has been talking to Peggy Reeh about taking some lessons with her.

I'm not sure what our plans for Christmas are this year.  I think we'll try to wait until Christmas morning before opening any presents.  Maybe let the kids open one or two Christmas Eve.  Despite all the activities, it still won't be the same.  I sure hate to think of you two spending it by yourselves.  Wish you could be here.  Several families have had their folks come in this past week.  Speaking of which, Mother asked about travel arrangements.  What do you have in mind?  Typically, people fly into Singapore.  We would meet you there, spend a night or two, then fly to Indonesia on the company plane.  We would make any hotel arrangements from this end.  The easiest flight is American out of Dallas, non-stop to Tokyo.  You change planes in Tokyo and fly Japan Air to Singapore, arriving around midnight.  I would also suggest paying a little extra to fly business class.  Not as expensive as first class, but a lot more comfortable than economy.

Well, I guess that's about it for now.  I'll close and try to get this to someone who is heading to Singapore this week.  Hopefully you will have it before Christmas.  We'll be thinking of you.  You might try calling us Christmas Eve, your time.  Take care and we all wish you two a very Merry Christmas.

Love,
John, Becky and the Kids

SHE SAID:

Dear George and Theda,

Boy, we just had the most fun weekend ever!  Unfortunately, I can hardly move my bod today as a result of it.  It was Trappers' Days!  I just couldn't believe how much trouble the Canadians went to, organizing the whole thing.  It was fantastic!  Everyone was divided up into five different teams, and we competed against each other for two days in events such as tug-of-war, hockey, snow shoe races, flap-jack flipping, dog sled races (six human "dogs" pulling a real sled with a passenger -- a real killer!), log rolling (an actual log which they floated in our swimming pool -- first it was too rough, so they polished it up, then it was too slick, so they put carpeting on it, then it kept sinking, so they had to put inner tubes on each end!), and last but not least, the trap line race, where we had to run all over tarnation, trying to find painted coconuts, then try to lug as many as possible back to the starting point, using only our hands and the clothes on our backs -- not easy!  Everything ended with a dinner-dance on Saturday night, with a program where they did some hilarious skits and handed out awards.  John's team came in second.  He got some of the games on video, so everyone will probably get to see me being knocked on my butt while playing hockey!

The Christmas season is already in full swing over here.  We went to our first Christmas party on November 30th, and there's a pretty steady stream of them from here on out.  The kids will get out of school at noon this Friday, and a lot of people have family coming to spend about a month.  Sure wish we did!  I miss you all terribly, but I must admit, I am really enjoying this Christmas so far.  For the first time in ages, I will have all the time I need, to do all of the things I've always wanted to do -- with the kids, around the house, baking, wrapping, etc. -- and with lots of help, and plenty of money too!  Quite a switch from my days working the Floral/Catering holiday madhouse!  Besides, I just don't think I could bear the sadness of being back at Chez Vous this Christmas, with Chef D. gone.  I've written to B. several times, but so far, no reply.  From what I hear, she's not doing too well.  I can't even imagine how she will survive the Christmas mayhem with K, D, and me all gone at once!  I hope she has found some new help.

Well, back here in Indonesia, they are having their Second Annual Christmas Tour of Homes on the 23rd.  All the ladies will load up onto a bus and go through about ten different homes, to see how they are decorated, then have lunch at the restaurant.  I was really looking forward to it, until I discovered that one of the houses on the tour is ours!  I was supposed to get my new furniture this week, but I have a sneaking suspicion it won't show up until after Christmas.  Oh well.  Right now we are having some yard decorations painted.  They are turning out gorgeous, and he's only charging me about $10 each for them (they'd cost hundreds in the States!).

Judging from this photo, the furniture arrived in time!

Guess that's about all the news.  Hope you had a good visit in Ohio.  Keep checking on those travel details.  We can't wait to have our first visitors!  Have a great Christmas, and write soon.

A CHRISTMAS LETTER FROM SUMATRA

Sunday, December 1st, 1991

Dear Friends and Family,

Greetings from beautiful Lhok Seumawe!  Christmas came early for the Lane family this year -- on November 25th to be precise.  That's when our shipment from the States finally arrived.  If you can picture your whole family living out of a few suitcases for over three months, you can imagine our ecstasy at finally having all our "stuff"! (Becky was lost without her microwave, while John pined for his computer.)  It was difficult to decide whether it was more important for her to get the kitchen unpacked and organized, or to get the Christmas decorations out and the tree set up.  The Christmas tree won!

There is so much to tell, it's hard to know where to start.  There are thousands of things we miss about the States (El Chicos, Whataburger, the malls, movies...), and many things that are strange to us here (the public toilets, the language, the way people want to grab the children), but there are also many things that are wonderful.  On the whole, we think the move to Indonesia has been a good one for us all.

The school is fantastic, and with only 5 or 6 kids in each class, you certainly get your share of individual attention. (Alexis thinks she's getting more than her share, and is having to work twice as hard just to keep up!)  Another big plus is that John rarely has to travel on business now, and because everyone has household help here, we are able to be much more involved with the kids and at school. (John might even say "too much!")  In the three short months that we've been here, we have already had to do costumes and make-up for the school play, do the spook house for the carnival, teach cooking to pre-schoolers, teach Sunday school, coach t-ball, and plan the kid's Christmas program.  It's not that we are particularly dedicated either, it's just that with such a small community, everyone has to help out!

Living here is not without its hazards though.  While trying out the new pool floats that came in our shipment, John did get a bit of a sunburn last weekend.  He later talked to his Dad and found out that it was in the mid 20's back in Odessa.  Ah well, we all have our burdens to bear, I suppose.

We really would like to hear from everyone.  Becky promises to personally respond to anyone who writes to her, and not send one of these form letters.  John promises that Becky will answer all his letters also.

Well, we want to wish everyone a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

TURMOIL IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Dearest Friends,

After my boss finally came back from her lengthy trips to London and Paris, there was a noticeable chill in the air whenever she and her partner were in the same room.  It may have had something to do with a notation I came across in my diary the other day.  I wrote about having had "some unpleasantness with S. while M. was away", but didn't elaborate.  I don't remember for sure, but I seem to recall her trying to pump me for financial information, or I may have caught her going through papers she shouldn't have been going through.  Whatever it was, M. was more than irritated when I told her, and it meant we were no longer one big happy family at the shop.  A short while later, someone told me M. had sold out to S., and was going to do something else.  Then later I heard, "No, no, that's not right.  They split things into two separate businesses."  A few weeks after that, I was told that M. had rented another space.  Needless to say, I never knew from one day to the next whether I would still have a job for long.  Even worse?  No more freebies at the salon!

On top of all that, there was the fact that several of our friends had taken home-leave to the states over Christmas, or had gone on nice vacations to places like Greece and Cyprus, and were now back and talking about all the fun they had.  Since we had not budged off this tiny desert island in almost a year, and since the only place John was going any time soon was back offshore -- not just occasionally, but as his full-time gig -- it was a tad depressing.  Speaking of this tiny island, know what was really bizarre?  Seeing cars with luggage racks on them in Bahrain.  This was before the causeway to Saudi had been completed, so the furthest you could drive in any direction was thirty miles.  Why would you need a luggage rack?

What really put us over the edge though were the pictures and tapes that started showing up from our families, of all their holiday festivities.  We loved looking at them, and yet, we hated them.  For the past twenty one months, I had been so caught up in my newlywed adventures, I had never given much thought at all to the fact that life was continuing on without us back in the states.  These tapes and photos brought it home in a big way, for I saw that new nephew Geoff was now the same size that his older sister Meg had been when we left, while Meg was running around and jabbering away like a mini-adult!  It set off all kinds of strange feelings that I had trouble identifying.  Could it be possible, that after all this time abroad, I was just now beginning to feel a little, well, there's no other word for it, homesick?  Even more disturbing was the way I could suddenly go all mushy at the sight of an infant.  Was it my imagination, or had something set off the very faintest of tick-tocking sensations, somewhere deep inside me?