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!

PENANG

Dearest Friends,

That trip to Penang, which I mentioned in my letter, ended up being one of the most memorable family vacations of our lives.  First and foremost was the resort itself.  I think it was called Golden Sands, and it was one of those lushly exotic oceanfront resorts that you see in travel brochures -- the kind with an open air lobby and lagoon-like swimming pools surrounded by palm trees and lounge chairs.  All you had to do was raise a little flag and a waiter would appear at your elbow with the icy beverage or snack of your choosing.  The only downside was in getting there, as the road from the airport to the resort followed the shoreline, with all its twists and turns.  Never a good thing for me, but man-oh-man, was it ever worth it!

We had traveled there alone, only to find several other families we knew already there, one of which had seven or eight children, so our kids had plenty of playmates to keep them company at the pool, as they wore themselves to a frazzle climbing up the awesome rockslide into the pool, over and over and over again.  That left us free to lounge, read, and visit with the other parents, just keeping a watchful eye out.  The resort also had a kid's club, based in its own little house next to the hotel, and our kids actually asked us to take them there, after hearing glowing reports from the other kids about the fun activities they had scheduled for each day.

When they eventually grew weary of that and the pool, we hired a car and driver to take us to do some shopping, tour a batik factory and a butterfly farm, and to go to Lexi's favorite (NOT!), the arboretum-like place where you could walk through the jungle and buy little bags of peanuts to feed the monkeys.  If only someone had warned the poor kid that you have to make sure the alpha male gets fed first.  Otherwise he's liable to launch himself at you when you least expect it, scaring you half to death, and he'll grab the whole dang bag right out of your hands!  Twenty years later, she's still not too crazy about monkeys, but I bet she'd go back to that resort in a heartbeat!

SCENES FROM OUR FIRST HALLOWEEN

Dearest Friends,

Our first Halloween on the company compound just blew us away.  We were to discover that, when it came to keeping the kids happy, there were no limits to how far this community would go.  Whether they had kids in the school or not, everyone participated and contributed.

One of the mom's helps with the pumpkin toss, dressed for the part.

My first hint at how far they would go came when they asked us which activity at the carnival we wished to help with.  The list of options was huge, considering how few kids were in the school.  We volunteered to help with the "spook house", expecting they would take one of the classrooms over, set out bowls of spaghetti guts and peeled-grape-eyeballs, and turn out all the lights.  Not even close.  It turns out we had a most amazing local asset at our disposal -- carpenters and painters who could build almost anything these engineer dads could design, for a nominal fee, and tailors who could sew any costume a kid desired, if given a picture.  The carpenters built a full-blown Haunted House, the painters decorated it, and John and I were hidden behind a wall of its black-light-lit hallway.  They had drilled a bunch of holes in this wall, at various heights, and some of them had fake arms poking through them while others had real ones (ours!), which could grab hold of a kid as they tried to get through the passageway, or grab the cap right off of Mr. Danny's head and keep it behind the wall!  My kids refused to set foot in it, after hearing reports from the first kids to walk through, and to tell you the truth, I couldn't blame them!

The kids got to parade their costumes at school the day before the carnival  (that's our Austin, the Ninja, and Alexis, the witch below).  By the time they came back for the carnival, this basketball court had been completely transformed with painted backdrops for each game, a Gypsy Wagon, and a free-standing Haunted House!

The little Chiquita Banana from next door came by to show us his costume.

Lex in the Gypsy Wagon, getting her fortune told.

There were so many cakes contributed for the cake-walk, that every family there brought home at least one or two!

LETTERS FROM SUMATRA: 10/30/91

Wednesday, October 30

Dear George & Theda,

Thanks so much for the birthday card.  It got here in plenty of time.  I had a lovely birthday.  I happened to invite a bunch of ladies over to play Bunco that day.  One ended up bringing a cake, and several others brought gifts.  I guess Peggy Reeh had spread the word that it was my birthday!  

We had a blast at the kid's Halloween carnival Saturday.  I couldn't believe how elaborate it was, for such a small school.  John and I worked in the spook house, but our own kids wouldn't even come in!  The best thing about it was that everything was free, even the food!  Apparently they go all out on anything involving the kids here.

I took an all-day cake decorating class a couple of Saturdays ago.  It was really interesting.  I just wish I had done it about eight years ago, so I could have been making all the kid's birthday cakes myself!  John and I finally started taking Indonesian lessons together -- twice a week out at his office.  I think it's kind of fun, but as for your son?  Sheer torture!

They say our shipment should be on the next barge.  Yippee!  I'm a little worried, though, 'cause John is going to be at a school in Medan all next week.  Sure hope I don't have to deal with customs all by myself!  The following week the kids are out of school, so we are going to take a little R&R trip to Penang.  It's an island resort in Malaysia that's supposed to have great beaches and shopping.  Should be fun!

Well, take care.  Oh yeah, Theda, regarding your questions.  I don't remember ordering "Spark" magazine, but who knows?  Also, no, Chef D. was not in love with a man.  He was having an affair with another girl we worked with, even though they were both married and she has three children.  It's just so sad and stupid.

That's all for now.  Write soon.

HASH PHOTOS

Dearest Friends,

As long as we're on the subject of "the Hash", I thought I might as well share a few photos with you.

We had a choice of riding two buses to wherever our trail of the day began: the family bus, or the bawdy bus.  Mr. Brad enjoyed being one of the song-leaders on the bawdy bus.

If you actually managed to find your way to the grog truck at the end of the trail a certain number of times, they held a ceremony in your honor. 

Here my hubby is being "christened" with his official hash name: Slick Lane! (that water was icy cold)

Later, little Austin became "Slow Lane" and I became "Lover's Lane" -- not for any particular reason, though.  They just couldn't resist using that play on words.  We ended up with quite the collection of hash t-shirts.

The local people who saw us trekking through the jungle thought we were very strange, and delighted in leading us astray.

A couple of times per year, we celebrated with an official Hash Dinner at the restaurant, complete with entertainment.  Here one of the teachers, Mr. D., demonstrates "The Amazing Bass-0-Matic"!

Anybody recognize the diva in the yellow hip-scarf?  The one who's channeling her inner Diana Ross?  That just happens to be our newest addition to "The Muses" here in Wimberley -- Painter Woman!

Looks like she even managed to get our oh-so-proper British physician to channel his inner diva as well!  Yep, I'm pretty sure that's Doc Connelly there in the middle. 

OUR DAUGHTER, THE JOURNALIST

Dearest Friends,

The American Girl dolls were just becoming popular when we moved to Indonesia with the kids, so we hid one in our shipment and surprised Alexis with it our first Christmas there.  A couple of years later, her Aunt Priscilla sent her a copy of American Girl magazine, along with a note saying "Check this out, Lex.  They want to hear from American girls living abroad!  Thought you might like to submit a story."

She sat down and wrote a little story about one of the first "hashes" we took her on, and here it is -- her very first published article!