Singapore Parkers: Merry Christmas

Phuket Thailand

Phi Phi Islands, Thailand

Merry Christmas 2011,

Another year has come and gone, another year away from our dear friends and family, and another year of developing new friendships. The trade-offs somehow balance out, but we do miss our daily interactions with you all (and life in the States). We have been tremendously blessed with perspective on so many fronts: 1) Family and friends are precious gifts, better than any wrapped presents under the tree. Enjoy every moment with them, as often as you can. 2) No matter how difficult our circumstances are in the US, they don't even begin to compare to the living conditions we have witnessed in Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, India, and Bangladesh. Appreciate a roof over your head, a car to drive, dinner on the table, clean water, medical attention, dental care, access to education, and available jobs for those willing to break a sweat.
3) Living abroad sounds glamorous to others, but our days have also been filled with the trials of trying to find familiar products, driving on "the other side" of the road, paying a premium for rent, cars and groceries, paying income tax in Singapore "and" the United States, having rich established relationships for when you just need a shoulder to cry on, longing for just one day when you can bundle up in that favorite cozy sweater without having the air conditioning cranked, communicating with the local Singaporeans in “Singlish”, moving again (these close local moves are almost as much work as moving across the world and at least we now have hot water in our kitchen), paying for parking everywhere you go, sweating profusely by just walking to the local grocery store at 8:00 am. On the flip side, our opportunities to experience South East Asia have enriched our lives immensely. 4) Growing in our Christian faith isn't impossible, even in Asia. We have found a very vibrant community. We attend church weekly and the girls are actively involved in a thriving Young Life Youth Group with their fellow high school buddies. We have gained a better understanding (although minimal) of other world religions and we embrace our freedom to practice Christianity without persecution.
5) High School Education and the multitude of programs in an American international school are phenomenal, although like every household, our girls always seem to be complaining about homework.
So here's the part where you can say "Oh, I get it!” We all feel so fortunate to have experienced this year. The people, places, cultural heritage, and incredible Nat Geo moments:

Places                                     Brian               Rachelle          Jacqueline      Alison

United States
Home 1/11 & 7/11 1/11 & 8/11 Jan 2011 Jan 2011
Chelan                                     Jan 2011         Jan 2011         Jan 2011         Jan 2011
Doha, Qatar                                                                                                     X
Middle School Choir
Jimbaran, Bali                              X                      X
Happy 50th b-day Rachelle
Seminyak, Bali      X                      X X Siem Reap, Cambodia                 X                      X                      X X
Caring for Cambodia
Volunteer Work Trip
Angkor Wat
Chiang Mai, Thailand with   X                      X                      X                 X
Laura Brossard
elephant Nature Reserve
Interacting with Live Tigers
China with Larry, Susan, Katie        X                      X                      X                 X
And Libby Boss
Beijing, China   X                      X                      X   X
Great Wall
Xian, China   X                      X                      X                  X
Terra Cotta Warriors"
Chengdu, China X                      X                      X                  X
Giant Pandas
Jakarta, Indonesia X
Dahka, Bangladesh X
Bombay, India X
Shanghai, China X X
Seoul, Korea X
Hong Kong   X
Shopping trip with Anne Dunn                                 X
Disneyland with Libby,& Susan X                     X   X
Langkawi, Malaysia   X X X
Johor, Malaysia   X
Taipei, Taiwan   X
Telunas, Indonesia   X   X
Young Life Camp
Local Singapore Sites   X X                      X X
Phuket, Thailand 2x X X                      X   X
Scuba Diving Lessons
Krabi, Thailand   X X                      X X
Family bonding and
The Andaman Sea

Although we miss you all dearly and our bank accounts are depleted, we are so much richer for all of these blessings.
So, when will we move back "home"? Next week, next month, next year?! Our answer? Only time will tell.
Until then, we are embracing every day and every experience life has to offer.

Wishing you all the Blessings of Christmas and a Wonderful 2012

With Love~ Brian, Rachelle, Jacqueline and Alison