Check out my new blog; this same post is the maiden post on it:
It's been a while. So this is going to be a long update, but with some photo breaks and diversions of links to follow. It's a catch up from over the last three months or so, for those of you who have been asking and would like to stay up to date.
I've been going through a transitional period of learning to live Stateside again. Transitional things I've been readapting to include:
- style of interacting with others in public: i.e. going shopping; forming lines; not pushing; having the door held open for me; coming to the re-realization that people are NOT always staring at me, the foreigner, as the object of their intentions; driving courtesies/rules of the road. That leads me to...
 |
| US prices > China prices |
- language: very little Chinese (though now I'm in Cali, I'm using Spanish more again!), but still reacting and wanting to order food, give directions, and ask basic questions in my basic Mandarin, also giving verbal intonations in Chinese fashion, as well as curbing curt replies or refusals. Nonverbal communication included; body gestures, hand motions, and no personal space bubble; it's all I could do not to push my way forward through crowds and figure out how to form a line again haha! Which leads me to...
- transportation: car vs. public transport; rules of the road--i.e. parking, cutting in, passing; and the ability (or not) to bicycle, hoof it ped style, etc.
- food: I'm trying to find Asian comforts I grew an affinity for in the last year; it's hard to find a diversity of produce, milk tea, or other Asian faces; I've again noticed how costly food, especially produce, is Stateside.
 |
| Found milk tea in Seattle's Pike Place Market |
 |
Apparently TIC moments happen in
Victoria, BC, Canada's China Town too;
straw was too small for tapioca bubbles |
 |
| American Chinese food... ahh! |
 |
| Spring rolls in Bellevue, WA |
 |
Again, TIC moments prevail:
Chinglish in a fortune cookie:
"All thing has a cause.
Look into your pass for answer" |
So, I've begun yet another chapter, as I moved down to California mid-August, after spending a month and a half in the gloriously-sunny PNW (Pacific Northwest); I was blessed to enjoy a record of no rainfall on the Peninsula for the whole month of July... wow! So let me back up and give a brief recap of my time spent in the glorious WA state (
link to see summer photo album here): friends, family, BBQs, strawberry picking, river walks, scenic fun times, puppies, lavender, river tubing, baseball, cross-state road trips, ferry rides,
Color Run, and... allergies. So. Many. Allergies.
 |
Dry July summer weather for
the records on the Peninsula |
 |
Beach times on the Dungeness Spit in Sequim
with Danika and Anthony |
 |
Jetty fun with Jett and Kari and Wilbur
in La Push, WA, 3rd Beach |
 |
Castle in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
Summer sister bike trip (with Danika & Clara Duncan)! |
 |
We can't avoid it. China finds us.
(ChinaTown in Victoria, BC, Canada) |
 |
Color Run in Spokane, WA with my friendlies:
Anthony, Janine, and Jessica |
 |
| We got colorful! |
 |
| Ferry time. I <3 WA State. |
 |
Kaylee hangs out with me and Danika on a warm day
in Sunny Sequim |
 |
Garden croquet; China and Sequim girls reunite:
Danika, Kaylee, me, Kate, and Kari |
 |
| With my aged Agape doggerz. Now 13 years old! |
 |
| Relaxation time in the tub at Mom & Dad's. Housesitting peacefulness! |
 |
Wedding on Vashon Island at the top of the historic lighthouse there, with friends!
Kari and I went in our Chinese qipao (pronounced: Chee-Pow) dresses. |
 |
| Heading up into the Olympics to do some sunset-watching |
 |
| View over the OlyPen (Olympic Peninsula) at sunset in early July, from Deer Park |
 |
| Random run-in with fellow Whitworthian alums in Sequim! |
 |
| Glorious Sequim sunsets |
 |
| Lavender Festival, 3rd weekend in July! First one in a few years I've been in Sequim for! |
 |
| Back on the farm- PHL! Just like old times! |
 |
| Lavender-cutting of the parents' 60 plants at home, lining the driveway |
 |
| Doggie time at Kari's parents' in Bellingham: Jett and Wilbur! |
 |
| River tubing the Snoqualmie at sunset in early July. Brrrr! |
Health, in brief (if you can believe it, THIS is the nutshell version): Upon returning to the US, my allergies seemed to worsen. Aside from the fact that any semblance of a "daily routine" I had come to develop during my time in China was majorly skewed and irregular during my first couple weeks in the US (because I was traveling and bouncing around a lot visiting people and doing fun stuff!), I was seemingly exposed to more and more allergens (read: 3 cats at the parents' place, summer grasses, trees, and pollens in all their summer glory, dusts/molds, and onions). Additionally, it seemed as if my already-excessive allergies became more and more extreme and progressive. Not only could I not take NSAIDs (typical pain-killers such as: Aspirin (Bayer, Bufferin, Excedrin); Ibuprofen (Advil,
Motrin IB); Naproxen (Aleve) or any other related drugs), I also developed allergic respiratory reactions to Tylenol. No acetaminophen. Bu hao, no good; what to do in case of fever, swelling, or pain? Worse, I developed a wheezing dry cough that prevented any normal breathing, let alone the ability to exercise or reach an aerobic state. I thought this was just heightened allergic reaction to increased allergic stimulation, but have since been diagnosed with asthma. These are just some of the ongoing list of ailments I'm beginning to encounter in my 20s... Additionally, my body chemistry has been changing (especially as a side effect of allergy meds I've been on); I've found my oral hygiene regimen to be more complicated by the fact that I have developed allergies to components in toothpastes, mouthwashes, and chewing gum. Yay for brushing with baking soda and rinsing with salt water. Finding non-flavored floss is a wild goose-chase of a hunt as well... and it turns out it's more expensive than normal floss (who'da thunk?! I've never had to BUY floss; the dentist usually supplies enough)! Other body-chemistry issues have also arisen, such as acid reflux (which I experienced in unbearable levels for a few months while living in China) and sensitivities to more food-related components in foods and drinks (artificial flavors, nitrates, sulfides, flavoring, etc.). Other additional ongoing physical maladies are puzzling and frustrating too. Enough of the litany of medical issues and complaints.... for now(?). It's depressing and overwhelming, to say the least.
 |
Cousins Matthew&Brie,
Maximus (my cousin-once-removed),
Me, and Mom |
I'm now a "California-girl": Mid-August, after a housesitting for my parents who celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary in Hawaii, Mom and I drove down the I-5 corridor to move me down to California. We made stops in: Portland to visit friends Rosie & Matt, cousins Matthew & Brie (and their son Max); Northern California to visit my Uncle Bill and wife Julie; then headed a couple hours down the road to visit the Wood cousins, before arriving at my final destination of Gramma Carpenter's in Hollister, CA (about an hour south of San José, two hours south of the Bay Area). Mom and I spent a few days cleaning Gramma's house, and I moved into Papa's old model-train hobby room. So many treasures were discovered in that process: photos, documents, Navy (Papa) and nursing (Gramma) memorabilia, old clothes and craft projects, hobby items, and lots of dust. No so fun on the allergy front. Meals were shared with all the aunties and family that came over to socialize at Gramma's. Mom headed back to WA on the 23rd, and I settled in with Gramma.
 |
| California-bound. Great views galore! |
I love living here in sunshiny California! I cook and clean and take care of Gramma (errands, home care, tend to her in times of illness or immobility). I cherish our movie-watching (old classics, musicals, re-watching the West Wing series), and enjoy our many, varied conversations (from current events, to historical topics and personal stories, and spanning a gamete of other matters). It's especially exciting right now as she remodels the house: repainting outside (oh, the efforts we went to just to choose colors!), measuring for new counters, tearing out old ones, constructing a new pantry cupboard, installing a new mailbox slot, new screen door mesh, and a new doggie door, because...
 |
| Introducing... Nevada puppy! |
I got a new puppy! Her name is Nevada, named for the street we live on. I can't get enough of how adorable this cutie-patootie is. We enjoy our walks and bike rides (she was a pro at trotting alongside my hand-me-down road bike from Mom since the first ride!), cuddle time, and training. Just as she got used to the old doggie door and etiquette of how to use it, she's got to learn to be accustomed to this new one! See sooo many photos of this overwhelming cuteness (probably too many by most people's standards; but how can you capture the cuteness of this beloved pup!?):
click here to view album.
 |
| Cooling off in the evening grass |
 |
Bike time!
|
 |
| At my birthday party, Mom sent Nevada a gift too! |
 |
Birthday dinner; 3 generations: Mom, Gramma, and me!
(I've hit the big quarter-century mark!) Enjoying traditional cookie cake! |
 |
Family (ladies night) dinner before Sarah heads back south:
Sarah, (Bucky), Susan, Kathryn, Louise, (Nevada in my arms), and Gramma |
 |
Remodel/fix up projects:
Left side: torn screen door replaced!
Right side: old, dirty doggie door replaced with new clear one
(but when I took the finished photo, it was night, so it just looks dark) |
 |
| Gramma's fix-it contractor man, Randy, affixes the new mail slot! |
 |
| Mail slot installed! Photo at left is from the outside, and on the right is inside! |
 |
| Gramma's new paint job: the view from the backyard |
Aside from enjoying time with Gramma, enjoying puppy Nevvie, and enjoying reading and gardening in the sun, I've been doing some not-so-enjoying consultations with lots of doctors to address my list of health grievances. Over the last several weeks I've been seeing immunologists, allergy/asthma specialists, general physicians, getting poked/prodded, having imaging and other various testing done at the local hospital, and more... The most recent update: even though I seemingly took two steps back since coming back Stateside, I seem to have possibly taken a step forward, as I've been diagnosed and am being treated for chronic asthma, extreme aspirin allergy-exacerbated respiratory disease, in addition to being a highly-allergic person (prior and new allergies confirmed, so that I can do my best to avoid allergens). Due to some results in blood tests, coming back with an astounding 25% of my WBC (white blood cell) count being dominated by
eosinophils (the average person's count normally doesn't exceed 8%), I'm now being tested for parasites, which may be a root cause of many of the immunology-health issues I've been experiencing--diet, altered pH levels, increased/progressive allergies, asthma, nasal congestion, etc. After living/traveling in Central America, Southeast Asia, and other globetrotting endeavors, a parasite is not far outside the realm of possibility. When feeling overwhelmed by the big picture, I try to stay focused one issue at a time. I'm optimistic, even though the process is slow and definitely not fun or cheap. Essentially, I've been spending a lot of time in waiting rooms. A word to the cold-blooded: wear socks/shoes, sweatshirts; they are waaaay too aircon-happy in hospitals and dr. offices!
In other news, I've starting dancing again! What better way to get back into health and shape than by dancing?! I have a job at at a local studio,
San Benito Dance Academy (
website under construction/redesign, but still accessible, as well as their
Facebook page). I teach about 13-15 hours of dance classes per week (but spend probably around 20-30 hours at the studio, throughout any given week thus far into the academic year). Styles I instruct include: jazz, lyrical/contemporary, ballet technique--beginner young kids, teens, and adults, as well as and subbing for advanced classes. The perk is that I also get to take as many classes for free that fit into my schedule--modern, yoga, ballet (I'm trying to get back en pointe!)- when I'm not teaching that is! I bike the 1.8 miles in each direction to and from the studio on almost a daily basis. It's a nice little ride while the weather has been nice (though nights are getting chilly now!), and it has been great for my recuperating lungs, as my lung capacity increases, and breathing is easier than it has been in the past! The only downside is that a hamstring issue I've had since November of last year (yoga stretching without being fully warmed up?) has resurfaced; I think it may be scar tissue that tears, heals, and is now re-tearing, thus obstructing flexibility and some mobility. Remember that I can't take NSAIDs? Yeah. Excruciating pain coming from the thigh region. So this issue is now being addressed... slowly. Doctor appointments and testing takes time! Boooo.
I've found that the topic of this ever-lengthening blog post seems to cycle and always loop back around to focus on my medical issues... which is sort of the theme of this chapter of my life, I suppose, if I had to perform a literary analysis of my composition. This time of life is to get back on track, for if I don't resolve/figure out these issues now, I'm sure life would be all the more complicated/painful/confusing later on down the road, further inhibiting my ambitions/desires for travel, further study, and fun!
In a nutshell, I am feeling super-blessed in this time of transition, challenging and as emotional as times may be. I am surrounded by family, good weather, new environments/cultures (California is a different culture, right?), faith-challenges and growth, new friendships, dance and exercise, and feel secure in the fact that I've made a good life-decision to take some time to focus on my health. Timing is proving to be just right. Though well paying, my current part-time job doesn't provide me with medical benefits; I am covered by my parents' insurance through the end of my 25th year, so I'm getting all these tests and doctor services in with lessened out-of-pocket cost. I'm enjoying time with family (never a waste of time!). I'm getting my body in shape. My late afternoon/evening/night work schedule at the dance studio affords me the time in mornings and early afternoon to arrange for doctor visits, attend appointments, have medical testing performed, and take care of other necessary errands within the 'normal' 9-5 workday. What a wonderful schedule.
I'm also enjoying a little extra free time to keep in touch and catch up with friends and family: Skype, FaceTime, Facebook, texting, emails, phone calls. Get a hold of me if you haven't already!
