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Post by highlandannie on Apr 27, 2017 9:36:10 GMT -5
LOL at your mom being worried! I hope Rebecca can go with you soon. It's nice you get to go so often. I left the US at the age of 48 to get married (remarried), and I felt that Scotland was my home almost immediately and I've been here 17 years. My two sons were already well into adulthood when I left. I've never felt homesick for the US itself, but would like to see my family more often. I especially miss out on being more involved in my granddaughters lives. I loved moving to the United States and do not regret it as for one thing I had good education, found many opportunities and met my partner... So no I am not regretting however there is this pull at my heart for home.... the homesickness never fade....I talk on phone on weekends it just not the same. My siblings all think I was crazy to move to become citizen... but this is what I wanted... My mom really loves Rebecca a lot. They talk on phone all time! My mother has always been proud of me and sometime maybe TOO proud but it is a nice feeling to have full support. My mother jokes with her all time said to Rebecca "are you treating my daughter well?" haha MOM!!! The reason I like to have her go is that I just wanted Rebecca to enjoy herself for a bit and see my country through her own eyes and not my memories if that makes sense. I like your mom! I can certainly understand you wanting to show Rebecca your home country. I met my husband online (a Scot) and we saw each other in both the UK and US before we married. A month before we were getting married he came over to meet my family. I wasn't looking for career opportunities, but adventure, and this lead me to meeting my husband. Not one regret. But many in my family think that any American who moves out of the country with no intention to move back is not 'patriotic' and somewhat of a 'traitor'. No, still love the US, but it is not my home and I don't refer to my trips there as 'going home'. My family just adores my husband and the visits are always happy. I'm sad that my parents never got to know him - my mom died the year before I met him, and my dad had dementia.
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Post by chinadoll1981 on Apr 27, 2017 11:45:55 GMT -5
Oh, I am sorry about parents... well, for me Taiwan will always be "home" My whole family live there, friends... I am pretty much alone here. I mean, I have Rebecca of course... and all her friends like me and we become friends, but I only have handful of my own friends here which is also okay but like I say home is really home... Funny you say about Patriotic, my family did not wish for me to go to school here. They said same thing!! You not honor your country! They felt I could go to graduate school in Taipei, but the secret?? I wanted to come to America. I wanted to see what I only saw on TV. I wanted to be an American. I wanted to experience a hot dog at baseball game (actually I did had hot dog and also sushi right at ballpark, very strange to see sushi! ). It was nice, very different than in Taiwan. Baseball is same game but fans completely different. In Taiwan lots of chants and horns and like the Japanese, much passion in the stands. Here completely different, all sorts of things go on during game, people talking not paying attention what is on field. I want say "Sit down Mr. Rude and watch game!!" but can't do that... Mrs Rude was worse!! very different culture!! Also game so expensive! I think if game cost so much why you not pay attention? you must have money to burn if you do that!!!!
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Post by highlandannie on Apr 27, 2017 12:18:09 GMT -5
Oh, I am sorry about parents... well, for me Taiwan will always be "home" My whole family live there, friends... I am pretty much alone here. I mean, I have Rebecca of course... and all her friends like me and we become friends, but I only have handful of my own friends here which is also okay but like I say home is really home... Funny you say about Patriotic, my family did not wish for me to go to school here. They said same thing!! You not honor your country! They felt I could go to graduate school in Taipei, but the secret?? I wanted to come to America. I wanted to see what I only saw on TV. I wanted to be an American. I wanted to experience a hot dog at baseball game (actually I did had hot dog and also sushi right at ballpark, very strange to see sushi! ). It was nice, very different than in Taiwan. Baseball is same game but fans completely different. In Taiwan lots of chants and horns and like the Japanese, much passion in the stands. Here completely different, all sorts of things go on during game, people talking not paying attention what is on field. I want say "Sit down Mr. Rude and watch game!!" but can't do that... Mrs Rude was worse!! very different culture!! Also game so expensive! I think if game cost so much why you not pay attention? you must have money to burn if you do that!!!! I understand about you feeling Taiwan is always home. You've been in the US 16 years, right? I've been in Scotland for 17. I've noticed a lot of Americans who live in the UK get very homesick, especially the younger ones. Many get their British husbands to move back to the US with them. The older ones, like I was, seem to do better. I know an English lady online who has lived in the US since she was a young bride in the late 1960's. The plans were to some day move back to England. Never did and she is seriously homesick a LOT. I lived in 4 states in the US, but was born and have roots going back to the 1850's in Michigan. Almost all of my family is still there. So when somebody asks me where I'm from I always say Michigan. I am a Michigander. But it's not home to me. The only time I got homesick was 9/11 and that lasted several months. It might not have been so bad if I'd known other Americans here at the time.
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Post by chinadoll1981 on Apr 27, 2017 14:16:59 GMT -5
That was truly tragic day 9-11, not just for United States but for the world...
Well I would LOVE Rebecca to move with me to Taiwan permanently but that never happen!! hah! She love working for Uncle Sam too much, and besides her Mandarin is pitiful!! hah! She can speak and even read some.. but ever hear Mexican do Chinese?? wow!
I lived in several places but mostly near Taipei. My parents like I say, always love to see me... my siblings too my brother gets me pass on railroad so I can whisk around country... It is nice.
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Post by smitty45 on Apr 28, 2017 0:55:17 GMT -5
If everything works out right, in August I will be going to Northern Vermont for the yearly family vacation. We all put money into a pool and rent a lake house for a week. My sister who lives in California flies out here with her hubby,, my niece and her hubby and my great nephew will be here on the east coast anyways as she has a 5 year scholarship to UMASS for her PHD. We all put extra money in so Mom doesn;t have a pay anything. When we get up there, a few days later more family arrives and set up tents outside as well as more family comes up from Maryland, and Uncle and cousin who usually rent hotel for a week or so and stop over to the lake house daily, and also more family from up there who stop by a couple times a week, as well family friends we've known since I myself was knee high to a grasshopper. How far up in northern Vermont you may ask? well,, if I move towards a certain window my phone goes into International roaming. I step away fast hahaha Only one person is missing,,,, our Dad. He loved when the entire family got together. We all miss him, but when we are all together we celebrate Dads life,,,, his body may be gone, but his spirit lives in all of us. Since his passing, each year when I go up I stop at the cemetery,,, it;s my way of picking up dad and bringing him to camp.
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Post by highlandannie on Apr 28, 2017 1:25:28 GMT -5
If everything works out right, in August I will be going to Northern Vermont for the yearly family vacation. We all put money into a pool and rent a lake house for a week. My sister who lives in California flies out here with her hubby,, my niece and her hubby and my great nephew will be here on the east coast anyways as she has a 5 year scholarship to UMASS for her PHD. We all put extra money in so Mom doesn;t have a pay anything. When we get up there, a few days later more family arrives and set up tents outside as well as more family comes up from Maryland, and Uncle and cousin who usually rent hotel for a week or so and stop over to the lake house daily, and also more family from up there who stop by a couple times a week, as well family friends we've known since I myself was knee high to a grasshopper. How far up in northern Vermont you may ask? well,, if I move towards a certain window my phone goes into International roaming. I step away fast hahaha Only one person is missing,,,, our Dad. He loved when the entire family got together. We all miss him, but when we are all together we celebrate Dads life,,,, his body may be gone, but his spirit lives in all of us. Since his passing, each year when I go up I stop at the cemetery,,, it;s my way of picking up dad and bringing him to camp. That sounds like a wonderful trip for your family! Do you do this type of gathering every year?
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Post by smitty45 on Apr 28, 2017 11:44:08 GMT -5
If everything works out right, in August I will be going to Northern Vermont for the yearly family vacation. We all put money into a pool and rent a lake house for a week. My sister who lives in California flies out here with her hubby,, my niece and her hubby and my great nephew will be here on the east coast anyways as she has a 5 year scholarship to UMASS for her PHD. We all put extra money in so Mom doesn;t have a pay anything. When we get up there, a few days later more family arrives and set up tents outside as well as more family comes up from Maryland, and Uncle and cousin who usually rent hotel for a week or so and stop over to the lake house daily, and also more family from up there who stop by a couple times a week, as well family friends we've known since I myself was knee high to a grasshopper. How far up in northern Vermont you may ask? well,, if I move towards a certain window my phone goes into International roaming. I step away fast hahaha Only one person is missing,,,, our Dad. He loved when the entire family got together. We all miss him, but when we are all together we celebrate Dads life,,,, his body may be gone, but his spirit lives in all of us. Since his passing, each year when I go up I stop at the cemetery,,, it;s my way of picking up dad and bringing him to camp. That sounds like a wonderful trip for your family! Do you do this type of gathering every year? Yes, every year since I was a toddler, even before I was born,, my eldest sisters remember when they were toddlers the family vacation. I was so very lucky to be born into such a loving family.
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Post by highlandannie on Apr 28, 2017 12:46:13 GMT -5
That sounds like a wonderful trip for your family! Do you do this type of gathering every year? Yes, every year since I was a toddler, even before I was born,, my eldest sisters remember when they were toddlers the family vacation. I was so very lucky to be born into such a loving family. My family was very close - even distant cousins - and there were lots of us! We used to have family reunions and I always loved those. I felt sorry for people who never knew their grandparents, or aunts and uncles and cousins. Now all that's left is one aunt and various cousins. So now my family is mainly my 3 siblings, their kids and grandkids, and my sons and grandkids, and a second cousin and his wife who we see on every annual visit to the US. This summer I rented a holiday house near Lake Michigan for a week for my hubby, my son and 2 granddaughters (no mom - they are divorced). Really looking forward to real granddaughters and son time.
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Post by chinadoll1981 on Apr 28, 2017 13:38:59 GMT -5
You bring much honor to your family smitty45 ...
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Post by smitty45 on Apr 28, 2017 14:12:44 GMT -5
You bring much honor to your family smitty45 ... Thank you very much
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Post by smitty45 on Apr 28, 2017 14:19:59 GMT -5
Yes, every year since I was a toddler, even before I was born,, my eldest sisters remember when they were toddlers the family vacation. I was so very lucky to be born into such a loving family. My family was very close - even distant cousins - and there were lots of us! We used to have family reunions and I always loved those. I felt sorry for people who never knew their grandparents, or aunts and uncles and cousins. Now all that's left is one aunt and various cousins. So now my family is mainly my 3 siblings, their kids and grandkids, and my sons and grandkids, and a second cousin and his wife who we see on every annual visit to the US. This summer I rented a holiday house near Lake Michigan for a week for my hubby, my son and 2 granddaughters (no mom - they are divorced). Really looking forward to real granddaughters and son time. I nor my youngest older sister got to see our grandfathers as both passed before either of us were born, we did get some some time with our grandmother on moms side,,, she passed when I was 3 years old,, I vaguely remember her,, though just a few memories remain. As far as our grandmother on my dads side, I got 17 years to know her. From her I got my baking passion.
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Post by highlandannie on Apr 28, 2017 14:45:26 GMT -5
My family was very close - even distant cousins - and there were lots of us! We used to have family reunions and I always loved those. I felt sorry for people who never knew their grandparents, or aunts and uncles and cousins. Now all that's left is one aunt and various cousins. So now my family is mainly my 3 siblings, their kids and grandkids, and my sons and grandkids, and a second cousin and his wife who we see on every annual visit to the US. This summer I rented a holiday house near Lake Michigan for a week for my hubby, my son and 2 granddaughters (no mom - they are divorced). Really looking forward to real granddaughters and son time. I nor my youngest older sister got to see our grandfathers as both passed before either of us were born, we did get some some time with our grandmother on moms side,,, she passed when I was 3 years old,, I vaguely remember her,, though just a few memories remain. As far as our grandmother on my dads side, I got 17 years to know her. From her I got my baking passion. That's a shame! I never met one of my grandfathers as he died in an accident when my mom was 16. Both grandmothers died in their mid 80's as did the other grandfather. So I was very fortunate. I also knew my widowed grandmothers sisters very well. And the cousins of my other grandmother. So a massive extended family.
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Post by rebecca2013 on May 7, 2017 19:31:32 GMT -5
Well the Airborne exercise in June has been cancelled.... BOOOOOO!!! But I will be going to our training facility, not to pick a new candidate for my department this year, but I have been invited to teach seminars for a week... That is my SECOND best Summer activity.... but still.... I love it.... always good to see Gunny and all the new trainees!!
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Post by highlandannie on May 8, 2017 7:23:09 GMT -5
rebecca2013 I know you love jumping out of planes, but if you're doing your second favourite thing, that's good too!
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Post by highlandannie on May 8, 2017 7:25:35 GMT -5
Leaving for my long anticipated journey this coming Sunday. Leaving hubby at home. Endless neolithic sites only keep him interested for a short time.
And, of course, I'm almost completely packed. It is soooooo much easier to pack when it's a car trip.
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