Guess I’m not as tired as I thought. Unless tired= verbose.
I’m exhausted. My brain fluid is leaking out through my elbows, that’s how exhausted I am. Did you know that it could do that? Neither did I.
Also, there’s something underneath my left shift key. I’m pretty sure it’s a dead ant. And I don’t use my right shift key, which my eighth grade Grade Eight (Canada, yo!) computer teacher would hate. It makes writing a bit annoying.
Also, there are people bathing at the well outside my window. Sometimes my life feels very strange.
Why am I exhausted, you ask? (Thanks for asking, by the way.) It’s because teething has begun, and last night by the time I got to sleep the bread walla was already riding by on his bicycle. Which means it was about 6:00 AM. Not good, my friends, not good. But I’m hoping to sleep better tonight, because of the TYLENOL I gave my hurting son. My philosophy on baby meds is this: Sanity. Let me repeat that. Sanity. For both of us. It is for the greater good that we remain sane.
We spent the night at the house of some friends, (I avoided an awkward apostrophe moment with the way I worded that sentence) and wow, these friends are beautiful. The husband is French and the wife is Italian, and they have kids that match YaYa and Leafy in age. So sweet. The woman, I’ll call her S, is one of the loveliest and most joyful people that I’ve had the privilege of knowing. The kids all slept in a row in the great room, and S threw them each a flower before they went to sleep. I watched as her daughter spread the petals of her flower all over her bed and then lay down on them to go to sleep. (!)
The last eight months have been a study in cultural adjustment for me, and since the community here is so International, it’s like a UN study of culture adjustment or something. I’ve met people from Slovania, from the Ukraine, from Portugal, Korea, Iraq, Iran, of course Israel, countless Russians, people from Denmark and Belgium and Finland and Germany, people from all the corners of the UK, and the other day I met a couple from Luxembourg. They spoke Luxembourgish. It’s a recognized language now, though it used to be considered a dialect- a particular mix of German and French.
But get this. 200,000 people speak it. 200,000. That’s like Yonkers, New York; Providence, Rhode Island; Huntsville, Alabama; OR Dayton, Ohio deciding to speak their own language. Just one of those cities. The world is a cool place.
But so, there we were, our European friends and us, and we had decided to wait until after the kids had eaten to eat our own food. We do this because we like to enjoy our food, just one out of a hundred times. But YaYa didn’t want to eat her fish, so I picked up her plate and polished it off for her. S entered the room and said, “Oh no no, Rachelle! Not like this!” Because we were setting the table with champagne and candles, not eating our children’s leftovers for dinner.
And once again I made the great North American gaffe of being overly casual. Like waving goodbye (K, Bye!) instead of kissing. Or standing when you eat. Or shutting the lights off while you say to your kids, “Goodnight! If I hear any noise out of there I’m coming in and smacking people indiscriminately!!!” (Not that I ever say that.)
I mean, who’s to say that my way of putting my kids to bed isn’t just as sweet as throwing flowers at your children? Ahem. (Cough.) Well? Who’s to say?
Oh dang. Maybe if I’m really good, one day I’ll get to be European. But then who will make potty jokes with Chinua? I guess I’ll just stay me.
18 comments
Well, if you’re English European I’m pretty sure potty jokes would fly, eh?
Tossing flowers petals at the children? Is that a nightly thing? Wow.
Tossing flowers to my children at night, see I wish I would do that, I really do, but then suddenly it is late and I am tired. Actually, sounds like something of childhood dreams like in Sound of Music (well the happy children part).
Love the multi-culturalism. When we were in Shanghai, we went to this fabulous group that had people from every continent. We used to have weekly discussions about which is the most beautiful place on earth, but really, the beautiful part was seeing all these different cultures loving each other.
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If I had tossed flowers to my children when they were little, I am quite afraid they would have eaten them!
Can I just say, I think 2009 is turning out to be AWESOME. Already!!
I laughed outloud at this:
who’s to say that my way of putting my kids to bed isn’t just as sweet as throwing flowers at your children
Because I have never, ever done anything remotely as sweet as throw flowers at my children while I put them to bed. It is usually more of the “Don’t MAKE me come back up here!”
Flower petals. So cool! I don’t have kids…can I toss them at my husband?
Please stay you- there’s nothing at all wrong or improper about YOU. You and your overly casual North American self makes the place you are planted more lovely. Otherwise why would you be planted there? All of the things that make you so attractive would look silly on her, I’m sure. And flower tossing, really? When our kids were little we’d blow great big belly zrbrrrrts on their ummies as a bedtime farewell! Then follow up with some fitting potty humor for a good classy laugh. Remember that beauty is relative- well except tylenol during teething which is ALWAYS a beautiful thing.
Hope you & yours sleep well tonight.
Umm, just to claify, “ummies” = “tummies” when you type too quickly while fussing at your children who need to go back to school ASAP.
K, Bye!
Okay… where do you live? I can’t find it on your blog. Where ever it is, it sounds amazing. Much more exciting than the boring, cold Iowa I live in.
Thanks for the chuckle, that quickly turned into a belly laugh. At seven months pregnant, that is quite a belly laugh for me. Thank you.
Hey you. I hate to sound all casual here and comment about something I shouldn’t put here, but I had a bug of sorts at my place and I lost your email address. Write me so I can write you.
hi, it’s been a long, long time since i’ve commented, but just wanted to say that your posts ring true as usual. and i don’t mind about the infrequency of your posts as i rarely get the chance to read blogs anymore either and am in fact writing this at 3am after my darling baby girl, just a bit older than solo, has finally gone back to sleep after screaming like you wouldn’t believe (oh, the joys of colic i.e. unexplainable crying or tummy soreness, this combined with teething). but i must say things improved when i calmed down and pulled myself together… but i’m rambling. i guess i’m allowed to when wide awake but not really coherent at 3 am. so from one sleepless mama to another (although i only have 1 to your 4!), thank you for sharing, being real and making me laugh so much! i wish scotland were a little closer so i could have you over for coffee… or tea, whatever you prefer. blessings and love for 2009.
Just a thanks to you for being you & blogging about it.
I met a friend of a friend from India yesterday and had to stop myself from saying “I have a friend living there right now.” I was truthful and said, “I read a blog currently written from India.” or something lame like that. I’m sure he thought I was silly for mentioning it but it seemed a salient connection in my head.
You, tired, are more fascinating than most people operating at 100%.
Happy New Year, Rae.
Ok, here’s what I said tonight at bedtime…. ‘I swear to God, if you boys don’t be quite and stop waking up Billy, I will take you next door and leave you there…’.
I didn’t throw flowers. I believe I may have thrown a toothbrush at someone though….
Rae, I lovelovelove reading your blog, exhausted or not!
And love the shout-out for Dayton, Ohio! Have you ever been, or did you just pick it from air? 
I grew up not too far from there and just returned from a wonderful week visiting family and friends. Merry Christmas and Happy 2009 to you all!
I just had to comment because you shouted out to my home town, the Gem City, Dayton OH. Way more cool points for you. Three gold stars on your cool chart. And I see that my ElleBee (my bestest friend) commented above me. Ha!
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