tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-114553622024-02-26T18:29:01.095+04:00Red Licorice and JujubesMy title? My favorite candy as a child and I still can't pass them up when I see them in the store!
After several years in the Foreign Service traveling the world, I retired on July 1, 2014. What I've seen, who I've met and where I've been have been nothing short of amazing. I'm sad to see this chapter of my life come to a close, but retirement so far has been a blast. I've tried to chronicle my travels, thoughts and experiences here. Debihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03879622417276359411noreply@blogger.comBlogger183125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11455362.post-1727094474803916782024-02-26T18:28:00.000+04:002024-02-26T18:28:10.341+04:00<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">July 1, 2014. That was my Retirement Day. I can't believe I am approaching the 15 year mark of retirement. It seems like just yesterday I was flying out of Karachi, Pakistan on my way to 3 days in Santorini, Greece. That was the gift to myself for serving my final 2 years in Pakistan. I was only 65 and was totally against being forced to retire at that age. But that was the rule for the Foreign Service so I had to comply. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I had served for a full 6 years, getting in just under the age of 59, the cut off age for joining. I could do three 2-year tours and then out. I had no time for language training so I couldn't even try for a post where I had to speak the language. I served in Honduras (I'm fluent in Spanish), Oman and Pakistan. I loved it all. Yes Pakistan did had its moments but so did Honduras. Honduras is one of the most dangerous countries with more murders per capita than any other country in the world. And in Pakistan I had 5 full time guards at my house and traveled with one to go shopping, get my hair done or to a doctor's appointment. But it was doable.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Once I got home, had all my belongings delivered in 3 different deliveries and got settled into a routine, I thought...How great is it that every day is Saturday??? I immediately got back into selling on Ebay and within months I had a booth at an antique mall selling treasures I found at Estate Sales. I loved it and decided retirement was a golden opportunity to do what I wanted, when I wanted to do it and for how long. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">When I processed out in Washington DC, I signed on to do TDY (Temporary Duty) assignments. A year after I retired, I got an email asking if I would like to go to Singapore for an 8 week assignment supporting the Regional Security Office (RSO)? Oh yeah! Loved that assignment! The following year, I went to Kuala Lumpur to support the Ambassador for 6 weeks. Loved that one too. The following year, I went to Brunei for 4 1/2 months. That assignment was amazing, also supporting the Ambassador there. While at each of these assignments, I found myself saying to co-workers "When I get home, I want to..." As much as I loved the travel and once again working with others, I realized that I had things I wanted to do at home. The money was great but what's life if you can't do what you want? So when I got the email telling me it was time to renew my Top Secret clearance, I read it over and over and decided I was done. Done with being away. Done with living out of 2 suitcases. Just done. So I replied back that I no longer needed that clearance. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I made so many friends and now I live vicariously through their Facebook posts. I love when they are excited about their next assignment. I love seeing pictures of their R&Rs and regional travel. But I also love that I can travel when I want but have my own home and bed. While serving overseas, I traveled as much as I could. Flights are cheap and I took advantage of it. I went to Paris for Christmas, Kenya for a photo safari, Italy for 3 weeks, Bangkok for some training, Spain for fun, Bali because it's amazing, Istanbul cuz it's my heritage, Sri Lanka with a friend (climbed Sigiriya, a huge ROCK, the ruins of a 5th century city) and Dubai, going to the top of the tallest building in the world (at that time). Oh, and Antigua, Guatemala for Easter Week. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">If you are looking for a terrific job with lots of perks, look into serving in the Foreign Service. You can go to usajobs.gov. Qualifications? When I was in training, there was a FedEx driver and she made it in. Have good health and a good credit report. A background check will be performed by the FBI so you should have a good record. I had a background in Medical Management and that helped me start at a slightly higher pay. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Honestly, you won't regret it. One of my proudest moments was in Karachi. I noticed that none of the 200+ local guards on compound only had badges </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">(no photo) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">from the company we contracted with. With my boss' blessings, I took on getting each and every one of them an official US badge with photo. They were so proud and when I was done, I was asked to speak to the entire group. I loved it! Here I am with a few of the guards. I girl can never have too much protection!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd8DtCB8r9CJYeLnSyz8gJP4jY8S3Llx3u2-GHjUwT6J1nncFSzUukMzeYjaCnKEcHMmxA62mckMhPkdPU43DusWWiNgjVnN9IA0lvfzcUUP-bZvsiSywep5ptun5BN3FK0Y1yhVQpQ3ymVehKur0OFp3yzQ2V0eSoyyXMYZZrZ18NQ0p_5cYp4y9nRQ/s3264/IMG_1035.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Me with My Guards" border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd8DtCB8r9CJYeLnSyz8gJP4jY8S3Llx3u2-GHjUwT6J1nncFSzUukMzeYjaCnKEcHMmxA62mckMhPkdPU43DusWWiNgjVnN9IA0lvfzcUUP-bZvsiSywep5ptun5BN3FK0Y1yhVQpQ3ymVehKur0OFp3yzQ2V0eSoyyXMYZZrZ18NQ0p_5cYp4y9nRQ/w400-h300/IMG_1035.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p>Debihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03879622417276359411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11455362.post-39254356140882421682023-08-07T16:59:00.000+04:002023-08-07T16:59:37.908+04:00Concerns for Our Future<p> <span style="font-family: verdana;">I'm sure I'm not alone when I say I am really fearful of what the future of this country is. The Right is saying and doing things that I thought I'd never see. From the supreme court voting to abolish Roe and taking away a right to a woman's own body to what is being done in schools. I thought book banning went out decades ago along with burning witches at the stake. And for Rhonda Santis to say slaves benefitted from being slaves is outrageous. He is crazy but worse he is dangerous.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I am in Texas and totally ashamed of the governor. He is a trumpy wannabe and is harming as many people he can with legislation he has signed. He made ordinary citizens bounty hunters who could turn in anyone seeking an abortion or anyone helping that person seek an abortion and receive a huge reward. Among many other things, he removed any restrictions for owning a gun, including assault type rifles and now you can open carry a weapon anywhere you want. Even as young as 18.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I backed Beto O'Rourke in every election. In my opinion, he lost because Democrats didn't want to get off their butts and vote. It is one of the few things you can do to determine the direction of YOUR country! School Boards are being filled with right wingers who want to control what your kids learn, what they can wear and which restroom they can use. These are different times than even the last 10 years and being involved with every single election is important. It's important because those people move up the line from the school board to mayor and on to bigger and more powerful positions. Be active in your local elections because those people may soon be making decisions for more than just your kid's school and if you don't like them, vote them out! The ballot box is your voice. Use it!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>Debihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03879622417276359411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11455362.post-81003551986496971202022-11-02T21:22:00.001+04:002022-11-02T21:23:47.797+04:00Embracing The Gray<p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> <span>I am the proud owner of 73 years of life. I own every minute of those 73 years and am proud to say I have little or no regrets. I hope I'm around to post the same at 80!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">My heritage is Greek & Turkish on my father's side and French and Scotch Irish on my mother's side. When I was young, my hair was very dark brown, almost black with red highlights when I was in the sunshine. My father told me he had a sister with the same color as my hair. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd0gMFoGSNzIc5SgwmENdqAaIVdIsb24sWHT_KlmMswu0rM5GBtT6kFQdfsKErLXu2UxK05OL0n8bpxxe6MM0WKGfkCkt5XAa48oRjLy0eL52z99sLmOzH8v6OnaTEJNVFbxoJdC1iXTj6IEf1f170QB4Az3CVfOgsaQqmu-lzvjhMlx0bOCHAFUs/s1470/Debi%201967.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1470" data-original-width="1201" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd0gMFoGSNzIc5SgwmENdqAaIVdIsb24sWHT_KlmMswu0rM5GBtT6kFQdfsKErLXu2UxK05OL0n8bpxxe6MM0WKGfkCkt5XAa48oRjLy0eL52z99sLmOzH8v6OnaTEJNVFbxoJdC1iXTj6IEf1f170QB4Az3CVfOgsaQqmu-lzvjhMlx0bOCHAFUs/w163-h200/Debi%201967.jpg" width="163" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Here is my high school graduation picture with pretty dark hair. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">At around 27, I started seeing gray hair making its debut. At that age I wasn't ready to see it, so I started coloring my hair to hide it. The only problem was that with such dark hair, the roots showed up horribly. So my hairdresser suggested we lighten my dark brown hair to a lighter version. And we did and the gray roots weren't so prominent. And we added highlights sometime in my 40s or 50s.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtt5o0s8TuxSoljneuyu13ALIpkD65WStJI_kkabG47e0ao_GD1mOOMmLdixoTvO-7ZLaa1MisCViVqY6BS35En7P8rkV6Gc_C2oiW_yfI3gMio0vodfnqJNHqLPALDkJkN1TEeycJZF9U1IaacEprsaEkl54K7xcWTILl85dxcZHOZtmZ9lRG6ps/s1067/IMG_6760.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="909" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtt5o0s8TuxSoljneuyu13ALIpkD65WStJI_kkabG47e0ao_GD1mOOMmLdixoTvO-7ZLaa1MisCViVqY6BS35En7P8rkV6Gc_C2oiW_yfI3gMio0vodfnqJNHqLPALDkJkN1TEeycJZF9U1IaacEprsaEkl54K7xcWTILl85dxcZHOZtmZ9lRG6ps/w171-h200/IMG_6760.JPG" width="171" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Fast forward to age 73. I've reached the point of being oh so tired of every 4 weeks going to get my roots touched up and covering the gray. Heck, I'm 73 after all and I should finally embrace the gray, right? I tried it once before at age 65. I did it cold turkey and just let the gray grow out. I was going to Brunei on a TDY assignment after retirement and would be there for about 5 months. I just didn't want to mess with coloring my hair myself. Well, my advice is to never try this cold turkey! After letting the gray grow out about 5" I saw that it was a beautiful silvery platinum gray. There were many strands that actually sparkled in the sunlight. But I wasn't ready. Back to the hairdresser to bring back the brown before I was wheels up. So. This week after much searching online for "best ways to go gray" and "popular gray hair color" I decided to take the plunge. My hairdresser listened to me and looked at the pictures I saved on my phone. She got it. And the result.....</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj27aFG0i617wUbXiz20oaBbKyz7fVCDgOpXqW2YduSIClB6KWr7TclWlowAX8ZPVtQnEsedg_ij3S2pIpX-qeOjgsDBycFMEowQR9ex6H88OTEHXFTHmNJe4BFo4xr8UPDiNFnn7axVM2P3kWW_rU66j1HYIp1h9mfa754XO5xpn0K54yoiMV0ykI/s1544/1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1544" data-original-width="1158" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj27aFG0i617wUbXiz20oaBbKyz7fVCDgOpXqW2YduSIClB6KWr7TclWlowAX8ZPVtQnEsedg_ij3S2pIpX-qeOjgsDBycFMEowQR9ex6H88OTEHXFTHmNJe4BFo4xr8UPDiNFnn7axVM2P3kWW_rU66j1HYIp1h9mfa754XO5xpn0K54yoiMV0ykI/s320/1.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">It does look a little blonde but she did confirm she used gray/silver dye. Now, as my roots grow out, they will blend in with what I now have. Once the gray grows out to the length I want, we stop the highlights. If the color needs to be adjusted, she can do it when I go back in 3 weeks. I'm now a 73 year old with gray highlights in my brown hair and I really love it. In the light it looks blonde. I never wanted to be blonde but apparently I am slightly blonde now.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">My advice to anyone thinking about quitting the 'cover up' is to talk to your hairdresser. Take pictures of the end result you are looking for and DO IT! As I sat for the 30 minutes with foil all over my head, my brown hair turning some form of gray, I was actually scared. Scared that I might have made a mistake. But when the foil came out and I got to a mirror and removed the towel, I loved it! It was even better than I hoped for once it was dry. It's a big deal to finally let your true colors show. I'm glad I finally did. <br /> </span></p><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>Debihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03879622417276359411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11455362.post-83950584791112319802021-01-29T01:19:00.000+04:002021-01-29T01:19:09.617+04:00Long Time, No See<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yes, it's been a while! For some reason I wasn't able to log into my blog but after trying yet again, I was successful! Hoorah!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I'm really bummed out on how this country has become so divided, so angry and seems to have just lost its way. I am hopeful that things will look up soon and the hatred and anger will subside. It was so painful to watch the crazed rioters storm the Capitol. I never saw that coming and was just in shock. Hopefully, things will calm down and cooler heads will prevail.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It's been 6 1/2 years since I retired and oh boy, do I love it! But it seems I'm busier than ever. I'm still selling on Ebay and have 2 spaces at a Marketplace near me and sell both vintage and current day items...whatever I know will sell. My friend Delta and I go to estate sales every Thursday and Friday and load up the car with treasures. Once home, things are cleaned and the research begins on their worth (or not so much worth). </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I am religious about wearing a mask (double masking now) and use hand sanitizer and wash frequently. There is no way I want to die from this awful virus, so all precautions are taken. I just wish everyone would be as mindful of the simple things they can do to stop the spread. *sigh*</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">That's all I know for now. I was surprised to finally get to my blog so I just wasn't prepared to write much, even though so much is on my mind. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">More later!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK5uP7dqLQSiVE8RBVmwesGD_j-iB73k3e-S1gfk5NguRCg-n77A5tqmQi2NVeN0DeMrYFMbQCLQZwp2WGUvUGI6DlJneVgXqANk74kwBZJHbvMfoUwN1XC3y-ijJQdavl_ReHBw/s1160/IMG_6757.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="1160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK5uP7dqLQSiVE8RBVmwesGD_j-iB73k3e-S1gfk5NguRCg-n77A5tqmQi2NVeN0DeMrYFMbQCLQZwp2WGUvUGI6DlJneVgXqANk74kwBZJHbvMfoUwN1XC3y-ijJQdavl_ReHBw/s320/IMG_6757.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>Debihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03879622417276359411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11455362.post-10994676480317919982019-03-18T17:18:00.001+04:002019-03-18T17:18:20.325+04:00New Knee<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's been a while since I've added anything to my blog, but I guess there's not been any earthshaking news to report or I've just been so busy in retirement that I haven't had time to sit and think about what's been happening.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That said, a couple of things have taken up lots of my time. One is the political posture of late and the other is...I got a new knee! I finally decided I had had enough of my sore, bone-on-bone knee and took my doctor's advice and had it replaced. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. It was done January 7, 2019 and I'm progressing just fine. I was off the strong pain medicine after one week and just taking Tylenol. My advice...if you need it, get a GOOD doctor and get it done. Quality of life is important and mine has improved. It will take another 10 months or so before my body fully becomes accustomed to my new part but in the meantime I am noticing improvements all the time. I still have stiffness and occasional discomfort but I am definitely 'on the mend.' Lovely photos of my new knee!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The other thing that has taken up lots of brain time and emotion is the political issues going on. I am not/not a Trump fan...he needs to go. The garbage he spews is hurting this country, dividing this country and most certainly is his effort to change this country. I support Beto O'Rourke for President and am thrilled that he finally announced. I campaigned for him when he ran for senate against Ted Cruz, but was mildly happy he lost so he could run for President. He is <i>for</i> the people and I have seen how he brings people together, unlike our current president. So what if he was in a rock band when he was young...good for him! So what if he has a DUI on his record. Who can say they have a perfect record and did nothing in their youth that was wrong? I am proudly wearing my BETO 2020 hat and will do what I can to gather votes for him. My hope is that everyone will look at each candidate's platform and then make a decision. We can't afford to have another trump in charge. We don't need a president who resorts to name calling, alienating our allies...one who feels he does not need to receive briefings from experts and makes decisions "from his gut feelings." We don't need a president who has had so many of the people he surrounded himself with serving time or under indictment. We need to return honesty and integrity to the White House. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I know many of you may disagree with me but I hope you will take a hard look at every candidate running for President. We owe it to our children and grandchildren to be more careful who we put in charge of their future. I welcome comments and am happy to discuss my feelings. But any that use profanity or resort to name calling will be deleted. </span></div>
Debihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03879622417276359411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11455362.post-64454569497027456892017-08-27T18:50:00.002+04:002017-08-27T19:00:26.961+04:00My New Tee Shirt Quilt<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In my 7 years serving in the Foreign Service, I had the
wonderful opportunity to travel the world. I bought quite a few things,
probably too many things, to remember each place. Since I like to wear tee shirts, I tried to buy one from different places I visited. It was a
way of getting a souvenir that I could actually use and not just put on a shelf.
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A couple of years ago, I went to a craft fair at a local
high school and ran across a lady who turned tee shirts into quilts. I fell in love with her work! It took me 2 years to finally have the shirts
together that I wanted made into a quilt. I know…life gets in the way of great
plans. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I contacted Melinda and made an appointment to meet with
her and go over my future quilt. What an
amazingly nice lady! I spend about an
hour or so going over different fabrics, colors of fabrics that would go
between the panels of my shirts, the backing, what I wanted stitched along the
border and what I wanted stitched across each of the shirts from different
countries. The result was much more than
I expected! I knew it was going to be
beautiful based on the quilts she had on display at the craft fair. Around the border, she stitched the different
countries the tee shirts were from. Across each shirt, she stitched something I
said about it or a design. On the back,
which is dark blue, you can see more detail on what is stitched over the
shirts on the front. And because she stitched the design over each tee shirt, there will be no shrinking or shifting of the shirt. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I know I’ll be using this quilt
this winter and many winters to come.
One friend said “You aren’t going to use it, are you?” I said “Hell yes! Why wouldn’t I?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If any of my Foreign Service friends wonder what to do
with their tee shirts from their travels, contact this wonderful lady. She will
Skype with you!</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">See the camel stitching?</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I grew up in Coronado.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix9th7fDlvDbgI0EQfHlP01qe-VVqXSYodXRPbPXk_ZkWDhXbJFXbMhHU1XVDpV4eh_ru04x7ObiVzc1H9SgOhpWQRPhuGsimuBnRJXZ2K0sMzDSZHOYgKY_xF-GyJTtGZvCT7rA/s1600/IMG_1761.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix9th7fDlvDbgI0EQfHlP01qe-VVqXSYodXRPbPXk_ZkWDhXbJFXbMhHU1XVDpV4eh_ru04x7ObiVzc1H9SgOhpWQRPhuGsimuBnRJXZ2K0sMzDSZHOYgKY_xF-GyJTtGZvCT7rA/s320/IMG_1761.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">I love the plate of pasta for Italy!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAnCfMHsUxeXnSe8Wt0jG7bG4A0UXyS7SAS2sCzBB9-21Yi5FwDm-zxhTVLIF3ikQWXKzRqFWHCGSt7PaTQgNbsWcdzO-7SQM-PAax4lqcKzOhgtc6yzQ8WrLWWh1TAZdLSn9T-Q/s1600/IMG_1760.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAnCfMHsUxeXnSe8Wt0jG7bG4A0UXyS7SAS2sCzBB9-21Yi5FwDm-zxhTVLIF3ikQWXKzRqFWHCGSt7PaTQgNbsWcdzO-7SQM-PAax4lqcKzOhgtc6yzQ8WrLWWh1TAZdLSn9T-Q/s400/IMG_1760.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Camels!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0x_h9sQBFfPTGUrH3Qj-upAwZgbISZ23USdlwYYRXTc-8GSHCcnCNXYvXfUWfIvsG1HrDqYwjud3oJDZmnCc-_oPddLcTHVnrEJmY7qxuRIra2LHkxSEzRKmuZDT5UIgkXdv6Uw/s1600/IMG_1754.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1315" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0x_h9sQBFfPTGUrH3Qj-upAwZgbISZ23USdlwYYRXTc-8GSHCcnCNXYvXfUWfIvsG1HrDqYwjud3oJDZmnCc-_oPddLcTHVnrEJmY7qxuRIra2LHkxSEzRKmuZDT5UIgkXdv6Uw/s400/IMG_1754.JPG" width="328" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">First Turkey Trot in Oman with shell stitching</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuyGaLIrLyTLutFnG5QCrvKgeF6HYH9gEI8Afw65-cLj0mO0g5fv9nJrM2dJ2NUzCzZUO2ctps_cySUr5H8tezIcmKG5xyjOT8U4tmybLZSFQEsIo65MtLXN83-wiaGw9GfGFz3w/s1600/IMG_1755.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuyGaLIrLyTLutFnG5QCrvKgeF6HYH9gEI8Afw65-cLj0mO0g5fv9nJrM2dJ2NUzCzZUO2ctps_cySUr5H8tezIcmKG5xyjOT8U4tmybLZSFQEsIo65MtLXN83-wiaGw9GfGFz3w/s400/IMG_1755.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Had to include my tee shirt from the Foreign Service</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzVa57_Ls9E5COu1gg9ogmEsEbMIbuCfq3Y1FctwyXJlhVFG_52ftv2UCvMZhbKA_3Nrj54SdPn9zRjuVoHUV51qVXWctl3dv-LpTL5RTznhzpZMUl4c-rcD9yBSQ8PjX7VLMH9w/s1600/IMG_1756.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzVa57_Ls9E5COu1gg9ogmEsEbMIbuCfq3Y1FctwyXJlhVFG_52ftv2UCvMZhbKA_3Nrj54SdPn9zRjuVoHUV51qVXWctl3dv-LpTL5RTznhzpZMUl4c-rcD9yBSQ8PjX7VLMH9w/s400/IMG_1756.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sally and I did have an adventure in Sri Lanka!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK7NfPW1F4lRR8eYuJwvZDYTOGkNzYu5m2Zj4helvSyNW2xgtyG3RCiLMlDzQFbjA-COEHpyPxzRFErqIyCh-korft9TjVSC7pma1SubDuo_70txe1yDvB0R1BQzReSdm1BUKk4Q/s1600/IMG_1757.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK7NfPW1F4lRR8eYuJwvZDYTOGkNzYu5m2Zj4helvSyNW2xgtyG3RCiLMlDzQFbjA-COEHpyPxzRFErqIyCh-korft9TjVSC7pma1SubDuo_70txe1yDvB0R1BQzReSdm1BUKk4Q/s400/IMG_1757.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ahhh...Italy!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3drqOMDzf4f4FJua3heF52fSJ9FHFXPYUo4gYvk2uDGgq_7mziZiGzu9OOByCLFnOD0AifvMgr4_FTMwre4bjUEX25zpSPMnXzBqzwkHlz-ZPaybeYPOUvbcN1z0kZiJ61WMLAQ/s1600/IMG_1758.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1305" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3drqOMDzf4f4FJua3heF52fSJ9FHFXPYUo4gYvk2uDGgq_7mziZiGzu9OOByCLFnOD0AifvMgr4_FTMwre4bjUEX25zpSPMnXzBqzwkHlz-ZPaybeYPOUvbcN1z0kZiJ61WMLAQ/s400/IMG_1758.JPG" width="326" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">On my way to Retirement I made a short stop...the reference to "Thanks Dad" is because he was born in Greece.</span></td></tr>
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If you think you might want one of these quilts made with your shirts, below is the contact information for Melinda. It's not cheap, but it is something you'll treasure forever! And it doesn't have to be just travel. She does beautiful quilts with your son or daughter's team shirts or vacations, like what is on her card below. She went with her family to Disneyland. What a great way to remember a special trip!</div>
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Debihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03879622417276359411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11455362.post-77683565899859893922017-03-21T07:02:00.001+04:002017-03-21T07:04:02.269+04:00Coming Out Of Retirement – Take 3<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Retirement.
Sometimes it’s a permanent thing and other times it’s, well, temporary. For me,
as a retired State Department employee, it’s an on again, off again thing. When I retired in 2014, I signed on to be
called for temporary duty assignments worldwide. In 2015, I spent a week in Singapore, in 2016
I was in Brunei for 4½ months, and now I’m in Kuala Lumpur, commonly called KL,
for 1½ months. I do enjoy the travel,
meeting new people, using my skills again and earning a bit of cash. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Kuala Lumpur
is the capital of Malaysia as well as the country’s largest city. The weather
here is that of a tropical rain forest climate from March to October. It rains
nearly every day so you always have your umbrella with you. Temperatures year
round are pretty constant, 75-90 degrees. The city is very lush with plenty of
green space and modern architecture. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Last weekend
I went to the Central Market. I’ve been to many market places around the world
and this one was as fun as any other I’ve visited. It was quite calm compared to Istanbul or
Muscat, where you hear a constant chatter from vendors and the smells of food,
incense and who knows what fill the air. This market had wonderful shops and at
times, I felt I was back in Muscat! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Pashminas, paper mache camels and ornaments
and rugs were everywhere. And then there
was a shop that had the beautiful painted ceramics from Turkey. I left Istanbul
with a suitcase filled with them! I also came across a shop that sold the
coconut bowls from Vietnam, I think…polished on the outside and painted on the
inside and decorated with mother of pearl or crushed egg shell. I’m going home
with plenty of these! I’ll definitely
make another run at this market before I depart KL.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoAwhv-jBlZ2OKb1WSrM27Xs3fQXCd62GMXC8dyq2ujTosXT9x1KuUmXlLaqnqsv8u-tmslgKY8PVGdAht0WB8F55H6QaJnrFN6f2P_ftvd1pPPvz52PXgh2Ecc_dWE8HP1zurOA/s1600/Skyline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoAwhv-jBlZ2OKb1WSrM27Xs3fQXCd62GMXC8dyq2ujTosXT9x1KuUmXlLaqnqsv8u-tmslgKY8PVGdAht0WB8F55H6QaJnrFN6f2P_ftvd1pPPvz52PXgh2Ecc_dWE8HP1zurOA/s200/Skyline.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNV2AjzSGfi20OiOVY3ejyAbiXV_iYeXMWW04ryg0pYnnIj9Ylh7joGXZsCGoRj4MfdYZWUDl5ss4gnUZ4EaiRV2Dwqn-lOVzQ8lDLQKvHvgnWO_oGlrOo_T-hkP5xjf-ANU3Xdg/s1600/IMG_0088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNV2AjzSGfi20OiOVY3ejyAbiXV_iYeXMWW04ryg0pYnnIj9Ylh7joGXZsCGoRj4MfdYZWUDl5ss4gnUZ4EaiRV2Dwqn-lOVzQ8lDLQKvHvgnWO_oGlrOo_T-hkP5xjf-ANU3Xdg/s200/IMG_0088.JPG" width="150" /></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Last night I
had dinner with a co-worker at an open air restaurant, Fuego, with a spectacular
view of the city skyline. It was cloudy so we missed a great sunset but the
surrounding buildings provided a beautiful blend of colorful lights that more
than made up for the lack of a golden sunset. The Petronas Twin Towers were lit
up like diamonds, as was the space needle-like building. It had jewel tone
colors changing every few seconds. Unfortunately,
we could only see one of the Petronas Towers because there’s another very tall
building under construction, blocking its twin.
The food was delicious, the company perfect and the views
spectacular. It was the first time I’ve
had a margarita with no ice, a grilled lemon slice as garnish and served in a
martini glass. But it was tasty.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Unlike
Brunei last year where I lived in a very large house, while in KL, I’m living
in a hotel room with a kitchenette. It’s
quite comfortable and I am able to do some cooking on the 2 burner cook top and
the microwave. Fortunately, there is a restaurant and the food is pretty good…and
quite cheap. I can get a great teriyaki
chicken breast, roasted potatoes and a salad for about $9.00US. Not bad at
all. Last week, at about 9:00 pm, the
fire alarm went off in the hotel. It was an alarm like none I’ve ever heard…sounded
like a very loud motor with the noise rising and falling. It turns out there
was no fire. Someone was frying something in their kitchenette and didn’t turn
on the overhead fan and the smoke set off the alarm. The last time something like that happened, I
was in Karachi. Someone in the apartment building started frying bacon and then
decided to take a shower. The bacon
burned, smoked like crazy and set off the fire alarm. The entire building was evacuated into the
very hot sun outside. Marines were in full gear and no one knew what was
happening…just that we had to get out of the building fast. Not a fun experience, especially in Pakistan! I doubt that person will every leave the
frying pan while cooking bacon again.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As much as I
enjoy these infrequent working trips and travel opportunities, I do think I’ll
make retirement permanent when I get home. I love the travel, the money and the
opportunity to see things I wouldn’t otherwise see, but I love being retired
even more. I love that every day is Saturday.
I love doing whatever I want, whenever I want. I have enough airline miles to travel to
Europe if I want or make several trips to Oregon to spend time with my 3
grandsons. Life is too short and at my
age, I need to be enjoying it every day.
I’ve earned it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Debihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03879622417276359411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11455362.post-57554288363017723272016-10-22T07:15:00.000+04:002016-10-28T17:08:46.008+04:00Differences...They Make The World Go 'Round<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In the Foreign Service, I had the privilege of serving in Honduras, Oman,
Pakistan and then, after retirement, I was asked to go to Singapore and now Brunei. During my years of service I had the chance to observe how things are done differently in every country, many times
with the same or very different result. It's not that one
way of doing things is right or wrong, but just different. The following things happened to me or someone
I worked with at one of my posts overseas.
For those of you who follow me on this blog and are members of the Foreign Service,
I'm sure you can relate and probably have many of your own examples!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><u><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You're driving and you need to change lanes.<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">o<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei - You put your
turn signal on. The acceptable culture is that the car in the lane you wish to be in slows
down and allows you to enter their lane.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">o<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">U.S. - Hell no! You can't come in my lane!
I'm going to speed up and close the gap. So there! Often you end up passing your turn and making a U-turn to come back to it. Or you bully your way into the lane.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><u><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You are pushing your basket down the
aisle in a grocery store.<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">o<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei - There is a
clerk sitting on the floor stocking items on a lower shelf. She has several
boxes on the floor and there is not enough room for you to pass. You end up
turning around and going back the way you came. She never looks up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">o<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">U.S. - The clerk quickly stands up, moves
the boxes and apologizes. Often nothing needs to happen because the aisles are nice and wide.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><u><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Security has told you to vary your route
driving to and from work (the embassy) to avoid being predictable.<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">o<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Tegucigalpa, Honduras - One route is pot
hole-free as you know it. You change your route and hit 4 pot holes large
enough to have their own zip codes. You also drive into a hole in the road that is missing its man
hole cover, probably being used as a cook top somewhere.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">o<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">U.S. - No need to vary your route to work
unless you hear a bulletin on the radio about a wreck.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><u><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You need to buy some chicken for a
fried chicken dinner.<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">o<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Bandar Seri Begawan,Brunei - You wander
back to the meat department, following your nose. Chicken is in open cases, self
serve style, each one with differing chicken parts. You pick up the tongs and pick
your pieces. You also have chicken feet, tiny chickens and oddly chopped pieces
to choose from. You shoo away a fly. The man next to you moves a few pieces
with his hand, looking for just the right piece.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">o<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">U.S. - You look at packages, carefully
sealed with 'sell by' dates printed on them, all marked USDA Inspected and monitored carefully
by the people in the meat department. You can also choose from chicken in a
glass enclosed case. No fly is seen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><u><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You and your friend want to go to the
mall to do a little shopping.<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">o<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Karachi, Pakistan - You request a vehicle
from the Security Officer, making sure there is a driver and body guard available to go
with you. Once at the mall, you must stay together and not more than 6 feet
from your body guard. Fortunately, you can go in the fitting room by yourself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">o<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">U.S. - You drive to the mall.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><u><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You decide you want to go to the beach
for a swim.<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">o<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Muscat, Oman - It's June and a great day
for a swim. You drive to one of the many beautiful beaches. It's 115⁰.
You park the car and start walking toward the water. OMG...the sand is
blazing hot! Half way to the water, you begin to run and by the time you get
there, you have 2nd degree burns on the bottom of your feet. But the water is
gorgeous and feels so good on your feet. You enjoy swimming in your shorts and
tee shirt. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">o<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">U.S. - It's a great 86⁰. You walk to the
beach, lay down your towel and ice chest and stroll toward the water in your
ittsy bittsy bikini.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><u><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You aren't feeling well, probably need
to take something.<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">o<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Tegucigalpa, Honduras - You go to the drug
store and choose from any number of antibiotics, anti diarrhea meds or strong
pain killers. You choose 3 different
medicines that you think will help it and pay the $5.00 for all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">o<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">U.S. - You call your doctor and find out
they can't see you for 3 weeks. You try the neighborhood clinic in the
neighborhood drugstore and after 45 minutes of paperwork, they tell you that
you really need to see your personal physician. You grab a bottle of Advil and
hope it helps somewhat while you wait the 3 weeks to see your doctor. Three weeks later, you see the doctor and his
$275 bill is all applied to your deductible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><u><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You need to drive your kids to school.<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">o<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Tegucigalpa, Honduras - You pile all 3 kids
in the car and head to the school. Due to the security risk, you have your
emergency radio with you and hear a warning that demonstrators have blocked the
road to school. You struggle with an alternate route but end up having to go
back home due to the threat of violence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">o<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">U.S. - You pile all 3 kids in the car and
head to school. You arrive 5-10 minutes later and pull into the drop off lane.
Kids kiss you and head into school.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><u><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You need a new pair of black pants for
work.<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Bandar Seri Begawan - You go online, find a
pair at a Big Box Store and place your order. You get an email confirming your
purchase. You immediately get an email cancelling your order. For the next 2
weeks you exchange emails with Big Box Store with no one able to explain why
your order was cancelled. Extremely angry, you search for an email address for
Big Box Store. You find one in New York and fire off an angry letter. A week
later you receive an email thanking your your business and patience and oh gee,
we just can't explain why your order was cancelled. Please place the order
again. And by the way, we will give you free shipping on your next order. Six
weeks later you get your black pants.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">o<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">U.S. - You head to any Big Box Store near
you, find the pants, try them on, pay for them and head home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Debihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03879622417276359411noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11455362.post-66244285951261004782016-10-05T17:44:00.004+04:002016-10-06T05:57:03.727+04:00Homesick?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Homesick. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Webster's Dictionary defines homesick as "sad or
depressed from a home or family while away from them for a long
time."</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I've never really experienced being
homesick. Both my children are grown and live away and have been for years.
When I joined the Foreign Service, I sold my home, car, most of my worldly
possessions and off I went. I was
assigned to Honduras, to Muscat, Oman and volunteered for 2 years in
Pakistan. Since I didn't really have a
'home', I never felt that feeling of being away. I have never really experienced being homesick.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Until now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I've been in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
for a little over 14 weeks now with a little over 6 weeks to go...and I miss my
bed. I miss the routine that I established since I retired in July of 2014. I
miss my new kitchen. I miss my car. To me, that sounds so foreign, so unlike
me. I've tried to figure out if maybe I
miss something else that could be causing me to feel the way I do but I can't
think of anything. So I guess I am
finally experiencing being homesick.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">It's not like I'm unhappy here.
I'm really not sad, as Webster's states I should be. I'm really enjoying
the work, the people I work with and this lovely country. But something is
missing. It could be that I spend too much time in the house instead of out
doing things. But on the plus side, I'm putting my entire paycheck every two
weeks in savings and am trying to spend as little as possible while I'm here. Most of what I spend is at the grocery store! I only brought 2
suitcases and am allowed much less weight on Royal Brunei Airlines going to Hong Kong than on
American Airlines from Hong Kong to DFW. Besides, there aren't many souvenirs to be found here.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I might be feeling this way because I've successfully
settled into retirement and am truly happy.
However, the opportunity to work again doing something I love, earn a
salary again and see more of the world was something I just couldn't turn down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I think I'll just have a glass of wine and get
over it...who wants to join me?</span><br />
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Debihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03879622417276359411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11455362.post-55294620321401446502016-09-29T13:17:00.004+04:002016-10-02T09:11:54.507+04:00Photography....The Possibilities<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I love retirement. It’s exactly what I hoped for and
more. And having the option to say yes to the offer of an overseas assignment when they come my
way is a real plus. It’s a great way to continue to see the world, meet
incredible people and absorb other cultures so different from my own. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I planned well ahead for the day I would turn 65 and
face mandatory departure from my job with the State Department. I learned to make jewelry
so that one day I might find an outlet to sell them so I could keep making
necklaces, which I really enjoy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I also love photography and have thousands of
beautiful photographs from around the world. I have many of them posted on
another blog dedicated to just photos. The address for that blog is </span><a href="http://www.debidemetrion.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">www.debidemetrion.blogspot.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">. When I was traveling, my friends would say
“Share your shots!” So I set up that blog as a place post them and also serve as
a memory book of where I’ve been and what I have seen. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX4m4FYZt0mKsSKm1Fr9tdDVhklFhY0H3xsR9MSJ1bkC14ZmHF4vdJRZZPSwTQBiLkvUq8nnuUamSXRT_tXculIoOr0yoY9pBE584kZAn5MWkrt4X1PMV5roif_WJLJxypEWJPKg/s1600/DSC06829.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX4m4FYZt0mKsSKm1Fr9tdDVhklFhY0H3xsR9MSJ1bkC14ZmHF4vdJRZZPSwTQBiLkvUq8nnuUamSXRT_tXculIoOr0yoY9pBE584kZAn5MWkrt4X1PMV5roif_WJLJxypEWJPKg/s200/DSC06829.JPG" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For over 2 years I've been trying to figure out a way to
market my shots. I looked at lots of websites where photographers sell ‘stock’
photos. Stock photos are images that are uploaded to an online agency and sold
with a commission to the photographer. The commission can be anywhere from .50 to $150.00
or more per photo sold. And just who are the customers? Normally they are
magazine publishers or advertisers. Maybe they need a picture of a mountain
scene for their ad for hiking boots. Or a cute puppy for an ad for
dog food. As a rule, the profits aren’t huge but it’s a start. And who needs
huge profits to start anyway?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1zUERVepWJ8GnvwAleLbTq6sLaXXRsJCixt_sy1voNef3_hIqESkEZ8ipc375IzHmRDFzjXFQHi3ZA6dOxTUsfKxNjOX3zDBXJbZmBzbWhnhIoaB7TNlIxAejlz9qjzpwkhGNCw/s1600/DSC06204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1zUERVepWJ8GnvwAleLbTq6sLaXXRsJCixt_sy1voNef3_hIqESkEZ8ipc375IzHmRDFzjXFQHi3ZA6dOxTUsfKxNjOX3zDBXJbZmBzbWhnhIoaB7TNlIxAejlz9qjzpwkhGNCw/s200/DSC06204.JPG" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I
found a website called Fine Art America. It came highly recommended to me by
another photographer. You upload your photos and they sell them in lots of different
formats. You can have a photograph put
on canvas, a tote bag, greeting cards or a framed print. A really fun idea is
to have a photo put on a mobile phone case. They have lots of iPhone and Galaxy mobile phone
models to choose from.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>
I currently have 77 photos for sale on my shop and most of them would
look great on a phone case. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAWFeCMPmW_PU8Zjg6SmzX59dpJg-M2lBTivYhvVjQ-CBh_Yl0Up1ahyphenhyphenG6Zlv08PEVQcUviIM4gYW1wue7F33p2Ham0MYpp4dk0TZKgGtKexDl181ENdN2ToqVhW3XZy-8r_a-TA/s1600/DSC04048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAWFeCMPmW_PU8Zjg6SmzX59dpJg-M2lBTivYhvVjQ-CBh_Yl0Up1ahyphenhyphenG6Zlv08PEVQcUviIM4gYW1wue7F33p2Ham0MYpp4dk0TZKgGtKexDl181ENdN2ToqVhW3XZy-8r_a-TA/s200/DSC04048.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">With
Christmas just a couple of months away, I thought I would self-promote my
photograph website as a suggestion for a very cool Christmas gift. Maybe you went
to Venice and never got that terrific shot of the canal and gondolas. Or you
love elephants and would love a photo of the head of a beautiful elephant with
a chunk out of his ear! Or maybe you would love to see a field of olive trees
in </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Florence,
Italy on your wall. Or a beautiful Texas </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">sunflower on a tote bag. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh57cOxZH78CRpegqYnFhvrYBTZsilZ-0H8rdqpM5qztiYPJ-150Irxm2VSAHdZN3p5ppLmZkU-XRWdiq5wnHAvFvMSUR7C6DCUGPRF1qpYn9UJxTCU81OoTCkOv6U6S9wbgF_7dw/s1600/DSC04397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh57cOxZH78CRpegqYnFhvrYBTZsilZ-0H8rdqpM5qztiYPJ-150Irxm2VSAHdZN3p5ppLmZkU-XRWdiq5wnHAvFvMSUR7C6DCUGPRF1qpYn9UJxTCU81OoTCkOv6U6S9wbgF_7dw/s200/DSC04397.JPG" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The link to my Fine Art America shop is below. I hope
you’ll take a minute to visit it and browse the photos. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">When the page opens, you will see my photos. C</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">lick on any photo and it will open to a page where you will see all the items you can have the photo put on. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thanks…and please let me know what you think! </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> <a href="http://debi-demetrion.pixels.com/">My Fine Art America site</a></span></div>
</div>
Debihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03879622417276359411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11455362.post-41742369798291332352016-09-19T18:14:00.000+04:002016-09-20T03:46:36.705+04:00Temburong, Brunei and My Big Hike<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So...I was asked if I wanted to go to Temburong, Brunei
and climb the stairs to the observation site and look out over the tops of the
trees of the Rain Forest, or canopy. I knew I wanted to see some of Brunei while I was here for
4.5 months so I was happy to be invited. Sure, I said. I was told that there were 1000 steps to the
top. When I took a trip to Sri Lanka, I
managed to climb the approximate 1200 steps up the rock known as Sigiriya Rock. Sigiriya is an ancient rock fortress built
1600 years ago with the ruins of a castle at the top. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and
downright amazing. I did need some encouragement to keep going..."we are
almost there!" Let me tell you, I was told that so many times, I felt like
Jack of Jack and the Beanstock! I
finally made it and the view was a one of a kind, 360 degree drop dead gorgeous
view. I was so glad I fought on and made it to the top.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I thought...if I made it to the top of that rock, I can
climb the 1000+ stairs so I can look out over the canopy of trees of the Rain
Forest in Brunei. But...that rock was 5 years ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There were 3 of us on this trek and our guide. We
started out in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei taking a water taxi through the maze
of waterways that snaked through mangroves and miles and miles of wild palms.
The trip lasted about 35 minutes and was most pleasant. When we arrived and
left the water taxi behind, we were met by our guide. We piled into his van,
very old but apparently dependable. The
countryside was really pretty. It's a whole different feeling about the
countryside when you're in the rain forest. Lots of greenery, monitor lizards
and snakes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Soon the van pulled off the road on to a dirt and
gravel parking lot. Breakfast! We need energy, our guide says. Breakfast was Roti with egg. Roti is a delicious crepe-like dish, very thin
and a fried egg (yolk broken) cooked inside it. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0kGnufZdLuP1AACzb-m6DJtx4_ibuP8psavAMLfhlkCPEKbtG5S5I5ANcQYkavuLnU_2CK8jj2UczHFUff5r4nmh0PrORlf3EoDa5GfZUakvMWHyKMsaAfHkmISMBb5O99rlpyg/s1600/IMG_4826.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0kGnufZdLuP1AACzb-m6DJtx4_ibuP8psavAMLfhlkCPEKbtG5S5I5ANcQYkavuLnU_2CK8jj2UczHFUff5r4nmh0PrORlf3EoDa5GfZUakvMWHyKMsaAfHkmISMBb5O99rlpyg/s200/IMG_4826.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roti with egg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It was pretty darn good. With tummies filled, we headed back to the
van and more driving. The road was pretty bad and he had to nearly stop for
some of the potholes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Soon, he pulled off the road again and we were told we
had arrived for our second boat trip.
</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKmnTtabxOUMxF3teQ5EJ3vElvPLIFUYZklHL9cJbHUQVNhWRkDyHzV5uSLtgziWBu4ninstsI2tQnDO3wbN20E1E_scxeo5k5JupgI_GPm4EJOkwPxsOHz7bQE4SXbAUw2OsyfA/s1600/IMG_4827.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKmnTtabxOUMxF3teQ5EJ3vElvPLIFUYZklHL9cJbHUQVNhWRkDyHzV5uSLtgziWBu4ninstsI2tQnDO3wbN20E1E_scxeo5k5JupgI_GPm4EJOkwPxsOHz7bQE4SXbAUw2OsyfA/s200/IMG_4827.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">These
boats are called long boats and they are long...maybe about 25-30 feet long and
about 12" deep. We boarded our wooden boat, one at a time, based on size. Things needed to be balanced,
you know? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">For the trip in,
I was in the front and could sit on the 6" wooden board that they referred
to as a seat. I chose to call it a 1 by 6 masquerading as a seat. My butt will
never forgive me for this excursion. We
donned our life vests and headed up (yes, up) the river. Within minutes we approached
our first rapids. Remember I said we headed UP
the river. The 'captain' who was
manning the outboard motor at the rear revved it and we charged ahead full steam. Another
person was perched on the very front of the boat and had a long stick, maybe
bamboo, ready for action. I wondered why...to kill an alligator? Bat away a
savage bird? No, her job was to look out for big rocks and push the boat
away from them. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKer4Mhz9FwkR4bAC2WUlvS2-izByUfr989ZydSLU7rz1Oyxk4g4uveAix_1XR4TOSVLEucB8MUcqMXYgINXoXJdOnq2fqk0cYosLdqGN1_4MawNXECsKBnDVoC0f7HQfMhfD9-A/s1600/IMG_4845.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKer4Mhz9FwkR4bAC2WUlvS2-izByUfr989ZydSLU7rz1Oyxk4g4uveAix_1XR4TOSVLEucB8MUcqMXYgINXoXJdOnq2fqk0cYosLdqGN1_4MawNXECsKBnDVoC0f7HQfMhfD9-A/s200/IMG_4845.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You see, the water was only about 12" deep and the bottom of this river was covered in rocks, some larger than others which would do damage to the bottom
of our boat. Oh, I forgot to mention that prior to boarding this boat I saw the
'captain' with a can, shoveling out water from the bottom of the boat. My
confidence was not at its highest level.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Every once in a while, the gal up front would point her
finger to the right or left and he would guide the boat right or left. Other
times she would frantically work that stick in the water, hitting a rock and
pushing the boat away from it. I have to say that after a while, it didn't
bother me because the scenery I was seeing had the full attention of my eyes.
This Is The Rain Forest! Trees were over 20 stories tall, so many different
varieties of palm trees...monkeys in the trees...huge hornet nests. The banks of this very
shallow river were solid beautiful white or black rocks, worn smooth by the
current of the water. We probably forged
upstream over 5-7 rapids. These were kind of mini rapids but the Captain did
have to rev up the engine to get us up and over them and the stick lady up front had to
work hard, guiding the front of the boat away from and through the rocks. And yes, we did hit
many many rocks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After about 40 minutes we arrived at the beginning of
the hike to the top. We all had to sign our names in a huge ledger...name,
nationality, age. When I wrote my age, the man looked at me and gave me the
look, as if to say "Lady, are you sure you want to do this?" I just
smiled. Little did I know....<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Soon we arrived at a hanging bridge, not a bad bridge at all. A suspension bridge. The view was beautiful from it. Very well made. Very safe.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ItQ3qZrsEf6KApmq7VkvzQKliV4dUYOiE0G6AZMYEEGHmrB1D2a24eNs3O40YMboex3iNqjHtmK-FUKAa0bvh0ghTxL7iPlOsEPD1dGmat7Cs3iuL3NRK2xKLipqhdX7aowIhA/s1600/IMG_4852.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ItQ3qZrsEf6KApmq7VkvzQKliV4dUYOiE0G6AZMYEEGHmrB1D2a24eNs3O40YMboex3iNqjHtmK-FUKAa0bvh0ghTxL7iPlOsEPD1dGmat7Cs3iuL3NRK2xKLipqhdX7aowIhA/s200/IMG_4852.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">A new guide took
us under her wing and with backpacks in place, we headed upward behind
her. I say upward because the first few
stairs went up, then we went severely down, then a few back up, then more down.
I asked if all these steps were part of the 1000 steps to the top. She turned
to me and just shook her head. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Oh hell...I was going to be worn out before I
started the 1000 Steps!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The steps. Oh, those lovely steps. They are made out of
wood. Some were 9" deep, some were 4" deep. In some places there was
a wooden rail to keep you from falling into the forest. Some places it was a nylon rope with knots
tied every few feet. Some steps had a 5' rise, others had a 9" rise. I think
there was a whole lot of drinking going on when the stairs were built! About
every 100 or so steps, there was a covered spot to sit. Catch your breath. Wait
for your heart rate to drop below 125. Curse yourself for thinking you could do
this.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBMSzOU3-iEWIPN9NLdw8n145VFwTjQgzYt1JiM6Hy5EJ8_TG5SAfDKUZ2_c6IFLNcLd1LMCzPtRKAeRTgjN9f8Rl6u3bN3mOj9-MedeZ61Zea1uinZv8ECot-QtrH_6EjmFF2yQ/s1600/IMG_4861.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBMSzOU3-iEWIPN9NLdw8n145VFwTjQgzYt1JiM6Hy5EJ8_TG5SAfDKUZ2_c6IFLNcLd1LMCzPtRKAeRTgjN9f8Rl6u3bN3mOj9-MedeZ61Zea1uinZv8ECot-QtrH_6EjmFF2yQ/s200/IMG_4861.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Did I mention that my 2 friends were in tip top
condition? Regular hikers. 30 years younger than me?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">About half way up (when I was informed that I was only
half way up) I suggested that the guide and my friends go on ahead. I needed to
rest more than they did and I didn't want to hold them back. I convinced them
that I was just fine but they needed to keep their pace and I needed to keep mine.
So off they went.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If I sat and rested and felt myself able to take deep
breaths again, able to not feel my heart beating out of my chest and able to shake
off the wobbliness in my legs, I felt I could move on. Going at my own speed was better for me. I
would stop and pretend to be admiring the beauty and vegetation as others
trotted by me. Damn them. I do think I was the oldest one on that 1000 Step
staircase to the top!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">At one point, I decided I had had enough. No mas. So I
sat for about 10 minutes and felt much
better. I realized that to have come this far and not reach the top would
surely be something I would regret forever. So, off I went again. Poco a poco.
Little by little. And finally I could hear lots of chatter...Chinese chatter.
The last group that passed me snickering, I think. Sure enough, I reached the
top. Our guide was sitting there and she looked at me and said "You
OK?" I wanted to say.."Hey, do
I look OK???" But I just said "Yes...I
wanted to make it to the top."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">She pointed to the metal structure and said "Top
that way."</span></div>
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<br />
<o:p></o:p>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKbL1_mVZrY90NOMg2IJfbxNKTSWn2IT0uWpPwU3I34f8XlQjOSO9qTB0x6EUQMRWEOTaQaMJcnvYlOArXv_4i7kI2IoywQt8-Y0dAJ3eJWqURBuNS01aAoCmOLW0khUEDgWt96Q/s1600/DSC01514.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKbL1_mVZrY90NOMg2IJfbxNKTSWn2IT0uWpPwU3I34f8XlQjOSO9qTB0x6EUQMRWEOTaQaMJcnvYlOArXv_4i7kI2IoywQt8-Y0dAJ3eJWqURBuNS01aAoCmOLW0khUEDgWt96Q/s200/DSC01514.JPG" width="133" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Oh crap.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There stood this tower, about 6' square or so, made out of
metal. With a big Warning sign. It was probably 20 levels of 7 steps each. And that was what would take
me to the top and a catwalk to the FIRST level! I decided I was as far as I
could go. I sat there for about 10 minutes and then saw my 2 friends walking
down trail from the topmost top. He said
I could make it up the metal structure and the view was great.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My mind said go for it. My legs said are you kidding
us? I took a deep breath and headed upward. I stuffed my iPhone into my bra
since I didn't have pockets in my pants and I damned sure wanted a picture once I got up there. Up, up and up some more I went. I made
it. I was at the most Top of Top I was going to get. Even if I had wanted to make
it to the very top, I would have had to go up yet another damn tower and that meant
down this one and up and down the taller one. Not happening.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I was happy with my view. </span><br />
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<br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg33vWQqIlgYTqqrDoaiXE3Q-EuUsAypEeoHl3WisNQuB7MvC9ASwYQdAOkXXlfsUXGzTdf3NggRpyf4_6U0JMahY3kidiTaZlsXdOhyuzI75EAZLUmMW9ou8OzgFkDmKhE9iSdPA/s1600/DSC01515.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg33vWQqIlgYTqqrDoaiXE3Q-EuUsAypEeoHl3WisNQuB7MvC9ASwYQdAOkXXlfsUXGzTdf3NggRpyf4_6U0JMahY3kidiTaZlsXdOhyuzI75EAZLUmMW9ou8OzgFkDmKhE9iSdPA/s320/DSC01515.JPG" width="213" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It wasn't like the ones you might see if you google Rain Forest Canopy. I
had made it to the Canopy level, not the Emergent level. The Emergent level is
where your are at the tops of the trees or above.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The way down the steps was much easier. I had brought
an old pair of sneakers and the bottoms were slick so I had to be careful to
not slip on leaves and on inclines, or declines. The long boat ride back was fun but I was
now in the back and no room to stretch out my legs. Riding the rapids were much
more fun going with the current and I was able to get a few videos. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Back at where this hike began, we were served lunch
of chicken curry, rice and vegetables. For dessert, we had 2 bunches of those
wonderful little finger size bananas. Love them!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Today is the day after. My quadriceps and calves are
screaming at me. "What the hell were you thinking???" I have taken
Advil. The Empire State Building has
1800 steps. I climbed over half that distance. And took the stairs back down, not the elevator.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It is clear to me that when I return home in November I
will be joining the health club again. And
this time around, I'll use it.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguXoY_cjQuryTRlh07EumZOp20QGvxhXpWcGMLb5yTNwSTfPALPRr68AfDFg0D4y6eAn5BPp2nO4YLc9S4t8_sZjd9dxsgAtLHJCfLSERlt3bS3AcED7bTwmzTXJrKdAUL4SBcqw/s1600/IMG_4828.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguXoY_cjQuryTRlh07EumZOp20QGvxhXpWcGMLb5yTNwSTfPALPRr68AfDFg0D4y6eAn5BPp2nO4YLc9S4t8_sZjd9dxsgAtLHJCfLSERlt3bS3AcED7bTwmzTXJrKdAUL4SBcqw/s200/IMG_4828.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
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Debihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03879622417276359411noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11455362.post-53179542501907507512016-08-14T04:43:00.003+04:002016-09-20T03:49:38.828+04:00Foreign Driving 101<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I’m into my
second month serving here in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital city of
Brunei. I think I’m finding my way
around a bit better. It’s comforting
when suddenly, you realize you’ve been here before and recognize a store or
sign. Driving on the left side of the
road now seems natural. I do have to be
careful when making a right turn to scoot over to the left instead of hugging
the curb. The true test will be when I
return to Texas and am able to manage returning to <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>driving
on the right again!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The drivers
here are among the most courteous I’ve ever seen. Your turn signal is your way of
communicating. Back home, many avoid
using their turn signal because…heaven forbid you should give another driver a
warning of what you are about to do!
Here, you get dirty looks if you DON’T signal your intent. And when you do, people actually let you
merge into their lane or allow you to turn in front of them. Imagine
that. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The hardest
part is navigating the ‘roundabouts’ or circular intersections. </span><v:shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" id="_x0000_t75" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f">
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</w:wrap></v:imagedata></v:shape><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> If you want to exit the roundabout, you can
either be in the outside lane or inside lane. If you’re on the outside lane,
you need to have eyes on the side of your head to see if someone from the
inside lane wants out! It’s controlled
chaos! But if you miss your exit, you
can just drive around the circle again. Good luck with that! And just pray that you
don’t encounter one of the multi-lane roundabouts! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU7jF2et2HPMamsTZaQm7JULuZV2rL5ArBzMnFp7lDp6uYY-EiguqKJFh7egK69mVk-l0C7tiXS1iLbroixzZ398tbwpIw35uo_sNJc3mZa2Th6-S9w-QzWDxOANsRUU_sIzWBwg/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU7jF2et2HPMamsTZaQm7JULuZV2rL5ArBzMnFp7lDp6uYY-EiguqKJFh7egK69mVk-l0C7tiXS1iLbroixzZ398tbwpIw35uo_sNJc3mZa2Th6-S9w-QzWDxOANsRUU_sIzWBwg/s200/images.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.4667px;">They also have some that, if you aren’t paying attention, that round painted circle in the middle of the intersection…you’ll just drive right over it! And as for instructions...forget about them!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.4667px;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTUL7Hhf3JCpI2AhCpbbcpw06Mpd3RrZbzhNMHVf43OmW227ilSK_TnOG6L4PDSz3PbNbETYKb_LrAQG9E2lMXTmbPsughqWFtE1l0rkdTZCEIW6Hhg_U9qSCZBojHOJSSjXVdUQ/s1600/roundabt.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTUL7Hhf3JCpI2AhCpbbcpw06Mpd3RrZbzhNMHVf43OmW227ilSK_TnOG6L4PDSz3PbNbETYKb_LrAQG9E2lMXTmbPsughqWFtE1l0rkdTZCEIW6Hhg_U9qSCZBojHOJSSjXVdUQ/s200/roundabt.png" width="200" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Choosing to
go to work for the State Department is hands down the best thing I have ever
done for myself. The work has been very
rewarding and the travel opportunities have been nothing short of amazing. I hated to be pushed into retirement (mandatory
at age 65) but once I got home, I appreciated that every day would now be
Saturday. Fortunately the State
Department has a program for retirees to sign on for temporary duty
assignments. And because of that, I
continue to work sporadically, meeting terrific people and visiting new
countries. Last year it was 4 weeks in
Singapore and this year, 4½ months in Brunei.
I continue to collect my Social Security and small annuity from the
government and when I’m lucky enough to
be called and asked to go somewhere cool and work for a while…that money goes
into the savings account. Or for new
hardwood floors in my house. Or a new
facing for my fireplace. Life is so
good.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I guess I’m
not really ready to call it quits just yet.
Maybe after next year. Or the
next year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Debihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03879622417276359411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11455362.post-19246522385355746162016-07-21T17:40:00.001+04:002016-09-20T03:50:57.123+04:00A Walk in the Park<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Last weekend Faye and I decided to do a little
exploring. Faye had seen a park on a
trip to the market so we set out to find it.
It didn't take long for our left turn, right turn, GPS Lucy talking to
us and then there it was. From the
street it looked great...lots of green space, a playground for kids, a gazebo
or 4. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2J3AHaIEjtIRWDKsJXSJ6-K-hZs4waMQ-JdreAJoBacnQ1cOcQfU1Nzr4T-G96rxP6c7OWxihauE56qJ6-2YLSi99ZAYElr-SdMW5rQ6q0WR81zCX3rGg5qscEfIzyLs4wbltAQ/s1600/IMG_20160717_101839.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2J3AHaIEjtIRWDKsJXSJ6-K-hZs4waMQ-JdreAJoBacnQ1cOcQfU1Nzr4T-G96rxP6c7OWxihauE56qJ6-2YLSi99ZAYElr-SdMW5rQ6q0WR81zCX3rGg5qscEfIzyLs4wbltAQ/s200/IMG_20160717_101839.jpg" width="112" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We had to circle around before we finally
found the entrance. Once parked, we headed out into this park. It
was deserted. It didn't take us long before we both commented that it sure did
need some TLC. The grass was overgrown, electrical boxes were open and
exposed wires sticking out at a 4 year old's level. Faye had gone to a
sort of zoo that was gorgeous when it opened and now, a couple of years later,
it too was overgrown and appeared no one was taking care of it. It was really a shame because it is such a large beautiful area and has so much potential.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
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<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEW2sHT9vXjgKxpyssBl9ary9UC3pWuq2RhGl0Xnvh8_Vdvi30s3Ju2WM9p7ANGIwfImoXIZdkQjR3VAN79r2uoIEp3g_NkR-8OOPaTHh1kSdwWewpGOd-FUNhHo37QYiWny_a9Q/s1600/IMG_20160717_102621.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEW2sHT9vXjgKxpyssBl9ary9UC3pWuq2RhGl0Xnvh8_Vdvi30s3Ju2WM9p7ANGIwfImoXIZdkQjR3VAN79r2uoIEp3g_NkR-8OOPaTHh1kSdwWewpGOd-FUNhHo37QYiWny_a9Q/s320/IMG_20160717_102621.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He's down there somewhere...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNME1KGBjE-irf3xP7DGqf4WThFffaValFgjIKG4R4WAfhOu7XAip9OMrOP5ZS9sS_qsbFOBsgVk3QhdCF3h8cMDQ43yQxkT6TPPwU5VK7HHEMhJ3DMufG91zMAujbAbCF3ncP5Q/s1600/IMG_20160717_102227.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNME1KGBjE-irf3xP7DGqf4WThFffaValFgjIKG4R4WAfhOu7XAip9OMrOP5ZS9sS_qsbFOBsgVk3QhdCF3h8cMDQ43yQxkT6TPPwU5VK7HHEMhJ3DMufG91zMAujbAbCF3ncP5Q/s320/IMG_20160717_102227.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We both heard a sound that I thought was go carts in
the distance. Something caught my eye
and I saw a speed boat flying across the water of the river that ran alongside
the park. We walked toward the walled
border of the park. I saw an opening and
as I approached it I noticed that it was several very wide steps that disappeared
into the water. Just then, I saw it.....a giant
Komodo Dragon!! He saw me at the same
time, our eyes met and my feet left the ground as I screamed and tried to turn
to my left to run. I ran smack into Faye
who heard me scream but didn't know why! The instant before I turned to run/jump/scream,
I saw this giant animal look like he was heading up the steps toward me but at
the last second, he dove in the water and disappeared. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2_BUHE8rS_KiGUfotFgwEmFaBX6fxrcouWcvCpBaBN7BGLrzZ_VXiFhcHUsJxqY1VleCftELC1gG7HB-sRCulKkibb4yJzbyBdt1ZCYfAWPyjsZgO8SnEy45iKO6DppSCDIcG0w/s1600/Dragon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2_BUHE8rS_KiGUfotFgwEmFaBX6fxrcouWcvCpBaBN7BGLrzZ_VXiFhcHUsJxqY1VleCftELC1gG7HB-sRCulKkibb4yJzbyBdt1ZCYfAWPyjsZgO8SnEy45iKO6DppSCDIcG0w/s320/Dragon.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not the guy I saw but he looked JUST like this!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Faye was saying "WHAT WHAT WHAT?????" I told her and then we both realized how we
must have looked and we both cracked up.
We walked along the wall for a few more minutes until we were sure that
the dragon had left for good. The Komodo
Dragon is common in this area and this guy was probably 4-5 feet long....the
biggest damn lizard I've even seen! Of
course, now we can laugh at ourselves, which we've done many times since last weekend, but
at the time it was no laughing matter. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Here's a link to an article in the Brunei Times, the local English language paper.</span></div>
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<a href="http://bruneitimes.com.bn/features/2010/12/23/carnivorous-dragons-draw-tourists-komodo-islands#sthash.hjT84aos.dpbs" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Komodo Dragons in Brunei</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;">So much for a leisurely walk in the park.</span></div>
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Debihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03879622417276359411noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11455362.post-48109679089633702632016-07-17T14:21:00.000+04:002016-10-02T09:12:40.246+04:00The Joys of Serving Overseas<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This weekend Faye and I found a fabric/craft/knitting/costume/tailor store. And let me tell you, this store had
everything under the sun. Anything you
would need for a wedding, birthday, costume or any occasion was there, yarn, thread, plastic and silk flowers,
baskets...it was like a giant MJ Designs and Joann Fabrics rolled into
one. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVsJv6GLfdnVGr5fjquUqsNr9tCcUv5BwP4myjRjIfcGMTiqLIKvo8tn_yUpcs-1cKm8764X2HhiXW3JtIV0lv6Ovet_galxqavZY9nEBiAdINXcZ27Pe4EsdHxzibRwi8fkVEag/s1600/IMG_20160717_094506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVsJv6GLfdnVGr5fjquUqsNr9tCcUv5BwP4myjRjIfcGMTiqLIKvo8tn_yUpcs-1cKm8764X2HhiXW3JtIV0lv6Ovet_galxqavZY9nEBiAdINXcZ27Pe4EsdHxzibRwi8fkVEag/s200/IMG_20160717_094506.jpg" width="112" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We decided that we needed to have
something made so I decided on a top and Faye was going to get 2 jackets and a
pair of slacks that would go with either jacket. As amazing as it sounds, the
gorgeous satin brocade was cheaper than cotton fabric. So we went back today, armed with pictures of
tops, jackets and pants downloaded from the internet that we wanted made. I decided to have 2 tops and a jacket
made. I fell in love with this gorgeous
red satin material and just had to have a jacket made out of it. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFaw6VkBBYkACiSayHMNpawjjb8u2qZD1ttASuD2inmtzhrz9riiTGXIkAiPpmk1xEdStilNdU3tAIPSG7UQwBYcL-c0lHWNnn_2fL6PlrpGBpLPKJMLdI8eeHy-B_o6W62KTokA/s1600/IMG_20160717_132142.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFaw6VkBBYkACiSayHMNpawjjb8u2qZD1ttASuD2inmtzhrz9riiTGXIkAiPpmk1xEdStilNdU3tAIPSG7UQwBYcL-c0lHWNnn_2fL6PlrpGBpLPKJMLdI8eeHy-B_o6W62KTokA/s320/IMG_20160717_132142.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSaHpqnJtqjSTUbHdSXAohSuNrTG1ZGQCKK9gM8Sw69ZqqQIX70uDz8f4YkIGWu7en5X6erwe81sB4e0xHsfgitqNpbUqRlpND-dAMKAb3NwOs6i9B_n5Yd24cSylfkp0-58M76g/s1600/Ble+Fabric.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSaHpqnJtqjSTUbHdSXAohSuNrTG1ZGQCKK9gM8Sw69ZqqQIX70uDz8f4YkIGWu7en5X6erwe81sB4e0xHsfgitqNpbUqRlpND-dAMKAb3NwOs6i9B_n5Yd24cSylfkp0-58M76g/s320/Ble+Fabric.jpg" width="282" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The tailor
went about taking our measurements and wrote them all down. Another man sketched a design from the
pictures we had, noting any changes in sleeve lengths, neckline or length of
the jacket that we wanted. I found a beautiful
top online and it will have sheer
sleeves and a lined bodice. It will be made from the yellow print sheer fabric. Another top
was from a Simplicity pattern I found online and the fabric is a cotton with what looks like peacock feathers on it.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLm14NvzVw8ce3LVKIUqHABTQeRsW4WugLzQsSACQNaChXDM8Rgz_G9QR38rrtmAz4lNbj90meGLzVP7FfyPU7S9zkjdq9wMT20ag6FTnscmc8LSCiQgpzVncz-iGa4ZiMQKtbkA/s1600/IMG_20160717_132537.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLm14NvzVw8ce3LVKIUqHABTQeRsW4WugLzQsSACQNaChXDM8Rgz_G9QR38rrtmAz4lNbj90meGLzVP7FfyPU7S9zkjdq9wMT20ag6FTnscmc8LSCiQgpzVncz-iGa4ZiMQKtbkA/s320/IMG_20160717_132537.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The whole experience reminded me of when I was serving in Pakistan and several of us found a leather man who could
copy a purse from a picture. I better have better control over how many pieces
of clothing I have made than I did with the leather purses!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We go back on August 5th to either
pick them up or have alterations done to them.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Oh, the joys of serving overseas!</span></div>
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Debihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03879622417276359411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11455362.post-90003505712916269602016-07-17T04:29:00.001+04:002016-09-20T03:51:59.524+04:00Life, So Far, in Bandar Seri Begawan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I've been in Bandar Seri Begawan for almost 3 weeks now
and am finally able to find my way around.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">
</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The rental car has a Garmin GPS in it but sometimes it gets
confused.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I wish I had a Sim card for my
iPhone because it is so much easier to use to get me from Point A to Point B.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">
</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">But I have a few landmarks that help and I can get back and forth to the
Embassy without any GPS assistance.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Plus I can now find my way to the grocery store. I think I have mastered driving on the left side. Maybe. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUVpplVauarrQdOOBjMs-2X604eX8nbswy6DADlQ8VptuzzGMQrSxalU1pizuMWbBHUQhIo36zeMrABWpCdYrwsqMm2ebhCUUhln9aB0xyr-e7DGfQ3lDx8vW52GtGfHPhCkCiSg/s1600/IMG_20160714_162954.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUVpplVauarrQdOOBjMs-2X604eX8nbswy6DADlQ8VptuzzGMQrSxalU1pizuMWbBHUQhIo36zeMrABWpCdYrwsqMm2ebhCUUhln9aB0xyr-e7DGfQ3lDx8vW52GtGfHPhCkCiSg/s200/IMG_20160714_162954.jpg" width="169" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">A bit about Brunei...Brunei occupies 3,580 square miles
on the northern coast of the island of Borneo and is the smallest non-island
country outside Europe. The country is
comprised mostly of primary and secondary rain forest with only a small coastal
strip of land that has been cultivated. The
total population is approximately 375,000; 67% are Malays, 15% are Chinese and
6% are non-Malay indigenous people including tribal groupings and expatriots. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The country is 67% Muslim and recently celebrated the
end of Ramadan and following that was Hari Raya. Hari Raya is a </span><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">week long</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> celebration with open
houses and lots of food and inviting friends and family into your home. The abundance of food is sort of a reward for
a month of fasting during daylight hours.
I attended one and it was quite impressive. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Another
tradition during Hari Raya is the opening of the Sultan's Palace and the
opportunity to shake hands with the Sultan and the Queen. The men and
women are in separate lines and the women visit the Queen and the men the
Sultan. She was most gracious and along with her were all her
Princesses. According to the newspaper, approximately 100,000 people over
2 days shook their hands. The Royal Color is yellow so you should not
wear that color in their presence...thankfully I had a non-yellow outfit to
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This region is very tropical with afternoon showers
nearly every day. And after the showers
the humidity hits...and boy, does it hit!
I haven't been able to see a real sunset but at that time of day, the
sky is a golden yellow. I need to find a
sunset watching spot!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I haven't had time to do much sightseeing but I did make it to one of the mosques. It is the Sultan's father's mosque and it was beautiful. We couldn't go inside because there was some event going on but we walked all around the perimeter and got a few pictures. I have been to mosques all over (Muscat, Istanbul, Abu Dhabi) and think they are marvels in architecture. This one was no different. Amazing...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">During my 4+ months here, I hope to do some regional travel like Bali, Kuala Lumpur and/or Bangkok. I've been to Bangkok so hopefully an island
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Debihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03879622417276359411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11455362.post-8792280700420216072016-07-03T05:06:00.000+04:002016-09-20T03:53:12.414+04:00Week One in Brunei<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's been almost a week since I arrived in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. I endured the 16 hour flight from Dallas to Hong Kong with no real bumps or bruises. Well, my hind end was a bit weary of sitting for that length of time but it got over it. The empty seat next to me was a welcome sight.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Bandar is much like Hawaii. I hear the same bird that I hear on Kauai in the morning but the frogs are a different story. At night frogs, somewhere, make noises like a go cart track. The first night, that's what I thought was nearby because of the noise! But after talking to a few people, they told me it was the frogs. I've been told that the frogs I hear at night are big enough to eat the bull frogs, so I can only imagine just how big they are. After all, Brunei is on the island of Borneo and mostly rain forests. Snakes call Brunei home, so I'm not straying far from civilization! I googled snakes and Brunei (and Borneo) and seems there is every variety possible here.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So one week of the 21 weeks I will be here is in the books. I hope I'll have lots of adventures to write about with pictures. After all, I'm just a 2 hour flight from so many cool places and I hope to visit a few of them!</span></div>
Debihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03879622417276359411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11455362.post-25738276853830733542016-05-03T18:07:00.000+04:002016-10-02T09:13:24.327+04:00Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho...It's Off To Work I Go!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I love retirement but I also loved the work I did with the Foreign Service. Mandatory retirement hit July 1, 2014 for me and I've been a woman of leisure since then. But...good news! The State Department has offered me the opportunity to come out of retirement and work for a few months later this year. Of course I said yes! Last year I went to Singapore for 3 weeks and loved it. I worked in the Regional Security Office at the U.S. Embassy there which was terrific since I spent all 6 years in the Foreign Service working in that section. I felt right at home even after being away from the job for over a year. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This time I'm headed to Brunei. Just in case you aren't familiar with where Brunei is (and most of my friends scratch their head and say "Where?") I've added a map. It's on the northern coast of Malaysia, just east of the Philippines</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This temporary duty assignment is for around 5 months...a long time to be away from home. With that length of time, I will be calling it 'home' as soon as I arrive and love every minute. My last post before retirement was in Pakistan from 2012-2014 and if I can serve there, I can serve anywhere. Well, almost anywhere. But look at all the places around Brunei...the Philippines, Indonesia and just out of the picture...Australia! One of the many benefits of serving in the Foreign Service is regional travel. Well, that's second only to meeting and working with terrific people, both American and those from the host country. Hopefully I'll be able to swing a weekend in Australia snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef or South Vietnam or even China. Who knows what possibilities will come my way! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Last year when I went to Singapore, I had to ask a very good friend to come and water my yard twice a week on my assigned watering days (we were under water rationing). He was a real trooper since it involved moving the sprinkler from front to back yard. So, the end of last year I made a couple of improvements to my house. I now have a fully automatic sprinkler system so Dan, you are off the hook this year! I also installed an alarm system. Hind sight is 20/20 but foresight is an even better vision.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Being away for an extended period of time means lots of planning you might not otherwise have to do. My car won't be driven so I spoke with my insurance company and the coverage will be changed while I'm away to comprehensive only. I'll change my internet/mobile phone/cable service to the lowest plan possible and my mail will be forwarded to my friend Dan and his wife Delta. Most of it is junk mail anyway. Sorry Dan, you're not off the hook entirely. :o)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The process to get me there is moving right along. Yesterday I sent off the application for my new diplomatic passport and today I'll call and start the ball rolling on my flight itinerary. That should be fun...NOT! It's going to take me about 2 days to get there, with a layover in Hong Kong or Tokyo...not sure yet which one. I've never been one who could sleep on flights but I might take a couple of Benedryl to at least make me sleepy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So, the adventure continues...and I'm so glad it does!</span></div>
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Debihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03879622417276359411noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11455362.post-38951721948567209952016-02-04T00:25:00.000+04:002016-10-28T10:22:29.983+04:00A Break From Retirement<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Retirement is great...every day is Saturday. But I needed a break from my busy schedule (ha) so I'm here on Kauai, Hawaii. My son and his family live here and they are skiing in Bend, Oregon. They needed me to come to house sit, dog sit and chicken sit. Two Golden Retrievers and 8 chickens need to be fed! I did this last January when they went skiing and I guess it's going to be an annual thing. I'm happy to do it and love the time to just relax...more so than I do at home. One can't relax too much!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's a shame we all have to wait until age 65 to retire (officially). You spend your life hoping that you'll still be healthy and happy so you can enjoy the 'golden years' in whatever way you can. I saved with a vengeance and it is paying off now. I'm living comfortably in Texas on my social security and the small pension from my 6 years with the State Department.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I supplement my income by selling on Ebay. It's so much fun going to estate sales, finding a real bargain and then selling it for much more. Each month I make at least enough to make my house payment. This week I went to a garage sale here on Kauai and found a vintage metal foil, waxed paper and paper towel holder...remember those from the 50s or 60s? I paid $1 for it and looked it up on Ebay and found it selling for $25-29. That's the kind of fun you have on Ebay!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So back to the chickens. I have them to thank for breakfast. I went out and pulled 2 fresh eggs from the hen house and had fried eggs for breakfast. The best! That makes up for the rooster who sends out his first crow at precisely 4:00 am. After a week, I'm able to go right back to sleep until he goes off again at 6:00 am. You have to take the good with the bad, right?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The beaches here are so beautiful. I don't swim much but I do love walking on the beach.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This ends when I return home on February 11. I had originally planned on coming here for my twin grandsons' birthday March 1-11. So, about 3 weeks after I return home, I'll be returning to Kauai for another 11 days. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Life is good.<br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXqopQ-N0jMMxwrj9v-Q6zxkQ_LqhggN48NGSdheKOed1eWPpha1VlR6pOp23VP5mdRpyMgxx5tzmLA7VKNnzHdSNEZwrDaLF_z9HNAIu84kAI9KbQPk-709UTVQ6B_veeg8p6PA/s1600/DSC00662.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXqopQ-N0jMMxwrj9v-Q6zxkQ_LqhggN48NGSdheKOed1eWPpha1VlR6pOp23VP5mdRpyMgxx5tzmLA7VKNnzHdSNEZwrDaLF_z9HNAIu84kAI9KbQPk-709UTVQ6B_veeg8p6PA/s320/DSC00662.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glass Beach...lots of beach glass</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Hanalei and Bali Hai</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Huge surf at Hanalei</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha-d6gKQKjhe8mNDT6MACU6ezSNVTleb9EEpFG70VKVaniqzUbPeRTmNQG9rpqPHRYdYOZp3RWp1Sp-clI6-pw6vv7MX-1C0quhlDAQVQHISO0_qjt3uxliXLUG8s9PKD_StW24g/s1600/IMG_2565.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha-d6gKQKjhe8mNDT6MACU6ezSNVTleb9EEpFG70VKVaniqzUbPeRTmNQG9rpqPHRYdYOZp3RWp1Sp-clI6-pw6vv7MX-1C0quhlDAQVQHISO0_qjt3uxliXLUG8s9PKD_StW24g/s320/IMG_2565.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanalei Beach and the pier</td></tr>
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Debihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03879622417276359411noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11455362.post-89143287325350657662015-08-19T22:59:00.001+04:002016-09-20T03:52:33.535+04:00Singapore, Here I Come<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's been almost 14 months since I retired, leaving my short 6 year life as a Foreign Service Diplomat behind me. One of the perks of retirement is that you can sign on to be called up for short term assignments when the need arises for someone with your skills. And that's what has happened. I'm headed to Singapore to lend a hand to the Regional Security Office. I'm thrilled to be able to reacquaint myself with the skills I learned working 6 years in security. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Each time I would depart post, I would prepare what we call Turn Over Notes as a guide to the person coming to replace us. Fortunately, I still have one of those that I prepared for my replacement in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. That's the post where I had the most responsibilities so hopefully, it will cover whatever I end up doing in Singapore.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I've been to Tokyo once but no other place in Asia. It should be a great experience for me and you know I'll be looking for every opportunity to capture the experience with my camera.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Maybe I'll get a shot of the city at night like this one...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Or maybe I'll even get to go to Universal Studios Singapore!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Or maybe I'll ride on the giant Singapore Flyer...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My bags are packed and I'm just waiting to get the call to contact Travel to make my flight arrangements. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I love retirement...</span></div>
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Debihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03879622417276359411noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11455362.post-32237207261170940942015-04-04T07:20:00.002+04:002016-10-02T09:14:08.589+04:00When The Check Stops...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
When you're young or even middle age, the thought of retiring seems like a distant galaxy that you'll really never arrive at. You think...I'll start saving. I'll start participating in the company's 401(k). I'll start an Emergency Fund. I really need to start saving. You say, 'Honest I will.' Next month. <br />
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I didn't start to get serious about saving until I was in my 40s. I had a good job and my employers had a Profit Sharing Plan. It's like a 401(k) but it's based on how well the company does, hence the name Profit Sharing. It's a great idea...employees come to realize that the better their bosses do, the better their contribution to the Profit Sharing Plan will be. When I left my employers to join the FS, (and they were just about the best guys in the world), I left with about $90K in my account that was 100% contributed by them. That was my seed money for today.<br />
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In 2007 when I joined the Foreign Service, I immediately began participating in their 401(k)-like program called the Thrift Saving Plan (TSP). There was matching contributions and I could contribute what I wanted, up to the maximum allowed by law. I was 59 at the time and knew I would only have 6 years in this, my second career. I had taken a cut in pay to take the job so I decided to contribute much less than the maximum. A year later, I bumped it up to the max and also started adding the "Catch Up" amount, which is for those 59 and over. That's so you can...well, catch up. My money began to grow. The TSP did great and I felt good about the dreaded Age 65 Exit from the Foreign Service. <br />
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My last 2 years were in Pakistan and because it was Pakistan, those of us who volunteered to serve there were rewarded with Danger Pay and a Differential. The Danger Pay is self explanatory. The Differential is an add on to your salary to make up for the level of difficulty of the post and can vary from one country/city to another due to the cost of living, hardships, etc. Because of this, I was able to save money like a mad woman. When I retired I was able to put a very large down payment on my home in Texas. <br />
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Dropping from a 6 figure salary to just Social Security and a small pension from Uncle Sam is a big adjustment. But when you plan for it, it can be very manageable. But I'm the kind of person who is always looking for added security. I'm single with no one to turn to in a financial emergency. I've found several ways to supplement my income and hopefully to not have to begin taking a monthly draw on my investments until I am forced to at age 70 1/2. Let me tell you how.<br />
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For the year leading up to joining the FS, my friend and I would go to estate sales every week, buy stuff and then list them on Ebay. I also had 2 part time jobs after leaving my terrific employers. But it's Ebay that was the most fun. As soon as I returned to Texas, I started doing it again. Just about every month I make enough selling on Ebay to cover my house payment. When my PayPal account reaches a certain set threshold, I transfer some to my bank. It works like a charm. If any of you frequent Ebay and want to see my auction, just do a search on the site for <u>yayato3boys</u>. My 3 grandsons call me Yaya, hence the name. And for my DOS friends serving overseas, I do ship to APO and DPO addresses. <br />
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I love photography...always have. And after traveling all over the world, I have some pretty good photographs. I have found 2 online sites where I can sell my photographs. One is fineartamerica.com and the other is on Etsy.com. Both places do all the credit card transactions so I don't have to worry about that. To find me on Fine Art America, just do a search for my name and to find me on Etsy, the name of my store is my name...DebiDemetrion. On FAA, you can have my photographs printed in all different sizes, matted or not, made into cases for your smart phone or even greeting cards. It's very cool. On Etsy, I am currently offering my photographs in 3 different common sizes. <br />
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Why am I telling you all this? Well, the obvious reason is that I hope you'll visit one of the sites and order a photograph or bid on one of the many terrific items I have on my Ebay auction. But there are a couple of other reasons I'm writing this. One, to stress the importance of planning ahead for a huge financial change in your life when you retire and to stress that you need to start early putting money away for retirement. The other is to let you know that there are many ways of generating income once you retire. Find something you love to do and then find an outlet for it. I've been retired now for 8 months and am still looking for the best way to market my skills. I may find better ways later, but for now, this seems to be working for me. And the longer I can leave my money in investments and hope it grows, the better. <br />
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Good luck! And happy shopping!<br />
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Debihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03879622417276359411noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11455362.post-51942219637260197772014-10-08T00:57:00.000+04:002016-09-20T03:54:53.405+04:00Retirement...What it is and What it Isn't<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's now been 3 months and 7 days since I left the ranks of the employed. During the final months of my time with the Foreign Service, I had ups and downs when thinking about not working in a short time. But when the time grew near, I was ready. The last couple of weeks were stressful in Karachi, Pakistan. About 13 days before the day I was to depart post, the bad guys attacked the airport. Lockdown! Each day I prayed that I would safely get to the airport, safely wait at the airport and safely get off the ground. As it turned out, I did have a safe take off and after a couple of days in Santorini, Greece and a week of out-processing in Washington, I arrived home July 1 as a retiree.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm still not used to waking up and laying there realizing that I didn't have anywhere to go. Well, that would depend on my To Do list, but I had no job to report to. Every day is Saturday. I guess I'll get used to it one day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Back to that To Do list. Good grief...I don't know how I ever did things when I had to work. Every evening I update the list, moving the things that I didn't get done that day to the list for the next day. I must admit a great bit of the things on my list have to do with selling on eBay (which is wonderful and great fun) and trying to start a bathroom renovation. Finding a reliable contractor, one who will communicate with you and will do it for a reasonable price is not easy. And all that I've read about people getting fleeced has made me really cautious. I'm sure I'll find someone...I already have the piece of furniture that will be the vanity base, have ordered the granite top, have bought the sink and faucet and I have a gorgeous mirror that I bought in Honduras that will replace the awful wall-to-wall mirror there now. Pictures to follow when it's all done.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So for any of you out there wondering just what us retirees do with ourselves once we no longer have to report to work...we still work but for ourselves!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I love it. I love that every day is now Saturday. But I do depend on others to tell me which day of the week it is!</span></div>
Debihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03879622417276359411noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11455362.post-61099657219950286052014-09-06T05:49:00.000+04:002016-09-20T03:55:38.728+04:00Necklace + Lanyard = Necklard<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I am aware that many of my readers are in the Foreign Service and wear badges to work. I make gemstone necklaces and lanyards. My lanyards are a bit longer so that at the end of the day, if you go out, you can remove your badge, wrap the lanyard around your neck twice and it's a lovely necklace. When I was in Muscat, my friend Cheri came up with the name Necklards and it stuck.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I wanted to let you know that I now sell them on Etsy. While serving overseas, I couldn't do this because it's against regulations to profit by using the DPO mail. But now that I'm retired (yippeee!) I have started up making more and selling them on Etsy. I'm also going to take a sample with me to every doctor's appointment and give it to the Office Manager (and make her promise to wear it!). If someone has a color scheme for their favorite pro team, office colors or their kid's soccer team, I can take special orders.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Anyway, I am tooting my own horn, waving my own banner or whatever phrase you want to use, but hey...I'm retired now and can get away with much more!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here's my Etsy link... https://www.etsy.com/shop/NimbleFingersBeads </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">and here's a couple of samples. Christmas is coming and I have about 50 beaded necklaces as well. More added each day!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp65UKrMax5Fx84e9cZT9lS7ErqRJM1Om7mZ_vKhYMkPuw64hMomKP9KpEjDtVxwGNYFSQE4scoMgqa_ThLQm-Hz27R5S29cpqUC_5Yz_lEj-Mr_jGK5WfkWGIwPIM-r_oBpldxQ/s1600/Green+Malaysian+Jade+and+Adventurine+-+19+inches.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp65UKrMax5Fx84e9cZT9lS7ErqRJM1Om7mZ_vKhYMkPuw64hMomKP9KpEjDtVxwGNYFSQE4scoMgqa_ThLQm-Hz27R5S29cpqUC_5Yz_lEj-Mr_jGK5WfkWGIwPIM-r_oBpldxQ/s1600/Green+Malaysian+Jade+and+Adventurine+-+19+inches.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Green Malaysian Jade, Adventurine</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQePuzFQfLaKXdExFIe2NuqH6I380r4DrOtEU8LZrgmDpqzOM1JyN7O1Rrd4FjUzHb1D3UgFVyGAVAxMukFgsH6UtRtLhfLCUZsngLMoNQjkkYuJ1A1wxmRud6PmCtu_XO17kIRQ/s1600/Red+Agate+-+20+inches.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQePuzFQfLaKXdExFIe2NuqH6I380r4DrOtEU8LZrgmDpqzOM1JyN7O1Rrd4FjUzHb1D3UgFVyGAVAxMukFgsH6UtRtLhfLCUZsngLMoNQjkkYuJ1A1wxmRud6PmCtu_XO17kIRQ/s1600/Red+Agate+-+20+inches.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red Agate</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv5ygnH4Gb8eggMMq4snnbq-beVmlleiRn39kiM_QnbPrnkwm0qjPo5SUuZml49Nx3EE5cdnXs9xyEcG7WquYuIBWSvk-MahIPCzE4NcKKclCmwKy_qo3VYqElVDr4P5mcvEm6JA/s1600/Magnesite+tubes+and+beads,+SP+beads+-+19+inches.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv5ygnH4Gb8eggMMq4snnbq-beVmlleiRn39kiM_QnbPrnkwm0qjPo5SUuZml49Nx3EE5cdnXs9xyEcG7WquYuIBWSvk-MahIPCzE4NcKKclCmwKy_qo3VYqElVDr4P5mcvEm6JA/s1600/Magnesite+tubes+and+beads,+SP+beads+-+19+inches.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Magnesite and Silver Plated Beads</td></tr>
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Debihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03879622417276359411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11455362.post-78775101561468912652014-09-04T19:23:00.001+04:002016-10-28T10:32:20.999+04:00Things I Won't Miss About Life in the Foreign Service<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's been 2 months since I retired from the Foreign Service and I've come up with a few things that I will <i>not</i> miss about the wonderful life I had for 6 years.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 21.4666652679443px; text-indent: -0.25in;">Eati</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 21.4666652679443px; text-indent: -0.25in;">n</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 21.4666652679443px; text-indent: -0.25in;">g food that expired more than 12 months ago. Some was not bad, others were gross.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 21.4666652679443px; text-indent: -0.25in;">EERs...the State Department's annual employee review. Having to brag on what you did that was part of your job was something we all dreaded every year. Then it went all the way back to Washington for some stranger to decide if we deserved a promotion.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 21.4666652679443px; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 21.4666652679443px; text-indent: -0.25in;"><i>Bidding for your next assignment...the experience from hell and the major cause of excessive use of hair color for women (to cover the gray hairs it caused).</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 21.4666652679443px; text-indent: -0.25in;"><i>Looking down at your plate at a restaurant and wondering just what the mystery meat was that you were about to eat. And making sure you have lots of Pepto and Imodium at home.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 21.4666652679443px; text-indent: -0.25in;"><i>Having to drink bottled water not because you liked it better but because the stuff coming out of the tap tasted terrible, was full of bacteria or was gray instead of clear.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 21.4666652679443px; text-indent: -0.25in;"><i>Frying your 110 appliances because you plugged them into a 220 socket. Not all appliances are 110-240, even the new Keurig you bought. Beware Keurig fans! And lugging around the 20 lb step-down transformer from room to room.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 21.4666652679443px; text-indent: -0.25in;"><i>"Hey, does anyone have two 500s for a 1000 bill?"</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 21.4666652679443px; text-indent: -0.25in;"><i>"They attacked the airport...again??"</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 21.4666652679443px; text-indent: -0.25in;"><i>Middle of the night drills over the loudspeaker in your residence..."Duck and Cover! Get away from the windows! Take cover and wait for further instructions!!" I loved my Marines but have much better ways of being woken up in the middle of the night...</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 21.4666652679443px; text-indent: -0.25in;"><i>Having multiple zip lock bags with different currencies around the world...and remembering to pack them when I went to that country.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 21.4666652679443px; text-indent: -0.25in;"><i>Flying Coach for 14 hours, wedged between 2 overweight passengers who couldn't help but use some of my space. Or someone kicking my chair for hours because they like to wiggle their leg to keep from getting a blood clot. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 21.4666652679443px; text-indent: -0.25in;"><i>Being ordered out of post because of a threat "for just a week or so" and then never returning. Strangers then pack up all your worldly possessions for you.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 21.4666652679443px; text-indent: -24px;">I'm sure my friends in the Foreign Service have lists of their own...feel free to share! But l</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 21.4666652679443px; text-indent: -0.25in;">et me make this clear...I absolutely loved the time I served overseas but now must laugh at the things I won't miss. The list of things and people I will miss forever is much longer. But that's for another post. </span></div>
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Debihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03879622417276359411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11455362.post-91016070596479682662014-09-03T08:16:00.003+04:002016-10-28T10:27:00.358+04:00My Pasttime...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Now that I've retired I can (hopefully) begin selling some of the over 400 necklaces I've made over the past 4 years while living in Oman and Pakistan. I've had a website showing them and you can order something from there. The site is www.designsbyyaya.blogspot.com. I also have an Etsy shop but it is "on vacation" right now. That site is www.etsy.com/shop/NimbleFingersBeads. Check there for designs soon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Payment is very easy with PayPal.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My prices are very reasonable and some of the beads I use in my designs were picked up during my travels abroad. Thanks! If you have a favorite gemstone, let me know and I can design an original just for you!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZam59OQPyjNpYQh-J_QCPrlTpm2AnVtlkeJwfSmRYGKNq15PZZbbl9j_7W3VvcdEtQplEfZkYukboVXVm4Yv_GOkZnt_f7VRHXODAvDiEJFgObhenPQUT6odRme5k6VttUJ5W9A/s1600/307+-+18+in+Red+Coral+Chunks,+Omani+SP+beads,+SP+beads.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZam59OQPyjNpYQh-J_QCPrlTpm2AnVtlkeJwfSmRYGKNq15PZZbbl9j_7W3VvcdEtQplEfZkYukboVXVm4Yv_GOkZnt_f7VRHXODAvDiEJFgObhenPQUT6odRme5k6VttUJ5W9A/s1600/307+-+18+in+Red+Coral+Chunks,+Omani+SP+beads,+SP+beads.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Debihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03879622417276359411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11455362.post-5716566788146447612014-07-29T17:28:00.001+04:002016-10-28T10:21:44.470+04:00Retirement...I have arrived!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I am in a happy place. It's called Retirement and even thinking about it puts a smile on my face.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I touched down in Washington DC on June 23, after spending a wonderful 2 days on the island of Santorini. Two days was just perfect to spend time unwinding from a stressful final 2 weeks in Karachi, where I prayed every night that I would be able to leave on time. The Taliban attacked the airport there 2 times and I was really afraid that it would happen again. I worried during the speedy trip to the airport. I worried while I sat for 2 hours in the airport. I worried when the plane was taking off. I quit worrying when I landed in Athens. I no longer worry.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">While in Washington, I had to go through an extensive medical check up. I want to be added to the list of people interested in being contacted for temporary duty (TDY) assignments, so I had to update my medical clearance. After being prodded and stuck with needles and my departure date from DC looming, I said I would complete all the appointments when I arrived in Fort Worth. Tomorrow is my final appointment and I'll get a very thorough 'clean bill of health.' It's nice to know that at age 65, all systems are go!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I'm gradually getting settled in my new home. So far, I've received 3 of the 4 shipments, one being my car that was in storage for 2 years. There was some damage to the outside of the car, probably done when it was shipped out of Muscat, Oman, but my insurance will cover that. Apparently it wasn't tied down well and there are scratches all across the very front of the roof and a dent the size of my fist which is rusted. Once repaired, it will be fine. A word to the wise...while serving overseas, get Clements Insurance and don't drop it until all your things arrive in good shape!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The last shipment should be here this week. That shipment includes the items I was using in Karachi. What I have now are things I haven't seen in either 4 years or 2 years. Lots of clothes have been taken to Goodwill! Fortunately lots of them still fit me, but I really look forward to getting this shipment. It includes the Rosewood bedroom furniture I had made in Karachi. And since I am sleeping on my mattress on the floor in my bedroom, I am anxious to receive this shipment. My Keurig coffee maker, my Kitchenaid mixer, the rest of my rugs and so much more are in that shipment. Then I can get all the clothes put away and really get my house in order!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A couple of home improvement projects will keep me busy for a while. I want to take out a sliding glass door leading to the back yard and put a french door in instead. I also want to do a bit of remodeling on my bathroom. Projects are good things.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I still am not used to the fact that I don't have to go to work. Every day is now Saturday for me. I still have lots to do on my house but when that's all done, will I be bored? I don't think so. I want to start selling on eBay again and have a few friends who want me to sell their stuff. I want to find a good way to market my jewelry as I have over 400 necklaces ready to sell. I've had a website where I have photos of them but so far, not tried to really sell them. That website is www.designsbyyaya.blogspot.com in case you're curious. I also have over 10,000 photographs from my travels around the world that I would love to somehow earn a few dollars on. I have another website with some of those and it's www.debidemetrion.blogspot.com. I'm not sure if I want to market my photos somehow or get in some sort of business of taking pictures. Lots to think about.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">But right now, I need to think about getting dressed and starting the day!</span></div>
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Debihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03879622417276359411noreply@blogger.com0