10 Things I Learned in April

Something about the strangeness of this season made me dust off the old blog and wrote a "Ten Things I Learned In April" post. Enjoy!

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I learned that "100's & 1000's" is Australian for "sprinkles."

I learned that homeschooling is doable. Though if I didn't have a husband jumping in for significant chunks, I would possibly die or go insane.

I learned that my first grader doesn't know what pennies and dimes are. Everyday, Grace was breezing through the math portion of her homeschool morning until we got to the page where her American workbook not-helpfully-for-expat-kids used pennies and dimes to explain the concept of ones and tens. Grace was just confused until I pulled out a 10 baht and 1 baht coin and explained it that way.

I learned why the label "model minority" is harmful to Asian-Americans. Shout out to episode 72 on anti-Asian racism during the pandemic on one of my favorite podcasts "The New Activist." So much goodness all over this podcast.

I learned that going to immigration is indeed boring and exhausting. Picture being at the DMV from 7am to 2pm. That's what going to immigration is like. This time around though, we were hopeful that it would be somewhat fun since we've been stuck in our house/neighborhood for weeks. Nope. Exhausting. And I spilled Khao Soi on my dress. Buuut, we walked away with the six month visas we were needing, yay!

I learned that all three of my kids are still capable of getting sick even while under quarantine. Cora got a blistering rash on the back of her fingers from contact with a rove beetle which later got infected and necessitated a trip to the dermatologist. A couple weeks later, Grace mysteriously threw up. A couple days later, Isaiah threw up too. Impressive getting sick skills, children! (Update: and then in early May, Cora threw up, and then Isaiah threw up again, and then I was sick for a couple days with what I'll just call "the opposite of throw up.")

I learned how to make orange marmalade. It was REAL good. Though I suppose it doesn't look so good after all that talk about throwing up.

I learned that a large (3x2 meters!) inflatable pool provides HOURS of entertainment for my kids. Happy kids, happy parents!

I learned about the wonders of slow television. When the days are just so long, we turn on slow tv and leave it playing in the background of our day. So far, we've ridden a train for eight hours over the mountains in Norway, hiked for an hour through a forest in Sweden, followed indigenous Sami women on a two hour reindeer sleigh journey above the arctic circle in wintertime (it ends with the Northern lights!)

I learned that I can cut my husband's hair. And not just some ugly hack job. It actually looks good.

Top Four Books of 2019

Every night before I go to sleep, I read. I've kept this habit for well over 10 years, and I don't think I could fall asleep without this ritual.

All these daily minutes have added up. In 2019, I read about two dozen books cover to cover. Here are my four favorites in no particular order. 

(You'll quickly see that I have a soft spot for memoirs and novels that immerse me into a life experience completely different than my own.)

The Girl With Seven Names by Hyeonseo Lee

Genre: memoir

Year Published: 2015

Description: The story of a young woman's childhood in and eventual escape from North Korea, her years-long struggle to avoid repatriation, and her eventual resettlement in South Korea.

Why I loved it: The story of Lee's childhood simultaneously revealed the horrors of life in North Korea while at the same time humanizing everyday life. After putting the book down, I was left with the impression that life in North Korea is more horrible than I ever thought… but also filled with the normalcy of everyday life. I also walked away from the book with a deeper sympathy for the experience of refugees living in that liminal space of not being able to go "home" but not having a new home yet, in fear of being sent back but having nowhere to go. Incredible, powerful story.

Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

Genre: memoir / nonfiction policy

Year Published: 2015

Description: This book is all about Bryan Stevenson's org, Equal Justice Initiative, and the work he has done exonerating innocent people on death row and pursuing more humane sentencing and the elimination of racial bias in America's criminal justice system.

Why I liked it: This book was simultaneously infuriating and eye-opening. Stevenson writes on the issue of racism in America's criminal justice system as an expert with years of experience as a lawyer working with clients and communities who have been the victims of bias. I was deeply impressed by Stevenson's concern for the individual clients and communities he represented. He persevered down to the last legal minutiae to care for them even though winning their case was far from guaranteed. Out of the case work for his clients came opportunities to change the culture and address systemic injustice.

My Life, My Love, My Legacy by Coretta Scott King

Genre: autobiography/memoir

Year Published: 2017

Description: The life story of Coretta Scott King - civil rights activist, mother of four, and wife of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Why I liked it: I've always heard that the civil rights movement was spearheaded by Christians. But, it wasn't until reading this book that I realized just how much the entire movement was inspired by Jesus, fueled by the Holy Spirit, and steeped in prayer. This book encouraged me to live bravely and boldly for Jesus. In white, American, evangelical circles (where I come from), we often uphold Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Corrie ten Boom, and William Wilberforce as our protestant "saints" - models of bravery and courage in the face of evil. We would do well to add Coretta Scott King to their ranks. Also, did you know Coretta Scott King was a concert singer? She toured the US giving concerts where she weaved song and storytelling to raise funds for the civil rights movement and to educate the public. Such a neat example of the beautiful weaving together of the arts, justice, and faith.

Becoming by Michelle Obama

Genre: memoir

Year Published: 2018

Description: Former FLOTUS writes about her life from childhood in Chicago's South Side all the way through First Lady of the United States up to the present day.

Why I liked it: Before picking up the book, "Becoming," I was vaguely aware that Michelle Obama was a highly accomplished woman before she ever became an Obama… something about Princeton and Harvard Law. What I wasn't aware of was that she can write. I have read dozens of memoirs and autobiographies in my life and "Becoming" is the most well-written of them all. The stories she weaves from her childhood were particularly beautiful. Stories from her experience inside the White House were fun and interesting too.


Honorable mentions:
"The Making of a Leader" by Bobby Clinton
"Overrated" by Eugene Cho
"Born a Crime" by Trevor Noah


Favorite books from other years: 2018, 2017, 2016, and 2015.