If you google the most expensive cities to live in worldwide you'll find Tokyo somewhere in the top 10. I looked at a few last night and Tokyo was actually in the top 3 on 5 of the lists. Now, one list claimed that you'd have to shell out $5,000 to get a 2 bedroom apartment in Tokyo. I'm sure there are plenty of such apartments, but there are also less expensive ones so you can't believe everything you read. But, it is true. Living here is very expensive. We rent an 860 ft2 apartment for approximately $1100 a month. If we want to rent a parking space that is another $115 a month. Our utilities, including internet but with no cable, are over $400 a month. All that for utilities and our apartment does not even have central air or heat! Groceries, gas, train tickets, they all add up too of course. Groceries vary in price from store to store and season to season, but it is not uncommon to see 4 apples for $6 or a quart of milk fo...
Parenting brings obstacles and challenges like none that we've ever dealt with before. My first was when my son was born. He was the most difficult baby I'd ever come across, and I got to be with him all the time . I remember how defeated and discouraged I was, and how I thought to myself, "I can't do this. I can't parent this child, make him happy, stay sane. I don't even want to". I didn't know how I was going to get through his infancy and this obstacle felt like the greatest obstacle of my life. We got through it, I got through it. Time passed and allowed me to forget the depth of the struggle so that when the next challenge arose, that one felt like a new biggest and worst. The new challenge was now the thing that was going to end all civilized thought in my head. Again, we got through. Time and again, challenges, the biggest and worst, have arisen. Each time I have thought, "How? What am I supposed to do with this...
The end of the story first: Lillian is fine, mostly. While traveling in Singapore and Malaysia for our holiday break Lily became quite sick. We'd spent 5 days in Singapore and then traveled to a little island off the coast called Tioman Island. Or first full day there was rainy and overcast, leading me to overlook the need for sunscreen. Both kids got completely sunburned. Painfully, blisteringly sunburned. The next day Lil was feeling bad, running a fever and really tired. I assumed it was sun related, a side effect of my oversight. We bought the resort's last bottle of children's pain/fever medicine (liquid, for ages 1-6) and began dosing her every 6 hours. The fever would break but them come right back. All she wanted to do was sleep, so, we let her. The island was pretty sleepy itself, being monsoon season and all. There wasn't a lot going on and we couldn't really go out and explore much anyway - the island ...
Am enjoying your blog :-) Am hoping to come visit with Leslie before your contract is finished.
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