Without Borders: Labor Day

B's new tutor asked if we'd like to spend the holiday with he and his family in the country.

OF COURSE!!

We were super excited for the invite, spending time together and always enjoy getting out of the city.

It was a fantastic day. His very sweet and patient wife doesn't speak much English but with the help of Pleco (a great tool for translating individual words), we were able to have good conversation for eight hours. :) That is the longest we've been with new friends here. It was truly a great day.

Our kids had a blast in this bamboo forest.

teeter-totter or see-saw - which do you call this?

We really need to get a hammock. Funny.. I just had to look up the word for it in this language to find the English word - well, that is a first! lol

After eating we walked to a spot that we could take a rest or play.
Truly a little forest.
Of course the kids didn't want to walk on the paved part, after all, we are in a forest.

The lovely trees, the lake, the couple with their umbrella, the hammock - capturing it all in this picture.

One thing we saw today is that as hard as these people work (Many work very very hard way too often). On a day off, they really take the day off. Away from screens, off the couch. Families get together and enjoy each other without their phones in their face or laptops next to them. Playing, laughing, eating.

Great to see our kids enjoying the simpler, slower life. They never once asked what was next or when we were going back... They just enjoyed. Here they were picking peas out of peapods. It is the simpler things. I just sat and watched them for a little while. Enjoyed the slowness.

Enjoyed seeing their bare feet against a fabulous blue sky.

Aili said, "Mom they have real grass here, Like American grass and trees, real trees."
Yes, in the country it looks and feels really different.
Love how she can help me notice the small things I may not think of in the moment.

B and our friend got to play some ball. I think after this the moms rested.. not sure what the kids did.

The breeze coming off the water as we sat in the shade of the tree made the temperature so comfortable.

That blue sky... it was amazing.
So is this cutie. ;)

I am not a fan of prawns.
Prawn crackers sound even worse.
BUT do you remember Funyuns?
Pretty sure this is Funyuns under a different name.
Yum!!

Yes, I am a little attached to the blue sky. ;)
And a little amazed at how the peapods mesmerized my kids.

My little man was playing with the camera and captured this.
It so perfectly captured what we see in many families here - valuing family time, dads actively engaged playing with their kids, teaching them, laughing with them and enjoying life together.

Was sad for this fantastic day to end, but we were all tired and ready to rest. Pretty sure the kids were asleep within the first couple minutes of the ride home.