So you think you have traveled

This is what I thought before I had Babes (and I only have one, I can't imagine 2, 3, or 4).  Traveling as an adult without kids is stressful.  There are hotels to book, tickets to buy, clothes to prepare….a hundred and one little things to get sorted out to ensure a pleasant journey.  With a kid there are a million and one little things to take care of so that the possibility of a pleasant journey is there.    In the past, once I was on my way the stress of traveling eased and I could relax and enjoy myself.  After all, if I had my tickets, my ID, and packed clothes to wear everything else would sort itself out.  In fact, when I met DH I found my perfect traveling companion, he liked to have a plan, so I only had to pack my bags and show up and he took care of the rest.  I like to think we were perfect together, he found exciting things to do and I never complained, provided companionship, could read a map and navigate us to almost anywhere. 

Now that we have a kid though, it is a different kettle of fish altogether (what the heck is a kettle of fish? Why did I just use that expression).   In the past it was always my goal to walk on board a plane with just my tiny purse and a book.  More than anything I hate carry-on luggage.  I hate the overhead bins, I hate jamming crap under the seat in front of you and I hate everyone in front of you who is trying to do that.  Now I LIVE by carry-on luggage.    There are toys, snacks, changes of clothes, blankets, books, and a myriad of other things that need to be carried on for a 24 hour journey. 

BUT, and Mister Business Man this is directed at you, I can get myself, AND my four year old through security faster than you can with your stupid laptop, and I resent the look I get when I get into a security line ahead of you.  We know the procedures, and we are prepared.  My child and I wear loose fitting clothing with no unsuspecting metal parts that can set off a metal detector and shoes that will easily slip off when we get to the front.  I pack all my liquids in an easily accessible place so that I can whip them out and then back in when I need to.  And even when we had to use a stroller, I only needed more than a few seconds once… the first time, when they told me that I would have to put the stroller through the machine and, well it was my first time traveling with a baby and I had no idea how to do that with one hand.  Whereas you, Mister Business Man always seem surprised that you have to take off your shoes, and take your laptop out of the bag.  IT SAYS IT ON THE SIGN, how many times have you traveled?  Oh and your stupid belt…  How many times do you need to travel before you figure out you have to take it off ahead of time?  I remembered after the first time I traveled, many many years ago, and haven't worn one to travel since.  You can't be that busy, I remember to do all these things AND I am watching a four year old who is trying to lick the security rails. 

Once on the plane, I used to kick back with my book, for a bit, and then I'd sleep the rest of trip, or maybe watch a movie or two.  Now I'm lucky if I can watch a movie all the way through if they play it three times on the plane.  And sleep?  Ha I can get maybe an hour or two!  You may be thinking how hard can it be?  You just sit in a seat.  But then you must not remember being three.  Three year olds have the very short attention spans, unlimited energy, and boundless curiosity.  They have to touch EVERYTHING.  They have to squirm, kick, jump, wriggle, flop…..  I could go on but you get the point.  So as a concerned parent I have to be vigilant against the child kicking the other passengers, annoying the other passengers or being entirely too loud altogether.  So it's a constant struggle to stay one step ahead of the active mind of the child before she finds something to amuse herself.  I can't wait until she's a little bit older and we can do littlest pet shop toy sets.  

And then there's the jet lag…….               

Mashawna

Hao Ke ai!

So Babes and I went to the zoo yesterday and had a blast! I won't gush anymore about how wonderful a place the Taipei zoo is, or how much I like to go there... I've done enough of that. Instead I'm going to talk about the exhibit/celebrity status Babes has where ever we go in Taipei. Taiwanese people LOVE little kids. Men, women, girls, boys they all like little kids. Which is great, it means that you can take your child many places that you might not think about taking them in the US. We take Babes with us all over the place, restaurants, museums, malls, on the bus, subway, taxis, everywhere! And for the most part no one ever looks at us strangely for bringing a kid, and usually there's at least one other kid there too. And Taiwanese kids stay up late so often there are kids out doing things when Babes is already tucked in bed and well on her way to dreamland.
The downside to this is that it sometimes feels as if Babes is something akin to a celebrity. Not only is she a little kid, but she's different. She's got curly hair, big eyes, and long lashes (yeah, I'll admit it, she is pretty cute). Taiwanese people LOVE her. I have much sympathy for celebrities these days. There are many times when I'm sitting having lunch with Babes, and after we turn down the fifth person for a photograph, I just want to scream "WE JUST WANT TO EAT OUR LUNCH IN PEACE! PLEASE!" But I don't, because they mean well, instead I ask Babes if she wants to take a picture with these people, and inevitably she says no, and then I apologize to the nice people and say "I'm sorry, she doesn't want to take a picture." Then they look disappointed and go away.
And for the most part people are truly good hearted about it. They say "hao Ke ai!" meaning how cute. They mention a feature, they giggle, sometimes they offer her something (candy, toys, pens, pencils), sometimes they ask to take a picture, and then they leave us in peace. Very seldom do people take liberties, and it's mostly teenage girls (or old ladies) who try to touch her hair, or give her hugs. I generally don't mind it, because these people are teaching Babes better than words not to talk to or trust strangers. It's a little sad that she's becoming shy, but in the long run it's better.
Sometimes it's a little annoying. Although I usually get a kick out of kids trying to get together enough English to ask us for a picture. I love the discussion that goes on, and then the sacrificial lamb with the most English comes forth to stammer out a question. I usually feel bad denying them, I can see how much courage it takes. But Babes is pretty adamant about not wanting a picture. She will smile, sometimes, and sometimes wave, and she might answer a question, but generally no pictures. After a day of this at the zoo, I think even Babes was fed up with the attention. As we left the zoo, I heard her repeating over, and over, "hao ke ai! Hao ke ai!"