Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Home is where the heart is...or something like that


For those of you wondering, things are getting better here. Each week, I'm feeling more & more settled in, yes, there's the word; settled. My stomach is adjusting, I'm still not taking naps, but I sleep really well at night and I'm starting to find my way around the city. I challenge myself to drive somewhere new each time Fuad goes out of town for work (this week he's in Singapore and today I got myself to the Big C, which is kind of like Walmart.)

Before we left people asked loads of questions about our housing situation, and at the time I didn't know many of the answers, now I do. Our house is basically in a suburb...GASP! (Or at least that's how it feels to me.) Even though it's only a 10-15 minute drive from here to my school, which is in town. We live off a highway in the 2nd oldest mooban (neighborhood) in Chiang Mai, there are about 200 houses here. When you enter the mooban, you see many different kinds of housing structures, some are more traditional, there are some row-type homes, a few are quite large with guest quarters and gigantic yards. No matter the type of house, they all have a gate. One thing I noticed right away here is the number of dogs roaming around. You hear people refer to them as "soi dogs" (soi means street.) Some of them have owners who let them run free and some live outside within the confines of the gated yard, it seems like very few actually live inside, like Baxter! Sometimes the soi dogs spontaneously bark at the exact same time, from different yards and streets and end at precisely the same moment. It's creepy...
Our house is a 2 story with 3 bedrooms & 3 bathrooms. Fuad is using the 3rd bedroom as his home office since he's working from home 3 days a week. Our master bedroom has a patio and a king size bed. Downstairs is a large space where the living room and dining room connect. Some people back in the States wanted to know if the house was furnished and what kind of other things were included.
I would call this house partially furnished. It came with 2 beds, 2 wardrobes for the bedrooms, (usually there are no built in closets) a dining table that seats 6 and a set of rattan furniture (loveseat, 2 chairs and a table.) In the kitchen, a fridge (of course) and an oven/stove (which is not typical) The house does not have a dishwasher or a clothes washer. All the windows have curtains, they are all the same, off-white, the walls are also all off-white. No dishes, pots & pans or garbage cans came in the house.
In the time we have been here (2 months today) we have purchased...
2 sets of king-sized sheets
1 set of queen sheets (for guest bedroom)
plates, bowls, glassware, silverware, dish rack, knife set, blender, toaster, coffee maker, iron & ironing board, speakers
rugs & towels
cleaning tools & supplies
floor fan, lamps, hampers
a sofa, coffee table, shelf, floor cushions, desk & book shelf
storage for bathroom, rattan dresser for master bedroom
Ok, I think that's about it, wow! Wait...and a scooter with 2 helmets & a trunk! Setting up house has been exhausting! All of this new stuff and I keep thinking about what we left behind, what we don't have here with us, I find myself thinking about items that we packed away in storage, now in my Grandma's basement. There are items that Fuad & I currently own, that would be great to have in our new house, only thing is...they're half way across the world.
I just asked this question on facebook, "what makes your house a home?" and quite a few people have responded... Books, candles, wifi, something homemade, something baking, people you love, art & pictures hanging on the walls, music, plants & fresh flowers. I agree with all of you! I've been loving our new house and I've been enjoying setting up here & picking out new things. When everything feels too overwhelming, when I'm seeking solitude & comfort, I want this space to be our home, not just our house. I want it to feel safe & cozy, a place of refuge.
Last week, Fuad & I had dinner at the home of our new friend, Sara. As soon as I walked into her space I could feel the warmth, love & care she spent setting up her home, it was lovely. I looked around and sat in her space taking note of what it was that made it feel so nice. What did she have that we didn't have? Candles, a fluffy rug, and art & pictures hanging on the walls. Sara took me to a store that has these things and I'm happy to say that as of this evening, we have candles burning and some stuff on the walls!
(side note: I'd like to share that I packed some pictures in my suitcase, but not frames because they're too heavy and it turns out that frames are pretty expensive here. Also, that something as simple as hanging a picture on the wall seemed challenging because the walls are all concrete, not drywall, so I was thinking we needed drill in order to hang pictures, thanks to Sara, I discovered 3M Command strips, which basically work like velcro! Brilliant! Thanks Sara!)
Here are a few things I hung up this evening!
These posters were a going away gift from some of our favorite yoga students! They remind me of home because they're vintage ad posters for the South Shore Train, which I used to take home from Chicago to Michigan for many years. I hung them in the hallway by the bedrooms.

In our living room I hung these elephant paintings that Fuad & I picked out & purchased together. We loved seeing the elephants so much we wanted to have something to remember them!

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