Today I start tracing the reverse of the course I traveled twelve days ago, heading from Kansas City, where many of my relatives live, back to the west coast, then on to Taipei where I connect back to Bangkok.  It has been an exciting and busy twelve days.  While I initially thought I would have a lot of free time on my hands, in reality I find myself not having blogged since the day of my departure and with a list of friends I have not had time to visit.

My grandparents with my cousin's son and my two nieces.

Most of the time was spent with family.  My two nieces are here in Kansas City.  They are now 5 and 8 and as they mature a bit (especially the older one), spending time with them is more interesting because we can do and discuss a wider range of things.

We had time to bake Christmas cookies.  I was a "mystery reader" at their school, going to talk to their classes about life in Thailand.  I cooked several meals and had the extended family over.

I had to spend a few days working.  Anytime I'm in the US, my boss can't resist the urge to meet me!  That's actually a good thing as it reinforces that I provide value to the organization and am worth a special trip.

I also had the opportunity to meet a Xangan - Ruth Ann - who lives near Kansas City - and her husband Pat.  They lived in Thailand for a few years in the late 1960s and Pat is fluent in the language.  They are a wonderful couple and full of great stories about their experiences.

Anyhow, my resolution upon my return is to re-engage with Xanga.  There are lots of things I do that I document (photographs) but never take the time to write.  And there are a lot of online friends whose blogs I have not been following faithfully.