It's Red to be White and the Not-So-Terrible Twos

Sometimes translations from the language here into English just don't quite work the same. One word to describe something that is super popular here is the word "red." For example, Backstreet Boys in their heyday could have been described as "so red." Or, Lady GaGa (sp?) here right now in EA could be described as extremely red. I think they wouldn't actually say it's red to be white, because usually red things are people or a tv show or song, band, etc, but my meaning is that one thing that is extremely popular and desired here is very light-colored, or "white", skin. Our tutor the other day looked at me and said, "you're so...white!" Admiringly and with perhaps a tinge of envy. Grass is always greener, right!? We can't go through a commercial break without seeing, often, multiple commercials for overnight whitening lotions, soaps, body-washes, etc.

In other news, today I took Ho Ho for a walk and we discovered a long, large, mossy muddy puddle. She proudly ran right through it, but the moss caused her to slip and get covered in mud. She also realized that it was really fun! Her slipping was akin to a child on a slip and slide... skip ahead five minutes to me taking off her leash and letting her run to and fro like a crazy dog through this mossy mud puddle... I figured, she was already dirty, might as well let her have fun!
Here's a few pics from when I brought her home:

A little tough to capture the dirtiness (and muddy odor) but there she is!

And then, of course, she needed a bath...

Her after a bath, and then sitting down (where she promptly fell asleep). Maybe it's time for us to consider having a real baby... 

While I'm in the picture posting groove, here's one of Dave at a recent friend's graduation. I will also share a story he told me... from the first person perspective. "There was a graduation speech going on, and like a lot of graduation speeches in America, it was pretty boring. Not to mention it was in another language so a little tougher to track. So I feel asleep. Sometime later, I woke up and the lights were out. There was a woman crying on stage, a group of people singing a song, and everyone (in the audience) was holding light sticks, waving them back and forth to the music. I couldn't believe it. Only in East Asia!"

We are proud of our friend for his recent graduation!!