Going back to Midwestern Roots

…. I did not know I had.

How is it possible that one house in Iowa built between 30 and 13 years ago with an extension that was envisioned with cutting edge software to determine all the views should closely resemble in spirit a house built in 1993-4 in Singapore to the uncanny extent of including

1) a koi pond, with little Japanese stone lantern
2) a patio deck overlooking said koi pond
3) two dogs who rule the house as their demsene
4) treasures/trash from travels around the world but especially southeast asia
5) 30 years’ worth of packrating in the basement, which is an ever-expanding entity that causes the youngest daughter in particular some anxiety
6) 1900 photographs of Asia in 2004, the last year my family lived in Singapore
7) the most beautiful views from Faber Garden apartment, the place I spent 1/7th of my childhood
8 ) chicken masala with egg noodles
9) a map on the wall of the eldest son’s circumnavigation of the globe
10) two ivory staffs my grandfather left when the mother of the house was 13 or 14
11) a photograph of my great-grandfather, Wong On, with 5 children – we still can’t establish which 5, and his wife, whose eyebrows are perfectly symmetrical
12) three beautiful grown children, one of whom married a Thai, the other who married a half-white, half-Korean, and another who is single in Minneapolis who loves movies and books and hanging out with friends and has a half suitcase full of shoes

At dinner we sat down, and I said, truly, all of you are of my people. Then we went out for ice cream at this place called Whitey’s. It was SOOOOO GOOOOOOD.

Life is mysterious and astonishing and wondrous strange, as usual. Or so they say.

During Chinese New Year 2004 we met. I was too much of a self-absorbed 18 year old to remember much of that CNY, but we did, here is the photographic evidence.
Photos (c) 2004 by David Hope.