America, my second home

Bob and Joyce, a couple of 4 children- and now they have another two from Malaysia and Indonesia!



Achie and I – we were “fostered” by this loving couple for our one-night-homestay on Friday. It was Joyce’s birthday as well, so we had a birthday party at Bob’s farm in the outskirts of Red Bud.


Let me tell you a bit about my American family.

The foster dad- Bob, is a great man, I have to say. It seems to me that there’s nothing he can’t do- he goes deer-hunting, running a business, built the house and even made a lake in his farm! (Yes no kidding he made a big LAKE!) And our foster mom- Joyce is a teacher in Red Bud High School. She teaches cooking! (ain’t she cool!!) and certainly she cooks well.


Bob is a quiet and shy person but deep down inside he’s truly warm-hearted. (And he’s good at grilling too! :P ) He married Joyce about 27 years ago, and they both have had a partner before they met each other. “we’ve finally found the right person!” One should really see the happiness shown on Joyce’s face when she said this.

We had the chance to meet some family members- their son Zac and his wife Casey; Bob’s daughters Collette and her husband Mike; Cari and her husband Dave together with their 3 adorable kids- Samantha, Easton and Chase. We had a fun time with the kids, even though I can’t remember how many times of piggy rides I did with them. Samantha is a sweet small lady, Easton is extremely energetic and Chase is simply a little angel!

After the dinner, I did the very first time fishing in my life. Thanks to my fishing coach- Uncle MIKE! I managed to catch 2 medium sized catfish and 2 small I-forgotten-their-name fish. It was compleeetely fun and I really enjoyed my time with them! (P/s: I didn't eat them... freedom of swimming!!)

I had a short conversation with Uncle Mike. We exchanged some ideas and views on the perspective of American life. From this conversation that I had with him, I can see that Uncle Mike is truly a patriot. “This is the best country and I would never want to live in another country!” Yeah he’s true, and like what I’ve said before, everybody has a sense of belonging and equal rights here. Obviously Uncle Mike is very proud of his homeland! :)

The next morning, we went touring around the small town of Red Bud- Red Bud high school (where my foster mom’s teaching), the small park in Red Bud where the kids do sports, a gym, Joyce’s cousin’s house, Uncle Dave’s house and also a yard sale!


Uncle Dave, like my foster dad, was the one who built the house they’re living now. I really wonder how he did that- he’s a football coach in profession! ><

We then had a cookout with Barb’s family and soon before we realized, it was the time to say goodbye. I’m amazed by the relation that we developed in the past 24hours. I really like my first American family, and this will definitely make America my second home. Saying goodbye is never easy, but life moves on. Even though the time we spent together was short, somehow I have the feeling of togetherness with them. I strongly believe that we’ll meet again in the future and they’ll always have a place in my heart. God bless them, my foster parents.