Having to deal with jet lag after traveling from Kuching, Malaysia to Saginaw, Michigan is no fun. Sleeping during the day and being awake at night makes life too difficult to deal with although I am glad that I will not have to deal with the office until Thursday. I will go in either late today or tomorrow. It snowed here last night and the road is icy. Even at 7:44 am, it is still dark outside. The temperature is currently 19 degrees F (-7 degrees C). Brrr.....

Having spent another two weeks in Kuching after my visit last November, I realize how living in another country changes one's perspective. I also come to realize how much my two daughters do not know about the Eurasian side of my growing up. In fact, my mother does not talk about that side of my father either. I suppose it all happened too long ago. Growing up and going to school in Malaysia, I remember having to check the "Other" box in response to the question of race. "Other" in Malaysia means Eurasian, Caucasian or any other ethnic race that is not indicated. When I was in Kuching this visit, I checked the phone book for Kuching to see how many "Holmes" there are. It was difficult to find out because phone listings are by either your Asian last name or first name if your last name is a western last name. I remember growing up in Borneo, when any letter addressed to "Holmes, Borneo" was delivered to our home. Unless I tell my daughers about Eurasians, they would not know about this part of my background; they would not know that their grandfather's propensity to look to the U.K. as his homeland. He would have been proud of the fact that Rowena received her degree from the University of Birmingham, U.K. One of these days, I will write more about this.