Third Culture Comedy, Inter-racial marriage and ethnicity in the UK

After reading a profile of standup Imran Yusuf on the Guardian, I went on YouTube looking for clips. Here he is - and very funny. I often think about how Anya and Samudra will cope with being 'Third Culture' and a bit different from their peers. This guy seems to get on just fine.

Here in Indonesia, mixed-race marriages are pretty common, especially in our community of international schools. The government recently passed legislation to allow foreign spouses to stay and work without a KITAS, or restrictive work permit, which will be great if it all works out.

Thinking about moving, our mixed kids and what life might be like if we ever moved back to Europe...

There was also an interesting infographic in Good magazine about evolving attitudes to inter-racial marriages.  This is based in the US - I wonder how the stats might be different if surveyed in the UK.

The Guardian's datablog posted an infographic this week about the ethnic populations of the UK.

"The mixed-race population has neared a million for the first time - from 672,000 in 2001 to 986,600 in 2009, an increase of nearly 50%. A third are mixed Afro-Caribbean and white, followed by Asian/white. The ONS statistician said this is not a result of increasing birth rates but more that we are becoming less divided: "the population is mixing up more".

"...The whitest borough is Blanaeu Gwent in Wales...  followed by Copeland in Cumbria, where only 2% of the population are not white."

IB Exams are almost done!

Grade 12 on their last day of school.

It will soon be time to say goodbye to BIS and a very special group of friends, colleagues and students. It's a bittersweet feeling. We've had a great time here. BIS is a fantastic school with lovely kids and we've felt so welcome and valued.

On the other hand, we're excited about the move to Kobe and it's starting to feel very real - the shipping rep came to the house yesterday and Sam's paperwork is on the way to Japan for visas. I will be very happy to put the final exam pack into the hands of DHL on Monday and really start to think about the move and transitioning my replacements.

My class were pretty happy after Biology this week and it was a record-breaker on the blog. 5,500 views on the day of Paper 1 and 2 and over 20,000 over the week. I'm hoping to turn this traffic into some charity donations with Biology4Good.

Hesty is looking over my shoulder promising to make a post on this blog. Finally!

Samudra is funny as ever and Anya is getting used to the idea of the move. She is still a brilliant big sister.

More Sunday Sam Snaps tomorrow.

Anya's Ballet Recital

I'll put up a video later, but here are some photos of our big girl...

Sunday Sam Snap Week 9

Week 9 - All Smiles!

Sam has really started to engage with us all this week, and sits chatting away in his pushchair, bouncer or on the bed. This was taken in Starbucks in Ciwalk and he was giggling way to Daddy.

His UK passsport and birth certificate arrived this week, so now he's a fully-documented dual citizen! Now to get his Japan visa sorted and prepare for the move. Seven weeks until we fly out of Indonesia on the 28th June... so much to prepare.

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誕生日おめでとう あにゃちゃん (Tanjoubi omedetou Anya-chan)

Here are some photos from a very enjoyable birthday!



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Sunday Sam Snap Week 8

This week he has really started to smile, especially when Hesty plays "Where's Sam?"

Week 8!

Earth Day Nature Walk

This week was the school Earth Day celebration, with the UN International Year of Forests as the theme. The celebrations included a nature walk in the woods, way outside Bandung. A lot of fun, with some tree planting along the way.

Planting with the forester

 
Sorry about the quality of the photos - taken on the iPod, which is just as well because the trek was epic. Anya was the littlest participant and battled on through the mud, steep slippy hills and precarious bridges. Even though she was knackered after a couple of hours, she didn't want to leave the trees she had planted!

My Tree!

Suitably cacked-up and tired at the end of the day, we got back to The Lodge, had lunch and got into the car right before the downpour.

Although we're looking forward to living without the need for a car, we'll miss this one, which has been good to us over the years!

Time for a well-earned ice-cream on the way home. As you can see, Anya is not one for leaving any behind and puts into practice some tricks learned from her Grandad and Silly Uncle Andrew.

Here's the album:

Earth Day Nature Walk

Sunday Sam Snap Week 7

From Sunday Sam Snaps