Indonesia

Dear friends in Casper,

I apologize for the delay in updating you on Teddy! He has been very busy and has become very attached to our family. I am sorry to say that Teddy seemed to be a bit camera shy when first joining our family but seems to be overcoming that fear with each adventure!
So a little bit about us, we are the “Olson family,” which consists of; me (Amber), my husband (Shawn), and my two sons (Ethan and Tanner). Ethan is 5 years old and is in kindergarten, Tanner is 5 months and just beginning to crawl. We live in Balikpapan Indonesia! We lived in Casper Wyoming before moving to Balikpapan and I taught with your fabulous teacher last year!
As for Teddy… he’s been busy! Teddy has been to Singapore, Jakarta, Bali and numerous places around Balikpapan.
While in Singapore we visited a “Night Safari,” which is a really neat zoo designed to visit at night. We had a chance to see all sorts of nocturnal animals. We also took cable cars across the ocean to an island called Sentosa. Here we watched a pink dolphin show, saw sharks in a neat aquarium and butterflies from all over the world. There was also a great beach to play at. Singapore has great shopping and great food. Many of the stores and restaurants are also in the United States (such as Tommy Hilfiger and Outback Steak house).
Jakarta was mainly a business trip for us although we still had time to swim at a great pool, shop, and go down a few waterslides. Jakarta is the capital of Indonesia, and is located on the island of Java.
Bali was a great vacation. If any of you have been to Cancun Mexico, Bali was quite similar to me. Teddy loved snorkeling, as did Ethan. Shawn and I even tried out scuba diving but didn’t think Teddy would do well going 5 meters under the water. Parasailing was also a great experience. Teddy was a bit scared as he watched us climb atop elephants.
While in Balikpapan Teddy enjoys spending time with Ethan and Tanner. Ethan takes him for visits to his school quite often. Ethan attends Pasir Ridge International School (PRIS) which is located on the Chevron compound in Balikpapan. Ethan has 10 kids in his class so Teddy is able to get some attention. Teddy has also made some visits to the local market where fish and fresh vegetables are sold. Tanner loves to give Teddy baby hugs and kisses!
Teddy plans to “hang out” with us a little bit more and I will try to be better about sending updates! For now I will attach a few pictures and let you see what he’s been up to.
Keep up all of the hard work at school and have a great holiday!

Amber Olson



Ethan with Teddy



Teddy with Tanner



Riding the Elephants



Ethan and Teddy



Going kayaking



Ethan and Tanner



Snorkeling with Ethan

Halloween!

Road Trip!

Watching the game in the hotel.



Welcome to Kansas!



Sipping a drink during a pit stop.



Watching the leaves change in the fall.



Teddy in the Ozarks.

Venezia (Venice)

Ah Venice! What a lovely and spectacular city made of islands. This was the best place I went in Europe on this trip. It was so relaxing to just hop on a water taxi or walk down the maze of street, eat gelato or a big plate of pasta, or even lay on the beach.


Sunning on one of the many docks around Venice.


Walking the maze of Venetian Streets


Listening to music on my day at the beach


Paddle boating sounded like fun!



This is the life!

When in Rome...

Hola, Espana!

Teddy with the good luck bear in Madrid, Spain.


The beautiful Royal Palace of Madrid



Plaza Mayor



Teddy is so tired after a long day of sightseeing!

Konnichiwa (hello!)

Hello friends!

I had an interesting time on this surprise trip. My new friends took me to Tokyo, Japan. However, when I tried to go through security at the airport in the Tokyo airport, the security guards were not allowed to let me pass. Oh well. My friends tried and tried to get me through the security checks, but it was not allowed. I figured that I at least stepped foot on Japan so that was a new experience and one I'll remember! I am headed back to Casper for the summer so I will see you soon!

Teddy

Oh, Canada

Bonjour! Hello from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It's been a long time since I've last written and I am sorry about that, but there is a lot to see and do in Canada.

Downtown Montreal lies at the foot of Mount Royal, which is designated as a major urban park. The Downtown area contains dozens of notable skyscrapers — which, by law, cannot be higher than Mount Royal. Place Ville-Marie, an I. M. Pei-designed cruciform office tower built in 1962, sits atop an underground shopping mall that forms the nexus of Montreal's underground city, one of the world's largest, with indoor access to over 1,600 shops, restaurants, offices, businesses, museums and universities, as well as metro stations, train stations, bus terminals, and tunnels extending all over downtown.



Just southeast of downtown is Old Montreal, an historic area with such attractions as the Old Port, Place Jacques-Cartier, City Hall, the Marché Bonsecours, Place d'Armes, Pointe-à-Callière Museum, and the Notre-Dame de Montréal Basilica. Architecture and cobbled streets in Old Montreal have been maintained or restored to keep the look of the city in its earliest days as a settlement, and horse-drawn calèches help maintain that image.



I am being taken on a special trip here soon and I will write to you soon. Have fun in class!

Teddy

In Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Hello Class,

First I want to tell you I'm sorry I haven't written you sooner, but I've really been very, very busy traveling and sightseeing. Wait until you see all the pictures and postcards and souvenirs I've collected since I came to South Carolina.

My friend Josh brought me from Wyoming to Kentucky at Christmas. I spent Christmas with Josh and his grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Wow! What a lot of different people I met! After Christmas, Josh's parents put me in their car and took me home with them to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. What a long right it was. It took us ten long house in a car to go from Kentucky to South Carolina. We traveled from Kentucky

to West Virginia

to Virginia

to North Carolina

and then finally to South Carolina.


After I got to South Carolina I went to school at Saint James Elementary, where I visited a third grade class. This class told me a lot of interesting things about their state. I've enclosed it along with all the other things I've collected from South Carolina.

Be sure to check out the really cool sea shells I found while I was at the beach. I sent two sand dollars so you could break one open to see the three doves inside it. Also remember to put the big shell with the open side up to your ear and listen. Do you hear anything? You should hear what the ocean sounds like. Isn't it neat? Here are some sea shells I collected along the ocean. I brought plenty so everyone can take one, also wait until you taste the candy I found. It's really yummy!

Well, I have to pack now class so I'll be ready to catch my plane tomorrow. I can't tell you where I'm going buy I'll give you a clue... It's really cold there most of the time and there is a lot of snow. You'll hear from me again real soon.

So long for now,
Teddy






Hold it up to your ear! You can hear the ocean!



Sand dollars



Shells I picked up along the beach.



I sent home salt water taffy for all my classmates.

Washington, D.C.

Dear Fifth Graders,

The package you sent (with me inside it) arrived at the Old Executive Office Building next door to the White House before Christmas.  This building was built in the 1870s.  It served as the War Department in those days, because the Pentagon hadn't even been built yet.  Now it houses the offices of the White House staff, all the people who work hard everyday to serve the President, Vice President and the American people.  Photo 609 shows me enjoying the sunshine on the staircase entering this historic old building.
 
One day I got to visit the West Wing, where the President and Vice President have their offices.  I got so excited I climbed a tree!  From my perch (Photo 608) I saw a lot of important people who came to see the President.  I saw the President of Poland, the King of Jordan, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, and many more.
 
Then I visited the Vice President's office.  He let me sit at his desk (Photo 604), which is an antique desk used by several presidents and vice presidents.  It was cool!  What's so special about this desk is that the floor of the center drawer was signed by these men as they left office.  If you look carefully, you can find signatures of Presidents Taft, Eisenhower, Wilson, Harding, Truman, Hoover, Kennedy, and Johnson, and Vice Presidents Rockefeller, Mondale and Gore.  I guess Vice President Cheney will sign the drawer before he leaves office, too.
 
So thanks for sending me to Washington.  I had a good time but I did miss Wyoming.  I'll see you soon.
 
Teddy




Looking out of a tree at the entrance to the West Wing of the White House



The old Defense Building next door to the White House



Sitting in Vice President Cheney's Desk

San Francisco

I had a brief stop back in San Francisco to recover from my wild adventure. I crossed the Golden Gate Bridge, rode a cable car, and saw Alcatraz from across the bay. It is such a beautiful city. I wish I could stay for a few more days, but I must keep travelling...

Going Halfway Around the World... Cambodia and Vietnam

What a great great opportunity! I was offered a vacation in Cambodia and Vietnam, so of course I jumped at the chance! I took a flight from San Francisco to Saigon. I had a layover in Hong Kong. I even got to travel in style... business class!





I got to see these really neat temples in Cambodia. I was in awe of how the temples were built so long ago and are still around today. It gave me a sense of peace to be in a place so rich in history.













Getting sea sick on the Mekong River!