girls just wanna have fun!

This past weekend our company somehow knew us women would love a ladies retreat. It was great - some of the women in the capital city organized it, and I think there were about 20+ of us there. One thing we did was go to an honest-to-goodness western mall. This place had fancy shops, a kiddie play area, escalators, and not 1, not 2, not even 3, but 4 stories! I think all 20 of us white women stopped in our tracks when we walked into the mall with our mouths gaping open. This kind of place is just unheard of in our parts of south asia.

P.S. I have to thank the choir and dadto3 at our home office. I listened to my iPod as I took the bus (by myself!) down the mountain, and the first track of their most recent CD came on. Or at least I think it's the most recent...? Anyway, as I stared out the window, seeing the poverty, the hundreds of thousands who would probably die without knowing the Truth, and passing too many temples to count on the way, I could hear them singing, "There's no Boss like Jeh..." over and over again. Living in a land of 300 million bosses, those words have never seemed more true. Your version of that song is my favorite!

happy president's day!

Some of you may have gone all day without realizing it, but Monday was an American holiday. Yep, President's Day. So, in honor of our great country and its leaders, we celebrated. It all started out as a joke, because really, outside of your 1st grade class, who celebrates that? Somehow, though, it became a reality, and we even had a couple of friends from out of town make it! To celebrate, we had tons of food. It was like the dessert table at Thanksgiving...cherry cobbler, apple crisp, brownies, cookies, pumpkin bread; and then also we had pizza pockets, and Anna sacrificed her velveeta and rotel. (and made some awesome tortilla chips!) We were so full after it all, and still have tons left over. Leftover dessert? Always a good thing!

Also, we played a mix of American music. Now, of course I mean the America the Beautiful and songs like that, but basically any song with anything American in the title was fair game: American Woman, Surfin' USA, All My Exes Live in Texas, etc, and we also paid a tribute to the leader himself and played Hail to the Chief. It was nice to be completely, unashamedly, obnoxiously American for the day.

am i on candid camera?

Rarely does a week go by when I don't feel as if I'm the main character of a comedy. You know, the character that gets stuck in crazy situations, laughed at, or is perplexed at the actions around her.

I'll give a few For Instances: on Wednesday, husband and I were invited to go to lunch by one of the students in the storying class we are doing. This was our first time to go to her house and meet her family. Despite her several phone calls and constant text messages, we barely knew her ourselves. But we went anyway because that's what we're here for, right? Turns out, she's the only one who speaks any English at all, and hers is quite limited. No problem...we can hold shallow conversations in the language by now so we pushed through. We sat mainly with her dad the whole time while the women prepared the lunch. We found out that day that her dad is the South Asian version of the dad on My Big Fat Greek Wedding. It was South Asia this, South Asia that, our culture is better than Western culture, our music is the best, etc. All he was missing was a bottle of Windex. It was hard to keep a straight face after awhile, especially when he remarked to husband that "everybody in the US listens to our music." Husband said, "No, not really," and he looked at husband as if he had sprouted two heads and nodded, as if to say, "You fool. What do you know about America?"

Another example: Just now, a man who sells gas cylinders came to the house. When I opened the door, there happened to be 3 women on the road in front of our house, one whom was so curious about me, that she walked right up to the door along with the salesman, and started to speak to me. And even though I was clearly conversing with the salesman, she began to translate anyway. To save her some time, I finally told her that I speak the language, to which she acted completely shocked, as if I hadn't been speaking it for a few minutes already right in front of her. At least this is a very friendly culture that they are ready and willing to translate when we need help!

And this one is my favorite. Yesterday, I was at the vegetable seller's shop. A friend walks up, greets me, and then asks, "What are you doing?" I thought it was pretty obvious, but I said, "Buying vegetables." "Ohh!" she said, like a mystery was solved. Then, immediately after I asked the salesman for a kilo of potatoes, she asked, "What are you making?" Again, it was Captain Obvious to the rescue..."Potatoes," I answered slowly. Once again, she looked completely taken aback at my answer, and giggled delightedly with surprise.

All of this has happened in the past 48 hours. I wonder what comedic relief is in store for the next 2 days?

wait a sec, this is south asia...?

A big happy late valentine's day to everyone! This time last year, husband and I sat, eating a fancy steak dinner, wondering how our Feb 14, 2006 would be. I pictured us running around a desert town looking for some place semi-nice to eat at. Sadly, I already knew there would be no steak house to be found. (although we do frequent a restaurant with a decent, if not incredibly spicy, vegetable steak...but that's another story)

But fortunately, we found a nice place for a romantic date. Actually, a very nice place. Although maybe our stateside friends should let us know if 6 months of South Asia has clouded our view of nice. I take that back - please don't. I'd rather impress myself with stories of this magnificent old hotel on the edge of town with beautiful wood paneling, chandeliers, a cozy lounge, and the charm of another century. It was beyond my expectations! We forgot for a few hours that we were even in this country. And as we cruised home on the scooter, I looked around at the lights of this city on the side of a hill, the narrow streets, and the stars, I realized that as much I pine after Paris sometimes, our town can be pretty charming too. I just may have to squint a little harder to see it.

it's our anniversary!

Well, not that kind of anniversary...but today does mark 6 months of us being in South Asia. Can you believe it's already been half a year? I sure can't.

And in unrelated news, we woke up this morning to an interesting picture in the paper. Let me backtrack. Yesterday, we took all the visitors to the touristy areas of our town and took tons of pics. This morning, husband went to the vegetable guy who smiled hugely when he saw husband, and said, "Hey!" and grabbed today's local paper and showed him a picture of us on the front page! Oh man, it was quite a shock when husband brought it to us, but now it's kind of a joke because everyone is telling us how they saw us today. So, to commemorate our 6th month of being in South Asia, they put us in the paper. Not really...the caption on the picture talks about how many tourists come to our town. But it sure it fun to think that highly of ourselves.

the guests are coming

Husband and I love having guests. It's the main reason we wanted a place with two bedrooms. Anytime people come stay with us, we see that as an excuse to make extra snacks. Husband always makes his famous salsa, and I usually make spinach and cheese dip with some sort of dessert. Well today, for our guests coming this afternoon, I decided in honor of Valentine's Day coming up that I'd try out some very chocolatey candies - Mocha Brownie Sweethearts (the sweetheart comes from them being cut into heart shapes) and French Truffles. Well, once again, I must have thought I was magical in the kitchen, because I do not have a small heart shaped cookie cutter. The Mocha Brownie Sweethearts are now Mocha Brownie Sweetsquares. And the French Truffles...the recipe is so easy, and as a side note, I think this is a dessert my sister-in-law can eat.

However, after cooling, the truffle chocolate becomes hard. The recipe (another side note: thanks to momsfriend who gave me the awesome cookbook, Extending the Table, with all these cool international recipes in it) says that once you use your fingers to shape the chocolate, it will soften. The recipe failed to mention not only does it soften, but it will turn your hands into a big chocolate mess.

The guests are here, so gotta go now...

Today husband and I had a great opportunity thrown in our laps. Deepak teaches a group of students some career courses, and when he heard our stories about the boss, he said his students should hear as well. They specifically asked how the world was created. So today we went over there and husband told the story right before creation...you know, about how the humans' protectors were created, and how a third of them rebelled, and about the leader of the rebellion, the father of all lies. He told it twice, then the students had a turn at telling the story, in their language, and their homework tonight is to tell 2 people the story they heard.

Already, they are asking how they can overcome the separation between perfection and imperfection. Since they want us to come for an hour three times a week, we should get to the story of the one who cleanses us of our imperfections pretty soon. It's pretty exciting.

And Betsy is doing better after her...operation. We took her down to the class today, and since I was wearing traditional clothes, I had to ride sidesaddle. I felt so very South Asian.

cruising day

"I get 70 miles to the gallon on this hog."

Today husband and I took Betsy for a spin. Betsy is what husband calls the scooter (or really, pretty much anything…guitars, stray dogs, nothing is safe from the nickname). We cruised for a couple of hours, checking out nearby villages and the beautiful scenery.

Can you see the snow-capped mtns in the back?
Check out our way serious helmets

A couple times, Betsy needed to rest because, well, the girl’s old. At one of the rests, we decided to head back, and fortunately the road back was downhill, because Betsy wouldn’t start. We coasted and hoped for the best. Right when the road was too flat to go on, there was a mechanic, so we left her with him, told him we’d be back tomorrow to pick her up, and hopped on a bus to get back home.

Halfway through the bus ride, husband remembered that our house key was still with the mechanic, so we got off at our stop, and got on another bus back to the mechanic. We arrived, after quite a hike and a bus switch, and the mechanic, whose name means ‘Carpenter’ in this language, thrust some tea at us and walked away. Of course, we had to drink it, so we did so as fast as we could, and then had to track down where Carpenter had run off with our keys. The owner of the shop started pointing us where to go, but since we had already been down several shops to ask where Carpenter had gone, we didn’t want to go alone again, so we told the owner to show us. Well in this society, menial tasks such as this get handed off to the guy with the lowest status. So these 5 workers began arguing for several minutes about who had to show us where to go, and finally, the youngest was chosen, and then he walked us the mere 200 yards or so to where Carpenter was. Carpenter was in a hurry at this point, and handed our keys to us and told us to follow him back to the shop to negotiate price. Turns out the head gasket is messed up, or the piston, I’m not sure if they ever decided which one needed work, and our town probably doesn’t have the part, and hey, did you two crazy white folks realize this scooter is too weak to be cruising through the mountains anyway? We finally made it back to our house, over 2 hours after we dropped the scooter off at the mechanic’s. I think today may have been my first and last ride on ol’ Betsy. She belongs on safer and flatter pasture.



Poor Betsy

Coffee Day!

Unfortunately, husband wasn't able to go to the village. As things often change here in South Asia, the "ceremony" was cancelled. That was the reason he couldn't go, and I'm still not sure if he even knew there was a ceremony in the first place. He was pretty bummed about it, but we know there will be more opportunities later.

Today, Hannah and I took a road trip to get some coffee! Who would've thought that I would ever consider a two hour car ride as a day-and-back trip. And technically, it should be, seeing as the town we went to is only about 50 km away (that's about 30 miles for the metric system challenged). That's windy mountain roads for you. Not to mention windy South Asian mountain roads.

So there are two main chain coffee shops here in South Asia, and we have one of them in our town, which is a miracle in itself, considering how small our town is. But the other chain is located on a road in the middle of nowhere 50 km south of us. Hannah and I have been throwing around the idea of going there for a day to study just for a change of pace. It was great, and enjoying the scenery on the way is always refreshing.

Hazelnut Latte and a Chocolate Pie - doesn't get much better than that! The driver stopped at a temple to send money on the way, but in true South Asian style, his cell phone rang and he answered it. Temple time over. And the last pic is a town we passed.

a day of unknowns

Husband was just asked about 15 minutes ago to go with Epaenatus to a village that we've never heard of before. He looked at me, I said of course!, and he became a blurred figure from that point on. He came running in with his backpack about 2 minutes later, stuffed with what he thought he'd need, grabbed some snacks and clean water, and was out the door. You know it would have taken me at least 20 minutes to pack a backpack if I didn't know where I was staying. (oh yeah, I forgot to mention, he doesn't even know if he'll have a bed. That would've been my first question: "Will I have a mattress, sheets, pillow, and comforter? Because otherwise, I'll need extra time to pack my sleeping bag and a pillow.") I mean, this whole situation if full of What Ifs...what if the place is cold and he'll need longjohns? What if it's really warm and he'll need short sleeves? What if there's no food available? What if he has to sleep with 3 men in a twin sized bed? The questions are endless!

But also, there's the What if he has a chance to meet more of our people group, the MahPah's? What if he has the opportunity to share about the boss? What if someone is ready to accept? What if he meets a person of peace and we are able to go back to that village? Even as detail-oriented as I tend to be sometimes, these are the questions that are plaguing my mind right now.

Of course, I'm not the one on my way to 24 hours of who knows what. In a way, he's kind of like Jack Bauer...

Our trip to get our scooter was interesting. For one thing, the scooter is not in the best shape, and only starts when husband gives the kickstart a big whack. We actually had to walk it over to the nearest mechanic to get fixed. The workers started taking apart our scooter on the sidewalk in front of the shop, along with several other scooters and motorcycles already being worked on. In a small area, there were probably 10-15 guys working on all these parts. They sat husband and I on a bench to watch them work. All of a sudden, a huge truck rolled up and honked loudly. In a flash, the work area was empty. We're talking tumbleweeds could have rolled by. It literally took about 5-10 seconds for these workers to grab all the pieces and run them into the shop. Thoughts of everything from attacks to arrests to drive-bys popped in our heads, and so we followed suit and hopped out of the way. Turns out, the shop is not allowed to work on the sidewalk, and the police will come around and confiscate anything they are working on outside. After the police man left, the workers came back out, along with the scooters, and started back up again. These are the before and after shots.

We also walked through the big Wednesday (aw, Big Wednesday reminds me of my dad!) vegetable and fruit market, which was so impressive. And we saw a few parks as well. But the main thing is that not only did we end up with a scooter, we also were passed down a gas heater, and got a mixer (finally!) and a skillet.

Anna and I at the rose garden.

disappointments and opportunities

Today was interesting, as most days in a different culture tend to be. You never know what to expect. In a way, I was disappointed, because I was headed over to Naina's today to teach her English. That is something I learned at our retreat - how to teach ESL classes that convict, using bread, among other things. I had prepared a lesson and everything, sent money about it, and husband and I were off to their home. When we arrived, Naina was making lunch, and her inlaws were in town. So instead of teaching Naina English (I saw her for a total of about 10 minutes), we ended up spending the entire afternoon speaking with Deepak's mom, sister, father, and Epaenatus. Deepak's mom is the reason Deepak feels he can't outwardly follow our boss, and now I see why. The woman is a grump, is strong-willed, and very devout. The darkness just oozes from her when she talks. We did get to have some great conversations about our boss, though, which hopefully planted even the smallest seed. Who knows, maybe she will see that we are normal and nice, and be more open to the idea of Deepak and Naina following our boss.

Something so exciting is that Epaenatus told us that he has shared with so many people the change in his life! He says his fiancee has accepted the truth as well! We are going to his village possibly next week for his (and hopefully her) immersion. Talking with him shows how much he has grown, which is incredible, especially considering he doesn't even have bread. It goes to show how the HS can guide us. Not to diminish the importance of bread, but Epaenatus has the boss with him constantly now, which is truly evident in his life.

We will be going to Ctown tomorrow for two days, to pick up, among other things, a scooter! Husband is beside himself. A couple is leaving, and we're getting their hand-me-down scooter. And we're having a coworker family come to visit us this weekend to discuss and plan how to get volunteer trips to come this summer (ahem!) so it should be another busy week for us.

P.S. Dadto3: husband is asking you to email him, because he doesn't think he has the right email address.

girl time

This weekend, my best friends back home are getting together. The Fam, as we oh so affectionately call ourselves, is made up of 8 unique girls who are in some ways all completely different, but in some ways, the exact same. Since we are spread out everywhere from Oklahoma to South Asia, we usually only get together, all 8 of us, about 3 to 4 times a year. Our abs always hurt after time spent together just because we laugh so much. Anyway, I'm really wishing I was there right now, just for the weekend, to laugh and talk too much and play who knows what games (real or made up - you never know with the Fam) and to even run amuck (although, without Beth there this weekend, there probably won't be too much amuck being run). I'm working on keeping myself really busy these next couple of days so I don't dwell too much on the fact that I'm missing another get together with some of my favorite people in the whole world. This picture is of them at my wedding, so it's a bit dated, but it's the only one I could find without myself in it.

On to some better news, Hannah is spending the weekend at Priya's house, bonding. Priya has had yet another impending wedding fall through, and she's devastated and really seeking peace. Hannah is hoping that this weekend will be a time where Priya can finally see that our money is not the same, and that our bosses aren't the same. The 3 of us had lunch this week, and Hannah and I shared with her about the prince of peace, but Priya's heard it all before. She's to the point where she needs to realize he's the only one. Please join us in sending money that her heart will be softened to the truth.

bringin' home the bacon

I still can't believe it. When I went to the one guy in town that sells frozen meat, I ordered my kilo of boneless chicken, and then after paying, asked almost as an after though, "Do you have any bacon?" And guess what...he did! Actually, "A lot of bacon," were his exact words. Buddy, you don't know it yet, but you have just found your number 1 customer. I bought what looks like 2 big, wide slabs of bacon. And while we were out of the country, I bought a ham in hopes that not only would it still be good once we got home, but that we were allowed to bring animal meat from one country to another. (the answer to both of those questions is a resounding yes) There all that beautiful pork sits in my fridge, like slabs of cholesterol-injected symbols of endless possibilities. What should I make? I'm almost tempted to not make anything just so I can continue to become overjoyed when I open the fridge and see the pork right there, beckoning me. Almost.

Night Bus Ride

Let me start off by saying that when a trip starts off by you noticing the “Hill Sickness Bags,” you know you’re in for a real treat. For the next 4 hours as we plummeted down the mountains, at the mercy of a lunatic and brake-happy bus driver, we heard those bags put to good use. Luckily, I think I only heard 3 people getting sick, which I think was the reason the music was turned way up until we made it down the mountain. I’m very grateful for that music. I was close to losing it, and I never get motion sick. So much for being able to sleep while I traveled.

Day 1: Arrival to the New Country

Why do I call it that, like I’m a pilgrim? We arrived at the guest house at 6am, grabbed a few hours of sleep, and were on our merry way to the Camp by 10am. On the way we made a pit-stop. Two words for you: Cheese. Burger. Two very juicy, luscious words indeed.

We were warned to keep our expectations low regarding the beach and the facilities we were staying at. Seeing the beach I grew up around, my expectations didn’t have much further to drop, and I wasn’t let down. This place is NICE. Granted, it’s not Hawaii or Destin or Cozumel, but it’s a beach. It’s equipped with blue water, a salty ocean breeze, and palm trees a-swayin’. I can’t believe we get to spend the next 7 days here!

Day 2: New Year's Day

New Year’s Eve was cool. From our building’s balcony, we watched the activities on the beach, as the people lit many paper lanterns on fire, sending them into the air. There were fireworks, as well, of course, making it an even more beautiful view.

After preparing for the new arrivals the next day, we spent New Year’s exploring a bit. We found a great coffee place, a not-what-I-was-expecting seafood restaurant (although it was right on the beach, making for more beautiful views) and a mall! There was a Burger King in there, and when I bit into that long-awaited Whopper, I think I heard a choir of angels.

We were also able to see Chronicles of Narnia. The movie was great, but the most memorable moment happened before the movie started. The country we were in is actually a kingdom. Before the movie started, during the previews, everyone in the theatre had to stand up to a salute of the king!
The city we are staying in is famous for its immorality, which is why all of our free time this week will be during the day. Unfortunately, we were out late last night, and were able to view the magnitude of the sins. On the way home, I reached a point where I just had to close my eyes because I was crying and my heart was broken. Sure, it’s one thing to hear about what goes on, but to see it with your own eyes is completely heartbreaking. To think all of the suffering, ridiculing, torturing, and dying our boss did for these people, and they have turned their backs on him. If only they would turn to him, he is waiting on pins and needles to forgive them and offer them eternity. It’s a love I don’t understand, a love only he could offer. So needless to say, I am not going out after dark again, and after only 2 days, he has shown me to be grateful for the modest city that he has placed us in for the next 2.5 years.

Days 3, 4, 5, 7 (&8): Retreat Time

There are several reasons we as a group took this trip: retreat, workshops, equipping, sharing, and governmental (our visas say we have to leave the country every 6 months). I can’t tell you how great it has been to experience p&w in English, and to be able to understand the words from the encouraging speaker each day. Husband led the p&w time, and the room we were in was covered in tile, so we sounded great, like we were singing in a giant shower. This week was not only well-timed, but very well thought out, because I’m so excited to get back to the mountains and work more with our people. The different workshops we’ve had to choose from have been so helpful, and I’m brimming with ideas to take back with me.

Day 6: Fun Day

Our day off! As a group, we took a boat out to an island where there were many activities to do. We snorkeled, rode jet skis, rode on a banana boat, hung out on our boat’s decks, and swam in the ocean. One group of people decided to take a swim to the other side of the island, which was about a 45 minute swim. Several of us walked to where they’d be swimming, which only took about 3 minutes. Our initial plan was to stand there in the water and shout as they all swam up, “What took you so long?” But one of the guys saw some bamboo and string laying around, and suggested we make a boat. So the seven of us got to work, constructing a bamboo raft. About the time we saw the swimmers making their way over, the boat was finished, and we put it in the water to see if it would float. We flipped it right-side up and ta-da! It floated! We all cheered, and there were several boats of people around us who, unknowingly to us, had been watching us make the boat, and they all cheered too. Someone paddled the boat out to ‘rescue’ the swimmers, but those guys were hard core and wanted to officially swim up on shore. We wanted to take our bamboo boat out to the real boat, which was on the other side of the island. The 7 of us hoisted the raft on our shoulders and walked over the island like a bunch of natives. All we were missing was some chanting and grunting. The real boat was a swim away, because it was too shallow for the boat to dock on the shore, so we pulled the raft up to the boat and docked it by tying one of the strings to a life preserver. There it sat all day, in its life saving glory.

Day 8: Elephant Trekking

During some free time in the afternoon, we decided to go elephant trekking. A group of 10 of us found this place where you could ride elephants through a jungle. It was so much fun. Our elephant, Chong, was great. The ‘driver’ would get off of Chong every now and then to smoke or take our picture, and Chong was so obedient. Our driver would grunt “Hah” and Chong would follow. While he was sitting on the elephant, the driver pulled leaves off of trees and made us this little grasshopper. I asked him how to say “grasshopper” in the language, which he told me, so every now and then, I’d hold it up and say “Tikatin seedon” and the driver would laugh. After a while, all the drivers cheered and laughed when I said it, so I’m thinking I was fooled, and Tikatin Seedon means something I would never say in English.

After the ride, they took us to this gargantuan elephant who if you wanted to, would grab you in its trunk and lift you up several feet in the air, parallel to the ground. Who’s gonna pass that up? Also, husband sat on this elephants tusks and was lifted off the ground. Fun stuff!

All in all, the trip was fantastic. As much as I loved eating steak and burgers, sipping a Vanilla Latte at Starbucks, or lounging at the beach with a book, I was ready to head back to our home. It was a great morale booster, and I feel that much more equipped for the job after taking several workshops.

practicing patience

I'm dying to post about our last couple of weeks, but we're still stuck here in the capital trying to find a way back home. We've been here since Sunday night; it's now Wednesday afternoon. Husband has spent 8 hours, stretched over 2 days, at the train station trying to get us tickets. Everything from them not letting us buy without our passports (which has never been a requirement before, and a friend of ours was there on the same day and they didn't ask for hers!) to the train being sold out to them not being able to guarantee a train will be running in a certain leg of the trip due to weather, has kept us from being able to leave. Finally, our tickets were delivered today, so we can head back tomorrow. We should be home tomorrow evening (but in this country, you never know), and I can post about our adventures then.

happy new year!

We're headed to another country for several days. I can't tell you just how much we are looking forward to this time of fellowship and retreat. And of course, warm weather, the beach, malls, and beef! We just have to survive our trip to the capital first...via a night bus. Husband somehow talked me into it. It's a 10 hour bus ride, but the good thing (I hope) is that we'll sleep through most of it, since it leaves here tonight at 10pm. The options of getting in and out of the mountains can be limited.

All this to say, hope you all have a very Happy New Year and ring in 2006 with friends, family, and the thought of glorifying the creator in the coming year. Happy New Year!

if only in my dreams...

You know that song, "I'll Be Home for Christmas"? I never understood it before. I thought, Who in their right mind wouldn't go home for Christmas? And now as I sit here, literally on the opposite side of the world from my loved ones, I must not be in my right mind. :) I now understand how I can be home, if only in my dreams. Husband and I have enjoyed a quiet Christmas Eve and now Christmas morning. Great news is that this morning, we were able to have a big breakfast of eggs, biscuits and gravy, and best of all, bacon! (thanks Mom-in-law!) Also, we talked with husband's family on the webcam, and now we're waiting on my parents to get on the webcam as well so we can open up presents! And I've heard that my brother and his wife will be calling us sometime in the middle of Christmas day, to heck with the time difference. Fine with me...just as long as we get to talk with our families. And as long as they don't mind our groggy mugs displayed across their computer screens.

So last night we watched through Google Earth as Santa made his way around the eastern most side of the world. Let me tell you, those Japanese kids should be very happy today because he was in Japan forever. This morning, I stumbled across this article on MSN, which just made me smile. Those NASA folks sure are on top of things:

NASA identifies Santa above Cape Canaveral — 10:10 p.m. ET
Dec 24: Cape Canaveral, Fla. — After some confusion in past years involving Santa’s sleigh and UFO activity in Cape Canaveral, NASA was more than prepared for his arrival this year. By using the NORAD tracking system NASA was able to follow Santa’s progress around the world, so when an un-approved blip showed up on their radar screen they were able to give him the all-clear. “I tell you what,” one NASA employee said, “this NORAD system has made Christmas much less stressful around here!”

Did anyone hear that NASA employee channeling Hank Hill a bit? I tell you what! Hope you all enjoy a Merry Christmas with your family and friends. Don't take for granted the blessing of seeing your family for Christmas!

musical chairs and the christmas story

Since we have never hosted a party here before, we had no clue what to really expect. We were warned that all sorts of crazy things may happen: people would show up hours after the time allotted, they would bring their entire family, extended family, and village, or they wouldn't show up at all, etc. So we asked everyone to be here at 5, because since it's so cold, they like to leave by 7 or 8. We were very relieved when Sagar, his wife, and son arrived at 5:15. Soon, our house was filled will 25 people, 27 including us. They ate the food, and then ate some more food, and then ate some more. I never thought they would truly like the American food, but they did. They especially loved husband's ranch dressing; they would eat it straight with a spoon. We had a hard time explaining the concept of a dip. Same with my spinach and cheese dip. And the salsa. I think next year we should lay off the dips. :)

After the kids were done eating, we played musical chairs for the kids. We decided that if the adults got into the game enough while the kids were playing, we'd play an adult version. The South Asians love musical chairs, and in the middle of explaining the game, they took over the explanations and even re-set up the chairs in their own way. The adults got into it, so we started to play another round, and then they asked for a third round. We gave out the word in their language to the winners. I have to admit that I cheated and watched so that Sagar's family would be able to take home the word.

Then we told the story, and sang carols. As of now, we don't know if there were any decisions or lightbulbs going off, but we do have the promise that the word never goes out void. So please remember the 25 people who were here, that the boss would begin speaking to them, and that they would listen intently.

As a final gift to them, we gave them booklets in their own language and repeated how eternal life was the best gift we had ever received. Several people were reading them throughout the party, so we know that their interest is piqued. Most of these people have never heard this before, so they are thirsty.

We have ideas for next year, ideas that involve you! Please be thinking about this already, even though you (and we) do not even know yet what this completely entails.

We are going outside to enjoy the snow now! Merry Christmas to y'all, and to y'all a good night!

the most wonderful time of the year

*I was requested by a friend to change my settings on the comments, so now anyone who wants to can comment. Thanks, Ashley S.! :)
The last few days have been filled with sweets over-indulgence. Isn’t that what Christmas is all about? Just kidding…I know what it’s all about:
On Thursday, I decided to start practicing for the Christmas party. I have to find egg-less recipes, because most of the people here not only don’t eat meat, but they also don’t eat eggs, either. So I found a recipe for some Mocha Caramel cookies, which didn’t call for eggs. I scanned the ingredients (the first thing I do now when looking at recipes) and saw that everything was available here. I mean, I didn’t have the 24 caramel squares it called for, but I figured I could make my own caramel sauce. And of course, I didn’t have the cookie cutters to cut out cute tree, ornament, and star shaped cookies, but I could use a knife, right? And I didn’t have an icing tube, but it couldn’t be too hard to use a spoon to drizzle caramel and chocolate sauce over the cookies, could it? Of course not, I convinced myself, and made my way into the kitchen.

2 hours later I was asking myself, “What were you thinking?!” Cutting out shapes isn’t too hard…when you’re not making 3 dozen cookies and when you actually know how to do a star. And the caramel sauce kept cooling off, so I repeatedly had to put it back in the microwave in a sorry attempt to melt it again. They ended up tasty, but definitely not worth the effort. Eggless or not, these are not going on the Christmas party dessert list. I also made some of my mom’s snicker cookies. Much much easier, even though I had to make my own powder sugar.

Friday, Anna and Hannah had a girls’ Christmas party. They invited me, along with Priya and Suniya. The 3 Americans baked the traditional Christmas cookies and other goodies. Priya made what I think is the most popular South Asian treat, a “GJ”. We have dubbed them “soggy doughnuts” because, well, that’s what they taste like. Except Priya is some sort of culinary wizard because hers were delicious and didn’t make my jaws hurt from the sickening sweetness of them. (they are fried dough balls doused in sugar syrup) Then we cranked up our favorite South Asian movie music, and attempted to follow Priya’s moves. No matter how silly I look, I am never one to turn down a dance party. Then we ate so many sweets our stomachs actually hurt. Priya, completely serious, asked, “During Christmas, do Americans eat anything besides sweets?” Sometimes, yes we do.

Later that night, husband and I had Anna and Hannah over to eat some chili and cornbread (and ultimately, hot chocolate and more Christmas goodies) and watch White Christmas. This is a family tradition of mine – for as long as I can remember, my family has watched this every year, and sang along to the songs. (my favorites: “Sisters”, “The Best Things Happen While You’re Dancing”, and “Gee, I Wish I Was Back in the Army”) and Anna and Hannah gave us permission to sing along. And they’ve heard me sing, so you know how generous an offer this was. It was nice to feel a sense of family here during such a family-oriented season. And to eat cookies with.

It’s a wonder we aren’t in a sugar coma today.

did you feel the mountains tremble?

Sorry I know I've been blogging a lot lately. But I'm guessing this one is probably necessary, for my family's sake, at least.

Once again, we're okay after an earthquake. This one was a bit stronger, to us at least, but not in Richter's opinion. We were awakened at about 3am this morning because our house was shaking, which also made our bedroom door rattle around a bit. Not ever feeling an earthquake before (remember the last one I was at the market and didn't feel a thing), I think it was pretty intelligent 3am conversation for me to turn to husband and say, "We're having an earthquake." I'm now ready for my Rocket Science degree.

So, to summarize, we're okay, our town is okay, and from what we've read so far, the epicenter is okay as well.

come again?

Today at lunch I ordered a "mushroom and black shoe" pizza. In this language, shoe sounds like olive. The waiter actually walked away from the table laughing, went and told the other waiters, and came back still laughing about 2 minutes later. I don't blame him; I mean, I ordered a shoe for a topping. And not just any shoe, it had to be black. I've had quite a few experiences like that lately. I recently told a person "See you mustard!" instead of "See you the day after tomorrow!". It kind of makes me nervous that I'm done with language this week...I mean, I'm going to go wandering around, asking if I can hear someone's food instead of their music (yes I've done that too) or asking people if they are forks. (okay, so I did that one in Paris, but given today's episode, it could definitely happen in this language as well)

top 14 things i love...

...about this city and country. (I couldn't narrow it down to 10) I'd love to see a post or comment of your list! (this goes for my overseas and stateside friends)

14. Morning chai, afternoon chai, and evening chai
13. Even if all I say is "thank you" or "hello", the locals freak out and begin complimenting on how well I speak the language.
12. Hearing a cow moo right outside the window. I'm not sure that will ever fail to make me laugh
11. The stunning views every way you look.
10. The guys at the coffee shop know me by name (what's that you say about coffee addiction?)
9. Being able to have talks about the boss without people immediately jumping on the defense wagon, spouting off about being PC and tolerance
8. When monkeys take your clothes off the line (alright, so that belongs on the hate list)
7. Learning the odd regulations, such as having to sew white cloth around international parcels
6. The shop keepers know what I mean when I ask for stuff like "yellow flour" (translation: cornmeal)
5. A bus ride to just about anywhere costs about a nickel (that's assuming you also love the buses)
4. The locals make a valiant attempt to cater to my "low spice tolerance"; the food goes from chemical burn level to merely lip-numbing
3. Without exception, each movie involves hours of drama, laughter, tears, singing, and best of all, dancing
2. The joy of sharing about the boss to someone who has never heard about him
1. If the shopkeeper has no change, it's not a problem. He just pays me back in gum.

"i feel light"

If you got our last letter, we talked about our friends Deepak and Naina. Deepak's brother, Epaenetus, has been staying with them for awhile (not sure how long he has been here or how long he'll stay). The three of them came over last week with the specific reason to have chai with us and find out more about our boss. Not our request; theirs. Can you tell he's already been working on their hearts? So while husband was answering Deepak's questions, Epaenetus listened on the edge of his seat, literally. He told husband he had never once in his life heard the story of our boss. Last night, Deepak, Epaenetus, and Deepak's father Aman asked husband - twice - to come over to their place to tell them more about our boss. Husband did, and glory to our boss, Epaenetus accepted the truth last night! We have a new cousin! After sending money to ask our boss to be his leader, Epaenetus looked at husband and said, "I feel light." Isn't that what our boss promised us, to take our heavy burdens?

Now we are sending money to his family so he doesn't face problems. Deepak, Naina, and Aman are searching and questioning, and we are hoping that means they will be following in Epaenetus's footsteps soon, and then they can all be immersed as new cousins. Thanks to all our friends and family who responded to the letter we sent out!

o christmas tree

It's here! Our scraggly sparse crooked beautiful tree has arrived! Our friend even brought decorations and lights; he went all out! And, he has 13+ hours of Christmas music on his computer that he gave us as well. He's like Santa! And since he hasn't shaved since we arrived in this country 4 months ago, he's even starting to look like Santa. In a David Crowder sort of way.

And you'll never guess what we had for dinner last night - cheeseburgers! Not mutton burgers, not chicken burgers...100% FDA non-approved beef burgers. Take a long look at this picture...a burger in South Asia doesn't come around often.

christmas is early!

I'm listening right now to Natalie Cole's Carole of the Bells... I love that song. I forgot to bring my Christmas CDs with me, so I had to download some. Since they are $.99 a song (!) I had to choose carefully. I like her version because it's longer than that boy choir, so I get more for my money. :)

So we have been getting our Christmas packages in! It's so fun. Our friends and family are too too generous, it's overwhelming. Mom sent pretty wrapped gifts that we got yesterday, husband's mom sent us some longjohns (now I have pink and blue!:) and pepperoni!, among many other things, and now our friends from Africa sent us some goodies. Husband got what we think is a contraband item here (I just know that for the next few months I'm going to be hearing him say in his best Crocodile Dundee voice, "That ain't a knife...this is a knife.") And they sent me a batik print material, complete with zebras and everything! I'm sure I'm supposed to get it made into a skirt or anything else besides what I'm using it for, but it matches the spare bedroom perfectly. Now the spare room is nicer than ours.

Also, since Thanksgiving, I've been sending money for a Christmas tree. I've heard that in our town, we can only get them around the 20th of December, but anyone who knows me knows that I like to start decorating for Christmas sometime around August. I also liked to listen to the all-Christmas music radio stations in the States. Yes, I'm one of Those People. Well our friend in Ctown just south of us called me about an hour ago. Apparently in Ctown you can get fake Christmas trees! Anna, Hannah, and I were going to make the 4 hour trip down there to get one as soon as they came out, but our oh-so-nice friend is going to buy them for us and bring them to us! The boss is so faithful, he not only provided the tree, but also the transportation! Front door delivery. I can't wait to put it up. With my carefully selected Christmas tunes blaring in the background, of course. "Santa baby, slip a sable under the tree, for me..."

P.S. Mom, the 3+ hours in the kitchen turned out to be worth it. Husband said the chicken parmesan was better than Olive Garden, an very welcome exaggeration. This pic's for you:

a bad voice is funny in all cultures

On Monday I went to the girls school to see if I could sign up for a class. Turns out, the school is closing in one week for winter and won't open again until March. So it looks like I will have to wait until March to learn how to stuff toys. There is a family on the corner, though, that husband has befriended, and is going to take me over there soon so I can meet the wife. I'm excited there's a chance to get to know a woman in this area!

Last night, husband, me, Anna and Hannah went to Anna's language helper's house for her parents' anniversary. It was so fun - they served us chai and snacks, and we chatted as much as we could, since they hardly speak any English. They are cousins of ours, so it was beautiful fellowship. Husband picked up their guitar and they asked us to sing a song, so we sang amazing grace. They sing upbeat songs almost exclusively, so the father had a somewhat hard time trying to beat his tambourine along with the song. Then, we asked them to sing a song, which they did. We then sang one more, a fast one that they enjoyed much more (i'll fly away) and then they sang a few more. I was overcome as I listened to a song I could not understand and realized that one day, we'll all be able to understand each other as we sit around the throne and sing. I wonder if then my "joyful noise" will make people laugh as much as the cousins laughed last night. :)

making friendships

On Saturday, E, Anna and Hannah (the new girls) and I went to a women's health conference at the local office. I've been having a hard time developing friendships with the women, except for my language helper. I had heard that before coming here that it's just hard to meet women in this country, but I arrogantly shrugged it off, and said to myself, "Whatever. I'm outgoing, I won't have any problems." Ha! So here I am, almost 3 months in our city, and I have a close relationship with only 3 women, all of which are our employees. So of course I was very excited to see the outreach that the local office had planned so I could meet some women. E and I had a long talk before about how everytime husband and I had a strategic opportunity, one of us would get sick, and for some reason we had never put the pieces to this puzzle together. E pointed out it seemed like we were being attacked, which totally made sense. So sure enough, sitting in the women's conference yesterday, my stomach just started going nuts. Another strategic opportunity, another wave of the sickness. (it happens so often to us in third world countries that we end up speaking pretty frankly about it, but I'll spare my stateside friends :) Turns out all 4 of us, save for E, ended up sick within the hour! We're still not sure what it was from, because we all ate the same things. We figured E must be immune to it after 9 years overseas. Whatever it was, it kept us from staying the whole time at the conference, which was disappointing, but the conference turned out to not be exactly what we thought it was anyway. It was fun, though, because this culture is incredibly modest, and even for women to talk about feminine things in front of only other women, is embarrassing to them. There was plenty of giggling and blushing going on. They had us rolling in laughter, though, at how cute they were at such common things that even my grandma wouldn't bat an eyelash.

Today was a different story. I still wasn't feeling my best, but I was determined to not let the evil one get the best of my Sunday. During the meeting, I asked my boss to show me who I could open a friendship with, and after it was over, a woman walked up to me and said with a huge smile, "I like you." Well that was easy, thanks! So we chatted in both our languages, and she ended up asking for my number and I told her when I was home and to come by anytime. I'm really excited for how my faithful boss answered my request. Hopefully I'll be able to get together with her soon.

Also, E gave me a great idea while she was here. There is a, for lack of better word, technical school for women here in the city. They offer classes on sewing (mother-in-law would be proud!), painting, "beautician", and oddly enough, toy stuffing. I'm going to talk to the school tomorrow about signing up for one of the 1 month courses so I can develop some relationships and practice my language. I'm just hoping the next class they offer isn't the toy stuffing one. Otherwise, my family is going to up to their earlobes in stuffed animals by the time it's over.

So for all these opportunities, I ask for you to send some money my way, one, that the attacks would stop, and two, that my boss puts me in a divinely appointed class to meet women and develop strategic relationships. Thanks for your part in this!!

turkey heads + no water = a great day

Thanksgiving was a success! 4 girls and 1 guy, none of whom had ever made a turkey, prepared a 12lb turkey in a counter top oven with no water. Yep, our water has been out since yesterday afternoon. We prepared our entire thanksgiving dinner by the help of two of the girls lugging water bottles from their apartment (which does have water) to our own.

It was fun this morning when E, our friend from the capital, started preparing the turkey. When she took it out of the bag, she noticed that the butcher oh so
generously included the head of the turkey. We had fun with that. A quick call to my mom taught us how to prepare it, and it went off without a hitch. Water shortage excluded, of course. We had to be creative on which pots and pans and utensils could be used twice without washing. Fortunately, after sending a lot of money, it all worked out. We had a nice sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, Mema's dressing, fruit salad, regular salad, and turkey and gravy.

We had a great time of p&w after dinner, and I was so thankful that the boss had surrounded me with great new friends to celebrate with, and the technology to talk with my family. (and see!) Then we enjoyed the pumpkin cheesecake and apple pie with coffee! Real coffee, not instant. What a luxury!

All in all, it was such a great day, even with the hustle and bustle with preparations and the mess that has become my kitchen. (no water really does you in, but it is a great excuse to not do the dishes)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving preparations are officially underway

YEA! Tomorrow is my second favorite holiday, running a close second to Christmas. Today, a friend of ours from the capital arrived to celebrate with us. On the train and busride to get here, she had with her a 12 lb turkey, a roast, canned pumpkin, and tons of other fun food items! Since our oven is pretty small (look at your toaster oven and imagine it's giant twin. That's our oven), we had to prepare half of the stuff today. Fortunately, the two new girls here have an oven as well, and we are using both of them at our house. Today, I made cornbread for the dressing, a double portion of the hexagonal apple pie, and green bean casserole. Husband made tortilla chips and salsa for us to snack on, and tonight we are having fajitas! We're also hoping to play cards, because it just wouldn't feel like Thanksgiving without a big card game (that traditional came from husband's side of the family). One of the things I'm most excited about is our friend from the capital is making a pumpkin cheesecake!

The only damper so far is that we just lost all water. So the group of girls walked down to their apartment to try their luck with the spicket, and are going to fill up our pepsi and water bottles and now we're going to have to boil the water. We should get more water by tomorrow at 11am...that's when the city pumps the water into the tanks. We're not quite sure why the water is gone, but we are thankful for alternatives.

So I've never realized how much work goes into Thanksgiving dinner. Thanks for all y'all did, Mom, Aunt B, and Mema. I'm putting in a lot of effort to not think about how much I miss my family for my second favorite holiday. Instead, I'm thinking about how excited I am to co-host my very own first Thanksgiving dinner. I guess I am not longer welcome at the kid's table.

in the middle of chaos, he's still in control

We really enjoyed our trip to the capital, but now we're so glad to be home. The train ride was both very fun and uneventful. We did get to see the beautiful morning countryside and they served us a nice breakfast of an omelette with peas on top, bread and butter and juice. It wasn't bad, either (see I told you I'm not picky!). While we were there, we did so much stocking up on stuff, and enjoyed all the American food! We also saw three wedding processions in one night which was really cool. One was right outside the restaurant we were eating at and when we got up to leave, they procession was coming into the parking lot so our way was blocked. We stopped and watched the celebrations, and the guests got a kick out of us. They actually had a marching band just like from a high school, and people were dancing like crazy. The groom rode in on a white horse, and it was sad because he really couldn't dance, but then he started dancing on the horse. One guest came up to husband and the other guy with us and asked them to come dance with the rest of them! But they decided it would steal the thunder away from the groom (especially since the videographer had already come over to us and taped us, and the photographer snapped our pic. We pretended like we were dancing in that one) It was really cool and made me want even more to be invited to a wedding!

Yesterday we had carpet installed in the living room and our bedroom to help us keep warm. We love our house even more now! But it sure was hectic getting it done. First, the breaker to allow the water to lift to the roof was broken, so we had no water. Then, the carpeters called about 45 minutes before coming to say that we needed to move all the furniture out and sweep and mop (never having installed carpet before, we naively figured they would do it). Our maid was already late, and then called to say she wasn't coming. We also had the two new girls here for the weekend because their landlord said they couldn't move in until Monday so we were trying to help them get moved out and buy several items they needed. In the middle of all the chaos, though, the mailman came and there was a package from my mom and one for husband, and it lifted our spirits tremendously. Our boss knows just when to meet our desires! Finally, we got our breaker fixed (it was completely melted!), the carpet installed, and the girls moved in, and were able to enjoy the many blessings our boss has bestowed upon us.

Now we are gearing up for a great Thanksgiving with our new friends!

road trip!

Tomorrow husband and I begin our journey to the capital city. We will take a bus to the nearest large city, 4 hours south of here, and stay the night. Then, we are waking up extra early on Thursday morning to take our first cross-country train trip! We are so excited. I don't know if I'm more excited about the train or for spending 2 days/nights in the capital city. We are going to eat at American restaurants, see our friends, and enjoy weather that doesn't involve layering shawls and fleece over wool sweaters. I can't wait!

We'll be back on Saturday night after a long 10 hour taxi ride. Our purpose for going is because there are two new girls coming to our city for a few months, and we need to escort them back here. It will be fun to hear their reactions to the mountains as we drive in them. I still remember how excited we were when we first arrived here.

Alright, time to pack! TGI Friday's, short sleeved shirts, Bennigan's, cheddar cheese...here I come!

shh...don't tell PETA

This past weekend, husband and I went to mail off two more packages, and while there, an Australian guy asked us where we got our box wrapped. We told him a tailor, and he looked dumbfounded. "You mean they don't do that here?" I laughed and said no. Apparently, the woman at the post office had told him to come back at 3 (the time they stop sending international packages) and he could get the package wrapped there. He stood there slightly arguing with the ladies about what they told him then vs. what they were saying now. I felt for the guy, especially when he said he was leaving on Sunday to go back home and had no way of mailing this package off. We laughed, though, when he dramatically told the women, "You ruined my life and all you have to say is I'm sorry?!" It was a bit over the top. And as bad as it sounds, I was kinda relieved to know we weren't the only ones who didn't get the system.

Also on Saturday, husband figured out a way to scare off the monkeys. Someone gave us a walking stick, and so he held it up like it was a rifle, and they slowly scattered. I still think a bb gun would work wonders. One week of that, and we'd be rid of them forever.

celebrate good times, come on!

You're welcome. (for putting that song in your head, of course) Tonight, husband and I went to a birthday party! It was for our maid's daughter who just turned 5 today. This was our first time to meet her kids, and they were so sweet. The little boy was a mess, and the girl was the sweetest thing, giving us kisses on our cheeks everytime we turned around. She lives in a neighboring area, about an hour's walk away, so we made the trek and were rewarded with some beautiful new views of the mountains.

After dinner, our maid put on music, and we broke out into a good, old fashioned dance party! It was awesome! First, our maid taught me her traditional type dancing, which involved a lot of arms flailing about. Then, husband's language helper taught me her traditional dance, which was more upbeat. Picture a mix of Latin dancing and Saturday Night Fever and you have somewhat of an idea of what it looked like. There was even a moment where we did the two-fingers-over-the-eyes move. It was so much fun! Husband danced around with the kids while us girls played around.

One of the most exciting things about the night was we spent 2 hours there, and only spoke about 25% English, and we understood everything! It's so encouraging to spend time like that where you get done and feel like you can survive in this language.

here we go again

I posted on Saturday that husband and I tried to take our packages to the post office and were told we missed the mail truck by 10 minutes. After getting back from the hospital, I tried again. I took 3 packages this time, and showed them to the worker. He told me that actually, international parcels had to be sent from the main post office of our town, that no other post office had the customs labels. I asked him why he didn't tell me that on Saturday, since we had shown him our boxes and told him we were sending them air mail to the States. He just kept nodding and saying, "Yes, I remember you." So, for the second time in 3 days, I walked back home with the packages. You should have seem husband's face when I walked in the house with those packages.

Today, I stuffed 2 of the packages in a bag, and headed up to the main post office, a 40 minute walk from my house. Halfway there, I suddenly became surrounded by monkeys. I cautiously crossed the road, careful to not look at them directly. A woman walking toward me grabbed me and said, "You have a bag, be careful!" I suddenly felt like a spy in Cold War Russia. I nodded, took a step, and stopped. The monkeys were all over the road, and weren't budging. The woman and her husband stopped walking and blocked my way to protect me from what I'm convinced are God's most vile creation. We stood still for about a minute, just eyeing the monkeys and waiting for them to leave, which they didn't. Instead, they actually started coming closer to us. We ended up crossing the road at one point, the two very kind strangers still instructing me on how to behave. I've never seen monkeys like this. A group of about 20 of us walkers were huddled together, waiting to be able to walk again. The monkeys slowly scattered, and the husband of the couple looked at me and said, "Go!" ("here's your chance, defect! defect!") Ugh they really ruin my walk to the market.

I got the post office without anymore primate encounters. It was 3:11. I was so excited to get rid of some of these boxes! I showed the boxes to the woman worker, who promptly told me that the international parcel pickup is at 3pm, and I couldn't drop it off today. She also informed me that all international parcels must be taken to a tailor and had a white cloth sewn over them, otherwise the postal system would not mail them. I am glad she told me this; otherwise, the next time I take those darn boxes back to the post office, I would've been told to go back home for the 4th time. There's gotta be something in Proverbs 31 about this.

The silver lining to all this is that lugging those boxes around have got to be toning my arms a bit. And husband's dumbfounded reactions everytime I walk back home with the yet unmailed boxes are priceless.

hospital-ity

For those of you who haven't heard, husband was admitted to the hospital Sunday morning (our time) because of what we found out was 'amoebic colonitis'. He was released Monday morning, feeling better than he had all week, according to him. The hospital room actually had two beds, so I was able to sleep at the hospital with him, and in the midst of the earlier seriousness, I couldn't help but notice the humor that was moving all around me.

For example, as I posted on Saturday, our neighbors were joining us at the office Sunday morning. So when husband said to me at 8am on Sunday, "I need you to take me to the hospital," I dressed quickly and went downstairs to tell the guys the bad news. I woke them up, but within 10 minutes, they were walking up our stairs (without knocking!) to rush into the living room to see just how bad husband was doing. They informed us they would be joining us on the way to hospital. This was a form of their hospitality, which can be overwhelming at times (present situation included).

So we arrived at the hospital. Our "deluxe" room, which I picked out for the TV for husband to watch, included two gurneys straight off the set of M*A*S*H, cracked walls, faded carpet, a dirty bathroom, and a TV that didn't work. It was alright, though, because the beds were actually comfortable, and all husband really needed was some medicine and rehydration solution. And the view must have been the best view from any hospital in the whole world. We entertained ourselves with books, rest, and our laptop computer complete with James Bond movies.

Lunchtime came and I found out I was not allowed to eat in the room, so I went up to the cafeteria, which gives a whole new meaning to hospital food. The nurse pointed me to the menu and told me to order anything. I should stop right here and say that I am a lot more adventurous when it comes to food than I used to be, but there are still 4 things I just absolutely can not eat. We're talking gag reflex and the whole bit: cucumbers, any form of melons, cilantro, and cabbage. (I found out about the cilantro effect upon arriving in a country where cilantro is considered as common a seasoning as salt and pepper) I scanned the menu and ordered the potatoes and bread. The cook told me they didn't have it. After looking at the list of over 30 items, I asked him what he did have. Rice, lentils, vegetables, and a sandwich was his response. Rice and veggies sounded pretty good, so I asked what the veggies were. Cabbage. Okay, strike the rice and veggies. What kind of sandwich is it? Tomato and cucumber.

So I skipped lunch.

Dinner came around, and I was starving. The nurses, who so kindly told me I could eat in the room, told me the cook could make me an omelette for dinner. I love breakfast for dinner, so I agreed. They asked what kind, and I said tomato and cheese, simple enough, which they said was fine. Then they came back about 20 minutes later and asked me to go to the cook and order my dinner, which I thought we just had. I shrugged and went upstairs, and the cook agreed to the order; no problem. About 15 minutes later, they brought in husband's veg soup (which he declared as good) and my green omelette. Green? Are those chilis? Oh, no, those are green onions, the nurses reassured me. I like green onions, I really do. They're probably my favorite onion. But not in the amount to where the entire omelette had lost it's original color. I asked for the tomato and cheese again, and the nurses told me that he didn't have any cheese or tomatoes. I briefly wondered why he agreed to cook it in the first place if he had no cheese or tomatoes, before realize, hey, this is South Asia. What did I expect? So I just ordered the scrambled eggs, and received a look from the nurses as I had asked to eat their firstborn sons. I had suddenly received the reputation as the picky and difficult wife. I ended up eating only toast for dinner. When I asked for some tea later, I received some rolled eyes before getting it. What? What did I do?

This morning, husband woke up feeling great. Praise our boss for his mighty works and kindness! They even brought him semi-solid food for breakfast which was nice. They also brought me some cornflakes and hot milk. Yes, hot. Husband had pity on my growling stomach and asked for some cold milk, which they thought was the strangest request, but since the Difficult Wife didn't ask, it was no problem.

After breakfast, we were told the senior doctor would visit husband before releasing him. What they failed to mention was that seven curious staffers would be joining the senior doctor. I'm not kidding, the door just kept opening. Husband and I were dying laughing by the 8th walkin. I was in the hospital once for pneumonia, and a couple of times a nursing student would come in to listen to my "textbook wheezing" as directed by her supervisor, but never have I heard of 8 doctors and nurses coming in to look at someone who had common intestine problems. What's that you say, Doctor? Someone had diarrhea?! Well, this I've gotta see!

I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that we were strange Americans in a very asian hospital.

Finally, after having to promise the hospital manager that we'd pay him after we got home (they didn't have a credit card machine or an ATM...and we didn't have that kind of cash on us), we left the hospital and are now free to eat all kinds of normal food. Well I am, anyway.

I say all this with a laugh, and not a complaining voice, I promise. You know I love this culture. I am just so relieved that husband is okay, and that the boss took care of him in only a day after they originally told us we'd have to be there for 3 days. He's in such good spirits, and is especially humbled by all the care and love he received from our family and friends who were concerned. Thanks for the money - the boss was faithful, as always.

you learn something new everyday

Breaking news! This just in! Husband has befriended the three neighbor guys downstairs, and tomorrow, they are going to join us for a meeting at our house. Our first people to join us! We will be doing some p&w, and then husband will tell a story, and we will all talk about what that story says to us, and of course, send money. Speaking of, please send money for these 3 guys to be touched by the boss tomorrow morning.

Alright, back to regularly scheduled postings.

I love finding out all the weird things about this city and its systems. It can be so fantastically frustrating sometimes. Today, after finishing packing up the boxes to send to our families for Christmas, we took the hike up to the post office. It closes at 5, and since we left after 4, we hurried a little to make it on time. We arrived at 4:40, and showed the man our boxes. (we only took 2 today...we are taking them up in small amounts because 1.) it's not an easy walk, and 2.) this city knows nothing of small boxes, and so we have small presents jostling around in big boxes) The postal worker told us, "I'm sorry. The truck has already come for today." We told him that it was okay, we just wanted to drop them off, and he could mail them out when the next one came on Monday. He told us, "No, you can't leave them here because it's not safe." We thought it over, and realized there was nothing to do but take them back home with us. At least he was honest. But we had some letters to mail out, too, so we thought we'd try our luck with them. Nope, same response; he refused to take our mail. While I did appreciate his concern for our items, and would much rather take the boxes back home than have them stolen, I couldn't help but wonder, "Then why are they still open?"

The electricity went out for awhile last night. The is nothing new; it goes out at least once a week for 5 minutes, or more. Last night, just as I turned on the oven, the lights flickered, and then there was pitch darkness. It wasn't just a breaker; it was our entire community. Husband told me it was probably me who caused it, because otherwise it was just some incredible coincidence. Oddly enough, I didn't feel too guilty, but more like a little pride. After thirty minutes without electricity (and without heat! yikes!) husband went into the kitchen, and noticed that the oven wasn't even plugged in! It wasn't caused by me afterall. He picked up the plug, put it in the socket, and the electricity immediately came back on.

Incredible coincidences never fail to make me laugh.

light in the darkness

Oh yeah! Husband made the best tortilla chips with the leftover tortillas. The best I've ever had. He's a mexican food genius.



This week was a huge holiday here. People hang up lights outside their houses (Christmas lights! It was beautiful) and light candles after doing their worship.



All the shops were open, with sweets and lights and decorations pouring out of their doors, and everyone has been so cheerful.


The fireworks have been the most notable celebration tactic! Ever since the middle of October, kids have been popping their black cats or lighting up their sparklers. Last night it sounded like the sky was exploding...we stood outside to listen to the fireworks and look at the lights, and we remarked at one time we felt like CNN correspondants in Baghdad. Two days ago, the big news was that in the big market, there was a fire at several adjacent firework stallss. I can't imagine how loud and crazy that was. Supposedly, the owners of the shops lost millions in fireworks. Yikes! The fireworks went on until after 2 in the morning, and someone (undoubtedly a kid who was forced to go to sleep before he could finish popping all of his) was popping fireworks right outside our window at 7 this morning. Thanks for that, buddy!