Almost Famous

There is nothing like moving to a different country to make you stand out.  Since arriving here we've become quite famous.  Everywhere we go people call out to us, talk to us, and love to touch our boys, especially their faces.  People are so interested they will nudge their friends and point us out as we walk by.  Most people have cell phones; therefore people are always ready, and desiring to take our pictures.  Many young people, upon meeting us for the first time want to know if we know other 'famous' people, such as Lady Gaga or Justin Bieber.  Please be thinking of us as we continue to adjust! Sometimes this is quite amusing; other times we seek wisdom to know how to respond in these situations, especially as our boys are less then fond of the constant cheek pinching. 

Shopping...

Fruits and Vegies

We have been amazed at everything that we are able to get here (should we ever need half of it).  There are multiple malls to choose from; ranging from a collection of very expensive western stores to a collection of buildings continually being added onto for more store space.  There are some grocery stores, mostly located within the malls.  There are also many 'hole in the wall' stores and road side stands.  Though we do most of our shopping at the mall, I (Erin) cannot not help but appreciate the convenience of our daily street venders. 

Chopping up and gutting chicken for me!

Every morning, starting at about 7 am guys on motorcycles, usually with added baskets, drive through the neighborhood selling fish, chicken, produce, and bread.  They drive by, yelling "chicken" (for example) and stop if you yell back.  Caedmon and Whitman love listening for and calling out to any vender I might need.  Later in the afternoon there is usually at least one 'ice-cream man,' music included.  I've even seen a guy selling kids toys and another selling household items, like brooms, small buckets, etc.  I buy most of our produce, bread and chicken this way.  I've also bought fish and shrimp as well.  The prices are great and the location even better.  I do have to be careful as they may not always have what I'm looking for or come at the same time each day.  The bread guy, for example, hasn't been by all week, so much for PB&J this week. 

A trip to the mountains!

Last weekend we enjoyed a trip out of town with some friends.  We spent one night in a mountain town of about 200 people.  Prior to leaving, everyone described the place as "cold."  Although I (Erin) had a hard time believing it would really be cold, we all brought light jackets anyways.  It turned out to be noticeably cooler, enough to warrant a jacket in the evening and morning.  Our friends bundled up a bit more!  It felt like a beautiful spring day, it was a wonderful change from the heat and humidity of the city.  Our friends took us all over to see the sights.  We had a wonderful time seeing more of the country, practicing language, and just getting to know our friends better. 

A dam on the way: water from here is piped to our city.

rice fields

a house ride with our friend's daughter

a walk through a Tea Garden (growing tea leaves)

from the top of the Tea Garden; we felt as if we were in a vineyard back home

one of my favorite fruits: literally Holland Eggplants, reminds me of a berry once peeled

a source of fish for those living far from the sea

waterfall

the walk to the waterfall

drying harvested coffee beans

we stopped for some fried bananas and tubers

Views of the Countryside

The trip we were privileged to take out into the less-populated areas provided some beautiful scenery, and we wanted to share some of it:

A rice field behind our Grandpa's family garden

Pepper, still on the vine

The gardener's house

A chocolate tree (a fruit at center)

The well and slab where our friend grew up bathing

More rice along the highway

Rice farmers in their field

Horses

A restaurant, its sign advertising "Horse soup" (yes, really)

Salt fields, harvested by flooding with sea water, and then letting it evaporate

A Piece of My (John's) Mind

For 18 days now I've had inner ear trouble, and for longer than that my nose has wanted to run more often than not. At this point these are just an annoyance, what having to constantly mind my snot, and occasionally turn my head so my "good ear" can pick up what folks are saying. But they're totally a distraction from what I'd rather be focusing on, that is, other people and their thoughts/concerns!
While my first round of antibiotics were a huge help in removing the extreme pain from my ear, they only cleared up about 80% of the audio-obstructing-congestion. And I'm still not sure whether my runny nose stems from allergies or a recurring cold. So all in all I'd love you to be remembering me as I deal with these (extremely) minor annoyances.