Living as nomads

Ok, maybe we aren't as homeless as nomads, but the last four months we have been living between two cities.  Living with a local family in Barat and in our own house in the big city we are spread between two places about 200 miles apart.  We moved mostly just items needed for daily life to Barat, which did include a suitcase of homeschooling materials, and left the rest in the big city.  As we live with locals there are many things I’ve gotten use to:

Using a bucket and special scooper to shower.  The boys still prefer baths.  I found Whitman  like this one day as he asked to shower and proceeded to make a bath for himself. 
There is a specific word in the language for the scooper, in yellow, that is used.

Campfire coffee.  Regular ground coffee is used as instant coffee leaving a nice layer of grounds on the bottom.  Though I think my coffee tastes just as good this way, it is difficult to enjoy to the last drop. 



The view to and from our bathroom, no it is not an outhouse.  It just happens to be outside on the back balcony. 

A very small mirror for getting ready.

I have become a pro at taking fresh corn kernels off the cob.

There are also many things that still are just not normal for me, such as eating rice for every meal of the day.  So I supplement with lot of oats and noodles!  Living in two different places has also created some difficultly in packing as we travel back and forth.  The most recent trip back to the big city, March 20^th, I packed most of Ceadmon’s school materials, my frying pan, and my garlic press.  Woks are very prominent and available here, but they are difficult to cook pancakes in!  And I really prefer not to dice garlic with a knife. 
Though I’ve gotten use to many aspects of life in Barat, it feels like a real luxury to come back to the big city.  We get to bathe under a shower head, the boys get to take baths, we eat more western food, I get to enjoy my coffee to the very last drop (I use a French press), and I can see the whole top half of my body in a large mirror.  Frozen kernelled corn is also available at some stores, but I have yet to buy it as fresh corn is so cheap and much easier to find!
As I write we are once again living out of suitcases as we are out of the country on a visa run, hoping to get social-cultural visas to last while we continue to wait for the work visa.  It is fun to get away, but being settled in ONE place is also something I am really looking forward to!