Life in Transition

We are very thankful to be transitioning well into our new neighborhood.  It is hard to believe we have been in our new house for two months now. 
Though transitioning has been stressful, the Father has decreased the potential stress in a couple very unexpected ways.  Every since we moved in, the city water has been on at least 5 days per week.  The pressure is also high enough to travel eight feet up into the house without the use of our pump.  Secondly, our garbage service has also been very frequent and regular.  Both of these aspects have been significant blessings as water and garbage had become quite irregular and undependable in our previous neighborhood.

Along with the increased dependability of our utilities, we have all gotten into a regular routine in our new surroundings.  Caedmon and Whitman still leave for school about 7am, but they walk instead of ride the motorcycle.  I, Erin, spend my mornings going to the market, which is now about a 10 minute drive away, studying with a language helper twice a week or studying by myself at home, and playing with Evangeline.  Neighborhood kids often come over in the mornings as well to play.  After lunch, while Evangeline naps, we continue with our previous schedule of homeschooling for Caedmon and Whitman.  After the boys have finished their school work, they most often go outside to play with the many neighborhood kids.  Evangeline and I will venture outside as well, to feed goats or visit with the neighbors often sitting in front of or below their houses.

The 'Three Musketeers' and Evangeline

These three little 4 year old boys are our immediate neighbors in front, to the right side, and behind our house.  They can always be found playing together and often seek out Evangeline.  

We frequently sit and help a neighbor make pastries during the afternoon. 

    

Sitting with neighbors and friends. 

There are many kids Evangeline's age.

The lady in the middle is my current language helper.

Caedmon and Whitman often play with the many other kids under our house.

 They play various local games or anything else they make up.

Evangeline loves the goats many neighbors' raise.

Since the first week of living here, she has learned the Barat word for goat and asks daily to see the goats.

Drying fish on the local soccer field.

Though we still live in the same city, this area on the outskirts feels very different, much more like a small village.

The majority of men are either fishermen or construction workers.

Women will sell fish, walking around with coolers or trays of fish, or lay them out to dry.  Once dried, the fish are sold in cities far away.

Squid and fish gifted to us.  

As we spend more time in this community, we are learning how relational and dependent they are on one another.  

If you need something, you ask, maybe indirectly, a neighbor or family member.  The request is often fulfilled without any qualms.  Your fulfilling the request is later answered either when you need something yourself or with a gift from the fruit of your or your husband's labor, as pictured above.  

There was a period of a couple weeks where I received more fish and squid then I knew what to do with.
I'm still learning the best way to prepare these items.

Evangeline holding a smoked fish.  

She loves fish about as much as goats. 

Though she knows both the English and national language word, she tends to use the national language word more often and get very excited when she sees fish up close.  

Evangeline with a little boy from down the street who is about 5 months younger.

Evangeline with my language helper's son. 

Evangeline has learned the names of many of the neighbor kids her age.

Literacy Program

Another regular activity has been the Literacy Program John started in coordination with the foundation he works for.

Every afternoon at 1pm, four young women teach grade school children to read.  The twenty or so children range from first to fifth grade.  Just last week a fluency element was added to help those who already can read or have just finished the literacy part.  

Aside from our daily activities, living in a community allows us to more easily participate in other events.  Shortly after moving here we experienced the holiday celebrating the birth of their most beloved prophet.  Though we have seen the celebrations before, the shape they took was just a little different in this tight knit community.

Whitman and Evangeline sitting on the horse a neighbor girl rode.

Children who finish reading their holy book all the way through celebrate on this holiday by riding a "dancing" horse in a parade.  The parade had at least twenty horse, each with two riders.  

Caedmon having a try.

Our neighbor who celebrated her accomplishment by riding in the parade.

She wore traditional clothing and her family prepared a meal for guests.

Whitman

An additional activity sponsored by the foundation John works for was an instructional course on deep sea diving safety.  John led an instructional meeting for about 6 fishermen.  The men travel to another island to deep sea dive to catch fish and collect Sea Cucumbers.  They typically stay on the island for two months, working, before they return to their families here in Barat.
 

John leading a Diving Safety Course

Though we settled pretty well into our new surrounding, we are still learning how to interact with those we live among and when and how to set boundaries.  Cultural differences seem so much more pronounced in this area.  Many little things we could never anticipate as we lead our lives so often from our own cultural up bringing's. 

Children come over, sometimes to play with Caedmon, Whitman, or Evangeline, but more often desire to play with all our toys.  Our screen doors have been an unexpected blessing in setting boundaries with children.  We have latches on the doors so Evangeline cannot leave on her own.  The latches also keep children out as they often come up onto our porch and just stand peering in at the doors and window.  I often feel bad not inviting children in, but if one or two are allowed to come in, it is quite rude to not invite in the rest, which sometimes reaches up to 20 kiddos.   

A load of children's books accidently washed.

One afternoon we left before the literacy teachers were finished.  We asked them to put the book in our washing machine, which though it is up stairs on our porch, it is outside.  We though this would protect the books from any unexpected weather or random children.  What we did not anticipate was the random children coming up on or porch and playing with the washing machine.  We returned home to find the washing machine finishing a spin cycle.  

Thankfully we could all laugh at the destroyed books, but it was a perfect example of how our culture led us to expect our porch to be a safe, private, personal place to store items.  So as we learn, we grow, which hopefully will lend us to become better communicators and friends in the future.