Rainy Season

Ever since Christmas day it has rained and rained.  Last week was the first time the sun actually made an appearance.  I (Erin) grew up in the Northwest and therefore am not bothered by the rain.  I have learned though that rainy season is much different then the wettness I am accustomed to on the west side of the mountains. 

Rainy Season means…

-Not only do things mold easily but randomly too.  I found in the past couple weeks a backpack, camara case, safely belt on Whitman’s highchair, and a T-shirt all growing mold.  All these items were in their usual places of storage and where not wet when put away.    
-It is naturally more humid here then our home in the States, but now a cracker left out turns to mush within a few hours. 

-The hand towel in the kitchen and others around the house seem to always be damp and clothes take longer to dry.  Thankfully we have space inside where we can hang clothes up. 

-Most rain comes without much thunder or lightening, but we do get a good share.  Last Friday was the first time Caedmon and Whitman actually slept in our bed with us.  The thunder was incredibly loud and the lightening so bright you were aware of it with your eyes closed.  In all honesty nobody actually slept; it turned out to be a very early start to our day. 

-Lastlly there is flooding.  All rain water empties into open street side gutters, which also carry away all our gray water.  These gutters are often only 1 foot deep and maybe 1 ½ feet wide. So when the gutters are full the water fills streets, homes and all our spaces available.  One of our tutors recently told us that her nieghboorhood often floods during rainy season.  To get home from work during a flood, she puts her motorcycle on a small motor boat on the edge of her nieghborhood.  The boat then takes her and her motorcycle to her front door.  New construction has caused these small boats to stop this service, thus causing our tutor to sleep over at a friend’s house when heavy rains flood her nieghborhood. 

Our backyard after a heavey rain

overflowing gutters after a rain

flooding only seems to slow people down, not stop them

Thus far, I am thuroughly enjoying this season.  The clouds and rain bring a small but noticeable decrease in temperature.  Though I will not say it gets cold as many locals would, it has made cold showers a little more challenging.

The Sick House

   In the local language 'hospital' literally translated is ‘sick house.’ I (Erin) have now spent 8 mornings at a local Hospital observing nurses and doctors.  The best way I can describe it is to imagine a hospital during the 1950s. 

   Now I know I wasn't even alive in the 1950's, but when I went through nursing school half of the practical learning was about how to use machines.  Machines that took measurements, machines that administered intravenous medications, and even machines that assisted in lifting or moving patients.  While I worked as a nurse my hospital transitioned to the use of computers for all patient information and charting.  Another big push during that time was infection control.  Patients were in single rooms, hand washing was monitored, and almost everything was disposable.  Now after hours at a local hospital I feel a need to go through nursing school all over again, in this country. 

   I’ve spent mornings on a general floor, mornings in the emergency room, and this morning on the children’s floor.  Everything seems so different.  The hospital itself it more like an open air hotel with covered walkways.  It is even common to see street cats wandering about.  There are different sections for patients.  A large room with at least 10 beds for self paying or governmental assistance patients.  Shared rooms with two beds for those with insurance, and private rooms for VIP or financially able patients.  All charting and patient information is done on paper.  Books like the picture below hold patient census information, medication records, and just about everything else except the actual patient chart.   

   Most things are done manually, from blood pressure to making balls from strips of cotton to soak with alcohol for alcohol wipes.  Intravenous medications are not run on pumps; the last time I had to figure out how many drips per minutes to set an IV bag was back in nursing school. 

   Even the procedures within a nurse’s scope of practice are different.  My first day in the emergency room I watched a nurse stitch a cut on a patient’s head.  My second day in the ER, I watched a nurse perform multiple circumcisions. (Side note: upon turning 12, boys here are circumcised; apparently you just walk into your local emergency room and ask for it.)  Neither procedure was covered by my schooling nor my license. In both cases the needles and extra string was saved to be sanitized and used for future stitching. 
   It has been a very valuable time for language and culture learning as well.  Most patient care is done by family members.  It is common for every patient to have at least two family members with them at all times.  Family members assist with bathing and toileting, bringing or preparing meals, and giving all pills.  They even retrieve all medications, IV bags and needles from the pharmacy and bring them to the nurses' station. 
   I have spent many days observing yet I feel I have only just began learning about the medical realm here.  The biggest struggle for me in any future role I may play will be balancing what I learned in the states with what is actually practiced here. 

McDonalds ran out of...

FRENCH FRIES!!!
How can McDonalds be out of french fries, that doesn't seem possible.  Aren't french fries one of the main menu items?  Well, even though we have McDonalds here, it is just a little different.  Last night John went out to dinner with friends, so to make it easy I (Erin) ordered McDonalds, yes they also deliver.  Shortly after completing my order I recieved a call to inform me my nieghborhood McD's was out of "large french fries."  I asked if I could order another size, but I was then informed they were out of "potatoes."  I couldn't believe it.  I'm not the biggest fan of McDonalds, but I can always enjoy the french fries. 
Familiar fast food chains can be so different in other places.  I smile when I see menu boards full of rice and fried chicken rather than burgers and french fries.  At KFC your food is served on 'real' (ceramic) plates, but napkins and silverware are hard to come by.  You can't even find napkin despensers next to the condiments, but don't worry there are sinks outside the bathrooms to wash your hands after eating. 
Differences pop up in the funniest of places.

Encouragement From Afar

Yesterday we received a couple packages in the mail.  One contained many goodies we've already started to enjoy.  The second contained letters, letters, and...
...more letters.  So many we didn't even try to count.  Wow, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You.  So many cards of encouragement from friends and family.  This Christmas was a very different one, we had a very nice time celebrating, but it wasn't quite the same.  It is so encouraging to know, and in a very concrete way, so many people are thinking of us and lifting us up!

Merry Chritmas & Happy New Year!

We were wished Merry Christmas & Happy New Year by many friends and neighbors, most adherents of the majority religion.  One such neighbor even brought over three large containers of cookies. 
 

cookie decorating with friends

Christmas eve we invited over one of our tutors and her two sisters for lunch and cookie decorating.  They really got into it, creating little works of art. 

Ever since our wedding, John and I (Erin) continue to discuss how to celebrate Christmas.  Now, more than ever before, we are struggling with how to teach our children the true reason we celebrate and also be a light to those we now live among.  If our decorations or our actions communicate something other than why we are celebrating Christmas, should we avoid those traditions all together?  This is our first Christmas overseas and I (Erin) was not ready to celebrate without some traditional decorations.  A quote from an article I recently read clearly expresses my feelings this year,

"Honestly, I am not sure what the celebration...should look like here. We are caught between our customs from home and the culture of the country in which we live."
 



With all that to say, we had a tree with lights, stockings, and red & green around the house.  As we continue to adapt I'm not sure what will return  in the following years and what may not. 

Christmas morning we unpacked stockings which I filled with candy and ornaments reflecting times of provision in our life.  We told the boys stories about each ornament and ate cinnamon rolls. 

 

 After breakfast we decorated a gingerbread house.  I wanted to do this a few weeks before Christmas, but the ants and humidity changed my mind.  After lunch the boys were allowed to eat the house, which they devoured rather quickly. 

 

We closed our celebrations on Christmas with singing Happy Birthday and eating birthday cake.  The boys each took one bite, then were done.  I think they were sugared-out.  

Christmas 2012

Christmas 2011, oh how they've changed

New years eve we spent at our tutor's house, with whom we decorated cookies earlier, and her family.  We ate dinner together and conversed, while the boys played and watched fireworks going off in the street from a second floor balcony.  I felt like I was living in a magazine article about unattended kids with fireworks.  There were at least a dozen kids on the street below.  For much of the time they stood there just looking at us or pointing at the white people who came to visit.  After it became dark the fireworks began.  Kids were lighting the fireworks themselves, occasionally throwing them at each other, and often picking them up rather quickly if they didn't go off.  Thank goodness no one was injured, but I was just waiting for something to happen.  We returned home a couple hours before midnight and all slept through the new year, with the exception of hearing many very loud fireworks for quite some time at midnight. 

Strange...or just different?

I, Erin, stopped for a moment to enjoy the beauty of this flower in our front yard.  Then it struck me: it’s December.  Everything inside of me wants to reject this truth.  If it is December, than it should be cold, all the sights and sounds should suggest the Holidays are coming, and flowers such as these definately should not be blooming.  This is just another example of how life as we previously knew it is different here. 

I know we are in a different country, I know there are only two seasons (dry and rainy), and I know there are many other differences.  But I am still surprised by the new things we encounter.  Just yesterday John looked out our back window to see a new animal in the back yard, a chicken had appeared.  Our backyard is a small area surrounded on ALL SIDES by walls at least 30 feet high.  How did this chicken arrive in our backyard?  A few months ago we had a similar incident with a cat.  We still don’t know how that happened; thankfully a friend carried the cat out.  This chicken on the other hand belongs to someone, but to who we do not know.  Caedmon and I tried asking people in the houses behind us.  At one, which houses a small restaurant, the lady said they did have chickens.  This was only after I clarified live chickens, not chicken to eat; it was a restaurant after all.  She said something about someone coming to see, but as no one stopped by last night I am sure I misunderstood her.  For all I know she didn’t understand me as I tried to explain the unexpected presence of a chicken in my backyard. 

Often I feel we are adapting well to this new culture, yet at other times all of the differences seem very evident.  Right now we have no idea what to do with this chicken.  Thankfully we have more insight than that for most of daily living here, but there is still a lot of adjusting to be done and definitely how to adjust in some areas is still uncertain.  One specific area is schedules.  Our neighbors are often outside when we are inside eating or getting ready for the day.  To what degree do we adjust and to what degree do we work with what we are use to.  As we learn language and culture we would like to become as much like this culture as possible to better relate to people here.  Yet we are still learning that balance as we cannot completely shed our own culture which is so deeply ingrained in us. 

Please be thinking of us as we continue to adjust. 

Nursing Opportunity #2

At least 4 months ago I (Erin) stated I would be seeking out a nursing volunteer position.  Yet since then I have not.  At the time I lacked confidence in my language ability and was quite unsure as to where (a local clinic or hospital) or even how to start.  Mostly though, I was just lazy.  Well, despite my laziness, I have been blessed with an opportunity to shadow nurses at a local hospital.  We are so thankful for this opportunity for many reasons, though mostly for the manner which it came about. 

John participated in a“Fun Bike” with some friends a week ago.  During this bike ride he met a gentleman who invited him to visit his office.  After learning the gentleman was the director of a local hospital, John mentioned I am a nurse.  The gentleman, hospital director, again invited John and now me to his office.  Three days later we visited the hospital director; with our boys in tow as well.  We had no idea what to expect, but hoped to explain my desire to learn medical terminology and just see how patients are cared for here.  As soon as we arrived at the hospital the Director called four other professionals in to meet with us as well.  One was the Nursing Director, another was a Nursing Supervisor for a specific area, and the other two where directors or heads also.  We chit-chatted a little, intermingled with some awkward silence.  By the end of the meeting I had communicated my desire to shadow and they invited me to come the following Saturday.  We then were taken on a tour of the hospital by the Nursing Director and Nursing Supervisor. 

The following Saturday I spent 4 hours at the hospital with the Nursing Supervisor and her fellow nurses.  Wow, what an opportunity.  I basically can come as often as I’d like, for how ever long I’d like and shadow the nurses.  During the Saturday morning visit I was able to visit patient rooms with the Nursing Supervisor, look at patient charts, and talk with the nurses on shift.  This whole opportunity came about by natural, local means.  John ‘happened’ to meet the Hospital Director.  The Director was the one to invite us to his office and offered me the opportunity to shadow.  Through it all we didn’t have to wonder if we were pursuing this in a culturally appropriate way as the locals were the ones leading. 

Lastly, we are thankful for the specific hospital.  It is relatively close to our house and is a pretty typical, simple hospital.  I hope this opportunity will expose me to the typical medicine practiced here and a great deal of vocab! 

Whitman is 2 years old!

Our youngest is now 2! Ever since his birthday on the 1st, Caedmon has proceeded to inform or remind people Whitman is now 2.  I can hardly believe it as well.  It certainly does not feel like December as we continue to experience, and don't expect any change of our 80-90 degree weather daily and don't see many signs of the upcoming Christmas Holiday. 
But the 1st of December arrived none the less.  We began our celebration of Whitman's birthday by eating cinnamon rolls for breakfast, complete with a candle. 

Then proceeded to open presents with grandparents via skype, what a treat that was, maybe more for all of us adults more then the boys.  Whitman frequently asked for help opening his gifts, which worked well with an older brother who was more then eager to help!

not sure how to start

finally sunglasses of his own

That evening we invited two familys over who both have kind of adopted us; taking us on out of town trips and including us in their family celebrations.  We ate homemade pizza and store bought cake to celebrate.  It was a really nice way to celebrate the 2 years of Whitman's life so far! 

A Daily Life Snapshot: The Differences.

There are obvious differences in our life since arriving, especially in weather, language and culture.  The following are a few of the smaller differences in our daily lives.  I, Erin, thought to highlight these because inside our home it seems pretty similar to what our life might look like in the States, except for:

-A water pump we run daily to fill a roof top tank.  Without the pump, water from the city will not flow through our pipes.  Our roof top tank allows us to run the pump only periodically.  The biggest difference is in remembering to run the pump.  At least twice now we have run out of water from the roof top tank in the middle of a shower.  What do you do when you are all soapy, out of water, and the pump is outside?

-A water filter we use for all our drinking water, and I don't mean a refrigerator pitcher you fill with water.  It takes some time to fill a gallon container but it is pretty hands off unless you let it over flow (done this a couple times too).

- Our most common form of transportation is a taxi, so now everytime a horn honks outside Whitman says, “taxi here mom” even if it is just the nieghbors.

-3 out of 4 of us now own motorcycle helmets.  The majority of people ride motorcycles, so we often have the opportunity as well if just one or two of us are going some where. 

John and Caedmon off to run an errand (on a friend's bike)

Caedmon is so excited to have his own helmet

-No sinks in our bathrooms, nor a bath tub.  Our boys still are not fans of taking showers, too much water in the eyes, so we have improvised with a not quite large enough tub.

-Cold showers; taken twice daily and still really enjoying them.  We don’t have a hot water heater, but we can’t imagine using one in this weather.   

-Mosquito lotion is more commonly used then regular hand lotion: daily before going outside and before bed.

-Baby powder is used more now then ever before by our family as our boys seem to have endless heat rashes.  Upon first arriving I wondered why local kids, in the mornings, often have a dusting of white powder on their faces. 

We are thankful that these differences have now become part of our lives.  I hope many of the bigger, cultural differences will soon become second nature to us as well!

3 weddings, 1 week!

Last week began with a weekend trip outside the city for a wedding.  We attended another in the middle of the week, then ended the week with yet another.  Our trip outside the city was with some neighbors.  We stayed with their grandmother in a traditional 'platform' house and were introduced to the local wedding culture.  The most traditional weddings, often those outside the city, include three different events.  The first night is for the bride or groom, separately, and at their respective homes or relative's home. 

1st event, with just the bride

The second event, usually the following day, is the actual ceremony that joins the couple in marriage.  The last event is a reception, often the night of the ceremony or the next day. 

tent set up outside home for all the wedding events

table with many sweet treats to enjoy before the ceremony

How do you even begin to explain a wedding that is so very different.  Everything from the outside, observable features to all the underlying unobservable aspects.  For our first wedding of the week we arrived late, just to miss the whole ceremony, but apparently this was not a big deal.  The ceremony often is held inside the bride's family's house, where there isn't enough seating for all the guests.  So guests either sit outside the house and wait, or are connected to the ceremony by a speaker and microphone.
For the second wedding, the ceremony was held in the couple's religious prayer house.  The third wedding was different yet, as the ceremony was held at a reception hall.  This was also the first ceremony we actually were able to watch.  The ceremony in all cases takes place between the groom and the brides father.  After the ceremony the groom, now husband, goes to see his now wife in her bed room.  They then come out to greet the world as husband and wife. 

Ceremony between groom and bride's family

Bride and Groom (3rd wedding attended) during reception

The reception is just as different.  For the whole time the couple sits upon the stage, standing to greet each guest as they walk by, then the couple sit again.  The guests on the other hand enjoy a buffet and often leave shortly after eating.  Therefore guests are coming to and going from the reception for hours. 

Bride and Groom (1st wedding attended) during the reception

We couldn't have arranged a more complete cultural experience ourselves, and all in a weeks time.  We learned so much and yet have only really scratched the surface of how marriage begins in this culture!

Results Are In!!!

No the election is still a week away, but on a personal note, my (Erin) CT scan came back with good news.  It showed a small ovarian cyst and possibly a lipoma, which is a small benign fatty growth.  The ovarian cyst can cause discomfort, but may go completely unnoticed, usually they resolved on their own.  Lipomas are common and often go unnoticed as well.  They can be removed, but usually are left alone unless causing discomfort or growing.  We are so thankful to have gotten a CT scan so easily and have a trusted friend from home that took a second look at them and gave us a clear and complete explanation, not to mention all in English.  I am feeling back to normal as well, not to mention at peace with the small lump I felt.  Why my symptoms resolved on their own after a couple weeks is still a little weird, but if related to the cyst it would make sense as symptoms often cycle with monthly cycles as well.  Thank you so much for thinking of me during this new experience.  The hardest part was knowing what to do in a place and culture we are still so unfamiliar with.  So thank you!

Think about Erin's mid-section!

Haha an unlikely request from her husband, I know. But this week she's been having some discomfort and ended up finding a couple of small lumps near her belly button. Obviously we have been a bit perturbed by all this, and decided to pursue getting a closer look which a CT scan might offer. But having never consulted a doctor in our city before, where to start?! We asked a friend for advice, and asked Him for wisdom on Sunday night (last night) and then this morning we were successful in finding a helpful doctor who, on his own initiative, suggested and ordered the CT scan this morning. She was able to be scanned immediately, but we won't know any results until tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon.
Before he ordered the CT scan, the doctor told Erin the lumps could very well be a couple of benign tumors, easily removed with a minor operation, and that they could well be causing this week's intermittent stomach discomfort. Obviously, we are hoping it's nothing more than that. So yes, you have my permission, so please do be thinking about Erin's mid riff.
Thank you for your role in our success here!

Our boys

Here's a little something (mostly for the grandparents) of what our boys have been up to:

A small tub of water to share, but when the big brother left, Whitman jumped right in!

finger painting for the first time

checking out a snail in our garden

playing outside, in the first real rain storm after at least 4 months, yeah for rain!

Language Learning

Here’s a quick look into the past 5 ½ months.  We have been pouring as much time as possible into language learning.  Some days are completely overwhelming, “how am I (Erin) ever going to remember all these words.”  “How in the world am I ever going to sound like a local?”  And yet, when I look at how far we have come and the degree to which I can communicate, I am very encouraged.  Often people comment, “Isn’t this an easy language to learn?”  If they only knew. 

Actually this language is very easy to learn, especially in comparison with many neighboring countries and actually in comparison with English too.  The hard part is the grammar structure is so different then what we’re used to.  Here’s a taste of what we’ve been learning:

-The verbs do not have a past, present or future tense, so you have to use a word like ‘already,’ ‘will,’ or a time word, like ‘yesterday.’ So you end up with: Yesterday I eat rice. 

-There are a large number of prefixes and suffixes, so, many of the words sound very similar as all active form verbs start with the same two letters. 

-We have been encouraged to learn phrases or the meaning behind the words, not just the literal translation.  I am reminded of this when I encounter words like kiss and smell, which are the same.  To live, stay, leave behind, and die are all from the same root word, changed only by the prefixes and suffixes used. 

Other fun language things:

-combining the words mix and stir turns it into blend.

-There are at least four words associated with rice: rice field, unhusked rice, uncooked rice, and cooked rice are all different words.  Try explaining this to a four year old who wants to know the word for rice, then proceeds to use it and correct me when I use a different word for the uncooked version. 

-Spicy as in spicy food is the same word to explain the feeling of medicine in a cut or sunscreen in the eyes. 

We’ve made some incredible progress, but we still have a ways to go!

The grass is ALWAYS green on the other side!

A common belief in the States is: Tan is Beautiful.   People will lay out in the sun for hours to become darker or spend money on one of many alternative methods to achieve darker skin.  There are even special swim suits that allow the sun to darken the skin it covers.  This is not the case here.  Almost every beauty product, lotion, make-up, and even deoderant, advertises ‘whitening properties.’  People here cover up under the sun; carrying umbrellas or putting on jackets when going out into the 90 degree weather.  We have yet to see any locals laying out on the beach, yet we live in a coastal city.  As most locals desire lighter skin, like ours, I (Erin) find myself still desiring darker skin like theirs. 

In another area of life: the traditional style toilet here is a ‘squat toilet.’ These are common in homes and many public places.  ‘Sit’ toilets have become common now a days too, but the ‘squat toilet’ is the most familiar and often more comfortable for locals.  In public restrooms are often accompanied by signs clearifying how they should be used. 

A tutor of ours moved rental homes because her first rental place didn’t have a ‘squat toilet,’ which was preferred by her parents when they visited.  I recently came across an aritcle about a new product out in the States, a special stool that fits tightly around the toilet replicating the squating position used with a ‘squat toilet.’  Apparently people don’t know there are plenty of ‘squat toilets’ still in production and for sale here.  It sounds like a new wave in the States; people choosing the squating position instead of sitting.  I wish I could jump on that band wagon as I have more then enough opportunities here.  I find my cultural upbringing is still too strong within me as I still like a nice tan and choose a ‘sit toilet’ over any other. 

With all this to say it just strikes me how people almost half the world apart still want what the other has, even if they don’t realize it.  

Our Boys

watching Elmo's World

This morning, unprompted by us, our boys began a conversation of their own in the local language (in blue). 

Whitman, “Hi brother, How are you?”

Caedmon, “Just fine, and you?”

Whitman loudly with enthusiam, “just fine.”



watching movies with a friend

Then not more then an hour later Whitman comes up to me (Erin) to let me know he has a full diaper, then he procedes to say “change diaper” in the local language.  This was the first time he ever notified me he needed a diaper change not to mention it was in the local language. 

Our boys amaze us every day with what they have learned and remember!  We have been taught to learn language ‘like a child’ is the best method.  We are seeing it in action everyday!