Tropical Paradise

Happy New Year! 

And maybe, hopefully, another year here too!  We just heard that our much awaited recommendation from the Social work office is finished.  This letter authorizes John to be a social type worker in this country.  We thankfully had a friend in the capital willing to pick it up and take it to the next stop along the journey, the Work Force office.  We now await a letter from that office for the Immigration office which will recommend a work visa be issued for John.  As far as we know this is the last step before actually moving to the immigration office.  The rest of this should now take about 8-10 weeks which would put us exactly at the end of our current social-cultural visas.  As always we will see and just keep trusting in the mean time.

 

We hope you all rang in the New Year with thankfulness for all the blessings of last year and the hope of another year.  We had a pretty low key celebration.  I, Erin, made pizza with a few neighbor girls, we all set off fireworks at about 9pm, and then we sat the boys down for a movie.  We were all in bed by midnight and just listened to other fireworks set off from bed.  

The next night proved to be louder and more lively than New Year's Eve, on our street at least.  Many of our neighbors are police officers.  Two of them recently received promotions.  To celebrate they rented speakers and a karaoke machine, cooked food, and celebrated well past midnight.  Their party didn't really get going until 9pm. 

Promotion Party
Our house is the last on the left, after the tall orange/brown house.

The party, like most events, was held outside.  It is usually cooler outside at night and of course there is much more room.  This also led to a lot more noise.

 

Karaoke



Tan lines in January

Unlike some people, we did not travel over the holidays, yet we (Caedmon and I anyway) have some significant tans lines.  We did not travel to the tropics because we live in the tropics.  I am constantly learning, as are people around the world, "...what it is to be content whatever the circumstances."  We definitely "know what it is to have plenty..." as the dollar goes far here and we are surrounded by people living with so much less.  Yet because we are living in a place so different than the culture we were shaped by it is challenging.  It is hot, we are still learning how to interact with others, processes don't run as we are use to, and it is a very relationally oriented culture.  So as we start a new calendar year and hope for a new year-long visa, I aim to keep my eye on things eternal and be thankful for the beauty around us, because after all we can go to the beach everyday and it is Mango and Durian season (don't knock it till you try it). 

A Merry Day!

    Each week this month I’ve made a different holiday cookie and other festive treats.  I learned to make Eggnog from scratch, gingerbread made with fresh ginger is delicious, melted palm sugar is a good molasses substitute, 1 pineapple is the equivalent to 6 cups puree (for the drink Wassail) and that some cookies just do not taste as good made with margarine (Mexican Tea cakes).  For the rest of our celebrations we stayed in Barat and as always, tried to be intentional.  We did some decorating, but kept it simple.  In hopes of not fitting into the common western view of the holiday we did not get a tree, though we would not have found one here in Barat anyway.  Most view a tree as a significant part of the ‘western’ holiday.  Some may understand it is a decoration, but one man believed it to be an idol put up by adherents of that particular belief system to worship. 

     The week before the boys made a gingerbread house.  We had closed it up afterwards in a Tupperware to keep out of the humidity until Christmas day. 

 

 

 

Brothers working together!

No shirt needed as it was hot as usual!

The finishing touches. 

Christmas eve we invited neighbors and a group of teachers from around the country over for pizza.  A few of our neighbors had never eaten pizza before. 

 

Packed into our house.
These 20-year-olds are part of a organization that sends willing individuals out to teach for a whole year
in underdeveloped areas. 

They all speak English well, so we followed dinner with a game of Taboo in English.

Christmas morning we talked about blessings in our lives and what happened 2014 years ago.  Thanks to technology we also Skyped with family.  The rest of the day we spent relaxing and watching related movies.  I made a traditional meal with the ingredients available here.  It was the first time I made stuffing all by myself (I barely remembered to make bread the day before).

Though it didn’t look too similar to what we grew up with, and I do miss some of that, it was a very nice holiday as we are still able to focus on the real reason even though we are far away from our usual traditions. 

Caedmon and Whitman

Our tree with ornaments for specific blessings in our lives.

Complete with a piñata.
We have emphasized the holiday as a birthday, which the boys completely understand. 
So as our recent birthday celebrations have included piñatas, it seemed only right to include a star piñata!

Our Spread
Roasted chicken, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans. 

And a birthday cake!

Hope yours was a VERY MERRY one as well!

End of the Semester

For an end of the semester event, the boy’s school planned a field trip and activities at the beach.  The students were all shuttled from school to the beach, along with parents without transportation, in cars of willing parents.  We arrived at a nice area of the beach designated for events.  Each student was involved in one of many contests.  There was drawing, painting, arranging 4 Arabic characters in alphabetic order, a ball toss, filling baskets with balls, and finally a tug-of-war.  Following the contests were snacks and prizes.  Each student, regardless of their performance, received a prize.  It was fun for the kids to do something different and for John and I to interact with parents. 

Whitman with classmates

Caedmon with classmates

waiting for their individual activities

announcements and directions from a teacher

Whitman preparing for the ball contest.
He had to run to the pile then run back to his basket to fill it as much as he could in three tries.

Running!
They gave the kids a couple tries, the second time they got more into it!

Caedmon took part in the tug-of-war.

Tug!
Some parents got more into it than the kids.

So Relieved to Find

...a cockroach!

(Never thought I'd say that.)

 

I recently have been noticing small droppings in our dish and dry goods cupboard.  At first, I passed it off as gecko droppings as these are found all over, even streaking down the wall (yuck, I know).  Then I decided to give the cupboard a good cleaning.  I proceeded to find a rather significant area of droppings just behind our plates.  Blaming the geckos immediately flew out the window and I began to very begrudgingly suspect a mouse.  Thus far we have been mouse/rat (same word in the language here) free, thankfully.  A neighbor just yesterday was complaining about doing dishes and said she waits until they pile up, or the rats appear. 

Suspecting a mouse/rat I carefully started moving everything to coax it out of hiding.  Something moved, then I saw a cockroach.  I coaxed him out of the cupboard and sprayed the heck out of him with bug spray, which is a funny thing because it takes a couple minutes for them to be affected so they just keep running around.  I went to bed that night concerned the mouse was still on the loose until John googled images for... cockroach droppings.  Who knew cockroaches leave droppings similar to mice, yet there are distinct differences.  I am very thankful to now know the difference between mouse and cockroach droppings.  The verdict: We are still mouse/rat free!

A Rare Morning

On the 15th of each month at the boy's school, there is a parent get together.  Material related to parenting and child rearing is presented, then door prizes are drawn, and a monetary lottery occurs.  Last month I was asked to present regarding health & children.  It was an incredible opportunity to share about general practices such as hand washing and covering your mouth when coughing or sneezing.  I spent the first half just talking about germs and their transmission as so many sicknesses are seen as the cause of weather changes, "wind entering your body" (literally translated), or some spiritual craftiness.  I'm sure I probably only scratched the surface and presented such a different view it only sunk in so deep for some.

This past Monday, a teacher presented on gross and fine motor skills followed by a fashion presentation.  A fellow mom presented on various ways to wear a heading covering.  Here, there are various reasons, times, and ways woman wear head coverings.  The default answer is because it is required by their belief system. 

To start, the presenter asked for a volunteer.  You, guessed it... I, Erin, quickly raised by hand.  Almost three years here and I still have not learned how to put one on.  I also knew all the other, 50 plus mothers, would get the biggest kick out of the westerner being dressed in a head covering.  Many laughed, smiled, and said, "Oh yes it will look prettier on her."  To which I joked, "But my nose looks so big."  Which brought more laughter because of course they love my big nose.  A few people commented that I looked middle eastern. 

Wearing a Ninja (not translated)
Most wear this or a version that just covers the head, to pin the outer covering to. 

Style 1

Style 2

Style 3

Style 4 - Party Style

It turned out not to be the best way for me to learn, though a friend videoed the whole thing, but it sure was a great deal of fun!  Though I'm not required to wear one by the authorities here, we have discussed it in the context of "becoming all things to all people," and I'm getting use to how my nose and prominent eyebrows look! 

Souvenir Making

Souvenirs are a large part of the culture in this country, but key chains and magnets are not the common items.  Any time a person goes on a trip, friends, family, and neighbors at home expect (to some degree) to be bought a souvenir.  The most common souvenirs are fruit and small packaged food such as candy or snacks.  I, Erin, am still trying to figure out whom to buy for and the acceptable quantity.  Often when we return home from at trip we are asked by neighbors, "When did you return? Where is my souvenir?"  Even neighbors from the other side of our complex.

We recently had the opportunity to visit some locals who make a souvenir type candy unique to Barat.  It is one of our favorites.  It is a gooey treat made from palm sugar, coconut, and either uncooked sticky rice or peanuts.   

Whitman fell asleep on the ride there. 
Our hosts quickly grabbed a blanket and pillow as we began to lay him on the floor. 

Wrapping it up.
The prepared candy is spooned into dried banana leaves (left), then folded up (right). 

John and I having a try.
Wrapped up it lasts for at least a month.  Maybe more if you can keep the ants away. 

Palm sugar being boiled down. 

Coconut husks are used as fuel for the fire. 

This man was excited to have his picture taken with us AND his bike. 

Great start to the day!

It has been cloudy and rainy all morning making for about 80 degree weather instead of low 90s.  It is beginning to look a little like the upcoming Holiday at our house.  And drinking Pumpkin spice tea from a recent package.  Enjoying it all!

A recent home made wreathe. 
No evergreens in our town, though we have seen them in other areas of the island - at higher elevations. 

Celebrations!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

We drove to the big city on Wednesday, the most traveled day of the year... in the States anyway.  We made it in a record 6 hours as we cut out our lunch stop to enjoy Pizza Hut on our arrival!  There is a fairly large expat community in the big city.  This was a blessing while we lived there; sharing stories of life overseas, advice on how to live/work here, and items from the Sates when we received packages.  So on Thursday we joined 4 other families and a handful of singles to celebrate Thanksgiving.  It was a great time of sharing the things we are thankful for, singing and just good old time with friends.  Then there was the food!  We had turkey, potatoes, gravy, rolls, cranberries, green beans, and pie!  Thankfully our host succeeded in getting one of two turkey's left in the whole city.  Turns out it was from last year...frozen and just as good!  The cranberries too were in short supply.  Two cans were all that was found by multiple people.  I made pumpkin and at last pecan pie.  I bought whipping cream as well.  While I whipped it up it seemed a little different than I expected, getting firm quickly and not evenly.  We stuck it in the fridge until dessert time.  When we took it out it had harden, looking like very white butter.  Thankfully it tasted great and was smooth and soft in your mouth. 

The boys were great travelers in the car!
Being silly and mimicking what they see around them: looking for lice...none found!
 

Garbage can in Wendy's at the mall.

 We spent Friday shopping and enjoying the city.  As we walked through the mall the boys kept asking, "Is it Christmas already?" due to the various decorations (which where few and far between, especially compared with what we are use to).  John and I even went on a date while the boys played at a friends house!  It was a really nice way to spend the Holiday. 

Our four year old. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

 On Monday we celebrated Whitman's birthday.  We started with cinnamon rolls and presents before school. 

The much asked for present. 
I'm not sure where he got the idea for a dartboard.  Thankfully we found a nice magnetic one at Ace Hardware in the big city.  Ace is the westerners place to shop... it has SO MUCH more than just tools.

 

Not sure what to think. 
The box was from a French press.  He kept saying he doesn't like coffee. 

Swinging at a piñata. 
In the afternoon we celebrated with neighbors.  Playing with water balloons and regular ones.



Batman and Whitman
Thanks to the warm weather we were able to make a piñata the day before his birthday. 

Neighbors waiting for turns with the piñata.

Then we ate cake!

Being sung to.

 

Blowing at the candles.

Whitman is moving into being four very quickly.  At one point during the day, after picking his nose, he said, "I didn't eat it because I'm four now." 

Plumbing

When we moved into our house in May we used water from a well provided by the complex.  Two months ago we had city water hooked up, which is river water pumped in by the city.  The pump only runs from about 2-12pm, so we also had a water tank installed.  In the morning we close the city water pipe and open the pipe from our tank.  In the afternoon, we open the city water pipe again and close the tank pipe.  So far we have had a reliable water supply and a lot better pressure as compared with the complex water.  A few weeks ago though, a pipe under our sink where the water enters the house, broke as soon as we turned on the high pressure city water.  Thankfully we were without water for only about 12 hours. 
Last week a pump in our complex broke leaving many of our neighbors (those still with complex water) completely without water for days.  We left the complex water hooked up to our house but just shut off, resulting in an ability to share our water with neighbors because as soon as we open the valve connecting us to the complex and leave our city water pipe or tank pipe open that water runs right out to the complex, even quicker if there isn’t anywater pressure in the complex pipes.  Thankfully we figured this out before unintentionally leaving the complex water pipe open. 



Under the back kitchen window:
pipe from city on left, pipe from our tank on right.

Gray pipe from the city, white pipe from the complex; only semi-buried.

Our water filter is now usable with the increased water pressure!

Under the kitchen sink:
water comes into the house goes up to the sink or down to the bathroom.  The hoses go to the washing machine and water filter.  The large pipe is the kitchen drain which was recently renovated as the old drain (see covered up pipe on floor) was draining poorly.

 

Water tank:
usually lasts a couple days, depending on laundry!

On another note we started having toilet problems last week.  We have a sit toilet, but not a self flushing toilet.  I freely admit we have been throwing toilet paper down the toilet since moving in.  Most people here don’t use toilet paper but no one has ever said not to throw it down the toilet.  But as our toilet started draining very slowly last week we stopped putting TP in the toilet.  This didn’t seem to help, so John bought some powdered chemical.  Each time we used it, the toilet improved but never really returned to  normal.  After 3 times John used another chemical recommended at a hardware store.  This chemical seemed to burn everything in the toilet and fill the bathroom with smoke, not to mention a very foul smell.  That night John left for the capital city.  The next morning the toilet was still full and would not drain at all.  My husband was gone and there is no phone book in which I could look for a plumber.  Thankfully it was Sunday meaning most of our neighbors were at home.  Our neighbor Ryan didn’t have a number for a plumber but took his motorcycle out to look for advertisements posted on trees, walls, poles, etc.  Finally after  talking to a friend of his he found a phone number.  Everyone suspected the septic tanks was full so first I tried to touch basis with the landlords, a phone number only John had.  Thanks to cell phones John could be reached, though our landlords could not.  In the end I called a plumber, who had to come from an hour away, but thankfully only had to plunge the toilet with an electric pump-like machine.  On a funny language note, the word everyone used to empty the septic tank was the verb form of a ‘straw,’ as used for drinking.  So the plumber ‘straws’ the septic tank, not ‘sucks out’ which is a different word. 
Some of these house difficulties are due to the fact we are renting, the others are due to a very different way of doing things!
I have to keep telling myself this is an adventure not an ordeal (which a loving aunt reminded me the only difference between the two is my attitude!)