One Year!!!

I, Erin, cannot believe it has already been ONE WHOLE YEAR.  I remind myself that we each have celebrated a birthday here, experienced both Christmas and Easter here, and can actually carry on a conversation in the local language.  Yet, it is still hard to believe.  We are so grateful for all the provisions we’ve received and all the many ways we have adapted.  We are definately more than half way through our language and culture study.  We've had a couple of colds, but otherwise have remained healthy, even avoiding stomach sicknesses which are common here!  Amidst having a family, John and I have also been able to average over 40 and 25 hours of study, respectively, each week. 
I remember within our first few months in country I yearned for the one year mark, hoping I would be more comfortable and use to the culture.  Well, we have reached that one year mark and I can say we are more use to the culture.  Yet, at the same time it truly takes immersion into a new culture to realized just how deep our home culture runs.  These deep down aspects of our home culture, that are so ingrained in us, are still, after a year, occasional areas of tension.  Here are a few examples:

I did not realize how much I relied upon the changing of seasons to feel as if time has passed.  It truly is hard for me to believe it has been a year because the weather has barely changed.  Yes we have experienced an entire dry season and rainy season; but the weather has not turned cold, leaves have not changed colors and fallen, nor has my wardrobe seen any change.  I admit to being quite surprised as to how much my time orientation depended on the change of seasons. 

With two active boys it is really nice to get out of the house and let them run around.  I am still, at times, at a loss as to where to take them.  We live in a quiet complex so playing in the street in front of our house works well, but kicking or throwing a ball often ends with me fishing it out of the gutter and washing off the black slime.  This has caused me to rarely suggest taking balls out front.  A park or a play ground would be a wonderful destination for this type of activity, but they just don’t seem to exist here.  There are small play grounds associated with kindergartens, but these are difficult to use while school is in session. 

playground at a kindergarten

play place at the mall

The other alternative is play places in the mall.  We frequently visit these places as they provides a good place for active play, but they aren’t quite like play places I’m use.  Sometimes toys are broken and the carpets look rather dingy.  The hardest aspects of these play places are the other parents that want to take photos of our boys.  They insist on sitting their children down next to ours to snap a picture, all the while our boys just want to play. 

Another culture difference I am still adjusting to is friends who drop by unannounced.  This requires a large deal of flexibility.  A simple statement such as, “Oh we are about to sit down to eat,” doesn’t carry any of the meaning I am use to it carrying in my own culture.  I am still learning how to politely refuse.  Such as when we are the guests at a friend’s home, we are served tea and sometimes snacks and it is common for the hostess to keeping encouraging us to eat and drink.  My culture causes me to interpret this very differently, so to correctly understand their meaning I have to consciously remind myself they are being polite and making sure I am well served. 

We have adjusted to so many aspects of the culture that it is hard to remember many of them.  Yet we are still adjusting and learning how to become more and more like the locals.  It is very easy to compare all we experience here with what is ‘normal’ in our home culture, yet this isn't always helpful.  Therefore, I am frequently reminded by one who went before us who said, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation.”

And so with that we enter into our second year of learning to communicate and live like locals!

The Immigration Office

Monday we visited the immigration office as the last step to getting our visas in hand.  We are so thankful for how it went.  When we arrived there were at least 15 people waiting outside and another 25 inside.  We used an agent to manage and collect all our paperwork.  So as soon as we met the agent, we were shown into a room to have our pictures taken and be finger printed.  Then we were free to go.  The boys where amazing.  Last year neither wanted their pictures taken and many tears were shed.  This year Caedmon wouldn’t even let me in the room with him, he wanted to do it all by himself.  He was also quite disappointed when they didn’t need his finger prints.

 

On another thankful note, we just renewed our rental contract on our house for another year.  We had been in negotiations with our landlords for a few weeks.  We had seen four houses in the mean time and found nothing as nice as our current house.  There was one small house which would have been very nice, but the size would have made it difficult to have visitors stay the night.  Our rent was raised slightly, but still within our budget and still a steal for the house, furniture, and location.  We are thanking Him!!!

On our way home, it had rained for ~24 hours

It is now April

Our visas expired on Sunday, March 31st, but THANKFULLY our new visas are in!  Thank you for lifting up the last couple of steps for our visas to be finalized!  What those last steps were I am still unclear about, but it did not necesitate a trip out of the country!  The four of us will visit the immigration office on Monday to get a set of pitures taken, sign the paperwork and leave with our visas in hand.  We couldn’t be happier about this seamless transition in obtaining official permission to study for a second year!

Easter Ruined by Rain

     The life we celebrate on Easter could never be spoiled, yet yesterday’s rain significantly impacted my (Erin’s) intended celebration.  It seems rainy season has finished, much to my dismay, as yesterday’s rain was the first in at least two weeks.  It was also the first time since arriving I wished it would stop. 

decorations made at the morning celebration

Our day began with a celebration at a local service.  After a simple lunch at home, John went out with a friend, while I studied and the boys rested.  After naps, John and our friend picked us up for a trip to the mall.  We spent a couple hours at the mall conversing with a family introduced to us by our friend.  This family wanted us to meet their 14 year son so he could practice his English and learn more about attending college in the States, he will graduate high school this year (much ahead of the average student).  In this culture relationships are a higher priority than time, so I didn’t really know when we’d return home.  Fortunately we returned home shortly after 5pm.  For a special dinner I planned hamburgers, watermelon, potato salad, and pie for dessert.  Not our traditional Easter meal by any means, but I was going for something special, relatively easy, and of which all the ingredients could be found.  When we arrived home I decided to forgo the pie and just focus on dinner.  I took out the hamburger to make patties, turned on the stove, and then heard the sound of our padlock knocking on our gate. 

When people stop by they either knock our padlock against the gate and say ‘good afternoon,’ or if it is another kid they will yell Caedmon’s name (even if they aren’t here to see Caedmon).  I was mentally not prepared to receive guests, nor appropriately dressed.  When we arrived home I quickly changed into a tank top, which didn’t match my skirt mind you.  The culture here is very modest in their dress.  Even those not of the majority religion usually wear pants or skirts down to their knees and keep their shoulders covered, even more so when going out.  Upon hearing there were guests at the gate I quickly found a shirt to put on and went out to meet them. 

When someone stops by it is polite to invite them in, regardless of what you are doing.  It is also polite to serve them tea and a small snack.  I really wanted to be making dinner, but we invited them in and thankfully had some cookies to offer them.  Shortly after arriving it started to rain, hard!  They rode a motorcycle to our house and were going to head on to another friends’ shortly, but the rain postponed their departure.  It is a struggle to remain flexible in these times.  My expectations for the evening of a special meal, maybe another conversation about Easter with the boys, and John and I relaxing together after putting the boys down where spoiled.  Now with guests in my house I was trying to stay calm, engage in conversation and figure out how to do what was best for two hungry boys who likely would turn into puddles of tears at 7pm.  At a lull in the conversation I went to the kitchen to butter a hamburger bun, peel some eggs and pour some milk for the boy’s dinner.  Afterwards John put the boys to bed and our guests decided to brave the rain at about 7:30p.  John and I then ate potato salad and watermelon for dinner while checking the college basketball tournament scores.  It was a great opportunity for practicing language and developing relationships, which is our main goal right now, but it wasn’t the Easter I expected!

Potato salad and watermelon for dinner, and not dressed for guests!

Fish Crackers

 

I (Erin) was very excited to find these crackers.  I thought they would be a great, not to mention, fun, snack for the boys, especially as many of the crackers here are rather sweet.  The boys too were very excited for fish crackers, though I’m pretty sure they don’t remember Goldfish from the States.  We brought them home and immediately opened them up. When I first tasted them I was a bit disappointed.  They tasted as if they were flavored with onion, but with a bit of a twist which I can’t quite explain.  I love sour cream and onion chips and onion in most anything, but these crackers where just different enough I did not like them.  The boys on the other hand love them and just keep eating them.    

Street side seller of durian, which you can smell as you pass by

 

Yesterday we found out they are durian flavored crackers.  It all makes sense now.  I recently had the opportunity to try durian fruit, for it is the height of durian season.  It had been made into a spread, but I would bet the flavor was the same regardless.  I explained to John it tasted like something sweet with an oniony or garlicky hint to it.  Remember the hint of onion in the fish crackers with a slight twist…durian, that was it!  Yes durian is a fruit and has a sweetness to it, yet there is another very different flavor.  People say you either love it or hate it, nothing in between.  Some public buildings, such as hotels and hospitals have rules against bringing the fruit in as it has a very strong odor (odor not fragrance) even with its thick peel on.  I will politely pass on any other offers of durian as it is a very strange flavor. 

I bought the fish crackers for the boys, so as long as they like them it doesn’t matter the flavor.  

Visas were approved!

Prior to arriving in country, we obtained permission to stay for a year as students.  At the end of the year, which is unbelievably only a month away (April 18th) we have to leave the country or have already obtained new visas.  We started the paperwork in January.  It mostly consists of forms to fill out, passport type photos to obtain, and a lot of waiting.  We just heard our visas, for another whole year as students, were approved!  Thank you for lifting us up!  Apparently we still have a few more steps until we have them in hand and are 100% legitimate; these consist of handing over all our passports and current visas to a gentleman who takes them to the immigration office with additional paperwork from the University, and later sets up a time for us to visit immigration as well.  Basically he does all the leg work for us!  As our new visas will be the same type and were approved prior to the expiration of our current visas, we do not have to leave the country to obtain them, as long as we still get them in hand prior to the end of our 'year'.  Thank you again for lifting us up!

No tank, but water!

After only two days with a very finicky, broken pump, our landlord obtained a replacement sensor.  Our pump is fixed and working very well.  We still do not have a new tank, but as long as the pump continues working we have water in all our pipes and coming out of all our facets, whenever they are turned on!

Our buckets are back to being make-shift sinks

SO THANKFUL...for water!

A few weeks ago our water tank began leaking profusely.  Our landlord first tried to patch the large cracks in the bottom, but soon found it was not possible.  Since then we have been without a water tank.  Thankfully this has not been much of a problem until yesterday. 

view from our second floor - across the street

      As you can see many roof tops possess water tanks.  These tanks are for storing water from the city which runs to most households and buildings.  (Side note: most homes outside cities use wells)  Not all households have these tanks.  If you have a tank you need a pump, which pumps water from the city into the tank.  The water pressure from the city is minimal, so people often have a pump even without a tank.  Those that don’t are at the mercy of the city water flow.  In our house for example the city water pressure is never enough to get water to our second floor.  There are times during the day when water pressure is so low it doesn’t even trickle out of our down stairs facets.  Therefore a pump is very helpful.  During the dry season there are water shortages that can limit water access as well.  Therefore a tank is also very helpful.     

Our water tank, next to its stand on our roof

Since our tank broke our pump has been directly connected to the water line, turning on when ever we turn on a facet, and then turning off again by itself.  Yesterday the pump didn’t turn on.  First we thought the water from the city was too low causing our pump not to be able to pump anything at all.  After a whole morning without water we began to wonder and contacted our landlord.  Twice throughout the day the pump kicked on, so we quicley filled up as many buckets as we could.  Throughout the rest of the day we washed dishes, flushed toilets and bathed using water from these buckets.  Today our landlord determined there is a problem with a sensor in the pump.  So until he can get a replacement part we go out back, hit the pump, jostling the sensor and it kicks on!

I am so thankful this didn’t happen earlier in our time here.  Though we are continuing to adjust to life here, I feel we have adjusted to certain areas that made our water issue yesterday much easier to deal with. 

our bathroom: no sink, no separate shower, but usually a regular flush toilet

Most bathrooms here are a tiled room without a sink or separate shower.  Often it is a squat toilet or non-flushing toilet.  So a large bucket full of water with a ‘dipper’ is a common sight This water is used for washing yourself after going to the bathroom (toilet paper is rare as well), flushing the toilet, and showering.  (modern bathrooms with automatic flush toilets usually have a sprayer next to the toilet, see picture above).  Since moving in we’ve used all the buckets more like sinks; catching our used water to be drained carefully and maintain a relatively dry floor.  Though not my preferred method, I wasn’t too bothered yesterday by flushing with a bucket or showering by the cupful.  It still caught me off guard every time I went to wash or even just rinse my hands…no water from the tap.  Through it all I was so thankful we still had water regardless of how we had to access it and amazed at how we have actually grown accustomed to some cultural aspects of life here. 

Do you have any pets?

     We were recently asked this question by a friend in the States.  No we do not have any pets, but we do have various other vermon with whom we share our residence.

First we have ants.  We have seen at least 5 different types.  There are red ones, black ones, big ones and small ones.  Some bite, others don’t.  Then there are some that are so tiny and move so quickley they seem to appear and disappear just like that.  If we miss a crumb on the floor, the ants quickley show us where we left it.  No matter how hard we try to keep things clean and no matter how much bug spray we use, there they are. 

Then there are the small gekos that inhabit our house.  These we see mostly at night or early in the morning.  These lizards are actually kind of cute; until I noticed they seem to leave small dropping on my kitchen counter, dishes in the drying rack, and even a book left out on the counter.  We have found out these small lizards help manage the cockroaches, which we see mostly after return home from a few nights away.  So I’m willing to put up with the lizards (and their little messes) if it helps keep the coackroaches at bay. 

lizard on our dinning room wall

    Outside there are many street cats.  I have yet to meet one person that actually owns a cat as a pet.  The boys are very interested in these cats.  Seeing where they sleep, scrounge for food, and their sickly appearance we have taught the boys to LOOK only.  I (Erin) have come see they too have a purpose: managing the rat population.  Yes, if we are out early or at night we occasionally see a small, gray creature return to the gutter. 
     Occassionally we have seen dogs as pets, but this is rare.  Dog meat on the otherhand is common about 200 miles north of us.  We have had the opportunity to try it.  Interesting, but kind of tough and wild.

In our front garden there are frogs and snails, which both seem harmless and fun to look at, so far anyways. 

snail shells from those common in our yard

one of many frogs in the front year

      In our backyard, again at night, there are bats that like to dive in and out of our yard.  They have a pretty loud squeeking that accompanies their flying.  We have gotten use to their noise and haven’t experienced any other negative effects from them. 

The most recent vermon in our lives are worms.  This is where it gets gross.  A friend suggested we take anti-worm medication every six months just because intestinal worms are easy to pick up here.  We decided to follow this advice after seeing small red worms in the boys bath water, after they finished bathing.  The medication is just a one dose administration, but after a week there were still worms in the bath water.  It turns out these worms were actually in our water tank.  Only after our water pump stopped working and we emptied our tank completely, did we notice that the worms and also mosquito larvae had been coming out of the bathroom facet.  A friend advised us this can happen if you don’t regularly empty your tank, which we hadn’t been doing.  Recently we discovered a large crack in our tank which may have allowed the initial entry of the worms. 

So, in summary, we do not have any pets, intentionally any way. 

A Week in Pictures

Whitman was mostly being silly, recently though he has been running around without pants as he is in the process of potty training.  When people drop by we often grab the nearest thing to cover him up, like his blanket.  Most locals will wear a sarong around the house, so Whitman, along with many of our friends think he's pretty cute in his own little sarong. 

 

Brothers in matching pajamas, each with their own "blue blanket."  Most mornings they lounge around in pajamas, drinking milk and watching cartoons (in the local language)!

 

The majority of locals celebrate their most important prophet's birthday by filling large baskets with food and decorations like those held by Caedmon and Whitman.  These decorations are filled with dyed hard boiled eggs.  Apparently it is common to celebrate for a month or two.  The actual holiday was last month, yet our neighbor just dropped these off for the boys last week.

Whitman finally has a head of hair!

 

Digging in the backyard where the grass won't grow!

Watching the clouds where the grass is really growing!

Powdered milk is the most common form sold here.  We tried a different brand this week and boy does it make a great milk mustache!

Families

Five days a week our host mom exercises with neighbors.  They gather at 7 in the morning to walk ten laps around a small cement court in the middle of the nieghborhood, then do various exercises.  The last set is referred to as beautifying exercises.  I (Erin) join these ladies, most of whom are grandmothers, once a week.  They are always glad to see me and have invited me to various events.  After exercising they often take part in refreshments or a full breakfast at one of their homes. 

The Ladies nieghborhood exercise group

This morning, with Caedmon accompanying me, we enjoyed fried bananas, fried tubers (similar to potatoes), and meatball soup (yes for breakfast) at the home of one of the ladies.  Our host mom brought along her grandson too.  Here were two boys, one 6 and the other 4, sitting among a group of chit-chatting women.  The grandson’s school did not start for another hour so it was only natural for him to accompany his grandmother as he was in her care.  As for Ceadmon, they always enjoy seeing a little white boy.

The boys love the meatballs sold by street sellers, just like those we ate for breakfast with the ladies.

Our host mom has three grandsons that live with her during the school year.  This is quite common as education is seen as being better in the city.  So if there is extended family in the city, children live with aunts, uncles, cousins and/or grandparents to attend school. 

It is not uncommon for adult children to live with their parents either, even after getting married.  Our nieghbors for example have a three or four bedroom house, yet there are at least 16 people living there.  There are five siblings, four of whom are married with children, all living in one home.  John is one of five, and we have seven nephews and one niece on his side.  So for me it would be like living with John’s parents, all of his siblings and their families.  While I have really enjoyed holidays when we are all able to get together, and we have even lived with John’s parents for extended periods, I can't imagine living together, all 21 of us, in one house.  I have a hard time imagining this because it is so uncommon in our culture.  Why the whole family lives together next door I am still learning.  It makes sense to me to offset living expenses, and for live-in childcare help.  Yet a desire to be ‘out on our own’ or ‘have privacy’ in our own culture would often trump any potential financial strain, right?  As a whole the culture here is much more relationship and group oriented.  Learning these differences amazes me at times, and yet I know we appear just as strange at times too. 

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!