Old Wives' Tales...?

As I sat in my friends living room I smiled and listened as she told her two-year-old he couldn’t have cold water.  She then got him a cup of room-temperature water to drink.  It is easy to just smile and listen, even as my friend explained about how cold or ice water would cause coughing and a running nose.  But then when she asked my opinion, I wasn’t sure how to answer.  I tried to reference all my studies and past professors and respond with a polite, “I don’t believe cold or ice water has anything to do with it.  Usually a virus or bacteria causes a cough or runny nose.”  She continued to bring up other examples of things they are taught, such as too much time in air conditioning or not wearing a jacket out on a motorcycle at night might cause coughing or worse yet bronchitis.  I tried to explain the effect dust or allergens can have as well.  I thought maybe I could chalk it all up to old wives’ tales present in their culture, until she told me how doctors also advise their patients to not eat or drink too many cold or icy things, as it will cause cold like symptoms, influenza, or even bronchitis.  What do you say to that?  In the end I did a lot of listening and stating there may be differences in cultures, which didn’t satisfy my friend as to why doctors here would propagate that.  

In other news ...

the construction on the house addition continues.  It is even possible to visualize how we might use the space and arrange furniture!

kitchen sink and counter

Looking in from the front towards the back-alley-way door.

Additional Space

A roof has been put on and about half of the floor has been cemented, along will all walls. 

From left to right:

back door to alley-way, additional bathroom, washing and kitchen space, and entrance from existing house to the addition. 

There is definitely a lot still to be done, but it is exciting to see progress and a resemblance of what it may look like!  We just hope to be able to move in before the baby comes, though we're not holding our breath. 

A Love-Hate Relationship with Water

Water has never been something you could count on here, but ever since our return it has been even more inconsistent.  Then due to the sink hole in our kitchen breaking the one pipe carrying water to our bathroom and the construction in the back resulting in the move of our washing machine, we have become very creative to supply water to the bathroom and washing machine.  This has led to many mini floods in the house as I fill the washing machine with a hose and forget to watch it, resulting in overfilling.  Outside the house I have always thoroughly enjoyed the rain.  The clouds and rain keep the temperature a few degrees cooler, though slightly more humid.  Plus, it reminds me of the states; I find the sound very soothing and desire to just sit, listen, and watch it with a good cup of coffee.  I grew up in Portland after all. 

In the past week I have experienced some of the highest highs and lowest lows associated with water.  We now have water in the bathroom!!!  A very exciting high!  I could not imagine how water would be brought back to our bathroom as we live in a brick and concrete home.  But there is nothing like calling in a local to solve a problem.  A ‘plumber’ we knew came over the very day John called.  John showed him what we wanted.  The following day the ‘plumber’ had moved our water tank, re-worked the piping from the tank, piped water into the bathroom, added a sink, and a shower head, all by 6:30pm.  When the full pressured city water came on that night there was one leak, resulting in some big puddles in the kitchen.  But even with the leak, we enjoyed a shower for the first time in our own home since our return! 

New Sink

Now there is a place to wash hands, other than the kitchen sink, after using the bathroom!!!

Cement walls chiseled out to inlay piping.

A Shower!!!

 We spent the entire week enjoying the sink, shower, and water in the bathroom! 

Then I experienced the lowest-low yet with water.

Saturday morning, we were woken up at 3am by a neighbor knocking on our bedroom window.  It had started raining as we went to bed, which again created a soothing sound which lulled me to sleep.  We got up of course to see what in the world could our neighbor want.  I could hear it was still raining, or had began again, I’m not sure because I was sleeping really well.  As soon as John and I opened our bedroom door, we stepped into about an inch of water.  Water was flowing, I mean you could see it running in from our front door to the lowest point in our house, which happened to be the kitchen.  This turned out to be a blessing.  We had no idea what to do except get anything and everything of value off the floor.  The ‘backyard’ had recently been elevated at least 8 inches because of construction, resulting in our backdoor being unusable and absolutely no place for the water in the kitchen to exit.  After raising all we could, John went outside to see what else he could do, while I used a broom to sweep the water into the bathroom (all bathrooms here have a drain in the floor).  A contributing, if not sole cause of this flood was that our gutter in the front of the house where all our gray water and run-off from the street is supposed to go, was currently filled with sand, rocks, and dirt, again due to construction.  The heavy and continuous rain created so much water with no place to go, it ran straight into our house.  John proceeded to dig out some of the gutter and also create a channel for the water to run through into the next door banana garden.  The water in the kitchen collected to at least a depth of 2 inches before the flow slowed down.  I was able to push or sweep, most of it into the bathroom to drain out of the house.  The irony of it all draining out through the bathroom was the drain originally went out to the gutter in the front.  In addition, a hand full of tiles in our bathroom broke a couple days before, due to another sink hole type issue.  As this had not yet been repaired, at least half, if not more of the water I swept into the bathroom, exited right through the floor.  At first I considered this a blessing as the draining kept up with the flow coming in. 

But, as it turned out, all the water running under the house either from the bathroom, or the smaller amount that entered the boy’s room, caused a sink hole in the boy’s room.  Thankfully the boy’s slept through it all. 

Broken Tiles in the Bathroom

The Boy's Room

All except a row of tiles around the walls sank down. 

Broken tiles are as sharp as glass, so we taped the edges and now encourage all play to occur outside their room.

Early on I checked the water flow into the boy’s room, then an hour or two later we went in to clean and saw the floor damage. 

It was such an adventure, one I hope not to repeat.  After we got all the water out, there was so much dirt and silt to clean up that we were exhausted and aside from cleaning, spent the rest of Saturday napping and resting. 

Now we await a construction worker to come to fix the floors and hope we can sleep through the night if it rains again.

 

Water IN the House

Visa Progress!!!

I am always excited and encouraged by movement forward; especially in the area of our visas.  When we do see progress though, it often seems to come as two steps forward followed shortly by a step back. 

Last Tuesday, the 29^th of March, John and Caedmon, who was invited to go along, took a rather full van ride to the provincial capital.  Caedmon had to sit on John’s lap the entire 3-hour ride!  The following day they had great success as they received the letter we have been waiting for since our arrival in January.  John and Caedmon were then blessed by a ride from a complete stranger to a local hotel.  The man joined them for lunch and then connected them with his travel agent so they could book a flight straight to the country’s capital.  Thursday morning, John and Caedmon arrived in the capital city to hand deliver the letter from the provincial capital to our agent working on our work visa in the country’s capital.  John said it all went very smoothly, was good to meet with the agent face to face, Caedmon was a great travel companion, and they were provided for at every turn!  John and Caedmon returned home early Saturday morning, to Whitman’s and my great delight; it had been rather quiet at home. 

Caedmon at the National Monument and Museum

John and Caedmon

Model depicting a battle in the Museum

Model depicting people voting in the first election.

At the top of the monument

Presidential Complex

Tuesday, the 5^th of April, the four of us made the trip to the local immigration office to finalize our current visa extension.  They took our pictures and finger prints, then gave us our passports back stamped with visas valid through the 14^th of April, which whether you are ready to admit it or not is right around the corner.  Then this past Friday we traveled back to the immigration office, this time with our sponsor, to turn in our passports once again to apply for the next extension, as each is good for only a month at a time!

We also received news from the agent in the capital city informing us our application has passed through the first step at the Social Work Office.  The Social Work Office is to make an official recommendation to the Work Force Office, which then in turn grants us, or rather John, permission to work.  Then that official approval is sent to the Immigration Office, which then issues our actual visas.  Thus far we are very encouraged by the forward progress and must enjoy it!  Hopefully no more steps back!

First Shower in a Month, and other things

One week ago we traveled to the big city.  We enjoyed fellowship with other workers, shopping, eating at Pizza Hut, McDonalds and a couple other western restaurants.  We stayed the weekend at a friend’s house with co-workers from Barat who recently returned to the country.  I, Erin, also had a doctor visit.  All looks well with my pregnancy and baby inside, who now weighs about 2.5 lbs.  While in the big city we also enjoyed our first shower in over a month.  Don’t worry, we still bathe daily, twice a day for John and I!  But our water situation at our house still has not returned to a “showerable” situation.  What I mean is we still don’t have water piped into our bathroom.  So we use the cultural method of bathing: using a scoop to wet and rinse ourselves from water filled buckets.  Needless to say, it was a real treat to bathe under an actual shower head.

We returned home to Barat last Monday, after a short stop at the immigration office.  It was then we heard our current social-cultural visa extension has been granted.  We made plans to return on Tuesday for the required pictures and finger printing.  Thankfully an employee at the office called Tuesday morning to notify us the power was out, so the pictures and finger printing would have to be postponed.  We arranged to make the hour trip on Wednesday instead, only to find out, once we were there, the internet was down and they couldn’t access the necessary programs needed for the pictures and finger printing.  Now we wait for a call from the office telling us all is up and running.  Our visa extension has been granted, but due to delays in processing they have still not been stamped into our passports.  The funniest part is if we wait until next week for finger printing and pictures, we will be able to fill out the paperwork for the next month’s extension at the same time. 

In other news life continues as normal; schooling for the boys, language study for John and I, and a few home improvements.  Construction on the addition unfortunately has stopped; the construction workers have not come for over a week now.  We have not had any information from the owner as to why, except that a week ago they were waiting for a specific tool.  Thankfully though we did get the wattage of our breaker box increased for the addition of a second air conditioner.  This has made the boys more comfortable at night and homeschooling during the heat of the day much more enjoyable for all!

A new backdoor for the addition.

Walls are up.

A new water tank to the left. 

It will eventually move to a platform on the roof.

Extended

This morning we visited the office which approves our extensions and found out they've given us permission to stay! This is great news, and means that we should be able to stay through mid-July, by which time we hope to have the work permit. Thanks for thinking of us!

Construction Adventures

Wednesday February 24^th the city water had been off for 4 days, our tank of water ran out the previous Monday morning, and we are not able to buy a motorcycle on our temporary visa.  Feeling rather troubled that morning, I was encouraged by Psl. 117.  Then quite unexpectedly, by that night, the city water had come on, dishes got washed, two loads of laundry were finished, construction materials were delivered, and workers were scheduled for the next day.  Then to top it all off, a friend lent us their new motorcycle to use indefinitely (specifically because we mentioned we could not own one).  Let me tell you I felt so encouraged by the love and faithfulness of the Father. 

Whitman amidst the first delivery of materials.

The open gutter for our gray water was filled, our and our neighbor's garbage cans were covered, as well as the shut off value for the water, and the water meter, oh well. 

 Since Thursday the 25^th, a great deal of progress and new experiences have occurred in our ‘backyard.’  We have officially decided to stay in our current house.  We have made an agreement with the owners to renew our rental contract on the condition they add-on to the back of the house.  This decision has been aided by our neighbor’s increased intentionality in using the Barat language.  The addition, unbelievably, will increase our square footage by at least 1½ times. 

The workers have been faithful to come every day, which is quite something, materials are constantly being delivered, and the addition is taking shape. 

I, Erin, do not know much about construction, but there does seem to be a difference in the methodology used here. 

Foundation Work

There are 3 construction workers that are tasked with this job.  Like most, they wear shorts and flip-flops.  They brought a few of their own tools, namely a shovel, wheelbarrow, hammer, and crow bar type tool, all by way of motorcycle.  If anything else is needed they either make it, such as a box for mixing cement and scaffolding, or the owner supplies it, such as buckets. 

Walls going up.  And homemade scaffolding.

An additional bathroom and backdoor. 

The door will open to a small alley.

Caedmon checking it all out.

As the walls rose higher, it became time to take care of a tree in the neighboring property which was leaning into the building area.  A man we usually see driving a motorcycle-taxi, came to chop down the tree.  It didn’t quite go as intended, falling into our back-yard instead of the banana garden in which it was growing. 

Chopping down the tree with a machete, while standing on the new wall.

Falling Tree.

The man tried his hardest to prevent the tree from falling into our back yard.

Finally, fall it must, bending rebar and taking out some bricks on the way down.

Windows set and walls added to.

Water Tank Moved

To continue work on the walls our tank had to be moved.  This required emptying it on a day we hoped to have city water flowing, then unbolting it from the ground, and moving it a few feet.  This resulted in bowing, yet still connected,  pipes and unsettled footing. 

Gave Way

Though the tank tower seemed to lean toward the house, the one foot not propped up on a rock gave way the first night we filled the tank.  Notice the section of brick to the left of the far window which the tank took out. 

The Shredded Tank. 

The boys said it was too bright to open their eyes for the picture.

Thankfully this tank fell away from the house, unlike our tank in the big city, see the post “The Sky is Falling,” from June 2012.

The workers have continued to return to work and make great progress.  I was fearful that after the tree and the tank incident, there might be some fear of supernatural involvement. 

Visa News

We visited the immigration office on Tuesday, March 8^th, to extend our current social-cultural visas.  All went as expected.  The staff was friendly and excited to see us again.  We filled out all our forms and turned them in.  Then they informed us they would make a ‘site-visit’ in the next couple of days as part of the process.  This will be a new step which we have never experienced before.  Otherwise all went smoothly and just the same as past experiences.  Unfortunately, we have not had the ‘site-visit’ yet, nor any word on whether our visas will be extended or not.  So we wait and trust!

Medical Systems Around the World

We come from a culture that highly relies on medical & scientific knowledge.  This results in a high degree of faith and dependence on the US medical system.  I recently read an article by a man in a similar field of work as us, who held a strong view that our trust and reliance on medicine, as Americans, results in our idolizing medicine.  Being a nurse by training, I often get defensive of our medical system in the states.  But this gentleman had a great point which highlights my recurrent struggle of where I am putting my faith; in the US medical system or in the Creator of it all?  I will say, the Creator has given us much wisdom and ability.  As my father-in-law would say, "We are to use our brain and look both ways as we cross the street."  On top of that, I believe, by His grace, the Creator has given us great ability to use and do amazing things with medicine.  But, in the end, who is in control, doing the actual healing?  So where should I be putting my faith? 

This struggle of mine is intensified by living overseas as the medical system here is very different.  We recently learned a fascinating fact; less than 0.5% of the population here has Rh negative blood.  In the states, 15% of the population has Rh negative blood.  Which results in the states, in screening for the Rh factor and special precautions for blood transfusions and in pregnancy.  Here, on the other hand, the Rh factor is rarely considered.  For example, I have O negative blood.  This means I can only receive O negative blood.  Further more, during pregnancy, if there is a chance the baby could have Rh positive blood, I need to receive two shots of Rhogam, for my own health and safety.  We have had two very positive check-ups with a doctor in the big city.  During the first visit, we asked about Rhogam shots.  The doctor said they usually don't give them and they are difficult to get, needing to be ordered well in advance.  At first we were shocked, but really it is no wonder as 99.5% of patients will be Rh positive.  We feel immensely blessed because as it turns out, we can't have a Rh positive baby since both John and I are Rh negative.  So no need for Rhogam shots!  It still leaves the lingering concern of getting the appropriate blood should I ever need it.  But that is a big if and when.  So again, where am I putting my trust? 

In other areas, we continue to learn cultural ideas concerning pregnancy.  For example, if you desire your baby to be a certain sex, you should steal, yes steal, but from a family member, clothing of the desired sex and place it under or above your bed.  Neither pineapple nor durian should be eaten during early pregnancy, some say late pregnancy as well, as they are believed to cause miscarriage.  Cassava also should be avoided.  I was recently asked if Sprite is ok to consume in early pregnancy.  The most interesting and challenging for us to react respectfully to, is the belief in a creature or spirit that can suck out your baby through your belly button.  Therefore, pregnant women should not go out in the evening and they should carry onions, garlic, or another specific spice I am unfamiliar with, EVERTIME they go out.  Does anyone watch Grimm?  I can direct you to an episode that is a pretty accurate portrayal of this belief.  This is an area in which we hope to show our trust in the power of the Creator, but we are also challenged to be respectful of those that are seriously concerned about this creature. 

Language Learning, and more...

Upon arriving back in Barat our main goals consisted of helping the boys transition back into school, house hunting, language learning, and opening the academic center back up.  We have had a few unexpected developments in each of these areas. 

First, the boys transitioned into school unbelievably well, not due to anything we did as parents. 

Second, we have seen five houses thus far.  The process for looking for a house to rent in quite different.  There are not any magazines, papers, nor offices, listing rental properties.  Instead you mention it to someone, who will ask a friend, who will ask a friend, and so on...all word of mouth!  Our hopes in finding a different house was to be an area where the local Barat language is used more regularly and to give us a little more living space.  Three of the houses we saw were the same size as our current house.  Another, though quite large, would have required a great deal of work.  Every window on the second floor was missing as least one pane of glass for example.  The fifth house, seen by John, was at least a 10 minute drive from town and on the main highway/road.  During this whole process, the third unexpected development occurred. 

In mentioning to our neighbors our intent for moving, one specific family expressed their wishes we would not move.  This family is of Barat origin and both the husband and wife have increased their use of the Barat language with us, using almost exclusively Barat with John.  They have also expressed willingness to help us in our language learning, to the extent of inviting us over everyday should we so desire to practice.  This family has always been very kind to us, but their current intentionality has blown us away. 
These neighbors have four children, two of which attend the same school as Caedmon.  Very graciously, this family has been giving the boys, and I, as I am not ready to let them go alone, a ride to and from school everyday.  Many days of the week they also provide cold drinks for the ride home, which takes only about 5 minutes.

Whitman and Caedmon waiting for a ride to school from our newly intentional neighbors. 

 

Lastly, our intentions of starting activities again at the academic center were recently put on hold.  John received a visit, while at the academic center, from a couple of immigration officials.  For at least two hours they questioned him and lectured him on what he could and could not be doing on our current social-cultural visa.  It came down to not being able to teach, even if volunteering.  From the conversation, John gather the biggest issue was the perception of others.  Regardless of whether he was being paid or not, what people saw was John 'working' at the academic center.  Since this surprise visit, John has spent increased time in language study, literacy preparation, and at the local museum.  As unnerving as the visit was, it may be a blessing in disguise: forcing John to focus on other tasks!

As I continue  in language learning, I am trying to take advantage of the willingness of our neighbors.  The wife has invited me over to cook twice and even taken me before hand to the market to shop for ingredients.  A funny side note, in this culture it is very indecent to hold hands with a person of the opposite sex, but completely normal to hold hand with a person of the same sex.  So the wife held my hand the whole time we walked through the market.  I know in my head this is quite normal here, but it still feels very uncomfortable.   

Ingredients to make curry chicken; using 3 chickens.

From left to right: a type of ginger root, candlenuts (in yellow bag), lemon grass, shallots, garlic, and chili peppers.

We peeled and chopped, for at least 2 hours. 

I gave myself a blister peeling garlic and never before did my fingers burn from slicing garlic. 

Granted, it was a lot of garlic!

Snacks: thin fried pastry filled with fish and spices

What I expected to take a couple hours, turned into a five hour event.  Thankfully they served snacks and cold drinks.  We devoured them. 

After prepping outside, where it was cooler, we moved inside to cook.

Washing Area

Here the wife washed the spices, chicken, pressed the coconut to make coconut milk, and later washed all the dishes.

Cooking chicken with all the prepared spices. 

We ended up eating sometime after 2pm.  The food was delicious and there is nothing like seeing first hand how it is made.  It was well worth the time spent, though quite tiring as well. 

The Boys go to School

     Caedmon and Whitman, both, had great experiences attending school in the States.  They both were very excited their teachers, administrators, and classmates all spoke English.  The activities, physical classrooms, and school work also was enjoyable to each.   

Returning overseas, we all knew a great deal of what to expect.  Caedmon and Whitman each expected to return to local schools, after getting settled.  I, Erin, was concerned about this transition for them as I knew each had lost a great deal of language, especially Whitman.  Caedmon would be starting at a completely different school, half way through the year, and we didn’t know how many, if any, of his previous friends would be at this new school.  Since Caedmon would be at a new school, Whitman would be attending his previous, though familiar school, without his brother. 

Monday and Tuesday's Uniforms

     Many were lifting up this situation and all thanks to Him for the first week has concluded well!  Caedmon and Whitman both began last Monday.  We leave at 7am to be there about 7:15.  This is a schedule we are all still getting use to.  When I picked them up on Monday, they both said their day was "Great!"  After the first day, Caedmon began responding, "Not good, but great," each time I asked about the day.  They both finish at 10:30am, which leaves us time in the afternoon for a couple house of English homeschooling with Caedmon.  So far Caedmon has been excited each day to do his homeschooling lessons!  I've also begun writing lessons with Whitman, he's still not so sure about these. 

Friday's Uniform

    What a huge blessing!  In a weeks time, the boys have done very well getting up, dressed, ready, and off to school.  We have been getting rides to and home from school most days from a neighbor, which has been another unexpected blessing.  Caedmon and Whitman are thrilled to ride with these neighbors as they have become pretty good friends. 
     Whitman seems pretty officially enrolled at school as we have filled out paperwork and turned in the requested pictures and birth certificate copy.   Caedmon on the other hand, I am still unsure about.  When we first visited the school prior to his starting I asked the principal if there was paperwork to fill out.  She said not to worry about it.  A whole week after attending, Caedmon came home with one paper to fill out.  He rarely has homework and nothing has been said about school supplies he should be bringing.  The only reason this concerns me is because other parents have said their children often, if not every night, have homework.  And, I've seen children with multiple, sometimes color coded, notebooks for the various subjects at school.  Thankfully Caedmon seems to be understanding language sufficiently to follow instructions.  So, I just hope they are treating him like the other children and not giving the white western kid preferential treatment. 
      We are definitely blessed that transitioning back to local schools here has gone so very well thus far!

The Adventure Continues

I have definitely noticed coming back to a place you’ve been before eases any transition.  We had forgotten many little things, yet they have not surprised us as much upon re-experiencing them.  For example, all the staring from people we pass, restaurants being out of menu items, the heat, the bugs, and vocab!

It has been quite the first week back so far.  After getting mostly settled, we gave ourselves a little “return home” party on Sunday.  Learning from our farewell party, we rented a tarp and chairs in case it rained.  Well it did and turn out to be so muddy under the tent, we ended up using our neighbors' covered carport area anyway. 

We decided to serve snack like items instead of a full meal.  We ordered donuts and other pastries, while I made Mung Bean Pudding. 

Mung Bean Pudding

Doesn't look like much, but is quite tasty: consisting of

mung beans, brown sugar, white sugar, and coconut milk.

That morning while I was cooking, our tank water ran out.  The city water usually only comes on full force in the afternoons.  Later that day it came on as a small trickle, at which point we found out the full flow of water changed to only three days a week, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  So, that morning as I prepared for our party, which was to start at 9am, I just stacked up the dishes and did what I could.  I always forget how much I was my hands until I’m without water. 

Shredded Coconut

I decided to press my own coconut milk, which is pretty easy, just time consuming, when you have water.

Also as I was cooking, cockroaches started coming out of our broken floor.  Thankfully we had bug spray so I quickly sprayed them and the holes, which only made more come out.  I was afraid to continue standing in the kitchen, but pudding had to be made!  When I did finished cooking, we had enough water in a bucket to shower, though I’ve never showered with less water in my life. 

Our coffee table with pastries and water.

The actual party went well.  Neighbors and friends came, at staggered enough times that many of them we hosted inside our house.  By the time people stopped coming, a small trickle of water had returned so dishes could be washed and the floor mopped! 

   Since then, we are learning to manage without consistent water.  At last on Tuesday we were able to fill our water tank.  We have now figured out how to do multiple loads of laundry on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  Our washing machine can handle multiple loads, as can the full flow of water on those days.  Trick is hanging them to dry with limited line space and sunlight as the water comes on in the afternoon. 

That has been our crazy transition back so far.  Though it has been quite stressful at times, it mostly is just annoying.  In spite of it all we really have been given incredible attitudes!  So all praise to Him!  And our electricity has been consistent, so we’ve had AC in our bedroom!!!

As for now we are trying crazily to find a new house to rent.  One which seems more structurally sound (no sink holes), has consistent water, and is in a neighborhood where more people speak the Barat language.   

The Adventure Begins

    After a week in California to obtain visas, we left the country to return to our overseas home.  We found a great deal on tickets, but the itinerary included two 18-20 hour layovers.  The jury is still out for me, Erin, whether that was a better way to travel or not.  On the one hand, we felt much more rested as we were able to sleep in beds at hotels during each of the long layovers.  On the other hand, I had a great deal of time to think about all we had just left and all we were traveling to.  The boys did really well.  The technology these days is amazing.  The immense selection of movies and shows to be selected individually, kept both Caedmon and Whitman occupied for most of the plane ride.  They only shed a few very tired tears as we traveled to the hotels during the layovers. 

We arrived in the big city of our host country on Saturday, the 16^th, along with all 8 pieces of luggage.  We checked into a hotel at the airport, grabbed some fried chicken and rice, and went straight to bed.  The following three days we stayed with our very first host family, in the big city, with whom we first lived with upon arriving in 2012.  It was really good to see them and we were treated like their own children.  It made for a much quicker transition back than I expected though as the four of us shared one room, one fan, ate local food on their schedule, all in a local home.  On the next few days we saw some friends in the big city, along with other co-workers. 

On Tuesday we took the night bus towards Barat.  John had the amazing idea to stop at a city an hour outside of Barat and stay in a hotel.  This enabled us to go straight to bed when we disembarked from the bus at 2 in the morning.  The we were able to travel to our house, in Barat, the next day during the day light, with all our luggage driven straight to our door.  When we arrived we found two large sink holes in our house, one in the kitchen and the other in John and my bedroom.  There was also a fair amount of cleaning to do.  Making our day time arrival a big blessing. 

Sink hole in the kitchen with a temporary patch.

The movement of the floor caused the main water pipe to break under the sink.  Thankfully water still comes into the house, but water no longer runs into the bathroom, hence the hose across the floor: our temporary fix to get water to the bathroom!

It's Official

On Friday we received our temporary visas, good for up to 6 months.  It was the smoothest and quickest process we have yet experienced!  Now after a crazy two days of packing, four days in San Francisco for the visas, we are ready to leave the States.  Our flight leaves Wednesday at 2pm. 

Oh Packing...What to take what to get rid of, and how to get it all to fit! In the end it did.

Amazing these where kept track of for 9 months!

(keys, money and adapters from overseas)

Exploring San Francisco - Alcatraz in the background.

We have had a wonderful nine months in the States!

We experienced Fall:

Selecting, then carving, Pumpkins

Halloween & School at Prospect Point

We experienced new sights:

Izzy the Camel

The Balloon Stampede

 We experienced Holidays with Family:

Thanksgiving with Erin's family

Christmas with cousins!

We experienced snow, both in Walla Walla and elsewhere:

Building snowmen in the front yard.

Whitman and his snowman

Covered by a snow blanket, in Tumalo.  

Snow Angels in Tumalo

Playing with Uncle Ryan at Mt. Hood.

And great time with friends and family:

Saying goodbye to friends around the corner!

Seeing Great-Granny Goose

Seeing friends from long ago;

this family watched Caedmon for us on the day of Whitman's birth!

Playing with friends pictured above December 1, 2010.

So, we now say goodbye to these wonderful experiences and blessings.  We are looking forward to going back overseas, but maybe all for different reasons.  Whitman is excited for cheese rolls sold at Pizza Hut overseas and watching English shows (we made him watch shows in our host country's language while in the states).  Caedmon is excited to see his friends.  John and I are excited to see what He will do next as we continue to work overseas. 

Thank you all for the support and encouragement we received while in the States, it was a rich time that was greatly appreciated!  We hope to see you all again in the years to come or sooner if you're up for a visit!