W.E.I.R.D

It is difficult to see just how deep our culture penetrates all aspects of our life until you spend time in another culture.  The differences in culture have been one of the most difficult aspects for me, Erin, in living overseas.  So much of what we do, how we think, and how we talk, even though it is in the national and even local languages, appears 'weird' to the people we live among because it is so very different.    

When I first considered working overseas I thought about my interest in trying new foods and learning about different cultures.  After living overseas for almost 5 years, I am still surprised at where cultural differences pop up. 

A difference in what we do appears when I cook with other women.  They often comment about how my method of chopping vegetables is very strange.  Since people here rarely use cutting boards, they will hold the carrot, for example, in one hand and the knife in the other, with the blade pointing down.  I will hold my knife with the sharp blade pointing up and use my thumb on the same hand to press on the carrot. 

A difference in how we think was seen yesterday when a student of John's told how he was banned from his high school biology class because he wrote an article that appeared in the newspaper which described his biology class.  Apparently the description was not honoring toward his teacher resulting in the teacher's anger and subsequent banning of the student.  This occurrence is difficult for us to understand because our culture values freedom, where the local culture here values honor above individual freedom.  

Lastly, a difference in how we talk, though in the local language, is seen in the phrases used.  When people here want to travel north to another area they will say, "I'm going down to..."  Then when they travel south they say, "I'm going up to..."  This has been so difficult for us to get use to as so much of our language is connected to our culture.  I want to say, "I'm going down to the big city," but I would sound weird as it is south of us.  Another example is seen in the excuses given for being late or missing an appointment.  We might say we were busy.  To them that is not a response that carries any weight, as they might subsequently ask, "With what?"  In contrast, the teacher might give the excuse, "It was raining," when he shows up late to school.  To us this seems completely absurd, but to them it is accepted as a worthy excuse.  

I recently read an article which stated Americans are W.E.I.R.D.  It was referencing physiological studies in which the sample populations were mostly western, educated, industrialized, rich, democratic, and American.  As I thought about myself and the list, I had to agree, it is true, I'm W.E.I.R.D.  It is not a bad thing, for the most part, it is just different.  The difficultly arises when we live within another culture and try to relate to people.  I often feel weird as people stare (which is not rude), frequently ask to take pictures together (without ever introducing themselves), and walk somewhere a few blocks away (they would  ride a motorcycle 99% of the time).  When discussing life our weirdness comes out in the fact that we don't take afternoon naps (resulting in early bedtimes and the limiting of our attendance at evening activities), and freely shower at night (considered dangerous for your health).    Don't get me wrong, many of these aspects have become new normals, but it highlights how deep our culture runs and the difficulty of living overseas. 

Enjoy a few recent pictures from our weird life overseas.

Evangeline and I recently met up with some dear friends in Singapore!

exploring the Botanical Gardens together

It was an incredible time of fellowship and not feeling weird!

Evangeline loves her milk and drinks with a straw no problem.

She slept on the plane like a champ. 

The night bus back to Barat was a different story.

Evangeline walking with current neighbors.

She is very happy to walk while holding on to something, but not brave enough to walk by herself, though she has taken a few steps by herself.  

The house is ready for roofing and the floor to be put in!

Kids will often come over to play with our toys, not our boys.  Yesterday Caedmon and Whitman found an activity for all of them, fake mustaches.  There was a great deal of laughing.  

The other day as I looked out at the sea, I thought of how much goes on below the surface we do not see and was reminded of how much the Father does behind the scenes that we do now know about.

It also served as a reminder to me to focus on the positive (the beauty) not the negative (the differences).

Good old 'House Raising"

 

Five months ago we prepared a foundation, ordered wood, and lined up builders.  In partnership with the foundation John works for, we plan to open a branch of the foundation and build a house in an under-educated area of town.  Our plan also includes moving to the location to better enable our investment in the area for our long term goals.  Unfortunately, this process has taken longer than expected as this is not a time oriented culture as we are use to.  Expectations aside, we are so thankful to be able to announce the house frame is complete (as of Thursday, October 19th) !

It is a significant event in the Barat culture to, literally translated, stand up a house.  I imagine it is similar to a historic “Barn Raising” in the States.  At the beginning of the week we were told the frame would be ready to raise on Wednesday.  Right away we went shopping for the necessary ingredients to serve the traditional mung bean pudding and a meal.  Tuesday the frame raising was postponed until Thursday due to additional prep work that needed to be finished.  By Thursday morning everything was ready to move forward.  

Meal Preparation

white sugar being added to the Mung Bean Pudding

pressing coconut milk for the pudding

I arrived at a future neighbor's house at 6:30 Thursday morning.  Most of her family was still asleep, yet she had already chopped all the vegetables.  Along with one other neighbor, the three of us began preparing food and finishing the mung bean pudding.  Throughout the morning other women came to help wash dishes, cook, and serve.  

Cooking Rice

The frame pieces were all arranged and stacked to be 'raised' in the appropriate order.

men arriving to help

After taking the boys to school, John and Evangeline arrived at about 7:30.  Men from the community slowly began showing up as well.  Shortly after eight o'clock, the loud speaker at the local religious gathering place announced the 'house raising,' encouraging others to come and help.    

the first section goes up

temporary bracing of each section

Mung Bean Pudding and neighborhood ladies

After the frame was up, all of those that came to help were served mung bean pudding.  The pudding was made with mung beans, palm sugar, coconut milk, and white sugar.  A small amount of men remained after the initial frame sections were up to help with some additional work.  I helped the women to finish cooking lunch for the builders and these additional helpers.  

It was an amazing time to see so many people come together to help us with our house.  In return they received pudding!  It was a humbling experience and one that demonstrated how deep the value of community is in this culture.  I could not have done any of the food preparation or serving had it not been for our neighbors.  It was such a wonderful experience, one in which we felt very welcomed into the area.  

After school the boys came to see the progress and better picture what the house will be like!

My Mornings This Week

This morning cream of rice cereal sounded good.  Barat has a rice porridge that is often eaten for breakfast.  Though we all enjoy it, the porridge is savory, eaten with chicken, green onions, and shallots.  I was craving something smoother, eaten with butter and maple syrup.  Unfortunately cream of rice cereal is not sold boxed on the shelf here.  No problem because rice is in abundance.  So, I ground a couple cups of rice in a little food mill blender attachment.  Then I cooked some cream of rice for Evangeline and I.  Oh, we did enjoy it!  Complete with the butter we buy in the big city, 6 hours away, and the maple syrup I make with Mapleine, sent to us by grandparents.  Some days all this extra work for something familiar gets me down, this morning was not one of those day.  I must have been supplied with a little extra “something” from the Spirit, thank you to those of you lifting up!

Evangeline eating rice cereal.

She usually allows me to feed her her breakfast though she is much happier feeding herself.  

Most mornings do not have this calm or slow of a start to allow cream of rice from scratch.  We are usually rushing to get snacks packed, breakfast eaten, and the boys ready for a 7am departure.  Tuesday and Thursday I too haveto be ready to take the boys to school.  My mornings this week were spent in our future neighborhood experiencing some very cultural events.  Monday morning, I also got ready rather quickly so Evangeline and I could attend a friend’s baby event, like a dedication of sorts. 

Walking to our friend's baby dedication, about a 15 minute walk.

The area we walked through, where bricks are made - by hand.

The new baby's grandmother makes bricks for her living and lives in the same area.

The landscape is ever changings as bushes grow quickly and land is dug up to make mud for shaping into bricks.  Multiple times I doubted the direction I was going, but thankfully I made it without any wrong turns!

All the roofed structures are used for baking the bricks. 

Piles of wood, as seen above, are used for the fuel for the fire.  

The inside of the grandma's house.

It is a stilted house with bamboo and tin walls.

Evangeline got tired and impatient before the event really got going, so they graciously fed us with a big tray of 'buffet style' food.  There was fish, fish cakes, goat (one was killed in honor of the baby girl, two if it's a boy), sweetened fried cassava, hard boiled eggs, and rice.  

    Tuesday morning I spent with a future neighbor at her mother-in-law's house.  A brother-in-law is getting married this November.  In preparation they had a work party.  Male friends or family members gathered and chopped wood.  This was to be the fuel for the cooking fires, later in November.  

The women spent the time cooking lunch for the 'workers.'

Above, clockwise from the top, there is greens in a broth, squid with spices, and fish with a spicy salsa. 

The eating area.

Plates of rice, hand washing bowls, and trays of food all laid out.

Though there were enough chairs to the left, in the living room area, everyone ate on the floor.

Men chopping wood

The wood was to then be laid out to dry.

My friend asked me, as we sat watching on the porch, if people did this in America.  I quickly replied no, we use gas or electric stoves for all our cooking.  Then it occurred to me that the biggest difference was that nobody cooks for their own child's wedding.  So, I clarified most people opt for catering.  

    Thursday morning I spent with another neighbor to be, also at her mother-in-law's house cooking.  The women were cooking for a group of men helping to build a family member's house.  Prior to helping with the cooking, my friend and I went to a local "mobile-clinic" to have her two boys weighed.  This is the same type of setting I take Evangeline to to be weighed and immunized.  This day they were giving all the children worm medicine, which must be a big enough issue facing this community it is placed right up there with immunizations.

Women waiting for their children to be weighed in the white hammock like scale in the distance.

Weights and other notes, like immunizations, are noted in books the 'health department' and the parents bring.

Giving children worm medicine. 

The two women are a couple of the healthcare workers.  The pills had previously been ground up and placed in small paper envelopes, which is being unfold by the woman on the right.  

It is always quite interesting to experience new cultural event, but there are times I do not know how to respond, or if I should.  Thursday morning was one of those times.  I thought I knew what to expect having taken Evangeline to a similar little clinic many times.  I was wrong.  Though the weighing and note taking proceeded as expected, the worm medicine administration was jaw dropping.  The woman, in the above picture, placed the powdered pill into a spoon, added some water, which I think had sugar mixed into it, and mixed it up. As the mother held the child in a reclined position, and occasionally held the mouth open, the healthcare worker would quickly feed the spoonful of liquid to the child, often plugging their nose.  Aside from plugging their nose and force feeding the child, I was taken aback by what happened next.  The child was then offered a glass of water to drink.  The spoon was rinsed off in a bowl of water on the table.  Then the next child and mother sat down for the same procedure.  The same spoon and glass of water was used, without anything more than a swishing of the spoon in the bowl of water, which eventually began to turn yellow from the pill residue from the spoon.  And people wonder why their children are so often sick.
    The most frustrating part of this to me was there were present healthcare workers who are respected enough by the community members to be listened to regarding health issues, along with mothers who need a great deal of educating regarding simple sanitation and illness prevention methods.  Yet, not only was there a lack of educating, but a clear example being set of what not to do.  Because health and medicine are an area I really enjoy and am passionate about, it really saddens me to see situations like this.  What role I may or possibly could have in this area in our future neighborhood is yet to be seen.  I would enjoy taking a part in the healthcare of that community, but there are cultural issues, I'm a foreigner, and language and culture learning have to be a priority.  So, we will see.  

Only Overseas

We all expect life to be different overseas, but there are things that even after 5 years still amaze us...

There are insects; many of them and BIG ones.

Whitman is much braver than his brother when it comes to these large spiders.

Motorcycles are used to transport just about everything.
Yes, the goat is alive.

My six year old can climb a coconut tree, bamboo, or just about any medium sized trunk.

People are always referring to themselves as black and us as white, which isn't taboo to say.  

Grated Cheese

When left out, even just while we eat our meal, it melts together...oh the tropics!

The only bathtub in the house.

It is getting small for the big girl and is used right next to the washing machine which is next to the kitchen sink...of course.  

I have a compost bin out back which had lost it's lid.  This had not been a problem until a chicken, not just once but repeatedly, started laying her eggs in the bin.  I finally came up with a make shift lid.  Who knew my compost would be susceptible to hens.  This is only an issue because chickens and ducks are left to just wander about. 

The things we experience here never cease to amaze me!  Yet, these are just a few of the small aspects of our lives living overseas.  

Independence Day Celebrations

The week surrounding this country's Independence Day was filled with various celebrations.  The beginning of the week brought two days of parades, followed by activities in our own neighborhood at the end of the week.  The first parade was composed of floats from kindergarten and middle schools from around the city.  I took the boys down town to watch while John worked at the house as Evangeline napped.  

Pedi-cabs were decorated to comprise each school's float.  

Two to three children from each kindergarten were selected to represent their school.

The float themes ranged from aspects of the culture, such as fish or fruit, to animals and fairy tales.

We stopped to watch the parade in a patch of shade across from Caedmon's old elementary school.  We were invited to sit down with a lady in front of her house.  She looked slightly familiar, but it is hard to keep track of everyone we meet.  As I chatted with her, I soon was reminded she is the grandmother of the neighbor girls directly across the street.  My embarrassment was compounded by the fact we had spent the biggest holiday of the year at her house, although it was three years ago.  

After spending about an hour watching the kindergarten floats, we headed home.

Two weeks prior to the parades, the boys' teachers informed us they had been selected to represent their school in the parade for elementary and high schools.  The boys were asked to bring "western clothes" for their part.  The day of the parade they had practice at 12pm, which resulted in everyone being dismissed from school at 10am.  We headed home to get lunch as quickly as possible before returning to school for practice.  We have been very fortunate to be barrowing a friends car, which resulted in being asked to help transport the children to the parade starting line.  After dressing and practicing at school, I carted two separate loads of kids and props to the starting line for a 2pm start time.  Time here is very, very flexible, so the parade actually began sometime after 2:30.  As the boys' school was 46th in line, it took additional time for their group to actually begin moving.  

Practice at school

Elementary schools lining up at the start.

Caedmon and Whitman were allowed to sit in the Pedi cab during the parade.

The parade went through town to a public performance building, about 2 miles away from the start.  Come to find out, upon arriving at the building, each school put on a short little play for the Mayor.  This caused the parade to move quite slowly, requiring the kids to endure a great deal of standing and waiting.  

Each elementary and high school showcased an aspect of the Barat culture.  

Caedmon and Whitman pretended to be tourists interested in buying fish from local sellers.

Caedmon is buying fish, while Whitman snaps photos.  Caedmon gave the real smoked fish to the Mayor as a gift.  

After the kids got under way, I realized I should drive the car to the ending point to have transportation for when we finished.  After I found a nearby parking place, I walked to meet the boys along the parade route.  Once I met up with them, Caedmon had to use the bathroom.  Caedmon and I walked up and down the street looking for a place to use the restroom.  We ended up a random person's house.  Thank goodness for their generosity.  When Caedmon was back with his schoolmates, it was nearing 4pm when John needed to go teach, but was at home with Evangeline.  I walked back to the car, drove home, and picked up Evangeline to then meet back up with the boys.  Unfortunately while I was gone, the kids' float only moved 3 blocks.  Evangeline and I then spent the rest of the parade posing for pictures with spectators as we moved at a snails pace.  

Shortly after 6pm, the kids had appeared before the mayor and were free to return home.  

It was one of the craziness days we have had in a long time.  I did a whole lot of running around town, the parade took much longer than expected, the kids in the parade were worn out from all the walking and standing, and Evangeline and I seemed to be more interesting to the spectators than the cutely dressed school kids.  

At the end of the week, the neighborhood kids participated in various competitions organized by a fellow nieghbor.  Caedmon and Whitman both participated, while Evangeline and I enjoyed watching and chatting with neighbors.  

Eating Competition

Lightweight chip like things were tied on strings to see who could eat theirs the quickest without their hands.  

Caedmon, in white and blue, participated in a soccer tournament. 

Whitman racing with a marble in a spoon in his mouth.  

Caedmon watching the marble races with friends.  

First through third place were awarded prizes for each competition.  

Whitman and Caedmon both received prizes for eating the chips on a string and the marble races.