Photos: Grand Opening of the Library

The event took place in front of our house.

The local military officer enjoys the librarian's chair. He is also one of the literacy tutors' father, and he roasted all the fish for today's event.

The head of the foundation I work for at the lunch buffet prepared by the tutors.

11 of the literacy tutors/librarians, some of whom stayed up past midnight preparing for the event.

The district head cuts the ribbon, officially opening the library.

Speech by the foundation head

Speech by the district head

Hosting a Holiday Party

 

The Fasting Month just came to a close.  During this month of fasting, people often will gather to break the fast together in the evenings.  You could compare it to a Holiday Party in the States during December; people gathering to celebrate together. 

As there are now 12 tutors associated with the Reading Program John manages here, I decided to hold a “break fast” party for the reading tutors.  Living in a foreign culture always begs the question "How?"  How do I hold a party, conduct business, or live in a way that is culturally appropriate or even more so, communicates well what I desire?  Though we have lived here for seven years, I still find myself pulled between the inclinations of my home culture and fitting into the Barat cultural. 

I chose Wednesday, May 5th, for our party.  The main difficulties I saw were what to provide and how?  Then what time should we gather?

Often people will break the day’s long fast with something sweat and wet, accompanied by a savory snack.  Some will directly eat a meal, while others visit the local gathering place first before eating their meal.  Our local neighbors and friends are the best resource on cultural.  After consulting on of my neighbors, who is also one of my language helpers, I decided to provide “fruit soup” for the main opener, then boxed meals, which could be eaten together then and there or taken home for later.  I still had to figure out where to order the boxed meals. 

As the time when the fast ends each day depends on the setting sun, it is slightly variable.  I wanted to gather enough in advance to have time together, but not too much that the waiting for daily fast end was unbearable.  In addition, I have wanted to hold a while Elephant Party for some time.  I figured the tutors would enjoy this as an activity before breaking the fast.  Therefore I decided to invite them for a 5pm party. 

We invited all the tutors and John’s translation helpers.  In my culture you expect only those you invite and invitations can be exclusive.  This also enable you to plan according to the expected number of guests, whereas here there tends to be a great deal of flex.  People may express their wishes of attending, but not show up as it would be rude to outright refuse. 

A few days before our “party,” I asked a neighbor known for her culinary abilities for help making the boxed meals.  She consented to prepare the food and pack the boxes.  John and I bought all the ingredients and supplies she would need.  She then prepared everything for the 5 o’clock party. 

As a White Elephant Party was a new concept,  I provided all the gifts.  It turned out to be a great activity and many laughs were shared.  During the duration of the gift exchange, only two gifts were stolen.  We are still unsure whether this was uncertainty due to the knew game or a cultural aspect which inhibited the stealing from a friend.  

We still had additional time after finishing the White Elephant Party, so we played charades.  After breaking the fast together, we ate our boxed meals as well.  It was an enjoyable time together. 

The Reading School Tutor and Translations Helpers

Earthquakes

     As we shared in the last post we had a couple earthquakes here in Barat. The first occured on a Thursday afternoon while John was conducting a comprehension check on a translated story. Living in a stilt house, we can feel some vibrating when the kids run up and down the stairs or from room to room. The swaying we felt made us all, except Whitman and Evangeline, stop and wonder. When we recognized it was not running children or strong winds, which have never caused the house to sway before, we realized it must be an earthquake. 

     The tutors all quickly began checking the internet or calling their family members. One, who is a new mother, quickly went home to check on her daughter and the grandmother in charge. 

     Shortly after, John returned to comprehension checking and I returned to homeschooling. Whitman became slightly grumpy as he had not felt it. The following night, we experienced a larger earthquake. Our neighbors, who live in brick houses, ran outside and began conversing. Though the whole neighborhood was up, our kids slept right through it. 

    The next afternoon, the national climate, geology, and meteorology agency advised all people, in the recent earthquake areas, to avoid the shore. The concern was if any additional earthquake of greater magnitude occurred it could produce a tsunami. We live in a fishing village, on the coast. If you don't live directly on the shore, you live at the most 200 yards away. That afternoon, 99% of our neighborhood cleared out. They walked, drove, or rode to the nearest hills, about a 15 minute walk away. There they proceeded to camp until the national agency said it was safe enough to return home, which turned out to be exactly one week later.

The foundation John works for donated tarps, rope, and ramen to those camping.

As Evangeline missed her friends, she was thrilled to visit their tents.

     After educating ourselves on the situation, checking earthquake monitoring agencies, and weighing the options, we decided to stay put.  A couple men remained in our neighborhood as well to watch their houses as many were afraid of robbers and to care for their goats.  

     There was much destruction caused at and near the epicenter, about 80miles from us.  We were thankful in our area there were not any deaths nor building damage aside from a crack or two.    

     Earthquakes are not a predictable phenomena.  They cannot even be compared to weather which is often forecasted accurately.  The whole week our neighbors were camping it rained.  I had the strongest desire to educate each and everyone of them about earthquakes, fault lines, structure safety, and tsunamis.  I was confident that if they avoided a tsunami risk out there camping, they would all come home with colds.  Though there is a place for education, much of which still needs to happen here, I learned that wasn't the thing truly giving me peace during this time.  

     This biggest lesson I've learned from this ongoing and far reaching COVID pandemic is we can try to make wise choices with the information we have, but ultimately we are not in charge and have to trust the one who is.  With that in the back of my mind, I, Erin, realized my neighbors needed that peace more than good education on earthquake and tsunami likelihood, trends, or factors.  Besides if you watch a monitoring agency like the USGS, you can become quite paranoid because of the number of earthquakes happening daily across the globe.   

      Thankfully we have remained safe and all our neighbors have returned home, with only a few colds.  Even as this pandemic seems to rage on into 2021, we rest assured in the one who is sovereign over it all!

Safe!

Happy New Year! What will 2021 bring? Well for us we've experienced a couple earthquakes in the past 36 hours. Though there is destruction a few hours away, we are safe and without any damage in our neighborhood. Here's to more adventures and stories this year!

Blessings Amidst a Pandemic

     December has come and is about to go, along with 2020.  This year, no doubt, will be a memorable one for many with altered work, school and holiday celebrations.  Maybe new traditions will emerge for your family as they have for ours as we learn to celebrate our holidays differently overseas.  

     As COVID still seems to be raging and restrictions or recommendations for altered living abound, we are extremely thankful to remain healthy and maintain momentum in our individual areas of work.  John continues translating, I, Erin, continue studying language with two very faithful helpers, and the boys continue with their homeschooling.  Evangeline probably has struggled the most with social distancing and isolating at home.  She is definitely one of the most social in our family and misses her daily play times with neighbors on our porch.  

Squeezing in friend time whenever possible.

Evangeline was asked to be an attendant for a family friend.

She enjoyed getting all dressed up, but not all the pictures. 

     The incredible support for and progress of our work here has led to a new project: building and running of a community library.  In coordination with the reading school tutors, we have enclosed the underneath section of our house (see previous post for pictures).  The tutors are currently shelving books and preparing the space.  

We finally made a trip to the big city to get Evangeline's eyes checked!

Evangeline's eyes are healthy, just in need of correction.  

On our back porch, we found this dragonfly.

No, it is not an eaten item here.

We are thankful also to have celebrated another birthday for Whitman.  He is now in double digits, 10!

We celebrated while in the big city.
There weren't cinnamon rolls as usual, but he did enjoy chocolate croissants and presents too!

Whitman enjoyed eating at a favorite 'make-you-own-meal' restaurant with friends

     We hope you all have been able to celebrate your many blessings this year too during this very different Holiday Season.  

Library Photos

 

The End of Summer

 

It is now to October and many would admit it is well past the end of summer.  To determine though whether or not you have reached the end of something, you really need to have a definition of what that something is.  Here overseas, we will often refer to time periods by the four seasons enjoyed in the States.  This works well within our family and with other American ex-pats, but not with everyone else.  Our neighbors only know the dry season and the rainy season.  We have a friend from Australia whose summer occurs during what we consider to be winter time.  Beyond the weather or season, how would you define summer?  Our boys would say, “No school!”  Others might define it by the increase of outdoor activities or by more large scale vacationing. 

This year our summer was marked by the study of both art and science, remaining inside to avoid large crowds, and canceling all trips.  The end of August did bring the full scale of multiple subjects for our regular homeschooling, but we also just returned from a weeklong vacation in the big city.  In contrast, as fall began in the States, many children still remain at home, pursuing distance learning.  Though the weather is beginning to cool down in the States, people are anticipating very different celebrations of traditional holidays this season.  Now October, we continue here in Barat with HOT weather and the absence of familiar holidays.  So, for us, and quite possibly many of you this year, “summer” was not what we expected, nor has the end of summer been as marked as in other years. 

Though our children became quite stir crazy after months inside, we were able to focus on many other activities...

We enjoyed art.

Painting with homemade paint.

Painting upside down like Michelangelo.

The boys picked up more chores, to their chagrin, as we cancelled our cleaning lady during this pandemic.

Washing dishes.

John and I have been to continue to our main activities, translating stories into the local language for John and language study with two of my closest neighbors, for me Erin. 

We temporarily converted our dinner table into a ping-pong table!

The kids read a lot!

We celebrated two birthdays!

Evangeline turned four.

    

We celebrated with her favorites: unicorns and...

Peppa Pig.

Caedmon turned twelve!

We celebrated with a piñata, inside.

Christmas is cancelled

    OK, not really, but can you imagine if the biggest holiday celebrated by you, your family, and whole community in which you live could not be observed as normal. Last Sunday unfolded much differently for many of our neighbors than expected.  It was the largest holiday of the year, marking the end of the fasting month. 

    Commercial transportation had been restricted to limit the traditional “going home” to family for the holiday.  The large morning gathering at the local soccer field was cancelled. Going from house to house to visit friends, neighbors, and family and ask for forgiveness of past wrongs was highly discouraged. Even the tradition of children going door to door to receive money from neighbors was restricted.

    Amidst the  cancelations, restrictions, and discouragements, people still celebrated, though much simpler than usual.  Our neighbors still spent the day before preparing wrapped rice and smoked fish.  They still dressed up in new or nice clothes the day of.  A few even visited their immediate neighbors.  Kids were out, enjoying the cookies and treats from neighbors.  Otherwise the holiday passed much quieter than usual.  Last year we received thirty guests by 9 o’clock in the morning.  This year we kept our door closed and did not receive a single guest.  It felt very odd and slightly unloving in a culture that is so welcoming with doors always open. 

Wrapped Rice

The day prior, I, Erin, took cookies to our immediate neighbors to wish them a happy holiday.

In return, they gifted me with wrapped rice.  One third of what I brought home is pictured above!

Unusual Times

The corona virus pandemic has altered life for most around the globe.  On the one hand, we too are trying to find a temporary new normal amidst government advice and restrictions.  On the other hand, much of our daily life has not changed.  Our boys continue to be taught at home.  John continues to work at home.  I, Erin, continue to do independent language study at home.  So what has changed for us?

The first felt change was an abstract one.  Living overseas we’ve experienced an immense freedom to travel.  We’ve been blessed both financially and with passports that are widely accepted, thus allowing us to move around the globe when we choose or have a need.  As neighboring countries closed their boarders, the ability to travel outside our host country became very difficult.  At the time we did not have any travel plans, nor do we have any now.  It is a different feeling though to know you are not able to travel in the same manner you were freely able to beforehand.  

As government advice and restrictions on large gatherings and social contact increased, we made additional, more perceivable, changes.  We hung hand washing instructions and hosted a handwashing clinic.  John temporarily closed the reading school, which took place at 3 local grade schools and our house.  Thankfully the tutors are still able to work from home; they are writing stories in the local language, recording audio books, and teaching any children within their immediate vicinity.  The soccer school has also been put on hold.  John though is able to continue translating stories into the local language.  Instead of working with four local language speakers, he is now just working with the two from our immediate neighborhood.  Along with asking two of his language assistants from across town to stay home, we’ve also asked our house help to stay home as she too is from across town.

Instruction, in the national and local languages, at our outdoor sink.

  

Along with closing the underside of our house, we put away all our door toys.

The Barat culture is extremely relational and interdependent.  As our neighborhood is tucked away from the main part of town, these aspects are that much more evident.  Neighbors are frequently barrowing items from one another and daily sitting together outside chit chatting.  As social distancing and decreased venturing out are being promoted, our neighbors’ way of life is dramatically being affected.  There has been less gathering, but so much of their lives happen outside their homes: fetching water from the well, washing and drying clothes, cooking over fires, and kids playing.  It has been interesting to experience the changes taking place and the challenge of implementing changes when that which we are trying to work against is so 'invisible.'  

 A few other ways our lives have changed recently...

Caedmon and Whitman are learning to wash dishes.

One day, of their own initiative, they decided to work together AND include Evangeline.

We are trying to limit our shopping to once a week.

It has been slightly challenging to know where to store the extra items.

The picture above is ALL our kitchen storage - no nonpictured pantry exists.  

The boys have been very welcoming of their sister in their games, even willing to play in her games, as they all are spending more time inside.

Reading to Evangeline