2 Days Down..

The luau was a great hit - lots of parents came to watch. Apparently watching Americans do the limbo is more interesting than you might think! The kids are great- the little ones (5 & 6!) are a handful but they are impossibly cute-and smart! The older ones = hilarious! No where in America would 18 year old boys color and make birthday hats - but here, wonderful creativity and big smiles!

Everyone is remarkably well- exhausted- but well! We had "mien pien". for lunch today- I am sure I butchered the spelling but it was a Muslim dish, a spicy stew with square noodles. We topped that with a totally ITALIAN dinner- yes, I said Italian- authentic from anchovie to ziti- yummy and cheap- Angie and I ate two huge meals with COLD soda for under $15- so good. Such a treat! Justin had tiramisu - haha! It was a sweet moment to rest after a long hot day!

We literally run from place to place with bags and boxes a-flutter. No free-time, well, ever, except for an odd evening off now and again. Somehow our cool breezy paradise had a random heat wave and it was 93 today -yikes, no a/c, rooms on the 5th floor -yuck! It is also very active- dance, sports, games in the heat- PTL for college boys! Although....our favorite sports helper is a 72 year old man- the kids love him and he plays a mean game of basketball! Wow!

Former students are tracking us down- three kids from my class in '08 stopped by today with a cake they made for me - and a watermelon! Soooo precious. These kids take relationships very seriously and we keep in touch as we can. One boy is headed to the top university in the nation. Imagine his future- what a privilege to be counted his friend!

Being on a college campus every day, we see every part of society-from the very western businessmen and their shiny cars, to the well-dressed ladies in their high heels scurrying to work. The grandparents walking precious little toddlers. The elderly gathered on the grassy curbs, talking, visiting, laughing, enjoying the community. Young kids, zipping by on bikes or in packs, playing in the sun. Workers passed out under trees and carts, catching a nap in the hot sun. Little ladies sweeping the streets or selling their wares. Groups of men, cigarettes hanging out of their mouths, shirts rolled up so their bellies hang out, shooting the breeze on the corners. People ballroom dancing on the patios, teens rapping on the sidewalks, toddlers squealing as they play in the fountain! What a picture of life, community, and a people so impossibly different from us, yet the same on the inside. And loved and valued just as we are.
Still trying to post photos. I have to type out the blog on my blackberry (in my hot room, with my mosquito coil burning, laying on my inch-thick mattress with my bottle of warm water-lol) , then because the website is blocked (!) I forward it to my husband via email, who posts it to the blog. We feel like we have to download the photos from my camera to Jason's laptop, wait with dial-up internet, email them to don and hope he knows how to post them! Crazy! Keep thinking of us- we talk about "back home" a lot and miss our "normal" lives, but this is a wonderful chance to be a part of something much bigger than ourselves and our little daily piece of the journey! Hugs, miss Cindy and the X-Team!