Now we're livin' it...

Such a night last night. So many things to share and since I still cannot post any pictures...my words are going to have to suffice. I'll do my best...

Last night we met up with our local family here...this is a family we've visited here over the last two years, they have also visited us in our home at The Old Place and their son is moving to go to school and stay with some dear friends at The Old Place this year as well...

It was a family celebration! First we taxied over to a major "square" here in the city. It was about a 30 minute, harrowing (as they all are) taxi ride...but made delightful by the powerful AC blasting out the vents...

We arrived on time, but as is the case when traveling, many variables effect the outcome of any parties timeliness...and so we waited for an hour for the rest of our party to come. We drank 2 bottles of water each, ate Lotus seeds (a local delicacy) and practiced our limited dialect with various groups of interested individuals.

Then we walked further into the park area and purchased food to feed some resident scavenger birds...they were white...but still pigeons...and they were accustomed to being well fed. Magpie, now eternally fearful of birds after a rooster attack at age 2, was a nervous wreck. In fact, at one moment as I tried to take a group picture, she was approached by a begging bird and before the photo could snap..she had bowed out of the shot behind the group featured in the frame.

Bub enjoyed the birds...but I was fearful that he was going to have some injury to his one good eye...have you ever see that movie "The Birds?"

Potato and Brownie alternately squealed with delight and screamed in terror during the animal husbandry exercise.

The Bug, ever the photogenic one and the risk taker...was pictured numerous times with birds on her arms, eating from her hands, on her shoulders...Dad, aka "Safety Boy" was ever thrilled with this display...he bathed her in hand sanitizer and kept mumbling about bird flu...

Then we walked several blocks to a dinner where our dear hosts fed us an extravagant meal! It was delightful in appearance, surprising sometimes in taste and the company was so enjoyable. A dear family from the States, whom we've known about through the internet as well our our local friends here, are also in town visiting. It was so pleasant to discuss The New Place with them and to discover some common ties!

After the meal we returned back to the park where once darkness fell, several city blocks were filled with couples dancing! It is one of my favorite things about The New Place. Early in the mornings whole neighborhoods are filled with neighbors out doing morning exercises together...and in the evening...it's dance time. Usually a single instructor (or pair if required) with a mobile music device leading and teaching hordes of dancers. All of us taking the hand of one of the junior H's began to dance and laugh in the humid night air.

The Bug was murmuring to me a few times about a certain 11 year-old boy who was along with us for dinner. She commented to me that he was 11 and that he said she was beautiful. (This is the most common thing the girls hear here from people on the street...but this apparently held MUCH MORE significance.) As we left the street dancing park I saw The Bug slowing down her gait to meet up with the aforementioned 11 year old (who was practicing any and all English on her)...then, I see they are walking hand in hand!

Now a break from the narrative to explain that holding hands here is not of the same significance that it is in The Old Place. Friends of any gender may be seen holding hands...especially girl friends...and certainly young, mixed gender friends.)

However...The Bug is from The Old Place and I feared that this "assistance" was going to have more significance for her...on the way home, once the taxi had sped off she said "Momma...was that boy's name Barry?" "He liked to hold my hand and help me along."

Oh dear.

Returning to the evening, we walked across a busy street to the main park again where we came upon 100 or so women doing the traditional fan dance. They were all lined up, equi-distant from each other facing the instructor who was 60 or so gracefully leading them through the choreographed moves. Taught muscles, precise movements and feminine hands perfectly placed...it was amazing to watch. While they danced there was a very loud rhythm being played in the background. I thought it must have been a large metronome or something electronic to keep the beat. Just a single, clap...clap...clap...clap...very, very loud. Even when they stopped dancing or started moving to another post the rhythm continued.

Just as I walked past the dancers and looked back I saw the source of the clapping. A single man...maybe in his 70's...with huge arm motions while he sat, clap...clap...clap...clap. It seemed as though he was in a trance. Arms fully extended then coming together again over his head to produce the clap.

I wondered..."who is he?" "Does he do this every night?" "Is this his exercise plan?"

We are not in Kansas anymore.

A final site at the fan dance was in the very furthest back row...the last spot...just on the corner of a sea of over 100 women...was a single man.

He too doing the fan dance with all the elegance and determination of the ladies...obviously comfortable enough in who he was to be out in the public square late on a Friday evening doing the fan dance...

We are not in Kansan anymore.

Then we walked over to a huge fountain display. Dad and I giggled and said it reminded us a bit of the "Waltzing Waters" of Branson, MO. There was some operatic-type anthem singing being broadcast over the PA as the waters shot up, danced and the colors changed. I leaned over to Dad and said "We are NOT in Kansas anymore" as we stood shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of other city dwellers out for an evening at the park. Nothing special...just to be a part of the collective community. Crowds gathered around us all trying to practice their English and marveling at the size of our group...Dad winked and chided me by saying ..."'Adventure Girl,' I can see your cape!"

We are not in Kansas anymore...and it is cool.

One last note on this long post...

Today for lunch Daddy and I had taken the three littles to the big market for some needed items and we found a Pizza Hut...of course, we ate there.

The waitresses all gathered around our table, smiling and curious...one who knew English asked about Potato and Bub (this is a common, multiple times a day occurrence)...she wanted to know if they were ORIGINALLY from The New Place. We said of course "yes" and gave the specific cities. They commented, as usual, that the children were lovely, and we said "thank you."

But then, one of the waitresses said of Bub..."His eyes! They are very beautiful!"

Yes, Momma cried.

The journey that He leads us on seldom has made sense to us. It probably never will. But what if we hadn't said "yes" when He said to bring Bub home? Would he have ever had the chance for a lovely waitress to say..."beautiful eyes!?"

I know that this family would have never known the indescribable joy of loving this boy who loves trucks, trains and motorcycles and who loves to snuggle and screams "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" when Dad returns from only taking the garbage downstairs.

So coming here, which made little sense to us was based on how we found Him faithful in the unexpected, SENSELESS, blssngs like our beautiful-eyed son...

to name just one instance...