Mid-Autumn Greetings...

We've consumed them...we've celebrated the festival...tomorrow it's back to school.

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

Though we missed out on Labor Day this year we were delighted to gain Mid-Autumn Festival. A National holiday here where many schools and businesses close (yeah! ours did!)to gather with families, eat little morsels called Moon Cakes, drink tea and gaze at the full moon.

Rather a delightful little holiday. Though I was not much for the Moon Cakes I'm sad to say. There are seemingly endless varieties of the treats. I ate a robust, corn-flavored, gel laden one that put me off my tea for a bit. Then I failed to appreciate the splendor of one with the yoke of a duck egg concealed in it's center.

Being a foreigner here is fun, daily. Everyone delights in sharing the details of such a holiday with you and we've been blessed beyond measure with invitations to celebrate with neighbors and colleagues! On Friday we gathered with another family with three children, students of ours, and several other neighbors from building #5 here...we feasted on lotus root soup, fried noodles, dumplings, little silver fried fish, pomelos and moon cakes. What a great evening it was to be welcomed into their home and to enjoy the holiday with new friends!

Saturday there were more invitations but we declined to go out, citing fatigue. We instead extemporaneously welcomed in our dear local friend here who brought various, copious amounts of fresh fruit and of course, moon cakes. We invited others in and sat around the table drinking tea and enjoying each other's company. The conversation turned to deep matters and we had an incredible time of sharing the story.

Sunday we ventured out early, took two buses...which took us 1.5 hours to get to our destination further into the city. I am FAR TOO LIMITED in this medium to share the wild and woolly time we had travelling by bus on that day...but suffice it to say that the bus we finally got onto had people hanging out the doors...as had the other two buses we'd let pass us by hoping for a less crowded one on which to foist our sizable family. No luck. So...when in Rome...

We took children by the arms and as soon as the bus stopped, we pressed ourselves into the mass of people...shouting at the children to "find a hole where (you) can stand!"

Some kindly folks vacated two precious seats and allowed me and Magpie to sit down. (Keep in mind the seats are for people approximately one-fourth the seat size of your author.) Gladly we swooped down on the seats then preceded to pack Bub and Potato on my lap (should you ever forget the nicknames for the kids...refer to the first post back in July for the magic decoder ring)...then Brownie, sweating and complaining about her personal space, was pressed down into the mix on Magpie's lap. FIVE souls in the space allotted for two tiny ones...and 1 hour to go!

The Bug, ever the congenial one...acquiesced to the request of some elderly riders who offered her a seat on the grandma's lap...I kept smiling at a wary Bug saying "you're doing so well...I'm so proud of you...you're delighting that lovely lady."

The only way I could secure Bub and Potato was to encircle them with my arms and lock my fingers together in a death grip about them. This was suitable to keep them from falling into the dozens of riders pressed into our faces...but an unfortunate by-product of the hold meant that when the bus bumped and jerked their heads knocked together like bowling balls arriving together again on the ball return at the old bowling alley.

Did I mention that it was about 88 degrees and so humid?

Water was repeatedly requested and so I would regularly have to break the death grip on the babies, wrench my arm around to get into my bag that was sandwiched between my back and the upright support next to me. Teeth were rattled while the bus found uneven pavement during desperate attempts for hydration. Some water covered the church-going dresses...

some of the campers were beginning to get very cranky.

Dad, for his part, was pressed closer than a man should be to anyone else outside of wedlock for the majority of the trip. Standing...albeit, clinging to the dangling support-like handle from the ceiling.

I declare...I think his lips landed on the back of some guy's head more than a few times.

Then the concern is...we can't see...we can't see where we are. All we can see is the belt buckles and shirt buttons of our too close for any comfort fellow-riders...and we HAVE TO GET OFF THE BUS...which means we have to spring from our seats at just the right moment and get ourselves to a door before the bus lurches away from it's 10 millisecond stop...

With the help of a kindly, semi-English speaking man who told me..."You stop...GO!"
We swam like hearty salmon upstream and launched ourselves unceremoniously out the bus's front door (a violation, by the way...one should exit the rear door...not a chance with our troop and the population of bus 702 yesterday!)

Upon arriving on the pavement, in front of our desired location...we high-fived like maniacs...probably nearly caused a few accidents for passerby motorists and felt like we were really rolling with the big dogs, now!

I told Doug..."taxis, from now on."

I told the kids..."see, we can do it...nothing we can't handle here."

I told myself..."I think I know what it feels like to be buried alive."

We made it to our friend's house for a beautiful dinner. SKYPE'd with some friends back in the states and then ventured out to our foreigner's fellowship. Loved it, loved it, loved it, once again! This week they had a special class for our kids...two Indian ladies taught it...the kids were higher than kites after the experience. The passionate and moving music encouraged us and filled our tanks for this next week! WOW...you got to come visit our Sunday meeting!

Today was a day off of school. Mind you, we almost missed it. The notice came first in the form of the school calendar which is in the local language...so we were unable to read it. Then apparently we received an email from the school administrator reminding students and parents of the day off school...again in the local dialect...again we missed the message.

If our children had not caught wind of it, quite by accident, we would have been there with brushed teeth and backpacks loaded at 7:15 am this morning...

We savored the day with some school clothes shopping...and Mexican food tonight! (We can bring together MOST elements of our favorite Mexican dishes...with the exception of sour cream...can't find it yet.)

We've had some very powerful discussions this weekend with special people and have extended some invitations for a weekly time together...our enthusiasm is building.

I'll try to be a bit more faithful with the postings...time...just keeps slippin' into the future...

Love to all.

Three Peas in a Pod...then just two...

Bonus Shots of the kids...just because...

The last shot here is of the kids after school today in our living room...with some other classmates who now live in our building...

...We're hoping for some good friendships...

Shopping Anyone?

Shopping is always an adventure.

We don't have our own vehicle and if you haven't noticed...we have a large family...

The days of Costco-type shopping are over because we need to carry out whatever we buy and then wait by the road to hail a taxi...sometimes this process takes awhile and you can see how the kids cope...

The picture of them is in the middle of a street...buses going by...and taxis/cars speeding past...

...but this is how we roll, now...

Pictures of The Dutch Girl and Magpie out around town...

These photos are a glimpse of life riding buses...playing in fountains...and a look at our 1st kitchen at the temporary apartments where Magpie and The Dutch Girl did some fine imitation Asian cooking!

School life pictures...

These shots reveal our "castle" looking school...

And you get a few shots of the kids on their first few days of school...

The last shot is of the kids walking to school on the first day (Sept 1)...we walk a short distance from our Living Quarters, across a street and then into the gated entry of our Disney-looking school building...

Finally...some pictures...

So these shots show a bit of one of our days "out"...

...we're doing our best to contract bird flu, the kids loved feeding the nasty birds...

...a picture of us with some local friends after a night on the town watching the dancers on the city streets, etc...

...a few local friends who like to come to our home, eat our Western food and learn about our culture...

A Glimpse...

Yesterday we ventured out on Sunday afternoon to find the foreign fellowship we'd heard about that meets at 2PM. It was a 40 minute taxi ride and it took us back to the area where we'd been before an come back unable to find them. But, we're not to be deterred...so out again we went.

We found them meeting off a side door at one of the registered fellowships here in the city.

We were warmly welcomed and took seats among people of various nations, tribes and toungues. All in the room could speak English though for most it was not their mother language.

There was an African team leading the music - it was just like being back in Kampala - it was so refreshing.

After we had a fantastic time lifting Him up in song...there was a period of time for introductions of the new faces.

There were nearly 150 souls in the room. Half of which appeared to be from Africa, another large segment from India and then several from Europe and N. America. We were the only family and we caused a great stir.

The kids LOVED IT! It was dynamic and very passionate. Even Magpie who is often a bit reserved in new settings was smiling and really participating in the music.

While we were singing a favorite song from back home I thought, "this is a glimpse of how it will be when people from every nation, tribe and toungue gather around the throne to worship the King." I had goosebumps and tears at the same time!

Once the introductions began we heard that people were from Hungary, Camaroon, Haiti, Jamaica, DR Congo, Nigeria, US, India and too many other places to tell you!

It truly is an International Fellowship and we were blessed beyond words to join with them!

Got to run off to school, week 2 begins in just 1 hour!

Love to all...

Could I do it?

Today seemed to be a "usual" day...if one exists here at The New Place.

We clamored off to school and were 10 minutes late for the "Teacher Reporting Time"...however, nothing could be done about it. We suffered an apple juice spill and my glasses were left up on the 8th floor for which we had to return.


WARNING...SOME READERS MIGHT FIND THIS BLOG ENTRY UNSAVORY...



At lunch we lined up to enter the "lunchroom." The same room serves as the Art Room too...but I digress...

Lunch is brought to us in large institutional-sized stainless steel vats. Always an amazing amount of rice and then usually two vegetable dishes and some sort of meat. Of course everyday soup is also served (none of the locals here drink a single drop of anything else...only the soup du jour...and EVERYONE drinks it.)

As I, using my Teacher and Height advantage approached the lunch offerings...I saw them. The meat of the day?

CHICKEN FEET.

I should leave this narrative for a moment and remind some of our readers that at one time this family had a "Chicken Dream." More truthfully stated, I had a "Chicken Dream." During the six years we lived on our little mini-farm at The Old Place, we had several chickens for eggs. Eventually the dream died and so did all the chickens. (We sold them to some neighbors from the South and they butchered them all for Mole (I don't know how to indicate the emphasis on Mole...but it's a Mexican dish...it was not a typo.)

We have seen many chicken feet. We have seen what they walk in. We have been scratched by them. Looking at chicken feet...doesn't seem like there's any meat on them, either.

I rescued the girls, Magpie and The Bug. I happened to bring a snack from home today so I gave them some chicken from home. I retired away from the lunchroom to nurse my leftovers and to AVOID AT ALL COSTS THE CHICKEN FEET.

Along comes Dad. He says "you've got to get in there...you're verging on Ugly Amrcan!"

Those were fightin' words.

I followed him in as he piled his plate high. I selectively chose a few items, rice, a vegetable stir-fry and...a single, de-clawed (nails only), chicken foot.

I stared at it for a long time. I was in a lunchroom of kids and other teachers that were honkin' on those feet...my children...they were watching me.

Then I realize that Big-Mouth Dad DOESN'T EVEN HAVE A CHICKEN FOOT ON HIS PLATE! (Who's the Ugly one now?)

But THE FOOT is on my plate. I cannot be conquered by such a simple thing!

Chicken feet have three "toe-like" claw parts. Of course this one had it's nails cut off just at the first knuckle. And the amber, yellowish colored skin was all plumped up from the cookin'. If you turn the foot over...they have a fatty pad-like area on their "soles."

I did not think I could do it.

I try to talk Dad into going back up to the chicken-foot vat and join me for some cross-cultural experience...but he TOTALLY BALKED.

He gets up and leaves the room.

My children are watching me in amazement..."What will Mom do?"

I wonder the same thing!

There's another foreign teacher here with us. Now, she is of semi-local descent...so she's eaten a few feet in her day...and she was cleaning that little claw up...

The pressure was immense. "What kind of a weenie am I...it's just chicken meat...I'm a cross-cultural gal...my children are watching me!"

Thoughts were racing through my mind...

The foot lay on my plate...getting cooler and cooler.

I picked it up...in my paw...and bit off the first toe.

I thought I might not make it...it was just a bone, I broke it off with my teeth and I gnawed off some chicken skin. I'm not sure that there really is any meat on a chicken foot...and it was SPICY.

Magpie opened the window near me...hysterically laughing...certain I was going to hurl and she feared for the spectacle I was about to make.

But I did not lose the battle.

I returned for another bite...the longest...the middle toe.

Then for my final Fear Factor moment...I turned over the claw...and bit out the sole, the fleshy-looking gathering of skin/fat...and that was all I could do.

I was victorious! My children were awestruck and my courage.

My husband would not allow me to come near him once he heard my tale of facing my fears and suppressing my gag reflex...

Upon arriving home here at the apartment...he made me go brush my teeth and demanded that I stop telling him the details...

So...I wrote a song.

This should be sung to the the tune of "These Eyes" by The Guess Who.

"These teeth... (dunnu tunnu tun)have bro-ken chicken bones."

"This tongue... (dunna tunna tun) has licked where toe-jam was."

"This mouth... (dunna tunna tun) has ga-gged on chicken sole."

"The nose... (dunna tunna tun) was picked by a chicken toe."

Dad has made me promise to never sing this song again...although he composed two of the lyrics himself before his overwhelming disgust took over.

Please forgive me if this distressed you too greatly...

I learned later that the same meal was offered to the Kindergarteners. Potato and Bub wanted nothing to do with the feet. However, Brownie was highly disappointed that after watching her classmates gnaw on some feet that when she went up to get her own to try...they were all gone!

This truly represents how weird we can be on just a "usual day."

Still here...Really Tired...

As we've now been chastised numerous times from regular Blog readers...we're coming out of the dark to say "HI" and we're alive!

Today was Day 3 of our new school year.

Today was Day 3 of yet another wild adventure that we feel a bit overwhelmed about.

Today was Day 3 of early bedtimes, early rising and totally programmed lives from 7 until 6. (For those of my dear homeschooling compatriats...you know I'm writhing under the structure...

Today was Day 3 and we already have a change in our classes to better acommodate the student's English capabilities.

Today was Day 3 and I actually made it up in enough time to fix eggs, bread and fruit for the kids AND make it to school on time!

We leave our home at 7:05 and walk about 5 minutes (8 with the short-legged ones)to our school. We have security every step of the way. Not only is our apartment community highly secure (ie. the guard followed the water vendor guy up to our 8th floor apartment and WAITED for him to exchange our bottled waters and THEN escorted him back out of the complex)...But, too...we have a security guard who walks us accross the little side road with very little traffic...until we're safely in to the school gate. It's certainly overkill. Perhaps they still think we're from the Kennedy family? Magpie, Safety Girl, absolutely LOVES IT!

I'm teaching English. Lots of my students in first grade are at a zero English level. Some are nearly at 1st grade level...same thing in my second grade classes. So...we're going to do some adjusting.

Dad spends much of his time with the sole 6th grader in our school. He is a VERY nice, VERY bright young man who basically will be mentored and taught by his private tutor for this year! Anyone think that major life discussions might take place? Remember Nick.

I have a darling little girl in my 1st grade class. Her daddy is a driver for the corporation...and he really wanted to send his girl to this new school but was short of the funds. We were so pleased to discover the generosity of the school that they "made it work" so that she could attend. She speaks no English but she communicates so much with her eyes. The first day, once I realized that she had no English name...I decided I had to name her. Mary. I named her Mary and by day two she said to me in beautiful English "Good Morning Teacher" to which I was able to reply "Good Morning Mary!" Remember Mary...she has a special place in my heart.

I had a little break down on Saturday. I hit a bit of that "culture stress" we've studied so academically. I was just weary. The real reason? I had planned for 4 days to go shopping at the big market and to "line the larder" as some in the US South might say. And when Saturday arrived, I arose full of expectation. Shortly after breakfast the phone rang and there was a need for Dad to go to the school for a "few minutes." Four and 1/2 hours later he returned. I was so tired. Had been sick for a week and just about totally lost my enthusiasm for breathing!

Magpie came into my room where I was lamenting my stress and said.."Okay Mom, it's going to be okay. The "book" says that He will not give you more than you can handle. You need to stop looking so far ahead. Just think about what's next. Now close your eyes and think about what heaven is going to be like and remember that's were you're going."

I was so thankful for her wisdom.

So we're good...and tired...please keep lifting us up. We're probably headed for some rough water long about the time the school stuff settles down and we realize we're really here to stay.

Please lift up Dad's father, Papa G. He and Grandma D. are soon to leave (if they haven't already) Rochester where they were at Mayo. Also, my Mom, Juice, had knee surgery a week ago and is supposed to travel here to The New Place on the 24th of this month. We need her visit and she needs some divine intervention for healing.

I promise, when we're a little better rested later this week...I'll try to bit a bit more "entertaining" in my writing!

Love to you all!