Take your pick...!

My roommate and I decided that it would be a fun adventure to buy a local live chicken. I pass by this place on our street all the time and have been wanting to get one for quite awhile. So after some investigative work on how the whole process goes we finally went. The best part? You can even pick which one you want!

First you tell this man how much chicken you want. For example...I want a $2 chicken. Then he picks one and you can hold it to make sure it's okay. He's holding our pick in the photo:

Then you stand there and look cute next to the chicken cages while he cuts its head off, sticks it upside down in a hole in the table while it kicks and kicks, skins it and chops it up. (Actually, we watched it all after taking this photo):

Next you bring it home and wash off all the blood and feathers:

Now you have to put on your toughest carving face and chop off all the fat and other parts that we don't usually get in the states, like the neck. Might I add, dealing with warm meat is not something I'm used to at this point? It just doesn't feel right.

Now you're all ready to make lunch! Yummy!


*We can sometimes find frozen chicken breasts or thighs at one grocery store here. So really this was just for fun. I don't know if that makes it better or worse that we did it, but just FYI.

Play Time

Aren't these kids cute? There is a house being built on the corner next to mine so we frequently have large piles of dirt in the road. It's entertaining for these guys.



A few months ago Roomie A and I were walking through a hotel where we sometimes eat lunch. We unbuttoned our balto jackets and just then a breeze came through and swooshed them up behind us. We quickly realized (maybe as a result of too much Alias?) that we could play Matrix and Sydney Bristow in our floor length black jackets. We went to pick some things up at a little store in our neighborhood a couple weeks ago and saw these beautiful toy guns. Well, the urge to play Matrix and Sydney quickly overtook us. We found ourselves for about an hour taking pictures and videos fake fighting. It was quite fun, and stress relieving!

SURPRISE!

My roomies threw me a surprise party for my birthday after I got back from the Big City...it was loads of fun!

Here's me being surprised...





Some of the most fun kids ever waiting to jump out at me when I walked through the door...


Blowing out the candles...



A beautiful balloon bouquet...



Me and the lovely roomies...

Welcome Home!

I finally have made it back to Q'ville from the Big City! Upon my arrival my roommates made me breakfast and greeted me with two signs...The first is what you would expect.



The second represents the new round of posters that have recently exploded on most every car and shop here.

Beautiful Birthday...

So I've just recently celebrated my 23rd birthday. I was here in the Big City still with my good friends A & J who made the day splendid. I woke up to a bunch of balloons in the hallway. Then we went out for American breakfast, shopping, Chili's for dinner, then chocolate cake and ice cream for dessert. I got to celebrate with a group of super cool kids who have made their way into my heart and onto my cool list over the last month. I will be sad to leave them and will miss them for sure. They made my stay here in the Big City wonderful. I feel refreshed and ready to head home. These kids played a big role in that.

Pretty in Pink

I found this jacket at a huge mall here in the Big City last night. I'm going back to the pyramids today with another friend who hasn't seen them, but I thought you should see this instead. We can't find clothes like this in Q'land so it was quite exciting!

Big Brother

I was telling these stories last night and it dawned on me that they may be good to share here to show a little more of the culture here.

A couple months ago Roomie M and I were coming home. The group of boys who hangs out on our street and plays soccer said some things to us in English, that were not-so-sweet and meaner than just your usual "Hey, whatisyourname." We were a little fed up with these boys so we called the family we rent our floor of the house from and they sent "Big Brother" downstairs to help us. He went out on the street and we pointed out the main culprit. He grabbed the kid by the forearm and told him to leave us alone then he grabbed that kid's Big Brother and told him to take care of his brother or get his dad to do something. This is a totally normal interaction. Big Brothers are really important over here. We found out a few days later the same kids kicked their soccer ball over our gate and our "Big Brother" slashed it and tossed it back over, telling them to play in their own neighborhood. You just don't mess with his sisters! These boys are SO polite to us now. They never talk to us and always stop their game while we walk by so they won't accidentally hit us with the ball.

This family is awesome. When we had a rat in our house we trapped it in the bathroom. I slipped some poison-on-tuna under the door which the rat consumed. Unfortunately, the rat was bigger than I had estimated and when we went to check on it, the poison had obviously not done its job! The Mom of the family came down and being an amazing village woman, she chased the rat around the bathroom and killed it with the wooden stick end of the plunger!

I hope you are all happy to know that we are well taken care of in our house...

Eating Trash and Donkey Carts

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you." Psalm 32:8-9

"Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flows the springs of life." Prov. 4:23

I have been around animals way more in the last seven months than have in my entire life. Almost everyday on the way to my language lessons I walk around (or through) a herd of goats and cows. I have observed a few things about these animals. They love to eat our trash. They always hang out on the corner where my block puts our trash. They are skinny and help me to understand the need to add oil to the frying pan when making hamburgers out of Q'landi beef. But most relevant today - they are never alone. There is always someone from the village with them that herds them to my street corner. These animals are without understanding of the path they should follow. The same thing goes for donkey and camel carts. Have you ever seen one of these? In case you haven't here's a picture of a donkey cart:



The donkey is completely without understanding as to where to go without being curbed by its bit and bridle. I'm sure I must have read that verse in Psalms that I started with before, but I have never noticed it until today. I've been thinking on the word "keep" today from Proverbs 4:23. How must it be if I praise Him and continually cry out to Him yet, like a donkey with blinders, bit and bridle He has to keep reeling me in. The word KEEP in Proverbs 4:23 is a command - it doesn't instruct us that like donkeys we are to be kept - it directs us to KEEP. Do not be like an animal without understanding. Animals do not know the way they are supposed to go or why, but we do. We have been instructed in THE Way and should not act like foolish animals who wander away because they lack understanding. That's what the Book says about us - like sheep we had gone astray. Indeed, but that is not true of us anymore. When I think about keeping and donkeys I am drawn back to the word relentless. To keep is to be in a constant active state. It's static. No matter what else happens or how the scenery changes we're supposed to follow the Shepherd. This is not a one time action and we're done. It requires perseverance and is a choice we make every moment. I was talking about change with someone today and this is immediately where my mind went. Donkeys are distracted by their surroundings. I saw a donkey very up close and personal the other day. I was in a taxi and he was pulling a cart through a horrible traffic jam. The man sitting up on the cart was struggling to get the donkey to go the right direction. I saw it struggling against the bit, fighting against being pulled this way and that. As I think back on how uncomfortable that donkey looked it dawns on me that's not how He created us to be. He doesn't want to yank us around. He wants to instruct us, keep our feet from falling, counsel us and have His eye upon us. He wants us to walk the straight path no matter how things change. And that first part of the verse- I think it's a promise - He WILL instruct us, etc.

TRACK TRIP!!!!!

I went on the coolest 'track trip' (not a 'road trip' b/c we took the train) up to the Mediterranean Sea this weekend with my girls. It was amazing to see the Med again. I hope you all have an amazing new year!





(This picture was taken inside some catacombs. We weren't supposed to take pictures in here, but it was too cool to resist.)

My Christmas Eve...!

This is how I spent Christmas Eve with my girls!!



Here's us 'reuniting' at the airport:



Also, my super wonderful aunt made a replica of me (never as good as the real thing, but what are you going to do?) to be at the family Christmas:

Merry Christmas!!

Hey! This will definitely be a different holiday being so far away, but we've had a good time decorating and begining to celebrate here. We're doing a dinner and gift exchange in my house this week. Then Roomie A and I will be traveling to spend the actual holiday with two of my best friends! I hope you have a wonderful break. Know that I love and miss you all. Enjoy the pictures, and let me know how you're going to be celebrating too.

These are from some pictures we took at a castle/fort place recently:




This was a fun moment captured as Roomie M told a great joke:
How do you make a Kleenex dance?



You put a little boogie in it!

These are of our decorations around the house. Also, the plate cookies is from a Christmas party we had with some of our friends who wanted to know about our traditions and why we celebrate Christmas. The sugar cookies were a big hit. We also served hot chocolate that was pretty well received.

add to the beauty

i was talking about this song with E the other day and then it randomly came up on my ipod from a mix someone had given me. i thought i'd share it with you because i think it is just splendid. sorry for being so out of touch. not having my computer and getting caught up in life here has made my posting limited. i love you all and miss you tons! let's add to the beauty.

Add To The Beauty by Sara Groves

We come with beautiful secrets
We come with purposes written on our hearts, written on our souls
We come to every new morning
With possibilities only we can hold, that only we can hold

Redemption comes in strange place, small spaces
Calling out the best of who we are

And I want to add to the beauty
To tell a better story
I want to shine with the light
That's burning up inside

It comes in small inspirations
It brings redemption to life and work
To our lives and our work

It comes in loving community
It comes in helping a soul find it's worth

This is grace, an invitation to be beautiful
This is grace, an invitation

T-Day and new (cool) hobby...

You all have been quite inquisitive (that's a good thing, I love getting questions from home) about my first big holiday here so I've included some snapshots of all our food, our beautiful table and the obligatory "kids' table." So cute!

*Note it's "T----- Day!" NOT "Turkey Day!" I think a turkey was the only thing missing. We had mashed and sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, rolls, cornbread stuffing, macaroni and cheese, corn casserole, 7 layer salad, pies, cakes and lots more I don't remember right now.









In other exciting news, I have started a new hobby! My mom sent me a scrapbook, and I started it today. It's my first scrapbook since the mid-90's before Creative Memories days. My roomie and I were talking about how scrapbooking is now intimidating since everyone has all this fancy stuff and it looks all professional. I hope my third world supplies won't be mocked when I return home and show off my book =^O. In any case, I had a great time relaxing with that project today, and I don't feel intimidated by my scrapbook anymore. Another emotional dilemma I had to face in scrapbooking was fear of mockery of my new hobby. Apparently, since Creative Memories and other such companies have invaded our art stores it's questionable where your loyalties lie now - are you still someone who wants to "stick it to the man" or are you a sell out? Since it's out of the realm of possibility for me to go to the invaded art store, I convinced my most concerned friend I'm still cool and proceeded with my new hobby. So now that all emotional concerns are put aside, I am an excited and new scrapbooker! =^)

oooh la la

Thursday was my roomie's last day here so we thought we'd get some beautiful henna as a send off for her. She's headed to a land where it's not so popular or intricate. We went to my teacher's house at 10 am and went with her to the lady's house. We got there about 10:45 and were there until 7 pm!! We even got to eat lunch with them.

After she painted the black stuff on you get smeared with vasoline then powdered with baby powder. Then they tell you that you can't shower until the morning!




















And it's not just for big people! This is one of my favorite people here:























We also had a fiesta for her going away!

We began the party by going to a photo studio "downtown" and having a few photos of all of us together made. We decided to go with the digital option and let them pick "appropriate" backgrounds. There are pictures below of the results. So here we are getting ready and at the "fiesta," complete with guacamole, enchiladas, homemade tortilla chips, salsa, bean dip, and "sparkling coconas" drinks (I didn't mistype, that's what it said on the bottle. Your basic non-alcoholic sparkling pineapple coconut soda).