First Day Of School

It was our first day... Kids, with parents in-tow, or sometimes vice versa for the younger ones, backpacks on, light blue shirts tucked neatly into dark blue pants straggled infrom 7-8:15am. We tried to get to school early, but had some problems with our Lil' Red Gem (she's in the shop now), so we managed to get there on time- pretty important for the first day! School only goes until noon this week and there are no "specials", PE or Library time. Eddy and I busied ourselves with lesson planning and protocol forming. It was a smooth day and the kids seem eager to be there. We'll see how we sound after a few weeks!

It's cultural here for weddings to be held in the neighborhood; actually, right in front of the house. Whether you live with a paved road or not, plumbing or no plumbing. Our neighbor's daughter was getting married today and we had to (Lazem!) make an appearance. And with the festivities literally right in front of our door (we had to use our other ex-pat neighbor's door to get back into our house) it would be awkward and rude not to show up! The shin-dig doesn't even really start till around 9-10pm and then music must stop at 11pm. As I type the speakers are still pumping out the vibrato voices and synth accompaniment. Our bathroom is outside in the patio (hosch)- so we just took showers one wall away from where the bride and groom are sitting, literally... a bit awkward... thank goodness for the ridiculously loud music obscuring the sound of the toilet flushing and bathroom fan!

Eddy has his visa... still waiting on Jess'... tomorrow, insha allah!

Photos: The Library... before and after, with some splashy decorations : )... The wedding- notice stacked red chairs on right- that's where our door is!

Borrowed Wheels

Yep, there she is! Isn't she perky? It was part of the deal; we would take the positions as School Nurse and PE Teacher/Coach and would in turn have the use of a car for the year... and there she be! So, it's T minus 3 days till "go time" and we're frantically trying to get everything ready. Probably a bit more challenging for Eddy as he'll be teaching PE to 5-13 year olds, pretty much all in the same day. He'll be lucky if he knows his name by the time they all head home... that's a lot of Kid to deal with! But we are both excited and looking forward to seeing how God will use us.

We've spent the last 3 days at teacher conferences learning about classroom management, procedures, curriculum, discipline... I've also been working on the library, my other position, Librarian. Who woulda thunk? We have quite a few books Arabic and English and I believe they have them set up in the Dewey Decimal System... I'm pretty sure I haven't said those words in the last 15 years. So, I might need a little refresher... : )

MORE IMPORTANTLY THAN ALL THAT.... Eddy got a resident permit card today; aka VISA!!! We've been beyond waiting for this little passport addition and it was finally finished today. What a relief! Now that Eddy has a visa, it is virtually impossible for the government to refuse me a "dependent visa", Insha Allah. We'll see how long that takes... Keep ya posted!

Photos: Our little Kia Visto... she's a little roughed up, but does the job! This a metal water cup (Kooz Moya). Everyone everywhere uses these communally to drink water out of jugs, thermoses, coolers... on the street, at bus stations... we have a cooler of water set up everyday with a little metal mug sitting beside it for when visitors come.

Mosquitoes & Flies

Yesterday while out to eat with a German friend we were swarmed by mosquitoes; the worst yet. We've been seeing them in the house as well, especially at night around our bed... nice. The Nile is almost 20 feet higher than when we first arrived as the rains to the south saturate the soil and gush into the river. Bringing with it nice malaria-carrying mosquitoes. We had noticed locals burning something in small clay containers and smoking their houses, but were not aware of what it was for. Our friend enlightened us and said that they use it in their house about once a month to drive out the pesky little buggers.

Excited for possible relief we found the dried sap/sandal wood concoction at the market (suuq) and brought it home for our first "smoke out" experience. And smoky it is! The smell has a twist of citrus and musk, really not too offensive. A small price to pay for mosquito-free living... if it works... So, we'll let you know how the night goes. The smoke definitely took a few hours to clear the house. Flies seemed undaunted, flying kamikaze style through the dense hanging clouds... maybe we'll have better luck with the mosquitoes!

Jobs & The Camera

After much prayer, consideration and discussion we have decided to accept the school positions! Jess will be the school nurse, the first one in the school's 6 year history, and Eddy the Physical Education Teacher and Soccer/Basketball Coach. We are very excited and slightly uncertain of what lies ahead of us... but eager to start! Monday we meet for teacher orientation and classes kick off on Aug. 10th. We will continue with our language studies at night and on the weekends. They will loan us a car to use for the year- wow!- and help us with housing. It seems to us a present from God... where else could a married couple find openings in the same facility for the exact positions they need?? We thank God and ask that he directs our steps as we move forward with this opportunity.

And... drum roll please... We have received our new camera!!! If you haven't been following along with The Camera Saga, we were unfortunate enough to break our camera pretty much the moment our feet stepped on foreign soil. We devised a slick plan to get a new one, contacting friends and friends of friends and had one brought to Europe where another friend would pick it up and bring it back to us. Smooth planning. However, we have come to know that even with the slickest of plans, things just sometimes don't turn out. The camera was stolen out of our friend's bag as she traveled. It wasn't meant to be.

The story continues in The Camera Saga II, where we contacted my amazing mother who researched and sent yet another camera to yet another friend furloughing in the states. Having learned our lesson, we refrained from "counting on it" and decided that if it did arrive, how cool it would be! As the story closes, we walked over to our friend's house tonight, as she arrived here a few days ago, and chatted about her travels... She stepped into the house and returned with none other than... The Camera. Elation; pure elation. I was afraid to touch it!! How something so simple and so easily accessible in the states, becomes like the Pearl of Great Price here! Thanks to all who endured the Saga... and sent your comforting and encouraging words. I can only hope to use it for God's glory and your benefit and enjoyment!

**Our friend also brought Eddy's long awaited US Travel Permit- allowing us to stay out of the states for longer than 6 months (1st year with a green card)... huge relief!!!

Photos: Eddy with friend Faremie and shop(ducan) owner eating breakfast/Lunch (fatur) while waiting for the visa process (borrowed camera)... One of my beloved rubber duckies brought from the states to brighten our bathroom (new camera)... it was late, what else to photograph at night??

Possibilities Arise...

Time for some true confessions: This time of adjustment has been good, but hard. We assumed our struggles would stem from relationships, religion or culture. And in a sense they have. But more than that, we've wrestled with the bureaucracy and with, quite frankly, boredom. Language classes only take up so much time and you can only study for so long. With the heat, everyone slows down, locals and foreigners alike. Coming from the West, adjusting to the slow pace has been our biggest challenge.

In light of that, we have been really seeking the Lord and asking for more opportunities to serve/work while in this adjustment period (within reason, obviously). The opportunity for me to teach English at a Girl's school was delayed indefinitely. So, today while walking to a meeting of Friends, we really felt like something was going to come up, an opportunity or an encouragement. And sure enough, it did! A school run by expats is looking for a school nurse, a soccer coach and a PE teacher... Wow! It is a school serving locals and foreigners; we think K-8. We mentioned we were interested and our contact said, "You're hired! You just need to decide if it's something you want to do. So, let's meet with the Principle tomorrow." How about that?! So, we are definitely praying about it... to say the least!

We'll keep you posted! Tomorrow morning... The Visa saga continues... : )

Photos: Here is our patio/lanai (hosch)... note broom- I've put more time in on that thing than I really choose to think about...!

Visas and Tourism

Armed with our brand-spankin' new work permit, letters from our company inviting Eddy to be granted a visa, a ridiculous amount of copies and our local friend, we marched over to the visa office on Tuesday, refreshed and ready to embark on our new battle: resident permits, aka: visas. I brought my trusty Sudoku and water, certain we would be there for hours. After filling out the paper work, attaching the countless copies and photos, Eddy and Faremie (local friend) presented the applications. They were checked for legitimacy and Eddy was pointed to the HIV testing area; this is mandatory for all applying for resident permits. So, after about 10 minutes (I didn't even start a Sodoku puzzle) we were back outside journeying home. We must wait for the results, which should have been done today, Wednesday, but there's a holiday today (how many can one nation have???), so maybe tomorrow. The infamous and ever dreaded Tomorrow.

But, have no fear, English Club is here! Our piece of normalcy and enjoyment in the midst of our bureaucratic battles! We decided on Tourism & Travel this week. We followed our usual format of vocabulary identification and discussion, followed by some teaching and ended with discussion questions. What countries receive the most tourists every year? (France, 75 million) What are the most popular honeymoon sites? (Hawaii... which, by the way, is a great place to live...) What are some tourist sites here in this country? How can you/your country promote tourism? Is tourism helpful or a hindrance to this society? Eddy took the lead this time and kept us all attentive with his humor and animations. We announced that next week would be Movie Nite since it was such a hit last time. The trick: finding a decent movie that has no offensive content and isn't necessarily animated... not a lot out there!

Photos: Eddy teaching at English Club... A random window on our road... waiting for a photo permit so I can be more free with the camera/take more pictures... (maybe no photos... internet trouble...)

Work Permit: Approved!

Finally! After 1 month of office visits, lawyer consultations, papers, photos, money, more papers, stamps, more stamps, starts, stops and more money, we finally received the work permit today-- Thank You God!! We met up with one of our local friends and walked to the office only to find it closed due to demonstrations (The office workers HAVE to be at the demonstrations). Mildly frustrated, to say the least, we decided to wait a bit, sit and drink some tea with the locals. During that time our friend shared some good news with a Somalian sitting next to us. Worth the wait for sure!

Needless to say about 45 minutes later, the gate opened, we went in and there in the stack of permits was Eddy's! Amazing! We stopped by our English Club and had our contact there write some letters for us in Arabic to take with us tomorrow when we try for our visas. We finished the day with our Family, sharing our good news and praying. We stopped by a donut seller on the way home to celebrate... God is good and He has a plan and His will will be done!

Photos: The Permit... not nearly impressive or official looking for all that work! The local version of Pizza- Filo dough, ground beef, green peppers and some cheese... it's very tasty and only $4!! (Picture taken after permit received... we're happy, but emotionally, mentally and physically exhausted... and we're not even legal yet...)

Maybe...

We went back to the work permit office today, payed the fees, bought the stamps, made the copies and even befriended a local businessman who helped us translate some forms. If everything goes as planned, we should have it Monday. Many people have warned us about trying to acquire a work permit and the process in getting it, saying "Never go to that office; you will never get it... it's virtually impossible". But it appears that perhaps we have conquered the beast! And by beast, I'm referring to a 5" x 3" flimsy sheet of blue paper with a picture stapled in one corner...

Since we were already in the city we walked over to a local eatery that makes tasty burgers and shuwarma (kinda like rotisserie meat) and splurged on some protein. We decided to walk home (4 miles), stopping several times to peek into shops to see what's available and how much things cost. We ended the day with some friends at party at an Embassy. Strange. We haven't seen that many white people (khawajas) in months. It was slightly surreal; everyone in their western clothes (tank-tops, tight pants, low neck-lines), drinking booze by the pool and chatting people up. Not our reality to say the least. Most people there work with NGO's or government orgs and have virtually no contact with locals. While fun to be able to socialize a bit with our friends, we really felt awkward and out of place, preferring our lifestyle with the local transport, living in a more rustic neighborhood and spending time with native friends.

Photos: Eddy & I in front of a more western cafe; every few minutes a fine mist of water sprays down on you while you sip your coffee...(Eddy is on the phone, people here LOVE phones); A funeral gathering on our street- the women prepare the meal while the men go to pray... She said we MUST (Lazem!) join them... we were heading to the Embassy.

Not Yet...

We had hoped to receive the work permit today, but no. We walked the 2+ miles to the office only to find our dear friend Steven, already there, searching the board for our name- what a good friend! We talked to some officials and they told us to go to a different office. So back down the road a mile or two, to find that the man we needed to speak with has been out of the office for a few days... maybe he will approve it tomorrow? Insha Allah.

Back over the bridge and into our little area of the city. We were disappointed as we found out this next week they are holding a teaching conference in our target city, and we are more than invited to come help and teach. We need our visa before we can travel there. On top of it all, we are reminded that each day we are here without a visa costs us $20. We know that we have been sent here and we trust things will work out for good! We'll head back to the permit office tomorrow.

**We have been asked to start teaching English more officially one day/week at a Girl's School... This isn't necessarily our focus, but is very tempting! Jess is considering it...

Photos: Eddy takes little cars with him to give out to street kids... or play with while crossing the 1/2 mile bridge; I was craving some gummies, and found these at our little corner store (ducan)- only $1.50; which is cheap considering they are made in and sent from... BRAZIL!!

English Club

It's Tuesday, time for English Club! Last time we explained that we were having some Visa issues, so many were eager to see us this week, confirmation that perhaps our visa situation had changed... and it looks pretty good so far!

Tonight the topic was Health and Disease. It's a bit of a broad topic and there are lots of complicated terms... it definitely wasn't one of our best Clubs. Nevertheless, we plowed onward, explaining the meaning of bacteria and virus, vaccines and prevention. We discussed the leading causes of death in the world, how to prevent them and what diseases are most prevalent and deadly. The highlight was being able to share the 4th leading cause of heart disease: Poor oral hygiene! Our dentist back in the states and good friend, Dr. West, pleaded with us to share this message with others- we fulfilled that promise today! And they were astounded by it- flossing and brushing can prevent some forms of heart disease??? Even they realized in the end that one of the most important preventative tools is Education. So, while at times confused, the students stuck with us and as always, were so grateful for the class.

Tomorrow we head back to the work permit office to see if it was in fact issued. If yes, then we'll cross town to the visa office and try for a work visa. Thank you for your prayers and support!!

Photos: Eddy facilitating a small group at English Club... Some flowers on our street, beauty in the midst of squalor.

Could It Be?

After some disheartening news that our camera didn't make it here, we are eager to report some good news--- there is a HIGH possibility that we will get a work permit (which will allow us to get a work visa)! We walked to the labor office a couple miles away and with the help of some locals figured out that our name was on the list and that our papers were in process. We met with a director who seemed to give us a glance and chuckle at our paperwork (not sure why it's funny) and were then told to return on Wednesday and bring money (gurush). This is a huge answer to prayer! Having a work permit virtually guarantees getting a work visa. Whew! We'll keep you posted!

A local friend of the Family visited us the other night, a needed holiday from his service in a "hot" area of the country. He showed us pictures and described his work with the different tribes and people in this volatile place. These are some of his pictures. The children are awaiting the ceremony for circumcision, both male and female. This is culturally mandatory in their tribe and religion. The ladies are a part of a different tribe in the same area. If you think of it, pray for our friend Chris and his efforts to reach out to these tribes.

Long Awaited Guest

Eddy has been trying for several weeks now to invite a local tribal guy, Mohammed, over to our house for English lessons. With our poor Arabic (still no verbs) and his equally small knowledge of English, coupled with general cultural misunderstandings, he had yet to show up at our house. That is until a few nights ago. Our meeting time came and went with no Mohammed. I started cooking supper and a German friend of ours, Chris, stopped by unexpectedly and decided to stay. No more than 10 minutes later, there was Mohammed! And thank goodness Chris was there as well, as his Arabic is far better, having lived here for 2 years. The guys sat in our one "cooler" area and chatted about life, work and the idea of learning English. Eddy started teaching him with the cards we use for Arabic and he seemed to learn quickly. I finished supper preparations and I joined them for the meal.

Culturally, it is rare that men and women eat together; especially in this tribe. But our new friend seemed undaunted by my presence and we all chatted comfortably, eager to learn about the others' culture. After Mohammed left, Chris explained that here it is common for a guest to stay the night; and it seemed from his discussions with Mohammed that that had been his original intent! Woops-how unprepared and unaware we were! Chris went on to say that Mohammed probably has other friends from his tribe in the area that he could stay with.

While we would like to continue to meet with him, the instability of our visa situation makes setting up lesson times difficult. He is out of work right now and therefore does not have a mobile for us to contact him. We can only hope and pray that we will cross paths again...

Photos: A window near our house... One of many "new" cars still driven here... some scarves at the market.

Breath Of Fresh Air

Every Tuesday night is English Club and it has turned out to be an oasis of life in the midst of a desert of dead-ends and frustration. Our students are eager, friendly and grateful... such a stark contrast from our day to day affairs. It was movie night this week and we racked our brains trying to recall a movie that is simple, entertaining and not offensive to any culture, as our club consists of people from all types of educational backgrounds, religions and ethnicities. The class starts at 6pm and at a quarter till we were still in our house frantically scanning our movie lists. I had to make the pop corn (which is a whole 'nother story when you don't have a lid that fits your popping pan... blazing hot kernels flying around the kitchen), so it was up to Eddy. His answer- when all else fails and you are out of ideas, animated kids movies are always a hit!

We decided on Ice Age. It was fitting since last week's discussion was on global warming. We had a smaller turnout as a wind/dust/sand/rain storm (haboob) loomed ominously in the eastern sky. But we arranged the chairs to theater seating around a little TV and after a good half hour around 30 people showed up. We stopped the movie every 15-20 minutes to discuss terms and slang, discussing words like "plot", "villain" and "hero". And I never realized how much slang is used in movies, like "cut it out", "beat it" or "I gotcha". It turned out to be a big hit and most of the students requested adding another night to the Club.

We both left with a feeling of accomplishment and purpose, thanking the Lord for giving us something that is life-giving and fulfilling in the midst of demoralizing tasks.

** Today we find out if we received the work permit. Our tourist visas expire today as well. Situations are "hot" right now in the city making travel to these offices difficult. Please pray!

Game On

In more ways than one, so to speak! Game 1: The Illusive Visa. It's a challenging game that requires patience, perseverance and a strong sense of humor. The goal is to make it to all the government offices, through varying modes of transportation while not losing one's temper nor purpose. The winner is the one who, in the end, receives the "illusive visa" while maintaining his vision... Common roadblocks in this game are language difficulties, cultural anomalies, heat exhaustion, lack of water/energy and discripencies over game rules- they can change at any time! Unfortunately, there are no "wild" or "get out of jail free" cards in this game.... Good luck!

Game 2: Balancing Date Cake. A fun game for any gathering or meeting! Pack a large mixing bowl with flour and invert on a tray. Carefully lift the bowl off the flour/tray, leaving the flour on the tray in the form of the bowl, or "cake" shape. Place one dried date in the middle of the cake. (You can us any candy, if dates are not available.) The object of the game is for each player to cut away a piece of the cake without making the date fall. If the date falls during your cut, you must use your mouth to extract the date from where it fell. Have fun! (played during last weeks Family meeting)

Tomorrow we will find out if we received the work permit. There are really only 3 things that can happen at this point: 1. We get the visa and can stay. 2. We don't and we renew our tourist visa as long as we can- 2 more months, maybe. 3. We are forced to leave. Either way, we know that we have been called here and will do all that we can to stay and fulfill that which we were sent to do!

Pictures: In a taxi with our friend Steven on our way to the lawyer's office. The Balancing Date Cake game... guess who lost?

Permits, Visas, and Licenses... Oh no!

We're down to just a few more days until our tourist visas expire. We are frantically trying to get ourselves organized and ready to apply for a longer-term stay visa. Everyone seems to have all the answers, telling us to go here or there and talk to him or her, but no one seems to be correct! Perhaps it is a cultural trait to have an answer instead of admitting "I don't know"... or maybe it's that the process always changes!

Frustrations run high as we seem to always be lacking some paper, stamp, photo or copy of something. Everywhere we turn it seems that the process will take longer and be more nebulous. But... and I say a big "BUT", we always have hope!

For up to date info on our area, check out the BBC news site: www.bbc.co.uk

Pictures: Around 5-6pm every night tea sellers make these fried dumplings- aka: mini donuts. We regularly grab a bag for $0.50... how not to??

Pictures: Walking around a local market... so crowded today!

Entertaining

It is fairly common here to be invited to someone's house or to invite people over to your house. Last night was our third time entertaining while here and probably my fourth time in my life! If you don't have people over you might not see them very regularly; and we're trying to build up our friendships here. We invited one German couple and an expat friend whose family is in the states for holiday. He came a bit late and brought with him his Muslim friend. Great! Except that I was wearing pants and a T-shirt; I guess thank God it wasn't my usual shorts-n-tank! But nevertheless it was a tad inappropriate...darn.

We chatted in our little living area about life here and customs and then ate supper around our little plastic table. While us westerners chatted, our local friend remained silent. He shared with us how it is unusual in this culture to talk during meals; meals are a time for enjoying and respecting the food and eating. He was kind and non-judgemental. He found out I was from Hawaii and couldn't believe that I would choose to come here. It was a great opportunity to share why! He also noticed our musical instruments and hounded us to play for him. After supper, we passed around instruments and drums and sung worship songs for a good 40 minutes.

We will get our work permit tomorrow and then it's off to the visa office. PLEASE PRAY.

Global Warming

It was English Club again tonight and the topic was Global Warming. After doing a little research I was armed with some thought-provoking words for them to try to define before launching into the class. We split the class up into groups for them to wrestle with these terms. One of the terms was: The Greenhouse Effect. This one brought some great responses... "It's a house with lots of plants and stuff planted around it, and it's painted green" and "I know what green is; I know what a house is; and I know what effect means; does that count?". We had a great time of throwing around facts & figures and discussing solutions to this hotly debated topic. They are always eager to jump in, are ready with questions and never afraid to say they don't know or need help.

We discussed possible topics for the future classes. Some of the suggestions: Communication, Divorce, Employment/Job Interviews, Culture & Language, How to Open a Business, Tourism in Their Country and last, but not least, the Advantages & Disadvantages of having 1 or 4 wives. So before leaving, we asked if for next week they wanted to discuss Tourism in Their Country or watch a movie. It was unanimous- movie it is; they asked if they could bring popcorn and if we could watch Titanic. Priceless.

Tomorrow Eddy will start teaching English to a man that works in the store next to our house (he is of the people group we would like to work with). Please pray for this!

Flashcard Mania

We've had four lessons now with our friend Adam. They are going well and our Arabic is increasing... slowly! We're now up to about 300 words- give or take- but we haven't really learned any verbs. That makes communication a little rough, to say the least! I bought some nice markers before I left the states, just in case I wanted to pick up drawing or sketching whilst away. And in a sense I did! I have to make 30-40 new flashcards for every lesson. We have a book with images, actions and situations, but Adam finds it difficult to understand. Looks like I'll be sketching indefinitely!

Our Visa expires in 12 days-- please keep us in your prayers!

Picture: A sampling of our flashcards... Adam writes the word in Arabic... although we can't read it.

Intersting Info

Every week Eddy and I teach at an English Club... an informal gathering of locals (mostly Muslim) at a nearby Institute. It's free for them and fun for us, allowing us to meet people and socialize. We try to keep things interesting by peppering our "classes" with some interesting facts and figures. Starting out with a game that encourages talking, we ease into teaching on a subject and end with group discussion questions. While preparing for this last class, we combed the web for facts on transportation and country populations and finances. During my search I came across a fun little website called "aneki.com", where they post different "statistics" (I put quotations because I question their accuracy...) Nevertheless, one topic jumped off the screen, "Cleanest Cities". And wouldn't you know that my home town of Honolulu, HI is ranked #2 in the world! Right below that category was "Cities with the Worst Standard of Living". Curiosity got the best of me... Guess which city is in the top 5? (Or is it bottom 5?) Yep, that's right, where we live now.
Pictures: The streets of a market near our home... Waimea Bay Beach Park, Oahu, HI

Language help...

Our language class has stopped for a month for summer holiday and we've been left with going over our notes... again and again- how many times can you read the same material?! We've been searching for a tutor to supplement the classes and just yesterday we found one! Some American friends we met last year had a tutor-- and he just so happens to be from a group of people we are VERY interested in! How's that for divine appointments?! Our first lesson was today... Several other expats have had language help from him and he is now well versed in the Thompson method of learning (lots of listening, looking at pictures/objects and repetition... An example in English: eggplant (aswad), eggplant, eggplant, eggplant, eggplant... What's this? Eggplant. Point to the Eggplant. Eggplant. Where's the eggplant? Eggplant. This is an eggplant. Which is the eggplant? Eggplant.) You'd think you would never forget a word, but, trust me, after even just a few new words, we were both stumbling, fumbling and grumbling for the one's we just learned! (What's an eggplant? Where's the eggplant? Eggflant? Aggplant? Eggpland?) Learning a new language sure keeps us humble! We will meet with Adam 3 times a week... Insha Allah!

Jess' Bday

Another year- way to go me! There aren't exactly a plethora of places to celebrate, but we have a few little gems that we've found for such times as this... So after a trip to the American & Brazilian Embassies, to register ourselves here, we headed to our little international cafe (ie: lots of UN people). We munched on bread and slush puppies- yes, there's no mistaking it- for real slushies! Then for supper we walked across the street to the great little dive that serves amazing beans (fuul), meat (laham) and... drum roll please... chicken (jidaad)! Chicken tends to be pretty pricey- costing upwards of $15 for a meal... ouch!

We just got back from visiting with a friend we met at English Club. He invited us over for tea and to meet his family. It was not our first time in a local home, or one practicing other religions. But it was my first time experiencing it on a more personal level. Everyone here usually shakes hands or taps a shoulder upon meeting someone. We went around the circle meeting the various family members and saying the appropriate words. When it came time for me to shake hands with an uncle, he politely refused, saying that for religious reasons he would not touch me. The family reassured me, telling me to not be offended. And for sure I wasn't. But I was definitely confronted with the reality of their beliefs and the depth to which they believe them.
Pictures: My birthday dinner- what a feast! Getting ready to go outside... Walking down a busy road we passed this little moped with a postal box strapped on... (Click on the picture for a closer look!)

EDDY ICE CREEM

Nope, that's not a typo... that's the name of our new possible business venture. And yes, there is no possesive "'s" thus making it sound as if Eddy is, in fact, the ice cream (or wait, cr-e-e-m, sounds more creamy doesn't it?). Our tourist visas were extended and now we are trying to create a platform to stay here longer. We had tossed around the idea of opening a business in our target city- something marketable and interesting. One meeting with a lawyer, a few names tossed around (Eddy Ice Creem, was surprisingly not our first pick, the lawyer wrote it down) a little cash given and... drum roll please... Eddy Ice Creem is now licensed and legitimate!

There will be many steps to this process and the actual forming of the store could take years. But in the meantime, we will start the process for a work permit and a stay visa. It looks like we will eventually have to leave the country for a month (+/-) to switch from tourist to business, so we're checking out neighboring nations. We'll keep you all posted!

We meet once a week with our business associates here (Not Eddy Ice Creem associates, but our other business!) and share, pray, eat and play. We dusted off the Jenga box and were highly entertained for the first few hours... Meetings are a process... Starting times are suggestions... It's all about relationships... We were 30 min late, so we're trying to fit in... Unfortunately, we were the first to arrive!
Pictures: Playing Jenga at a expat friend's house; We were invited by some German friends to a private club with a pool!

Another Month!

Yesterday was the day after all! We went with yet another friend, hung onto our little Arabic scribbled receipts and presented them to yet another window... And they said to come back a little later! But nevertheless, we persevered and, sure enough, around 3pm they were approved and our passports returned to us! We have been given another month here and are continuing to pound, knock, push, nudge just about every other door there is to be able to stay here longer. We covet your prayers!

Our expat friends that live next door are leaving on Saturday for 3 months. I wanted to make sure to visit all our neighbors before they left; it's much easier visiting people when there's more than just me... She has an adorable 7 month old that grabs people's attention and takes the pressure/awkwardness off... Here- look at this baby!!! So we headed over to another family's house (the wife speaks English) and enjoyed meeting her family, chatting about her life and the culture and drinking tea (of course!). And I was again reminded of what a small world this is... This local neighbor was born and raised for 6 years in... Honolulu, Hawaii! Crazy. She doesn't remember much, but her father studied at the university there. With that one little connection, I felt so much less different and so much closer to home.

Hooray!

Yep, it looks like we were approved for another month here! We took a local friend (Steven) who helped with translation and stood next to the security window for a good 30 minutes. This security window is literally a window in a building where the screen is ripped part way up to allow transfer of passports; so you are standing next to a building peeping into a room and eventually someone notices and if your fortunate, grabs your passport and papers and you proceed to the next window... Where we pay our fees and then go to yet another window where we get some stamps, give our passports and get a receipt and are left standing there empty handed again! Thankfully our friend read the slip, in Arabic, and it says they will be ready the next day...! Phew!

Our American friend and I went next door to visit our neighbors- I asked her to accompany me as my Arabic is far below sub-par. It was actually quite fun and long overdue, as we've been receiving some not so pleasant looks from her lately. Visiting neighbors is customary and virtually mandatory and it involves a lot of sitting and feeling awkward while they prepare tea- which usually takes a ridiculously long time. I fumbled my way with Arabic and my friend filled in the gaps. It was pleasant and invigorating- we both weren't exactly positive as to what they were chatting about, but we heard the word for cheese (jibna) quite a bit...? Ummm...guessing I need to work on the Arabic a bit more.

Photos: Enjoying tea with our local deaf tea lady (not in pictures)

Patience continues to be a virtue...?

One month- how time flies! Our 2nd trip to the Visa Office proved just as frustrating. We caught a ride with a new friend as the office is quite far from our home and waited all of 10 minutes; just long enough for them to look at Eddy and say... yep, you guessed it, "Mafi mushkalla, Bukra, Insha Allah"... No problem, tomorrow, if God wills it. Eddy attempted to enter one of the offices and had the door closed in his face. Needless to say, we are learning PATIENCE!
We had some local friends over to the house today and watched Ice Age while eating orange slices and banana bread (recipe #4, not bad... anyone got a really good recipe for banana bread??).
Eddy will go over to a friends house later tonight to catch up on the Euro Cup 2008 (Soccer). And then tomorrow we set out once more to the fated Visa Office to see if perhaps that day is THE day! Insha Allah!

Patience is a virtue...

While I spent the majority of the day at home (cleaning, cooking, studying), Eddy had the good pleasure of accompanying an expat friend to the Visa office in hopes of extending our tourist visas (they expire in 3 days). Equipped with passports, copies of passports, passport pictures and cash, they proceeded to wait 6 hours, going from one window to another, getting forms, filling out forms, stamps, no stamps, approvals, refusals, nods, frowns, closed windows and the eventual- Mafi Mushkaalah, bukra, insha Allah... No problem, tomorrow, if God wills it. Everything is always, TOMORROW. And so, after 6 hours, he returned home empty handed.
We attempted to shake off the frustration of the day by walking the mile or so to our favorite local ice cream shop- Bambinos. It's some of the best ice cream I've ever tasted and it's only $1.25 for 3 scoops! We have yet to come down with any major stomach problems, so we'll continue to frequent it and encourage others to as well! While the frustrations didn't leave entirely, they were seriously weakened by the scrumptious chocolate and strawberry flavors.
Pics: Eddy with some kids drinking chaay, Jess on our street

110 F... and going up!!!

Wow, Thank you Lord for a swamp cooler and for the energy to run it!! Thank you for the water most the time to keep it cool, at least at night!!!
Yesterday the sand storm was big!! Dust, wind and rain, lots of rain!!! We were just imagining how the people on the refugees do it?? How they can get around with this weather?? Heat and a blast of wind and water... they are almost 2 million just around here... We just pray for them and for this government!!!
We are doing great, we did some teaching last week and on the beginning of this week to a group of almost 30 teachers from the South. What a great time!!! We could share the Lord and three of them became Christians during the Conference!! Praise God!!!
The Arabic classes are hard... the language is not easy and our teacher have a hard time on the heat of the day... In the first hour she is fine.. on th second she seats down and like to talk politics and culture... Fun!!! Imagine the teacher with three layers of clothes( she is a Muslim) and complaining about the heat... we just laugh...
This last week we had an great opportunity to pray for another teacher on the school. She had malaria this last week and some stomach problems. We told her that in our culture we pray for the sick and normally God heals them. So we lay hands over her and Jess prayed. Two days ago she said to us that she was feeling better because of our prayers. Praise God!!!
The school is going to have a break for a month, so we are trying to find a tutor to teach us!! Is their summer... Pray that we would find one!!!
Our visas are pretty much like a sand storm, we just can't see the other side and when we try, it hurts!!! No one know the rules or what can happened in this next week. We will probably renew our tourist visa for another month and then during this month see if we find the angel or the one to lead us!! We know we will get it, it is a matter of when!!! pray for us!!!
We are doing great personally, hitting the month mark is the first wall to crush and go over. I'm so glad that is Jess here with me, she is amazing and a great woman of faith!!!
Blessings!!!
picture of Jess teaching and water jugs. This jugs are everywhere and people ring from them... lots of germs and dust inside. People fill them up daily!! This is desert, water is life ( at least for few days then the cholera kills, at least is not of thirst!!!)