All in a day ...

Hello all! It has officially been 1 month since I departed the North American continent.   I am finally getting settled into the swing of things.  


In the teepee

Last week, if my post actually happened, I promised some details as to my day to day life here.   Around 7:00 am we eat breakfast as a family.   Then the kids have a few chores that they must complete before the start of school.   Around 8:30am we start school.   We do some school, have snack around 11:00am, more school and then lunch around 1:00pm.  We are typically finished with school so the time after lunch is left for outdoor fun or other creative activities.   We have done a few projects in the afternoon with the kids.   One project was making masks (just like I learned in my wonderful art class for teachers at North Park……putting my education to use).   Another was to make animal cells out of jello, dried fruit, and other random edible items (yes Mom, we included peanuts since they are in abundance).   The big project this week was to build a “teepee.”   A tree in our compound was cut down giving us plenty of materials.   After the children built 3 or 4 different models, the adults finally decided to assist and make a structure that would stand.   We used bark to bind and then used the sticks still with leaves to weave onto the structure to create a wall. It has lasted a number of days although the walls are slowly drying out.   Simba, the dog, has taken a liking to it and sort of views it as his own personal house. It is quite roomy inside and we could fit a mat as the carpet.

The girls and I also had the project of making oatmeal bread one day  (oh yes, and they were oats that we personally steel cut).   It became quite dense due to our required substitutions, but it was still delicious.   I also made cardamom bread this week and we enjoyed it multiple days.   We have had lots of fun doing little projects here and there as well as playing games inside and out.   I am becoming well adjusted, learning how to use the gas burners and oven (turning the gas tanks on and off), using the washer that has a separate ringer, and simply everyday life like stopping a shower midway when the power goes out in order to light a candle.   No more planned power outages roommates.

Pois de terre (see last week's blog)