All in a (2) Days' Work

After being gone from the house for 2 days a couple weeks ago, we came home, opened the bathroom door, and saw this. According to our neighbor, we had not been gone 5 minutes Sunday morning when he heard the chicken banging around in the house. Monday night he saw it fly out from my bedroom, and we got in at 10 pm. Click here to see the video for up close. Somehow the hen got herself stuck in our bathroom the whole time. Praise the Lord she wasn't loose in the rest of the house!

That same night, I got up at 5 am to pee, and in squatting, found myself nose-to-nose with this mouse in our shower bucket. HELLO! I tried to drown the mouse by adding water, but at 9:30 am I checked on it, and it was still swimming, crying (in Kelly's imagination): "I wanna live! I wanna live!"

40 Years

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad. I love you!

Coming up

Electricity and internet have been uncooperative the last few weeks, hence the silence from the Trails. Currently I'm working on gathering some photos and short video clips of what the road obstacles are like driving around here, so stay tuned!

Here is a little sneak preview.

Regarding our President

If you are interested in international news, check out this Times article. I generally don't read news (ok, I never do), but someone posted this link and I managed to read it. :)

So much food, so little time...

Leaving the island is overwhelming. There are so many food options, and I want to enjoy them all! I just spent a week with my parents while I was getting my documents squared away out of country. We hardly left the apartment, but boy did I eat well
(I know it's a shock to those of you who have ever been guests in their home)!















We did get to have a few meals out on the town, too. Out rather late one night.

Home Improvement

Finally, here are some pictures you've been waiting for....

Living room--before and after (the walls were blue with red scribbles on them, but you can't tell in this picture due to the glare; check out the post on April 18 and you can see it clearly):















My bedroom--yes, my very own!







An indoor potty! Do you know how exciting this is? After 2.5 years of always having to hike somewhere to use a bathroom, I still can't kick the urge to "hold it" a little longer because of the dreaded hike--then I have to remind myself, No! The bathroom is right here!--still. After over a month.
I actually prefer a squatty potty to Western, but I must say I did enjoy a throne in Singapore. :)

Kitchen before and after:



























The outside is still the same.


Hopefully this will give you a bit of an idea. Maybe next month I can post a video clip--when I have another shot at internet. For now check out more photos on FB.

Cafe au Lait

I am not a coffee drinker. But I love the smell of it and the taste of coffee in my milk and sugar. However I never could handle the caffeine. But I've been indulging this past week with a little cup of 3-in-1 mix packets in the mornings. Right now it is after midnight and I feel jitters. Surely it's not the coffee...? Leftover shakes from the earthquake this morning? It feels like heavy machinery being operated out on the road. Who knows.

At any rate, that is a bunch of randomness leading into the news that I have a cat now. I gave her the name Kopi Susu Odeng, which translated literally is "coffee milk white." I've been calling her Susu. The name is a language duo: Kopi Susu is basically "cafe au lait"/"cafe con leche" in the national language, and Susu Odeng [oh dang] means "white milk" in the local language. I wanted a name that represented something sweet that would be original to the many other cats named "sweet" around here (the cafe con leche that I had every morning in Venezuela was sweet; here any reference to "milk" automatically means sweetened, condensed milk unless otherwise specified--sorry if I am offending any coffee drinkers by my novice definitions!). After all that effort and thought going into the name, I hope she lives a long life and becomes a professional mouse-hunter.

Quick story: Friday when we went to the beach, Susu had only been with us 2 days. We were gone all day, and that night she was nowhere to be found. The neighbors said she was probably stolen because she was pretty and clean. The next day as K and I were praying over our lunch, I added, "And Lord, silly though it may be, it would be really nice if we could know what happened to Susu." I half-expected to open my eyes and see her trot in the house. But she didn't. And then we started eating and less than 5 minutes later, in walked a neighbor with the cat. I stared in shock and disbelief. Isn't it crazy how God cares about the little things in our life? He is good.

Ikan Bakar on the Beach

Friday morning it was pouring down rain at 6 am. At 8 am our team gathered at camp, and discovered our buddy KD was quite sick. It was E's birthday and KD was going to teach E's husband how to spear fish. We were going to enjoy grilled fish (ikan bakar) on the beach. KS was on day 5 of a pinched nerve in her neck. We were undecided as to which beach we wanted (believe me, the options are endless!), and the 9 of us ended up driving around in 2 trucks on awful roads through the mountains for a couple hours before settling on a beach--which was one we could have gotten to easily from camp on a paved road. KS got a migrane from her pinched nerve, but we all survived and the sun came out for a bit and the rest of the day was overcast and not hot and the road home was paved and smooth. :)

Loyal and fearless as they come, KD went out hunting despite feeling like he'd "been hit by a truck," and didn't return until he had some lunch. The ladies fixed up the catch and torched him in the fire pit we created with SP's help.


Left: KD trying to warm up after the catch. Three days later, we're pretty sure it's dengue fever.





Don't let any go to waste! My eyes started burning and watering like crazy during lunch (maybe from sunscreen?) and I had to keep them closed--hence the eyes in these photos. It developed into a sty.
What a day what a day! But good eating, and fun relaxing.

Make New Friends...

but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold!

K unexpectedly needed to leave the island for a few days to do fingerprints so I decided to see if one of my friends from my old village could come stay with me. It was great to have her with me. She spent 2 nights with me in the new village and we went exploring with a couple of the teenage girls. Out to the little island off the coast and to a cave. Fun stuff.
























Below is the view from the little island, looking back at our village. Our little section starts at the bridge on the right and ends at the mosque on the left.

Repairs continue

Yesterday the leechfield nearly got finished for the house. We've been using the toilet despite the septic system being incomplete. Things were getting a bit smelly, but better now! And the water tanks got hooked up to the pump so we can wash dishes in the sink now--things that make a BIG difference. Next tasks: finish painting the house (living room and bedrooms), create a "garage" on the side of the house for the motorcycle so we don't have to park inside the house at night, and figure out a better water source (currently smells like sulfur and is cloudy/brownish). Oh, and put plywood up over one wall in my bedroom so I don't have to look at the rotting wood.

Settling In

So I moved on Tuesday! Loving the new village so far--quiet, friendly, not overwhelming. Yesterday we painted the living room and treated the kitchen wood (with diesel, dirty motor oil, and poison), so we need to stay away for 2 days while it dries. What a makeover! We ran out of paint before we had quite finished the first coat of paint on the living room, but it made an unbelievable difference. There will definitely be at least another paint day to come--bedrooms have not been done yet either. Quickly feeling at home. Still awaiting completion of our septic system--leech field not finished yet but we started using the bathroom anyway. LUXURY to have an indoor potty!!!!!!! Wildly excited about that. My old pee bucket of 2.4 years got retired yesterday to use for the poison paint mixture. Goodbye pee bucket! And good riddance. :)

What a way to launch the day

The safest place to be is in the center of God's will"
(Betsie ten Boom)

At 5:15 a.m. I was nearly thrown from my bed by a quake that lasted around a minute and gained strength over it's duration. The movement was jerky and sloppy, not like others I've felt here. I stayed in bed at first, thinking I would wait it out, but when the whole cabin started creaking and thrashing about, I tried to find my way out of my mosquito net. Once outside, the shaking finally subsided, and I heard my team leader calling role. Once all were accounted for, he shouted, "Get in the truck!" We fumbled around in the dark to grab a few belongings and clothing for the public. I could NOT find my pants, then could NOT find my shoes. Anyway, we managed to pile into the truck and head for the nearest hill (safety in case of tsunami). The whole village was out in the streets. After climbing up the hill in the dark and waiting in the dark, we decided at 6 am that it was safe to return home.

I wonder if our house in our new village is still standing--good test for quality! Our plan was to go tomorrow and dig holes for the septic system, but maybe we'll make an extra trip out today. Here at camp the heavy kitchen counter was overturned and food also fell out of the refrigerator, which was the extent of the damage. Oh yeah, and we'll need to fix our team leader's window... His wife was out of the house before he realized what was going on, and when he heard her voice outside he dove through the bedroom window--right through the screen. :)

Home in the Making

My mind is back on the island, curious about the progress of my new living quarters. Here's a little introduction to the next chapter of my life in village living....

One of the many great views "around the bend" on the drive to my new village (31 km/20 miles from teammates).




Not one house was left standing in this village after the tsunami. But no lives were lost. Why? They all ran up this "mountain" and watched the water wipe away their village. Now they all live in temporary NGO-built homes that have been made permanent.





Random little island with 4 coconut trees on it--the view from the neighborhood. Apparently there is a cave in the island and you can walk to it through the river. I can't wait to explore!


Left: the previous kitchen on the house we will be renting. We are giving it a total make-over.


Below: the backyard















Above: The last couple weeks have been super busy with trips back and forth, checking on the progress of the kitchen.

J. Co Donut management

Currently I am on a city run, enjoying city life. Friday night I was buying donuts from J.Co Donuts (Krispy Kreme's superior, and a franchise which the U.S. needs!). I started my order at a half-dozen, then changed my mind (shocker) and wanted a dozen. The gal behind the counter picked up a big box and was about to transfer the 6 to the big box. I stopped her and said, that's ok, just do another box of 6. "No," she said, "then you will pay an extra $.30 per box. It is $.60 less in the box for 1 dozen." I stared at her in disbelief and tried arguing briefly that it was the same number of donuts and the other box was going to go to waste. "I'm sorry, miss, but that is how management does things." After we stared at each other for several moments, I gave up. Then I went to the other side of the display and ordered their frozen yogurt with fresh strawberries and oreos that have had the filling removed--it was out of this world.

The next night I returned to J. Co for a repeat on my frozen yogurt treat. I asked the guy for a single serving. "I'm sorry miss, we're out of the singles. We only have the couple's size." Huh? But you're not out of frozen yogurt? "No, we're out of the singles serving dish." Ummm... just put a little bit in the bigger dish. "Sorry miss, we can't do that. But with the couple's size, you get 3 toppings." Again, disbelief. Finally I gave in. But right before I did, I noticed the strawberries were not in the display. No strawberries? Nevermind. Forget it. So I took my business to another frozen yogurt shop where the price was higher and I was given faux oreos. Sigh. No one does it as good as J. Co.

Electric Joy

My priorities seem out of order when nothing brings me joy like electricity. Especially while it's raining and I have nowhere to go. rain + electric = pure bliss.

Silence & Rejoicing

Between sickness, house-hunting, black-outs, and major team transitions, I've been away from the blog. Rain is beginning to pelt my tin roof, it is midnight, and after four hours of negotiating today, WE MADE A DEAL ON A HOUSE!!!

Mouse and House-hunting

Seen these looks before? Butch has been on a roll with the mice/rats this week! In addition to catching 3 that we have seen, she found a nest under the stove in the camp kitchen and chowed down on at least 6 babies (those were the ones I witnessed), about the size of my thumb.
(Yes, my hair looks red. Let that be a lesson to try to experiment with hair color in Asia where lighter is the only way to go. "Dark brown" turned me auburn. Better luck next time.)


My new teammate, K, and I have been house-hunting (well, village hunting) this week. We think we found our village, but until we have a house offer, it's not official.



Beyond the village, the road begins to break down.

Boys Will Be Boys

Last week I spent 2 nights back in my village, staying with a different family each night. I was hanging out with the kids on the beach, and was amused by how boys are the same everywhere. :) Check out this 5-sec video. He found some sort of sea cucumber in the ocean and had fun chasing the little girls.

Back from Narnia

So I've decided it feels like I've been to Narnia and back. I fell out of the coat closet back on the island without missing a beat here, all the while wondering if the U.S. really happened or if it was a faraway dream world. But the signs are there--three babies have been born to people of my village, a friend passed away, and someone else lives in my house.

Home, sweet? home

Where is home? I have too many. When I left my mom, I spent my whole flight with my eyes closed, fully alert, replaying my time in the U.S., savoring each face, each place, each hug, and kid snuggles. Boy it's hard to leave you behind!

It's after midnight now, and I am trying to wrap up some last minute details before heading to the airport at 5:10 a.m.. Next time you hear from me I'll be back on the island. I have been gone nearly 4 months, but it feels like no time has passed. As I look at this picture, I can almost feel myself transporting back to that beach I know so well. A physical home (house) is yet to be determined, so please keep it in mind. Thanks!

Links for listening

My mom and I listened to John Piper yesterday, Quest: Joy!
Click on the link above to listen or read what he has to say.

I am enjoying a new song (new to me) Making a Difference, written locally by Teo Poh Heng, around 1995 I think. Once you click on the link, scroll down to listen.