Embracing Moments of Friendship

Recently we went to a celebration, in a village we had not yet been to, with one of our friends.

As we were watching the festivities this sweet little girl kept touching us and trying to get out attention by calling, "White person!"  Each time we would turn around and greet her in the local language giving her big smiles.

Eventually, she became comfortable enough to come closer to us.  She practically came and sat on my lap.

  Little Sojourner took this all as meaning that she had a new friend; that she immediately embraced.

 They were curious of one another.

But, despite their language and cultural differences they had a great time keeping each other company for the afternoon.

The way children embrace situations like this will never cease to amaze me.

Today I am unwrapping this sweet moment with Tuesday's Unwrapped over at Emily's.

Kind regards,

When Power Outages Happen

As they often do in Africa.  Instead of dwell on how much we are sweating without our fans, or how much we aren't able to get done when the power is out, we try to make it a game.  You never know what exciting thing we will do when the power goes out. 

We may play tag by moonlight complete with a courtyard full of delighted squeals.  We may sit on the porch and enjoy the cooler breeze complete with the entertainment of the beautiful stars God filled the night sky with.

We may have a "fancy" candlelit dinner.

Complete with placecards.

We might have story time with Daddy by flashlight complete with the excitement of the Little Sojourners getting caught up in the way he tells a story.

Or, we might relive all of our Disney moments while we each share out favorite memory, favorite ride, favorite show, etc. complete with magic that cuts through the dark.

You just never know what might take place when the power goes out at our house.  It's my hope, though, that even in these seemingly inconvenient moments we are making memories with our kids that they will remember for years to come.

Unwrapping our little moments in the dark,

*Linking up with Emily at Chatting at the Sky.

Team Work, Poop Talk & Laughter

Yeah, you read that right.  Let me explain.  Oh, and apologize ahead of time; I'm sorry!

Ms. Sojourner buttering garlic bread, Mr. Sojourner working on the spaghetti sauce, picture me at the sink working on dishes {because that is where I was before and after the taking of this picture}, and Middle and Little Sojourners were behind me in the dining room playing, occasionally getting stepped on helping, and still adding to the conversation.

Last night it was a group effort to get dinner on the table.  (I love me some help in the kitchen by my awesome family!)  It always leads me to want to sing, "What's going to work?  Team work!" from the Wonder Pets.  (Did that phase ever hit your house?)  We were cooking some spaghetti and garlic bread, doing the dishes, and chatting it up.

"How was your day?"  "What did you do today?"  "What happened at school?"  "Guess what I did today!" etc. etc.  All the fun family talk.  Then, somehow, but not abnormal for here; the talked turned to poop, as it sometimes does.  There was talk of frequency which ended with this great interchange.

Middle: "I pooped at school last year but I haven't at all this year."
Ms.: "Oh, you only poop at home now?"
Middle: "No, neither."
Ms.: "You haven't pooped at all this year?!"

Which ended in about ten minutes of laughter by all of us.  Man, I love moments like that!  Even if it starts with poop conversations.

{Disclaimer: I have to explain a little more so you don't think we are crazy or worse.  It has been our experience that when you are a Western overseas worker living in a third world country you just begin to talk a lot of poop.  It happens. Somehow you lose your BM modesty and talk poop together.  It usually doesn't matter where you are or if you are eating.  This Western politeness loses out here.  For now, we are embracing this weirdness (that we never possessed before coming here, re-read that part one more time, I promise it's true); I'm just hoping we remember it when we go back!}

So, today I am unwrapping the gift of family time and laughter (even if it is about poop).  What small or big gift are you unwrapping today?  Come on over to Emily's and join us for Tuesdays Unwrapped.

Still laughing,

Holding Hands

Mr. Sojourner & Me; picture by Jenny Monier.

I didn't realize just how much I loved to hold Mr. Sojourner's hand (and how often we had held hands) until we moved to Africa and it was no longer culturally appropriate.  We do our best to be culturally appropriate here and I think that is a good thing, but there are days I miss things like wearing my jeans and holding Mr. Sojourner's hand.  We recently took a ten year anniversary trip to London and that was the beginning of my realization of how I missed being able to show a little PDA towards him.  (Like holding hands and the occasional kiss!)  I think I held his hand the majority of the 6 days we were there and when we got back, that was the thing I missed the most!  To make up for this we usually have one day a week (our day off) where we shut the doors, close the blinds, and "let our hair down" (so to speak).  I usually wear jeans, we all speak only in English, and I sit close to Mr. Sojourner while holding his hand-- all without having to be conscious of culture.  Now days, I savor those moments where I can feel Mr. Sojourners strong, masculine, and comforting hand wrapped around mine.  What an awesome feeling.

Savoring those special moments,

*Linking up with Emily at Chatting at the Sky for Tuesdays Unwrapped.

***Please be sure to come back Thursday and share your travel tales and tips!  Hope to see you then. :)

(You can grab a button in the sidebar.  And, you can click the above button to read more about the linky party.)

The Joy of Teaching

Last year at this time we were consumed by language learning.  Ms. Sojourner and Middle Sojourner were in their first un-homeschooled year.  Life was really different.  (That doesn't even include all the geographical and cultural differences we were experiencing!)  It has been a hard year, but God has been faithful and He has continued to work in our lives. 

I went from being a stay-at-home homeschool Mom to a full-time language student, full-time NGO worker, with no more homeschooling.  Some days I wish things could be like they once were.  Sometimes I long for my old life.  Every once in a while I desire the solid purpose my life had at that time.

This summer I scaled down my language and work hours so that I could enjoy more time with my kids while they were on break.  I am so glad I did.  It was a refreshing time for me.  As the summer came to an end (as I shared last week) I was dreading it.  I wanted my old "job" as a wife, mom, and homeschool teacher back!  I knew that this was not possible in this season of our lives.  I laid it at His feet.

The past few days He has blessed me.  He knows the desires of my heart.

My Little Sojourner is eager to learn.  She wants to "go to school" like her big sisters.

Every morning I have woken up to the sweet voice of my Little Sojourner, "Will you be my teacher again?  What will I learn today?"  Precious to my heart. 

Joyful,


*Linking up with Emily at Chatting at the Sky for Tuesdays Unwrapped.

Pancakes!

Today was a pancake kind of morning.  We are savoring our last few days of Summer before heading back to school on Thursday.  I have so enjoyed having all of the Little Sojourners home again.  I really miss our homeschooling days and hope that someday, God willing, we will be able to do it again.  This will be Ms. Sojourner and Middle Sojourner's second year not to be homeschooled and I am dreading it.  But, today instead of focusing on how much I am going to miss them, I am focusing on thoroughly enjoying them.  Who knows what fun we will have today!

Middle Sojourner with the syrup.

Since it is about $10 for a small thing of prepackaged syrup here we opt to make our own and the girls are great helpers in this.  It is super easy too!

Maple Syrup Substitute:

1 cup sugar, 1 cup brown sugar*, 1 cup water.

Boil until desired thickness.

*You can use white sugar and 1 teaspoon maple flavoring.

(We usually add a little bit of maple flavoring even if we use brown sugar, but you can adapt it to your tastes.)

Ms. Sojourner enjoying every bite.

To make this a little bit simpler of a meal we make up our own Pancake Mix:

10 cups flour, 2 1/2 cups dry milk, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup baking powder, 2 Tbsp. salt.

Combine it a large bowl.  Stir until blended well.  Store and label in an airtight container.  Use within several months.

To make pancakes with mix:

1 1/2 cups mix, 1 egg slightly beaten, 1 cup water, 3 Tbsp. oil.

Mix the wet ingredients together in a small bowl and pour over the dry ingredients.  Blend well.  Let stand 5 minutes before cooking.

You can also make these great onion rings with the mix (they remind me of Sonic's onion rings):

1 1/2 cup mix, 1 egg slightly beaten, 1 cup cold water, 3 Tbsp. oil, onions cut into rings.

Mix together the wet ingredients; pour over the dry and blend well.  Let stand 5 minutes.  Dip onion rings into the batter, then fry.

Easy peezy lemon squeezy as my Little Sojourners would say.

Little Sojouner cleaned her plate.

So this morning our bellies are full, our hands are sticky, we are high on sugar, and we are ready to enjoy a day together.  I can hardly wait!

I love linking up with Emily at Chatting at the Sky on Tuesdays and "unwrapping" the small things in life like pancakes with my Little Sojourners.  What are you "unwrapping" today?

Kind Regards,

Let Them Eat Cake!

Last night we had a friend over for dinner (she is finishing up her time here in Africa and will be heading back to the States for a new season in her life).  The most simple way to say it is that things did not go as planned.

When she arrived I had dinner in the oven and I was finishing icing the cupcakes for dessert.  We sat down and talked for a while, helped the girls do a puzzle, chatted some more, and then I went to check on dinner (thinking it should be about ready).  It was not ready.  In fact, the gas had run out and I think it had in fact been out a while.  Mr. Sojourner headed out to get a new gas bottle.  While we waited me, our friend, and the Little Sojourners played a few board games, chatted some more,

and then thought; is Mr. Sojourner ever coming back?!

He finally made it back after a long adventure of going to two ATMs (because the first one was out of cash), going to two gas places to get gas (because the first was out), and sitting in LOTS of traffic.  So, then we still had to wait for the food to finish cooking!  I decided to do what any crazy cool Momma would do in that situation and so we ate dessert first (while we waited for dinner to finish cooking)!  I think I have now procured my place in the Little Sojourners' minds as the "best Mom ever."
 

We finally ate dinner at about 8:30.  It could have been a disaster (ok maybe it was a disaster!), but we chose to embrace the set-backs and eat some cake! 

What is your Tuesday Unwrapped?  Check our other pleoples' Tuesdays Unwrapped here:

*You can also read about my huge praise from this week.
**Don't forget to check out my latest giveaway that ends August 6th!

Kind regards,

The Language of Friendship

Today didn't quite go as I had hoped (work wise).  As I walked home I was a bit discouraged.  When I walked through our gate my courtyard was filled with laughter.  I love to hear laughter.  Especially the laughter of my Little Sojourners.
I followed the laughter to the back of the house to find my Little Sojourners playing with their best African friend.  The Little Sojourners don't know much of French or the local language (and the African kids where we live don't speak a lick of English), but thankfully friendship doesn't seem to be restricted to those who speak the same language.

Sometimes I get so discouraged with language learning or the progress of our work and I forget that God's plan is perfect.  I don't always know it or understand it.  It fact, I hardly ever do.  But maybe, just maybe, part of His plan in us being here is for our Little Sojourners to experience and fall in love with another culture and way of life.  Maybe it is so they can learn that skin color, culture, or even language differences don't mean that you can't cultivate meaningful friendships.  I know I am learning that daily...

What is your Tuesday Unwrapped?

*You can check out other peoples' Tuesday Unwrapped with Emily at Chatting at the Sky. 

Friend & Helper

Emily at Chatting at the Sky hosts a weekly post called "Tuesdays Unwrapped."  I think it is a super cute way to stay focused on the little blessings in life.  I hope to participate each week; maybe you can join too?!

Here is mine for this week:

This is Little Sojourner and our House Helper doing laundry in our courtyard this morning.

When we first moved to Africa about a year ago I really disliked the idea of having a house helper.  I have been a SAHM for the past 9 1/2 years and I really enjoy it.  I felt like having a house helper would be an infringement upon "my territory."  Little did I know how much work it was going to be to run a household here, and how learning a language and beginning the work we came to do would litterally be a full time job.  Just keeping our floors clean here is a full time job!  When people told me that it was going to be dusty and dirty here I could have never fathomed what it is really like!  Our House Helper now works for us part-time.  She cleans our floors, bathrooms, filters our water, treats our produce, cooks the dog's food, does some dishes...and this week because our washer is on the fritz she has been washing our clothes by hand.  Thank goodness!  This only leaves me with: cooking from scratch three meals a day, shopping for groceries at a bazillion different places, washing the rest of the dishes, straightening up, folding and putting away laundry etc.  Now life is a breeze.  Well, not really, but I am super thankful for her!

Not only does she help out a bunch around here we have come to think of her as our friend.  She helps me with language and is very patient with my MANY mistakes.  Little Sojourner loves her and follows her around like a shadow when Mr. Sojourner and I have our language lessons.  We are thanful for this blessing that she is to our family.  And, we hope that we are a blessing to her as well.