At the Zoo

I didn't get to publish this entry before we went on our trips--lately we've been having alot of trouble posting pictures on the blog for some reason. So... we're sorry for the less-frequent posting, and be on the lookout for entries about Susanna's birthday, our trip to the farming village, and our trip to Thailand...

The weather has been so beautiful here (it's definitely feeling more like the land of eternal spring now!), so a few Saturdays ago, we took off to the zoo. We'd never been to this one before, and it was fun to explore. It didn't take long to discover that the stroller would be fairly useless to us, though--the zoo's built on a large hill/low mountain and there are steps everywhere! So we parked it in the bike lot and climbed our way around.




We had fun seeing the animals--giraffes, oxen, zebras, camels, etc. (no pandas!) The monkeys are always one of my favorites.

Caleb really enjoyed getting to feed the birds.

It didn't take him long to find the kiddie rides, though, so we took a ride on the "worm."

Spring is in full bloom here, and the park had lots of picturesque scenes. I love all the dogwood and cherry blossoms around--reminds me of home!

But no matter where we go, the kids become the main attraction!

The highlight of the day, though, was watching these minority ladies perform in one of the open areas of the park.

They were accompanied by men playing music with different traditional instruments, one of which looked like an oversized mandolin. (I've gotta get me one of those!)

We watched for several minutes as they performed. Here is the link to a video clip of them dancing (sorry for the poor quality!): http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8648971499761802020&hl=en

You never know what--or who--you'll find here!

Worth it

One thing that is so different here than in the States is that neighbors know and see each other on a very regular basis. Because the courtyards are the "backyards" of everyone who live in the complex, people often congregate there to enjoy fresh air or let children play. Honestly, I've had to adjust to this a bit. I grew up in the country with hardly another house in sight, so the outdoors have always been a sort of quiet sanctuary for me--a private place to retreat, to think, to be alone and feel free from the pressures of life. Not so here. We've learned that when we go out into our "yard" we can expect interaction with others.

Such was the case one evening last week. We were having a family picnic and enjoying the gorgeous spring weather when this lady joined us for a bit. She made fast friends with Susanna by offering her a piece of candy. Not long after, her daughter joined us, and we enjoyed sharing our food and what bits of information we could exchange with them.

I continue to be amazed at the level of courtesy, respect, warmth, and gracious hospitality that is such an integral part of the culture here. It's not enough just to have a nice conversation and then say "Well, see you around." Interaction is always accompanied by an invitation for further connection--usually an invitation to come over for tea. And they mean it. And sometimes they mean right now.

And so...after a while, the first lady who had joined us stood and asked me if I would accompany her to her home. I was surprised (though I shouldn't be by now) and delighted, and we walked back, arm in arm. On the way into her building, she pointed to some jasmine flowers on the trellis above the walkway and asked me to pick some (she wasn't tall enough to reach them!) and then she gave them to me. She then pointed to some others and I picked them and gave them to her. Then we went into her home, where she offered me something to drink. I declined, which is polite to do even if you would like something to drink! (Then they offer again a few minutes later and you decline again, and then they offer again a few minutes later, and then you can accept--unless of course you really don't want anything!). We chatted for a few minutes as best we could, while she washed a pair of pants by hand in a basin there on the living room floor. We talked about laundry and house helpers and visiting America and what my parents do for a living--I found out later that I told her my mother's work was "chopping" hair. HA! She smiled graciously but I'm sure she was laughing inside! Who knows what else I said!

Anyway, sitting there in her living room, I felt so awkward and so ignorant and so totally, completely devoid of anything to offer her. I have very little knowledge of what is culturally expected or how to relate. I have a very limited ability to communicate with her. Yet there I was nonetheless, a welcome guest in her home. And somehow I knew that in spite of all that, we were connecting, I was giving, she did understand and see my heart.

And so...As I let go of my expectations for finding space, retreat, and solace in the great outdoors, I am gaining relationships with precious people.

I am sure I will see my new friend again. Perhaps I will take her some more flowers. Perhaps I will bake her some cookies. But above all else, I will offer my love, my interest, my care--in spite of how uncomfortable and uncertain I may feel at times...because she is worth it.

New Preschool

Recently Caleb began attending a new preschool three mornings a week. It's a small inter-national Montessori preschool, and he is loving it. There are several nationalities of children, and the class is taught in both English and the local language. The mornings begin with "circle time" where the teacher leads them in songs and teaches the months, days of the week, counting, and whatever the topic of the month is. This month's topic was the human body, and each day Caleb came home telling me what kind of things we need in order to survive.

After circle time is outside free play, where the kids have their choice of balls, hoola-hoops, and jump ropes to play. Sometimes lady bugs provide a bit of entertainment as well.

Next is bathroom break, snack, and "project time" where the kids can choose from a variety of stations that are each set up with a different type of skill-building or educational activity--anything from painting, drawing, crafts, play dough, puzzles, and reading to practicing tea-pouring and learning how to do buttons, zippers and shoelaces. I think Caleb's favorite is the painting station--I have lots of masterpieces on the fridge!

I've really enjoyed seeing him so happy. He is such a relational child and really loves being around people. And it's pretty rewarding to see others delight in and love him as well.

My other teacher...

In building relationships, sometimes the best opportunities are with people we already see on a regular basis. This older gentleman lives in our apartment complex and regularly sits and chats with the security guards. I see him nearly every day when I park my bike, and have begun to talk with him alot. He is willing to speak slowly and write down words for me when I don't understand--he has been very helpful, and it means alot to me as a beginning language learner. He is also very warm toward our children, and our camaraderie has grown quite a bit over the last few weeks. He has invited me to play ping pong with him, and he'll probably beat me pretty bad! The older men here are usually pretty adept at table tennis! Anyway, I look forward to getting to know him more as my language ability grows and as we spend more time together.

Building Traditions

I just wanted to brag on my brothers a little--Whit and Gabel Holder. As some of you know, they began their own timber-framing company 9 years ago—Holder Brothers Timber Frames. They worked hard at honing their skills, producing unique, superior work and building their business, and have formed a highly reputable name for themselves in the timber framing world. In fact Whit was just elected to serve a three year term on the Board of Directors for the Timber Framers' Guild. Needless to say, I am VERY proud of them and admire them so much for doing what they love and being so good at it.

So, here's a little more about what they do...

They design, build, and repair residential, commercial, and historic timber frame structures throughout the Southeast, specializing in unique projects that require uncommon skills, hard-to-find materials, and challenging logistics. Their workshop is in Monroe, GA, just down the street from where we grew up, and from there they've built timber frames in medieval, colonial, 19th century, and contemporary styles. (From their website: http://www.holderbros.com/)

Here is a sampling of some of their work...

In 2006, they built this historic reproduction of a seventeenth century colonial slaves quarters for the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism. It is built on the original site of the English colony of Charles Towne in Charleston, South Carolina.

They built this Gothic-inspired heavy timber truss system in Paul The Apostle Catholic Church in Cleveland, Georgia, for the Archdiocese of Atlanta.

Built entirely of white oak, this home is a timber frame reproduction of a sixteenth century English cottage.

This is a residence they built in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, modeled after barn framing that was typical in the 1800's.

They just finished repairing a historic hand-hewn log cabin believed to have been built in the late 1700’s, located at Sesquicentennial State Park in Columbia, South Carolina. The work involves replacing several of the cabin's wall logs with newly hand hewn yellow pine logs. All of their carpentry work is done with the same kinds of tools and building methods that were used for this type of home during the 18th century. You can read more about their work in this article that came out a couple of weeks ago in The State, South Carolina’s largest newspaper: http://www.thestate.com/local/story/341501.html

And one of the most exciting opportunities for them is their upcoming appearance on the History Channel. A few weeks ago, a film crew came out to their shop to interview and shoot some footage of them in action, focusing on the use of axes in their work. My brothers were recognized because of their skill and their use of period-appriate tools for each project. The show will be part of the Modern Marvels series and is scheduled to air sometime in May.

It's so awesome to see the work they have done and the opportunities that they have had, and I am excited to see them succeed and excel on so many levels. I love you, bros!

A three hour tour...

Well, it's finally warming up a bit, and last Friday evening was absolutlely gorgeous. So we took a long walk to see what we could find. It turned out to be a reaaaally long walk, though, because we found some fun activities for Caleb and were enjoying ourselves so much that we walked for about 3 hours--all the way from the north (where we live) to the center of the city!

We passed lots of pineapple stands along the way, in addition to the many other kinds of produce--a usual sight most any time of the day. We've not seen this much pineapple, though--it must be in season.

Next we walked along the river for a while, which Caleb really loved. Any time he's close to water, he's happy!



While walking along the river, we passed this man who was putting his laundry out to dry--also a very common sight here. For him and many others, the bushes are the next best thing to a clothes dryer!


Next stop was a large courtyard where some vendors were selling kids' rides on little battery powered vehicles. Caleb picked the fourwheeler, of course, and had a great time driving around with the other kids.



Just past the rides was an exercise park. We're pretty fond of these--not for ourselves so much as for Caleb. They're great for helping him expend some of the boundless energy he has!

Across the bridge on the way to the city center was a lady who was selling water chestnuts. In the photo, the ones on top in the bag are peeled, the ones on the bottom are not peeled, and behind is all the peelings. Before we moved here, I didn't know what water chestnuts really looked like!

About 15 minutes before we got to the restaurant, we passed this temple, where a few of the monks were around outside. Pretty interesting to see them in person.
Though our feet were tired when we arrived at the restaurant, we had a great time on our tour. Looking forward to doing it again sometime!

Rogue Cheerio

Now, where did that cheerio go?...







Oh--hey, how's it going?!









What? Do I have something on my face?

Bad Badgers, Beware!

Caleb's latest interest is guns--he loves pretending to hunt "bad animals." I asked him what bad animals were, and he replied, "Lions and bears and sloths and octoposts." But I've learned that just about any animal qualifies, depending on the day.
Last week it was badgers. So this is our lean, mean hunting machine, out to save us all from those bad badgers hiding in the "woods" around our apartment complex.
I feel much safer just knowing he's around. =)

Unexpected Visit

I (Gracy) was outside with the kids and was chatting--as best I could!--with one of the grandmothers who lives in our apartment complex. I see her out often with her grandson, who is about a year younger than Caleb. She and her husband live with her daughter and son-in-law, and she takes care of her grandson while they are at work. She is always very kind and loves talking to the kids. Well, while we were chatting, she held Susanna for a bit, and then invited us up to their apartment to let Caleb and her grandson play. I was so excited to begin a friendship with her and her family. Their gracious hospitality and humble openness is so refreshing. My heart is especially warm toward the older generation--perhaps because I miss my own grandmothers so much. It will be nice to have one here to visit with from time to time.

City life

Tuesday night we went for a walk and enjoyed the many scenes that have become so familiar to us...

...the street markets...

...bicycles balancing heavy loads...
(yes, that's a refrig-erator!)

...people balancing heavy loads...

...bare-bunned children playing on the sidewalk...



...the blatant dichotomy of farm and city life, right there on the street corner...

...all kinds of people, going about their daily lives. Being a lover of nature and wide open spaces, I never thought I'd say this, but there's something kind of peaceful about walking through the city in the evenings. Sun shining, breeze blowing, life everywhere. Just peaceful. Well...until Susanna started throwing up...then our relaxing walk was over! So it goes! But it is good to be back.