Reality Check

The past four weeks, I have had the opportunity to do a bit of sharing.  I looked over some material I had written (in English) to help me prepare.  I remember when I wrote these messages.  I remember carefully choosing each word to express with pinpoint accuracy exactly what I wanted to.  As authors know, a  well-chosen word is worth its weight in gold when it comes to expressing meaning.  What happens when you have to translate your carefully chosen words and examples into another language (and culture!).  I took a translated message to my tutor yesterday that I had labored over for several hours, expecting him to be wowed by my profound insight.  Unfortunately, at key moments in the message he would say, "I'm not sure of your meaning here."  At this moment, I painfully understood the meaning of the phrase lost in translation.  Fortunately, after an hour of laborious editing, the message will now do a better job of communicating.     

Wedding

A couple of months ago, we had the privilege of getting to know one of the most gentle, sweet spirited girls I've met since we've been here.  She worked for us as our house helper for a few weeks, until she began making plans for her wedding. She was married on Saturday here in town at her new husband's home.

Here she is... beautiful in her red dress--traditional color for an Asian bride. 

Her hair was awesome...

















The happy couple...

The wedding was simple but lively--lots of guests and lots of good food!

Each table had the same group of dishes... spicy rice noodles, chicken and carrot soup, tofu, spring beans, pig ear and melon soup, cashews, salted pork, fried ribs, cabbage wraps, roasted pork, and a few other things in addition to the spicy dipping sauce. The pink bag contained several hard boiled eggs--a tradition for weddings and birthdays.

 

Takes alot of rice to feed that many people!

This little boy is giving the groom a red envelop with money in it--the traditional gift for special occasions.  The giving and receiving are done with both hands as a sign of respect.

This is the "flower" car-- they'd spent most of the day riding around the city in it with their bridesmaids and grooms men.  Everyone knows a flower car means someone's getting married!

   

Graduation Performance

Before the semester ended, we had the privilege of being part of the graduation performance for the national language department at the college.  It was a great honor for David to be asked to be one of the four MC's for the night.  They rented tuxes and formals for the occasion, and Dave spent the few days before memorizing his lines and practicing for the big night. He's still as handsome as the day I married him!  =)

 

Here's a clip of him in action...

David, MC @ Yahoo! Video

There were many different performances--some traditional dancing, some singing, some playing instruments, some skits, and more. It was a display of talent as well as a celebration to honor the graduating class.

 

Later in the show, Dave and I performed a traditional Asian love song...  It was fun to sing together, but nerve-racking in front of such a big audience!  =)

  

Food, friends, and fun

We've had alot of fun in the last few months getting to know the some of the students at the college.  The English corner opened alot of doors for us to meet more people and we've enjoyed giving them a place to hang out while they're away from home.

 I think they get tired of the dormitory and the cafeteria food (usually 6-8 people share a dorm room)... so they come to our place sometimes for fun and a good home-cooked meal. Funny thing is I hardly have to do a thing... the girls really love cooking and appreciate the chance to use my kitchen.  Works great for me!  Most of them grew up in the village and many from the age of 6 or 7 were responsible for cooking and having the meal ready for their parents when they returned in the evenings from working in the fields.

 

There's nothing like a kitchen full of women cooking and chatting and enjoying being together...

Good food in the making @ Yahoo! Video

Funny, you know the saying about too many cooks in the kitchen? Well, in the video, they were "discussing" how they were going to cook the dish...  =)

Must have turned out good, cause we ate it all up!

The kids love it when the students are over, too. They have tons of "aunties and uncles" to play with and keep them entertained.  

Fun with the students @ Yahoo! Video

Pretty lively!

The semester ended a few weeks ago, and many of the students are now home for the summer, visiting family, so our English corner is on hold for now, and our house is not quite so lively.  Looking forward to September!

Visit with friends

A couple of weeks ago we visited some friends outside of the city. 

 

 

Dave and I learned a few of their words (their language is mutually unintelligible with the national language) and enjoyed hearing and trying to make sounds that we haven't attempted since language school.

The kids enjoyed themselves as usual--especially the vast array of creatures that are always plentiful in the village.

The piglets got alot of attention; they were so cute!  Only a few weeks old.

This little chicken also got alot of lovin' while we were there.

Emily got alot of lovin', too, and enjoyed every minute of it!

Though we enjoyed visiting and playing with the kids, we couldn't ignore the weight of concern on our friends' minds and hearts. We've recently entered rainy season here, and have had some pretty heavy downfalls at times.  The drive along the way showed a little bit of green, and there's been enough moisture for the last couple of months to keep some things going, but not enough for our friends here. All of the crops they grow to sell for the year's income--corn, tobacco, and peppers--have already dried up and died.  The are living on the few things they were able to grow, the animals and livestock, and the dried corn (for meal and for trading) that they saved from last year's harvest. Just a few days after we left, several of the men left to look for work in a large city nearly 20 hours away. They will spend the rest of the year away from home, likely doing construction, working on roads, or in mines in order to earn enough money to get by until they can return home in the spring to plant next year's crops. 
It has been a very stretching time for the few family members there as they experience the difficulty of these times.  We talked and shared and asked dad to encourage them.  Please join us in thinking of them, that in spite of the circumstances, their roots would grow down deep into their source, so that no matter what comes, they will remain strong in him.