"Miles and Miles" of photos...

In January, we took a road trip across 2 borders for some time with Dave's mom and some meetings (see the post "Miles and miles...").  Now that our internet connection is loading photos a bit better, thought we'd show you a few scenes from our big adventure.
The first two days of driving was mostly things we'd seen before, and then highway, but the third day as we drove the final piece down to the border, we enjoyed the scenery of a more tropical climate than where we live. 

   We crossed through some beautiful mountains on our way down to the first border crossing-- had to give the kids some Dramamine for this ride!

About an hour before we reached the border, a stand-still traffic jam due to large trucks and narrow, curvy roads gave us the opportunity to get out and stretch our legs, and to spot probably the biggest spider I've ever seen out in the "wild"-- legs and all it was about the size of my hand, fingers outstretched!

That afternoon we successfully crossed the border and drove most of the way across our neighboring country.

It was interesting to see a glimpse of local life there and to see both the similarities and the differences in theirs and our host culture's material world.


 
Wish we'd had time to stop and visit--I felt a little em- barrassed hanging out the window doing drive-by shootings (photos, that is), but we were trying to make it the rest of the way across the country so we could cross the second border the next morning.  So... I guess drive-by's better than nothing!

 We did reach the border that night, and the next morning drove down to the river where we planned to catch the ferry across to the next country for our final leg of the journey.

Dave parked the van in this line of trucks and went  to the office to handle the paperwork to get us across while we waited in the car.  We watched as truck after truck passed us, loaded onto the ferry, and rode across to their destinations... 

...while we sat.  

Minutes turned into nearly an hour, so we went up the office to look for Dave and the bathrooms.  That's when I learned the fateful news that we needed a car passport, according to a law that had been passed within the last 2 weeks (which had not yet been circulated, thus of which we were unaware).  

We spent the next two hours trying several times in several ways to get permission to ferry our car across, all to no avail. During that time, I experienced a depth of helpless frustration that I don't think I've felt very often in my lifetime.  After 3 days of driving, we were tired, hot, and ready to get there! We'd almost made it!  The last thing we wanted to do was leave our car--our independence, our freedom, our comfort--in a strange place with strangers and carry our stuff by hand on who knows what kind of adventure--but Dad had other things in mind...

So in the afternoon, we decided to take some time to cool off (in more than one way!), eat some lunch, and think about what to do. We found this guest house a couple miles from the river...

After lunch, Dave went to the immigration office and then back to the river to see what he could work out.  Meanwhile, the kids and I took a walk to see what was around.  

  After our walk we ended up back at the guest house to wait for Dave, where the ladies who worked there shared fresh coconut with the kids. First they enjoyed drinking the milk, and then watched as one of the ladies shredded some fresh.

 In the simplicity of the moment, their kindness touched me and reminded me of what really matters.  

Dave returned to let me know that we'd be leaving the car, and that we needed to sort through our things and decide what to carry onward with us.  We decided to pay the guest house to watch our car for the 2 weeks we'd be gone, and then notify the immigration office just in case something happened. So off we headed, essential luggage in tow, back down to the river to ride a motorized canoe across.  

The ride was short--only about 2 minutes-- but it was fun to feel the breeze on our faces, and it set the kids to squealing and giggling.  Though we were sad to leave our car behind, it was a relief to finally be on our way again!

 After landing and handling the appropriate paperwork to enter the country, we caught the last shuttle bus of the day and rode all the way to our final destination.  The kids did great through it all, and we arrived 6 ours later, checked in, and hit the sack. 

You can imagine how nice it was to wake up to a nice, quiet, green place with places to relax and playgrounds for the kids... and not have to get in the car and go anywhere!  I took advantage of the scenery and the matching dresses Mom sent for the girls and did a mini-photo shoot. 

 

 

We also really enjoyed having time with Dave's mom, Linda, whom we met at the airport that evening. It was a special time for all of us--we hadn't seen each other face to face since Emily was born!

  

 

 It was fun to meet workers from various areas as well. The kids made some new friends too!























The next week, we went to a new location for a time of continuing education.  Linda was able to join us during that time and help with our kids.  During our time there, we also celebrated my 30th birthday.  Family, pizza, and shopping made for a great time!  =)

 

The day came to say our goodbyes and head back.  The first day we rode the 6 hours back and arrived at the river. 

 

Back on the other side, the kids and I enjoyed the view and the afternoon sun while Dave handled the paperwork to cross the border. 

 

We arrived back at the guesthouse, glad to see our car, eat a good meal, and get a good night's rest before starting the drive across country to the next border.

This time we crossed during the day, and saw village after village harvesting and drying crops.  Not sure what it was, but locals were carrying it on their backs and lining it to dry along the roadsides and in the fields.  

 

Most homes were empty as the people were out working, but I did see a few ladies weaving on hand-made looms  in the shade beneath their homes. 

These people weren't home, so I didn't mind having Dave stop while I took a picture of their work in progress.

 The border crossing that evening, as well as the next two days of driving all went smoothly.  We arrived on the evening of the fourth day, reeaaallly happy to be home and sleep in our own beds again (at least for a few nights until our trip to the village for Spring Festival)!

Friends

One thing we have continually asked Dad for during our time here is relationships.  As we’ve mentioned before, this is not always easy when you are living in a culture that may be curious about you, but doesn’t really need you.   

One thing we've learned over the course of our time here is that no matter how good our language is, no matter how interesting we may be, and no matter how cute our kids are, people don’t naturally have a lot of room for us in their lives.  Their lives were basically full before we arrived - full of relationships and full of responsibilities.  So for them to make room for us is a sacrifice.  And for each person who is willing to make room for us and include us in their lives, we are so grateful to our Father.  Some of them know him; some of them don’t.  But because of the unlikelihood of these relationships developing at all, we trust that he has a plan for each one. 

Tom is one such friend.  Several months ago, I (David) was playing basketball with a friend who introduced him to Tom.  Tom runs an English school in our city of residence.  He studied in the US for 3 years and also spent a year working with chemicals in Germany.  During his time in the US, he came into contact with several believing families who were kind to him.  He even attended services with them.  Though he doesn’t think our faith is for him, he feels a responsibility to repay the kindness he was shown while living abroad. 

We thank Dad for providing a friend such as this.  I help by teaching at his school and Tom helps by giving advice and helping us get things done. When there is free time, we hang out together, like this time when he took us and some of the other teachers at the English school to a little farm outside town.

Locals go there to relax and enjoy the peace and quiet, to play mahjong, and to eat a healthy meal.





























They grow their own vegetables and raise their own meat there (pigs, ducks, fish, etc.), so everything they serve is fresh and organic.


























We enjoyed our time there with our friends.  Thank the Father with us for his involvement in our lives. 

The real thing

Wow--we've been MIA on our blog for the last couple of months!!! Guess time flies when you're busy...  =)

So just last week we finished our language and culture evaluations, and... drum-roll please... we are now finished with formal studies of the national language and culture here!!!  Woohoo!  It's been a long hard haul, but we're to the end, and very grateful for those here who've helped us along, befriended us, and encouraged us along the way.  And above all, grateful to our Father who gives us the desire and the ability to do all that He asks us to do!

Sooo....  we now have exactly 3 weeks (THREE WEEKS!!!) left before we on a plane to the States for a visit.  We just got the boxes out and began the sorting/packing process today.  We'll be putting most of our things into storage in a friend's garage here for when we come back.  A few things we'll take to America, and the rest we'll get rid of (the great advantage of moving--the opportunity to simplify!)

So in light of our upcoming transition, lately I've been taking more photos of things in our lives here that we'll miss while we're gone.  One of those things is noodles.  Breakfast, lunch or dinner--doesn't matter what time it is, someone here is eating noodles.  When we first came I could hardly stand even a few bites.  But they're as much a part of local life as rice, so we figured we better get used to them.  Now three and a half years later, we eat them regularly and crave them when we haven't had them in a few days.  Funny how things change!


So we were out the other night and walked down this alley in an older part of town so we could have dinner at a little hole in the wall noodle shop we've been to a few times.

The owners are Muslim and make the noodles fresh for each order. Go to an American Chinese restaurant and they'll likely have "la mein" on the menu.  Maybe it's one of your favorites.  Well, here's a little glimpse of the real thing in the making...

Locals call them "la mian".  "La" means pull, and "mian" means wheat noodle.  They boil in the broth for a few short minutes, and then are served with a bit of meat in a huge bowl. (This is an order for one person...)
You can add a variety of condiments to your noodles... fresh chives, cilantro, mint, peppercorns, MSG, salt, vinegar, red pepper, white pepper, pickled cabbage, soy sauce, garlic...











...or leave it plain like our kids do.

Mmmmm.... good to the last drop!   =)     We'll miss it while we're gone!