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!