Monday 11/21: Our day started out different than planned. Some say mission life makes you learn to be so flexible that you go home as flexible as a slinky๐คฃ Our language teacher was sick so class was canceled. I was relieved because yesterday I didn’t get near all my studying done as my small man needed me a lot. So caught up on that. It appears as though when mom needs to study that is a great time to ponder earth’s deepest questions. “How do pelicans beaks work? Mom, how many fish do you think would fit in there?” “Can I watch a video on how monkeys swing by their tails?” “Can I light the elements on the stove?” “Why does that man by the gate sit in his chair all day?” “Do rockets need oxygen to work?” “Can I start the washer?” “Do God and Jesus know each other?” “How long do people stay in Heaven?” Of course Mom is the ONLY one that should know these answers, so finally one must settle these questions once and for all which leads to pelican book reading, googling answers and then cookie eating. So that’s how my days go! I hope his thirst for knowledge is a good thing. I don’t mind his questions… they are a nice diversion from the studying๐ Jared went with Daniel to the clinic this morning since we weren’t busy with class. He really enjoyed it! Layton wondered if daddy “got called into work.” After lunch Amber and I took a CNG and went to Square Hospital. It is a very nice hospital. I was so relieved to see how nice it was! It calmed some of my anxiety about having a baby here. Reminded me a lot of Wesley. Almost forgot you where in Bangladesh other than the people everywhere. Has 15 floors… NICU, PICU, ICU, Neuro ICU, cath lab, IVF clinic, ER, Dialysis, to name a few services. And it smelled like a hospital… a comforting smell to me. (Only to a healthcare worker). We got my registration paper filled out. We will call in next week to make the apt as you can only make apts on certain days. Then I’ll be in the system and it won’t be such a rigamarole. Alot of English speaking people there. So I believe we are in good hands. This evening was beautiful outside. The sky was blue… a few pink tinged clouds when the sun set. Can’t see the sun setting but you know it is! Since we’ve been here we’ve noticed how the sky is always hazy, white or grey and so much smog! So seeing a blue sky was a nice change. The air felt cleaner just seeing the blue. Sometimes there is so much haze over the sun it seems like it’s a cloudy day. (Quite a change for Marion County folk!.) It’s the dry season now so the natives say when the rain starts then the air clears considerably. Sat up on Daniel’s roof for awhile and enjoyed the slight breeze. When your up on the roof you can hear several Muslim calls to prayer at once from various parts of the city. They don’t all start at the same time but all within a few minutes of each other. Sometimes it’s quite a melodious medley.
Tuesday 11/22: Language class… Reviewed everything we have learned so far, how to explain to a rickshaw driver where to go if he doesn’t know the destination, a bunch more new words, etc. Spent most of the day studying and doing our homework. In the evening we went and sang with the sisters at the clinic. A few days ago Jared bought what he thought were cucumbers at the dokhane (store by our gate) but turns out they were snake gourd. So I took them and gave them to the sisters to use in our Bangla meal tomorrow. Came home and didn’t do much. Layton wanted to stop and get rice cakes on the way home but Jared and I were too weary. It was a hard day… We weren’t lonesome just brain weary I guess. Or maybe it’s called “adjustment!” I was glad when it was time to go to bed.
Wednesday 11/23: Sleep does wonders for a weary mind. Back at the books this morning… Language class… more review, learned more words for different fruits and body parts. Having a “test” tomorrow so not sure what that means! Elwood and Melissa arrived by bus so we had lunch with them at the clinic. Was neat to meet them and know their faces. The sister’s food once again did not fail to disappoint. My favorite mixture…. Fried Chicken, vegetable mixture of carrots, cauliflower and potato, rice , chicken and dal. It’s interesting to me how many different ways they can make the same basic meal. Layton was quite proud of himself for eating with his hands! He is still unsure of the vegetables as they can be pretty spicy but is doing great eating chicken and rice at least. Not pushing him as I know he will try the vegetables when he’s ready. I had to laugh the other day because I told Layton to set the table for supper. I always have to remind him not to forget the cutlery. This particular time he was very unhappy about having to work so hard and he said, “Can’t we just please eat with our hands??” ๐easy way to only do half of your assigned job! Since Elwoods are here we all had supper at Daniels. The sisters came too. It was a lot of fun…. Amber made some amazing Stromboli. The sisters just ate and ate it! They love to come over for American food. We all went outside in the courtyard while the children played. Layton said “mom watch me!” He got on Nicolee’s bike that doesn’t have training wheels and went quite aways before he fell over!!! Was pretty proud of my little man. Not using training wheels has been a big fear of his. He’s been practicing while we are in language class. This evening there was a lot of cheering going on in an adjacent apartment and fireworks close by due to the World Cup in Qatar.
Thursday 11/24: Language class… had a test. Jared did really well and I have some “opportunities for growth.” I had the right words I just spelled them wrong or used the wrong tense of the word. We are supposed to write 25-30 indirect questions for our homework. Jared left as soon as class was over to go on the bus with Elwood. They took a double decker bus and went and ran some errands. They had a really fun time together. Went to some shops to see if they could find a new charger for a cordless drill. This afternoon we worked on our homework which took several hours. I caught up on laundry and made my grocery list for tomorrow. I’m glad that my homemaker duties are still the same here as at home. I so enjoy making a home for my boys. The duties do take a lot longer here without a dishwasher and dryer but it’s even more satisfying when the laundry is done and the dishes are all clean! But I wouldn’t mind a microwave๐ Amber and I tried to decide which we would covet more …. A dishwasher or a microwave. And the unanimous decision was a microwave! Daniels offered that we could come over since it was Thanksgiving but we kinda felt like we should have an evening at home with Layton. Didn’t really even think about it that it was a holiday! One of the sisters wondered what Thanksgiving day was. We told her it was “dhonnobad din” (Thank you day.)
Friday 11/25: Church today! Jared and I got to church abit early this morning. (We have church at the clinic.) We were able to practice a bit of Bangla with the sisters before all the others arrived. Daniel had the opening and Jared had the message. There were two children staying there at the clinic after their operations so stayed after to get them their powdered milk and medications. It’s amazing how some children barely have a scar after their lip repair and some will require multiple surgeries due to how disfigured their face is. A child’s looks are a huge deal here. If their face is blemished or scarred the girls won’t be able to get married and then when the children grow up they will have a hard time getting a job. So it makes sense to me why they are so concerned that their children will get hurt when they play. After church we went to the German Butcher. It’s a meat shop and a Japanese restaurant. Stopped at Uni-Mart for groceries for the weekend and next week. Still trying to get used to the fish display in the meat department. It is meticulously arranged and is a splendid display to behold but the smell gets me, hopefully it’s just because I’m pregnant! I’ve used up all the food that the other ladies left in our freezer so now I’m back to my menu making. ๐ Jared did most of the driving today and did great. You definitely don’t go anywhere in a hurry.
Saturday 11/26: This morning we left at 6:30 with Daniels to go to Golapganj. It’s a 3 hour drive or so. We got there at 9:30. Kelly and Lanae are the missionaries at that post. A pretty drive! Was neat seeing the rice fields. The fields are all neatly divided into small squares and each square has a different owner. The road between Dhaka and Golapganj was really nice. Went over the new bridge. Was a 4 lane bridge about 6 km long. Between the fog and the bright morning sun we couldn’t see the water very well but could make out all the little fishing boats. Before this bridge was put in you had to wait in line for a ferry and hope it wasn’t too foggy to cross. I think the longest a missionary has ever waited was 6 or 7 hours. Not long after we got to Kelly’s a lady from the village had us over for rice cakes. These didn’t have the molasses and coconut in them like the ones in Dhaka. Just plain rice flour…She made some “doughnut holes” with rice flour and coconut that were amazing! Then they brought us a mixture of what looked like chopped up rice cakes in a milk and heavily laden sugar mixture. It was tasteful but Jared and I noticed that the other missionaries didn’t eat theirs. They politely set them aside, so we did the same! This village is predominantly Hindu. On the way to this lady’s house we stopped and looked at a small Hindu temple where they place their food offerings. Went back to Kelly’s house while the children played. Layton was in his element with all the children! After lunch Layton and I took naps at the guesthouse. The afternoon the men spent playing badminton and airing and sharing on the roof. I’m glad we have such a great group to get together and vent when we need to. Us ladies just took care of the kids and made supper. We sang until about 9:15 and then went to bed. Layton said “it sure feels good to be in bed!” On the way to the guesthouse I noticed that you could hear the bugs chirping and singing. Guess after a month in the city you kinda forget about things like that. No Muslim call to prayer either… did hear drums and singing off in the distance but it wasn’t loud or disruptive.
Sunday 11/27: Church here in Golapganj. They have it here on Sundays. The church is a bamboo frame with tin building. All the bideshi (foreign) men all participated in the service. The interpreter wondered if Jared was French because of his Canadian accent. A lot of cows were along the street or slowly ambling across it. They wouldn’t win any 4H awards for looks or plumpness! Goats grazing down in the ditch. Ducks waddling around and swimming in the rice fields. Here they are allowed to have motorized rickshaws. Definitely not as many buses and motorcycles as in Dhaka. For lunch we had a Thanksgiving meal. I thought it was interesting that a good share of people said how much they missed mashed potatoes and gravy! Lisa made graham cracker fluff with some substituted ingredients and it was a big hit. Layton begged for “fluff like Grammys” so I just let him eat a whole salad plate full. You only live once!!!!! I highly doubt I will ever go to the effort to make it here so I figured he may as well enjoy it while he could. In the afternoon Layton and I snuck to the guesthouse to have some quiet time. The men continued to talk about some of the challenging things that our church and members are dealing with right now here. Had thanksgiving leftovers for supper and read some funny poems to remind us to laugh after the serious discussions of the afternoon. Then we went to the guesthouse and hit the hay… It is interesting to me the connection we feel with the other missionaries. here. Someone said it doesn’t matter who you where at home, all that matters is who you are now in Bangladesh. We all have had to leave home and give up things that we held dear. I’m so thankful that we can look forward to seeing these other families off and on throughout the year๐ They have definitely made us feel loved and welcomed.