December 19-25, 2022

 

“Christmas is simply my King’s first step from the manager to the cross.” 

 

Monday 12/19: Busy day! Language class this morning… learned past active participle “having done” and then “Past Perfect Tense “had done.” Once again more changing the endings on Bangla verbs until I hardly know the English ones straight! Yesterday I got most of my sentences right, so that boosted my motivation. Homework was “onek.” (Much) Took Jared and I most of the afternoon to get it done. Sometimes we do it together and sometimes we do it on our own… depends how smart I’m feeling😂After class Jared went to the clinic with Daniel. Apparently Frequent fliers are an issue here just like at home!! If they are returning patient they can only come every two months unless they are pregnant or have cerebral palsy, then they can come every month. When they come back they have to bring their card that they were given on their first visit. Some like to come and pretend like they have never been there. But usually when they find out they can’t get care without it then they suddenly are able to find their card and show it. Some people come in complaining of pain or a small malady and you give them a couple of Tylenols and some Vitamin C and it cures them.😁 For the first while after Daniels leave Jared will just see existing patients then after we are done with our language class and he is comfortable running it then we will open it back up to accept new patients. I am so anxious to go there and see how it all works! Anyways what a rabbit trail! 🐰

After lunch we rested and then settled down to do several hours of homework. Later afternoon some of Daniels neighbor children from their flat came there to play so I took Layton. Layton and Nicolee had cut out sugar cookies this morning while we had language class so they had those for snack. The neighbor children didn’t seem too enthused about them. Bangladesh people aren’t used to all the sweets like we are! Daniel and Jared reviewed more computer things that Jared needs to know. The rest of the evening we just relaxed at home. Our housekeeper was here so talked to her for a-bit. She looked so tired so I gave her some bread and cheese and cheeseburger soup to eat. She was very grateful! She is a cook at a motel and I’m not sure if she eats much during the day. She works so hard to support 10 people in her family back in the village so figured the least I could do to show our appreciation was to give her some supper once in awhile. 

Tuesday 12/20: Language class: comparative sentences… than, more, less. That kept us busy for quite awhile this afternoon. Sometimes I wonder when language class is over what will we ever do with ourselves?😂 Midafternoon Layton and I went down to the courtyard to get some fresh air and then Jared went with us to the fruit stand to get some more fruit. We eat so much fruit here! Their bananas are really sweet. They come in huge bunches of 12 or more. Sometimes we ask them to chop the bunch in half because they are almost always ripe and ready to eat right away. We really enjoy the pomegranates too! They are incredibly juicy. Anxious to try mangoes in a few months when the season starts. Our usual Tuesday evening singing was canceled because the sisters wanted to work on getting packed up to go to their village. But they insisted on cooking lunch for us yet tomorrow! In the evening we went with Daniels to Farmgate. They wanted to take us out for chicken and naan. I ate chicken fried rice since I can’t eat the naan but Jared said it was pretty good! The chicken is a tiny whole hen covered in some spicy seasoning. You eat the chicken with the naan and some type of pink sauce. $7.50 for all 6 of us!  We are slowly getting used to the spice in the food here! I can see why they think American food is bland.  Didn’t really feel like trying to keep ahold of Layton in the massive crowd at the market as his mood and humor was less than stellar so we came home right after supper while Daniels stayed and shopped for awhile. 

Wednesday 12/21: Language class… Past Continuous Tense… was/were doing… There is alot more homework on this second book then there was in the first but that’s ok, how else will we learn? We started working on it as soon as class was over and had it almost done by lunch. It’s getting easier to write sentences it’s more just coming up with ideas of things to write. For lunch at the clinic today the sisters made beef curry, rice, vegetables and dal. They don’t always make dal when they make beef curry. Layton was disappointed that there weren’t any bones in the meat to spit out! He did very good eating it. The beef curry is like small pieces of stew meat with chunked potatoes added to the curry mixture. It’s kinda interesting, the sisters go home to their village once or twice a year to see their families. They send portions of their income back to their families to live off of. Anyways during the year they collect any glass jars (from Mayo, ketsup, pizza sauce, etc) that us Bidesis have used to take to their families. They really like the big Quaker Oats containers for storing their rice and lentils in. So we always save any containers we can for them! They also like to take any of our outgrown clothes or old dresses. The ladies in the village like to wear our dresses as house dresses. They will be in their village for several weeks and come back the 2nd week in January. The clinic is closed during that time as well. Yesterday was the last clinic day where the dr saw patients. Amber and I went to the tailor after lunch. She wanted some more dresses sewn and I took several pairs of Jared’s pants to get hemmed up. If they turn out ok I’ll take the rest of his pants there to get fixed. $3 to get 3 pairs hemmed up. It doesn’t take a scientist to see why one can’t have your pants dragging on the street. Most men here wear high water pants. I thought it was bizarre when we first came but after seeing the “collections” and “puddles” on the street I can easily see why it is a necessity particularly during the rainy season.  In the afternoon Daniel and Jared went with Jon to the auditors office. Spent the evening at home playing games with Layton. The neighbors listened to LOUD music all evening so that meant we did too. 

Thursday 12/22: Language class… had a test today. More “opportunities for growth.” Spent the day doing laundry etc. In the afternoon we went and got more passport photos taken for when we apply for visas and for some of the paperwork we will do when our baby is born. Jared and Daniel visited with our brother from church. Amber had gotten a whole bunch of ground pork so we seasoned it for sausage and got it all packaged up while the men visited. We thought cornbread and sausage gravy sounded pretty splendid so we quick whipped some up for supper. It was so good! Stayed for awhile and visited. It will be hard to see them leave that’s for sure! It’s cool enough at night now that a few days ago I got out Layton’s warm pajamas. He was excited because they “smelled like Grammy’s basement!” That’s the last time he would have worn them was the week before we left to come here. Tonight he said he didn’t feel good. He didn’t seem sick in anyway so I finally said “are you sad?” He said “I miss Kansas.” Then he said “my pajamas smell like Bangladesh now not like Grammys house.” We snuggled for awhile and he soon fell sleep on my lap. I had a good laugh the other day cuz he said “do we have any Amazon boxes? I really need to do some organizing.”😂 he is my child through and through!! It’s obvious he has inherited some of my OCD tendencies when it comes to things being organized🫣 I overheard him pretending to read “The Lorax” to Nicolee. “…and through a snergally hose by whisper ma phone, the secrets I tell are for your ears alone!” 😂 

Friday 12/22: “Van day” Layton’s latest term for Fridays… since after church we go get groceries and eat out!! Who knew riding in a van would be so exciting? For sure when seatbelts are optional. Had a different kind of church this morning. Since the sisters are gone it was just us, Daniels and our brother! So we sat in the circle and Jared had some thoughts and then the men discussed some topics pertaining to his thoughts. We went to a Mexican place for lunch and then to UniMart. Amber and I were both quite low on groceries so we had a lot to get. Went home and took naps. In the evening we got on rickshaws went to visit a couple that used to be members here in Dhaka. It was about a 20 minute rickshaw ride there. They wanted to see Daniels before they left. Really nice friendly people. We sat on their beds and visited. They made us plain rice cakes “pita”, some kind of sweet crepes and then some fried type of dough. We thought that was our evening meal and then about 30 minutes later she said she had made bhat! So out came a full meal! Rice, chicken and potato curry and fried eggplant. It was definitely spicier than what our housekeeper or the sisters at the clinic make! But we didn’t eat as much of it then. We usually have Coke or Sprite with Bangla food though so I was glad when they pulled the soda out to cool off our tongues. Plus they always serve sliced cucumbers too with their food so eating those every few bites helps neutralize it all! On the way home we happened to walk by a restaurant that was making naan bread. Layton and I stayed and watched for a tiny bit. Really fascinating. They shape the bread on a large round object and then slap it on the side of the tandoor oven and then a few minutes later grab it out with along handles hook and it’s kinda like a big bubble! Then the bubble settles as it cools and turns into soft naan. There are restaurants every little bit along the streets and for sure in the markets. Since I’m expecting we are very careful where we eat and what we eat when we are out and about. 

Saturday 12/24: This morning we didn’t do much. Layton was up multiple times during the night. He woke up this morning with a fever so mid morning him and I went back to bed for awhile. Jared and Daniel went and delivered some of the CSI calendars and then took all 4 guards out for lunch at Farmgate for Christmas. They had goat meat, rice and vegetables. Jared said the goat meat tasted like greasy ground beef but overall it was really good. Our electricity was out most of the day due to them putting up a new electric pole so I used the excuse to not do much today. Should have studied Bangla but I didn’t. Just relaxed. Think it was the most relaxing laidback day we’ve had since we came here. Layton slept and slept in the afternoon. Jared finally woke him up before supper. Our language teacher stopped by and brought Jared a black shirt and me an absolutely stunning royal blue and gold SaRi. (A long long piece of fabric that you wrap around yourself to turn into a dress.) She bought Layton a jacket… We had given her a 3 piece kameeze for Christmas and I guess she thought she needed to give us something in return! I’m enthused about trying this SaRi. They look so elegant and beautiful on the women here. 

Sunday 12/25: Merry Christmas! Woke up in the middle of the night to a cat in our apartment. It was sitting in the pantry looking out the window. I saw it hop down when I went into the kitchen to get a drink. My heart stopped because I thought it was a rat or something equally awful. The kitchen window screen has a small tear in it and I guess he hopped from ledge to roof and so on until he made it to the window ledge. Bangladesh cats are not cozy friendly cats so you can imagine what it took to remove the frightened creature. I found it humorous but my spouse did not. Mid morning when I was making food for lunch, we kept hearing some very loud music. We thought it was the neighbors again but after closer inspection there was a group of 4 men, 2 playing drums 1 cymbals and 1 a trumpet! Serenading us all quite loudly😂 it was quite a sight to behold! They were trying to raise money for something but before long the guard came and shooed them away.  We had lunch at Daniels. Roasted chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, buns, lettuce salad and apple crisp and ice cream.  Afterwards Nicolee and Layton got their gifts. Layton got a rechargeable fan and a flashlight so he was beyond thrilled! We got him a big box of Legos so he has been busy. Later afternoon we went to Jute Quarters. It’s a place right down our street where quite a few of rickshaw drivers live with their families. Looks like a little mini village! Daniel made a piñata and we got all the children (maybe 20 or so) rounded up. It was the best thing I’ve ever watched! They had such a fun time. One of the sticks that we were using for a bat even got broke! They were pretty timid at first but soon they where whacking that piñata like crazy!  When all the candy finally came spilling out children, ladies and even a grandma dove into a pile to try and get some!! I stood there and laughed and laughed at the scrambling mayhem. Jared and I definitely want to do that again with them next year! We both thought it was the best part of the day. After the dust settled we went and sat on Daniels roof and visited for awhile until the smoke and mosquitoes drove us inside. We came home after awhile and just took it easy. Us and Daniels all have a cold bug so we needed some rest. 

Thanks for all the Christmas wishes! Christmas was certainly different this year for us but it was so enjoyable. Love to you all! 

December 12-18

Monday 12/12: No language class today! Jared went to the clinic with Daniel to learn the ropes there. They had a slow morning. Only saw maybe 5 patients. Usually they see 10-30 sometimes up to 60. They thought it was probably because it was “cold”. Layton and I did some housework and then went to Daniels so he could wear off some energy and ride bike. Amber and I got the CSI Christmas supper menu under control and made our shopping list for it. Came back home and practiced writing sentences for our Bangla test tomorrow. Later in the day the men did some more paperwork. It’s a continual effort to keep applying for security clearances and 1 year work visas. All NGOs here have this challenge, not just CSI. When they were done we all went grocery shopping. The traffic was very busy so we had to sit and wait for awhile several times. Definitely more chaotic than Fridays! Saw more Christmas lights… but nothing “christmasy”. Stopped at a clothing store called Artisan. It had really nice men’s and boys clothes. The boys clothes reminded me a lot of Carters just much cheaper like $2-$3 a shirt. Really nice quality. Got some for Layton in the next size up for in a few months. The best thing about the store was that the clothes were all sorted out by size in a STACK! In the markets it’s all one giant jumbo stack all mixed up that you have to dig through. Since it’s “winter” they only had long sleeved shirts for the men and big puffer coats, hoodies, and sweat pants.  It’s been getting cool enough now at night that I dug around and found some quilts for our beds. The guard asked Jared how we like these “cold winter months in Bangladesh”. Jared said “kube bhalo!” (Very nice) and the guard just kinda laughed. He probably thought these Bidesi people were crazy for enjoying 70 degree weather. 

Tuesday 12/13: Language class… Test went well. It definitely shows what areas we are weak in. Our instructor told us that “the first book is the hardest.” 😂 we will see if that proves to be true. No class until Sunday. We just asked her for one day off and she said “no class until Sunday” that seemed like a long time without class to us, but it seemed like maybe it was convenient for her. 

Wednesday 12/14: First thing this morning we got on a rickshaw and went to the hospital to get my sono report and get lab (“blood collection”) and a glucose test done. Getting the sono report was interesting. Told them what we needed at the “report delivery” desk on floor 2 and showed them my name. They went to a long wall full of folders and found the right medical record number and pulled out a folder with my reports in it! At home we would have accessed our patient portal online or the lab would have electronically sent the reports to the dr themselves. Had plenty of time to get people-watching in while we waited… Elderly Muslim men with varying hues of orange in their beards and hair, elderly women wrapped in warm shawls, women wearing bright colored 3 piece kameeze, some kameeze are plain, some with elaborate embroidery, some with glittering sequins… some ladies wearing all black with only their eyes and toes showing, some ladies wearing jeans and blouse but an orna over their blouse and head, pregnant women slowly waddling around holding their bellies and moaning so that all the world knows how miserable they are 😂, lab techs wearing lime green scrubs, ladies mopping and sweeping the floor, balloons hanging all over to celebrate the hospitals 16th anniversary, medical students in white scrubs, techs? wearing purple scrubs. (Seeing all the scrubs makes me feel like I’m amongst “my sort.”) Some people using old Nokia phones, more modern people reading off their tablets. Some men wearing suit coats and slacks others wearing mikassers and traditional Muslim hats, Little girls wearing short dresses with their black hair pulled up into ponies with hair bows… It’s hard to guess how old these children are. Some are so petite and tiny and others are bigger and well filled out. Got a CNG and headed home when we were done. Layton was enthused to be able to ride in a rickshaw and a CNG all in the same day. He thought it was even better than chocolate covered doughnuts! He’s a foodie like his mama! Went to the clinic for lunch! Chicken curry, sobji, bhat and dal. Layton ate and ate. I especially tried to savor the food today as the sisters leave next week for several weeks to go back home to their village over Christmas and New Years. So no Bangla food for awhile! Kelly’s had come into town to pick up some company that’s coming on Friday so they joined us for lunch too! Went home for naps and then went to Daniels for the evening meal and made pretzels and cheese sauce. Was fun being with them and Kelly’s. 

Thursday 12/15: This morning all the men and children went to Farmgate to buy ground pork. I enjoyed some quiet alone time at the apartment! Went to Amber’s mid morning and helped her with some things to get ready for the CSI Christmas supper. Later the rest all went to Herfeys for lunch. It’s a really good hamburger place, almost as good as Freddys! We skipped out and stayed home. Layton and I needed naps as we didn’t sleep well the night before. Plus we needed some quiet home togetherness time… We need a lot of that right now. In the afternoon I made a chocolate cake for the Christmas supper tomorrow eve. My boys were drooling at the idea of a chocolate cake.😂 they both had plenty of frosting by the time it was all said and done! They seem to know when I’m baking things and suddenly the kitchen is the place to be😁 Jared went down the street to the barber and got a haircut. They only used a scissors and did a very good job for only $2! I’m glad I get a break from my barber duties for the next 3 years! Layton needs a haircut too but he was nervous about it so going to give him a bit more time to get used to the idea then I’ll go with him. Had supper at Daniels with Kelly’s again. So enjoyable💖 

Friday 12/16: Victory Day… celebrating when Bangladesh got their independence from Pakistan in 1971. Woke up at 4:30 am to the usual Muslim prayer call and then at 6:30 am to the sound of cannons firing multiple times. Had church like usual… I really enjoy the services. It’s interesting how we can receive inspiration and have fellowship with our small group just like we did at home. Came home and had a simple lunch… egg drop soup and ham and cheese sandwiches. We were just finishing up when the helicopters and fighter jets started up. We raced to Daniel’s roof to see them better but the smog and fog were so bad we could hear them but not see them. The fog and dust have been really bad the past few days! Supposedly yesterday they had to reroute some flights coming into Dhaka due to poor visibility. Looking forward to the rainy season to settle the dust and Jared’s allergies. Came home and rested awhile before the CSI Christmas supper. Hauled all the food to the clinic in the van. Felt kinda funny driving the van down those narrow alleys to the clinic. Made white BBQ chicken, broccoli and cauliflower salad, French bread, roasted potatoes… chocolate cake, pumpkin roll and then Lanae added some Christmas goodies. They usually don’t make that much food but we were here to help Daniel’s and then Kelly’s decided to come too so there were more eager hands than usual to help. Usually they just order Pizza Hut or pick up chicken and naan. All the CSI workers were there. It’s amazing how many people we depend on to keep us up and going. Our housekeepers were there (Lucky and Sumita) our language teacher (Paninna Didi), Jon who helps us with all the visa and security clearances, our clinic nurse (Miriam) , some community friends, our church members, etc. They are a very jolly bunch. The people here are very eager to get to know us. It makes us feel really welcomed! I wasn’t sure if they would be upset that we were replacing Daniels or how they would feel about it. Supper went over well. Everything got cleaned out!! They even liked the broccoli cauliflower salad. They aren’t used to eating raw vegetables but they were real troopers about eating American food. They all took a piece of every single kind of dessert😂 Sang Christmas songs for quite awhile. They knew them and really gave it their all. It was some spirited lively singing!! Our housekeeper was sitting there with her 2 daughters that she only sees twice a year. I noticed she would stop singing and just sit and look at them. Just broke my mama heart. She could not quit smiling! Meanwhile down the street a group of teenagers were out Christmas caroling. It was super loud and involved drums yelling and dancing in a circle. I noticed the children were gone so went and looked down the street and there they were completely engrossed in the scene and clapping along with the group. Around the clinic area a majority of the people living there would be Christians so that’s why there where carolers out. After everyone left we headed home. Since we drove we had to go around on the street which was quite busy. We decided to take the opportunity and go drive past the parliament and the government buildings to see the lights. Miles and miles of red and green lights. Every building was completely draped in sheets of lights top to bottom no matter how many stories the building was. The parliament was covered in lights too with red lights shining on the top. Lots of red and green for victory day but it felt kinda like Christmas to us Bidesi folk. In front of the Parliment there’s a very wide sidewalk where people like to congregate in the evenings to socialize, usually lots of vendors. It was absolutely packed full of people…. Thousands of them… A sea of bobbing black heads. Truly a once in a lifetime sort of thing to see. We came home exhausted and were asleep in no time. So much to remember and think about. 

Saturday 12/17: Kelly’s left this morning with their parents. They stopped in for abit and got all their meat that they had been storing in our freezer. Layton was worried we wouldn’t ever see Kelly’s again. I said “that’s the good thing about living in Dhaka is we get to see them again when they bring their company back in a few weeks to the airport!” I did the usual housework things the rest of the day… Spent the afternoon and evening at home relaxing with my boys💙 

Sunday 12/18: Woke up this morning after dreaming that Craig Ratzlaff was calling me asking me to come back to work.😂  Language class… learned how to tell someone to do something, and then some other things with random verbs. Wasn’t too bad… Lots of homework. 19 sentences to write plus a whole page full of translating English to Bangla and then Bangla to English then fill in the missing word in the sentence. So needless to say you can probably guess what we did the rest of the day! The four day break of no class was so nice, felt like my concentration was better today and I could actually comprehend things. 

Thanks to all who have sent us their Christmas letters! Been fun to read them all. Guess this blog is my Christmas letter. I enjoy writing and it’s kinda therapeutic to write the days events in the evenings when we are relaxing. 

December 5-11 2022

 Monday 12/5: Language class… what a class… Causative Verbs (to make someone do something) then nominative, possessive and objective pronouns. I couldn’t comprehend it. Even Jared had a hard time with it! After class we hopped onto a rickshaw and went to my drs appointment. At the hospital someone wondered if Jared was French! That’s the 2nd time since we got here someone wondered if he was French?!  A guy even tried to talk French to him once. Not sure if his Canadian accent throws them off. To me he doesn’t sound very Canadian but then I’m used to it. All was well with baby, we are thankful. I tried to get them to tell me the gender but no luck! So I guess we will just have to accept that it will be a surprise and pick out 2 names. Any name ideas?? With almost 6 years between babies our name list seems kinda outdated😂  After we got back home Jared went to Daniels since Jon was there to do some paperwork. Spent the evening at home. We tried in vain to do our homework but the brain cells weren’t firing on all pistons so we finally quit and did nothing. 

Tuesday 12/6: Language class… how to use “with” in regards to people and objects. You use different words depending on the subject. In the afternoon I took Layton to ride bike at Daniels and I took a walk in the courtyard. It felt so good to take a walk again! Daniels left at 3 to go see Elwoods. It’s a 6 hour bus ride. Elwoods are shutting their post down as the family there that are members moved away. Daniels wanted to go see them before they left. They offered we could go with them but it would mean almost a week of no language class which would drag them out even longer after Daniels leave. We have both field secretaries coming and revivals in February so it feels prudent that we are diligent with continuing on with language class. It doesn’t look like life will slow down anytime soon… possibly moving Elwoods in March and then baby in April.  We also thought it would be a good experiment for us to do Tuesday evening singing and the Friday church service by ourselves as a trial run. The Tuesday singing went well! Half of the songs are Christian Hymnal songs so at least we know the tune and then the other half are just the words with no music wrote to them. Had to have one of the sisters help us start a few that we weren’t familiar with. Thankfully they are written in both English and Bangla script. After we got home Layton and I read out of Mrs Piggle Wiggle per our usual routine. A few days ago he didn’t want to brush his teeth so I read him the one about the “Not brushing teeth cure.” I told him that if he didn’t brush his teeth I was pretty sure I could find a Wag (the dog that teaches children how to brush their teeth) in Dhaka. I meant it as a joke but he took it seriously. He’s been religiously brushing his teeth TWICE a day ever since😂 Maybe I should read “the picky eater cure” next!🫣 

Wednesday 12/7: This morning when I looked out the window I noticed the guard was wearing long sleeved shirt plus a short sleeve shirt with a scarf wrapped around his head! It’s 75*. A gentleman came to our door a few days ago and was wearing a coat and stocking hat. Language class… mostly review and how to have a conversation with a child. The pronouns are informal when speaking to a child. Plus more words to memorize. Had lunch with the sisters at the clinic. Chicken curry this time. Layton pigged out on the rice and chicken! I was worried they would just be quiet around us since they don’t know us very well but they were quite talkative. The clinic nurse usually eats with us too… Even though we can’t talk about detailed things since we don’t know Bangla very well it helps just to smile and laugh with them. Sometimes I despair and wonder when I will ever be able to just say what I want to them but I always think of what Elwood said that even if we can’t say it all right, our spirit still can shine through! So when we sit and laugh with them that’s how it feels. Our spirits and hearts are connecting. At home the rest of the day to study and do my usual mama things… 

Thursday 12/8: Language class.. learned how to say the time… like half past, quarter till, quarter after and then how to say from 3:00 until 4:00… We have a test next week so have plenty to review this weekend. We are almost finished with the first book. 2 more books after this. The 3rd one is written Bangla dialect I believe. Not everyone finishes that one. Guess we will see how close we are getting to Carl’s and Neil’s (field secretaries) coming and revivals. Made my boys meatloaf and roasted potatoes for lunch. They both grinned and were quite pleased.   It’s one of their favorite meals! Layton said “this doesn’t even have black beans in it!”😂 He hates black beans to the point of it almost being a phobia that his food might have a bean hidden in it. Meals involve poking one’s food with a fork before cautiously taking the first bite to make sure there’s not any in there. Got caught up on laundry finally. Washing sheets takes up a good share of the line space, so that slows down on keeping the laundry going. I quite enjoy hanging up laundry to dry. It makes the apartment smell so good. An occasional whiff of laundry detergent throughout the house makes everything feel clean!! At home the rest of the day… studying and memorizing. 

Friday 12/9: Church this morning. The brother had the opening and Jared had the message. Interesting to me how their thoughts were both on the same topic without them even telling each other before hand what they would share. Was kinda a funny feeling to think that in a 1 1/2 months it will always be just us having the services! It was a bit quieter than usual. Mostly because we couldn’t converse a whole lot in Bangla. After the service the brother wanted to talk with Jared so they stayed in the church room and Layton and I sat in the kitchen and watched one of the sisters cut up her Sobji (vegetables) for lunch. She sat on a low stool and used her foot to hold her knife apparatus. A curved blade with a platform on the bottom. They can cut up vegetables very fast with this. They use it to cut up whole chickens or any thing like that. Hard to explain the contraption! Of course Layton was intrigued and had all kinds of questions for her about it. I tried out some Bangla and was able to fabricate a logical question. I try to think of a question before we go so that I can practice saying it. Today I said “Apni ki khabar ranna korben?” (What food are you cooking?) Not sure if the verbs where the right tense but hey it’s a start… I love sitting there and watching them prepare their food. Sometimes I’ll point at what they are cooking and try to say the names of the vegetables and meat. Or I’ll say “eta ki?” (What’s that?) I hope they know that I am interested even if I can’t talk as good as Amber!  After church we went and got the van from Daniels and went to a Mexican place for lunch and then to UniMart. Layton loves going there because there is a large indoor playground right beside the grocery store. I went and got what we needed while him and Jared stayed and played. Spent some time just poking around the store to see what all they have! Found some gluten free pasta and cookies this time. Haven’t been able to find any gluten free flour other than rice flour. They have chocolate and Nutella so I think Jared will survive living here!😂 Pretty proud of my man for how well he navigated the roads!💙 looks (and sounds) like your car horn is your best friend here! We pretty much only drive the van on Fridays otherwise we take rickshaw or CNG or walk. If the men have to go to the auditors office or someplace like that of course they drive but parking is so limited here! It surprises me that there’s not more accommodations for it. Even at the hospital there’s not much room for parking. Looks like it’s mostly a drop off or pick up situation if you do drive a “mini bus.” Someone asked me the other day if it looked like Christmas in Dhaka. Definitely not! The only thing close to Christmas here is that one of the Christian ran apartment complexes has Christmas lights on it. It’s beautiful! Looks like a sheet of lights 5 stories tall. It is becoming obvious that some of our neighbors are very passionate sports fans… as evidenced by their whooping and hollering late at night. (Welcome to apartment life😂) The World Cup is a huge deal here. The markets have Brazil and Argentina flags hanging all over, even the rickshaws have tiny flags tied to their handlebars. They scraped a bunch of political posters off the wall along our street and painted it all up with a Bangladesh and Brazil flag. Tonight appeared to be especially emotionally turbulent as fireworks and the hollering was still going strong at 11:30 pm. Sometimes it was a whoop of happiness and other times not so much. 

Saturday 12/8: I spent the morning prepping things for the next week. Made sure Layton had cookies available and made some granola for our breakfasts. Neither of my boys like pancakes or waffles so we pretty much just have eggs and granola or toast and yogurt. Boring I know! Jared went with Daniel to go to a pharmacy where they buy some meds for the clinic. The streets were empty! A political party is holding a rally today somewhere in Dhaka. The next election is 2024. There are already many many posters, signs and huge billboards up in regards to the election. Went to Daniels in the evening to hear about their trip. Sat on the roof for awhile. 

Sunday 12/9: Language class… since we are finished with the first book we just did review. I blurted out all my questions and how I just don’t understand all this infinitive and possessive stuff. She patiently answered all my questions so it brought some clarity to my brain! Layton built himself a tent on the veranda… his tools were a twin mattress, a chair to prop up the mattress, several broomsticks for rafters and many pillows and blankets for comfort. He was quite pleased with himself! That kept him entertained for awhile. Just relaxed and studied the rest of the evening. 

Nov. 28-Dec 4, 2022

 Monday 11/28… We left Golapganj around 11. We meant to leave sooner but the men all went to Kelly’s eye clinic to see it. It’s a little dokhane on the side of the road. The trip home was uneventful. Jared drove most of the way home. Did very well. I had to tell myself not to be a backseat driver. It’s unnerving to me to have these huge buses come sailing around you while you are ripping around a rickshaw or dodging someone on the side of the road. All the while all parties involved are laying on their horns. The buses seem to think the road is theirs! So I’m trying to relax and enjoy the drive. I asked Jared if he felt stressed about driving and he said “It wasn’t that bad!” I think my brother Phillip would enjoy driving here, he would find it to be a great sport.😂 In Dhaka it’s best to either leave or arrive around 6 AM or around 1 PM. We didn’t hit any traffic jams once we got into the city. After we got home we all took naps… We were wore out from all the fun and festivities. We just enjoyed the weekend so so much!!! The other missionaries ages are all within 5-6 years of us. In the afternoon, I did laundry, made supper all the usual… Jared went to the dokhane and got veggies and fruit for the week. Later in the day Jared and Layton went to the clinic to check on some work the carpenter is doing there. They have two huge metal cabinets in there right now that hold all the powdered milk, diapers and meds. The cabinets are really deep so there’s a lot of wasted space. Daniel hired a carpenter to make some that aren’t so deep and that are taller and then they will put all the meds and milk in one cabinet to better utilize the space. The room the cabinets are in is the same room where we have church, eat lunch on Wednesday’s, sing on Tuesdays and where the dr sees all the patients on clinic days. So it’s a multi purpose room so space and functionality is of essence! It’s maybe 10x15. Our housekeeper came this evening and when she saw that we were home she said “I am happy!” Layton followed her around and talked a blue streak to her in English and she just laughed with him. She is such a sweet lady! We studied for abit in the evening and then went to bed. Coming back to our apartment after the weekend away felt just like coming home. It is our home now and we are so grateful. Dhaka feels cultured and sophisticated compared to the village! 

Tuesday 11/29: Language class… Learned how to ask a question if something was available or a possibility and switching the verbs to verbal nouns, names of vegetables and numbers 15-20. Made granola for the freezer. Studied most of the evening… Jared went to Daniels for awhile in the afternoon to learn some more about what paperwork is needed for the police, what we will need to get from the embassy for our visas etc. We usually go sing with the sisters Tuesday evening, but the carpenter was still building the medicine cabinets there so decided to cancel singing. Was glad to be at home for the day. Thanks to those of you that sent us conference reports! They where all very inspiring😀 

Wednesday 11/30: How is it the end of November already?? Language class… how to say sentences and questions with must/have/has/had/ will have, am/is/are/was/were/ will be. You get the idea. Then if you want to say “no I don’t have” sometimes you say “na” and sometimes “ney” then of course you have to change the ending of the verb based on which pronoun you use. And then sometimes you change the ending of the pronoun and sometimes you dont😂 seems like Bangla is all about adding letters. The fun thing we learned today was how to write from 1-10 in Bangla. Quite the interesting squiggles. They have their own set of hieroglyphics for their alphabet and numbers. Now we will be able to read the prices on things. They usually have it wrote in American numbers but not always. (100 Taka is $1 US)  Our language studies are using American script so we can understand it.  Per our usual Wednesday routine we went to the clinic for lunch. The sisters made shrimp curry, boiled eggs in curry sauce, rice, the usual vegetable mixture and dal. The shrimp definitely is different than at home but it is still very good! It’s more meaty. We loved the boiled eggs. They are yellow from the curry. They where the same kind that we had at Tim and Sherilyns a few years ago! We were trying to decide on the way home what kind of meat/curry was our favorite. So far Jared’s is the shrimp or chicken and I think mine is chicken or fish. Layton’s is chicken because he likes spitting out the bones like he’s seen the Bangladeshis do. He always says “mom can you put my meat in small pieces but don’t worry if there’s a bone I’ll spit it out!”😂 The carpenter is making great progress on the med cabinets at the clinic. We came home and took naps. Layton was up multiple times during the night… crying, raiding the fridge, coughing, being restless, etc. He seems to have some sort of allergies ever since we came. Spent the rest of the day at home studying and catching up on memorizing words. Jared and Layton both felt under the weather. Some of the children and adults have gotten the stomach flu and/or colds after all being together last weekend. 

Thursday 12/1… Language class… learned how to say conditional sentences (If you….. then I/he/she/we will…) and how to change verbs to conditional participles . Had an early lunch so we could nap. I don’t know why we are so tired the past few days! In the afternoon, Daniels and us walked to Farmgate in search of a few things that we needed. You know your in Bangladesh when the store has a pungent sewer odor! Felt good to stretch our legs and walk. Came home and worked on our homework much to Layton’s dismay. We have plans with Daniels Friday and Saturday so knew we better get our 10 sentences wrote, sentences unscrambled, flash cards made and fill in the blanks done this evening. So it felt good to get that done so it’s not hanging over our heads the rest of the weekend. I had no idea all the details and knitty gritty you have to learn when you learn a new language! It’s good for stretching the brain😁 shouldn’t have to worry about getting Alzheimers anytime soon. 

Friday 12/2: Church this morning. Was able to converse with the sisters abit. They know a decent amount of English but they think it’s neat when we try our Bangla on them. When Jared was talking to them Layton said, “why is daddy making such funny noises?” 😂 Seeing the sisters get so enthused when we say a few words or ask a simple question keeps me motivated to keep on studying. I so want to just sit and talk with them! They had some family stop by so as soon as church was over they started preparing their meal. It’s so intriguing to watch them. We stopped for hamburgers and then went to Uni-Mart. Found some gluten free tortillas and crackers so was quite pleased. Finding gluten free food here in stores is a real challenge. After supper we went to the clinic. The children played for quite awhile with a little girl that was staying there. Bedesi (foreign) children are definitely more rough and tough in their play. The carpenter was ready to move the cabinets in. They look so nice! Made from melamine. Hard to believe the only power tool he used was an electric drill to drill the screw holes. Used a screwdriver for the screws. Tomorrow he is going to bring the glass doors for the shelving then we can move all the medicine over. One of the sisters was displeased because one of the doors had a quarter inch gap at the top on one side. “The cockroaches can get in.” Valid point. They keep that clinic and their living quarters absolutely spotless so cockroaches would be alarming. On the way home I had a pleasant encounter with a massive rat in the gutter. Jared and Layton wondered what I was being noisy about. The Bangladeshi man that was walking behind me laughed and laughed. He probably thought this white Bidesi woman was a real wimp. I straightened my crown and kept on walking. 

Saturday 12/3: A busy day! In the morning Daniels and us took CNGs to New Market. It’s about 30 minutes from our flat. CNGs make me acutely aware of how claustrophobic I am! Layton LOVED the ride. He wanted to leave the market so we could ride on one again! New Market is absolutely humongous. There were stores for days. Hardly knew where to go first. Jared and I bought a painting for people to sign, so now we are true Bangladeshi missionaries! Haha! After going to several other stores the daddies took the “cat and dog” (What we call Layton and Nicolee since they love to fight.) and went to the store that is making the glass doors for the med cabinets at the clinic. Us Mamas went and bought 3 piece kamis for the ladies that work for CSI. It’s their traditional Christmas gifts. We wanted to get them all matching ones but ended up getting several different colors of the same print. They have so many that are just gorgeous!! I’m not allowing myself to get anymore until after the baby is born. When we got home our housekeeper had made us Bangla food. It felt so good to sit and eat after traipsing through millions of people in a busy market! Sometimes I wonder how Jared and I will ever know how to get to all these places after Daniels leave!! They traverse this massive city with such ease. I think we are going to feel kinda lost without them for awhile until we familiarize ourselves more with the city. We know how to get to places like UniMart, the restaurants we go to after church and Farmgate @ least so we will be good to go! Jared’s been pinning all these places on google maps so when we are here by ourselves we know how to get to them. Later in the afternoon Jared and Layton went to the clinic and helped Daniel move all the meds and milk powder over into the new cabinets. Took it easy the rest of the day… 

Sunday 12/4: Language class… learned present continuous tense. Was a concept that was a bit easier to comprehend. Spent the afternoon studying… took Layton outside to ride his trike awhile to burn off some energy. I love this apartment but I will be glad to move into Daniels apartment. Their courtyard is much much bigger and roomier for children to run and play. It’s surrounded on all 3 sides with apartment buildings. They have a badminton court there too that people play in the evenings. Badminton seems to be a favorite here! So once we are there then Layton will have a large place to ride bike and plus there is the roof yet too to go play on. But he seems happy here so I’m thankful! 🥰 Spent the rest of the day at home. Felt good to have a day at home after a busy weekend. 

November 21-27 2022

 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 slinky🤣 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 studying😀 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??” 😂easy 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 microwave😂 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. 😁 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 year😀 They have definitely made us feel loved and welcomed. 

November 14-20, 2023

 Monday 11/14 Language class. Studied how to change verb endings based on the type of pronoun that is used for present tense. Also sentence structure. Subject + time+ place + object + verb. Layton seemed kinda quiet today, so snuggled with him extra and had him nap. He woke up much happier and thought it was hilarious that I hid a toy rat in the laundry basket for him to find when he was helping me put wash in the washer. After an afternoon of studying we went to Farmgate so Amber could look for new skillets for the clinic as the handles broke off the ones they had. We tried to find ones that didn’t have the non stick coating because with all the frying and scrubbing the sisters do the non stick ones don’t last very long. Daniels took us to a restaurant they like. This one was on top of a 10 story hotel. Was neat to see all the lights of the city. Chinese fried rice is very common here at restaurants, along with fried chicken. It’s ridiculous how cheap the restaurant food is. There was so much traffic on the street by our gate that the motorcycles were starting to go on the sidewalk. I don’t know how on earth there are not more injured people with the way everyone drives. I probably shouldn’t say this for our mother’s sakes but tonight on the way home our rickshaw driver pulled out right in front of a van and a CNG, I told Jared it appears the best way to ride in a rickshaw is to just look straight ahead not to the side at the traffic coming at you. 😂 They seem to have a method to their madness though. Police or guards at every intersection. More for directing traffic than enforcing the law. They do a good job. It looks like they are parting the Red Sea sometimes! When we were out it was already dark so the police were holding giant red glow sticks to be seen. The two story buses are packed with people. You wonder how many more could possibly squeeze on! Our housekeeper came while we were gone, I wish I could tell her how much I appreciate her. “Donnobad” (thank you) seems too feeble. Hopefully in a few weeks I can have a conversation with her. Layton’s question of the day was “ How long do people have to stay in cemeteries?” I’m open to answers😂

Tuesday 11/15: Language class: Studied what type of ending to put on the verbs when it is past tense. Was left with a fair pile of homework that involved writing direct and indirect questions, past tense sentences, then sentences to unscramble and correct and yet more verbs to switch from present to past. Worked on that the rest of the afternoon. Layton helped me keep the laundry going. I taught him how to run the washer so just have to make sure he doesn’t put too much in at once! He is being a real trooper about us having to study so much. He sits at the window and counts how many people wave at him or watches the people come to and fro. He really likes zipping around the house on his trike or rummaging through any cupboard he can find. This evening we went to the clinic and sang there with the sisters. They wanted to go get rice cakes afterwards so we went to a vendor on the street and got some. 80 cents for 8! The sisters thought that was way too expensive! At first I wasn’t fond of the texture but it has good flavor. They get a little bowl and put in a handful of rice flour a sprinkle of sugar molasses and coconut shavings and then top with more rice flour. They put it on something that looks like a steamer for a few minutes and then it makes like a pressed cake the size of an uncrustable. It’s been in the 80s here and cools down some in the evening. Very pleasant… We’ve seen several people with winter coats and jackets on in the evenings. Guess this is getting close to their winter but it sure feels good to us. I wonder what they would say about the weather in Kansas right now?! 

Wednesday 11/16: Language class… learned about singular and plural possessive personal pronouns, how to say a sentence when you need something, and how to change a verb into a noun. They are called “verbal nouns.” Here instead of saying “I need,” they say “my need is…” Also prepositions. We learned we don’t say “what’s up” for a greeting, the words we say translates to “what’s the news?” I have been very thankful for all my teachers in grade school that drilled diagramming sentences into my head because knowing what is what in an English sentence is extremely helpful when it comes to learning a new language. So in a few years when Layton gripes about language class and wonders why he has to learn all that I will have an answer ready for him. After Language class we went to Daniels so Jared, Daniel and Jon could get things around to submit for Jared’s security clearance and work visa. Work visas are a challenge to get right now. Have to submit them several times and sometimes at the 1 year mark they still don’t have them.  Had lunch at the clinic with the sisters and the nurse. Pilau (rice with raisins), cubed fried beef and potato curry, okra and carrot mixture and then fried sliced egg plant. Of course cucumbers and limes on the side. Very good! (Khub bhalo)The Pilau is something that is usually served at holidays or when guests come. I’m thankful the food is so good here. Other people here say that after a year you start to get tired of it so I guess we will see if that happens to us. Because you know…. Brianna LOVES food. One of the children that had palate surgery was still recovering at the clinic. He was to only have milk, bananas etc to eat due to his recent surgery. His parents were letting him eat chips! Hopefully it doesn’t tear the sutures out. We’ve gotten a lot of questions about the clinic work but we haven’t gotten into it much as Daniel is running that all while we focus on language class. After awhile Jared will spend more time there and learn the ropes before Daniel leaves. We go there quite a bit though… At home the rest of the day. Studied, spent time with Layton and did usual mom things. Layton drew his letters and numbers this evening and I was really surprised how many he has picked up on without me even telling him! 

Thursday 11/17: Language class. Future Tense, Infinitive and present imperative verbs. Plus a page of words to memorize, more complete and correct the sentence exercises and write 5 sentences in Bangla that are future tense, change a graph of verbs to infinitive and then write 6 sentences with infinitive verbs. My mind was mush by the time class was over so I was glad Jared is so smart and catches on quick so he can help me muddle through it later. Jared counted up how many pages of words we have memorized in the last 2 weeks and it’s close to 8 pages. No wonder we are sleeping so good at night now! After class Layton and I did laundry and made bread. Trying to do a load every other day as the line drying space in this apartment is limited. In the afternoon I did everything I could think of in order to avoid doing my homework. Tried to take a nap but the fighter jets decided to show their stuff. So finally I gave myself a lecture on positive thinking and put on my big girl panties and dug in. Once I got started it wasn’t that bad. Jared helped me some too. Spent the evening with Daniels. Amber and I took the kids up to the roof while the men visited with the brother from church. He is such an interesting fellow! He comes over once a week to chat and drink iced sweet tea. 

Friday 11/18: Church in the morning… Jared had the opening on God cleansing us and Daniel had the sermon on being the light of the world. A brother from Golpagange was there as well. Still trying to get used to no Sunday school!! After the service we stayed for awhile and talked. The clinic nurse Miriam showed me their version of a “lab req.” They fill it out for the babies/children’s blood work to be done before their operation. She wondered if things were called the same in the states. They pretty much were all the same thing. I was able to say a few words to the sisters so that made them grin. They can understand a fair bit of English though too. (Jared talks to the guard at Daniels for practice and he always grins and acts so proud when Jared says something in Bangla.) After church we came home and packed up the hangry children and went to a Mexican restaurant. It was a tiny place but had good food. $3 for a tostada!  Layton got a quesadilla but it was too spicy for him. He’s having a hard time eating this spicy food. He said “I take a drink but that taste keeps coming back!” Then we went to some grocery stores called “Deters” and “Dahlis”. They had a bit more imported food than a place like UniMart. Jared found HP sauce there. A snack size bag of M & Ms was $6.50. So you definitely have to be careful because some of the smaller packages of US brands can be crazy expensive. Good thing I have almost kicked my M & M habit to the curb.😂 (I said almost.) I found some chocolate chips though so was enthused about that. We came home after getting the groceries. Layton and Nicolee were at each other about every little thing! One minute they are best friends and the next they have a vicious argument over who can push the elevator buttons. I think they are both adjusting. Layton with just getting here and Nicolee fixing to leave. Was just at home in the evening, took it easy and studied and read stories to Layton. 

Saturday 11/19: think we are over our jet lag. Back to sleeping “normal.” Someone told us to plan a day for every hour of time change. That’s about what it was! 12-14 days… Now if we could only cure Layton of his life long habit of waking up at 6 AM. Our stomachs are still working on adjusting. We wake up just starving hungry, get hungry for lunch and then have no appetite for supper. Sounds like this is normal and takes several months to adjust. Some say they were hardly hungry at all the first year. Not sure if it’s from adjusting to so much new at once, nerves or time difference. Worked on memorizing some more words that I got behind on the past 3 lessons. Jared Daniel and Jon spent most of the morning at the auditors office to get signatures for various papers.  Went to Daniels for lunch since our housekeeper made a Bangla meal. She made bhat (rice) sobji (vegetables: cauliflower, potato, pumpkin and carrots), Dal and then the manSo (meat) was fried chicken. I like the Dal because it cools down the spice from the vegetables. Most Bangladeshis like their Dal on the side or after they’ve eaten the rest of the meal. The fights between the children today was because they both wanted the doll that closed its eyes when you lay it down. I mean who doesn’t want a real baby that does that?! Amber and I went to a store by the parliament building that sells tourist things and household goods. Was looking for some bedding for their apartment. Two little boys attached themselves to us and were begging us to buy them ice cream. We bought them some snack from a vendor and they left us alone. When we came back out of the store there they were waiting for us telling us they needed more to eat! Came home from Daniels and got prepared for the coming week. Got granola and cookies made, the house straightened up and some laundry done. Found out today that our housekeeper has a 10 and 14 year old. They live in the village with their “old” dad and his family while she is here in Dhaka making money to send home to them. She only sees them twice a year! I can not imagine… Seems like that is common here that one family member comes to Dhaka to work and live and then sends money home. 

Sunday 11/20: Back at language class…. Felt good to have a 2 day break to relax our brains. Learned a bunch more words and practiced past present and future tense verbs and word endings, how to tell a Bangladeshi host that your belly is full and that you enjoyed their food. YOU aren’t full, your BELLY is! Our heads were swimming by the time we were done. I told Jared I felt like that boy in My Bible Friends… “my head! my head!” But we need to learn as much Bangla as possible before Daniels leave so we need to keep pressing on. In the afternoon we studied and when Layton got restless we went to get some veggies. $1.80 for 10 bananas, 4 big carrots and a handful of green beans. We got what we thought were cucumbers but they ended up being snake gourds. I’m going to try sautéing them with some carrots or something. They taste like a mix of cucumber and okra. Their green beans are a foot and a half long or so, so it doesn’t take many! Trying to get back into eating half way healthy. 

November 7-13, 2022

 Monday: We didn’t have any language class this morning so that was kinda nice! Kinda could let our brains rest and study the previous days lesson… It was about pronouns, formative (speaking to adults) and informative (speaking to children or those of a lower station), greetings depending on if a person is Muslim/Hindu/Christian, currency, simple conversation such as “How are you? I am well,” numbers 1-5, simple commands “please open the book,” and then commands for riding in a rickshaw, “to the right please,” or “please stop here.” . In the afternoon Amber, the three children and I hopped onto a rickshaw and went to the tailors. When we were at the market last week I bought some material to make two 3 piece kamis. So dropped that off there. He measured me from head to toe. We had him add extra on the sides for when my baby bump gets bigger. I’m sure it will not surprise anyone that one is hot pink! Haha! Bright colors abound here. The tailor shop was intriguing. Rows of big spools of brightly colored thread. Huge spools, probably three times the size of a serger spool. They absolutely make their sewing machines FLY! Never saw one sew so fast! Then they flick the fabric in place with their wrist and pedal to the medal away they go again. The one tailor had a massive mound of fabric scraps beside and around him it looked like he would have had to leap over it all to get to his sewing machine in the corner.  Lots of different styles of dresses and blouses hung from the ceiling. After that we went to the pharmacy. They gave the children Vitamin C tablets. They hand them out like they are candy here. Amber took me to another grocery store that we could go to that’s close to our flat. It’s so interesting to me how many American brands there are here! Quaker Oats, Oreos, Blue Diamond nuts, many of the same shampoos, conditioners and soaps and cosmetics…. If you want to someone to find something you need you have to tell them the brand. So instead of saying “where are the oats?” you have to say “where are the Quaker Oats?” Layton and I stayed at Daniels until Jared and Daniel came home from the clinic. The clinic is open Sunday, Monday and Tuesday from 10-1. They saw about 30 patients. Layton had woke up at 2 AM and didn’t go back to sleep. So we let him nap about an hour in the afternoon before we woke him up. They advised us to not nap more than an hour in the afternoon to help with jet lag. It was tremendously hard to wake him up so we finally just let him pass out on the couch. Trevor and Lisa and their children and teacher stopped in for awhile in the evening. That finally woke Layton up! They are really jolly people! So had some good talks and laughs. After they left Layton and I could not keep our eyes open for love or money so we went to bed early. One thing that’s been an adjustment is how there is constantly air traffic overhead. We live close to a military base so the aircrafts are roaring overhead as though they could land on our street. The helicopter noise makes the windows rattle. Several fighters jet flew over and wow what a tremendous roar!!! Sure different than how quiet our place was in Kansas. We could hear the neighbors rooster crow a mile away. But I’ve decided I’m not going to compare Kansas and here. It’s not conducive to us feeling settled and content here. 

Tuesday: Layton woke up at 3:30 AM. I gave him some melatonin because I was not amused and he went back to sleep and slept until 8 when the language teacher came. He was a very happy boy today for a change. The last few days have really tried me with him. So hoping sleep and extra TLC is the cure. While Jared and I studied in the afternoon he inspected all components in the kitchen. He dug out anything of interest to him and figured out how it worked. I just let him. 😂 Figured as long as he was happy and not destroying anything it couldn’t hurt. He is finally eating again and is making up for not eating for several days, so is begging for snacks and food every little bit. Language class… reviewed a lot from Sunday and then learned how to tell time, emotions and how to ask someone how they feel. Later in the afternoon we went to the clinic and sang with the sisters. Trevors stopped in and joined the fun. Afterwards we got in rickshaws and went to a Bangladeshi version of a Chinese restaurant. Our driver didn’t know where he was going and all of a sudden there we were lost as bee without her Bonnet. Jared finally told him to just drop us off where we where, so we just waited until Daniel came and found us. 

Wednesday: Language class again… Studied a bunch of verbs and nouns. Also a bunch of questions like “where, how, why, do you have meat? Where is the meat?”  Most of the nouns were names of food so that we can ask for what we need at the grocery stores. Many food names are in English but there’s also quite a few that aren’t. For lunch we went to the clinic where the sisters made Bangla food. Rice, fried chicken, then a cooked vegetable mixture of cauliflower, potatoes, carrots, onion and garlic, Dahl (made from lentils I think.) Then limes and cucumbers on the side. The cucumbers help cool the spice from the vegetable mixture. It has some kind of green chilis in it that add some spice. It was superb!I especially enjoy the Dahl.   I warned Layton before hand about using his hands and that it was ok if his hands got dirty with food. He did very well and ate a bunch of rice and 3 helpings of chicken, so I was very proud of him!! He generously used my sleeve for a napkin. Oh well… loose some win some😂 These people here are not used to letting children run and play. They are very cautious and don’t let their children roughhouse as getting hurt means having to pay money for a doctor. On the way to the clinic, Layton and Nicolee were running and jumping and acting crazy like 5 year olds do and  twice someone told them to “be careful slow down you could fall and get hurt!” Then at the clinic they both climbed up the metal wrought iron  gate and swung on it. All of a sudden a man from the street came and told them to get down they could get hurt! They would be horrified if they saw the things Layton does at home😂 We were at our apartment the rest of the day so that we could study. And so Layton could have some “home and mama” time. He goes to Daniels while we have class every morning. 

Thursday: no language class today but we still studied a lot. I finally quit studying this afternoon for several hours cuz I could hardly think straight. Memorizing has never been my strong point. She gave us a wack of nouns and verbs to “know 100%” before she comes on Sunday. The crazy thing is is when we talk Bangla to someone at the little market or on the street they reply in English. Or they laugh and hoot and say “Bangla!!”😂 All this studying with Jared reminds us of nursing school!!! At least there are no “quizzies.” (any Hesston graduate would quake at the word quizzie. It meant you where taking the famed Hugo Boschman Microbiology class) In the afternoon Amber and I went to the tailor to pick up my new duds. They are very comfortable and there’s “room for growth.” Layton was happy to ride on a rickshaw again. Jared and Daniel had tea with the brother from here in the evening. 

Friday: Church this morning. The brother had the opening and then Jared had the message on the Beatitudes. The brother interprets the services. The sisters were excited to see me wearing my Bangladesh clothes. They had been hoping I would wear them to church!  Us and Daniels went to the tourist part of Dhaka to a hamburger place for lunch. It looked and felt like an American restaurant. Very interesting to watch the people in that part of town. All sorts of nationalities. The embassy is close by so there’s more English speaking people. In that part of town you see more ladies with their hair down with no ornas over their heads. More people wearing western clothes… Jared drove for the first time on the way home. Friday was a good day for him to practice because there is less traffic. However we ran into a political rally so a lot more people to dodge. When you are stopped in traffic for any length of time, you have children peering in your windows offering to dust your car, ladies selling pens and stickers or men selling fruit, maps etc. or people just wanting money or food. There’s never a shortage of things to watch. The traffic here remains me of Black Friday in Wichita except add in people walking in between cars, rickshaws and huge buses to the mix too. We spent the rest of the day at home studying for language class. Was a day of emotional adjustments as well. Lots of new this past week. 

Saturday: Layton woke up early with a cough then he fell out of bed twice. Then at one point he woke up crying because he thought we wouldn’t ever see Amber and Nicolee again. So I made him take a nap this afternoon. We’ve been trying to avoid napping to help our nights go better. Still working on the jet lag. It’s definitely better than it was. I gave myself grace and napped this morning. Was still feeling emotional and the lack of sleep didn’t help this pregnant mama any. I woke up and felt so much better! Felt like my old self again. It came to me that having an emotional adjustment day now and then is ok. We know clearly that God called us here and even though we are at peace it’s normal to have some rough days with such a massive life change. For sure when you need to be a stable security for your child who is also adjusting along with you. Jared and Layton went to the small store by our apt and got some veggies and fruit. We try to buy fruit, veggies, milk and eggs from the little vendor stands and then just get meat and other random ingredients when we go to the big store on Fridays. Mid morning Daniel, Jared and Layton went to get a fish for lunch. The men that sell them keep them on huge bowls of ice. They got a huge carp that was 2.5 feet long Jared thought. They brought it home whole and then it got skinned and chunked up. Our housekeeper cooks lunch most Saturdays for everyone! That is a real treat. Today she made rice, fried fish, Dahl (with tomatoes added this time) and then instead of the vegetable mixture like last week she did cooked papaya and carrots. We are finding on Wednesdays and Saturdays we don’t need much for supper after those big meals. 🙂 We might all come home with rice bellies😂 I always poked fun at people that have housekeepers and said I would never do such. But this lady is a lifesaver. She comes three times a week to our apartment and sweeps and mops the floors and cleans the bathroom. These floors get so filthy so fast from all the dust and dirt. Our feet are always black on the bottom by bedtime.😕I’m always surprised at the amount of dirt she sweeps up. I’m so glad I don’t have worry about cleaning yet too while we are settling in and spending so much time on studying and language class. She has been cleaning here for years. Spent the rest of the day at home studying for class tomorrow. Layton thought life was pretty rough because we were out of cookies so I made some chocolate chip ones. Had to use a different recipe because mine calls for shortening and that’s not really available here. So found one with butter instead. Then I cut up a Hershey’s bar for chocolate chips. I think they are available sometimes here but I couldn’t find them yesterday at the store. Cooking here is definitely different. Meat and vegetable and fruit and most dairy products  are easy to get but things like cream soups, instant puddings, green chiles (canned), tortillas, tortilla chips aren’t available. They have frozen tortillas but you have to fry them and they are sweet. And when it’s hot you don’t want to heat your house up anymore than necessary. The weather is lovely right now. Feels like late summer in Kansas. Very little wind. We found out that it won’t work for us to have the baby at theBaptist Hospital by the coast like we had thought. Their doctor of 35 years is going home to the states on a year long furlough and they are having a hard time getting a visa for another US expat dr with a Bangladeshi medical license. So we will have the baby here in Dhaka. I’m relieved because I did not relish the idea of driving 12 hours home with a newborn. Amber is getting an apt set up for me. Sounds like it works much the same as it does at home. I’ll probably have a couple Sonos, bloodwork and everything as usual. They do tons of C Sections here. This dr has done close to 3,000 so we feel like we are in good hands. There is a NICU if something should go awry. Some days I go crazy not knowing if the baby is a boy or girl. I’m not one of those that likes to have it be a surprise. They don’t tell you the gender typically here but that doesn’t mean I won’t still play dumb and try to ask them.😂 I do miss my Dr Geifer, Jennifer and Heather at NMC, but I know I can text them if I have a question. They were really excited about us coming here. Dr Geifer was quite confident that things would be handled just fine here. 

Finally got my phone switched to a Bangladeshi phone number. Here’s the number…. 8801961597114 I lost a lot of my contacts so I was grieved. SIM cards are a challenge to get here. We had to find someone that was a citizen of Bangladesh and have them buy us two. Because otherwise if we buy them they are connected to our 3 month visas and will expire every three months. So one of Daniels friends agreed to get them for us. So now we just pay at the store to have more data added. Quite a deal when your used to Verizon unlimited😂 We could have just bought new phones but that is expensive so we will just use our existing phones with SIMs. 

Sunday…. Language class today. We practiced how to tell a rickshaw or CNG driver where we wanted to go and how to bargain with a shopkeeper. In the afternoon we hired a rickshaw and went to Farmgate (a big market here that I described last time.) and just nosed around. So many many sights. Little cage of quail for sale, slimy looking tiny fish in a basin, crabs with their pinchers tied close in a cage, dogs sound asleep on the side of the road, men selling SIM cards, ladies holding babies asking for food, so many clothes, one man had a pile of unsewn jeans on his bike. Must have had several hundred pair. Wonder if he was a tailor? We came back to our area and went to a pharmacy and got some allergy meds for Layton. 30 cents for a bottle of Zyrtec. I’ll have you know we talked Bangla to the drivers and store owners.😂So not bad for only being in language study for a week. I guess that’s a benefit of having an intense fast paced course. We felt quite encouraged that we had pulled the whole stunt of completely by ourselves. I think we will make it here!