January 2012 Recap

JANUARY

*Visit to TepeNadirKhan. This is a great place with a view of the city. In warm winter, people come here to picnic and fly kites.
*Bowling with B and K - with our headscarves on!

*Henna Night with Matching outfits from K's local friend. Shaw-e-Henna is the night before the wedding where the ladies get together and put a glob of henna on the bride and their hands. (nothing pretty or fancy about it)
*Wedding the next day with K's local friend.
*Poker Night with some of the MedA peoples.
*Good'Pie' Party for Colleen.
*Weather: COLDDDDD. Most days where between 6 to 32 degrees. We had 3 HUGE snowfalls. One morning I woke up to 1 degree F outside! For a Louisiana Gal, that is COLD.
*Films/TV:  Castle and Friday Night Lights series, Pilgrims Progress
*The Word: Finished up Beth M's Daniel Study.
*Work: All of our workers came through the Staffhouse in Transit to their retreats. Busy, Busy
*Ouch: K got stung by a scorpion and I sliced my thumb open on a metal can lid.
*Hard: Coming back from Iowa and some emails where lots of things were miscommunicated.
*Back Home: My good friends Sean and Katy got engaged on New Years. Isabel turned 1 month old. Parents bought a Motor Home!
*Goals: I have definitely blogged more consistently- to be continued...  I have done birthday gifts for my mom and Mollie - also to be continued through the rest of the year.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from January!

Bowling time

 View of one part of the city

Pretty roomies

all dressed up from going to a wedding. K's local friend had them made for us.

Cute kids

awkward stares 

3 big snowfalls!

View of some of the mountains.

Forgotten Quirks 1 - You work when?

I have come to realize that I lack telling some of the little differences to people back home even though they aren't 'little'.  This little Quirks have become 'normal' to me. I have forgotten what is normal and what isn't (not as badly as my roommate K).  Sometimes I have forgotten the little things until a new person comes through. They help me to see just how far we have come adjusting to this world that is sometimes so different from the states. 

It will be helpful though in my last few months overseas (note to come later on this) to share some of these 'Forgotten Quirks' with you so you can understand more fully what it looks like for me to live overseas in this area I like to called my 3rd home.

Forgotten Quirks 1 - Work Days and Weekends

Our "Week" looks a little different here.  

I start our work days on Saturday and work through Wednesday. 

For the most part, I work in an office setting. We have about 5 foreigners (that's me), and about 12 to 15 Local workers at any point in time during the day. This usually look like a 9 to 4 job... end hours vary. This is usually because we have drivers to take us places we need to go that have to leave at 4 or I have language 3 times a week. If we have guest in our staff house then I will be working again from 5 to 7 with dinners.

Most Monday I am able to get out and eat dinner with a group of friends. There are times in the past that I have not gotten out of our little office/apartment area other than Monday nights and Fridays.

Technically, our weekend is on Thursday and Friday.  Some other companies here take them on Friday and Saturday. This makes for a unique schedule of working around other peoples weekend - especially internationally!

Sometimes we have to work through the weekends because we may have guest in the staff house that we need to prepare meals for and make sure they are okay. 

Thursday are the days I like to call either "Freedom Thursday" or "Out on the Town Thursdays."  K and I have decided that this is the day that we get to get out and go where ever we haven't been all week, run errands, go shopping, see different bazaars, check off things on our list of places to visit around town, sleep in late... you get the picture. We take it easy.

It is also Fried Chicken and French Fries day. Which is one of our favorite meals, but is completely beside the point.

Friday is our Sabbath. It is the day that locals go to the mosque to worship. It's the the day I get to hang out with a group of friends who live in this area of town. On Fridays, we may or may not have lazy "Sunday afternoon nap" or a grand "Sunday afternoon lunch."  

Some future topics to come...

What happened to my shoes?

Who can drive?

What's on the menu?

Parking 101

We are starting a new Carpentry and Welding Project this next week. It is a great program to train men here so they can find jobs.

Look like one of our office workers is going to have to find a new place to park his car. This is not were he is suppose to park his car anyways, even on a normal day...