Some of you may have been wondering
where we’ve been lately and the answer to that is: on an island! We traveled down to an island that some of
our local friends are from to be their special guests during this month of
fasting (Ramadan) and for the Eid celebrations that mark the end of this time. We have been so honored to be included into
what is usually a family-orientated time.
We have also had the chance to learn so much culturally, and hope that
our language skills are also improving with each day. It helps when you can be immersed—only then
do you pick up specialized words that allow you to say things like, “We’re
locked into the room on the inside because the lock is jammed” (thankfully
there was another door we could exit from in order to try to explain our
predicament to the sweet family we’re staying with).
Obviously staying with a family from
a different culture than your own can present its own unique challenges—like trying
to explain why your kids don’t eat very much, even when the food is really
delicious. Parenting in full-view of
another culture has been interesting too—especially when it comes to trying to
hold our children accountable for the choices they make. The relieving part for me is to see that some
problems are fairly universal, my kids aren’t the only ones obsessed/entranced
by cellphones, iPads and TVs. All that
said, it has also been good to see how our children have adjusted to their new
nightlife schedules and playing with the other kids here.
While we are learning from our
friends and observing their culture first-hand, we have also been able to share
a few jewels of our own e.g., peanut butter really will get gum out of your
kids’ hair.
Only a few days in and we’ve had
lots of good laughs along the way—it really has been an honor to be here, and I
can’t wait to share some pictures later on.
