pandesal, paper curls, and a few more thoughts

bread : us :: rice : them
It's eaten at every meal.

Simple, right?
No, not so simple, which makes for some humorous situations here at the center where I live.

So the other night we had spaghetti (the most American dinner I have had here). There was some really good bread, called pandesal in the fridge.
(It's slightly sweet, but bread-sweet not pastry-sweet. I get cravings for it all the time.)
My friend and I pulled it out and ate it with our spaghetti, being good ol' Americans ("carbs + carbs = goodness," right?).
The girl who is living with us stared at us like we were crazy, and politely refused to have any. We knew pandesal was a breakfast food, but we didn't know it was strictly a breakfast food.
I chuckled and thought nothing of it until a few mornings ago.

On my way to the shower, I walked by the kitchen table, where the girl who is living with us was sitting and eating breakfast. Her morning meal: a toasted hamburger bun. I just about died laughing....silently, of course. Gotta love cross-cultural living!


Wednesday we went to invite students to our two big kick-off events this year: the tutoring center open house and the BBQ for our students in a pre-university program. First we visited a women's dorm. The rooms host about six girls each and were about 8' by 13'. (Talk about "community," huh, Simpsonites?) I also was able to meet more professors and people in administration. One of the professors we met was an M, and she shared with us about her faith and values. She was so passionate about her faith and her belief in bringing peace between the tribes here, it was an honor to meet her on many levels. She has invited a few of us to come visit her in her home sometime, and I am praying that an opportunity will present itself.

Thursday brought the center's open house and more on-campus recruitment time. I stayed up late the previous night trying to figure out a way to decorate the tutoring room upstairs with what I had on hand.
There were paper strips I had salvaged from making the tickets the day before (see previous post), and I had bought some needle and thread to do some mending the week before. The center had scissors and masking tape, so to work I went. It wasn't much, but at least it was something!
Here are the results:




Today in the morning we went back to the village and visited more of the women in their homes. As is tradition, before we do, we always stop by the chairman of the village's house to pay our respects. Today, the chairman himself was at home. We were able to ask him questions about the history of the area and his leadership position, which he answered in great detail. It's always so much more fascinating learning the history and culture of a place from the very people who are in the midst of it than any other way of absorbing it. It has a flavor that cannot be reduplicated in any other way. Then he began to ask us some questions, of course, being a person of faith, his first questions were religious. He proceeded to give us (girls) three reasons for converting and becoming an M:
1) their diet (with its restrictions) is very healthy for the body
2) we would wear veils, which would keep us beautiful (out of the sun, and therefore white, since white skin is preferred over tan here)
3) men wouldn't be able to tell if we were ugly our beautiful, so we would be protected from "the rapists."
Hmmm....interesting considerations...
The thought that crossed my mind: "Well, I'm actually after a tan, so I think I'll keep to my faith, thank you, sir!"


Late afternoon and early evening brought the mayhem of the "American BBQ" hosted by a short-term team who has been here this week. On the menu: plenty of games, burgers, cole slaw, chips, bananas, juice, and a good time making new friends. I met so many new students, my head is still whirling with names and faces. It was so great to get to know them all!

Pray for me that I would be good at remembering their names as classes begin! It always makes me feel valued when a leader remembers my name, and so I am trying to do my best for the students. Because the names are both unfamiliar to me and there are so many of them to memorize at once, it is a really struggle! Thank goodness the people here seem to be gifted with unending patience. :)

Last year, when I was here for this type of event, I felt utterly overwhelmed by socially interacting with so many students, answering questions well and trying to think of pertinent ones of my own. Afterward, I remember being so exhausted, happy to have connected with all the smiling faces, but wanting to curl up in a little ball alone for awhile or to just decompress quietly with someone who knew me and my culture! This time was different. I have to say it would have been a million times easier if I were fluent in the language here, but it was a different experience for me. Not only was I actually friends with several in the crowd, but I felt more at home and less intimidated.
The hardest topic for me to deal with was finances, as comparison between our opportunities and income are inevitable considering it took $1700's worth of plane tickets to get me here. I am still developing finesse when answering those types of questions.
I am very thankful to God for giving me the opportunity of being here and for being with me tonight as I made so many new acquaintances. I thank Him for the moment when I sat back and looked around me, happy just to absorb the sight of the laughter and smiles of the 200 teens who sat around me.

As promised, here are a few more pictures of my surrounding area. There are some pictures of the team member's house where a few of the other interns are living. She has a beautiful garden I wanted to share a glimpse of with you. :)

These trikes provide more than half of our transportation.

My friend breaks into a run to see our friends down the street.
(a few blocks away from where we're living)

One of my Ate's strikes a pose: she's an expert actress, dancer, cook, and linguist. Is there anything she can't do?

Please join me in continuing to pray for the people here. The more M's I get to know, the more I realize not only in my head, but in my heart that so many of them are beautiful people with deep, sincere faith that I very much respect and admire. We must pray for them, that He would do His work in their lives. Our God is such an Almighty and Intimate God! Let us not take His love for granted, nor forget those who have yet to know its fullness.