A few days ago, our family went to visit some new friends. This idea always sends a chill down my spine since my kids are still so young and have a hard time hiding their emotions when it comes to visiting. (Just check out the previous blog about a wedding if you're wondering what I mean.) Still, it's worth the hassle and stress if we get to make new friends. And maybe, just maybe none of the kids will throw a fit.
So, we piled all 5 of us onto the motorcycle and headed down the road a ways. It really wasn't very far, but we had a thunderstorm earlier that day. I was noticing more puddles on the road than usual. As we came nearer to their house, we had to take an underpass underneath the railroad tracks. The pass was full of water at least a foot deep. I asked Chris what we were going to do. He just shrugged, picked up his feet, and drove through the water to the other side. We only had minor splashes of the sewage water on our pants and shoes, so we continued on. When we reached our friend's street, we realized that his entire street was a muddy puddle. We parked the bike, got off, and started walking a thin, brick walkway (that was actually supposed to be a wall for the open sewer.) The boys found this part fun because it was like walking a tightrope. Our friend and one of his relatives or neighbors helped the boys along while I balanced Lucy and tried not to fall in the mud.
We arrived at their home a few minutes later, crossing the muddy road. Their home was a wall surrounding an open dirt courtyard. On 3 corners of the courtyard were one-room brick structures where different members of the family stayed. In the fourth corner, were about 5 goats hanging out eating scraps of vegetable peels. There were also a mother dog and her 5 puppies. I know there were 5 puppies because Jed told me right from the beginning.
Chris' friend's wife was working on a gas stove burning outside. She had sweet rice and a stew-pot of ground meat cooking for us, as well as spice tea boiling. I was immediately struck by how relaxed the kids were and I began to ponder why this was. Of course, all 3 kids were mesmerized by the puppies, but they were also playing out in the open. There were few people staring at them because we were inside a private, walled home. Also, the family we were visiting invited them to stay outside and play and didn't try to get in their faces and ask them all sorts of questions. I began thanking God for a positive visiting experience.
Chris and I sat in one of the rooms with the man and his mother while his wife continued bringing things for us to eat. I kept glancing in and out of the door anytime I heard a squeal. (Abe was learning how to carry the puppies and had a difficult time sometimes.) In the meantime, I was praying for protection against fleas and worms and that sort of thing. But, how could I not be happy? My kids were playing in dirt. Lucy was covered in mud because she kept trying to step up and down on things she couldn't manage yet. Jed was following the puppies around and trying to have conversations with them. And Abe? Well, Abe was grabbing a stick and telling me he was going to fight off the 'bad goats' who were 'attacking' the puppies. This felt like home.
I realized I've been missing the farm life a lot. The time where you run around with animals, get sun on your face, get dirt under your nails (and not the kind that comes from a grungy rickshaw, but the kind that comes from the ground.) The time where you might get some kind of weird medical problem like ringworm or fleas or worms, but at least you got it honest. The time where you spent more time outside than in.
Granted, this visit was not in the country. All I had to do was hear the horns honking nearby and I knew. But, at least I could pretend for a bit. And my kids could pretend, too. They got to really be kids for a few hours. Thank you, new friends!
So, as we got ready to leave, Chris and I were commenting on how we thought we could really imagine living in a place like that and thriving more than living in our flat. Even though the flat is cleaner, easier to manage, etc. Just the idea of having space for the kids seemed wonderful. Until we remembered the mosquitoes! There would be no escape from the malaria/dengue-bearing mosquitoes! And then, we had to walk back down the road. And Chris stepped right into the mud and covered his foot. And then we had to go back through the underpass. And my whole leg got soaked in typhoid water. And we went home, stripped everyone down, took a shower, and thanked God for our flat.
Here we are, inside the flat, ready to go outside the flat :)
So, we piled all 5 of us onto the motorcycle and headed down the road a ways. It really wasn't very far, but we had a thunderstorm earlier that day. I was noticing more puddles on the road than usual. As we came nearer to their house, we had to take an underpass underneath the railroad tracks. The pass was full of water at least a foot deep. I asked Chris what we were going to do. He just shrugged, picked up his feet, and drove through the water to the other side. We only had minor splashes of the sewage water on our pants and shoes, so we continued on. When we reached our friend's street, we realized that his entire street was a muddy puddle. We parked the bike, got off, and started walking a thin, brick walkway (that was actually supposed to be a wall for the open sewer.) The boys found this part fun because it was like walking a tightrope. Our friend and one of his relatives or neighbors helped the boys along while I balanced Lucy and tried not to fall in the mud.
We arrived at their home a few minutes later, crossing the muddy road. Their home was a wall surrounding an open dirt courtyard. On 3 corners of the courtyard were one-room brick structures where different members of the family stayed. In the fourth corner, were about 5 goats hanging out eating scraps of vegetable peels. There were also a mother dog and her 5 puppies. I know there were 5 puppies because Jed told me right from the beginning.
Chris' friend's wife was working on a gas stove burning outside. She had sweet rice and a stew-pot of ground meat cooking for us, as well as spice tea boiling. I was immediately struck by how relaxed the kids were and I began to ponder why this was. Of course, all 3 kids were mesmerized by the puppies, but they were also playing out in the open. There were few people staring at them because we were inside a private, walled home. Also, the family we were visiting invited them to stay outside and play and didn't try to get in their faces and ask them all sorts of questions. I began thanking God for a positive visiting experience.
Chris and I sat in one of the rooms with the man and his mother while his wife continued bringing things for us to eat. I kept glancing in and out of the door anytime I heard a squeal. (Abe was learning how to carry the puppies and had a difficult time sometimes.) In the meantime, I was praying for protection against fleas and worms and that sort of thing. But, how could I not be happy? My kids were playing in dirt. Lucy was covered in mud because she kept trying to step up and down on things she couldn't manage yet. Jed was following the puppies around and trying to have conversations with them. And Abe? Well, Abe was grabbing a stick and telling me he was going to fight off the 'bad goats' who were 'attacking' the puppies. This felt like home.
I realized I've been missing the farm life a lot. The time where you run around with animals, get sun on your face, get dirt under your nails (and not the kind that comes from a grungy rickshaw, but the kind that comes from the ground.) The time where you might get some kind of weird medical problem like ringworm or fleas or worms, but at least you got it honest. The time where you spent more time outside than in.
Granted, this visit was not in the country. All I had to do was hear the horns honking nearby and I knew. But, at least I could pretend for a bit. And my kids could pretend, too. They got to really be kids for a few hours. Thank you, new friends!
So, as we got ready to leave, Chris and I were commenting on how we thought we could really imagine living in a place like that and thriving more than living in our flat. Even though the flat is cleaner, easier to manage, etc. Just the idea of having space for the kids seemed wonderful. Until we remembered the mosquitoes! There would be no escape from the malaria/dengue-bearing mosquitoes! And then, we had to walk back down the road. And Chris stepped right into the mud and covered his foot. And then we had to go back through the underpass. And my whole leg got soaked in typhoid water. And we went home, stripped everyone down, took a shower, and thanked God for our flat.
Here we are, inside the flat, ready to go outside the flat :)
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