Merry Christmas!

Wishing you a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year! We are looking forward to spending 2009 in closer proximity to our friends and family. Three of us will be returning to North Dakota December 27th and Jason will join us January 13th. It's been a unique visit to the Middle East. We are proud of what we've accomplished, what we've learned about ourselves, and how we've learned to trust in God and in each other. Thank you for your support and for following our blog on this crazy adventure. We can't wait to catch up with you and share more interesting stories when we get back.

Love,

Jason, Amber, Avery, and Ethan.

Turkish Coffee and Chocolate Cake

Last week I was walking to the corner grocery with Ethan when a 62-year-old Iraqi woman stopped in her tracks and said, "I like you--you come to my house for tea." So today, I did. I am smiling as I think about her. She is sharp and vibrant. She actually looks almost identical to my late Great-Grandma Schell. Maybe that is why I felt so comfortable accepting an invitation from a complete stranger. Ethan and I made our way to the top floor of our apartment at 10:00 this morning. When we arrived to her flat we were introduced to her sister who is visiting from London and battling cancer and a Palestinian woman with her 3-month-old daughter. Miriam, the host, was quick to point out that we were to greet each other with three alternating cheek kisses. So after one awkward practice, I was greeting like a pro. Then it was to the sitting room for tea. Miriam loaded my plate with all sorts of pastries and cookies and said, "You are thin, you can eat." I laughed and said, "I am not thin," and she said, "OH, you are fat? then you can still eat." So we did. Next came the tea, then the candy to go with the Turkish coffee and finally chocolate cake for dessert. Turkish coffee was actually pretty good. I was expecting it to taste like espresso, but it was more like very black coffee with a strong smell of clove. It is served in little glasses, so I suppose there must be a lot of caffine in it. I liked it. But most importantly, I enjoyed friendly conversation and learning about their families. It was interesting to hear their stories of immigrating from Iraq 15 years ago and how they had to leave everything behind and completely rebuild their lives from nothing. It was also interesting to hear about how their families remained so close even though they are dispersed throughout the world and about her family's struggle to find the balance between their culture and the environment of their new homes. If all I get out of living abroad is a morning coffee with a kind elderly woman, it would have been worth all the effort. I had a fantastic time.

We're getting even BIGGER!

Just as their bodies grow, so do their smiles. It seems that Avery has gone from six to eight in the last few weeks. He has been seeking justice for those who had 1/2 of their candy bars stolen, stealing the remote and changing the channel when you turn your back, and said what he is most thankful for is his baby brother. Ethan is very much six months old with his toothless giggles, his "storytelling," and his determination to stick anything that looks appetizing into his mouth. My little boys are growing up!!!

CoCo the Red-Nosed Clown

This is what happens when you are juggling a 6-month-old, a sippy cup, and a digital camera. Anyhow, it was a great Christmas program and I was very surprised to see that it was actually about the birth of Jesus...I'm not sure where CoCo fit in to the story, but everything else in the program really did. Avery is in the front row center, right above/behind the brown bouffant hair. Enjoy!

Alas...friends.

This week I have felt a shift in my attitude and energy. All of the sudden I have this desire to entertain and to meet new people. At first I was embarrassed to invite people to my apartment because our furniture is far from comfortable and everyday I sit in it I think that this apartment is really depressing. What I am learning is that without friends and company, it is sort of depressing...So out of my shattered pride comes a great lesson.

No matter what your home is furnished with...if you invite them, they will come and you may have more fun than you bargained for!

I have made a standing date with Marta, a Colombian woman whose husband works with Jason. On Wednesday mornings she comes to my house at 10:00 for donuts and English lessons. You see, she lives next to a Krispy Kreme and I know English...so it is a great trade off. I'm even improving my broken Spanish in the process. I really miss teaching and this is an excellent way to keep practicing and to get to know a wonderful person in the process.

I also have an evening walking partner "En Shala," which means that as long as there is no other obligations, I can count on my friend "Hint" to show me the city by foot. She is a UAE national and has been a huge blessing to meet. We have a lot in common including our favorite TV shows, Lost, Prison Break, and Desperate Housewives. Here in Sharjah the city streets are busy and there are no sidewalks in many areas, so an evening walk is interesting to say the least. She is so proud to show me her city and even holds my hand when we cross the streets. I feel like a schoolgirl again, and am constantly amazed at how much we are actually the same even though we come from different backgrounds.

Though I love staying home with my children, it is good to get away for an hour in the evening to clear my mind. Also it feels so good to laugh again--not like the "Avery you are so silly" or "Ethan you are so cute" kind of laugh. But the kind like girlfriends do. When you can get together, share experiences, and laugh at yourself. Really I came here to experience other cultures, grow closer to my family, and to learn about myself. Finally I can see that it is coming together. Everyday I am crossing paths with women who are sharing my experience and are far from their friends and families. I feel like it is my turn to extend the "Come" and really invest myself into some great relationships here. In the end I think it could be a lot of fun.

Holidays

Christmas at IKEA...

I heard Christmas music in the mall yesterday. I can't believe how fast the time is going here. Usually this would be around the time we go on that great search for the perfect Christmas tree. It seems that every year our trees have gotten a little bigger. I think we had to whittle down last year's tree by a third. Truth be told, it was so cold we had to cut the first tree that didn't have any major deformities. I'm a little sad that our tradition will be on hold this year as there are not any blue spruce trees to be found here. Maybe the day after Thanksgiving we will make one out of construction paper, tape it to the wall, and let Avery go nuts making little decorations. I guess we could string up some lights on a date palm. Anyhow, I'm definitely in the mood for the holidays.

Share with us-

How will you spend Thanksgiving?

Let it Rain!

You can't imagine how excited I was to wake up to the sound of thunder and the trickling of rain to my window yesterday. Though it had all dried up by the time we made it outside, it has cooled the weather considerably. It is now ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL here. (For at least a few months anyhow.) This would be a great time to visit...

Our Apartment

If you would like to see pictures of our apartment, click here.

Just say "YES"

I wanted to write about this because it stood out in my mind as a turning point in our stay. The days had gotten quite long and the weather was still hot. Ethan and I had not yet been out of our apartment on our own. Avery returns home from school with a handwritten invitation "cordially inviting me to breakfast with the other mums" the following morning. It was from a mother I had met at the birthday party the day before. At first I thought, "How could I possibly get this together by tomorrow." For starters, I was still wearing my maternity shirts and was only a week out of my first horrific haircut experience. I wasn't exactly feeling social. Plus Ethan and I had grown accustomed to sleeping in on school days. Could we really get anywhere in this traffic on time for breakfast? I was seriously doubting that it would work out.

In order to accept the invitation, I had to make sure that Ethan and I would have a way to get there and back. It wasn't as easy as it sounds. Leaving in a Taxi would not only be very expensive, but also really unpredictable in this traffic. Many Taxi's in Sharjah won't even take you to Dubai in rush hour and vice versa. What if I couldn't make it back to meet Avery's bus? Three phone calls, and some networking later...I was able to arrange to have Jason drop us off at Avery's school (about an hour drive from our house) then another "mum" met us there and gave us a ride to the villa in Mirdif (about 20 minutes away). Then I would ride with a different mum back to the school and then share a bus ride home with Avery and ANOTHER mum that lived in the corniche as well. So our plan seemed fool-proof, the next step was to feel confident enough to actually go...alone.

Sitting here thinking about anticipating the party, I am giggling to myself. Here I was picturing the Stepford wives, all perfect in their high heels and party dresses. I could see them laughing at my WalMart shirt and flip-flops and of course, my really, really bad hair. You can only imagine how suprised I was to find a room full of caring, knowledgable, and exuberant women from all over the world...all with very similar experiences to my own. There was even another baby just a few weeks newer than Ethan.

I can't explain how good it felt to hear these women talk about their experiences as if were speaking of my own. It wasn't just a big "complain-fest," they really opened up to me and answered my questions, gave me advice, and listened to my concerns. It felt so good to laugh about our experiences together, the good and the really bad. I have never been in a place where I have felt so understood. It was an invitation that I am so glad that I accepted.

Birthday Parties

Birthday parties are a BIG deal here. With the hot climate and the long days, this is pretty much the only time that the kids get to play together outside of school. Avery's been invited to four this school year. One invitation even went as far as to say "RSVP if you will not be attending" and they had invited both first grade classes! (around 40 kids) The birthday parties we've seen have been "MC'd" at amusement parks, restaurants, hotels...etc. We even overheard an "American Idol" style birthday party when we were out for Planet Hollywood on Jason's birthday. Most houses/apartments here are not big enough to have a party, but I think it is just easier to have a "pre-made" party. Some have a magician. All have dance parties, tons of food for kids/parents, and contests. And all parents try to choose a different venue from the last party. I suppose this would get quite difficult if your child's birthday is at the end of the year. I love that we get a chance to meet other parents and to meet Avery's school friends. The parties themselves have been quite loud and a little overwhelming for Avery, but the company is fun and he's found that he's really enjoyed them in the end. I'm not quite sure-but I think the kids are trying to figure out how the confetti came out of the machine in this photo.

The flu and other icky things.

Last week was a rough one at our house. Avery finally made his dream trip to Wild Wadi but on the way home got sick in bumper to bumper traffic in downtown Dubai. Was it food poisoning? Heat exhaustion? We soon came to the conclusion that it was the flu, as it systematically took another victim every 12 hours.

It was a creepy feeling being sick and not being able to locate any of the comforts of home here. I checked three grocery stores for saltenes, applesauce, popsicles, and instant soup only to be left feeling dissapointed. I tried but I couldn't figure out what people eat here when they are sick. There just isn't a substitute for the replenishment of a Lipton cup-of-soup. I kept having fever visions where I was entering a Target store and walking directly to the items I was craving. We finally found some overpriced Gaterade at a shop down the street. We really do take for granted the little things we depend on for comfort in life.

This picture is from our last memory of health. I promise you...that was not a chicken burger and Avery does not recommend the hotdog sandwich.

We wish nothing but health and happiness to your home in this fluey season...

Back in Business

Our computer is on its last leg here in Sharjah. I don't know if it is the heat or just its old age but what should take 10 minutes to update our blog has been taking over an hour. We finally updated our internet speed and purchased an external fan to help cool it down. Things seem to be running a little smoother these days. Here's hoping there are many more updates to come.

The saga continues...

The only cure for a hideous haircut??? Another hideous haircut. I'm totally over the last one. I guess I'm bringing back the mushroom. Life goes on...