After receiving our August update, some of you have emailed to just check up on us and make sure all is ok. As I wrote before, it's been a hard summer for our family. But nonetheless we are excited at having been sent here. If you've ever lived overseas for an extended amount of time, you know that the excitement and adventure wears off and normal life sets in pretty quickly. And living anywhere that's not the West means that life is a lot slower and a LOT less convenient. But we've also really loved living here. Donna, a friend of mine, used to ask me randomly, "tell me a simple pleasure for today." So, while we're tired, we've realized there are many simple pleasures we have here. Here are a few:
1. Smiling at the sweet toothless street sweeper everyday on the way to the kindergarten.
2. Our kids getting to help the fruit sellers water their produce.
3. Getting to walk places instead of hopping in a car everytime.
4. Watching a couple from my kitchen window as they play badminton every morning.
5. Eating the amazing food. And getting to use chopsticks.
6. Getting to eat tons of meals with my family.
7. Teaching my kids how to love despite being an outsider.
8. Eating ice cream from vendors at any point in the day. Watching my son always pick out and love the most random selections (ie green pea, corn, raisin, etc).
9. Discovering a store that sells Diet Coke and french bread.
10. Watching my husband enjoy learning the language.
