Celebrating!

There has been a festive atmosphere around here, now that the boys are home and we are on the mend!


They are full of energy again, hungry and just pretty much back to normal!


It has been such a blessing and comfort to be able to be with friends during this time. It is never easy to be sick so far from "home" but is sure helps to have friends and not feel so alone. In the hospital, the boys were wishing over and over they could be in Akron Children's hospital instead of here ( I was too - for reasons including a clean bathroom with toilet paper, towels and soap, clean walls, a more familiar bedside manner among professionals... you get the picture). They were also wishing we would not have come to Kolkata. But now that they are back on their feet, literally, they are having a blast and I think we will have a good ending for this chapter of our lives. We will spend a day or two doing some fun things and are looking into flying home, instead of the long bus ride back. I am slowly feeling better and took my last med this morning, which has been quite strong and I think I will feel better when it gets out of my system.

And Then They Got Sick...

The ironic thing is, the last blog before the ones about India, was about us getting back to normal. Well, that didn't last long! The night we moved in with our friends, the boys were up all night, with vomiting and diarrhea. By the time we would get one mess cleaned up and be back in bed, another would have at it. It wasn't long before I started feeling strange, but I thought it was just a lack of sleep and everything I was having to clean up. We were soon out of clean sheets and clothes. It was wild. Jensen and Riley woke up and felt better and we thought maybe it was a short bug. They started feeling "green" again after breakfast, while Pruitt didn't stir from his bed except to go to the bathroom. They ended up sleeping most of the day and actually kept down some medicine, as well as fluids. We thought we were over the worst of it. Then, when it was time for the 2nd round of meds, Jensen started throwing up again and Pruitt was so weak we had to practically carry him to the bathroom. Riley was doing okay though so we left him here with his new friends and he fell asleep with them while we took the boys to the ER of a nearby hospital. They were admitted and, after much arguing, were put in a private room together. The staff was shocked that the father was going to stay with them instead of the mother. They asked him if he would be able to manage. They don't know the amazing abilities of my husband! He is very patient and is also able to sleep anywhere. I knew if I stayed I would not be able to sleep much at all, plus I was feeling sick myself. When we told them that we have another younger one at home, they were okay with me leaving and Austin staying. We had a big "discussion" with the nurses when we got upstairs as well, trying to work out a solution so Austin could sleep too. Finally they brought in a sofa, but said it was only for one night and that at 7a.m. someone would come to take it out. When I came later the next morning, it was still there and it stayed there for the next night too. What a relief! We were so glad for Salma, our friend who went with us and helped argue on our behalf! Anyway, the boys were feeling much better by morning, having had IVs during the night. Pruitt was in tears though when I walked in, as they were putting his meds through his IV and it was burning a lot. After it was done though, they took his IV out and said it could stay out if he drank lots of water. Poor Jensen - his started bleeding back into the tube and was causing him a lot of pain. They were going to try and leave it in but I convinced them that he has had IVs before and sometimes his veins collapse, maybe they need to move it. I guess medical staff here treat the family members as if they don't know anything because sometimes the family will get really violent if anything goes wrong. So we were told to act really knowledgeable and assertive. In the end, they took it out and left it out, as long as he ate and drank a lot and took the meds orally. Boy, did he ever guzzle water! I have never seen him drink so much. There was no way he wanted that IV to be put back in! We also convinced them that Pruitt could take meds orally as well and he was so relieved!


So I stayed with them a good bit of the day, while Austin had a good breakfast, did a bit of shopping, including Tin Tin comic books for the boys, which they were tickled for. Salma brought Riley in for visiting hour at noon and again in the evening, with her son as well. The boys were so happy to see each other again, and Jensen especially was happy with the Dominoes Pizza she brought. The hospital food was very unappetizing. If you think American hospital food is bad, you haven't seen anything! A thick ball of mashed potatoes, a pile of overcooked, sticky rice, a bowl of watery lentils, some bland vegetable soup and a bowl of sour yogurt with some sugar on top. They ate some yogurt but wouldn't touch the other stuff. So by evening, Jensen was good and hungry. Pruitt still didn't have much of an appetite but was able to stand by himself again and showing improvement. After visiting hours were over, I went home with Salma and Austin stayed overnight with the boys. They had a really good night of sleep and, by morning, were bouncing off the walls! The doctor finally came by around 11:00 a.m. and said they could be discharged, though it took at least 3 hours to get it done, despite the fact that Austin kept putting pressure on. They finally were released and it was so so good to see them walk in the door, carrying their own bags, with big smiles on their faces! By the way, the official diagnosis was acute gastroenteritis.

Fun in Kolkata

After a couple of days at Sarah's place, we moved in with some friends of ours. The boys were really happy to have some kids to play with. Here is Riley coloring with a new friend.


Here we are at a restaurant, one of our last meals before we got sick. We are still puzzled as to exactly what caused it, maybe it's hiding in that juice there...


We all were able to visit one of the places with Austin, where slum women make beautiful cards and quilt gorgeous blankets, handbags and scarves out of old saris. I bought a bunch of stuff before we left, so some of you will get to see it someday...

Welcome to Kolkata, India!

So, here we are in Kolkata! I love all the old looking yellow taxis that seem to be everywhere. It makes it easy to get around.


Here we are, in the days before we got sick!!


Somehow my photos got posted in the wrong order, but here is a tired Pruitt, after nearly 12 hours of bus travel, including time at the border. This is still on our trip to Kokata, from Dhaka.

Riley remained pretty perky. I had to work pretty hard to convince him to take a nap on the last stretch of the journey. We boarded a nice AC bus in Dhaka at 10:30 p.m., got to the border at 5:15 a.m. and had to wait around till the border opened at 7:00. The Bangladeshi side opened earlier though, so we could get our passports stamped on that side at least. We had to wait in a long lines, literally push and shove and hold on to each other. As we were coming through, Austin heard one of the guards telling the guys in customs not to ask us for bribes because we are foreigners. Everyone else was being asked for 50 taka to get through. It took about 2 hours total to get through both sides, then it was back on the bus and a few more hours till we got to Kolkata. We stayed with Sarah, who works for MCC here in Kolkata, for the first few days. The boys and I hung out there a lot while Austin visited different projects. More to come...

Getting Back to Normal

We've been painting a lot lately. Here is a bit of Riley's handiwork. Austin and I spent a couple days painting our entry and dining room as well and I hope to post some pics of that soon. It feels so good to have some color and texture on the wall, not to mention finally getting some pictures hung.


In the middle of our painting, the neighbor, who we visited on Eid and took a plate of cookies to, stopped in to return the plate. It was loaded with a delicious fish curry for Austin, though she said I could have some too. When we visited them, they asked if we like fish and Austin told them he does but he doesn't get it very often because the rest of us don't like it that much and, truth is, I don't know how to cook it very well. So they seized the opportunity to give him something he really liked. I was touched by their thoughtfulness.


Life is getting more and more back to normal. During Eid and Puja (the Hindu holidays which came right after Eid this year) the streets of Dhaka were fairly quiet as so many had gone to their home villages for the holidays. There were very few beggars, hawkers or horns beeping for over a week and we enjoyed the quiet. But life goes on and that is okay too. Here is a picture taken from our veranda, of the street below and you can see a bit of the apartment building across the street from us. A vegetable hawker is pedaling by and below you can see a closer view of a similar cart. Sorry about the power lines but they are everywhere and there wasn't much I could do about them.


As I write, there is a cart full of fish across the street and I can hear at least the 4th vegetable hawker coming. We are definitely back to normal!

Now if our health would just get back to normal as well. Jensen has impetigo for the 2nd time and Austin is still struggling with health issues, though all the lab tests have been clear. I managed to get impetigo from Jensen and have been treating it with bleach and antibacterial cream, in hopes that I won't need to take antibiotics. We'll see what happens.

One very exciting thing happened last week - my brother got married! It was hard not to be there but we were actually able to watch it while it happened, via Internet. It was a bit choppy at times but still we felt like we were part of it and even got to see and chat with some relatives afterward.

Politics From the Eyes of a Housewife Overseas

I recently received an email from a friend, asking my response to the question of whether Obama is a Muslim or not. Now, I'll admit, until a few weeks ago, I really hadn't paid much attention to what was going on in this whole presidential race. I have, however, noticed how politics in the West, affects life in other parts of the world. I feel like I've been sticking my neck out there a lot lately - well, it's a lot for me! - so I may as well continue! When I heard Palin's comments on the news last night, about Obama "palling around with terrorists" I was flabbergasted! I know that some of you reading this are strong McCain/Palin supporters. While I will respect your views, no matter how you end up voting, I just want to add another perspective to the picture. I will also say that I do not respect everything Obama stands for but I would like to invite you to put on the shoes of a housewife living abroad. I lack the time and energy to start from scratch here, so I am going to simply post my email response to my friend. Some of it may seem irrelevant to you, but it is my perspective.

Here goes-

I would love to be part of the conversation! I've been mulling the questions over since reading your email earlier this morning. A number of things come to mind and I'll probably ramble so here goes!

Whether Obama is Muslim or not, that I cannot say. Only God can see his heart. There will always be people saying one thing or the other. I am more concerned about what he does than who he says he is. I would rather be under the leadership of a respectable Muslim than a dis respectable Christian. I have been so saddened to see the way the West, in general, has come to see Muslims. It's comparable to how the Muslims view the Christians. Most Muslims in this part of the world think that all Americans are Christians and that to be a Christian means you get drunk, don't wear many clothes and have free sex. Perhaps there are a few Christian like that, but you and I know that has nothing to do with true Christianity. Likewise, to the West, Muslims are portrayed as being untrustworthy, evil and bloodthirsty, killing anyone who is not of their faith. While there are some that are that way, it is a very small portion of the whole - just like my example of Christians. Our experience of living here during 9/11 is a good example. We watched the live news coverage in our Muslim neighbor's apartment as we didn't have cable at the time. Again and again they expressed sorrow over what was happening and told us that this is not what Islam is really about. They told us that if we were threatened by anyone in the coming days, they would protect us. So many people would stop and ask if all our friends and family were okay. We had Muslim friends who would have given their lives for us, all the while our own country was ready to fight terror with terror. This whole war has gotten me really angry. Countless innocent lives have been lost, and for what? Our leader actually thinks God called him to fight this war?? How can anyone believe that, unless they ignore every word Jesus taught us. And for a possible future leader to say that God called us to this as well is frightening. The current leadership's foreign policy has done so much to ruin the credibility of Christians around the world. Many of us who are working here are ashamed when we need to tell people we are from America. Yet they open their doors to us. I'll admit, there are some fundamentalists here, but I have yet to meet one. The people I know have been so welcoming. In fact, last night a neighbor brought a tray, loaded with Iftar, which is the food they eat to break the fast, to share with us. Then she warmly gave us an invitation for our whole family to join them on Eid, which is the day of celebration at the end of Ramadan. I have to wonder how many Christians invite Muslims into their homes to share Christmas together. One thing is for sure, Muslims put us to shame when it comes to practicing true hospitality.

Muslims have their faults and there is much I disagree with and feel sad about here. But I can say the same about Christians. I long for there to be more dialogue between us all. More grace extended. Not so many walls, erected by what we think is true, without bothering to dig down and find the truth. I admire those who are asking questions.

You asked what is being said on this side of the world. I hope I have answered your question. When it comes to what Muslims here are saying about the 2 candidates, that I haven't heard at all. I do know that many of the mennonites here are Obama supporters, due to the fact that the other party wants to continue the current foreign policy.

Here ends my former email response. While the Muslim/Christian debate may not be a big deal to you, at least think about the foreign policy and imagine your life if you were living somewhere else.

I also can't help thinking of the irony - Jesus sat down with practising prostitutes and criminals in his day, without setting preconditions. Not to condone what they do but to show them another way. Today some of his followers are criticising anyone who sits down with certain criminals. I could go on, but I hope you have gotten the picture. Those of you who know me and want to continue this conversation, feel free to drop me an email, even if you disagree.

Peace.

The Gift of Freedom

Last night I watched the movie Human Trafficking. I've known that slavery exists today. I've met a few survivors and people who are helping them. Yet, the enormity of it blows me away. More than 2000 are sold daily into modern day slavery, according to one quote. And the bulk of them are trafficked into the United States. I can't help but feeling that, in spite of all our freedom and glory, we have become a source of horror for so many innocent lives. We have created the demand for this atrocity and by doing so, have become one of the greatest terrorist nations of the world. We can no longer sit safely in our sheltered communities, closing our eyes to the reality around us or pointing our fingers of judgement to other nations. The country I live in has thousands of women and children trafficked out of it. The country you live in has many trafficked into it. Perhaps you feel I'm coming on a bit strong, getting too worked up about it. Watch the movie. Do some research. And ask yourself, "Who is my neighbor?"

For a while now, I've been wanting to do a blog on fair trade Christmas gift ideas. The movie last night was the final push for me to get this done! I would like to share some of my favorite websites with you. Some of them are directly helping survivors of slavery, others are simply helping to reduce poverty around the world, which, I might add, is a huge reason that many are pulled into trafficking in the first place. To those of us who follow Christ, Christmas represents the gift of freedom. I would like to invite you to give the gifts that represent freedom to those around you this Christmas and anytime, for that matter. Having said that, I know this is a time of financial hardship for many. You may not feel you can afford "fair trade" prices. Before you dismiss the idea, check it out. I think you will find many beautiful items that are actually affordable. I'll admit that you may spend more than if you shop at Walmart but you will be giving three gifts in one - a gift to the one you are buying for, a gift to the one who made it and a gift to the Creator of all.

Of course Ten Thousand Villages is pretty high up there on my list! Visit www.tenthousandvillages.com to find out more about them and see amazing products - some of which are produced by people I've been privileged to meet here.

Another favorite is The Emancipation Network, an international organization dedicated to fighting human trafficking. They help survivors rebuild their lives and work at preventing slavery in high risk areas. They import and sell beautiful handicrafts made by survivors and persons at risk. They sell products online at www.madebysurvivors.com. You can also host a party in your home. Go to their website for more information.

A friend of mine works with survivors in Kolkata, where they quilt beautiful blankets out of saris. The website is currently under construction but I'll give it to you anyway so that you can hopefully check it out in the near future. www.handandcloth.org

The Enterprising Kitchen is a nonprofit social enterprise that provides jobs and support for low income women in Chicago. They specialize in natural soaps and spa products. www.theenterprisingkitchen.org

For many of us, life is not complete without coffee! Hemisphere Coffee Roasters not only sells amazing coffee, they also have a mission to assist the church in coffee growing countries by purchasing coffee directly from farmers who will be a blessing to entire communities. For more information visit www.hemispherecoffeeroasters.com.

This is but a small list. I know there are so many other great websites and stores out there. If you have a favorite you'd like to share with me, drop me a comment.

Tiny steps, faithfully taken, will someday equal a giant leap.