Musings

As I rode a rickshaw to the store the other day, I got a closer view of the fog that has been wrapped around the city. I love the way it softens the harsh edges of the concrete buildings and helps to hide the thick layers of dust on the tree leaves that make them appear brown instead of green. It makes everything look a bit more surreal. I have always loved fog - unless I have to drive through it. I wish, however, that the fog in my soul would be as lovely as the fog outside. I haven't written much for a while, partly because I have been busy, partly because I haven't known what to write. I've had some really hard, sad days, yet I have had some really good moments.

I met the sister of my neighbor recently, when she brought a plate of pithas ( cakes made from rice flour, a specialty often made in the cool season) for us. We had coffee together and chatted a while. Then she invited me to come over the next day so she could make soup for me. So the next afternoon the boys and I went over for a while. While the boys played with their boy and played like boys do all around the world, I joined the banter of the sisters and their mother. After missing "family" it brought a smile to my face to listen to them. I was so impressed with the way they care for each other and help each other. They told me stories of when their father was still alive and they had Japanese neighbors. He was so concerned because their new neighbors were so far from family, who would they have to love? So he told them that he would be their father and they should come and eat together. The father's hospitality and kind heart has been passed on to the next generation. As I ate the hot soup that was prepared for me and sipped hot tea sweetened with ghur ( molasses made from date-tree syrup) they made plans to teach me how to cut and cook fish and we swapped stories about different kinds of food we eat. I walked across the hall to my home, feeling less of a stranger, and it felt good.

Another day a friend came over so I could teach her how to make chocolate chip cookies. She was much younger when we lived here before and her mother used to teach me how to make the most amazing Bengali food - not that I ever succeeded, but at least I got to see how she accomplished it! My friend is now a lovely young lady and we had a great time baking cookies and talking about life and politics. We had both stayed up the night before to watch President Obama's inauguration speech and she was so excited about it that she had called her friends and told them to watch it as well. She told me what struck her father was the fact that Obama sat on an ordinary chair, just like everyone else and how, here, the leaders think they need to have a really big fancy chair. They are hoping that leaders here learn something from his example.

I love seeing the things that stand out to people in other cultures. We have heard the hopes of people first hand, here in Bangladesh and on our recent trip to Malaysia, that things will change. From taxi drivers to fellow train passengers, they have shared hopes and concerns. One of the customs officers looked at our passports and said, "You're not from Alabama, you're from Obama!" He was pretty pleased with himself and we all laughed together. I heard the story of an African American woman whose family put money together so she could go to the inauguration speech. She was wearing a T-shirt with the names of her family, going back to the time of slavery. As people around heard her story, they told her that she was not alone, that they were with her. I feel hope when I hear stories like this, hope that the American people will truly love their neighbors. All around me, I see people with so little, giving so much more. Loving those they could easily hate. Welcoming those who are different, oh so different. Welcoming, not just as friends, but as family.


Family. A place of belonging. Safety. We all long for these things. And we all have something to give that can help others to feel these things. I love Reverend Joseph E Lowery's ending to the benediction at the Inauguration .

Help us to work for that day when the black will not be asked to give back, when brown can stick around, when yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead, man, and when the white will embrace what is right.

Amen!

Sometimes, when we reach for our dreams, we find they are too big for us to really get a hold of. So we either walk away, or we grab a piece of that dream, break it off and hold on to it. As the piece of our dream breaks off, it shifts and changes, sometimes becoming something different but even more beautiful in the process. Yet sometimes the edges, the reality, can be sharp and painful and we wonder if it is really worth the effort.

I wasn't planning of blogging this morning. In the middle of an email to a friend, as I was thinking about my life, these thoughts came to me. Part of me is like, "Whew, I made it through the year!" and the other part of me is saying, "But I am so tired." So I'm pulling my bits of dreams out of my pockets and looking at them, asking myself some deep questions and holding the "bits" up to the Light.

Canopy Walk

Yesterday we took a hike through a Malaysian forest, part of which included a canopy walk, 200 meters off the ground. It was pretty amazing! It has been so long since I have been so totally surrounded by nature; I wanted to cry for sheer happiness!


It was especially cool to get a view of the city from a couple of the platforms.


There is something so refreshing about waterfalls. The boys had a high old time splashing around and getting pretty much soaked. Then we followed a pipeline down from the falls to a picnic area.


Climbing on top of big rocks was another thrill for the boys. We finally started walking back out to where there was a Canteen for lunch, but it was closed. So we walked and walked and walked. We had brought a taxi in the morning but there were no taxis there when we were ready to leave. The boys thought they weren't going to make it. We finally came to the main road and waited a while until an empty taxi stopped. The driver couldn't take us all the way back but offered to take us to a bus stop where we could catch a bus back into the city and didn't want to take anything for doing it. As we pulled up to the bus stop, I caught sight of McDonalds, which made my boys very very happy!


We decided to bring a bus back, since we hadn't tried that yet, and were pleased to discover there is no charge for kids to ride the bus. I think we will be using that option a bit more now!

Riley's Birthday

We went to the zoo to celebrate Riley's birthday. Unfortunately, it started raining and didn't stop so we walked through the rain and were still able to see most of the animals and the guys didn't mind it.


Riley wasn't content until we found the lions and tigers, then he was on cloud 9! Other highlights were an animal show, a sleeping civet close enough to touch, hot burgers eaten in a dry place and the reptile house.


We were ready to get home though and dry off. Then it was time for cake, before heading to one of the many malls for dinner at a food court (the boys picked McDonalds, I had Indian and Austin had Middle Eastern so we were all happy) and a movie of Riley's choice. It was a full but very fun day.

Shopping Daze

We spent the last 2 days shopping, stocking up on things we can't get in Bangladesh as well as browsing for the fun of it. There is an amazing mall in the basement of the towers, where we ended up one night.


Well, that is all I can write for now because a very happy 5 year old Riley woke up. It's his birthday! His 4th birthday was here in Malaysia, on a layover during our flight. Now he's back for his 5th. He is itching to open his presents so I need to sign off. Pruitt just said Riley even feels heavier this morning, now that he's 5!

Leaving the Island

We had such a wonderful and refreshing time on the island. This view from our room was especially refreshing for me and I wish I could take it with me and put it outside of my window in Dhaka!


A couple of taxi and one ferry ride later, we found ourselves at the train station. Because we had a couple hours to kill, we decided to do some shopping. We found a big shopping center and had fun browsing and eating donuts. When we decided to head back, there were no taxis to be found. We walked and walked, desperate and wondering if we were going to miss out train. Finally Austin flagged down a taxi that wasn't on duty. A guy was just taking his wife home from work, but he offered to take us and we got there, only to discover that the train was delayed a couple of hours. In the end it was 2 and a half hours, which felt very long to a tired out family. Some good things about it were that we had time to eat supper. We got burgers from McDonalds and did they ever taste good! Riley found a cat that had kittens and spent a lot of time watching and petting. We made friends with a jolly Malaysian man who was taking his grandchildren back to the capital after spending their holidays with him and his wife. He entertained us with stories and asked us if we think things will change with our new president. In talking with people from different countries, I have gotten the feeling that the world is really looking on in hope, a feeling they have not had the past few years, but that is another subject.


We enjoyed the lush potted plants that filled the station.


And of course there was a toilet. As in many places here, we had to pay 30 sens (roughly 10 cents) for each person to use it.

We were quite happy when the train finally pulled in and we found our berths and fell into nice clean soft beds for the night. We actually got a decent amount of sleep and pulled into the station around 8:30 in the morning.

Sunrise on the Beach

One morning we decided to go for a walk before breakfast. Even though the beach faced west, the sky was still pretty amazing.


Here Pruitt is showing off his missing front teeth, which finally came out thanks to some wrestling matches with his brothers.


We came across starfish, and upside-down crab, a stranded fish in a pool and jelly fish. We let the jelly fish stay where they were but the boys had fun rescuing the other things.


Of course some of the fun is just looking for shells. We found lots of pieces of mother of pearl.

Seafood Night

Austin loves seafood. The rest of us aren't as crazy about it as he is but we decided to have give it a try. How can you stay on an island and not eat at least a bit of seafood? So we went to our favorite Malaysian restaurant and picked out some crab from the ice box and a Red Snapper.


It all turned out really good. Here is the crab in a yummy garlicky sauce.


Jensen gave it a fair try but he wasn't as impressed as the rest of us.


The fish was in some kind of sweet and sour sauce and was really good too.

A Trip To the Aquarium

Pruitt is starting his day with a smile and toast, ready to head off to the aquarium.


We saw lots of fish, sharks, turtles, Eagle Rays, Sting Rays, birds...


... jelly fish, anemones, tiny fish, huge fish, intensely beautiful colors and shapes, creatures I had never seen before...

... and penguins, which was one of the highlights for the boys. We saw beautiful purple sea urchins, which reminded us of Austin's encounter with one the last time we were here. There were sea cucumbers and sea apples. All I can say is that God must have had a lot of fun when He created life in all its diversity and beauty.