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She is going to be a big sister!

A Few of My Favorite Things

As Thanksgiving is upon us, I thought it would be fun to reflect a little and show you all a few of my favorite things here in Indonesia. These things are just simple, everyday things that make my/our life easier, and that I am thankful for.

Coconut milk! Yum. This stuff is available at even the simplest, smallest shops, and it's so cheap. This little 6oz box costs about 30 cents. I use it to cook all sorts of things.

This little jar contains iodine crystals that I use to clean all my vegetables, fruit, and eggs. Sometimes when she has a rash, I even bathe/soak nadia in the bright purple water that these crystals create. She loves taking a "purple bath."

We are very thankful for affordable and easily available medication. Whether we have dysentery, a sinus infection, malaria or a simple headache, the medication we need is easy to find, and well within our financial reach.

A relatively new find, Rat Glue is proving to be an indispensable tool. My personal favorite is the cartoon rat on the box who is sitting in a pile of glue. The huge smile on his face suggests that he has not yet fully grasped the full reach of the consequences of his choice of cozy, sticky seat. We caught a rat this morning, right next to my stove, and I'll tell you now that he did not appear to be smiling.

This next one might not seem to be so awesome, but I love it. I love the bagged soaps and detergents i can get here. Instead of needing to buy a new soap bottle every time I run out, i can just buy a little refill bag. The cool thing is that when I buy the bag, I only pay about 1/3 of what I would for the whole bottle.

Last, but NOT least, is my brand new 2 cup tempered GLASS, ovenproof, Pyrex, use-for-everything measuring cup. I found it in Jakarta at an import store. I paid way too much, but it's been worth every penny. I use it every day, and i LOVE it.

visa trip: successful

We got home this afternoon after quite the adventure to Sulawesi. Despite volcanic eruptions, seemingly archaic computer systems (for the actual visa process), and agonizing flight "schedules" (if anyone should DARE call it a schedule...), we are home safe and sound. Long story short, our visas are all set for another year. Yay! And... we were so happy that we had friends to travel with.

The saga really began as we attempted to depart the capital city (where we fully enjoyed ourselves for 2 full days). Here we all are (except for Paul), waiting for our flight... we waited like this for 8 hours. They were understandably antsy and restless, but even still, our kids did such a good job behaving themselves while we waited. We were told the reason for our delay was that there was a "crash at another airport, which has messed up all our schedules". Upon further investigation, we discovered that there was no crash - just a mid-flight explosion... over a small Indonesian island. Everything was fine for that flight, and it safely landed... in Singapore. (?)

Due to some technical difficulties at the immigration office, we had to sit and cool our heels while we wondered if our visas would be renewed or not. Here Nadia plays with some new friends. It's always so amazing (and wonderful) to hear her chatting away in Indonesian.

The older girl is trying to tell Nadia that "the water comes out that end there, and don't point it at me when i turn it on." Nadia didn't quite get all that. :)

Sulawesi is known for its beautiful snorkeling locations. We mostly just swam (swum?) and enjoyed a morning at the beach - while still waiting on our visas. It was a nice way to wait.

Early this morning we left Sulawesi for home. While in transit, passing through Jakarta -Surprise! Delayed again. But never fear - Dunkin' Donuts is here! Well... there... at the Jakarta airport. Reportedly, our flight was delayed this time because President Obama's flight was coming in, and all flights were being put on hold until he was safely landed and disembarked. I highly doubt, however, that his plane took 3 hours to land.

Either way, Nadia enjoyed her "pink donut", and i enjoyed some yum coffee (no, i have no idea why i'm holding the cup that way... maybe so phil could capture the entire logo? i don't know). I even had a donut! (my dad is shaking his head in wonder right now...).