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.