Wednesday is More than Half

For the majority of the Lopez Living readers, Wednesday is typically considered mid-week. Half down, half to go. Not in this part of the world. As C & E were in the car on the way to work, E realized that tomorrow is Thursday...which is the beginning of the weekend. C still has to work on Thursday, but he noticed last week that the majority of the teachers were gone by 2pm. Thursday night the city is packed with cars filled with people of all nations. People might head to the various malls and cinemas or over to a friend's home for a long evening meal. As of now, C & E do not have plans for their weekend, but it will more than likely include REST!

Since the last time the couple checked in with Lopez Living, they have found a flat! It's a 3 bedroom flat with 2 1/2 baths. The living room and bedrooms are very large, and so they swallow all of the provided furniture. The kitchen is decent, although they are asking for the clothes washer to be moved into the guest bathroom. That's actually typical in this part of the world for the clothes washer to be hooked up in the kitchen. The ovens, or 'cookers' as they are called here, are ones usually used in small condos in the States. The couple is looking into purchasing a new cooker before moving in. They can't actually move into the new flat until October 1st. No worries. They will not be staying at their cramped, but nice, hotel until that time. The real estate agent found them a nicely furnished 2 bedroom flat to move into until the 1st. With the help from an amazing couple, they were able to move in late Monday night.

The downside of the temporary housing is that it is a bit further from the academy than they would like and there is no telephone or Internet access. The phone is okay, because they both have mobile phones to communicate with one another and new friends. The Internet is a bummer for E because she has to go to Internet cafes or visit other homes for access. C has it everyday at work, so he is good to go!

Now from her own view point, here are some words from E:
--I am thankful that I have been in this part of the world several times before moving. If not, I would have probably pulled out all of my hair by now. It definitely takes patience and a 'manana' (or tomorrow) mentality to survive. Take for instance my temporary drivers license. A man from C's school took both he and I to the local Dept. of Transportation in order to fill out all of the proper paper work. This included submitting multiple passport photos and having the document typed in another language. Once all of that was done, I had to take an eye exam. Let's just say that I said a little prayer before going in because even with my glasses, I still have trouble seeing at times. After passing the exam we went to another location to turn in all of the stamped paperwork. Then we were thrown into a volley between two workers because neither one of them could (or maybe just would) read my driver's US license because it was in English. This women waved us off as if we were flies and said to come back tomorrow and maybe someone would be there to translate my driver's license into their language. Apparently, a native speaker has to translate on the official document my driver's license from English to their language. Nice. The man who drove us yesterday said that he would call sometime between 9am and 12pm today to take me. I'm not holding my breath.

Last week I ended up at one of the various malls for lunch. What's different about the Food Court in this part of the world is the "Ladies Section". Most public areas, including restaurants, sports clubs, and parks, have a section for women only. A very nice Persian restaurant adjacent to our hotel even had a separate entrance on the side for women. Women unescorted by men are usually found in the Ladies Section. That's where I ended up enjoying my lamb shwarma and mutable. Besides some Asian girls, I was the only one not completely covered. I felt kinda lonely until a precious little boy playing with a balloon tried to get me to play with him. I love it when the Father sends me a gentle reminder in the midst of awkward moments.

The local women completely cover their bodies in an abaya. Many of which or ornately designed with beading and sequence. These women are not hurting financially and even though they are completely covered, they are covered in style. The only part of their body which can be seen is their eyes. Some women even wear a thin black cloth covering their entire face. Unusual in other parts of the mslm world, but typical here. You might wonder what to do when you see one of these women walking towards you. I generally smile and make eye contact--when you can see their eyes. It's amazing to watch their eyes widen with my genuine contact with them. I would assume that many western women turn away or stare awkwardly at them as they pass in the malls and on the streets.

C has introduced me to many colleagues from the academy and I always remind myself not to stick out my hand like I typically would in the States. It is not appropriate for a man and woman to touch unless you are related. Therefore, our natural instinct of reaching out and shaking hands with a new person is offensive and culturally not acceptable. Now, if the man extends his hand first, then it's okay. But that is not very common.

I was doing good with this until C introduced me to a man who had been raised in the States, but has in the past decade moved his life and beliefs to this region. When I stuck out my hand he waved me off. Ouch! At first I was embarrassed by my cultural mistake, then I was ticked off because the guy was an American and should know better. Of course I would naturally shake the hand of another American! But, in the end, I'm a woman and what I think or believe in this region doesn't make a dent within the male dominated society.

Yesterday I spent 3 hours at a local Carrefour (found everywhere in this region) to purchase all the household items needed to set up house. After filling up my cart with only household items, I realized that I didn't have room for groceries. I paid for the items in my cart and then headed back into the store for the food items. For those of you in the South, I cracked up when I found several "Kroger" brand items. While shopping I ran into a mom with 2 kids who had just arrived from Houston. We both shared our arrival experiences and helped each other find a few items in the massive store. It's comforting to hear an accent so close to home.

I would like to say that I have the most amazing husband! Saturday I was sick...we are talking REAL sick. One of our new friends offered to drive us around to search for housing. There is a reason most people drive 4wd and SUV's here. Many times a paved road ends and you are required to create your own. So, each time that happened, my stomach churned just a wee bit more. By the time we decided to quit our search we took another roundabout and I had it. Don't worry, you are not going to read something gross! For the sake of young readers, I'll just say that I lost my lunch on the side of the road. C was right there holding me up and then washed off my feet. (note to self: do not wear flip flops while stomach is queasy.) He took care of me the rest of the day AND did all of our laundry at a friend's home. WOW! Much love to you Mr. Man!

Points to Ponder:
--C's students arrive on Sunday. Ask for quick memory with names/faces and that he will feel confident in the classroom.
--C's relationship with fellow teachers will continue to deepen.
--Thanks: great time of fellowship last Friday! Wonderful opportunities to plug in with like-minded people.
--Thanks: no driving accidents...continue to lift that up!
--E will discover more opportunities to meet women
--C&E: continue in their personal study time; work together in all situations; find favor in purchasing a vehicle at the end of the month.

PS--we do have pictures of the area and will get them up when possible