I Know There's Sunshine Behind That Rain

Hi. I am Hazel Strange (although if you wanted to call me Nancy Strange I wouldn't mind).  I must say that I have first post jitters. I have been thinking and thinking about what to write about for the first post so much that I have completely over thought it.  In the future I would love to write about the food, people, places etc. but for the first post I am just going to do a little bit of everything.

Lately I have started to look for things I am thankful for and I have realized how wonderful little and big things are and how they make every day blessed. So here is a list of things I have been thankful for lately with pictures and explanations that will give a glimpse of our new life. (The list is in no particular order.)

Sunny days-  It rains. A lot. Sunny days are days to get out, explore, and remember when it gets all gloomy and rainy.

Waffles on Sundays (or any day for that matter)- It is a type of dessert street food here.  I love getting a thin layer of dark chocolate and bananas. Yum!  Mr. Strange has choir practice after church on Sundays for an hour so I usually have lunch while I am waiting. I am not brave enough to try the fish sandwiches like Mr. Strange so I have waffles instead! This is a picture of the street on which our church is located.  I usually get a waffle near here.

Pogaca- Every Monday a couple sells chocolate pogacas at the school and I love them!!! It is sort of like a dinner roll but with a tiny bit of chocolate that is just amazing! I do spend a minute knocking off the seeds from the top but it is worth it! One week I was sick on a Monday and I had to wait a whole other week to get a pogaca! It was a tragedy. This is a picture of my desk at the school.

New to me shoes- The school holds a swap shop once or twice a year and it just happened.  It is like a yard sale. People can earn money while getting rid of stuff so you find stuff you need cheap! The school gets a portion so it is also a great fundraiser.  I might have come so close to swallowing peanut butter cookies that my throat got scratchy, but all in all in was a huge success for me. I found new shoes, a scarf and khaki pants (a size down from what I normally wear, yipee!) that I desperately needed. The shoes are not as gray as they look in the picture.

Language- My language tutor said that I am catching on really quickly! This is so encouraging because I feel like a dunce in language. This is a picture of the area where I go to meet my language tutor.  I thought is was an interesting picture because it looks like the couple on the bench is having a "where is this relationship going" heart to heart.

Dishwasher- The first dishwasher we have had as a couple has been wonderful.  We have hosted two parties/events with 9 people over one time and 11 (all women, sorry Mr. Strange) the other time.  Clean up was so easy with a dishwasher!  It is trivial but I always wanted to have a dishwasher.  We only had to go halfway around the world and the Lord provided it when we least expected it.  I kind of see it as a blessing that keeps blessing. I enjoy having large numbers of people over and hosting things, and the dishwasher takes the pressure of clean up away. Especially when you have so many people over that you use every plate, bowl, and mug you have. This is a picture of our living room right after we hosted a birthday party.  The balloons might or might not still be up today.

Dryer- It is not normal to have a dryer here but we have one!  The festival of sacrifices was going on which meant that there were mini farms everywhere. Well, until the sacrifices began and then there was blood everywhere.  So for a month there was a strong stench that permeated everything and since we can dry our clothes in the dryer, our clothes do not smell like animals. The tents above are where they kept the animals. 

Mr. Strange-  Being in a male dominated country has made me really appreciate my husband even more for who he is and everything he does.  The men do not normally spend a lot of time at home but Mr. Strange actually wants to spend time with me! Even if that means helping clean (which he does without complaining) cooking together, going on walks, stopping by my desk at least once a day to talk, everything.  He even memorized where the animal slaughtering was happening so he could make sure I didn't see it.  It might have been self-preservation though.  I think he knew if I saw the animals being killed we might end up with spared cow in our apartment.  He has had the majority of ideas that have really made our apartment feel like home by moving stuff around.  He is also so considerate of how men view women here and will take care of things that I am not fully comfortable doing alone.  At the same time he knows how to push me out of my box and help me do things I would not normally have the courage to do.  I cannot imagine ever being on this adventure without him.