We had a few recent events here in K-land that were a lot of fun. First off, my US friends had a 4th of July party. It was a blast. We had:
cheeseburgers
(which was exciting, because meat in general can be expensive here, but especially beef),
grilled chicken,
baked beans (but no bacon flavor. Oh well.),
Italian goulash soup,
tomato, cucumber, and onion salad,
deviled eggs (which I made and shared with K people beforehand and they liked them!),
plum pie,
peach crisp,
and ice cream.
We then finished up the day with a game of baseball. I’ve no idea who won. I just know that K managed to hit our “baseball” (tennis ball) with her “bat” (a piece of wood) out of our “field” (T and S’s garden), and it ended up in a drainage area in the street, which, believe me, it’s really nasty. You don’t want to go sticking your hands in there. Anyways, the game was a success, as was the overall party.
Look at that wind-up. She's gonna be a pro!
On Thursday, we finished our English lessons at our institute, and are done until September. But beforehand, we had dinner at a local restaurant with all the teachers, managers, bus drivers, and extra personnel we worked with this summer.
For my K family, they had an especially important event this summer. Our oldest “sister,” Ellen, graduated from college. She now has a degree in Forestry. We went to her graduation a few weeks ago. The graduation here in my city included not only her college but all the colleges in the entire city and neighboring suburbs. It was held in a large soccer stadium.
It was here that I got to see some fire works!
The word for fireworks in K land is actually translated for them as “fire play” which I think is a better representation of what fireworks actually are.
The graduation was carried on for the most part like US graduations that I have attended, except that everyone in the stands talks, takes pictures, eats dinner, and then storms the field as soon as their graduate has walked across the stage, never mind the fact that there are 1000 other graduates behind her. Then, once everyone has made it onto the field, you take even more pictures.
Ellen, holding her diploma, is surrounded by her family members and a few good friends.
The night after Ellen’s graduation, the whole family went out for dinner. We had rooster, which is a local delicacy. To me, the only difference is that there’s more dark meat than light meat.
Ellen and her next oldest sister, Erin.
All in all, I’d say it’s been a very busy but a very good summer.
Up next, the month of fasting and feasting, but first, I’m gonna take a side trip to eastern Europe to visit my friend Cari.
I hope the month of August finds you all well. Please remember my co-workers and my travels during the first half of that month, and remember the people here in K land that we leave behind while we travel, that they would be satisfied with us and without us. And that, during their month long holiday, even though they hunger and thirst, that they would find satisfaction.
