OK, anyone who knows me knows I love cats. My cousin wrote me an e-mail and said, 'Knowing your fondness for the species...' That inspired a Corbin story. Just to introduce those of you who missed my great announcement - I acquired a Siamese kitten at the end of November 2007. He is now about 3 months old and as one of my friends said "He has character" - I would have to agreed he has that all right! In short, he is a naughty, naughty boy when awake but an angel when he sleeps.
OK, here goes. I am using sand for cat litter here - it is much cheaper and does the job just as well. Anyway, I have a bag of sand at the bottom of my stairs that was too heavy to haul up the stairs. Corbin's litter box (bowl actually) is upstairs in my store room. I came in from shopping yesterday and happened to notice there had been certain deposits in the bag of sand downstairs. I went down a little later to confirm this and to clean it out. Sure enough, my little guy had helped himself to what he correctly perceived to be clean sand. As I was taking care of his business, he was standing at the top of the stairs watching me. I could tell by the look on his face he knew he was in trouble. I used my best momma voice and said 'PESHU' - he turned and ran for the store room! I later informed him that if he continues to poop in odd places, then Momma will be most unhappy! I asked if he understood in four languages - capishe (Italian), comprehende (Spanish), understand (English) and po hey gum (Pushtu). He assured me in cat that he did indeed understand and this issue would not arise again. At this point, all I can do is take his word (in cat, of course) for it.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Another Good Day
Dear friends and family,
I have not blogged in almost a week - a little down at the mouth, sick one day and dragging the next. And quite frankly, life has not been too excited - other than the power going off about every 10 seconds!
Corbin is doing very well. He is growing like a weed and is a naughty naughty boy! He is an angel when he sleeps, though. Just a few minutes ago he figured out how to push open the living room door. It was slightly cracked on purpose - I want to him to learn to open doors so I will not have to let him in and out continually. Anyway, in typical Corbin fashion, he launched his whole little body at the door and voila! To his amazement, it opened! Good job, Corbin!
Today was an excellent day. I had quite a bit of activity and felt that I got some things accomplished. This morning I went to the American Bazaar with my language teacher and another one of the ex-pats. Just to clarify, the term 'American Bazaar' has nothing to do with the layout or the business owners - it is the goods that give it this label. This place is an amazing collection of shops that have goods that apparently were intended for the country right across the border. Well, apparently, these goods make a regular and tidy habit of 'falling off the truck.' Hence the name of the area 'Smuggler's Bazaar.' It is one of those places you never know what you will find. This is the first time I had been out there and I will go again because the prices are good and the variety is excellent. I found such things as Campbell's Mushroom soup, Lucky Leaf Pie filling, yams in an restaurant size can, McCormick's basil, and last but not least, tampons! Amazing! They do have quite a few 'P' products also but those I can get in town for the most part.
In the afternoon, I went with Geena (my house help) to look for furniture. We were supposed to go to Old City but did not get to do that. We went to a second hand bazaar some distance from my house.I was looking for a table and an amorey (armoire) to put in my 'office.' Nothing fancy - I just needed a table and a storage cabinet basically. Armories are very common here - most of the houses that I have seen do not have closets - they just use armories (amorey in the local language). Anyway, the last shop we came to was pay dirt. There was a table that was the right size and a good quality for a great price. I also found a second hand amorey - the shop owner is going re-paint it and we will pick it up on Monday. You know, when I count my blessings, I count Geena. She has helped me so much in the set-up of this household. She knows where to go to get the best deals in town - places that I would probably never go to by myself, not knowing the language and the area. She bargains for me and she is good at it. We are gradually working out a system where I indicate interest in something, maybe one of us asks the price and then we go from there. Sometimes I have a hard time reading her if it is a good price or not but I am getting better at this. I think she is also getting more comfortable at telling me yes or no. She can be assertive when she wants to be. She is her mid to late 20s with a husband and one daughter. They live, as most 'P's do, in a communal family setting - aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, etc.
When I got home this afternoon, I had a surprise sitting in the middle of my kitchen floor. It was my stove, on order from a larger city to the east. Alleluia!!! It still needs to be installed but it is in my house and I am dancing on air! Cakes, pies, casseroles, anything that needs an oven - at the fingertips!
OK - enough excitement for one day. Is anyone out there really reading this?? (KB - I know you are - bless you!). In any event - have a blessed day and remember the One who made the moon and stars and makes His mercies shine new every day!
I have not blogged in almost a week - a little down at the mouth, sick one day and dragging the next. And quite frankly, life has not been too excited - other than the power going off about every 10 seconds!
Corbin is doing very well. He is growing like a weed and is a naughty naughty boy! He is an angel when he sleeps, though. Just a few minutes ago he figured out how to push open the living room door. It was slightly cracked on purpose - I want to him to learn to open doors so I will not have to let him in and out continually. Anyway, in typical Corbin fashion, he launched his whole little body at the door and voila! To his amazement, it opened! Good job, Corbin!
Today was an excellent day. I had quite a bit of activity and felt that I got some things accomplished. This morning I went to the American Bazaar with my language teacher and another one of the ex-pats. Just to clarify, the term 'American Bazaar' has nothing to do with the layout or the business owners - it is the goods that give it this label. This place is an amazing collection of shops that have goods that apparently were intended for the country right across the border. Well, apparently, these goods make a regular and tidy habit of 'falling off the truck.' Hence the name of the area 'Smuggler's Bazaar.' It is one of those places you never know what you will find. This is the first time I had been out there and I will go again because the prices are good and the variety is excellent. I found such things as Campbell's Mushroom soup, Lucky Leaf Pie filling, yams in an restaurant size can, McCormick's basil, and last but not least, tampons! Amazing! They do have quite a few 'P' products also but those I can get in town for the most part.
In the afternoon, I went with Geena (my house help) to look for furniture. We were supposed to go to Old City but did not get to do that. We went to a second hand bazaar some distance from my house.I was looking for a table and an amorey (armoire) to put in my 'office.' Nothing fancy - I just needed a table and a storage cabinet basically. Armories are very common here - most of the houses that I have seen do not have closets - they just use armories (amorey in the local language). Anyway, the last shop we came to was pay dirt. There was a table that was the right size and a good quality for a great price. I also found a second hand amorey - the shop owner is going re-paint it and we will pick it up on Monday. You know, when I count my blessings, I count Geena. She has helped me so much in the set-up of this household. She knows where to go to get the best deals in town - places that I would probably never go to by myself, not knowing the language and the area. She bargains for me and she is good at it. We are gradually working out a system where I indicate interest in something, maybe one of us asks the price and then we go from there. Sometimes I have a hard time reading her if it is a good price or not but I am getting better at this. I think she is also getting more comfortable at telling me yes or no. She can be assertive when she wants to be. She is her mid to late 20s with a husband and one daughter. They live, as most 'P's do, in a communal family setting - aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, etc.
When I got home this afternoon, I had a surprise sitting in the middle of my kitchen floor. It was my stove, on order from a larger city to the east. Alleluia!!! It still needs to be installed but it is in my house and I am dancing on air! Cakes, pies, casseroles, anything that needs an oven - at the fingertips!
OK - enough excitement for one day. Is anyone out there really reading this?? (KB - I know you are - bless you!). In any event - have a blessed day and remember the One who made the moon and stars and makes His mercies shine new every day!
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Just An Ordinary Day
Today was just a rather ordinary day. But it was a good day and I want to tell you a little about it. It has been cold and rainy here and I have been in the house for about 3 days. Today was still cold but the sun was shining and I was able to get out a bit. I went first to one of the local bazaars with my house help to get groceries and other supplies for the week. Grocery shopping here is nothing like what I was used to in my place of orgin (I am really trying not to say 'at home' every time I turn around!) Grocery shopping involves an open air market - kind of like a strip mall with little stands of fruits and vegetables. For dry goods and such, there are little stores along the strip.
Later in the afternoon I went with one of my neighbors to one of the large bazaars in town. I was going specifically to find wall decorations and I hit pay dirt. We went into several shops that had 'antiques' - not as in furniture but as in arts and handiwork and such. I got several things that I think are really beautiful. One is a wheat rug. It is basically a heavy mat, dense and weighty. It is cream colored with a brown, almost southwestern looking pattern. I was told that it was a rug used in the villages to sift the chaff from the wheat. Once the wheat was sifted, then there are pockets in the rug so that it can be filled and loaded on a donkey. Apparently this type of thing is used in several countries in this region. I also purchased a wooden frame with two doors that open up. This is meant to be hung on the wall - it is a dark brown and appears to be hand carved. There are two flowers carved into two circles, one on each door. Another item was a brown wall hanging that is horizontal in design and measures about 12 feet. It is about 6 inches wide and has tassels along the bottom. It is a lovely brown color - it was a find because I am doing my living room in tones of brown.
After all this, a friend and her sister's sister-in-law came over for tea late this afternoon. The lights went off but we had a great time anyway.
I think I will mark this day in my memory as the first day that this strange place began to feel like home. Inch by inch and moment by moment, perhaps this place will seep into my heart until I want no other - until I can say with all my heart 'this is home'
Later in the afternoon I went with one of my neighbors to one of the large bazaars in town. I was going specifically to find wall decorations and I hit pay dirt. We went into several shops that had 'antiques' - not as in furniture but as in arts and handiwork and such. I got several things that I think are really beautiful. One is a wheat rug. It is basically a heavy mat, dense and weighty. It is cream colored with a brown, almost southwestern looking pattern. I was told that it was a rug used in the villages to sift the chaff from the wheat. Once the wheat was sifted, then there are pockets in the rug so that it can be filled and loaded on a donkey. Apparently this type of thing is used in several countries in this region. I also purchased a wooden frame with two doors that open up. This is meant to be hung on the wall - it is a dark brown and appears to be hand carved. There are two flowers carved into two circles, one on each door. Another item was a brown wall hanging that is horizontal in design and measures about 12 feet. It is about 6 inches wide and has tassels along the bottom. It is a lovely brown color - it was a find because I am doing my living room in tones of brown.
After all this, a friend and her sister's sister-in-law came over for tea late this afternoon. The lights went off but we had a great time anyway.
I think I will mark this day in my memory as the first day that this strange place began to feel like home. Inch by inch and moment by moment, perhaps this place will seep into my heart until I want no other - until I can say with all my heart 'this is home'
Monday, January 7, 2008
English Walnut Date Cake
Here is a recipe I tried for Christmas this year. The ingredients are readily available in my part of the world. When I made it, I pitted and chopped the dates by hand. This took a while but otherwise it is an easy cake to make. As a variation, I think this would lend itself nicely to some apricots stirred into the batter.
English Walnut Date Cake
2 pounds dates, pitted and chopped
2 pounds English walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
4 egg yolks
4 egg whites
Preheat oven to 300 F/150 C. Grease and flour a ten inch tube pan or a bundt pan.
In a large bowl, combine dates, walnuts, sugar, baking powder, and flour. Stir in egg yolks. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs until stiff peaks form. Fold the whites into the fruit/nut mixture until no streaks remain. Spoon into prepared pan.
Bake in the pre-heated oven for 90 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
16 servings
English Walnut Date Cake
2 pounds dates, pitted and chopped
2 pounds English walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
4 egg yolks
4 egg whites
Preheat oven to 300 F/150 C. Grease and flour a ten inch tube pan or a bundt pan.
In a large bowl, combine dates, walnuts, sugar, baking powder, and flour. Stir in egg yolks. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs until stiff peaks form. Fold the whites into the fruit/nut mixture until no streaks remain. Spoon into prepared pan.
Bake in the pre-heated oven for 90 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
16 servings
Saturday, January 5, 2008
13 Uses for a Chaddar
This a look at life in my new country - from a woman's point of view. In this area, women wear chaddars or saddars (chaddar is Urdu and saddar is Pushtu). Basically, a chuddar is a huge shawl that covers the head and about 3/4s of one's body. Women here wear them in a variety of ways but always to cover the head when going out. Some women cover their faces with them, pulling them across the nose and tucking behind the ears. When at home, it is acceptable to wrap the chaddar as a shaw around the shoulders. For the fashion conscious, they can be draped around one shoulder. If draped on the neck as a scarf with the two ends hanging down the back, it becomes a duppatta (usually a smaller piece of cloth). They come in a variety of colors, textures, and prices and can range from very beautiful to very plain.
Anyway, today I was pondering on the many uses of the chaddar - here some of my unconventional thoughts on this subject.
1) air pollution mask - when out riding around town, I have been known to pull my chuddar over my nose in order to avoid breathing dust laden air.
2)kitten blanket - my little kitten hates to be cold. He loves to curl up for a long nap under my chuddar when I am sitting down.
3) substitute jacket - I have yet to wear a coat since I got here. The chuddar serves as an extra layer of clothing in cold weather.
4) face mask - once, when in a taxi, the taxi driver kept staring at me in his side mirror. Having quickly tired of this, I pulled my chuddar across my face and kept it there for the duration of the ride.
5) Gifts - they made great gifts for female friends (please, none for the other gender!) and are always well received. Given the variety, you can find one to fit any budget and any style.
6) Quick dust catcher - I caught myself wiping off my computer screen with my chuddar today - that is what actually inspired this line of thought.
7) great kitten toy - Corbin loves to play with the tassels on my chuddar and anyone else's who comes within range. They can provide hours of kitten entertainment for a very reasonable price. No fancy toys for this cat!
8) Money talks - I have been known to wad up cash in my hand and hold it under my chuddar. Great place to hide your money!
9) Hand warmer - on cold days, a chuddar is a great thing to bury your hands in.
Ok - these next ones are purely speculative - I have to admit I have not yet tried them - maybe someday!
10) umbrella - it has only rained once in the two months I have been here. I look forward to the day when I can use my chuddar as an makeshift umbrella.
11) Impromptu cushion - self explanatory
12) Flame thrower - as chuddars are worn everywhere, even the kitchen, they can be a bit of a hazard when working around open flames. I would recommend this use when all other uses have been exhausted and you really need to, pardon the express, lighten up!
13) Oh, I forgot the most important use of all - they are great for hiding a bad hair day!!!!!!!!!! No one will ever know the difference, and yes, I have to admit I have tried this one more than once!
Anyway, today I was pondering on the many uses of the chaddar - here some of my unconventional thoughts on this subject.
1) air pollution mask - when out riding around town, I have been known to pull my chuddar over my nose in order to avoid breathing dust laden air.
2)kitten blanket - my little kitten hates to be cold. He loves to curl up for a long nap under my chuddar when I am sitting down.
3) substitute jacket - I have yet to wear a coat since I got here. The chuddar serves as an extra layer of clothing in cold weather.
4) face mask - once, when in a taxi, the taxi driver kept staring at me in his side mirror. Having quickly tired of this, I pulled my chuddar across my face and kept it there for the duration of the ride.
5) Gifts - they made great gifts for female friends (please, none for the other gender!) and are always well received. Given the variety, you can find one to fit any budget and any style.
6) Quick dust catcher - I caught myself wiping off my computer screen with my chuddar today - that is what actually inspired this line of thought.
7) great kitten toy - Corbin loves to play with the tassels on my chuddar and anyone else's who comes within range. They can provide hours of kitten entertainment for a very reasonable price. No fancy toys for this cat!
8) Money talks - I have been known to wad up cash in my hand and hold it under my chuddar. Great place to hide your money!
9) Hand warmer - on cold days, a chuddar is a great thing to bury your hands in.
Ok - these next ones are purely speculative - I have to admit I have not yet tried them - maybe someday!
10) umbrella - it has only rained once in the two months I have been here. I look forward to the day when I can use my chuddar as an makeshift umbrella.
11) Impromptu cushion - self explanatory
12) Flame thrower - as chuddars are worn everywhere, even the kitchen, they can be a bit of a hazard when working around open flames. I would recommend this use when all other uses have been exhausted and you really need to, pardon the express, lighten up!
13) Oh, I forgot the most important use of all - they are great for hiding a bad hair day!!!!!!!!!! No one will ever know the difference, and yes, I have to admit I have tried this one more than once!
Thursday, January 3, 2008
A Rickshaw Ride
Today I took a ride in a rickshaw to get a local store. While this may not sound earthshattering, it is a one small step for womankind - this woman at least! You see, this was my first use of public transporation by myself since I arrived here two months and two days ago. I have been out and about in the city frequently but never alone. I have always gone with someone else, usually my househelper. Today was the first time I secured public transporation for myself using what little I know of the local language. I was even able to bargin the driver down a bit - he held up 4 fingers (for 40 rupi) and I said no and held up 3 fingers (for 30 rupi). The great thing is that I was able to commicate and even get a better price than orginally expected. I deliberately picked a store that was easy to get to and was able to give directions in the local language. For me, this is a victory - kind of like learning to ride a bike for the first time. One small step but this means that I am becoming more independent and able to do things on my own.
Please stay tune to this blog for more developments on the public transporation scene!
Please stay tune to this blog for more developments on the public transporation scene!
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