What a great day we had Sunday, as we were invited to go on a barge to one of the outer islands. A really generous man takes his family and friends out to the island every Sunday afternoon. He invited us because “he knows what it is like to be away from home” and wanted to include us. Wow, I hope we remember that kindness next time we meet someone “away from home.“ Talk about a Sunday afternoon picnic! They fired up the fire pit and cooked all afternoon as we had fun swimming and eating freshly grilled chicken, steak, hotdogs & fish. Well, the fish were a little too fresh for me -- straight from the ocean (not scaled or gutted). And we met a new friend on the trip, Cameron, who is the vice president of one of the schools here -- he is originally from Hawaii, but went to college in Chattanooga….and get this…is a UT fan!! He was glad to see a UT fan in the islands. Always good to meet kindred folk! What a GREAT beach - and very relaxing. Joel had a blast playing in the sand and gentle waves. Erica practiced her snorkeling with Dennis. Dennis loved exploring a small plane that was buried by the sea on the ocean floor. Nathan enjoyed the blanket under a giant shade tree & I fed him his last bottle for the afternoon on the calm beach as the sun was setting. Truly, untapped paradise.
Our paperwork is in Manila, Philippines, where Nathan’s visa will be printed and sent to us any day. We are getting conflicting info as to WHEN to expect it back here (so we can go home). The very UNHELPFUL worker at the consulate office in the Philippines told Dennis that the paperwork may be there for 2 weeks (what? sitting on desk, waiting on someone to put paper in the printer??). Huh. If the paperwork happens to arrive before Friday of next week, we will come home on Friday (probably - it will cost us $250 per ticket (x4) to change the return date). If not, we will (hopefully) come home as scheduled on Jan 20th. Although we are anxious to return home, we will miss the Marshallese life -- laid back and easy going. I have enjoyed all the “down” time especially with Nathan. If at home, our busy lives would not allow for times of holding him during a nap and endless playing with him. He “thinks” he can talk now & we just love watching him “talk” with all his facial expressions. We laugh and laugh and kiss and kiss on him!! What a joy he is.
My sister sent us a care package the other day full of snacks and goodies. Joel has enjoyed it most as she sent him pepperonis and spiderman cards and puzzles. He keeps asking if he can take them home. He keeps saying, “Daddy, let’s ride 3 planes and go home.“ We’ve enjoyed all the snacks in the care package. It was so great to get these treats “from home.” And Dennis loves to tell the story of picking up the package in the “customs” office. It was a 8x8’ room with a handwritten sign that said “CUSTOMS.” The Marshallese don’t get “bent out of shape” over anything. The sign got the point across, therefore, no need to change it. As Americans, it was hard to adjust to this laid back mentality, but it grows on you. If the store sign says it opens at 9am, what it means is “opens whenever they decide to open.” We went to a Christmas party that the invitation said was to start at 7:00. Only the 3 American families were there at 7:00, dinner was served around 9:00. Church last week “started” at 9:30, but most did not arrive until 10:30.
We will miss this country and the friendly people. I truly hope we can return one day so that Nathan can experience this different way of life. Hope to see you all soon!
Love,
Kathy
