Beyond the Desert

Or should I say, “crying over spilled milk”… that is what I have been doing the past few days. (I am pretty sure it is because we have almost been here for 3 months & so this is just normal- thats what I keep telling myself anyway!). I haven’t literally been crying, but I have been making a BIG deal out of the smallest things lately- like our washing machine not working for a day so I was left with soapy wet clothes to deal with, my make-up case falling & my favorite eyeshadow breaking into tiny unsalvageable pieces, my jeans sagging on me right after I wash them because I do not have a dryer, having to get “dressed up” every time I leave the house, glaring at Chase as we were coming down the mountain after a hike in the heat (Chase wanted me to add that one in) at 1 pm I might add :)…. etc..

We have heard from many people that culture shock (or “strain”) happens differently for everyone and that there is usually a point at 3 months, at 6 months, at a year, and so on… where you feel the “culture strain” coming on. I think that is what is happening. Thankfully the Lord is revealing this to me and showing me how petty I am being and that he is my strength. I know that all this will pass and for that I am thankful.

I am also thankful for relationships with locals that Chase & I are developing, for my relationship with my neighbor that is growing, for the ability to learn and study Arabic, for seeing how much we have learned in the past 7 1/2 weeks (it is amazing to see what we didn’t know and what we know now- even if it is only a little…), the support & friendships we have back home, the community we are building here, for my patient husband who lets me complain to him, and our great Father who sustains me.

I am going to leave you with this song:

You are my strength when I am weak
You are the treasure that I seek
You are my all in all
I’m seeking You like a precious jewel
Lord, to give up I’d be a fool
You are my all in all

Jesus, Lamb of God
Holy is Your name
Jesus, Lamb of God
Holy is Your name

Taking my cross my sin my shame
Raising again I praise Your name
You are my all in all
When I fall down You pick me up
When I run dry You fill my cup
You are my all in all

Jesus, Lamb of God
Holy is Your name
Jesus, Lamb of God
Holy is Your name

Jesus, Lamb of God
Holy is Your name
Jesus, Lamb of God
Holy is Your name

You are my strength when I am weak
You are the treasure that I seek
You are my all in all
When I fall down You pick me up
When I run dry You fill my cup
You are my all in all

Jesus, Lamb of God
Holy is Your name, lets go
Jesus, Lamb of God
Holy is Your name

p.s. I already feel better after writing this… Thanks for listening!

As many of you know I love bubble baths. I think it might be hereditary- my sisters love baths, my mom loves baths, my grandma loves baths– you get the idea. You may also know that for our first 2 1/2 years of marriage in Lubbock we did not have a bathtub! I managed to survive, but told Chase that if at all possible I would really like to have a bathtub when we move. It is may way of de-stressing and relaxing before I go to bed.

So when we got here we discovered that our apartment did in fact have a tub! However, it is a bit of an ordeal to take one, because of the lack of pressure and the amount of hot water available to fill a whole bath. So this is what my loving husband does for me…

1. Start the bath water…

notice the bath mat- under it the tub is peeling- but the mat works great!

2. Put a lot of bubble bath in…

3. Did I say bubble bath I actually meant “bath foam/cream”. I have not been able to find “bubble bath” here. This foam/cream stuff just doesn’t do the trick like the bubble bath at home from Target, but if I put 3 full caps in- it usually makes good bubbles.

4. Since there is not enough hot water to fill the tub Chase does this…

at the kitchen sink!

5. And then this… about 6 times! He sure does love me!

I want you to know that I am not complaining in this post. I am actually super thankful that I am able to take a bath! I don’t take one every night, but once a week is a treat for me! I am thankful to have a husband that will serve me in this way because it blesses me so much. This is just one of the many daily things in life that takes just a little bit longer to do out here  :0)

Sorry it has been a while since we have posted… seems like life has picked up pace between school, building community, keeping up with household things (which seems to take twice as long out here..) and meeting locals.

Here is what we have been up to:

1. Once a week at school we have a culture lesson and this week we got to take a field trip to the two forts in Buraimi. It was fun to see and to get out of the classroom!

2. I went to an engagement party with a friend! It was a fun cultural experience. We ate lots of food, listened to loud Arab music, put on perfume, drank tea/coffee, saw the woman dressed up in fancy prom-like dresses, saw the gift that the man was presenting to his soon-to-be wife… all of this was done in a big white tent. I may get to go to another one this week… I am hoping to become friends with the girl who invited us.

my friend's little girl feel asleep on my lap.. so sweet

3. Eating out. We decided that once a week we would venture out and try different restaurants around town that have family rooms – which means I can go in with Chase! Also, eating out is super cheap here- we can go out for under $10!

4. This week we went to a 4 year old birthday party at the park. I decided to make her a ballet skirt (it isn’t a tutu, because I forgot to buy tool- but I think it turned out cute nonetheless!) She loves to dance so I thought she would have fun with it. Getting the material was a fun experience because I got to do it with a local friend- she was able to get me a good price & show me where to go!

5. We bought two rugs for our house! We spent 2 hours at a rug suok (shop) last weekend a Chase finally got the guy down to a price that he was willing to pay. We just love them!

this one is in our mejelious (sitting room)

this one is in our study/american room...

6. We have a friend from the states come to visit next week so we have been getting our guest room ready and such for him. It will be fun to see someone from home & to get to do some fun tourist-y things. Also, we have one week of class left till spring break… can’t believe how fast our time here is going!

For those of you that have spring break this week- hope you have a GREAT one! Would love to hear what you are doing…

We have decided to call our random update posts, “desert days”. In these posts you will just find random things that we have been up to, are experiencing or that we are missing. Hope you enjoy!

1. Learning. Tomorrow we will finish up our 2nd week of Arabic school! We are still smiling and enjoying it. The scribbles (Arabic letters) that once were now have meaning and we are able to put sounds that make since (well almost) with them!

2. Meeting. We have met more neighbors- excited to develop relationships with them & learn Arabic from them. My neighbor above me speaks English (really well), but said that she would love to help me with my homework and studying– looking forward to this- she is super sweet.

3. Driving. We got our CAR!! What a blessing this is- we can now explore (hope to do lots of this this weekend), help other people out, and not be stuck to our immediate surroundings. A huge thank you to our friends here for helping us make this a reality!

Just in case you didn't know...Chase made me take a pic of this

4. Cooking & Eating. I have been experimenting with cooking and learning how to cook here- with a gas stove/oven, with slightly different ingredients & at a later hour — yes we have joined the Arabs and eat dinner 8 pm or later…

Taco soup with homemade tortilla chips

5. Enjoying time together… I love getting to spend lots of time with Chase- whether it is in class, studying, watching movies, reading… whatever it is that we are doing it is a blessing that we get to do it together!

6. Crafting- remember the fabric that I got from the souk? Below is what I did with it. I am really happy with how it turned out… I got the idea from the kojo blog.

7. Discovering that Chase is a “social media” introvert (as in facebook, the blog, email.. etc), but he is trying to work on it and keep you all up to date better. Rest assured that he is his usual extrovert self in class and around town!

8. Missing family, friends, and our community as we approach our one month mark (which is tomorrow!)… We have been blessed with great people here and are slowly developing new relationships/friendships. Know that we love & miss you all dearly.

9. Wearing jackets to class in the mornings!! (well Chase isn’t, but I am and I LOVE it) I know that it is going to get hot (really hot) soon, but for now I am enjoying the cool breeze in the mornings & the need for my jacket and sometimes even a scarf 🙂

enjoying a cup of chai latte from Sugar Browns!

10.  Adjusting. We know that this is going to be a continual process, but we are feeling a little more “here” everyday. And for that we’re thankful.