I look around me and I realize this is my new normal and I am not sure what to think about it most days. Here are some examples of my new normal.....
*I am cooking a lot more for many reasons. One, I like to cook on most days. Two, most things have to be made from scratch (muffins, rolls, tortillas, brownies, cookies, sauces, etc.). Three, making a good tasting meal brings me much satisfaction (and my family) in the midst of feeling infantile in language learning most of the time.
*If no water comes out of the faucet, I have to turn on a switch in my kitchen which brings water from the pipes in the ground to the tanks on the roof. But I HAVE to set a timer to remind myself to turn off the switch in 15 minutes so that the tank does not overflow. Can you tell we have forgotten a time or two? Oooops.
*We have a small washing machine that sits on the back balcony because that is where the water supply is and we do not have a dryer, so we hang our clothes out to dry. No more doing laundry whenever. I can only do one load a day so that I have enough room to dry clothes and do it early in the day so that they have enough time to dry the clothes. That reminds me, I need to go hang the clothes out!
*Mother Dairy is a major part of our life here, maybe a little more that it should be, but don't judge us :) There is a stand about 2 blocks from our house. They sell milk in a bag (not good according to Dakota) and ice cream (very good). I wasn't really that much of an ice cream fan in the States, but here the vanilla choco bliss definitely makes me feel better on some days. It is vanilla ice cream in a sugar cone. There is chocolate on top and on the inside of the cone. Good stuff! They also have mango raspberry popsicles for the lighter days.
*Along those same lines, I am amazed at how much of our comfort centers around food, or at least it did. When we first arrived in country and I did not really know what to make, I really dreaded the "what's for dinner" question. Finding cereal that was likeable to all was a challenge. Seth and I settled on one that is like granola, kind-of, and the kids settled on honey cornflakes. The crazy thing is that you can get just about any cereal you want... for a price (fruity pebbles is about $10 a box). Then we also had to find suitable snacks (for lunches, etc.). They all seemed to have a South Asian flare to them. Things are much better now as I right this and we know where to get what, but it was a process. Let me just say that certain snacks that we have gotten in packages from some family and friends are huge blessings.
*I have also seen some of my rough edges. When resources are in short supply, we tend to be greedy, which has been interesting to observe in our family.
*The portions are also a lot smaller, and food does not keep as long, which means that we go to buy food often, most every day. This could seem inefficient if coming from an American mindset, but we are having to change the way we look at things. For instance, going to the market more often allows for relationship building.
*Getting excited about finding mini chocolate chips! It's the little things on some days!!! Get it? :)
*Things are measured according to the metric system. Do you know how many green beans are in a kilo??? A LOT. Butter is sold in grams and it doesn't have the nice measuring marks on the wrapper. For someone who likes to cook with exact measurements, this could be challenging. The internet is a great resource, again and again.
*Cable TV costs about $7 a month and the data plan on our phone is $2 a month. And we have a bunch of English channels.
*I say things like "Did you remember to turn your geyser (gee-ser) on?" to my children. Each bathroom has a small water heater called a geyser. It is turned on with a switch and takes about 15 minutes to heat up the water for a shower.
*We can take the kids to school in a bike rickshaw.
*We often have to bargain to get a good price for an auto or rickshaw.
*We have to think about it before we plug things in because stuff from the States is 110 and it is 220 here. Certain things need to have a converter. Thankfully, there has not been a lot of trial and error in this category.
*Getting my haircut used to be something I looked forward to and enjoyed very much. Here, it is just stressful. Will I be understood? What will it look like? I am confident that with time, I will get to where I look forward to it and enjoy it once again.
*The boys can get a haircut down the street for a $1 so I don't cut their hair myself anymore.
*I spend about 25-30 hours a week studying language and culture, which is painful at this point but it will get better.
Most of all, my new normal is finding out what life looks now. I am a learner. My roles have changed. I can't depend on what I knew and have to find a new way to do things and function. My new normal includes strength and peace from my Father. It has to. I have seen the Scriptures come alive for me in new ways, for which I am very grateful.
*I am cooking a lot more for many reasons. One, I like to cook on most days. Two, most things have to be made from scratch (muffins, rolls, tortillas, brownies, cookies, sauces, etc.). Three, making a good tasting meal brings me much satisfaction (and my family) in the midst of feeling infantile in language learning most of the time.
*If no water comes out of the faucet, I have to turn on a switch in my kitchen which brings water from the pipes in the ground to the tanks on the roof. But I HAVE to set a timer to remind myself to turn off the switch in 15 minutes so that the tank does not overflow. Can you tell we have forgotten a time or two? Oooops.
*We have a small washing machine that sits on the back balcony because that is where the water supply is and we do not have a dryer, so we hang our clothes out to dry. No more doing laundry whenever. I can only do one load a day so that I have enough room to dry clothes and do it early in the day so that they have enough time to dry the clothes. That reminds me, I need to go hang the clothes out!
*Mother Dairy is a major part of our life here, maybe a little more that it should be, but don't judge us :) There is a stand about 2 blocks from our house. They sell milk in a bag (not good according to Dakota) and ice cream (very good). I wasn't really that much of an ice cream fan in the States, but here the vanilla choco bliss definitely makes me feel better on some days. It is vanilla ice cream in a sugar cone. There is chocolate on top and on the inside of the cone. Good stuff! They also have mango raspberry popsicles for the lighter days.
*Along those same lines, I am amazed at how much of our comfort centers around food, or at least it did. When we first arrived in country and I did not really know what to make, I really dreaded the "what's for dinner" question. Finding cereal that was likeable to all was a challenge. Seth and I settled on one that is like granola, kind-of, and the kids settled on honey cornflakes. The crazy thing is that you can get just about any cereal you want... for a price (fruity pebbles is about $10 a box). Then we also had to find suitable snacks (for lunches, etc.). They all seemed to have a South Asian flare to them. Things are much better now as I right this and we know where to get what, but it was a process. Let me just say that certain snacks that we have gotten in packages from some family and friends are huge blessings.
*I have also seen some of my rough edges. When resources are in short supply, we tend to be greedy, which has been interesting to observe in our family.
*The portions are also a lot smaller, and food does not keep as long, which means that we go to buy food often, most every day. This could seem inefficient if coming from an American mindset, but we are having to change the way we look at things. For instance, going to the market more often allows for relationship building.
*Getting excited about finding mini chocolate chips! It's the little things on some days!!! Get it? :)
*Things are measured according to the metric system. Do you know how many green beans are in a kilo??? A LOT. Butter is sold in grams and it doesn't have the nice measuring marks on the wrapper. For someone who likes to cook with exact measurements, this could be challenging. The internet is a great resource, again and again.
*Cable TV costs about $7 a month and the data plan on our phone is $2 a month. And we have a bunch of English channels.
*I say things like "Did you remember to turn your geyser (gee-ser) on?" to my children. Each bathroom has a small water heater called a geyser. It is turned on with a switch and takes about 15 minutes to heat up the water for a shower.
*We can take the kids to school in a bike rickshaw.
*We often have to bargain to get a good price for an auto or rickshaw.
*We have to think about it before we plug things in because stuff from the States is 110 and it is 220 here. Certain things need to have a converter. Thankfully, there has not been a lot of trial and error in this category.
*Getting my haircut used to be something I looked forward to and enjoyed very much. Here, it is just stressful. Will I be understood? What will it look like? I am confident that with time, I will get to where I look forward to it and enjoy it once again.
*The boys can get a haircut down the street for a $1 so I don't cut their hair myself anymore.
*I spend about 25-30 hours a week studying language and culture, which is painful at this point but it will get better.
Most of all, my new normal is finding out what life looks now. I am a learner. My roles have changed. I can't depend on what I knew and have to find a new way to do things and function. My new normal includes strength and peace from my Father. It has to. I have seen the Scriptures come alive for me in new ways, for which I am very grateful.
boarding via platform 9 3/4 (for you potter fans - which Noah was compared to all day long)
arrive in Agra before most things open, so we go with our friends who have yet to eat breakfast to an old hangout for breakfast #3.
