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July 22

Friday was another day of family meetings at school. The school leaders introduced a few cultural differences to be aware of, for instance:
-Don't touch people on the top of the head
-Don't show the bottoms of your feet to people
-Don't burp
-Don't pass things with your left hand

I'm sure we'll learn many more cultural differences in the days to come. I hope we don't learn the hard way by offending someone, but we've been told Indonesians are quite forgiving.

The kids spent some time in the school pool during some of our meetings, but they were quickly ushered out of the pool and into the gym as a large storm rose up this afternoon. The rain crashed down, its power overwhelming. Before long, the storm passed, and the kids were back in the pool by dinner as we dined poolside at the school.

The food has been phenomenal so far! So many choices and flavors! We keep encouraging the kids to try something new at each meal, but they're quite content with the white rice.

Home sweet home

I haven't included much about our house yet. We love the convenience of living in the neighborhood right next to school--walking to school is quicker than driving! It's certainly handy! Koen and Tysen enjoy the independence of having their own room after sharing for the last 6 years. My boys are growing up.

The home isn't quite as move-in ready as they home we'd left, but we're hoping a few fix ups and some personal touches will make it home soon. I believe Seth is the current leader in cockroach sightings--seven! Fortunately, the ones I've seen have all been dead!

Our neighbors have welcomed us with open arms! We've enjoyed getting to know a few of the families and look forward to meeting others! I believe we're the only American family in our neighborhood; many families hail from Australia, China, and, of course, Indonesia. It's a wonderful and diverse community.

Prayers for us:
-Adjusting to the time difference is proving tricky!
-Pray we feel at home in our new house sooner rather than later.
-It seems small, but pray for food to be a non-issue. The food here is very different from what we're used to, and it'll take some flexibility on the kids' part to learn to like new things.