Cup of Tea

Miriah and I enjoying tea in village one afternoon. The guys brought us flowers from their walk ;-)

Asher!

Nap time!
Asher's new toy and collar..Thanks Jenny!

He's getting BIG!

Inspiration Walls

Our inspiration walls of pictures. They make our days brigher ;-) Nathan's has lots of outdoor activities.



Mine has pictures of family, comics, and inspirational quotes and pictures!

This comic is in honor of Nathan...he's getting a bit tired of beans and rice ;-)

New House

Living Room with our laundry drying (it was raining that day!)

Gas Stove with Asher underneath

Bikes and Storage

Beach Days

(FYI, I wrote the first part of this post two days ago…)

We’re not in Kara ;-) But in Lome…at the beach! We have just had a wonderful visit with Brian and Miriah in village, and we are ending their trip in Togo with a couple of days at a beachside resort in Lome. We arrived today in time for a quick dip in the ocean and pool followed by hot showers before dinner. I had wonderful chicken kebabs for dinner with sautéed potatoes and green beans. I also saved room for chocolate mousse ;-) Now I am sitting in AC and watching CNN. I know…life is hard!

(After I wrote the above, we continued to enjoy yummy food, including fresh caught fish. We enjoyed more time in the ocean and pool and got lots of reading in! We are now at the Peace Corps office. Brian and Miriah leave tonight.)

Brian and Miriah, friends from Boston, arrived last week and spent six days with us in village. They say they had a good time, and I’m hoping Miriah will post her thoughts to the blog soon. It was very renewing for us to have visitors….Sometimes I forget how beautiful Pessare is and how kind everyone in village is to us until we have visitors and see everything through their fresh eyes. We had dinner with several different families and spent time at Sunday market and in Kara. I feel renewed reenergized for the work to come over the next several weeks. Additionally, it was fun to hang out with another American couple…we had lots of time to chat and play cards ;-) Plus Miriah enjoys cooking like me, so we made bean burgers one night followed by bananas foster.

Thanks Brian and Miriah for coming! We had an amazing time with you. Hope you are home safe and sound. Thanks for everything.

Nathan and I are back to village tomorrow, and I will be there for a week. Afterwards, I head to the Peace Corps’ training center with an elementary school teacher from Pessare. We are going to a teacher training to learn how to motivate girls in science. Not sure what to expect, but maybe a girls science club in Pessare will be in the works soon?!

Afterwards, I am a camp counselor at Camp UNITE. I will be there for a week. And then….my sister and Brad arrive! I will be staying very busy and am looking forward to it. It always helps to have lots of activities to help the time pass…especially when lacking CNN in village ;-)

The weather has turned rainy and we often have rain up to five times a week. The temperatures have cooled off considerably! Asher is well and staying with Rachel and Pierre for the couple of days we’re down in Lome. Otherwise, we are fine. Hope everyone else is doing well. Send us an email and let us know what you’re up too!
Miss everyone lots!
Love!

Our Favorite Recipe

Ok, folks, I know the following recipe is not healthy - who knows how many preservatives, additives, and salts there are!  But we have little to work with - trust me - and I have spent countless hours trying to think of possible dinners.  However my repertoire is growing.  And this one is quite tasty and a comfort after a long day.  So here comes one of our new "old standbys."  If you visit, I'll make it for you!

 

Mexican Couscous with Chicken

(I am taking liberties with title, as you will soon see!)

 

Ingredients

1 cup water

1 cup dry couscous

1 small can of tomato paste

1 small can of condensed milk

1 can of chicken hot dogs, water drained

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 packet of Taco seasoning

1 large onion

2 habanero peppers

2 cloves of garlic

2 medium tomatoes, soaked first in bleach

Mrs. Dash "extra spicy" seasoning

1 wheel of VQR (non-refrigerated Laughing Cow cheese)

 

Procedure

1. Boil the water in a pot and add the tomato paste and half a packet of Taco seasoning.  Bring back to a boil and add the couscous.  Stir.  Turn off the heat and cover.

 

2. Dice the onion, garlic, and peppers and place half in a saute pan.  Add half the oil and saute until tender.

 

3. Chop the hot dogs and add to the pan.  Saute.

 

4. Add Mrs. Dash to taste to the hot dog mixture and turn the burner down to low.

 

5.  Uncover the couscous and fluff with a fork.  Add to the hot dog mixture and stir.  Cover and keep on low heat.

 

6. Add the remaining onions, garlic, and peppers along with the other half of oil to the now-empty couscous pan.  Saute until tender.

 

7. Add the VQR and stir until melted.

 

8. Add the milk slowly, stirring constantly.

 

9. Add the other half of the taco seasoning.  Mix well and let thicken for 5 minutes over low heat. 

 

10. Pour cheese sauce over couscous and hot dogs.

 

11. Top with diced tomatoes and enjoy!

 

Some Changes

You guessed it!  We're back in Kara...doing the usual ;-)  However back in village, it's been quite unusual.  We moved houses (same village) last Saturday.  The transition went smoothly though had the hassles of any move - lots of packing and cleaning of the old house and cleaning and unpacking of the new house.  We have three rooms plus a latrine and shower area.  It's already decorated and organized, and I hope to post pictures next month.  I'm getting used to having constant people around, which you can guess has its pros and cons.  But it is exciting to be in the "center" of village and made going to market last Sunday fun and easy.  Asher is a bit confused, but there are many more dogs here for him to play with.  He did go to Beepo's today while we're in Kara!  Rachel is kind to dogsit.  Like many teenagers he's trying to exert independence but has overprotective parents.  He's the only dog in village not allowed to run free.  That may change soon, now that he is neutered.  He was neutered at our old house last week, and I found the whole experience to be a bit traumatizing.  I won't write details, but maybe Nathan will on his blog?!  Asher has forgiven us and is healing well, but I am newly thankful for vets in the US who don't let owners watch surgical procedures ;-)

 

I have four girls doing my Vacation Enterprise project.  They received $10 each last week.  Their first payment of $1.50 is due Sunday.  They are selling lots of diverse things including sugar, corn porridge, batteries, tomato paste cans, fried peanut sticks, and local beer.  I bought corn porridge from Adalene yesterday and it was quite good!  I am keeping my fingers crossed that all works out well - and their school fees for next year will be payed in ten weeks!

 

I am still working on the local cookbook and with our coming computer, will be able to pick up the pace.  Continue to stay tuned. 

 

In addition to our excitement that Brian and Miriah arrive in two weeks, my sister, Sarah, and her boyfriend, Brad, are coming in August.  We'll need a long rest in September.

 

Upcoming Activities:

1) Attending a teacher training in July with a local elementary school teacher.  We are going to learn how to encourage girls enthusiasm for science in the classroom.  The teacher is super excited and we may be working a lot together this next year.

 

2) Working as a camp counselor for a Peace Corps camp.  Each volunteer sends two boy students and two girl students for a week-long camp at PC's local retreat center.  In addition to fun and games, and lots of good food, there will be daily educational sessions - everything from HIV/AIDS prevention to good decision making to conflict management.  Joel is one of the Pessare boys attending.  He is beyond excited and if you ask him how many days until camp, he knows exactly.  This will be the first time he's left the Kara area and is excited to have electricity!  I'm a bit nervous for him as this is his first time away from home.  But past counselors and campers say it is an experience of a lifetime, and I am excited to be there to facilitate it! 

 

Happy 4th of July to everyone!  Nathan and I celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary July 1.  We're off to Cocobeach for two nights to celebrate ;-)  Much love to all!