Somebody Cut Off My Cashew Supply!!!

My name is Arianna Thurow and I have a cashew problem.

For realz, man, I can't get enough.  I have to carefully limit the amount of cashews I bring into the house.  I buy special individual packets of cashews to pack in Zack's lunches so I can tell myself those are Zack's cashews and I have to keep my grubby mitts off them.  The problem escalated when I realized I could make homemade honey roasted cashews and subsequently eat them by the bucketful.  Thank God I live in Asia so my addiction doesn't put us into bankruptcy.

So how do you make this luscious pile of deliciousness?

I'm glad you asked!  Because, as many of you know, along with my cashew problem I have an extreme problem with following and/or writing down recipes.  I just kind of wing it.  But, for once, I have the general idea for this one.  Please note that all measurements are approximate as I did not measure myself.

2-4 tbsp. Butter
4 tbsp. (ish) honey
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp coconut sugar
1 tsp. salt
A pile o' cashews

Heat oven to 325 F.
Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the honey.  Let the mixture simmer until it bubbles.  Takes about 30 seconds.  Add the vanilla, stir, then remove from heat.  Stir in the cashews until they're all well coated.  Spread the cashews evenly through a baking pan.  Make sure they're spread out and none are piled on top of each other.  Bake for 12-15 minutes or until nuts are golden brown and oh-so-yummy smelling.  Scrape the nuts into a bowl and give it a good stir.  Allow them to cool the sprinkle in the salt and coconut sugar.  Stir and if you can avoid snarfing them all down in one sitting, store them as you would raw cashews.

You're welcome.

Top 5

I've done *a lot* of moving and traveling in the past 3 or so years.  That's a lot of inventory, a lot of yard sales, a lot of packing, a lot deciding what's really important.

There's the old cliche that your belongings are just "stuff" and what really matters is the people in your life.  Well, duh, but I've come to know that there are a few items in my "stuff" that really matter in making my life much, much less stressful.  They're little things, fairly simple things, but they really make the cogs of my life run smoother.  Of all the little possessions and gadgets I pack up and unpack every few months I have boiled down my top five.  These are the five things I miss the most before the shipment arrives and the things I am sure to pack as close to the top as possible.  I carried two of them with me all those weeks of travel this summer, and the other three I will be sure to put in the suitcase next time around.

1.  Diplomatic Passport.  This is, hands down, the most valuable and important thing I own.  I get twitchy when I don't have it with me.  I had to send it in to D.C. from Florida to get our Indonesian visas and I felt utterly impotent on the 2 flights I had to make without it.  I've come to feel for its comfort every time I see a police officer nearby in a foreign country.  It's my ticket out of literally anything legal (or illegal).  For example, I once used it to get away from an officer who was hounding my agent and 3 other models as we were on our way home from a job.  He thought we were hookers.  One glimpse of my passport and we were home free.  I don't have my passport right now because it's with the GOI for our KITAS.  I won't feel fully whole until it's back in my possession.

2. Kindle.  John will gloat over this because he bought me that Kindle despite my protests.  I use it all the time.  It's awesome on airplanes and it houses my Bible so I don't have to carry my massive study bible in my already weighed down suitcase.  I used it for hours every plane ride and I still use it to read in Jakarta traffic.

3.  Apron.  I know, I know.  But seriously, I'm a pretty intense cook.  My hands get very dirty cooking with coconut oil, bacon grease, and as much butter as I can stuff in a recipe.  I use unconventional flours, grind nuts, and work with honey.  I *need* my apron.  I've ruined more shirts than I care to count from lack of apron.  I also spend a lot of time in my kitchen because my kids eat 5 times a day and I make just about everything from scratch, from honey roasted cashews to bread to grinding my own flour.  I've ruined many, many hand towels as I wait for my aprons to arrive in UAB.  That goes in the suitcase next time.

4. Ninja Blender.  I MISS MY BLENDER!!!!  I used that bad boy at least 3 times a day.  It made protein shakes, smoothies, ground coffee and nuts, minced garlic, onion, and herbs, and crushed ice.  It is my most used cooking utensil and I am just itching to pull my precious out of UAB.

5.  Mixer.  Yes, it goes hand in hand with the blender, but this is what I use second most in my kitchen. As stated before I make everything from scratch.  Imagine how difficult it is to mix bread by hand.  Gluten free bread at that.  Gluten free, egg free bread!  It's arm-destroying.  Add this to mashed potatoes, cupcakes (we're in full cake season!), frosting, etc. and this is a much needed and missed item.

So there you have it, my top 5 most loved/used possessions.  My life feels somewhat incomplete without them.  Yes, they would make the modern career woman cringe, but cringe away, because I make a mean gluten free vegan donut with my blender in hand.  UAB can't come fast enough!

One Month

We have been in Jakarta for one month already.  It seems hard to believe it's gone by so quickly.  Looking back I definitely cannot easily account for 31 days.  It is easy to see how they disappear in the fog of moving.  There's the week or so of serious jet lag, the kind of jet lag that leaves you blinking in the face of someone who introduced themselves and saying something like, "huh, what happened?"

Then there's the week or so of figuring out how to live.  Where do I get groceries?  How do we get to school and work?  Language barriers.  Tidak, Pak, saya tidak mungerti Bahasa Indonesia!

Then there's the general excitement as you get a grip on things and feel competent and really get into the excitement of your new host country.  So much to see!  Explore!  Take in!

Then, as addressed in my previous post, you come off the high and realize, once again, that life overseas is tough and you have to start over with the work of really getting adjusted for real.

And this all can happen in the span of one little month!

So here we are, one month in.  We're getting there.  After the sad end of the elation phase it's slow going, but we're chugging along.  The curtains no longer make me cry.  We're going back to the doctor for Zack and Gabey.  Two other kids on our compound have had infections, so I assume that's what we're dealing with.  Zack only improves when he's hyped up on cough suppressant, so those allergy meds aren't making a dent.
I hear rumors of a gluten free bakery near the embassy.  Even if they have nothing egg free that solves all my problems for the boys' friend's birthday party tomorrow.
John and I are going to a friend's game night tomorrow, which brings me to a positive thing I hadn't mentioned.  We hired a lovely young lady named Fitri to help us out!  She works Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday and she's great so far.

One month down, 47 to go and we're adjusting.  I'm working my way back to that disgusting Pollyanna self that annoys so many people.  Sampai Jumpa!

The Day the Elation Phase Ended

   I posted a few days back and mentioned the "elation phase" of adjustment to overseas living.  I think our phases of adjustment will all be shorter since we've been through this before.  I remember going through them all in India.  I remember the excitement, the fun, the tears, the stress, the complete confusion, then finally waking up one day and realizing that I had figured things out.  That I knew where to get meat.  That I could find my way around.  That I could argue a shopkeeper down more than 50% of his asking price in under a minute.  That I could scream at a molester in Hindi.  That's when the fog completely lifts and you find yourself calling your host country home.  It's a good feeling.   It's freeing.

   Unfortunately, first you have to come out of the elation phase and into the culture shock/negotiation phase.  This day is perhaps just as memorable as your final adjustment day.  Guess what?  It's my day.

  The day I find out that if I put Zack on the bus he'll have to be on it by 6:30 a.m.  The day I realize that I can't possibly do this to him, or Gabriel when he starts school, and will therefore face the 2 hours of commuting through traffic 5 days a week for the next 4 years.  The day I start my girl time of the month and face the issue of a toilet paper shortage and no car.  The day I think about making the 1/2 mile walk to the store toting Gabriel who is screaming every time someone tries to touch him, which is often.  The day I'm sick with boredom because I packed as light as humanly possible to make that trek across the Pacific by myself with two little boys and all my books, scrapbooking supplies, music, etc are still somewhere over that same vast ocean.  The day Zack's horrible, constant cough is rubbing my nerves raw.  The day after Zack gets two hours of sleep because of his cough. The day Gabey starts coughing, too.  The day you see a Muslim man with something hidden under his shirt standing aimlessly right outside your child's school and nearly have a heart attack because your husband was inside the embassy while rioters threw Molotov cocktails at the wall.  The day when they finally come to hang the curtains I've been begging them to hang only to find them swathing my entire living area (three of the main walls are massive windows) in a kind of puke yellow-colored curtain that hurts both my eyes and my soul.  The day I cry in front of the curtain guys.  The day I hit rock bottom and finish an entire carton of chocolate milk and Zack's last packet of GF cookies and wonder why we haven't bought any tequila yet.

  The day I find out what I'm really made of it.  It's not much.  It's the day I have to decide to make it work again.  The day I have to pick up my resolve, gather my wits, pray my most desperate prayers, and remember that I promised God I would lean on Him.

  This is what it comes down to for us "trailing spouses."  This is the time when we have to buckle down and decide that we're stronger than this culture shock phase.  It only lasts a few months anyway.  I have that memory of India, when the fog finally lifted (well, figuratively.  The fog was always there literally...) and I began to grow into a woman of confidence, assertion, and faith, a person so unlike the soft clay God brought overseas.  I have to cling to that.

   It's time to grow again.  Time to make it work.  This life it tough, but it's fantastic, too.  The real work has begun and I'm not going to let it beat me.  God has a plan for me in Indonesia and I need to be around for it, body, mind, and soul.  Bring it, Indonesia.  I'm ready to go again!

Sick Day

   Zack had his first school sick day and we took our first trip to the Jakarta Med Unit.  Zack seems to be picking up his chronic respiratory issues where he left off in India.  Every couple months he would get a horrible, hacking cough which would get progressively worse until it kept him up at night and wore him out from its persistence.  He would take a few days of inhaler, a few night of nebulizer and come out restored.  We repeated this every couple months.
   It's been several months since his last episode thanks to our 9 weeks spent in sparkling clean America, but we're back in the smog and apparently back in his pattern.  The doctor put him on anti-histamines and cough suppressant.  If that doesn't work it's back to the nebulizer and possibly antibiotics.  We're trying to avoid a repeat of the boys' horrible coughs last Fall that ended up with pneumonia for Gabriel and 2 months of nebulizer and inhaler for Zack.  I hope the severity of this cough is just a result of no allergy meds.  I neglected to pack any in our suitcases thinking out UAB would show up before any flare ups.  Four weeks in and no word on UAB, so I'm hoping my lack of foresight doesn't hurt Zack too much.
   Please pray for fast recovery for Zack.  He gasped between coughs this morning (after about 2 hours of sleep last night) that he had to go to school and did not want to stay home.  I hope the meds help him clear up enough to go to school tomorrow.  He'll be devastated if he misses computer day.

Embassy Closed

Due to the tight election today and worries over reactions to the French newspaper, the Embassy will be closed tomorrow.  I'm waiting to find out what I'm supposed to do about school for Zack.  I will probably keep him home regardless of what security personnel say.



Updates:

We've been assured that schools will be completely safe tomorrow.  Most of the trouble is at the consulate in East Java and the Jakarta closure is just a precaution.  So as of right now I plan to take Zack to school in the morning.  Honestly, his school is safer and more secure than our compound.  So we're just treating this like a long weekend and praying that all will be well.  

From Russia with Love

Moscow forces U.S. to close down its aid mission in Russia

By Arshad Mohammed | Reuters – 2 hrs 28 mins ago

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Russia has forced the United States to close its aid mission in Moscow, the U.S. government said on Tuesday, in a blow to U.S. efforts to improve ties and a step that may aid the Kremlin's crackdown on pro-democracy groups.

Russia gave the U.S. Agency for International Development(USAID) until October 1 to cease operations after two decades and more than $2.6 billion spent to combat disease, protect the environment, strengthen civil society and modernize the economy.

In announcing the decision to close down the USAID operation in Russia, the State Department suggested the Russian government - which is earning high levels of oil revenues - felt that it should no longer be the recipient of such foreign aid.

Analysts also suggested a political motive: reducing foreign support for Russian groups that promote democracy and the rule of law but that are viewed with deep suspicion by the Kremlin.

Vladimir Putin, who served eight years as president until 2008 and then four years as prime minister, took office in May for a third presidential term after winning nearly two thirds of the vote in an election international monitors say was skewed in his favor.

In a sign of his reluctance to brook dissent, Putin has pushed through new laws to raise fines for protesters, stiffen punishments for defamation and put new controls on foreign-funded campaign groups.

"Russian authorities have made clear for the better part of a decade that they see Russia as a great power and a provider of assistance, not a recipient," said Matthew Rojansky of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

"Add to that tension over the pre- and post-election protests, which the Kremlin alleges were orchestrated by U.S.-funded NGOs (non-governmental organizations), plus the deep disagreement over U.S. democracy-promotion activities in the Middle East, and you can see why Russia may have taken this decision now," he added.

While U.S. President Barack Obama came into office seeking a "reset" in relations with Russia that bore some fruit, including a 2010 arms-control treaty, the two nations disagree on issues from the violence in Syria and Iran's nuclear program to U.S. plans to build a missile defense shield and the Arab Spring.

In announcing the decision, the State Department said USAID will continue to promote democracy and civil society despite no longer having an office in Russia. A U.S. government official said that the decision to close down the office would affect 13 U.S. diplomats and 60 local Russian employees.

"The United States recently received the Russian government's decision to end USAID activities in the Russian Federation," department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a written statement.

"While USAID's physical presence in Russia will come to an end, we remain committed to supporting democracy, human rights, and the development of a more robust civil society in Russia and look forward to continuing our cooperation with Russian non-governmental organizations," Nuland added.

Russian groups most affected include GOLOS, which monitors the conduct of elections, and Memorial, a human rights watchdog.

'FINGER IN THE EYE' FOR OBAMA ADMINISTRATION?

"The Russian government's decision to end all USAID activities in the country is an insult to the United States and a finger in the eye of the Obama Administration," Senator John McCain, an Arizona Republican, said in a statement.

"There should be no confusion as to why this decision was made: an increasingly autocratic government in Russia wants to limit the ability of its own citizens to freely and willingly work with American partners on the promotion of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law in Russia," he added.

A senior Obama administration official voiced regret at the Russian decision.

"We lament the fact that we will not be able to do the work that we have been doing," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, adding that the U.S. government would look for ways to support its policies activities in Russia.

USAID has a 2012 budget in Russia almost $50 million, more than half of which is spent on human rights and democracy work. About 40 percent of the overall funding goes directly to Russian organizations.

Leaning Even Harder

   I had to do it.  I had to write a post about my growing faith and ability to lean on God in the face of stressful situations.  This day was one big ball of stress.

   Gabriel was worn out going to Zack's school event today, so he was cranky and whiny all day.  At 1 p.m. contractors came to work the iron grids that cover our downstairs windows.  RSO decided, after everyone had moved in, that the grids are not up to security standards and need to be reinforced.  So that means cutting metals and welding in our living room all afternoon.

  I went to pick up Zack from school and we arrived first in the pick up line.  But I didn't know exactly where to tell the driver to stop the car, so we pulled off to the side to let other traffic pass.  As other cars began to arrive they started to pass us, so I told the driver to go ahead and get in line.  One of the guards accused us of "cutting" and made us go all the way around the block!  I was livid.  With my 50 words of Bahasa I was unable to explain to the guard that we had absolutely not cut in line.  We went from first arrival to 31st in line.  That meant an extra 15 minutes of waiting time for Zack (and also that much more car time for Gabey).  It took an hour to get home after that because traffic increases almost exponentially after 1 p.m.

   We arrived home to the screeching sound of metal being cut and the boys panicked.  In the chaos I yelled at them to get on their bathing suits and go outside while I brought their snack.  In his hurry Zack slammed his hand in the cabinet and cut his finger.  More drama ensued with the flow of blood.  About 20 or so minutes after I got them all calmed and settled by the pool with their snack, this happened:

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Violence erupts at US embassy in Jakarta

Date

September 17, 2012 - 7:53PM

Men throw rocks as Indonesian police release tear gas at anti-American protests in front of the United States embassy in Jakarta.

A MOB of Indonesian Islamists waving jihad flags attacked the US embassy in Jakarta, throwing rocks and bricks, but they were repelled by tear gas and riot police.

About 500 people from a number of radical groups were protesting against the movie The Innocence of Muslims by calling for the arrest and death penalty for movie director and filmmakers Sam Bacile and Terry Jones.

Shouting "Allahu Akbar" and "F--- America", the mob, many of whom were masked, marched on the embassy and, when they arrived, promptly began to attack. Riot police were initially caught unprepared and without their shields.

Volleys of rocks and bricks, broken from the pavement, rained on the police and embassy guards. Local media also reported several petrol bombs being thrown at the embassy.

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One guard was pursued by a mob. It appeared he was eventually caught by a large group of protesters and surrounded, though it's not known what happened to him.

A police officer was carried from the scene by his comrades, with reports variously suggesting he had been hit by a rock or stabbed in the face.

The protesters also targeted western journalist. At one stage a mob surrounded us threatening violence, accusing us of being Americans.

The protesters were praying, chanting Islamic slogans and singing as they continued to block the road outside the embassy.

The protest, which began with the burning of a US flag, was spearheaded by the Islamic Defenders Front or FPI, and Majelis Mujahideen Indonesia, the two increasingly muscular Indonesian radical groups recently responsible for preventing US pop star Lady Gaga from performing in Indonesia.

The groups want Islamic law imposed in Indonesia.

Many of the protesters were wearing masks and paramilitary uniforms. Some of the protesters marched under the black flag of the radical group Hizb ut-Tahrir, and another which signifies allegiance with al-Qaeda.

   We are all safe at home now.  We have a well-fortified compound and guards.  As of right now business will resume as usual tomorrow.  Please pray for peace and calm in the Muslim world.  I will continue to lean.

Sunday, Monday, Happy Days!

   There are two activities I can always count on to efficiently distract my kids: reading and swimming.  Thus, I can also count on engaging in these activities many hours each week.  The librarian at Zack's school is getting to know us well and Zack has already made it halfway to earning a prize in number of books read.  That's how we roll.  We also spend at least an hour every day and several hours each weekend in the pool now that we have one literally 30 ft. from our door step (yeah, boooyyyeee!!!).  

    We actually have to limit pool time short of Zack's satisfaction because if we allow him to swim as long as he wants he'll exhaust himself into night terrors.  Part of his exhaustion is due to the rowdy, but awesome way he and his daddy play in the pool.  Zack is a shockingly good swimmer. He can dive to the bottom of the deep end and gather multiple diving sticks in one breath.  He can swim like a sea otter and, of course, there is his favorite activity, getting sent careening across the pool in various styles of dive:

My two fish and my aqua-phobic youngest

Monday morning marked the beginning of the JIS Pattimura Olympics!  They had an elaborate opening ceremony and all the kids participated.  The kindergarteners carried the Olympic banner.  Each grade level wore a color.  Oddly, the school dictated the the KGs, of all choices, should wear white.  I'm just praying I can get that thing clean before the closing ceremonies on Friday...

Being a good, supportive brother.

The KGs only participate in the opening and closing ceremonies, but they'll have their own Olympic-type activities during PE class all week.

We're on high security alerts and keeping vigilant, but life goes on in its happy, normal way.  Gabriel and I will probably go to the American club tomorrow for some swimming and play ground.

Shipments and Tortillas

One of the major highlights in the life of a Foreign Service family is the arrival of Pouch and DPO/APO shipments.  We get many foods, toys, and various items that are way too expensive and/or unavailable in the local market.  In our case we get lots of gluten free foods.  It relieves my mind considerably to have my pantry well-stocked.  Stocking my kitchen is far more stressful to me after an overseas move than is waiting for our UAB and HHE.  Although UAB and HHE do contain all my precious kitchen supplies like my Ninja and my electric mixer.  Making cake frosting without an electric mixer is laborious.  I have a deep respect for pre-technology homemakers.  But, despite the difficulties, once I have my pantry stocked I can attack the kitchen basics armed with a fork, a big spoon, and 5 years of baby-lifting muscles.

The order we received this week was very exciting!  Craisins, cashews, mac and cheese, bread mix, granola bars, masa harina, a tortilla press, and a waffle maker!  Oh, and a cleaning supplies caddy to make cleaning a 3-story house a bit more sane.  I even treated myself to a Swiffer wet jet to manage 3 stories of tile floors.

Since corn tortillas are a staple in our Tex Mex heavy diet and they are not available in the local market we invested in a tortillas press and some masa harina.  The boys and I spent the better part of Saturday afternoon making home made tortillas.

Punch that dough!

Press it!

 Fry it!  The results we fantastic!  Time-consuming, but simple.

Critics agree: Home made tortillas rock!!

In other news, Jakarta is gearing for the October start to rainy season:

Get Ready for Rainy Season Floods, Fauzi Tells Officials
Lenny Tristia Tambun | September 13, 2012

In anticipation of the looming rainy season and its perennial flood problems, Jakarta authorities on Wednesday held a roll call to check on preparation and readiness for inundations. 

All personnel in the city’s public works office and related institutions took part in the roll call, which was held in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta. 

“We have been able to complete the construction of various infrastructure in anticipation of flooding in the capital,” said Governor Fauzi Bowo, who led the roll call. 

As an example of the work that had been done, he highlighted the construction of the East Flood Canal, which has reduced the volume of flood-prone areas in the east and north of the city by 30 percent. 

Fauzi said that floods during the rainy season, which are expected to begin as early as next month, were a serious problem that needed the full attention of local authorities. 

He said the city has reduced the number of flood danger spots across the city to 13 last year, from 123 previously. 

Fauzi said the city’s water pumps and sluice gates were adequate to deal with flooding, adding that the pumps had a combined total capacity to channel 378 cubic meters of water per second. The city also has 76 mobile pumps with a 15.7-cubic-meter-per-second capacity and an underpass pump with a capacity to pass 12.9 cubic meters of water each second. 

The city was also ready with stocks of sand sacks and construction materials, dump trucks, pick ups and heavy machinery as well as relief equipment such as rubber boats, tents and movable communal kitchens, the governor said. 

“Through the various construction projects in anticipation of flooding, we are better prepared than in previous years. We want to eliminate the assumption that Jakarta flooding is an annual event,” Fauzi said. 

The city, he said, had learned from past experience, including the 2002 floods that put large parts of the city under water. 

Fauzi called on coordination posts established across the city to deal with floods to be ready for action at any time in terms of personnel, equipment, communications and logistics. 

“[There is an] early warning system on the level of water in Depok and at the Katulampa Dam in Bogor. If the water exceeds its normal limits, residents should be told immediately, with traditional wood drums, loudspeakers, or other means of communication,” he said. 

He added that the early warning system should also involve the public, who can report information to the posts by telephone. 

Learning to Lean

  When I was back home in Florida this summer I visited my childhood church in Apopka.  I love that church and the people in it.  It's always refreshing to go back and visit.  This time the service, particularly the closing song, reduced me to sobs.  I have recently absorbed the full reason for my emotional reaction.

   Pastor Page preached that day about stress management.  He said that God doesn't want us to manage stress; He doesn't want us to be stressed at all.  We are to relax and trust in the knowledge that God can handle even our toughest problems.  Why should we have anxiety when we have God on our side?  We closed with the song "Learning to Lean."  It was that point that I lost composure.  I felt convicted not only for allowing stress to rule my life and mood sometimes, but also overcome with awe and gratitude at what God has handled in my life.

   As I spend more time in this life as a Foreign Service spouse I see ever more clearly that God put me in this life so that I would learn to lean on Jesus.  I have a history of impatience, pride, and a chronic inability to release my problems into the hands of anyone but myself.  I make lists; I count minutes; I obsess.  God always knows exactly where we need to grow and I made the "mistake" of asking him to help me overcome these exact issues.  God answers prayers and he answers them quickly.  He plopped me right in the middle of a lifestyle that requires me to have patience, flexibility, and let go of pretty much everything.  Time and again I've had to wait, wait for things over which I have absolutely zero control.
   I wait to hear about our next posting.  I wait for our visas.  I watch all our worldly possessions disappear down a half built developing country road and wait for them to (maybe) show up on our doorstep in a different developing country.  I wait for bureaucracy crippled governments to approve all kinds of important issues of day-to-day life.  I wait, wait, wait.  And with all this waiting I am slowly learning to patiently do the most important waiting of all.  I wait upon the Lord.

  And with this waiting God has given me a serenity I could never have attained on my own.  As I learn to lean I learn to give up the anxiety of the world.  I learn what really matters.  Even though I don't yet have all the supplies I need to make a home and create an orderly schedule, I spend the extra hours walking the mile to the grocery store at Gabriel's pace, listening to him sing.  I sit in crowded traffic after picking Zack up from school and I really listen to his incessant questions.  I *try* to stop bugging John constantly to get me answers that he doesn't have and I learn to trust and rely on my husband to a capacity that my control freak self would never make alone.

   God knew what I needed.  I prayed for patience.  He's gifted me with endless opportunities to be patient.  I am not always serene; I do not always remember to lean.  But every day I get another chance to have and extend the grace God has given to me.  I'm learning to lean on Jesus and I'm learning to be grateful for this unique opportunity to travel the world and relying on His power.

U.S. Ambassador Killed

U.S. ambassador to Libya killed in Benghazi attack

By Tamim Elyan and Omar al-Mosmari | Reuters – 1 hr 10 mins ago

BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - The U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other embassy staff were killed in a rocket attack on their car, a Libyan official said, as they were rushed from a consular building stormed by militants denouncing a U.S.-made film insulting the Prophet Mohammad.

Gunmen had attacked and burned the U.S. consulate in the eastern city of Benghazi, a center of last year's uprising against Muammar Gaddafi, late on Tuesday evening, killing one U.S. consular official. The building was evacuated.

The Libyan official said the ambassador, Christopher Stevens, was being driven from the consulate building to a safer location when gunmen opened fire.

"The American ambassador and three staff members were killed when gunmen fired rockets at them," the official in Benghazi told Reuters.

There was no immediate comment from the State Department in Washington. U.S. ambassadors in such volatile countries are accompanied by tight security, usually travelling in well-protected convoys. Security officials will be considering whether the two attacks were coordinated.

Libyan deputy prime minister Mustafa Abu Shagour condemned the killing of the U.S. diplomats as a cowardly act.

The consular official had died after clashes between Libyan security forces and Islamist militants around the consulate building. Looters raided the empty compound and some onlookers took pictures after calm returned.

In neighboring Egypt, demonstrators had torn down an American flag and burned it during the protest. Some tried to raise a black flag with the words "There is no God but God, and Mohammad is his messenger", a Reuters witness said.

Didi

   The Indonesian word for "daddy" is the same as the Hindi word for "sister."  Imagine my confusion, then, when the librarian at Zack's school said she would check out our extra books (I had picked too many and was over my 5 book parent allowance) under "Didi's account."
   My thought was, "what does a sister have to do with the library?  Zack doesn't even have a sister."
   It actually took me two days to figure out that she meant she had checked the extra books out under John's name.
   Didis aside, I feel like I'm starting to gain a bit of momentum with Bahasa.  I practice with the embassy motor pool drivers who take me to and from Zack's school each day (we are allowed to use the embassy motor pool for our first 30 days at post; they're a bit cheaper than taxis).  Pak John said my Indonesian is excellent, but I think he was just being nice, since all I asked him was, "siapa namamu?"  and told Gabriel how to count to three: "satu, dua, tiga."  I did have a taxi driver thinking I was fluent, though.  After he jabbered at me for several seconds I finally interrupted him with, "Bak, saya mungerti Bahasa Indonesia sidikit saja!"  I'll take the small victories.
   I'm studying hard on my own and once I have a bit of a grasp I'll take some courses to kick me up a notch.  The main difference between the ease of learning Bahasa over the difficulty of learning Hindi is the characters.  It's so much easier to learn the language when you can read signs all over the city.  I can read Hindi script painfully slowly, so forget reading roadsigns and ads when I'm riding in a tuk tuk.  In Jakarta I spend a lot of our traffic-slowed commutes reading signs and using my iPhone to translate them.

   I leave you with a cute Gabriel story:

He gets to watch TV while I clean the house in the morning.  Today he chose "Happy Feet Two."  Let me disclaim this atrocity by stating that this was given to us by a neighbor.  I did not buy this movie.  Gabriel watched it for about 5 minutes before getting up, turning off the TV, and coming downstairs to me to announce, "Mommy, I don't yike dat movie.  It's too compikated."  He read books instead.

Food!

   We're a little nervous about going out to restaurants here.  There's an unhealthy obsession with MSG in this country.  Not worse than in America, you protest?  Oh yes, indeed, much worse.  They actually have seasoning packets of MSG to put into your food.  Blech.  So, with that deterrent we haven't ventured out to try much yet.  However, I've been smelling the street vendor's nasi goreng (fried rice) at every turn and I couldn't take anymore!  I made it myself.

   This one is John's plate, since I can't eat egg (tidak telur).  I left out the shrimp in this one and used chicken.  Normally it's made with egg and shrimp and sate is eaten on the side with some krupuk, but I didn't have any krupuk on hand and didn't have the energy to prep shrimp yet.  Give me a couple weeks.  Despite these shortcomings it was delicious!  It's right up there with panang curry and pad thai for me, and if you know me at all you know that's saying something.  We'll be adding nasi goreng to our regular menu list.

   This week I also attended a sushi making party with new friends from the embassy.  It was a ladies only party, which was fun.  Rolling sushi is fun and super easy and since you can put pretty much anything in it I might be able to coax the kids into trying something.  I'm thinking Friday night sushi nights if I can make it stick.  One of the local grocery stores carries Bragg's liquid aminos, which is a great GF soy sauce substitute.  I also have some coconut aminos coming in my UAB shipment (someday, somehow, maybe?).  

   There's more food to be discovered!  Nothing beats southeast Asian food in my book. Yum, yum yum.

Sunday in Jakarta

   We are still in awe of the ease of life in Jakarta as compared to New Delhi.  I know we have yet to go through all 4 stages of adjustment (Elation!) here, but so far life seems so simple.  The wealth of grocery stores, restaurants, and simpler day-to-day interactions has made us breath a sigh of relief.

   Today we ventured out to church.  Our very dear friends, the Dylhoffs, spent several months in Jakarta a few years back and just gushed about JICF.  I had several suggestions to try JICF since we arrived, coming from Zack's KG teacher and a few of his classmates.  It's right around the corner from Zack's school.  We opted to go to the 8:45 a.m. service since we're all up long before 7 a.m. anyway.  The minute we arrived the kids' ministry leaders swooped on us with friendly welcome and bustled the boys into their classrooms.  Both went willingly, even Gabriel.  They spent the whole service in their without a fuss.  This was no surprise for Zack, but Gabriel has always been very reticent.  He seems to take much more readily to Indonesian culture than to Indian.  The vibe here is calmer overall and all the ladies offered a hand to him rather than trying to touch him or pick him up.
   The worship was beautiful and lively.  The message was sincere and applicable.  I appreciated the pastor's reminder that discipleship starts with our own children, a good thing for me to keep in mind as I think about where I'd like to put my time in helping with the church.  I need to remember that, although I'd love to do worship team, maybe my Saturdays are better spent taking care of my kids than spending 3-4 hours practicing music.  Especially now that Zack is in school and weekends are my only real time with him.  The kids' ministry seems like the best fit for me right now and they always need the help.

   After church we crossed Jalan Jenderal Sujirman to check out the mall (complete with Starbucks!!).  It was surreal to cross one of the busiest streets in Jakarta without traffic.  The whole road closes every Sunday morning to make way for cyclists, joggers, and families with strollers.  It's a lovely way to spend a Sunday morning.  The weather here is so perfect all the time!  In the evenings, once the sun leaves the pool, it's actually a little to chilly for our India-thinned blood to bear swimming.

   John had to head in to work for a couple hours today.  He leaves tomorrow for his first of many trips this Fall, so he has some loose ends to tie.  It will be a busy year for him.

   So, after nearly two weeks we're settling in quickly and happily.  Our only real difficulty is the car situation.  We're having trouble finding a used car and we'll have to get a loan for a new one, which is proving sticky with USAA.  They're claiming we can't get a car loan for a right-hand drive car.  If anyone knows of way around this or other routes to take we'd love input!  I'll be spending some time with them on the phone in the next couple days arguing our case.

   Other than that, life is great in the Big Durian.

Back in Asia + Zack's First Day of School!

I'm a little behind on pictures!
These pictures took approximately a hundred million years to download and now it's almost 9 p.m. which is later than I've stayed up in nearly 2 weeks.  So this update will be bulletin style:

               The Hong Kong skyline from our Victoria Harbor window.

Sleepy Gabey

Gluten free items at the buffet!!!

Victoria Harbor

Star Ferry Hong Kong

Playground at the Hong Kong Zoo

Beat the Heat with gelato

Our very own pool in Indonesia!!

Zack's birthday dinner!

Happy 5th Birthday, Zack!!!

Our house!

Zack's first day at school!

He settled right in

First order of business: compare shoes

If you've never lived 2 years in India you will not understand our excitement over dinner at Wendy's.  

Zack is taking to school swimmingly.  He is bubbling over when I pick him up, but happy to be back with us.  I think it's great for him.  We'll see when the first "I don't want to go today" happens.

And your daily dose of Thurow boys:

Poll of the Day by Zack:

"So, where does God poop?"

Our answers:
Mama: "Probably in his own special toilet."
Zack: "I think in the sky in the water."
Gabriel: "On the floor."

Feel free to add your own answer.  Other questions this week have included, "what does God have for dinner?" "when I grow up will you die?" "since Daddy is old and is going to die soon will I go to work?"  "Does heaven look like my bedroom?"

Goodnight from Jakarta!