Internet on, internet off.

Well, we got our phone and internet this week. While Glenn was taking a friend to the hospital, Cile was playing charades with the phone man. Cile must have mimed something incorrect because we are already having problems with it! It seems our connection doesn't like the wind or the dark; we know this because it cuts in and out during the day (and we're having a lot of wind. 1 + 1 = 2, right?) and it completely shuts off when the sun goes down! This is one of the most frustrating things about living in a foreign country where you don't speak the language. We don't know what the problem is, and even if we did, we wouldn't know what to say to ask for help.

We are at the guest house now because it is dark and the internet is down, and we need the internet to update our blog! This our second home until we can get it fixed. We love our new home but Glenn does miss one feature that the guest house has that we don't in our home: a urinal!


One for Glenn and one for Cile

Must have been a slow week if we start off with a picture of a toilet!

On Mondays Cile meets our language tutor's daughter, Nora, for 45 minutes of conversation. It is a time in which they talk about family and daily life to give her practice in speaking Hungarian.


Nora and Cile in the food court at the Campona Mall. Talking, not eating.

She also helps her learn more about the Hungarian culture. For example, she asked Nora the word for "housewife" because she imagined that someone might ask if she worked, and would want to respond, "I don't work; I am a housewife" or something along that line. Keep in mind that Nora is a college student (smart) but yet, was unsure of the word "housewife" in Hungarian! She explained that women don't stay home, that every woman works in Hungary, so they don't use that word in everyday conversation. Just an interesting tidbit that we learned and wanted to share with you. Pray for their time together and that the words will flow out of Cile's mouth to her questions!


Tartiflette

Cooking is not something we LOVE to do, but we do love to EAT! One of the challenges is finding a meal that doesn't require ingredients from the U.S. Look through your recipe books there in America and most of them require at least one prepackaged ingredient. An example might be homemade chicken pie. The recipe calls for 2 cups Bisquick.... Or Broccoli Slaw, requiring one package of Ramen noodles....

Because of this, our daughter's blog (see link above) has become an invaluable resource for us. She was "cooking from scratch" during her two years in Senegal and now during the 2 years she's been in France so she is a pro! Already we've used 4 or 5 of her recipes, including the tartiflette shown above. It is bacon, ham, potatoes, onions, cheese (we use Trappista because it melts easily and has a mild taste. Can you get that in the U.S.?) cream and several spices. It was delicious!

We're still moving things around in our house, trying to "nest" and find the best place for everything. Thought we'd show you some pictures of our homey touches, like photos on the refrigerator, etc.


Of course, favorite magnets too!

Notice the two lists on the refrigerator door? One is our shopping list of things to buy here like curtains for the bathroom, and the other is our list of things for Cile to buy when she goes to the U.S. in April for a conference. Things like shower curtain ($35 here), contact solution (for son-in-law Jonathan, $15 a bottle here and in France), etc.


Honoring the family names of Kate and Jonathan

If you visited us in our home in Marietta, you might recognize the lamp/sign post from our "french" bedroom. Please don't notice that the curtains clash terribly with the couch! The curtains were in the house when we arrived, and we haven't gotten around to buying or making curtains for the living room yet. That will come later.


Gorgeous view as we wash dishes

Because there is no dishwasher and no space for one, we spend a lot of time at the kitchen sink washing dishes. We thank God for such a great view overlooking our neighbors' garden. They have been busy working in the garden a lot this week, and we are looking forward to seeing all the color over the next few months. Sorry about the glare on the glass, but PTL the sun was shining!! In all seriousness, since neither of us love to wash dishes, Cile is praying that God will meet her at the sink each day and that will become a special time of fellowship for her. In addition to her morning time, she wants to use this quiet time pray for her family' and friends' needs and to listen to God speak with her abouth what's on His heart.

Tomorrow begins a busy week for us. Glenn will be traveling to another country, so pray for him as he travels and meets with a family. Pray for Cile as she stays behind, studies Hungarian and plays charades again with the phone man. Oh, it was comical when he came earlier this week. As they were trying to comunicate computer terms (which Cile doesn't know in English!), he asked if she spoke German (his second language). She responded, "No. Do you speak French?" That's when the game of charades began!

In closing, we would try to impress you by writing, "Have a good week" in Hungarian, but we found out they don't have that expression in Hungarian. They don't say that to one another because no one expects to have a good week! They do have a way to say "Have a good weekend" though! Interesting, isn't it?