Merry Christmas 2012

Christmas is more than trees and twinkling lights, more than toys and gifts and baubles of a hundred varieties. It is love. It is the love of the Son of God for all mankind. It reaches out beyond our power to comprehend. It is magnificent and beautiful.

It is peace. It is the peace which comforts, which sustains, which blesses all who accept it.

It is faith. It is faith in God and His Eternal Son. It is faith in His wondrous ways and message. It is faith in Him as our Redeemer and our Lord.

We testify of His living reality. We testify of the divinity of His nature. In our times of grateful meditation, we acknowledge His priceless gift to us and pledge our love and faith. This is what Christmas is really about.

Gordon B. Hinckley, “A Season for Gratitude,” Ensign, Dec 1997, 2

We are thankful for this time of year that gives us a chance to reflect and think about the birth our Savior Jesus Christ who died so we can live again. We are grateful to be a family and we are grateful to know that our family can be together forever - that death is not the end for us! We feel so blessed that the Lord is looking out for us and is aware of our struggles and triumphs. Life may not be perfect for us but we do know we're not going through it alone.

Here are some highlights from 2012:

Our most important news is that we welcomed our sweet baby Tommy to the family in April. He has been such a wonderful addition to our family. Natalie and the kids spent four months in Utah just before and after Tommy's birth. Adam was able to come for a few weeks and be be present for the birth. While in America we made time to visit Yellowstone National Park. Natalie and the kids also spent several days in San Francisco visiting family.

Charlie started kindergarten and is learning so much! He is reading and writing and becoming very social. Charlie also learned how to swim and ride a bike without training wheels. Charlie loves superheros, playing video games, and coloring.

Millie is now talking in complete and lengthy sentences which we can understand 90% of the time. She is now potty-trained and only wears a diaper at night. She is learning her ABCs and loves the colors pink and purple. Millie also loves singing and dancing, superheros, and princesses.

Tommy went from being a snuggly newborn to a busy baby. He is always squirming around and trying to follow his big siblings even though he refuses to roll over or crawl. He is trying very hard to walk but isn't quite there yet. He is happy and mellow and we're so glad he's in our family.

We also found out that Adam's next assignment will take us to Tel Aviv. We will be in DC for about seven months for language training and then we'll head to Israel for two years. We're excited that are first two tours are to such different places so we can have lots of new experiences.

I've been busy taking care of kids and trying to find time to sew, knit, and read.

Due to a glitch with the mail system we haven't yet received our Christmas cards so they're definitely not in the mail. Hopefully next year.

It's a baby!

We'll be adding a third little angel (or demon depending on the day) to our family at the end of next April. We couldn't be more excited (or terrified). Hooray!

12-week ultrasound photo - we didn't get a print-out from the 16-week u/s

One of the reasons we waited to announce our pregnancy for a while was because I was hoping to share the sex of the baby as well. Alas, it was not meant to be. Due to the ancient technology here in Suriname the ultrasound was just too fuzzy to see if it was a boy or a girl. We don't care which it is but I always think it's nice to know in advance for planning purposes. Maybe next time. Or maybe while we're in Orlando at the end of the month. Do any of you know of a good OB or midwife in that area? If so please share! I'd love to get a nice, thorough checkup from an American doctor while I have the chance.

My medical experiences in Suriname thus far have been, well, slightly terrifying. From the dirty, open-air waiting rooms, to the pediatrician's offices where they don't use those paper sheets on the exam tables to protect patients, to having my blood drawn by a nurse that didn't wear gloves or even wash her hands between patients, let's just say it makes my germophobic side shudder. And to not be able to easily communicate due to the language barrier just complicates things further.

All of the doctors here seem to be located within a hospital facility, which is fine except when you consider all the extra germs that are generally present in a hospital setting. Add in the fact that there are no window panes (since the rooms aren't air conditioned) and you can see and hear all the people walking past the rooms and it kind of freaks me out. I realize that I'm spoiled. I am. We all are in America. Can you imagine staying in a hotel room that doesn't have a/c when it's nearly 100* every day? Can you imagine not having a window to separate you from the bustle of passers-by in the hallway or from the prevalent mosquitos? There would be an uprising for sure. But that's life here in Suriname and I'm trying to accept that. 

That being said, since I don't *have* to give birth here I'm not going to. I will be flying to America sometime next March in preparation of my baby's birth. I'm not excited about the idea of being separated for such a long period. Or about flying for an entire day (yes, nearly 24 hours) by myself with two kids while being 7 months pregnant. Or about living out of a suitcase in a hotel or who knows where for a minimum of three months. But, I will take it over the alternative and count my blessings that it's an option available to me. I will just have to pray and trust that Adam will arrive in time for the baby's birth because that's something I am definitely not interested in going through on my own.

I will get to use the same midwife that delivered Millie and she's fantastic. I will get to hang out with my family and friends in Utah for a few weeks. I'll get to go to knitting night again. My kids will get to see their grandparents and their cousins. I'll get to meet my newest nephew. I will get to enjoy all the luxuries of America that I have been missing for the past almost-9 months. And I can't wait.

On another note, I just have to say how proud I am that I haven't gained any weight yet this pregnancy even though I'm 16 weeks. It's truly unbelievable as I'd gained at least 10 lbs. by now in the past and was already in maternity clothes. I'm sure that will all change in the next few weeks but at least I'm starting out ahead for a change. Really it's all a wash since I still had ten pounds to lose from my last pregnancy but hey, I'll take what I can get. :)

Happy Halloween!

Since Surinamers don't really celebrate Halloween the Embassy hosted a little party/BBQ. Some nearby neighbors also volunteered to pass out candy to little trick-or-treaters so we could pretend that it was fall despite the fact that it was 90* outside. 

We went as the Justice League complete with Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, and Superman. Unfortunately we did not get a group picture. Boo. 

Batman and Robin 

Check out those muscles!

Wonder Woman

How is Suriname different from America?

That's probably the question I'm asked more than any other from our family and friends in America. So, I decided to do a blog post about it. I've been thinking about this for a couple weeks but it's hard to remember all the little ways Suriname is it's own unique place.

• I'll start with the most obvious: climate. It is hot and humid here. It's usually somewhere between 85-95 degrees every day with about 90% humidity. Let's just say you don't go outside without expecting to sweat. A lot. That being said, I don't find the heat as oppressive as I expected to unless I go out at midday. The rest of the time it's pretty bearable.
• We use SRDs or Suriname Dollars here. The ratio is about 3.5 SRDs to 1 USD so I usually just divide things by three in my head but it can still be difficult to assess the actual value of a particular item.

cattle heron

• It is very expensive to live here. Everything costs two to three times as much as in America.
• Travel is very difficult and expensive as well. There are no direct flights to the USA and even flying to neighboring countries is expensive and difficult partly due to the fact that the airport is only open during certain hours.
• The national language is Dutch. In the business/government world most people speak at least some English. Out on the streets, however, Dutch and Sranan Tongo rule supreme. I've learned a few phrases with hopes of learning more but for now we just muddle through it with my five words of Dutch and their minimal English.
• We drive on the left side of the road here. It wasn't that difficult to adapt to but every once in a while I find myself forgetting that I have to wait to turn right, which has caused some tense moments.

a "winkel" or little Chinese shop

• Bicycles, scooters, and motorcycles have the right of way here and they definitely take advantage of that fact. There are also TONS of two-wheeled vehicles all over the roads. Most people don't wear helmets and it's not unusual to see kids or toddlers riding on scooters with their parents.

typical houses

• I'm not sure whether the people of Suriname even know that car seats exist. I've yet to see a single local put their baby in a car seat. In fact, most people don't even use seat belts.
• Many of the streets even within Paramaribo aren't paved. The jeep has come in handy on these  roads especially when they're muddy from all the rain.



trash on the side of the road

• Did I mention that it rains here? I have never seen the likes of this rain in America except one time driving to Las Vegas, NV when I was a kid. It was pouring the whole way there and the streets of Vegas were flooded when we arrived. Yep, it sounds like Suriname. When it rains here it's so loud that you have to turn the volume up about ten notches if you're listening to anything. An umbrella will do you no good if you get caught in a downpour since it rains so hard the water will come right through it.

• When it rains it floods. Our street is often about tire deep, when it floods you can't see the edges of the canals (scary!).
• There are canals all over the city. The streets are quite narrow and you have to be careful not to drive into the canals. 

these buses are everywhere and every one is different

• Sidewalks are few and far between here so if you want to walk much you do it on the street which can be dangerous. The occasional sidewalk is generally used for parking.
• You can park pretty much anywhere. In most areas there aren't designated parking spots or meters. It's pretty much a free for all.

can you believe someone lives here? 

• The streets have Dutch names I can't even pronounce and they often change names every few blocks which can make it very challenging to navigate.
• We're on the metric system here so it's been an adjustment to figure out how much of a particular item I need and how much things actually cost. This has been an issue most often when buying gas and meat, but now I now a kilo of hamburger is around 2 lbs. so it all works out. :)

a kiskadee

• Shopping is a bit of an event here. There are many stores scattered all over Paramaribo (or Parbo as we write when we're lazy) but there isn't any one store that has it all (think Target). So when I need groceries I usually go to one of the two international grocery stores and usually find the majority of items on my list. Certain items just aren't available all of the time. Like the cottage/ricotta cheese I drove all over town looking for when I wanted to make lasagna. I've found it before and since but that particular day it was just gone. There are lots of things like that.

the streets

• Grocery stores generally don't carry meat or fruit so I have to go to the butcher and the fruit stand for those items. Each fruit stand carries different fruits so I might have to go to more than one stand if I have particular fruit I want. For example, there is one guy who just sells watermelon but they are SO good that I make an extra stop at his stand.

a fruit stand we frequent

• It's just hard to know where to buy certain things. There are SO many different stores but even similar stores have different things so I just have to keep trying different places until I find what I need. I'm sure it'll get easier as I go but right now it can be frustrating.
• The stores all close at 2pm on Saturdays so I have to make sure to do my shopping early.

down by the waterkant

• The milk is weird. Mostly it comes in a box and doesn't need to be refrigerated until it's opened but they do have some fresh milk that comes in bags. I don't like the flavor of any of it so I don't drink much milk anymore. Luckily the kids don't seem to mind.
• The ice cream is also different - especially vanilla. I don't really know how to explain it but it doesn't taste like American ice cream at all. I'm sure this is because it comes from the same cows as the milk, but we don't eat much ice cream.

one of many toads

• The people here love kids. Everywhere we go people are so nice to them and play with them. (Very different from the metro DC area)
• There are many kinds of ants here and they all bite. It can be difficult to play in the grass because the ants are all over and the kids often get bit.
• There are street dogs all over the place. They aren't aggressive but they are mangy and I feel so bad for them.
• There are really cool river dolphins in the river.
• A few varieties of sea turtles nest on the beaches here and you can see them if you take a tour.
• There are lots of lizards, geckos, toads, bats, frogs, and many different kinds of birds all over.



pompelmoes (or pomelo in English) is our favorite new fruit

• There are no mountains here which is a big change from Utah.
• It is definitely the jungle here. The undergrowth is thick and the trees lining the streets are predominantly palm trees of one variety or another. 
• There are only about 500,000 people in the whole country and 400,000 live in Paramaribo itself.
• Nearly every house has a patio with hammocks hung. Most people spend a lot of time socializing on their patio/balcony.
• The houses here are very different than those in other places I've lived. Many of the people are quite poor and live in small shacks. There are definitely nice homes as well, but when we drive around the city it amazes me to see people coming out of homes I thought for sure were abandoned. Many houses and fences are made out of corrugated tin.

the streets

• Not surprisingly most houses here don't have air conditioning. Many people use fans and leave the windows and doors open. Those who do have air conditioning call it air-co.
• The garbage is placed in a basket on a pole in front of the house. There is trash all over the streets, yards, etc. I think this is partly due to the trash system because the trash bags will often split open and spill all over. People also don't seem to have a problem littering here and will just throw their garbage on the ground.
• There is no recycling program in Suriname except for plastic bottles.
• There aren't many playgrounds or places to take the kids to play which has been hard. We're definitely missing the spraygrounds in Northern Virginia.
• The houses are nearly all tiled floors.

a bat flying around our patio

• There are grates on nearly every door and window.
• Everyone hangs their clothes to dry here.
• White people are definitely the minority here. I feel like we stand out wherever we go.
• Everyone here uses a cell phone but no one has a cell phone plan. They just use prepaid minutes and top off as needed. They also don't have voicemail set up so if you want to reach someone you just have to keep calling and calling and calling...
• Phone numbers are generally six to eight digits. If it's a cell phone you dial a zero first.
• There are no zip codes in Paramaribo. Addresses generally consist of the name of the street and the number on the house or building. For example: Kwattaweg 56

• We love the local Indonesian food. Our favorites include bami, nasi, loempias, and sauto soep. Yum!
• Most foreigners have household help here. We have a housekeeper and a gardener come once a week for approximately $20/day.
• The gardener uses a weed whacker to cut the grass and a machete to trim the bushes.
• The internet is frustratingly slow and costs as much as in America.
• Our LDS church services are in Dutch.



the soup in the back is saoto and it's bami and nasi on the plate

• It's very common to see men hanging around without a shirt on. Or just peeing on the side of the road.

These comments are just my personal observations and opinions from spending the last three months in Suriname. I reserve the right to change my mind at any time. :)

After reading this post Adam told me it sounds like I hate Suriname. I don't hate Suriname. Is it very different from America? Yes. Am I still adjusting to living here? Yes. But I don't hate it here. In fact, as time goes by I'm starting to like it. And as soon as some of the new families with kids arrive at post it will be great! The hardest thing for me is just missing my friends/family and not having anyone to hang out with. The longer I'm here the more that changes since we're getting to know people. So, don't worry, Suriname is a great place it just takes some getting used to!

Also, I tried to get the pictures near applicable observations but it was too big of a hassle so I gave up. Sorry. I'm just a quitter. :)

River Dolphins and Giant Leatherback Turtles

We hired a boat to take our family and a few friends on a river tour. I'm mad that I forgot to take a picture of the boat. We went out on the river and found these amazing river dolphins. They were diving and surfacing all around the boat. 

You can see the pink tinting on the underside if you look closely.

Charlie thought the boat ride was great.

Millie wasn't too happy until she had an Oreo in hand.

There were lots of dolphins all around the boat but they moved around so much it was hard to get a good picture. Very cool.

We saw this boat and decided it looks like a pirate ship. Our guide told us it's a Brazilian boat.

Then we went on to another area where we found a giant leatherback turtle. They can be hard to find and usually don't come out of the water until around midnight so we were pretty lucky to find one just after dark. The turtle was so big! We were able to gently touch it and I was surprised that it was smooth and soft. Despite their size they are delicate creatures and if treated roughly they will die. You can't ride on them and if you kicked it would get a blood clot and die. The leatherbacks come ashore and lay around 100 eggs and only 85% are viable. A lot of animals try to eat the eggs and even if they hatch many of the baby turtles will be eaten as well. Our guide told us that maybe three out of a hundred have a chance of surviving. The other really frustrating thing is that there are people who will come and poach the eggs. If they're touched or moved at all they will not hatch. It's so messed up that people will harm this awesome and endangered species.

Giant Leatherback. Amazing.

Isn't it unbelievable how huge they are?

Back to the sea.

These two have just started holding hands while walking. I love it!!

Charlie found a dead crab and just had to pick it up. :)

Housing

our house - we feel pretty darn lucky to be in such a nice place!

living area - note the weird raised section. I have no idea what they were thinking with that.

kitchen - the dining alcove is off to the left and you can see the door to the front bathroom on the right.

kids room - there's another bathroom connecting this room and the office/playroom/craft room

master bedroom - we also have a fantastic walk-in closet and large bathroom

This is the way the trash works here. You put your bags in this raised basket and they pick it up.

Flooded Streets

This is how our street looks when it rains a lot. We decided to have some fun. :)

See that little house on the right-hand side? That's our guard house. We have a guard 24 hours a day and he/she hangs out in that little hut to monitor goings-ons. He/she also walks around the perimeter of the house every 30 minutes.

You can see how deep it gets.

Good times!

Life in the FS link

Here's a link to a blog post about life in the Foreign Service.

http://emailfromtheembassy.blogspot.com/2011/02/current-events-or-why-we-deserve-this.html?spref=fb

Our HHE (or big shipment for you non-FS folks) is due to arrive tomorrow. I'm so excited to have all our stuff again! On the top of the list for things I've been missing most are: trash cans, laundry bins, and hangers. Who'd have thought?

Internet - finally!

I am now connected to the outside world once again. It's amazing what life without the internet feels like - especially when you weren't expecting to be without it at all. Granted this internet is rather slow (doubt I'll be streaming any tv shows or skype-ing) but I'm not complaining (yet). I feel like we've been living a comedy of errors since we arrived with so many things not working out. We've had a lot of little things that have needed fixing and I'm learning that the locals do not work on the same schedule that I do. Turns out 9am really means 1pm. I'm having difficulty adjusting. And I'm not the only one.

Charlie has been out of control pretty much since we got here. He's taken to pushing Millie down, sassing everyone in sight, and refusing to share or play nicely with the few friends we've met. I'm hoping he outgrows this phase soon or I don't think anyone will want to have play dates with us anymore.

We're slowly starting to learn our way around town and have even ventured out a couple times without getting lost thanks to our trusty map (gps does not work here). Our iPhones are not unlockable at least for now so I'm feeling bummed about that. Anyone have suggestions for a good, unlocked, affordable, quad band cell phone?

We attended our new Church for the first time on Sunday. It's the same LDS Church but our new congregation is called a Branch because it's smaller than a Ward. And small it is. I think there were 10 kids in Primary (ranging from 3-11) with Charlie being the youngest. I sat with him in Primary and by the time we'd been there an hour we both had a headache. The regular teacher wasn't there and the substitute was from another branch so the kids were on the energetic side so it it was kind of loud. Oh, did I mention that the services are all in Dutch? I think Adam enjoyed it but Charlie and I were pretty overwhelmed. Everyone was so impressed that Adam speaks Dutch and kept telling me what a good speaker he is.  A few people speak English and they were very nice. In fact, everyone was super nice. All the women in Relief Society loved Millie and took turns holding her. She had a great time walking up to people and smiling and jabbering at them. I'd say she was a hit. There's no air conditioning at church so poor Adam was dying in his suit.

We're hoping our UAB will arrive this week so I can get our desktop and have access to our pictures. Just a little longer.

We're sure missing our all friends in America!!!

The Republic of Suriname

We will be moving to Paramaribo in the Republic of Suriname in February 2011. I'm going to learn Dutch!

***Addition*** I guess I should clarify. We're moving to Suriname because Adam is now a diplomat with the Foreign Service/State Department. We should be there about two years. And, yes, we're very excited!