processes

Erlend is gone this week, to go and visit an area which we are also considering to move to.
So I get to experience what it is like being a single mum - so far it is going ok because I have some awesome friends around (you know who you are!) but I am still not a fan of the one-parent-only-situation.

One of the ways we are learning language right now is by taking pictures of everyday processes and then going through them with our language helpers.
This week some of my friends and I went to town to get pictures for some more processes.

for a process about public transportation we got pictures like this one - getting into the mini bus

getting out of the mini bus - you get how this works, right? :-)

Another process we wanted to document was buying snacks what are usually served at social gatherings such as birthday parties

  the way they sell snacks here, you go and pick what you want and then they weigh however much you would like and put it in a plastic bag

 This sign says that it is not allowed to try the snacks

WHAT??? She did anyway??? Don't worry, she got special permission :-)

survey

I apologize for the recent lack of posts but this one will be a long one to make up for it :-).

Last night we came back from a trip to an island that might be our future place of ministry. It is a lot smaller and less populated than the island we live on now.

Our purpose for taking this trip was to just to see the area and get a feel for it.

Our organization is thinking about reopening their work there in the near future. It was closed down due to riots (because of religious and political problems) some years ago.

It took us three short flights to get there - by now Alia is a pro at flying and she could do the safety announcements in the beginning of the flight

The first day we just walked around down town in incredible heat

There are not a lot of whities in the city so everybody wanted to take pictures of Alia.

This lady really wanted a picture of Alia and her son - Alia was ok with that for 2 seconds, then she wanted to get away...

before you get to see the beauty of the island - just some reality check pictures of the river

who can spot the rat?

our first meal out

before the meal - still existed to try some local cuisine

Then we were served this - the consistence is exactly what it looks like (they also use it as glue)

Erlend was brave enough to eat almost a whole bowl - but later he said he felt like there was a rubber ball in his stomach

After a long day walking through the city we went to the beach 

Alia got to swim in the ocean for the first time

We also found some pretty cool creatures 

that thing was big and looked like a stick

On Saturday we decided it was time for some snorkeling and chilling at a beach further away

Daniel asked some locals if they could fry up some of the fish they had just caught that morning if we would pay them

 A few hours later we were presented with this amazing meal, tuna, rice and a really nice dipping sauce

 The fish was so fresh and it had a lot of meat

 The Norwegian excited about fresh fish

and for dessert - coconut, yummy!

 the locals were very friendly and hospitable

 Alia loved playing with the kids

The guys with their no-moustache-beard styles because then the diving masks sticks better

The night before we left Alia got eaten by mosquitos - literally eaten! We counted around 300 bites

All in all we can say that we were impressed with the beauty of the place

that we definitely can see the need for ministry there and we are considering moving there

 and that we have learned that traveling with a one year old is not easy

Not wrong but different - fruit special

Here in AP they have a lot of awesome fruit, and today I (Erlend again, for a blog post special) wanted to write about a few of them.

Before we get to the awesome fruits, I want to tell you about the absolutely WORST fruit I have EVER come across. After a long and exhausting attempt, I could not think of ONE positive thing about this fruit.

I give you: The Durian!

Firstly, the Durian grows on quite large trees, and they can easily weigh up to 2-3 kilos. So if they fall down and hit you, they could kill you.

So what if you're lucky and a falling Durian does not hit you? You're still not safe. Because of the nice climate it is not to rear to see people walking bare foot.

Look at that skin!!! Imagine stepping on that bare foot! Those spikes are hard, long and quite sharp. It would hurt a lot(!) to step on one and it might really mess up your foot.

Okay, you say, so just stay away from Durian trees and don't walk around barefoot...

Yeah, good idea actually, except that the Durian still has a few tricks up its sleeves.

It absolutely STINKS!! The first time I came in to a store that sold them, I literally immediately felt sick and had to leave. I don't know how to describe the smell, except that it is absolutely disgusting.

Ok, so then what happens if you stay away from the tree, keep your flip-flops on and put a clothes pin on your nose, and try to eat it?

Well... The Durian just keeps on delivering horribleness... The meat is slippery with a horrible creamy, and at the same time stringy, consistency that makes me sick even if I manage not to smell it.

So is the flavor the thing that regains some honor for the Durian?

The answer is a loud and clear NO!! It tastes absolutely horrible! Really, really, really bad, bad, bad taste... I get shivers just from thinking abut it.

But on the other hand, it is one of the most expensive fruits here, the locals love it, and I also know a few westerners that like it... but why? I have no idea...

So now that this negative rant is over, lets go to something more positive.

The Rambutan!

This fruit, contrary to the Durian, is just simply awesome!

This fruit, even though it looks funny with its red, hairy shell, is relatively easy to open, and has pure, white, juicy fruit meat in side. It does have a stone in the middle, but around it the layer of meat is thick, sweet and sometimes with a slight hint of sourness depending on the ripeness of it. But that is just nice, and also what makes it different from the Lychee. 

Our daughter loves it. She ate 8 for breakfast this morning :)

Next: The Mangosteen!

This fruit is a surprise.

It looks horrible on the outside. When I first saw it I actually thought is was some sort of Tomato gone bad.

The shell is brown, dry, feels strange to touch and really just looks rotten.

It is also not very nice to open, the shell is thick and sticky. Your fingers will be covered in red gooey stuff that is hard to get of again. On the inside , like you can see in the picture, it looks like a garlic. 

But that is where the similarities with a garlic ends.

It is very, very juicy and has a intense, awesome sweet, but not overly so, flavor. 

Some of the cloves has stones in them, but that is no problem at all, just eat around them. 

So, even though I spared no negative adjective about the Durian, I hope this blogpost didn't seem to negative. 

Except for the absolutely atrocious Durian, almost all the fruit here is fantastic.

Later we might tell you about the purple triangular bananas.