Finding Contentment...

Recently I was inspired by a friend to make a list of all the things I like about living here. She was so encouraging and I was thankful to be reminded that even though it’s hard to be away from family and friends, and we live each day wondering what it shall bring, there are lots of great things about living here. Here are some of them…

Things I like about the Sandbox:
1. Fresh fruits and veggies every day and at one of the many stands that are always near by
2. My neighbors… so hospitable and helpful as I learn to live here
3 They love children here. Wherever I go people always want to hold Sadie Mac and she is quite use to strangers taking her. It’s so funny and so different than America.
4. Fool- the staple food here. We LOVE it. (mashed up beans with a few spices that you eat with bread... delicious)
5. It’s summer all year long! (I like this most of the time, but when I hear about ice and snow back home… there are a few times I’m jealous!)
6. Shopping at the Used Furniture Market… never know what kind of treasure you will find and what you can create from it. We bought Sadie’s nursery set there, chairs, and tables too! All for super cheap!
7. Having my own flower garden.
8. We can (kinda) speak Arabic!
9. I’ve learned to cook from scratch and Stephen says I’m not too bad at it.
10. Fresh bread daily at the local bakery and dookan (mini-mart)
11. Fresh pineapple juice with milk… basically, it’s amazing!
12. Not having to clean up water spills because the heat will get it in a matter of minutes!
13. Learning what Sandbox hospitality is…. And is often quite close to southern hospitality… I will raise my daughter right, whether it is here or in America!
14. Walking down the street and meeting a total stranger and them asking you to come in and drink tea… right then!
15. Having lots and LOTS of cultural experiences… henna (art work on my feet), halowa (waxing all the hair off my arms… ouch!), and wearing a tobe (cultural clothes that I never would wear in America!)
16. It’s ok to sweat and smell, because everyone does! (I hesitated to put this one, but it’s true!)
17. Learning to cook food from this culture (which I did with my language tutor this week!)
18. We have pyramids!
19. I can see the Nile River every day if I want to.
20. Even on hard days, we like knowing we are exactly where we are suppose to be.


The cashier took Sadie and continued to take orders!


We have our own pyramids!


The local taste... and learning to cook it!


Modeling a tobe... Sadie Mac is actually asleep in my sling under the tobe.


Standing on the banks of the Nile...


Fresh Fruits & Veggies... EVERY DAY!