April 8, 2006

The 700 interviews are finally finished. We completed them on Thursday. I think they just post a list of the 70 children who will be accepted, and people come to see the list. I am very glad that I do not have to tell 630 parents that their children were not accepted! On Friday, I started visiting in classrooms and trying to help the teachers with classroom management and age-appropriate lessons.

It is so hot here now. I want so badly to go out for a walk, but it is too hot and there is no air to breathe. Hopefully, this evening will be a little cooler and I can walk then. Of course, you really can't enjoy the beautiful flowers in the evening, but at least you can breathe. Last night was so hot that I slept with the ceiling fan going all night. They tell me that soon we will all be sleeping in one of the large rooms downstairs because it will be too hot upstairs. I can hardly wait for this summer experience: intolerable heat, no flowers, no cold water. (The cold water I used to wash my hair this morning had to be at least 75 degrees, and it isn't even REALLY hot yet!)

Did I tell you that the Easter lilies here are red? They are such a rich vibrant color and so huge and beautiful. I know I will miss both the beauty and the fragrance of our white lilies, though. These red ones don't seem to have any fragrance that I have noticed.

Also, did I tell you about the squirrels here? They look like our chipmunks, except that they are gray. Their stripes are white and black. They are very cute. They do not stand still very long, so I don't know if I will ever get a picture of one.

Last night we celebrated Maureen's birthday. (Maureen is an older American sister who has worked in Pakistan for many years. Last year, she suffered a stroke, but she is doing all right now, except that walking is difficult and she tires easily.) We had a nice time. I was happy because we had fish for dinner. Since we are so far from any body of water, fish is a rarity, so it was a real treat.

Usually, we have a lot of vegetables, and many meals are meatless. The only meat we seem to have is beef which is very tough. We don't have chicken anymore for fear of the bird flu.

Tomorrow is Palm Sunday already. Can you believe it? Lent here was not as I had thought it would be. We did not have meat on Wednesdays or Fridays, but that is hardly noticeable here. We did have Stations of the Cross on Fridays and Mass immediately after Stations.

One of the priests came here for confessions one afternoon. He took a very long time with each person because he really listened to what you said and responded. It was really beautiful. I think 6 or 7 of us went to confession and it took over 2 hours. Imagine if it were a parish thing! Apparently, that is how he does confessions, which makes him popular as a confessor, even though the process is long. They did not have a parish penance service. I think he said that last year hardly anybody came, so I guess he figures that those who are interested can see him on their own.

I can't send Easter cards to anyone because I shipped them over here before I left home, but I haven't received the package yet, so Happy Easter everyone---and to Father Peter: Christ is risen! Truly he is risen!

Anne

Addendum
March 21

I made sure that I got my laundry done yesterday in the afternoon so I wouldn’t have to compete for the machine today, but I don’t think I needed to worry. I only saw one sister washing clothes today. Did I tell you what it is like to wash the clothes here? Just in case I didn’t, this is the process. First you fill the actual washing machine half way with water and add soap. Then you put the clothes in and set the timer. When the timer goes off, you wring out the clothes and put them into a spinner, which seems to remove at least some of the soap. Then you put the clothes in rinse water in the sink and rinse by hand, which with things like sheets and towels is quite a task. Then you wring them out again and put them back in the spinner to remove excess water. Then you hang them on the line to dry. Doesn’t that sound like fun? Laundry at home may be endless, but it is sure a lot easier!

P.S. to the laundry situation. Apparently, one needs to remember to turn a valve on the machine in order for the water to stay in while the clothes are getting washed. Then, it is necessary to turn the valve again, or the washer will never drain. I'm so glad I just have to press a couple buttons, and the machine takes it from there. - Mary