Hi everyone
Another week in Dallas. Every day I seem to have so many questions about so many things – How come drivers can turn right when the robot is red? How do I put fabric softener in a top loader washing machine without it running out onto the washing before the cycle begins? Where do we go to have our hair cut? (We all desperately need one – Murray has had some recommendations), How do you fill up with gas? (After a rather interesting visit to the gas station & some help from one of the employees, I think Shaun & I have got this sorted out).
I’m really trying to view everyday as an adventure & to not get annoyed, frustrated or critical when things are different from SA. – They’re not wrong, just different. You get so used to a certain way of life that change can be very uncomfortable. I’ve also become very aware, when speaking to people, of not continually comparing things in the US with SA. It maybe an innocent comparison but it can come across as critical. However, after saying all that I’m still battling to find two important items in the Willows’ home, pork sausages & decent tea. I also haven’t found anywhere that sells nice freshly baked rolls. Most seem to be prepackaged. I must add at this point that the variety of new & interesting things to try in the supermarkets is amazing.
I have spent most of this past week either going out with our realtor to look at houses or going though reams of houses that she has emailed to me so that I can short list those that I like. Every house has a detailed description, photos, virtual tour & list of all the info & statistics that you might want to know. Again I have seen some lovely houses but so few have grass in the back garden. When a house is described as having ‘large back yard grass’, it could be the size of an average home swimming pool or single garage. Kelly has come with me quite a bit & is very vocal about what is acceptable or not. She has fallen in love with one house, which I must admit is really nice but we’ll see. Murray also came out twice this week to look at a few houses that I had short-listed. Fortunately our tastes are fairly similar.
Today we went to the Stonebriar Community Church. They have 3 morning services with up to 1500 people at each. We went to the 9:30 service. What a wonderful change from the past 2 weeks. We really enjoyed the service & came away having been blessed. The worship band was amazing. It was sad that we only sang 4 songs because we were so enjoying the worship when it stopped. Unfortunately their senior pastor, Chuck Swindoll, was away but one of their associate pastors, Steve Farrar, preached an excellent bible based sermon from 1 Tim 2. For some reason it didn’t feel as if you were in such a large church. There were people of all ages in the service, which was great. We got info on all the activities that would be of interest to each of us. Unfortunately some of the college/student activities are closed for the summer & only start again in September. This is definitely an option as a church but we have already realized that in such a big church we will have to make the effort to get involved in order to get to know people & become part of things. I think that once we are settled in a church, I will be far more aware of new people than before. It’s only when you are the ‘new people’ that you realize how important it is to welcome new comers.
On Friday evening we were all taken to dinner by one of Murray’s colleagues & his family. The husband is Porto Rican, the wife is Korean & they have a son of 17 & daughter of 16. We went to a Japanese restaurant called Japon. The 8 of us sat around a central cooking area where the chef cooked our food. It was like watching the most amazing show, with flames, artistry & a lot of fanfare. I wasn’t sure about going to a Japanese restaurant but the food was delicious and we had a lovely evening.
It’s really strange not having an evening service but that seems to be the norm here. I think we’re probably going to go for a bite to eat. Thanks to everyone that’s written to us. It’s been really great getting news from home – any news is good. I will try & write personally to each of you as soon as possible. Unfortunately every time I think of trying to skype someone, you would all be sleeping. I’ll have to get more organized. Most nights I come home from looking at houses between 6:00 & 7:00p.m. & after being in & out of the really hot weather, I’m exhausted.
Well I must end off. Love you all.
Heather
2 comments:
Hi Willows family
It has been a walk down memory lane for me hearing your comments. Most of what I have to say will be more for Heather's benefit, but hopefully the rest of the family will benefit in turn. I remember very well trying to find Oros for my two little girls. I finally found a suitable replacement in the frozen food section. In Canada we have a large assortment of frozen fruit/iced tea mixes where you just need to add water. I'm sure you can find something equivalent in the states, especially at Safeway. Fresh bread rolls can be found in certain grocery stores you will need to ask around to find out which. For instance, not every Safeway has a bakery section which sells fresh bread, buns, cakes etc. If the store is small, then it might only sell a small selection of the basics. Ask, ask, ask. That is probably the best advice I can give. People are so intrigued by your accent that they will strike up a conversation with you just to keep hearing the way you sound. The stronger the joey's accent, the better. Sorry Murray :-) Too British! Concerning your most recent church experience, I often listen to Chuck Swindoll on the radio when I am travelling around in the morning. You are so lucky! He is GREAT!!!! You are going to be blessed out of your socks. Heather, I am in the process of sewing Philippa's final ball gown for her graduation ball/dinner. Yes, they have more than one grad. event here, about six, but Philippa only attended three so I only had to make three dresses. True to form, she chose a dress from a magazine which she just had to have, so I've managed to find a pattern close (sort of) to the gown and I have cut it out of an old sheet first just to make sure. Once she has given it the thumbs up, I will unpick it and use the sheet version as the pattern. Crazy man!!! In a previous letter you mentioned the lack of draining racks on the sinks. I found one in a chinese speciality kitchen store!! :-) Try to keep a sense of humour and then it is not so bad. O yes, remember robots are called traffic lights. They will think you are really strange if you keep talking about robots. Keep writing. It's so much fun reading them. It's nearly midnight and I have to be up at 6am tomorrow to take Jillian to a 15 hour film shoot so that Philippa can have the car to go to the theatre to see a contemporary modern dance performance. Yes that was not a typo., 15 hours standing on set, but at least the food is GREAT, the pay is good and she loves it!
Tons of love
Janine
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