food sentences...ya know, sentences about food

our fridge is currently on the outs. our whipping cream is curdling.

our freezer is stock full of rice and whole wheat flour. really, like 8lbs of flour. (to kill weevils)

sometimes we go through an insane amount of matches trying to get our oven pilot light going.

instead of just containers of flour and sugar on the counter i have also added insecticide.

there is no dishwasher or garbage disposal. luxuries i certainly miss.

i have learned to make my own ranch dressing, syrup, and ricotta cheese. who knew???

a staple senegalese meal consists of rice, potatoes, carrots, and sauce and lots of onions.

i love that you can get fresh bread at any of the neighborhood boutiques.

kyle typically watches the girls while i finish dinner, however, last month i came out of the kitchen and found the following...true story.


patiently waiting charlie



mischievous maeve



kyle, self-explanatory...


some regular items at stores in the states look a bit different in Senegal.  guess the vegetable below.

answer: the wimpiest celery i have ever seen.

bleaching fruits and vegetables doesnt sound strange to me anymore.




 



my cooking skills here in Senegal have been seriously challenged. i will overcome.



maybe we aren't so different after all

tabaski, oh tabaski...basically its alot of sheep.

once upon a time a man named abraham had a son, ishmael (and isaac). God had abraham sacrifice his son,ishmael. sad. just before the sacrifice was to be made, God provided a sheep instead. happy.

so to celebrate the Lord's provision, muslims celebrate once a year on the holiday known as tabaski.

sheep lot

a few weeks prior to tabaski sheep lots started going up. muslims rushed out to pick the best sheep their money could buy ($200-$1000).  the sheep were thrown in the back of cars and trucks or strapped to the roof and happily delivered home.


ram in the back of a taxi


preparations were made for the big day well in advance, new clothes tailored, gifts bought, special dishes brought out. travel plans made to return to the village to see friends and family.

a bit nuts here in muslim country.

other side of the globe...

a fallen world seperated from God. sad. Jesus born to be our ultimate sacrifice to restore our separation from God. happy

so to celebrate God's greatest gift, christians celebrate once a year on the holiday known as Christmas.

picking out the christmas tree to bestow in the window. figuring out a way to get it home...

black friday christmas shopping, new outfits for Christmas pictures and church, Christmas lights and Christmas dishes, crazy holiday travel from one family to the next...

the sanity of a christian country?

Who is in my shower?

my knight in shining armor comes in the form of a late 20's, Senegalese lady who comes to my house 3x a week.  we call her Therese. 

oh the things she does!  she cleans. goes to the market and gets fresh fruits and vegetables. cleans and cuts the produce. watches my children.  takes me to the fabric market and barters for low prices, helps me with my french. and is a seamstress by trade. 
on top of that she has a great personality and i really like her!  it is amazing how God answers prayers. before we even came to Senegal, kyle had on his prayer list to help us find a good fit for us in regards to househelp. Voila! or maybe an Amen!

most of the missionaries in Dakar have househelp in some form. whether they come for a full day, 1/2 days, or have cooks. 

it is pretty well expected that us, as white(toubabs) americans, would and should have househelp. we are quite wealthy in comparison and it is seen as right for us to share our wealth.

therese came to us by a recommendation of an employee at Dakar Academy. Therese cleans for them 2 days a week and was looking for more work. i found out on a Weds that my previous help was no longer available and on Friday Therese was at my door by 8am. No interview or contract or background check...

Some oddities of house help are that they leave a pair of shoes at your house and take showers in your bathroom before they go for the day. Senegalese deem outward appearence as very important so Therese will show up for work looking all fancy. Head straight to the bathroom and come out 5 mins later ready to work.

We definetly have some language barrier issues, but for the most part everything gets done eventually. so what if i end up with 4 green peppers when i asked for pears. or it takes us 5 trips to 2 stores over a course of 3 hours to get 1 frozen chicken. we are making it work and am pretty sure i am going to desperately miss her when we are back in the states!

faith