Jim's Jungle Camp (JJC)

What does one do when they approach christmas and have no family or close friends near to celerate with? Well, we decided to spend a few days at Jim's Jungle camp going on safari treks and elephant rides. Then head on over to the snowy beautiful Himalayan Mountains. The next few posts are dedicated to this journey.

 

Arwyn only got to look at the cute bunnies here, cause they wouldnt come near, too afraid of beinf munched by jackals i guess.

 

Me sick in bed all day the second day there, Vange passed along a stomach flu to me and J and then Arwyn.

 

The view from our bed.

 

A great tree pic that Chi took.

10000 ft and counting

 

!

Although we didn't have our "white christmas", we saw it out our window. We did alot of laying around in our room with 2 space heaters, puzzles, UNO, Hot coco, and movies. We sang lots of carols. "The little drummer boy" was the most sung song. Josiah went on a trek on his own for a few hours christmas day. Him and Mal did there first ever (pictured below) Himalayan Trek, round trip 3 miles. This morning I took the top right pic when the sun was rising above the mountains. We didn't want to say goodbye to the beauty and quiet. We did want to say hello to warmth and good food... we are currently on our way to Dehli...

And we had Italian for dinner... yum

Himalayan Christmas

 

 

 

 

A troublemaker and an elephant ride

If there is trouble to get into, this girl will find it, here she is sportin around our little log cabin room


 
 
 
 ...

J took Malachi on a elephant ride. It was gonna be the whole fam, but I was out for the count the whole day. I was actually pretty bummed not to go, cause ever since I heard you can do elephant safari's in India I was planning on gettin me one. But i could barely watch the two girls for the morning while they went out togther. Much thanks to Arwyn who pretty much did all the leg work of babysitting while I barked orders from the bed.

Malachi had a blast! Josiah was only scared once or twice, especially when the elephant crossed the river and climbed the steep banks. Josiah had to keep hold of Malachi and hold onto two poles while they pretty much tipped vertical. At that point in his sharing I was thankful that I wasn't on it with two more kids trying to hold on for dear life.

maybe next time

A Safari in the Jungle

Taken by Malachi, pretty good heh?
 

 

some kids who are AMPED to see lions and tigers and bears... oh my! (too bad there are only tigers in India...)


 Of all the picks that we took of our sightings this is my fav. The poor little boar BOOKED IT across the road behind us, he was so afraid.


 

What an amazing sunset to ride home to. Even though we didn't see any tigers or elephants on this one, I was so thankful to be in nature, in the QUIET and surrounded by God's gentle presence.

Advent

 

 

Aren't I looking very "Mary-ish" ?

He is the reason for the season

Happy Advent!

christmas tree shopping

 

 

 

 

I had pretty much given up hope that we would have a christmas tree this year. But then charlie brown inspired me and i decided to locate a nursury and find any little tree that could play the part.

First I had to learn the names for "tree" "take me to" and "nursery".

Then I had to get directions myself in case I wasn't understould.

Which as usual was the case. Luckily I had just learned some phrases in my language lesson that week to give directions to a Rickshaw wallah. I directed him all the way to the nursery, that I had never been to. Then to the right one that actually had christmas trees. We spent a mere 5 minutes at the nursery cause as you can see the selection was limited. But we were more than satisfied since we had set out with tiny expectations.

Luckily our tree is no bigger than Vange cause an "American " size one wouldn't have fit on our rickshaw ride home.

Then we returned home and made paper ornaments and hung them with paper clips. I hadn't located ornaments in the city yet and all the christmas decs and treats I brought were "surprise surprise" in the stolen suitcase.

In the end we enjoyed our tree a few days before we moved to our new place. And now she sits on my balcony bare but alive. Hopefully she will survive while we are gone to the snow for the week ahead...

Tribute to childhood photography

 

Photographed by Arwyn and Malachi Watters

Bangles are a girls best friend

 

Diamonds don't matter here. In fact no one has taken any notice in my wedding ring or my diamond pendant. But boy do they notice when I am not wearing my bangles. It is a modesty statement. No bangles = I am promiscuous gal.

Here is Arwyn enjoying a little *bling* shopping herself.

Choti's

 

"Choti" means little one, or baby. This is what Vange's name has become but you can call any little one that. I saw these two little ones on a walk with my friend. They looked so cute I had to sneak a pic. It is common for up to age 2 and 3 to not have a diaper or pants on, just a shirt. I am not sure if this is the lack of money for diapers or a method of potty training. Either way I can't get used to it enough to picture Vange sporting her bottom half around India.

Escape artist

 

A bowl full of mush

 

 

Goodnight Moon! This has been one of Vange's favorite books lately as she has enjoyed our night time Rickshaw rides. She leans back in my arms and stares at the moon. "Moo!" she points at it. Over and over again, like a new discovery each time. If you too have enjoyed this book you may have found yourself wondering, as I have, what exactly is a "bowl full of mush"?

Well, I think I have answered that question for myself. It is nothing more than rice cereal. Well, actually rice cereal has been a special treat for us this holiday season. Sometimes we have it for breakfast on a cold morning, sometimes for dinner. Sometimes in between. Josiah used to have this out in the villages in mexico as a kid so it brings back great memories for him. Rice is not sparce here so I have been perfecting my pot of "mush" so that He can experience it just as he did as a kid. Here is our recipe: (which sounds more and more like the recipes I used to ask my mother-in-law for, nothing had exact measurements)

about two glasses full of rice
2 glasses full of water
about 6 handfuls of sugar
and 8-10 cinnamon sticks
1 1/2 kilo milk (i am still adjusting to the difference in measurements)

first you partially cook the rice with the water, then you put the milk, sugar and cinnamon in on medium heat and stir till boiling. Reduce to simmer and cover, occasionally stirring till rice is not chewy.

If you like it more soupy like J, then add some milk till just past the rice line and heat it all.

Growing Impatient

Every once in a while I feel my heart stirring with anxiety and consequently irritableness. It's usually from something I am longing for and going without. Something that is making me feel trapped. Out of control. It's in these moments that God meets with me. Gently whispers, shows me something to embrace that he has given me. In these moments I see clearly I can choose. I can continue in my wretched state of mind and spiral downward in my feeling of hopelessness or I can find joy in a small blessing that He has brought my way. Let me share a moment with you.

Christmas is approaching and yet our family wouldn't know it. We are missing all those cultural cues that surround the American during the Holidays. Crisp cool air, holiday music playing in the stores. Frequent trips to get a peppermint mocha at Starbucks. Red, green, silver, and gold arround. I am missing out on Christmas.

But then we start reading Chronlices of Narnia to the kids at bed and the discription of the four kids having thier adventures in the snowy wardbrobe stirs an experience within like that of a warm cup of coco after stepping out of the chilling snow in winter. Hearing the voice of Aslan and feeling God's nearness, His soveriegnty and his loving kindness. The sacrifice that Jesus made for our treachery.

There are many new ways that I can learn to expereince this season. Reading Narnia on J's computer at night is one of them. It's been a gift that each member has looked forward to at night.

She walks!

This was taken sidways but you can tilt your head to watch. You can feel the excitement in the room. We have a mobile little girl! These were her first steps and we captured it on J's phone. She is getting braver by the minute. Watch out India!

Shopping for chicken

. 
We rolled up to our destination in the hippest, well cheapest ride around. I argued with the Rickshaw Wallah that I wouldn’t pay him more than we agreed, and after I had enough arguing I just walked away and let him complain to the passerby’s he had pulled into the dispute.
 We approached the cages. Stacks of them filled with chickens. They lined the walkway up to the man in charge of this operation, a 14 year old boy. I said “Muje eik”. He picked one out and weighed it and spout off some number I didn’t know in the form of a question. “Ji” I replied, not knowing what he said, but by the looks of the chicken it would fit in my biggest pot.
 Then Arwyn, Malachi and I proceeded to watch the process. He pinned back the chickens wings and head and slit the neck so quickly. Then he pushed him in a box and closed the lid. We heard lots of thumping around for a few minutes then the dead chicken was removed, bloody and well, dead.
 He cut off the feet and head and  
started to pull the whole skin and feathers right off. So from that I gathered that the box was a steaming process. The chicken was still twitching when he asked me if I wanted it into “char” pieces. I said yes, the less I had to do to the chicken the better. He cut it open and the heart was still beating. I was too busy snapping pictures to see what the kids looked liked watching all of this. 

 Soon we had our chicken bagged and we were back on our rickshaw towards home. In bed that night Malachi didn’t want to wear his red shirt because it looked like blood.  

The next day I had them draw about this in there observation journals. Arwyns elaborate drawing had scenes. The front page was the boy and chickin coming out of the cage. The back was drawn all in the red crayon. Pretty self explanatory. One interesting fact was that on the front page the chicken had a voice and on the back the chicken voice marks were gone.

Malachi-isms

 

Here is a recent naptime, he fell asleep while playing with his lip.

Last night at bedtime:
M:Daddy I want to pray for Faiz, he is sick.
D: okay
M: Daddy whats sick?
D: He is running a fever

During Prayer...
M: God please make his fever run away from him

Bedtime beauties

 

She looks like she is pondering something.

 

We find Malachi in the most precarious positions. I remember when he was somewhere between 1 and 2, he would be in mid sentence in the car and fall asleep.

 

so cute.