Happy "Olowen"

("Olowen" is just the way Halloween is pronounced here among our friends.)



With all the cute blogs we've seen of our friends' kids amidst pumpkin patches, I had to share my excitement for the season's festivities from afar. I was delighted to find real pumpkins here at the store! I'm not sure where they get them from, but Noah and I have had fun selecting them - one for each member of our family. (c: Noah loves to carry them around. As you can see, he placed them on his bike and told me he was going to Arequipa. Then he told me he was going to "can them for next winter" - a direct quote from one of his favorite books, "Blueberries for Sal." Indeed, I would like to cook them up and use them for some fun "Fall" treats.

Earlier this week, Michael and Noah brought home a chess set from the market. Noah was so excited to sit with his Daddy and learn about the game, or at least move the little magnetic pieces from square to square.

Just for fun, here's the belly shot at about 6 months...

...and our little "Punkin" in his Daddy's old suspenders

Last week

Just one week until the big day! Everyone here asks about the U.S. election too. Tonight I'm finishing up Faith of My Fathers, by John McCain, and during the next 7 days, I'll be reading Obama's bio, Dreams from My Father.

And a sign that Virginia should play a key role in next Tuesday's results - I can hardly believe it; Obama actually held a rally at our dear alma mater JMU today! The last time a presidential candidate appeared in Harrisonburg? Stephen Douglas, running against Abraham Lincoln.

Is it really almost November? Has it really been almost 3 months since we left here for our visit to the States? Time goes so fast here, and we know our remaining months will fly. Our personal prayers are still to grow in: our love for Peruvians and the country itself, appreciation for its way of life, understanding of its language, and patience in its frustrations.

At the same time, if I am honest, I often long for home. I find myself craving consistency, reliability, and honey-nut cheerios. We look at housing prices in various cities, excited by a friend's mere suggestion of a job opening, desperate to believe we could actually have a yard one day. I suppose these are normal feelings for those living abroad. We certainly, though, see a difference in perspective between those staying for the long haul and others (like us) only short-term. Being here longer would make us dig in more, turn our eyes from the tantalizing comforts of a stateside future, and deepen relationships and commitments to our adopted community and country. As it is, we want to do that as much as possible over the next nine months, risking the pain of farewells and rebuking our ease-seeking hearts. But we cannot do something so unnatural. Christ, who left his home to dwell in the flesh (incarnate) must do it in us. He who "for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame" must teach us to be happy in the pain of incarnation.

Election Fun

This has been quite a campaign, ¿no? I really have enjoyed it, so much so that in about 12 days I'm going have a lot more free time on my hands. I admit to being hooked, but why not, with such high stakes, such major issues to tackle, and for the first time since I started voting, I don't feel like I'm choosing between the lesser of two evils. Actually we already voted, dropped off our absentee ballots at the embassy last week, bound for the great state of Virginia.

I'm certainly glad there have been humorous moments dispersed throughout, both real and internet-created, to cut the tension and keep everyone sane for at least a few hours.
Here are some of my favorites:

It's nice to see these two can take a break from taking themselves so seriously...




or linked here from one of my favorite blogs.

And who knew the Penguin could deliver such insightful commentary?

A little preview...

We just returned from our 4D Sonogram of our little guy! It's incredible to see all of his little parts so clearly already! The best news is that he looks completely healthy and so do I. I've been having a lot of contractions already - some pretty strong ones, so we checked to make sure that I'm not in danger of going into pre-term labor like I did with Noah. So far, so good. But I still think I need to slow down and let others help me more than I'm used to. I've got about 3 more months to go!

With today's visit, we also got a DVD of the whole thing, which unfortunately I can't access enough to download it here, but Noah will enjoy seeing it after school today!

Dolphins?

Noah and I had a wonderful opportunity last weekend to accompany the Berrys as they celebrated Taylor's 8th birthday. We went to a hotel called "Los Delfines" (the dolphins), and sure enough, they have two dolphins that live there and perform regularly for an audience. The tank is outdoors with a bridge for spectators to stand on during the show. Now, don't expect Seaworld here - the trainers were not in the tank with them and did not ride on them, but we were close enough to them to see their bellybuttons when they turned over for us. They did some good tricks too, splashing us, talking/singing, jumping, and spinning in the air. It was especially fun to watch Noah's reactions to them - he had never seen anything like it, but of course now talks about it a lot. For the next two days, he asked to pray for the dolphins.
After the show, we went inside the hotel and enjoyed chocolate cake with the birthday girl, with a view of the dolphin tank. It was an afternoon to remember!

Yaku and Wayra

Taylor, the Birthday Girl!

Indian Cooking

One thing that Michael and I have truly missed here in Peru is access to Indian food. In the DC area there were several locations to fulfill this occasional craving and here in Lima there are none - nor is there the ability to make it because the spices do not exist.

Well, after seeing a podcast from Cooks Illustrated, we were inspired to ask for someone to bring us the spices so we could try it ourselves. A recent team that came, graciously found us the coriander, cardamom, and garam masala that we needed to get started, and last week Michael took on the task of recreating a long-missed dish Chicken Tikka Masala. While we did have to make some substitutions for things we can't find or are very expensive here, the dish was spectacular. We even found some basmati rice to go with it. Although Noah said it was "spicy" with a big smile on his face, he still said he liked it and asked for seconds. I'm grateful to have a husband that is willing to put in the effort needed to cook dishes like this - right now I'm a pretty practical and lazy cook. I can't wait till he finds time in his busy schedule to make it again.

Just so you're not in the dark, here's the recipe:

Chicken Tikka MasalaCooks Illustrated - 9/2007

This dish is best when prepared with whole-milk yogurt, but low-fat yogurt can be substituted. For a spicier dish, do not remove the ribs and seeds from the chile. If you prefer, substitute 2 teaspoons ground coriander, 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper for the garam masala. The sauce can be made ahead, refrigerated for up to 4 days in an airtight container, and gently reheated before adding the hot chicken. Serve with basmati rice.

Serves 4 to 6

Chicken Tikka

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp table salt

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts , trimmed of fat

1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (see note above)

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)

1 tbsp grated fresh ginger

Masala Sauce

3 tbsp vegetable oil1 medium onion , diced fine (about 1 1/4 cups)

2 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)

2 tsp grated fresh ginger

1 fresh serrano chile , ribs and seeds removed, flesh minced (see note above)

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp garam masala (see note above)

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp table salt

2/3 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1. FOR THE CHICKEN: Combine cumin, coriander, cayenne, and salt in small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with spice mixture, pressing gently so mixture adheres. Place chicken on plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes. In large bowl, whisk together yogurt, oil, garlic, and ginger; set aside.

2. FOR THE SAUCE: Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until light golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, chile, tomato paste, and garam masala; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, sugar, and salt; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cream and return to simmer. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm.

3. While sauce simmers, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position (about 6 inches from heating element) and heat broiler. Using tongs, dip chicken into yogurt mixture (chicken should be coated with thick layer of yogurt) and arrange on wire rack set in foil-lined rimmed baking sheet or broiler pan. Discard excess yogurt mixture. Broil chicken until thickest parts register 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer and exterior is lightly charred in spots, 10 to 18 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through cooking.

4. Let chicken rest 5 minutes, then cut into 1-inch chunks and stir into warm sauce (do not simmer chicken in sauce). Stir in cilantro, adjust seasoning with salt, and serve.

Not a good week for Peru

A rough couple of days for this country.

On Thursday, the president's entire cabinet resigned amid a corruption scandal.

The Shining Path, who terrorized the country in the 80s and 90s, is still making deadly headlines in the jungle.

And the national soccer team just lost 3-0 to the only country in South America ranked lower, Bolivia.

Our Trip Home - Part 4 - On the Farm

Monday morning, the grandparents played with Noah while I finished gathering and packing things up for our trip (this time just Noah and me) to North Carolina with my parents and nieces Marlea and Harmony. It worked out that on our way down, Annmarie was just getting off work and would be off the next 2 days, so we stopped just outside of Richmond and waited for her to catch-up with us before caravanning down.

Our first morning there, we got a call saying that my uncle's sailboat (the one which my Dad helped sail from Alabama to South Carolina) would be arriving that morning on a big truck. Sure enough, it came and is now firmly grounded in my parents' yard for the next couple years while my Dad and Uncle John rebuild it. Later that day my sister, Cindy, came down on the train and my cousin Corrie, her husband Dan and their 3 boys (Tyler, Joshua, and Samuel) joined us for a mini-reunion. What a sweet time it was, again, to be with so many loved ones! We went swimming at the hotel where Dan and Corrie stayed the night and had dinner at the farm that night all together, with my Aunt Terri, Uncle John and cousins Michael and Stephen.

The next day, we took my parents' boat out on the river and let all the kids (some grown-ups too) go tubing! Noah even came with me on it and had a blast! After lunch we said good-bye to Dan and Corrie for their drive back to Charlotte. Later we said bye to Annmarie - what a treat it was to get some time with her and have her there to see and meet so much family!

The next several days were spent just hanging out at the farm and going on the boat nearly each day. One afternoon boatride included seeing dolphins right there in the river where we were waterskiing! Yes, I did get a chance to waterski - I hadn't done it in years, but it was a nice gentle ride and in no way harmful to the baby (c:

Some of Noah's other highlights included going for a tractor ride with Papa, playing with Molly and Maddie (Baba & Papa's black labs), trying to play with their cat, playing with Marlea and Harmony, driving Annmarie's car around the farm (with a little help), playing in the pool and "Slip'n'Slide," and just being there with Baba and Papa.

I enjoyed meeting some of Mom and Dad's friends and neighbors, making memories together on the boat and the farm, finding my maternity clothes and some other items for the new baby that my parents are storing for us without a lot of searching, sitting on the porch swing while a storm was brewing, attending church with Mom and Dad and feeling so cared for by their members, and best, spending time with my parents - just being together and a part of their lives for about a week.

On Monday, we all headed back to VA so we could catch our flight on Tuesday morning. We had one last night all together at Michael's parents' house and then my parents and Dottie came with us to the airport. We said good-bye, but my mom was able to accompany me through to the gate, helping me with Noah's carseat. Off we went, but I must say that it was much easier saying good-bye knowing that both sets of our parents will come and visit in February after the baby comes.

Noah did great on the (8hr) flight! He was so excited to see Daddy when we arrived - he jumped out of his stroller and ran with arms open wide! Then we saw that Elita and her children, Jimmy, Tito, and Elsa were all there to meet us too! What a sweet surprise - we felt so loved upon our return. In the taxi on the way home, Michael sat between us and Noah just wanted to hug Daddy's arm the whole way home - he had such a contented look on his face. We were all back together again.