Isla Verde, Balut, and Durian

Wow, it seems like forever since I've blogged... it's only been 3 days. So much has happened and I'm trying to process everything I'm seeing... We got our first assignment... it is going to be good, I think. It's due at the end of the month... the assignments are pretty intense so, please keep me in your prayers.


Yesterday we went on an outing with the national midwives... it was AMAZING. They took us all over the place and we got to see so many locations of the economic spectrum. First they took us to this place called Isla Verde, it is the place where the lowest class lives. They are actually squatters, their houses are built on stilts and they sit over the sewage and trash of the city that pours out and sits there. But to see these people, you wouldn't know they were such social rejects. They have such joy, and such beautiful hearts. I really want to go back there. These are really the people I love to serve. Those nobody else wants to, not the ones who smell good and have pretty clothes. I had a hard time not crying when I walked through their homes. They are all stilted, so the paths from house to house are streets of shaky boards balancing across bamboo poles. I was wondering if they were designed to hold the amount of weight all of us north americans were subjecting them to. I was a little afraid, at times, that I would go toppling into the sludge below... not a good thought.

Next we went on to see some other places and got to try LOTS of local food, like young coconut, durian, and balut. Young coconut... it's good... the others... umm... not so much. Durian is this fruit thing that is all prickly outside, and then inside, you crack it open like a watermelon and you eat this pudding-ish stuff that surrounds the seed... It smells SO foul. Like NOTHING you have ever smelled... and it tastes... well, not as bad as it smells... but, definitely not good... THEN I tried Balut... if you don't know what it is.. it's probably better... um, it's partially incubated duck egg... ick. I didn't like it. Then they took us to a WONDERFUL dinner, and all the girls were impressed by my rice eating.... :-) It was a wonderful day.

Thank you all for your prayers. They are helping this time of adjustment go so much better! I hope you all are doing great! I am praying for you.

Always,

~sarah