a different quality standard

One of the realities that has become a regular part of our lives is that everything breaks. Because of this Scott has become more of a handy man than he ever thought he would be! That old adage about getting what you pay for doesn’t really apply to life here. Whether you pay a lot or a little for something it will break down much more quickly than you would expect. This leads us to be very diligent in using our stuff in the most gentle of ways.

So that you can have a small picture of our life here I wanted to highlight a couple of the things we see regularly that are related to this subject. The first has to do with our electricity. Electricity is a regular topic of conversation around here. We still do not have 24-hour power, and during the more extreme temperatures of winter and summer we are greatly under that ultimate goal. In addition to this, what we do get in electricity comes from two primary sources: from the government-run power stations (this is the best form, allowing us approximately 40 amps for our home and somewhat consistent voltage) and a large neighborhood generator (with this one we tell them how many amps we would like, which at this time is 25 for our home, but varying voltage levels). Certain appliances that require electricity to run rapidly such as microwaves and hairdryers take greater amounts of amps. We try to run these only on the government power source. Regular things like lights and our refrigerator take less amps and pretty much run in the background at any time during both power sources. I would like to take this opportunity to admit that I never thought I would know about this kind of stuff! Nor did I ever desire to know, but here we are! So, the other day Scott noticed that the line for our neighborhood generator was looking a little ragged. Upon closer inspection he saw there were wires that were completely open to the elements.

The apparent cause of this: wear and tear! We have only had this line for 10 months! However, Scott was able to take it apart and repair the wires so that they were fully connected and insulated from the elements.

Scott always has little helpers there to lend him a hand.

I think if this sort of defect were found in a home in the states there would be cause for great alarm. However, in less than two years of being here this is by no means the first repair of this nature that Scott has made. The challenge with our products is that so many of them are imported from China. Now, I realize that this is a very common practice in the U.S. as well, but we have learned that there is a major difference in quality standards. Apparently the people here can buy products for dirt cheap and sell them because they are the lowest quality possible without having the stuff disintegrate in your hands upon arrival! One example that I wanted to share was of our recent purchase of a vacuum. The first thing I would like to highlight is this caption that is written largely on the box:

So, after seeing that I felt very confident about my purchase! At least it was in proper English! Then in large print on the vacuum itself it states that it is 2400watts. This was good news since what I was looking for was a little power to ease my vacuuming stress. However, when we looked closer we saw a smaller sticker on the vacuum that claimed it was 1600watts. Scott pointed out this discrepancy to the clerk who then told us that it is as powerful as 2400watts even though it said 1600w. Long story short, we did purchase this vacuum, it works beautifully, and if in the next two years I become unhappy with its performance I can return it. Returns are not always possible, so I have learned that if it is possible than I can at least test something out myself and decide whether I actually like it or not.

Most days we find these issues to be humorous. It is so important to have and maintain a sense of humor here because these little day to day problems can really wear on you. However, we keep at the forefront of our minds that we do all things for the glory of God…even if that means enduring stresses we never imagined having. In all of this we remember that God will never leave, break down, change or need repairs. He is good above all and that is something that I can guarantee!

oh to be a kid again...

I think many people can imagine what it must be like to relocate to a place where everything is foreign: the customs, the culture, the language, and just simply how to do life! One aspect you may not think of is how kids adapt to those changes.

In many ways kids are way more flexible than adults. It helps when you don’t have to carry any of the responsibility in getting things done and have people who take care of your every need! Plus, you can get by on your cute looks! This is an area that our son Zeke understands very well and uses as much as he possibly can. When we first moved here Zeke was just on the cusp of talking, and as his language progressed he was equally learning English along side of our local language. However, about the time he turned two he sort of stopped with the local language. Although he now excels in his language abilities for a 3 year old with English, he doesn’t seem to want to learn to communicate in any other. He has held onto the word for candy (which he uses profusely with our neighbor) and will mimic me when I tell him to say supas (thank you), but other than that he asks us to only “talk English” as he says.

Lately he has made an interesting change. I think he is beginning to recognize how much is going on around him that he can’t understand, and I think he is desiring to communicate more. He recognizes when the language being spoken is not English and in leau of his own language abilities he is beginning to insert gibberish when he can’t get by with English. Picture this scene from the other day: we are all out at a local grocery store picking up a few things. As we are checking out Zeke wanders around the side of the check-out counter where the cashier sees him, picks him up, and sets him on the counter while he continues to run things through for us. Zeke starts pointing at a little toy/candy thing and says “duba duba doo?” The man looks at us for a moment, then over at the toy and then hands it to Zeke telling him that it will be a gift from him. Wow…if only communication had worked that well when we only had a few words of the local language. I suppose gesturing aids things a lot, but the kid manages to circumvent any situation to accomplish his end goal, whether that is to get something, go somewhere or have someone do something for him!

I have loved watching my kids grow and observing how they go through their days with complete abandonment of things like shame, embarrassment and fear that so many of us adults struggle with every day. Kids have such an innocence that transcends culture and expectations. I sure wish I could have appreciated that time in life for all that it had to offer. In many ways starting over in this place has caused us to revisit the days of being a child as we stumble through how to do things here. We have definitely reached a level where we feel very comfortable and capable, but the toughest times are still very fresh in our minds. We are so thankful that as we go through these challenges that we can always rely on God, whether we need comfort, encouragement or just need to vent! I think once we can learn to fully rely on Him only then can we fully shed all of those negative emotions that come with worrying about how others see us and fully enjoy the care-freeness that kids enjoy every single day!