The first couple of weeks

Merry Christmas!
On Tuesday, we switched host families, and are now all on our own to try to communicate with our families. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how we look at it) most of our new host families speak very little English and no Spanish. It has been an adjustment to be separated, and it has been a challenge to connect with each other about team business, but it is good for us to continue to be stretched and branch out to meet new people.
We have been blessed to make many connections with other expatriates here before Christmas, so on Christmas Eve, we were invited to take over the apartment of a young woman from Texas who would be spending Christmas Eve and Christmas with another family. Thus we were provided with the opportunity to spend Christmas Eve together, making cookies, skyping our families, and watching a movie. After that relaxing evening, we had another relaxing day at the home of an American couple who had invited several people over. They had a Christmas tree and a very homey environment which finally gave us the sentiment of Christmas. In a country that does not celebrate Christmas, it was very easy to forget that we were in the advent season for the first couple of weeks here.
The last few weeks have been filled with wonderful and stretching experiences. Last weekend, Heidi, Jen, and I (Jamila) were guests at a wedding. Our host family had the time of their lives dressing us up and putting makeup on us to make us presentable at a wedding. Friday evening was a party starting at about 4pm and lasting until 11 or so. It was filled with loud music, dancing, and lots of food. The second party, which was the next day started around 4:30 and lasted until after 12:30. Although we had a great time, by the end of the second party, we were quite exhausted. I had been wearing 3.5 inch heels for nearly 9 hours, so my feet were also in pain on top of being tired.
Language study has been an interesting challenge as well. We are about halfway through the first class "Salaam 1" and it has become clear that Arabic is not an easy language. We were astonished (and thoroughly overwhelmed) to discover that the maternal side of the family all have different names from the paternal side, and the family of one's spouse have different labels, depending on whether you're a man (the family of your wife) or a woman (the family of your husband). I found myself quite relieved that I am not married, nor do I have siblings who are.
Hopefully this gives you an overview of what's been going on in our lives since we've been here.

Please continue to keep us in your thoughts in these areas:
-Language study.
-Team Unity and open communication
-Our volunteering opportunities. We've gotten some information, but have not had a chance to come together as a team to discuss our options and call the contact people.

We are thankful for:
-provision and safety
-the wonderful mentors we have met through the Inc and other organizations in the city.
-the relationships we have formed and connections we have made, even with people on the bus.


Here are some pictures of the area where we live.