a few mid-february thoughts.

Probably each of these thoughts is a blog post in itself, but I’ll just clump them all together in one eternal post-of-the-week.

– Changes, changes for us (or, as Mom Gentino says, “You guys always have some sort of drama.”).  But good changes.

David and I started language study on Monday!

You think it took us long enough to begin!?  Well, this is really the perfect scenario.  We went in with our friends to hire a tutor for five days a week.  David and John meet with her from 11-12, and Alison and I from 12-1.

We all love Neetu.  She is fun, a fantastic teacher, and makes the hour fly by.  This week we are learning the script and haltingly beginning to read small words.  I am trying to put in an hour of study for each class (not sure I have succeeded yet, but we’ll get there).

Here are Alison and Neetu after class today.  You may ask how I have time for this, given everything else that’s been going on, which leads me to my next thought . . .

– We hired a full-time house helper/nanny this week!  I was given her name by an American friend, and after talking and praying lots, David and I decided to ask her to come for an interview.  Her name is Priya.  She is thirty-five-ish; a single mom with a six-year-old son.

We loved her instantly.  She is friendly, sweet, and fluent in English.  When we found out all the things she is willing to do for us (clean, cook, garden, play with the kids, run errands), we were sold.  She has worked for Westerners for 14 years and can cook any kind of food.

I know that when I wrote my last gluten-free blog post I was a little low; well, the Lord has totally provided for me with Priya.  Suddenly, in less than a week, I’m not bound to the flat anymore.  We are doing homeschooling stuff first thing in the mornings.  Then, Priya arrives just before 10:00, and takes the kids through lunch time so I can study, then go to class.  She cooks lunch every day, cleans in the afternoons, and helps me with odd jobs or dinner prep before she leaves at five.

After just two days with her, I feel like I can breathe again, and am growing excited about my life.  And our apartment is the cleanest it’s ever been.

I can’t imagine how much easier life will be when David travels; Priya said she’s happy to come help out during the evenings as long as she can bring her son along.

The kids like her, but don’t like that I’m not with them every second now.  So we have to establish that they hang out with Priya for a few hours, and have to listen to what she says, then I’ll be with them again.  Mostly it’s Judah testing the waters so far, trying to boss her around.  I know it’s normal.

I know your big question: What about Lilly???

It was a difficult decision.  We can’t afford and just don’t need two helpers.  But we prayed lots, and when David broke the news to her, it went amazingly well.  She took the news in stride and didn’t seem a bit bothered.  Knowing Lilly, if she was bothered, she would’ve said so.  We were so shocked.

But our next-door neighbors are her main employers, and they take good care of her.  Also, I suspect that none of them expected that Lilly was a long-term solution for us.  Her hours were very limited, and most young moms here have full-time house help.

But whatever the reason, we breathed a big sigh of relief that the news wasn’t crushing to her.

And I have to be very honest and tell you that it was a huge stress having Lilly around.  She talked constantly (often instead of working), interrupted me when I was hanging out with the kids, and bossed us and our house guests around.  You really can’t help liking her, but having her as a friend and having her as a house helper are two separate things.  I’m happy that she works right next door so that we can still be involved in her life.

– Hmmm . . . what else?

I’m plugging away with A Suitable Boy.  It is hard to have read 600 pages in a book, and not even be half way through.

But, it is so worth it.  A fun, engaging story involving four families in post-Independance India, and there are so many cultural tidbits you can only learn through a story.  If you’re into long books, you’d definitely enjoy it.

– Speaking of long books, David’s reading Anna Karenina!  Do you have any idea how happy this makes me?  He’s not only reading it, but he’s enjoying it.  There are few things I like more than seeing my husband enjoy a novel.

Along with that, there’s been some fun conversation regarding David’s 2011 book post.

So I have a proposition: If you keep your own book list for 2012, and then send it to me, I’ll post it here next January.  What a fun habit.  I love, love finding out what other people are reading.  It is not a competition: if you read three books, tell us about your three books.  If you read 52 books in 52 weeks (Heather), give us your list!

Thanks for reading our blog, dear friends.

You always make me happy.