Cats and Birds
Our neighbors have birds.
Not like normal people though. They've got like ten cages. And they have friends that have birds too. Several times a week, men come and go in trucks or on bikes with bird cages, thus adding to the menagerie. Sometimes it feels like we're living in an aviary because they're extremely vocal songbirds.
Well, the mystery of the constant bird parade was starting to get to us. Why so many birds? Why do birds come and go? Is this guy a doctor? Then Amy noticed something even weirder.
The guys that come over all sit out front, with drinks and food and cigarettes and just watch. The birds. Four grown men just a-sittin' and a-watchin' all morning. One guy even brings binoculars even though the birds are ten feet away. At this point we thought it must be gambling. What else could keep them so entertained? Are they fighting the birds? Should we keep our distance from the bird mafia?
As it turns out, it's not half so sinister. There is a thriving bird culture here that subsists on simply hearing birds sing. People will spend a good deal of money on a bird with a great set of pipes. They trade them too! There are even bird experts that you can hire to come and listen to your little artist and then recommend what FRUIT they should eat to improve their voice! Maybe this one needs a little pineapple, but this one should take more papaya. It can all add up to victory at a competition where Thai birders gather every year in hopes of taking home the prize for best vocalist.
So, it's a bird concert going on next door? Alright.
Then there was the cat.
Or the fetus as Amy described it. We were in the middle of a study when a sister called Amy in a panic. She had just gotten home from work and was walking away from her car when she heard a kitten crying. Upon returning to the car, she discovered that the kitten was rather awkwardly in the wheel well. Apparently, while she was at work, the mother saw the car and thought it was an extremely good hiding place for her little one. She was partially correct because the little two week old kitten, though feeble, made it home through traffic without a scratch. But what do do when one has a tiny stowaway? Call Lexi and Amy! They want a cat! A cat? Yes. A fetus, no. As Amy repeatedly stated, a cat that young away from its mother will die. We took it to the vet who did nothing but sell us some kitty formula and a preposterously small bottle. The kitten would hardly drink it though. Amy was getting more stressed by the minute.
Now it was time to go to meeting. Amy put together a box and towels for the little thing and we took it with us. We kept in on our laps to keep it warm. Ever commented with a cat on your lap? I have. After the meeting, people had plenty of suggestions but the common theme seemed to be: take care of it yourself. But how??? It needs to be fed every three hours!! With our schedule, it was just impossible.
So Amy decided to go back to the sister's workplace to see if we could find the mother. I prayed on the way too, that we would find at least SOME acceptable mother for this cat. When we got to the neighborhood, all the neighbors recognized the kitten and described the mother as a black cat. So we knew we were close. We put the kitten on the ground and let it cry. The neighbors and us watched anxiously to see what would happen. FINALLY, the mother cautiously came out form her hiding place and took the baby! I can't describe how good that felt. But. All the neighbors said that there were THREE kittens. So...where were the other two? Later that night, the sister found them underneath her car as well. Also still alive and well. So she too returned them to their mother.
Who hopefully finds a new hiding place.
Glen and Janelle are going back to Australia in a few days. My only consolation is, they'll be back in a few months! They're just going home briefly to work. Meanwhile, they left us with spices and various pantry items to babysit while they're gone.
We keep a weird pantry here. A few things you would expect: like a week's supply of ramen, coconut milk and fish sauce. Then there is that bag that looks like it should be full of coffee grounds. But it isn't. That's our yeast.
Yes, I wanted to bake bread in our toaster oven. Our toaster oven that ONLY lets you set how long you would like your item toasted, not the temp you would like it toasted on. That means that if I want to bake bread, I have to go in the kitchen every 7 minutes or so and turn it back on. Unless the knob gets stuck, which it likes to do. Then it merrily roasts away all by itself, wishing it could just melt down and start a fire, but we won't let it.
Back to the yeast. Everything here comes in smaller packages. You might think yeast would fit neatly into that category. But, in a country where the serving sizes are undeniably smallish, they give you enough yeast to open a bakery. Now I feel compelled to bake bread on every occasion. That being said, the bread turned out pretty well! Crunchy crust which I like, but with the shape of a focaccia. I will take suggestions on toaster oven bread baking. Or bread baking in general, if you have them.
Janelle also totally set me up with enough calls to make me feel like a respectable pioneer. So now I can contribute to afternoon service calls! Plus, they're out of town by the lake in more of a country setting. The city is so crowded and polluted that it's really nice to get out of it for a bit.
I saw my first baby elephant and had my first cockroach fall on my arm from the roof. I expect it will not be the last.
Joe and Fa taught me some motorcycle basics and i'm feeling much more comfortable on the bike now. And by comfortable I mean that now I remember to breathe while i'm driving. But at least i'm making a teaspoon of progress. Worrying about driving that thing was keeping me up at night! Ugh. I'm bummed Jeff wasn't here to teach me though! The girls all say he's such a good teacher.
Kay that's it for now!
Not like normal people though. They've got like ten cages. And they have friends that have birds too. Several times a week, men come and go in trucks or on bikes with bird cages, thus adding to the menagerie. Sometimes it feels like we're living in an aviary because they're extremely vocal songbirds.
Well, the mystery of the constant bird parade was starting to get to us. Why so many birds? Why do birds come and go? Is this guy a doctor? Then Amy noticed something even weirder.
The guys that come over all sit out front, with drinks and food and cigarettes and just watch. The birds. Four grown men just a-sittin' and a-watchin' all morning. One guy even brings binoculars even though the birds are ten feet away. At this point we thought it must be gambling. What else could keep them so entertained? Are they fighting the birds? Should we keep our distance from the bird mafia?
As it turns out, it's not half so sinister. There is a thriving bird culture here that subsists on simply hearing birds sing. People will spend a good deal of money on a bird with a great set of pipes. They trade them too! There are even bird experts that you can hire to come and listen to your little artist and then recommend what FRUIT they should eat to improve their voice! Maybe this one needs a little pineapple, but this one should take more papaya. It can all add up to victory at a competition where Thai birders gather every year in hopes of taking home the prize for best vocalist.
So, it's a bird concert going on next door? Alright.
Then there was the cat.
Or the fetus as Amy described it. We were in the middle of a study when a sister called Amy in a panic. She had just gotten home from work and was walking away from her car when she heard a kitten crying. Upon returning to the car, she discovered that the kitten was rather awkwardly in the wheel well. Apparently, while she was at work, the mother saw the car and thought it was an extremely good hiding place for her little one. She was partially correct because the little two week old kitten, though feeble, made it home through traffic without a scratch. But what do do when one has a tiny stowaway? Call Lexi and Amy! They want a cat! A cat? Yes. A fetus, no. As Amy repeatedly stated, a cat that young away from its mother will die. We took it to the vet who did nothing but sell us some kitty formula and a preposterously small bottle. The kitten would hardly drink it though. Amy was getting more stressed by the minute.
Now it was time to go to meeting. Amy put together a box and towels for the little thing and we took it with us. We kept in on our laps to keep it warm. Ever commented with a cat on your lap? I have. After the meeting, people had plenty of suggestions but the common theme seemed to be: take care of it yourself. But how??? It needs to be fed every three hours!! With our schedule, it was just impossible.
So Amy decided to go back to the sister's workplace to see if we could find the mother. I prayed on the way too, that we would find at least SOME acceptable mother for this cat. When we got to the neighborhood, all the neighbors recognized the kitten and described the mother as a black cat. So we knew we were close. We put the kitten on the ground and let it cry. The neighbors and us watched anxiously to see what would happen. FINALLY, the mother cautiously came out form her hiding place and took the baby! I can't describe how good that felt. But. All the neighbors said that there were THREE kittens. So...where were the other two? Later that night, the sister found them underneath her car as well. Also still alive and well. So she too returned them to their mother.
Who hopefully finds a new hiding place.
 |
| The happy reunion. She's not eating it, I promise. |
Glen and Janelle are going back to Australia in a few days. My only consolation is, they'll be back in a few months! They're just going home briefly to work. Meanwhile, they left us with spices and various pantry items to babysit while they're gone.
 |
| Eungin, Glen, Janelle, Amy, Me |
We keep a weird pantry here. A few things you would expect: like a week's supply of ramen, coconut milk and fish sauce. Then there is that bag that looks like it should be full of coffee grounds. But it isn't. That's our yeast.
Yes, I wanted to bake bread in our toaster oven. Our toaster oven that ONLY lets you set how long you would like your item toasted, not the temp you would like it toasted on. That means that if I want to bake bread, I have to go in the kitchen every 7 minutes or so and turn it back on. Unless the knob gets stuck, which it likes to do. Then it merrily roasts away all by itself, wishing it could just melt down and start a fire, but we won't let it.
Back to the yeast. Everything here comes in smaller packages. You might think yeast would fit neatly into that category. But, in a country where the serving sizes are undeniably smallish, they give you enough yeast to open a bakery. Now I feel compelled to bake bread on every occasion. That being said, the bread turned out pretty well! Crunchy crust which I like, but with the shape of a focaccia. I will take suggestions on toaster oven bread baking. Or bread baking in general, if you have them.
Janelle also totally set me up with enough calls to make me feel like a respectable pioneer. So now I can contribute to afternoon service calls! Plus, they're out of town by the lake in more of a country setting. The city is so crowded and polluted that it's really nice to get out of it for a bit.
I saw my first baby elephant and had my first cockroach fall on my arm from the roof. I expect it will not be the last.
Joe and Fa taught me some motorcycle basics and i'm feeling much more comfortable on the bike now. And by comfortable I mean that now I remember to breathe while i'm driving. But at least i'm making a teaspoon of progress. Worrying about driving that thing was keeping me up at night! Ugh. I'm bummed Jeff wasn't here to teach me though! The girls all say he's such a good teacher.
Kay that's it for now!
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