Cold-Hearted

One of the things I appreciated most about our trip was the opportunity to remind the kids in a tangible way that we are so spoiled. After two years in the US, the current paring down of creature comforts has brought them alternating bouts of tearful homesickness and also gales of laughter. Take, for instance, our first al fresco bathroom stop--a barren expanse conspicuously lacking in foliage.

Thank goodness Bushman was there to show them how it's done.

It took about five hours to get to our destination, and while the younger ones reveled in relative rockstardom after our arrival, Gojo and Paquin soon holed themselves up inside. It was SO hot that I'm not sure how they bore it, but I remember similar times when I was a kid--privacy and personal space are a luxury we don't often think about back home.

Below is Bushman meeting with some farmers--he hopes to adapt his engine to run their farming equipment.
Our hosts rolled out the red carpet for us, giving our family their own bed and sleeping quarters, serving us sumptuous meals, and going out of their way to make us feel as culturally comfortable as possible. How many times I've experienced that those with the least are often the most openly generous. Honestly, I could cry recalling the details and the pains to which they went to honor us. I tried to express my thanks by telling them that their attention chilled my heart--"Sama xol dafa sedd!" Given the heat, I guess it makes sense that our American idiom about one's heart being warmed should be slightly different here.