Lockdown

I have been avoiding writing this post, mostly because I wanted to write out of a place of peace and not anger or fear. Though my anxiety and stress may still be through the roof, I feel more secure knowing the we are in the care and plan of our great Saviour Jesus Christ. 

If you watched the news in early July you would have seen Bangladesh make international headlines. A rarity for this small country and unfortunately it was not for a good reason. I will not go into detail, as this is not to focus of my post, but if you are unaware here is the short story.

A few blocks from my house a terrorist group took over 30 hostages at a local cafe. It became a stand off with police that, when ended, was so gruesome it is difficult to think about even now. Of the 30+ hostages 20 foreigners were killed by machetes. Why? To spread fear in the diplomatic community and the pure evil of terrorism. I will stop there with my opinions and comments about the tragedy itself, it's the after effects, the now, I want to talk about.

Bangladesh has always been an interesting and mostly welcoming country. Bideshies or foreigners are a novelty, our light skin draws stares constantly and the little children will try to "rub the white off." The foreign community is small, situated mostly in a diplomatic enclave of a couple square miles. It is guarded (though a very low standard compared to other countries) but supposedly the most secure area of Bangladesh. This is why the attack aimed directly at foreigners was so frightening.

After July 1st the diplomatic zone went into lock down. Companies and embassies started removing families and keeping only essential personnel. The school I work for has put a delay on opening, if it will open at all. The advice to all foreigners was to not go out, avoid shops and grocery stores. Do not walk. And leave the country if possible.

And so here we are. I had not been out of my apartment except with an armed escorts for 20 days. Let me make a recommendation to you, don't ever go to jail. I understand now why it is such a punishment.

Since the incident I have not been able to sleep for more then 3 hours at a time. I have always been able to sleep anytime anywhere and this new found insomnia, these extra hours of doing nothing were driving me a little crazy. So I took up yoga, and watching Netflix, listening to sermons, writing children's books, packing the apartment, and painting murals on my walls.

Alpha has still been able to go out, thankfully. And I am happy to report that I still love and like my husband even after being with him 24 hours a day with no break, except when he runs to the store for eggs. It has actually been a sweet time for us.

We have Alpha's visa interview on August 1st and so it has become a count down to when we will be able to move to the States. But a month is a long countdown when all you can do is cross the endless days off the calendar.

On the 21st of July we felt it was safe enough to travel to Khulna to see Alpha's family probably for the last time before we move. We will be here for a week and the freedom I felt getting on the 20 minute flight and 2 hour drive with the windows down was refreshing. The compound here is beautiful with gardens and a menagerie of animals. But reality hit hard again when Alpha said he was going to the store and I jumped up to tag along. He kindly reminded me that I still could not leave the walls of the compound. So prison the size of my apartment or the size of a compound is still prison. Though this one has a lot of nice people and family.

It is currently 430am and all I want is sleep... I have used my insomnia to look forward to the future, looking up numerous apartments and cars in Chicago, registering Alpha for classes. I have also enjoyed some quiet time with the Lord. And though sleep deprived, I have not completely gone insane.

If you think of us in the days leading up to Alpha's visa, please pray for sanity, safety and fellowship with those around us. Pray for Alpha as he will be saying goodbye to his family at the end of this week and for me, that I can still enjoy and love this country that I have come to call home. Pray also that his visa will not be delayed and that we will be able to make my family reunion in Colorado on the 12th of August.

And pray that I can sleep.

I will leave you with a few things that have brought me joy in the last weeks.

Here are two songs that have been soothing to my soul. Alpha and I break out into worship songs often and Anchor is one of our favorites.

Here is a movie recommendation. I watched "Brooklyn" and looking forward to moving to the States I found it to be a beautiful movie and I highly recommend it.

And of course some pictures.

The mural I painted in our living room

The view from our roof as I got some much needed fresh air

Rainy Day Special... An Update on Alpha's Health

Going out on a Rainy Day

The monsoon or rainy season is in full swing here in Bangladesh. A few weeks ago Alpha and I were out to lunch at our 'go to' restaurant on one such rainy day. The menu was limited to a few dishes, thankfully one was my usual Beef Kichuri (beef and rice mixed with yellow lentils). I asked Alpha why and he told me it was the Rainy Day Special. Then I tasted the food and was amazed. It was by far some of the nicest Kichuri I had ever had. Bangladeshis are very particular about their food, and on a rainy day they crave something warm and hearty. Kichuri that is made correctly takes hours and so on this rainy day the restaurants put all their time and effort into a few delicious, time consuming dishes to please their soaked and weary customers.

I have often thought back to this meal with my husband over the last weeks and days. A day or so after that lunch I came home after school to find Alpha doubled over with pain in his side. I asked how long had  he been in pain the which he replied "oh, all day."

At United Hospital

At this point, having some medical background I knew he was having an appendicitis. We went to the local doctor just to confirm and he sent us immediately to the emergency room. He recommended Apollo (the foreigner hospital in the area that costs an arm and a leg, not just an appendix) but also said we could go to United Hospital (an expensive, but not the most expensive, slightly trusted by foreigners, but not the best hospital). We choose United because it is within walking distance of our house. But once there things slowed down. The emergency room was reluctant to do anything and decided to have him admitted for observation instead, even though we asked for surgery. They said that they wanted to give him antibiotics, do some (expensive) tests and after 2 days in the hospital they discharged him and said to have him come back in three weeks for surgery. WHAT?!? At this point we were so confused. Knowing appendicitis can burst I was not comfortable with this but we went home praying.

On a side note the 2 days we were in the hospital all on the nurses in Bangladesh were on strike, so we had little 15 year old student nurses trying the best they could to help us out.

At Upasham with Jethro Alpha's cousin

Back the the story: About 2 hours after we got home Alpha spiked a fever the the pain in his side increased dramatically. I called his family and asked what to do. In Bangladesh you need to be quite animated it you want something to happen. So after my first few conversations about what hospital to take him to and no one understanding the seriousness on the situation, I may have yelled at one of my uncle to get his butt into gear because I was taking Alpha back to the emergency room RIGHT NOW. At the United emergency room the doctors again wanted to admit him, with my uncles on the way with a back up hospital in mind, I had some very strong words with the doctors about the ridiculousness of all the testing and charges and room stays when we already had a doctor recommending surgery. But God is good. At this point United hospital quoted us surgery at 200,000taka or $2,500, on top on the admitting charges. Alpha is not under my insurance and this figure gave me a heart attack. If we could have gotten to Khulna where his parents live the same surgery only cost 5,000taka or $64.00. But we could not risk the flight and bus ride to get there.

When his uncles arrived they had found a local hospital near by that offered a package deal, surgery plus 3 days hospital care for 28,000 taka or $363.00. We could not get a hold of a driver, so we all hoped in the back of a CNG (motorized rickshaw with 3 wheels) and head to Upasham Health Point. Once there he was scheduled for emergency surgery that night.

The way hospitals work in Bangladesh is you need to keep an attendant with the patient at all times. So we sent up a family rota to stay with Alpha, run to the pharmacy to get his meds or IV fluid and provide him with food. I am so thankful for family because I did not understand most of what was going on, but they stepped up and took amazing care of Alpha and I during this time. That is what makes Bangladeshis so special, their commitment to family.

Alpha's mom (who is also a nurse) came up while hes was in the hospital and stayed with us for a few days as it was my last week of teaching and as soon as school was out we hopped on a plane and flew to Khulna to stay at his parents house.

I am so happy and thankful to say that 2.5 weeks after surgery Alpha is doing wonderful. I praise the Lord every day that he has not had any infection. His incision is healing cleanly with only his hand still bruised and in a little pain (remember those student nurses? They did a number to the his hand with the IV. Not knowing how to detach the line for new saline they tried to yank it off. Ouch!).

After a Rainy Day in Khulna

Alpha and I are enjoying our time with family. It is especially sweet as we wait for Alpha's visa to the States. We could not have planned a more perfect time to be with his family. As the rain comes and goes, it is nice to be filled with peace knowing that God is in control and that His Rainy Day Special was created just for us.

Waiting

Alpha and I have pulled together a pile of paperwork, visited government offices, paid fees, prayed over mail couriers and submitted the last of Alpha's visa application!

The last few months have been filled with anxiety, unknowns, paperwork, phone calls, waiting, more paperwork, patience and oh, did I mention paperwork? We have done all that we can do, and now we are waiting, patience has become my best friend.

Alpha's application is in process and we should hear back mid May about his interview date at the embassy. We are praying that the wait for the interview is not too long. In some countries the wait can be 6+months!!! We have a family reunion in August and would love to be able to attend as Alpha has not met my family yet.

Please pray with us as we continue to wait on the Lord and the US Government.

You can also pray for me (Emily) as it has been almost 2 years since I have been home to the States and I am fairly homesick. The unknown is hard because we are hoping to go back soon, but we don't know when, so there is no date to look forward to or plan on or count down to.

Pray for Alpha as he prepares to leave his home and enter a new culture and country he has never been to. Pray that God touches both of us as individuals and as a couple in this waiting time. 

One Year Down... Forever to Go

I cannot believe I forgot to write about our 1 year anniversary! And I cannot believe that we have been married for over a year!

On March 20th, 2016 Alpha and I celebrated our 1st anniversary. We had a quiet dinner at a restaurant that looked out over Dhaka city from the 9th floor.

We actually almost missed our dinner together as Alpha spent the day at the government offices getting the last of his paper work sorted and picked up for his visa application. But a prayer over the phone and unusually light Dhaka traffic brought us back together for an evening together.

Here are some pictures from that night as well as some old pictures that were the highlights of our first year together. 

1st Anniversary 

Alpha got me the beautiful flowers and I made the card and sign with our vows. 

Highlight of the year our time in Germany

Going to the Zoo and "Aquarium" in Khulna (Yes that is a shark squeezed into and tank)

The "Aquarium" was fish in formaldehyde 

Titan was a gift from Alpha, we had to give him away due to a no pet policy, but we enjoyed him for a few months

When the Foreigner was shot in Oct, we were not allowed out, we spent a day of unknowns painting with friends

Hanging out with friends

My Student's Art

I thought I should take a moment to show you some of the amazing work my students have been producing throughout the year. I am so proud of them!

We started the first semester drawing in black and white (I didn't start taking pictures of display until 2nd term), then moved on to drawing in color. Second semester we started painting and will move on to 3D art and mixed media in April. 

Enjoy!

Year 1 Fish Scales

Year 2 Hands 

Year 1 Sea Horses

Year 2 Line and Shape

Year 5 City Perspective

Year 3 Farm Perspective

Year 1 Fall Leaves

Year 1 Pumpkins

Year 7 Descriptive Words

Year 8 Religion in Color

Year 1 Snow Storm

Year 8 Parts of Animals

Year 7 Animals

Year 8 Parts of Aminals

Year 9 Animals Up Close

Year 8 Parts of Animals

Year 8 Parts of Animals

Year 4 Complete the Landscape

From top Year 9, Year 7, Year 8 Still Life

Petition Approved!

Alpha and I received news at the beginning on the month that his visa petition has been approved! This is the first step in the visa process and now we can apply for the actual visa. We are waiting on some paper work and there is a lot of paperwork in our future, but we are so excited that step one is complete!

We are hoping to move back to the States mid July to early August 2016. We will be traveling to see family for most of August and would like to start work in September. (We will also have a reception, hopefully in Chicago so you all can meet Alpha. More details to come.) We have no idea what we will be doing yet. Your prayers are greatly appreciated as we have already started the job search and are open to any possibility.

Alpha has his Bachelors in Business Marketing and Human Resource Management. His passion in playing, writing and composing worship music. He also loves engineering and is looking to get his Masters in Engineering.

I have 2.5 years teaching experience from early childhood to middle school. Specifically teaching Art and Drama. I have also written and developed the curriculum for grades K to 8. I have loved teaching and would like to continue in the States, though I do not have a US teacher qualification (I will be working towards my degree when we return.) Administration, event planning and service dog training are a few of my other talents and passions.

If you are reading this and know of a position you think we should apply for please email me. We are completely open to God's plan and leading. We have no idea what is ahead, but know and trust that God has a perfect plan and it is beyond anything that we could ever imagine!

Prayer requests:

Jobs for both Alpha and Emily

Housing 

A Car

Familiar support base, this could be friends or family

A good Church. 

We are so thankful for all of your love, support and prayers. We look forward to seeing some of you on the other side of the ocean!