You see, I need the sunshine. I need it like I need to see a friendly face. I can survive without it, but I'm not nearly as happy and therefore the people around me aren't nearly as happy. Being here, in the winter, has been the single most gloomy patch of my life. I have lots of things to be happy for, and I am CONSTANTLY reminding myself of my blessings but somehow the lack of sunlight seems to diminish all of them.
The sun coming out WAS significant!!!
I thought I would expound on a few things that I love about this country. I will leave unsaid the things that I don't love about this new country. Hopefully, I will come to love them.
1) We are SO close to so many great places. The cost of living is so high here that it is actually cheaper to go to these places and have a good time, because we could stay here and spend the same amount of money or more and not have as good of a time as we do when we are exploring. We are going to ROME in 9 days and I am truly excited to sink my teeth into perfectly al dente fettucine alfredo in the restaurant it originated.
2) We have a new family member that will have to probably be born here. I NEED to love this place for the sheer fact that this baby was conceived here. That means it HAS to be special, right? I will ignore the medical issues that I'm worried about and cling to the thought that God gave me this baby here and has made it nearly impossible to go back home so it WILL be alright.
3) The birds never went away. Even when the canals and ponds and ditches were frozen solid the ducks and swans stayed. It makes me happy to see so many different varieties. Yesterday I saw something that looked like a goose, but wasn't. It reminds me of my fantastic college biology/micro-biology teacher who used to force us to learn about her passion for ornithology and actually include questions regarding birds on our tests as part of the test. It drove me nuts! If I wanted to learn about birds I would sign up for that class! I saw lots of stuffed birds, owned 2, not just 1, but 2 bird identification books, learned multiple mating rituals, recognized by ear tweets, mastered identifying some birds just by a single feather. It was crazy! I don't remember a single thing...I just know that she would love it here.
4) Flowers. Everywhere there are flowers to buy. Riding in the train you see strips of rows of different vibrant colors. You can get flowers at flower shops, grocery stores and even gas stations. And they are quality. Did you know that the only flower that continues to grow after it is cut is a tulip? I learned that the other day and then bought some and watched it happen before my very eyes.
5) They deliver groceries. I can go online and order most of my groceries and for a minimal price they deliver them to my kitchen. Not just the front door...but inside of my house. And I don't have to stand inline at the checkout.
6) My kids go to a really great school. It has it's drawbacks, but for the most part we love it 70 times more than Qatar and 80 times more than America. It hasn't beat out Oman yet though...it has a ways to go. But it is still a solid, good school!
I know it isn't a lot, but these are the things that I am seeing as truly positive. I will focus on them until there is no more focus left within my body and hopefully something new will pop up to focus on.
