Pictures of our house part 1

So we live in a 3 bedroom apartment with 2 full baths and a kitchen and study. I took some pictures of our living room and dining area. The rest of the house is still in a state of disarray, although they did come and build some shelves so that I can put some things away. We are getting closer to having a home. I have a feeling by the time we get finished though it will be time to move on.

We are completely spoiled with 3 huge balconies and a sea view. Not a particularly spectacular sea view, but we can still see the Indian Ocean, which is nice.

I will take some pictures of the rest of the house after it gets cleaned up this week.

PS. This is not our furniture. It is USGov issued.

Trying

I have decided to give this gardening thing a try. I have never been very successful with plants but we live in such a concrete jungle that I had to do something! Plants here cost about $1-3 a piece. The most I have spent on a plant is $4. I spent about $45 on seeds prior to coming here.

I have been afraid to start them though.

Jason went to the wood market and bought these boxes. We are trying to start some container gardens for vegetables.

Below is a banana tree that I bought Jason.

These flowers are pretty but all I know about them is that they need full sun (or at least that is what I think the person I bought the plant from explained to me).

I have become very interested in succulents. They have nice symmetry and their leaves look cool and refreshing.

Here is my "Bird Spa". I have tried to create a little oasis for our feathered friends.

Here is our makeshift trellis for my sweet peas. I have never started seeds from water and a papertowel before. A friend/neighbor shared some of his sweet pea seeds with me since I need some plants that will be vertical. They grew very fast and so I have attached them to little wooden skewers in hopes of training them to climb the trellis.

More vertical plants and a really cool plant that has a lovely deep purple side of a leaf.

Ok, here is one of my fails... or fixer-upper. I bought these flowering vine plants but they had been sitting on the ground so long that when the person I bought them from pulled them up, they sustained some root damage. They look sad. I repotted them and am hoping that they are just focusing on drinking lots of water in the root system and then will return. They are a lovely flowering plant and many people have them around their homes because they also have thorns (natural protection).
What would a garden be without little whimsical creatures?? Balcony bunny!!

Oh yes, we were THOSE tourists

Did you know that the brewery in downtown Bremen has 2 Euro beers???

Ponta do Ouro

Jason and Jody on the beach with beers.

Xai-Xai

I am always joking that the sad thing about distance education is that you miss out on Spring Break.


This past weekend we went 3 hours north to play on a lovely beach in the area of Xai-Xai. We gladly exchanged our AC for the soothing sounds of waves crashing and sea breezes, and kicked off our shoes for walking barefoot in the sand.


We had almost as many dogs as people!


The beaches in Mozambique are beautiful, however the water is a bit rough. This beach is unique as it has what seems to be a sand-stone coral bed natural barrier. One one side of the barrier is the raging ocean, on the other, a relaxed pool. As the tide comes in, the water enters the tide pool by separating itself into little waterfalls. As you know, I am a sucker for a waterfall.


One of our party delighted us with oxtail-stew or "potjie", a traditional South African dish cooked in an iron cauldron over a fire, with the primary ingredient being the tail of an ox. It was stunning and even impressed our South Africans!

Comfort Food

Today I attended an interesting session hosted by the regional psychiatrist and medical unit here at post discussing the frustrations of our chosen path of life and an adaptation cycle that we all generally expect to go through. The familiar topics of "Third Culture Kid", homesickness, where is home?, depression, reverse-culture shock, improving post moral and other challenges came up.

I was going through the handout and decided that for someone who has just gone through a very stressful time, I found that I had not wandered far from the steps listed on the "resilience checklist".

I was telling a colleague the other day about my experience in Guyana with the Peace Corps. It was, as the slogan goes, "the toughest job you will ever love." What was strange about this week and past month, were how many nice comments of support I received from some of my Guyanese friends in Guyana. I never really thought that I made much of a difference in their lives, but their messages made me feel the opposite. It does mean a lot to hear from them after so much time has passed.

Last summer when I participated in a study about TCK, it dawned on me that I actually don't know much about American cooking. We had a colleague of Jason's over for dinner, he was from the Ukraine. I wanted to make something "American", so I made cheeseburgers and fries, failing miserably on the fries. Most of my cooking is with a Guyanese flair... I can't make a meat loaf but I can make a mean egg ball with mango sour, and that is my comfort food.

You can take the girl out of Guyana, but you can't take the Guyana out of the girl.

With a Seaview

Elizabeth Joe (Tems) Murray

Elizabeth Joe (Tems) Murray, Daughter, Big Sister, Wife, Mother, Teacher, Inspiration. Born Feb. 10, 1950, in Louisville, KY. Went home Feb. 13, 2011, Newburgh, IN, age 61.

Born to Robert and Joe Ann Tems, the eldest of three daughters, she was a natural big sister with an innate sense of maturity often exhibited when playing “teacher” to her younger sisters. She loved to read.

She attended Waggener High School where she enjoyed humanities class and played the clarinet in the marching band. She matriculated into Murray State University where she was a member and president of the Beta Nu Chapter of Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority, and where she met her husband, Thomas, who she married on May 26, 1973 with her first kindergarten class present for the ceremony. She graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education in 1972. She received her Masters degree in Curriculum and Instruction in 1978 from the University of Hawaii – Manoa.
Her husband’s career as an officer in the U.S. Army took her across the U.S.A. and to Germany. As a military wife, she was an active volunteer; recognized for her service in Chapel and youth programs, and as a Girl Scout Leader. She cherished her time spent with her daughters as a stay at home mother. She loved traveling with her family throughout Europe and sailing with her husband on Kentucky Lake.

Her teaching career of 25 years included positions held in early childhood development, elementary, and middle school. She taught language arts for 8 years at St. Joseph Catholic School and 11 years at Good Shepherd Catholic School. At both schools she was a dedicated speech coach. She was selected Teacher of the Year by Evansville Area Reading Council in 2005 and in recognition of her career in education, she was inducted into the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International in 2006. She was nominated for 2011 Outstanding Educator of the Year.

A model for her strong faith in God's will, a kind and gentle spirit, she always put others before herself. She inspired many. She had beautiful handwriting and enjoyed writing meaningful letters. She loved M&M’s. For her husband and daughters she always made everything “just right”.

“To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.”

Elizabeth is survived by Thomas, her husband of 38 years, and her two daughters, Joanna E. Knueppel and Sarah E. Simmons, as well as her mother Joe Ann Tems and sisters, Ruth Ann Lee and Susan Bowman. She was preceded in death by her father, Robert Tems, Jr.

Visitation will be 4 to 8 pm on Wednesday, Feb. 16, at Ziemer Funeral Home East Chapel, 800 S. Hebron Ave., Evansville, IN 47714.

A Celebration of Elizabeth’s Life will be held at 6 pm on Thursday, Feb. 17, at Trinity United Methodist Church 215 S.E. Third Street, Evansville, IN with a visitation prior to the ceremony from 5 to 6 PM.

Memorial contributions may be made to Good Shepherd Catholic School, 2301 N. Stockwell Rd., Evansville, IN 47715 and/or St. Joseph Catholic School, 6130 W Saint Joseph Rd., Evansville, IN 47720.

Condolences may be made to the family online at www.ziemerfuneralhome.com

Posted Without Comment

I am in a surreal place now.

This is a picture taken of Jason at Beacon Beach, close to Bartica, Guyana, where we lived for 2 years with the Peace Corps. We used to run away to this secluded beach and grill, swim, take silly pictures swinging from vines and handling Machetes, and drink massive quantities of 5 year. You can see a beacon on an island in the background. There was a trail through a tame portion of rain forest; as we walked we shed our layer of volunteer.

Funny to think that at one time I thought Peace Corps was the hardest thing I ever had to go through.

Der Steinerwirt 1493

I have to say that my favorite restaurant for traditional Austrian food with flair is Der Steinerwirt. Located in one of the oldest buildings in Zell am See, much like their meals, they have combined modern elements with traditional, tastefully.

Jason and I have tried several things on the menu and have found everything we have tried to be delicious. Most recently I had a lemongrass-infused pasta with grilled shrimp, while Jason stayed the more traditional route with the Wiener Schnitzel. When Pinzgauer Käse is around then I usually default to the Kasnocken myself.

Unless you get the one tall guy with long hair for a server, you should be well taken care of. Before we had internet I would pop over during non-busy times where I felt completely at home having a few white wine G'spritzt. It was one of the favorite locations to get a drink after work for Jason and his colleagues.


During the summer months they have traditional Alpine Zither music on tree-shaded patio.


Goulash with "Semmel" (bread) Dumpling


Tyrol-style fried potatoes


Tafelspitz (Austrian/Vienna style of boiling meat)served with root vegetables, creamed spinach.

Jason typically drank the local beer that was made especially for the Wirtshaus, while I leaned to white wine spritzers made with the standard food-friendly Grüner Veltliner. While we hardly every spared room for dessert, we never escaped without a Schnapps.


I think my parents enjoyed it!

And I'm Back...

...but do I have any idea what I am doing? No. Not. Really.



I just got to Maputo, Mozambique a few days ago. Jason gave me his tour of the city that involved the "Wood Market", which is a weekend craft market complete with people practicing "Capoeira", the central market full of fruits and vegetables, the botanical gardens with it's bats, a walk along the coast for a beer, the central train station that has a lovely bar that combines art travel and history with live music, and a rick-shaw ride. Sunday was spent in the fish market eating red grouper and huge prawns.

In between my "musts" which are practicing Portuguese and working on an online course, I will be posting somethings that seem very out of order. As long as internet is working, God willing.

Hoosiers in the Hamptons

It was cheaper with a stop over in NYC. I met up with my BFFs in the Hamptons for a weekend, pre-phase 2 of our move.





Thanks to E for being an amazing host!

Berchtesgaden

We have had quite a few visitors lately and I have been fortunate enough to be able to show them around the area. One place I try to take everyone is Berchesgaden.
Wikipedia has a nice summary of Berchtesgaden and important links so I won't bore you with things you can google yourself.
This particular Sunday there was a celebration of the opening of the new downtown pedestrian area. There was a band, food and 1 Euro beers!
Berctesgaden has two lovely studios that sell traditional hand crafts. After my mom gave me the hen and the set of egg cups, I contacted the pottery studio, Töpferei R. von Hoesslin, personally and requested that the other pieces be made to match. Each time we have had a visitor, I take them to Berchtesgaden and pick up a new piece!
I have collected a container for garlic (Knoblauch) and onion (Zwiebel). I also now have a butter container.
There is also a studio that does hand painted wooden items like ornaments, boxes, figurines. It is located right next to the pottery studio. I try to support the traditional art because I think it is important to keep these aspects of the culture alive.

Cleaning Out the Pantry

So we are getting ready for our 4th international move now. We are a month away from departure and already I am a month behind on my "things to do timeline", namely, the start cleaning out your pantry. Here is where I need to get creative. I hate wasting food, but the things I have left really require other ingredient investments (Wok Noodles: I went through all my Asian spices), are time consuming (Thai Spring Rolls: are delish but take all morning to make), or go a long way (Polenta: is one of those things that makes a lot and you get sick of having as a left over).

Then there are our random bottles of adult beverages. These usually get taken care of at one of our wild going away parties. Although the older we seem to get the less wild we seem to be, and the less willing we are to risk a hangover. Just looking at our collection, I am sure each one of the bottles comes with a headache.

We once had a huge amount of Rumtopf left over from Christmas that got consumed with champagne at my "Jody is leaving creature comforts behind" going away party. Made people leap tall buildings I believe.

One of the blogs I have been following Austin to Africa, Brasil to the Bay has had some really good postings about life as an expat, so I have sort of been inspired to ask everyone,

What is the most random thing left over in your pantry before a move?

and

Any ideas of how to use 250 g of polenta in two weeks?

Programming Note

We are getting ready to leave Zell am See. I have been so busy dealing with international relocation fun, that I really have not had the time to reflect and commit to this blog. I still have pictures from our trip to Croatia, Montenegro, and Albania, my tour through Germany with the in-laws, my sister and brother-in-law's visit. I have a feeling that once I get to where we are going, I will have some free time to reflect and share. Will probably have more fond memories too.

Because so many things in this world make sense, I leave you with a picture of my latest creation: cheddar-cheeseburger with BBQ sauce, and homemade onion rings.

Cute Towns with Mountains and a Lake Competition: Bled, Slovenia

I had read rave reviews about Bled and since we already live in a cute Alpine town with a lake, we had to go research and compare. Sure the lake was bigger, and there was a cute church on an island that you could boat too, plus there was a castle that overlooked the lake. There seemed to be a lot of great possibilities for hiking and at the time, the World Championship for rowing was being held there.

We did not stay the night, but we did grab a bite and walk around the lake.

A Post About Food

This year has been a hard year. But, I should be happy. I have my arms and legs. I have food. Although it appears as if this post was posted sometime in June of 2010, it was really posted in April of 2011, and just shows up out of order because that is how blogging operates. I suppose that is a good way to stay on track with things. I have plenty of other things I should be doing, writing at the moment seemed right, and I wanted to write about something that makes me happy other than alcohol.

Food.

Although food and alcohol do go well together.

Observe Exhibit A: Jausen stuff.

Oh how I miss the Jausen. Jausen is typical Alpine Austrian food. You find it at lovely places like Ebenbergalm. This fine meat and cheese selection is from a local farmer and was made in our very own Zell am See. The meat and cheese is served on a wooden plate, and is served with mustard, pickles and horseradish.

Exhibit B: Bauernbrot

Also made from the same local farmer who produced the meat and cheese selection as seen in exhibit A. Delish with a big pat of real butter, which is the only way to go in Austria.

Exhibit C: Pinzgauer Kasnocken, Hausgemacht

That is right people. Authentic Kasnocken made with the real Pinzgauer cheese that is only made in Pinzgau and only in a certain season. I even made the spaetzle homemade and fried the onions!

Exhibit D: Pinzgauer Kasnocken made by a real Pinzgauer

In a big pan for Jason's birthday. This was consumed with a million beers and somehow we managed to find our way down the mountain, but not without herding a few cows.

Exhibit E: Spargel Zeit

My sister and brother-in-law visited in the prime of white asparagus season. We took advantage by purchasing kilos of it and consuming it with equal amounts of hollandaise sauce. Peeling them was some work but well worth it!

When there are bad times in life it pays to think of good. Thank goodness for food and photos.