The joy of reaching out.....

All the cooking yesterday for the 14 was well worth it!  The evening was enjoyable and the food really pretty good.  What we were missing....was any sort of salad so Bryan stopped at the hotel here and asked if they could put a small salad together and we buy it.....they mentioned $3.00 per person.....and we had 14 so very manageable.  When he went to pick it up he was shocked....they sent several containers of fresh tomatoes, green peppers, onions, and cucumbers all sliced and shredded carrots....and two mixed salads.....one with avocado, papaya and pineapple and the other pork, lobster and apples with some walnuts.....and wouldn't accept any payment......incredible.....and all of us were thrilled at this unexpected extra.......Today I am sending the sliced veggies to the neighbors to enjoy too.....too many to keep in my "Barbie" size fridge......  The chicken coconut curry was awesome and rice is always a great filler.....I was very happy how the stir fried cabbage turned out.  The only thing that wasn't so good were the brownies.....I saw on the internet a "make a mix" and then many cookies or bars could be made off that.....well they are so dry......but still the guys ate most of them.....  


It was such a little thing to cook for these workers and to give them a chance for a home cooked meal every once in a while.....they work so hard and are here without their families.....so it is a good thing to have reached out, I think. Perhaps that is why both Bryan and I are so glad we had that evening last night. 


Today we were able to get all the furniture and dishes returned to those I borrowed from.  I find the community here is always willing to share things from their homes and since all of us mostly have the same dishes and furniture, it makes it easy to supplement.


Our next door neighbor bought an 8 kg red snapper today and we split it.  It is so fresh and good looking.  Bryan was a fisherman as a kid and knows well how to clean and fillet it.  This will certainly add to the protein sources for us.  


Ms Kitty continues to be such a wonderful source of enjoyment with her feline antics......Her most favorite is when a fly will venture into the house....she will stalk it for a long time and finally catch it.  In the evenings she sits by the window and watches the geckos outside.  I'm sure she would love to be able to hunt one of those too but they remain outside to catch mosquitoes and other bugs......and out of her reach.  


I am amazed that we have been here in Soyo for more than two months already.   It seems in some ways that we have been here longer but then in others, like we have just arrived.  I continue to be really thankful that I am here and to anticipate what each new day will bring.