Tuesday, besides teaching two workshops and doing the Christian radio show, we participated in a teacher training meeting out in the hinterland. At the end of the event they presented us with two "ulous" (someone pls. check my spelling) which are like heavy scarfs made of beautiful material. We were told to wrap them around our family, and we did it. Then they took about a thousand photos. It was hot enough in the room without the scarfs wrapped around us and our bodies pressed together! We were dripping but it was a great deal of fun.
We sat up on a stage in front of all the teachers. The teachers were all very animated and enthusiastic. The guys in the black and white jackets are the leaders of the local teachers association. We led a session on lesson planning and made it about a third of the way through because the teachers were more interested in asking questions about American education in general.
The teacher meeting was held on the grounds of a local public school. The kids were precious.
Anywhere you go there are going to be a few boys that you imagine are up to a bit of mischief.
During the session many children peered through the windows or even walked in the door, as they were curious about this wild event.
Here's the box lunch that was provided. In the upper right, the mixture is of micro-fishes, some hot sauce, and peanuts. It was quite tasty. The lower right was some sort of minced gunk, lower left is green beans and jalepenos with the green beans being spicier than the peppers. There was also a mini banana and a banana leaf in the box.
Christian radio stars! Tuesday and Wednesday night we went with Berta to RM 107.7 for a one hour show. Jacob played some great songs, and also did a few duets with the Program Director, on the right. At the far left is the DJ and announcer. He asked us questions about our experiences in Siantar and also conveyed questions from listeners.
Tuesday night we went out with Berta for fried chinese noodles. This was one of my favorite meals so far.
Here we are with Berta enjoying our noodles.
Wednesday night after our second radio gig we treated Jacob to KFC. This is perhaps the only recognizable western chain restaurant in Siantar (hard to believe for a city of a quarter million). Just like anywhere else for the last two weeks, everyone stared at us. The table next to us was occupied by five giggly girls, who tried to be secretive in taking photos of Jacob. Finally Jacob went over and posed with them, one by one. We bought the "family special" bucket, which consisted of five or six pieces plus three rice balls wrapped up in paper like biscuits in America. We also got an order of percadle, which is a form of fried potato, sort of like a mushy hash brown patty.
Thursday we visited an orphanage sponsored by the HKI Church. The orphanage provides home and family for 42 kids. Most of them were at school when we visited this morning. It is a nice clean facility and the staff is extremely loving.
The head deaconess tries to coax some English out of the shy children from the orphanage. If there had been room in the van I'm sure Nancy would have wanted to take one or two home with us. We found out that adoption from the orphanage is not allowed, and the purpose of the orphanage is to raise the children until they complete senior high school. The family that put them up for adoption can "reclaim" their child if their family circumstances improve.
This is for Stephen Friedrich, the football and Jesus lover! This was on the wall of one of the boy's bed rooms.
The campus of the orphanage houses a small organic farm, consisting of a chicken house with about 50 chickens, and pig pens with three large pigs. They do not use chemicals or pesticides. The church is supporting an effort to educate small farmers in the methods of organic farming. Farmers growing particularly rice have used too much chemical fertilizer and pesticides over the years and it is causing a concern for the environment.
You have to love this pig! It even has pretty eyelashes!
We sat up on a stage in front of all the teachers. The teachers were all very animated and enthusiastic. The guys in the black and white jackets are the leaders of the local teachers association. We led a session on lesson planning and made it about a third of the way through because the teachers were more interested in asking questions about American education in general.
The teacher meeting was held on the grounds of a local public school. The kids were precious.
Anywhere you go there are going to be a few boys that you imagine are up to a bit of mischief.
During the session many children peered through the windows or even walked in the door, as they were curious about this wild event.
Here's the box lunch that was provided. In the upper right, the mixture is of micro-fishes, some hot sauce, and peanuts. It was quite tasty. The lower right was some sort of minced gunk, lower left is green beans and jalepenos with the green beans being spicier than the peppers. There was also a mini banana and a banana leaf in the box.
Christian radio stars! Tuesday and Wednesday night we went with Berta to RM 107.7 for a one hour show. Jacob played some great songs, and also did a few duets with the Program Director, on the right. At the far left is the DJ and announcer. He asked us questions about our experiences in Siantar and also conveyed questions from listeners.
Tuesday night we went out with Berta for fried chinese noodles. This was one of my favorite meals so far.
Here we are with Berta enjoying our noodles.
Wednesday night after our second radio gig we treated Jacob to KFC. This is perhaps the only recognizable western chain restaurant in Siantar (hard to believe for a city of a quarter million). Just like anywhere else for the last two weeks, everyone stared at us. The table next to us was occupied by five giggly girls, who tried to be secretive in taking photos of Jacob. Finally Jacob went over and posed with them, one by one. We bought the "family special" bucket, which consisted of five or six pieces plus three rice balls wrapped up in paper like biscuits in America. We also got an order of percadle, which is a form of fried potato, sort of like a mushy hash brown patty. 
Thursday we visited an orphanage sponsored by the HKI Church. The orphanage provides home and family for 42 kids. Most of them were at school when we visited this morning. It is a nice clean facility and the staff is extremely loving.
The head deaconess tries to coax some English out of the shy children from the orphanage. If there had been room in the van I'm sure Nancy would have wanted to take one or two home with us. We found out that adoption from the orphanage is not allowed, and the purpose of the orphanage is to raise the children until they complete senior high school. The family that put them up for adoption can "reclaim" their child if their family circumstances improve.
This is for Stephen Friedrich, the football and Jesus lover! This was on the wall of one of the boy's bed rooms.
The campus of the orphanage houses a small organic farm, consisting of a chicken house with about 50 chickens, and pig pens with three large pigs. They do not use chemicals or pesticides. The church is supporting an effort to educate small farmers in the methods of organic farming. Farmers growing particularly rice have used too much chemical fertilizer and pesticides over the years and it is causing a concern for the environment.
You have to love this pig! It even has pretty eyelashes!
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