Life in a Taxi (Vol. 2)

Welcome to "Life in a Taxi."  If you missed Volume 1, and you want to check it out, click HERE.

Here we have the warm fuzzies.  

I must say the car feels extra warm on a summer day when I'm sitting on a thick blanket.

This gentleman chose to cover his seats with a simple, white, cotton sheet.

And this one has a seat covered in doshak/curtain material.  Remember when I went shopping for that last year?

Here, Kylie demonstrates with her finger so you can see the vacuum suction on the roof.

 I'll leave you with one more warm fuzzy.

See you next time on "Life in a Taxi, " seeing as I spend quite a bit of time there.

"Look Mom, Grass!"

You know you live in the desert, when your child gets overly excited about seeing grass.

However, I can't blame her. 

Cool, green grass is a beautiful thing. 

Especially on your toes.

We were at a car dealership looking at vehicles.  Keira and I went outside a little before Doug, and she said, "Look Mom, grass!  Can I play in it?"

I said, "Absolutely."

She giggled and oohed and ahhed when the cool, long blades curled around her sandals and hit her feet.

 She ran back and forth.

 Oops.  Stop.  Smell the roses.

Ok.  Run some more.

Basically, this is a service announcement for you to remind you not to take grass for granted, and a service announcement for me so I will take my daughter to the park more often!

Dinner AND a Show

The last time we tried dinner and a movie on the roof was New Year's Eve.  It was FREEZING!

We decided to try it again on a nice Spring evening, and it was wonderful weather.  Doug had some material sewn together in the market, and we propped it up with our Christmas tree pole.

Doug had a nice fire going, and it made a perfect romantic atmosphere for the Chick Flick....

 "The Lego Batman Movie."  😄

After a long week, all of us fell asleep during the movie except Doug.  He helped carry Keira downstairs, and Caleb and Karis got up and walked down.  I slept with Kylie on the roof until 3am, and then my hip was feeling the cement more than I would like, so I headed down.

The morning after, I went up to check on Kylie.

The fire was out

and so was Kylie.

The sun comes up around 4:30am, so I was impressed that she was still sleeping.

Dinner and a show #2:  Successful

Things I see (Vol. 1)

At random times during my life here, I think to myself, "That's different."  

So before life gets too commonplace, I thought I would start sharing things that grabbed my attention during our first year here.

Like, it's really difficult to tell what you bought and what you paid for each item at a store.  

I still read this script really slow, so it would take me all day to translate my grocery receipt.

This truck of mattresses reminded me of Africa.  I think it's still "different" for me, because in America, the products carried by a semi are usually hidden INSIDE a container.

Usually the women here wear long, black abayas (full-body robe type clothing).  

 (Here's a group of 5 women headed to the market)

Because of that, this red Santa hoodie really made this lady stand out in the bread line one night.

 A truck, driving down the road, carrying material for dresses
 

There he goes!

Get your new, dust-covered material for your next holiday outfit right here!

Garage Sale on Steriods

Well, I've shown you pictures of the bazaar near our house, but I don't think I've shown you pictures of a bigger bazaar in town. 

I have been there over seven times, and I STILL haven't seen the whole thing.  It goes on and on and on.  

Some of the items are used, but most are new.  I find it a fascinating place to go.

For example, we weren't sure we could find roller blades in this country, but here they are.

Who knew this even existed?  We were shocked to see Kylie's name all over the place.  I'm guessing this is "in" in America...

Sports shoes/gear

Overwhelming sometimes.

Well, if you're gonna sell one item, make sure it's a cute shirt...

What in the world?!

One of 6 or 7 toy stalls. 
It's basically hunt and find. 
There's always a man sitting in the shop trying to fix broken toys he's received.
Most of these toys have been owned and loved by someone and now they are up for re-sale.
The one exception is the LOADS of McDonald's toys that somehow make their way over here.

That is Doug's hand, and one giant fish!

Need some pots?

The one thing that does drive me a little crazy is the lack of organization.
It's like shopping at TJ Maxx or Ross, which are also not my favorite.

Why build shelves when you can use the floor to display your merchandise?

I didn't even photograph the curtains, fabric, bedding, children's clothes, kitchen wares, dishes, camping equipment, cobblers sewing shoes, plastic flowers, baskets, food, under-clothes, high heel shoes, carpet, etc. etc.  It goes on and on and on.

Let me know if you want to go sometime, and I'll be glad to take you :)

Party With a Few Friends

This year, for Newroz (March 20), the weather wasn't so great.  Many picnics were cancelled on the actual day and the rest of the week because of rain.  However, the day before Newroz, big celebrations were going on around the country.

We heard there was a shindig downtown and another at a park, so we decided to taxi to the one in the park, and see what was going on.  Caleb was at soccer practice, so it was up to the rest of us to capture the moment.

Well, there were Christmas lights everywhere.

There was a stage with speeches and dancers and singers.

There was a seating area built over the water.

And there were people!

Everywhere!

We decided to fit in with everyone else and take a selfie.  It's the rule to live by here.

The focus of the evening was this tower that had wood for a bonfire built on top..

In this picture, taken later in the evening, you can see a man climbing down after making sure all was well up top.

There was also a small bonfire built behind us on a large rock.

Newroz is all about the light of a fire.

I confess that I have been told the story once about why the fire in the mountains is significant, but for the life of me, I can't remember now. 

I saw this framed photo at a recent book fair, and I took a picture of it to show you how the fire is lit in the mountains.

Zoomed in.

There were torches present at the park, as well.

Finally, after a long wait, and a nasty trip to the bathroom (where Keira and I were asked to take pictures outside with a family of 6 one-by-one!), the fire tower was finally lit.

(incidentally, I had pictures of the bathroom, but I think I'll spare you)

Immediately after the tower was lit, there was a huge fireworks display.  

Much bigger than December 31 (since this is their New Year's).

When we first arrived, we didn't know what to expect or that we would be standing in a crowd for over two hours.  We listened to music and speeches in a language that we don't understand all that well, and we made some fun and interesting memories.  A few men came up to talk to Doug, take selfies with him, and get his contact information, but the rest of the evening was just about observing those around us.

However, immediately after the fireworks, we started making our way to the exit.  

It felt very similar to exiting an A&M football stadium after a game.  Moo!  Moo!

After a 30 minute walk, we found a taxi, and we made it home safely.  Happy late Newroz!