Things that are Different: Cockroach control

I'd like to start a series in this blog called "Things that are Different" about our life here, compared to our life back in the states. Today I'll focus on cockroach prevention.

Our home had a lot of cockroaches when we moved in. After we had been here a week or so and plugged up their main entrance hole, their numbers decreased dramatically. However, quite a few of our kitchen drawers and bedroom cupboards were still inhabited. It was freaky and nauseating to open a drawer and see fast skittering of long wavy antennae and thorny legs. These guys are frequently 1 1/2 inches long.

One day I went to war and almost completely dismantled the dish cabinet, removing shelves, pulling out drawers and completely flipping the large piece of furniture upside down. I won't tell you what I found underneath, but it felt very satisfying to clean it. Everything was scrubbed with bleach and many roaches died under my broom that day. While waiting for the wood to dry I did some research on Wikipedia about cockroaches.

Here are some of the less than appetizing facts I learned:
1. A cockroach can survive submerged in water for 30 minutes.
2. He can also survive without food for 1 month.
3. He likes dark places only inhabited by many other cockroaches.

But there was a good thing too! I read that in Singapore, the taxi drivers use an herb in their car to keep the roaches away. You see, there are many roach sprays and poisons available here to keep the roaches at bay, but I don't want to have those in the same house with my infant. So sure enough I found out this herb, called pandan wangi, is available in our local market! It's used in curry dishes and only costs 50 cents a bundle!

So we've been using it for over a month now and so far no roaches in any of the places where we're using the herb! Amazing! And thank you Lord for creating a natural, non-poisonous solution to our roach problem!

Here is a picture of the fabulous herb, pandan wangi! Oh, and it smells wonderful too!

Life in Our New City -- Part 1

Disclaimer: This Blog is Still Under Construction!!

It's been over a week since we arrived in our new town. We don't yet have internet at the house, so it's been a challenge for Jenn to get to a connected computer what with Jonathan's naptimes and night time and everything.

Here's a picture of the house we are living in now. The first house we were assigned really wasn't ready to live in yet. We only lived there for one night -- it had NO cockroaches but lots of dirt and needed some essential repairs. We were so grateful that the school quickly offered us another house which was very clean and study but has many cockroaches. At first Jenn asked Dave to stomp on them because they make a horrible sound when squished. After a few deays, Jenn is now brae do to the deed herself with a broom handle. She yells during the kill to cover the unpleasant sound. Fortunately we found the main cockroach entrance and plugged it, which decreased their number at least 80%. The next step is to shop for boric acid, which when mixed with onions, sugar, flour, and milk makes a "cockroach cookie" that is will scare them away for 6 months. The book says the recipe is 100% effective -- I'll let you know!

We have so many blessings here. The weather is always warm but not as sweltering as Dave had feared. It's supposed to be dry season now, but it's rained several times. The locals are worried because it's messing up the crop cycles and driving up the food prices in the market. In our house we have 4 ceiling fans and a wall fan in the kitchen. The floors are tile throughout. We have hot water n the bathroom and sometimes in the kitchen. The school provides a regular ample supply of drinking water. Electricity is good -- the power has only gone out a few times for about an hour in the mid-morning. We were so blessed to be able to buy a used washing machine from a family who is leaving town. Thank you Lord! Someday soon I will do a room-by-room tour for those of you who are interested!

Our neighborhood is mostly Javanese. There are at least 5 mosques within a 1/4 mile radius of our home. The all perform the call to prayer over loud speaker 5 times a day. It's not too bothersome -- actually sometimes I think it's beautiful depending on the talent of the singer. It would be nice if we Christians did something similar. They start around 5 am and at this time of year the last call is around 8:30 pm. The times change as the Muslim calender year progresses. I have heard that when Ramadan (the Muslim fasting month) starts, they sing almost all night long.

There is another American teacher family 2 hourses down from us. They have 3 small children with another on the way. We expect to be good friends with them. Also there are 2 Korean families on our street. They do not speak Indonesian or English, so we can't communicate much with them yet.

The school community has been so supportive and helpful and kind! The first night we were here, dinner was brought to us. The next 4 nights, different school families invited us over for dinner! This was a life-saver because Jenn definately wasn't ready to put together a meal yet and we didn't know where any of the safe eating joints are! Another mom took Jenn shopping twice in the first few days to get essentials for life. We were so pleasantly surprised to find there is a lot available here in town -- including delicious whet breat that can be delivered to our house every Tuesday for a good price! There is also a delicious high fiber red rice we've been enjoying.

We are about 4 minutes walking distance from the school, all on stroller-friendly quiet side roads or sidewalk. Jenn can easily take Jonathan to campus! This is a wonderful answer to prayer -- Thank you Lord!

After the first few days of taking care of details, Dave has been going to school every day to prepare for the new school year. Today (July 29) is the first day of new teacher orientation. Students arrive on August 9 and school starts on August 10.

We so thankful to be here. Sometimes while we're laying in bed under the ceiling fan, listening to the call to prayer, we're amazed that God has brought us here together. It's a dream come true and an affirmation of God's call on our lives as a family.

Until next time!