Saturday, March 12, 2016
Catching Up
Sorry for not posting in so long, but we've been just a little bit busy with baby Ella. Here's some pictures of her first two months.
Friday, November 20, 2015
That New Car Smell
Because we didn't relish the idea of standing outside in the cold and waiting for a taxi with an infant, then riding around in said taxi with no car seat or seat belts, we decided to get a car. This, of course, has not been an easy task, nor a pleasant one.
First obstacle: the funds. Jordan's import taxes are so high that cars here cost about twice what they would back in the US. Add to this the fact that the government here thinks that foreign nationals shouldn't be able to buy cars more than 5 years old, and you come up with a very expensive answer: you need at least $15,000 in order to buy a car! A small, used, no-frills car. This is both good and bad: prices are high, but cars keep their value for a very long time. So we started saving back in March, got most of the way to our goal, and then took a pay advance from work to cap us off. Whew!
Second obstacle: a drivers licence. This was a multi-day, multi-office, multi-headache affair. After getting directions for how expats could get a Jordanian drivers license (without which you can drive, but you will be ticketed if you aren't in a car with rental plates), we headed out, only to find that they had changed the process about 2 weeks earlier. Here's how it worked for me. Go to first office, get told to go to another office. Go to second office (miles away) to fill out papers, get told papers go back to the first office to be signed and won't come back for 2 weeks, or I can personally pick them up after 4 or 5 days. Take off work to go to first office to pick up papers early, the guy who signs them doesn't come to work, and the day is wasted. Have a friend pick them up the next day. Take off work again to go to a third office (miles away from either of the other two) to get the actual license, get there and told one spot wasn't filled out completely and we need to go back. Go back to first office, get told we should take it to the second office, but then they complete it anyway. Go back to third office and finally (finally) present my documents, take the eye exam (what a joke!), pay the fee, and get my license printed. Whew!
Third obstacle: buying the car. Another multi-day affair. Went with one friend to look and wasn't very pleased. Went with another friend from work and found one that we liked; the car was nice, if not the price. Went back to get the car inspected and work out payment. However, to buy a car here one must again provide a boat load of paperwork (passport, drivers license, work permit), and our work permits are out of date (our employer is "working on it" currently), so we have to wait to get the official title. Meanwhile, we paid the down payment, and the car dealer still has insurance on the car, so we are driving it. Whew!
Our 2012 Kia Rio:
First obstacle: the funds. Jordan's import taxes are so high that cars here cost about twice what they would back in the US. Add to this the fact that the government here thinks that foreign nationals shouldn't be able to buy cars more than 5 years old, and you come up with a very expensive answer: you need at least $15,000 in order to buy a car! A small, used, no-frills car. This is both good and bad: prices are high, but cars keep their value for a very long time. So we started saving back in March, got most of the way to our goal, and then took a pay advance from work to cap us off. Whew!
Second obstacle: a drivers licence. This was a multi-day, multi-office, multi-headache affair. After getting directions for how expats could get a Jordanian drivers license (without which you can drive, but you will be ticketed if you aren't in a car with rental plates), we headed out, only to find that they had changed the process about 2 weeks earlier. Here's how it worked for me. Go to first office, get told to go to another office. Go to second office (miles away) to fill out papers, get told papers go back to the first office to be signed and won't come back for 2 weeks, or I can personally pick them up after 4 or 5 days. Take off work to go to first office to pick up papers early, the guy who signs them doesn't come to work, and the day is wasted. Have a friend pick them up the next day. Take off work again to go to a third office (miles away from either of the other two) to get the actual license, get there and told one spot wasn't filled out completely and we need to go back. Go back to first office, get told we should take it to the second office, but then they complete it anyway. Go back to third office and finally (finally) present my documents, take the eye exam (what a joke!), pay the fee, and get my license printed. Whew!
Third obstacle: buying the car. Another multi-day affair. Went with one friend to look and wasn't very pleased. Went with another friend from work and found one that we liked; the car was nice, if not the price. Went back to get the car inspected and work out payment. However, to buy a car here one must again provide a boat load of paperwork (passport, drivers license, work permit), and our work permits are out of date (our employer is "working on it" currently), so we have to wait to get the official title. Meanwhile, we paid the down payment, and the car dealer still has insurance on the car, so we are driving it. Whew!
Our 2012 Kia Rio:
Saturday, October 24, 2015
Baby Henke
After 6 years of marriage we decided we had waited long
enough. It was time to try to have a family. We found out that I was pregnant
when we were traveling in Turkey during the Spring Holy Days 2015.
My pregnancy has been quite smooth so far. In my first
trimester, I really didn’t feel like eating but would eat because I knew I
needed to. I would take 2 hour naps after work and then be in bed no later than
9pm. Darren found this stage of pregnancy very boring.
As I entered my second trimester, I changed my doctor and
made an appointment to see her a week before we were to travel to the states to
visit family and friends for the summer. Darren had to work, so I asked Chelsea
if she would come with me to my appointment. We got to see the baby and Chelsea
was very surprised that I couldn’t feel the baby moving around inside of me yet.
The little thing was very active. It wasn’t till I was 18 weeks that I started
to feel little bumps and flutters. I didn’t really start to show until 20+
weeks. When we were visiting my family, my little sister threw me a baby shower
which supplied me with almost everything I will need for the first few months!
My mom also took me shopping for maternity clothes, for which I am very
thankful. I’m just glad it all fit into
our suitcases.
Darren and I decided to not find out if Baby will be a boy
or a girl. It is funny when people ask what I’m having and I tell them I don’t
know. The responses range from very supportive to not understanding why, with
all this technology to tell you, you would refuse to know. Almost everyone
guesses what I will have after I tell them that I don’t know. The score is even,
so I will either have a boy or a girl.
I just started into my third trimester when we left for the
Feast. We traveled to South Africa. My doctor wasn’t very thrilled with such a
long flight at this stage, but everything looked good to her, so she gave me
permission to fly. We had an amazing time! We spent the 3 days before the Feast
on a game reserve and saw lots of amazing animals. Then we traveled down to
Margate to spend time with brethren during the Feast of Tabernacles. The only difficult
part of traveling is that you can never just check off a country. You almost
always have a desire to go back. God willing, someday we will go back to South Africa
and see some more of the beautiful country and reconnect with the amazing
people that we met.
I am currently at 32 weeks. I haven’t gained much weight,
and I don’t look pregnant all over, just in the front (some say this means I’m
having a boy). Baby is very active. Almost every day Darren gets to feel the
baby move. I get up to use the restroom a few times in the night. I love my
pregnant pillow that my cousin Emily gave me. Well, it is just a body pillow,
but it has really helped me to sleep these last few weeks. Darren likes my
pillow too, so I try to share with him. I have to have snacks in my drawer at
work to keep me from becoming cranky or sad. Food at this stage is very
important to me.
We only have 2 months left before our baby joins us. My due date is December 14th.
At this
stage, I feel quite large, but Darren assures me that I look beautiful. I have
enjoyed my pregnancy so far, and I’m very glad that I have had a relatively
easy one compared to some stories I have heard.
Saturday, October 17, 2015
What You Missed
So...we've been off of the blog for way too long. And we've got way too much to re-cap in detail, so for those who may not already know, here's the really quick version.
Trip to Jerusalem in June - Pictures are already in the Photo Gallery.
Trip home over the summer - Visited family in MO and WA.
Did some sightseeing in Frankfurt on our way back to Jordan.
Trip to Jerusalem in June - Pictures are already in the Photo Gallery.
Trip home over the summer - Visited family in MO and WA.
Did some sightseeing in Frankfurt on our way back to Jordan.
New volunteers from FOI. Visit their blogs at:
Crystal: abradleyabroad.wordpress.com
Johnathan: johnathaninjordan.wordpress.com
Trip to South Africa for a safari and the Feast of Tabernacles.
And the biggest news of all...Baby Henke comes in December!
Saturday, April 25, 2015
Spring Holy Day Tour
This year we were blessed with the opportunity to accompany the volunteers to Turkey for the beginning of the Spring Holy Days. We had a full week of discovery and adventure ahead of us.
Day 1: Athens
We had a 7-hour layover in Athens, which is enough time to get on the metro and do a 3 hour tour of the city. We were able to see the Acropolis and Mars Hill, then grab lunch and gelato and get on the next metro back to the airport!
We made it to Istanbul a few hours before sunset. This gave us enough time to have dinner and then get ready to keep the Passover.
Day 2: Istanbul
We were only able to spend 5 hours in the city. We drove into the old city, saw some of the sights, and went to the archaeological museum. We didn't get to stay long, but what we were able to see was beautiful and has left us with a desire to go back.
We then caught a flight to Izmir and rented a van to drive to our condo in Kusadasi. We arrived, with some difficulty, after dark and took a recommendation for a restaurant, all making for a night that will definitely be remembered!
Day 3: Kusadasi
We had a wonderful 1st Day of Unleavened Bread. After services and a snack, we headed down to the water front and took a stroll. We enjoyed exploring the area and watching the sunset.
We then set off to find a place to eat dinner. The food was fabulous! We want to go back to Turkey to eat more of their delicious food!
Day 4: Laodicea and Pamukkale
After breakfast, we headed out to our next destination. It took us about 3 hours to reach the historic remains and active excavation sight of Laodicea.
After some time for exploration, we drove over to nearby Pamukkale, which is also called the "cotton castle." Here we enjoyed walking in the hot springs and swimming in the mineral bath. This is also the location of the ancient city of Hieropolis. We didn't go through much of the ruins because we were having too much fun swimming in the ancient bath house!
Day 5: Ephesus
The ancient city of Ephesus was only 20 minutes from our condo. This morning we took a trip to see it. The highlights were the library, some excavated Roman upper-class condos, and the Temple of Artemis, one of the 7 Ancient Wonders (of which nearly nothing is left).
Day 6: Priene and Miletus
Two ancient Greco-Roman cities about an hour south, sister cities to Ephesus, Priene and Miletus were port cities which now lie some ways inland because of the silting up of the bay. Both were nice in their own ways: Priene was better preserved and had a great view, and Miletus has one of the largest and complete Roman theaters in Turkey.
Day 7: Travel home
Our time in Kusadasi done, we began our long trek home: drive to the airport, fly to Istanbul, fly to Athens, wait for hours, fly to Amman, taxi to our apartment - about 19 hours altogether.
What a trip: seeing great Ottoman monumental architecture, visiting the same cities in west-central Asia minor as the Apostle Paul, having delicious Turkish food, and receiving spiritual insight during the Days of Unleavened Bread!
Day 1: Athens
We had a 7-hour layover in Athens, which is enough time to get on the metro and do a 3 hour tour of the city. We were able to see the Acropolis and Mars Hill, then grab lunch and gelato and get on the next metro back to the airport!
We made it to Istanbul a few hours before sunset. This gave us enough time to have dinner and then get ready to keep the Passover.
Day 2: Istanbul
We were only able to spend 5 hours in the city. We drove into the old city, saw some of the sights, and went to the archaeological museum. We didn't get to stay long, but what we were able to see was beautiful and has left us with a desire to go back.
 |
| Hagia Sophia |
We then caught a flight to Izmir and rented a van to drive to our condo in Kusadasi. We arrived, with some difficulty, after dark and took a recommendation for a restaurant, all making for a night that will definitely be remembered!
Day 3: Kusadasi
We had a wonderful 1st Day of Unleavened Bread. After services and a snack, we headed down to the water front and took a stroll. We enjoyed exploring the area and watching the sunset.
We then set off to find a place to eat dinner. The food was fabulous! We want to go back to Turkey to eat more of their delicious food!
Day 4: Laodicea and Pamukkale
After breakfast, we headed out to our next destination. It took us about 3 hours to reach the historic remains and active excavation sight of Laodicea.
After some time for exploration, we drove over to nearby Pamukkale, which is also called the "cotton castle." Here we enjoyed walking in the hot springs and swimming in the mineral bath. This is also the location of the ancient city of Hieropolis. We didn't go through much of the ruins because we were having too much fun swimming in the ancient bath house!
Day 5: Ephesus
The ancient city of Ephesus was only 20 minutes from our condo. This morning we took a trip to see it. The highlights were the library, some excavated Roman upper-class condos, and the Temple of Artemis, one of the 7 Ancient Wonders (of which nearly nothing is left).
Day 6: Priene and Miletus
Two ancient Greco-Roman cities about an hour south, sister cities to Ephesus, Priene and Miletus were port cities which now lie some ways inland because of the silting up of the bay. Both were nice in their own ways: Priene was better preserved and had a great view, and Miletus has one of the largest and complete Roman theaters in Turkey.
Day 7: Travel home
Our time in Kusadasi done, we began our long trek home: drive to the airport, fly to Istanbul, fly to Athens, wait for hours, fly to Amman, taxi to our apartment - about 19 hours altogether.
What a trip: seeing great Ottoman monumental architecture, visiting the same cities in west-central Asia minor as the Apostle Paul, having delicious Turkish food, and receiving spiritual insight during the Days of Unleavened Bread!
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