Namastashi Joshi,

Matt and I just had a very enjoyable morning...Its yet another holiday...."Bank Holiday" here. Which means there's no point to getting up early and getting a jump on calling out to all the recruiters/offices you've been in contact with the previous few days because....no ones at work. So, we stayed in our room sleeping/reading and playing with the three monkies we brought over with us....jake, capuchin and sir monkalot.... What can I say, its cheep entertainment.

So we were about to head out to the National Museum of History because we keep trying to see it and we've always been too late (it closes kinda early), when our host/landlady says "what, you don't want to try the bread?"....so not wanting to be rude, we say "bread? what bread?" and proceed to take off our shoes (its a no shoes house, also customary) and shed our coats and hats, and walk back into the house. This time, not towards our room, but to the warm and odifurous kitchen, where we find two Indian guys and a Pakistani (the latter being Cherry the Chineese ladies husband Khan) making a late traditional Indian breakfast. Yum. The baby, Haaris, was still sleeping.

So, regardless of our plans, we spent an hour or so sitting around the table (we were told we were supposed to be sitting on the floor, but there wasn't enough room, with the, um, table, in the way), eating hot off the specialized griddle naan type bread which you rip a chunk off of, and use as a spoon to tear bites of the egg omlete and the other egg/tomato/onion/garam masala concoction. All of which was prepared with pure butter, not the kind you buy in the box at the store. And then the guy (Malik or Deshan, I'm not sure which) made us all cups of tea to go with. Oh, the yum of it all....Kinda funny, Khan cooks pretty often because he gets tired of Cherry's chineese-ish cooking all of the time. Her style of food is pretty bland because thats how the local food from Hazoo, China is. He craves the spice of his native food. I guess the haven't thought to swap recepies yet. I told them that I had said I was going to come home knowing how to make some fantastic potatoes because, well, I'm in Ireland, and now instead I'm going to go home with a leg up on everyon else's naan. Got a good laugh for that.

Then we had an interesting history lesson about the nature of India/Pakistan/China/Afganistan and the relationships thereof. Ever heard that there's a place where the above countries converge, and the tribes that used to dominate these two mounatin range peaks above the valley that connected them (don't ask me for names...) had warred against eachother from time immemorial. One year (the Brittish had come on the scence by then), they descided to have an annual polo match instead of an annual war. Just seemed easlier that way. And at this game, they would aire all of their complaints against eachother and solve their problems, instead of killing one another. It worked out so well that they still hold the game annually and they still use it as a chance to make peace with eachother over governmental issues. Khan's father was o governor of a small town for a while, so he was involved. They say that its a great tourist location still. Its the worlds highest polo field, being in the Hymalayas somewhere, situated between towering snow-capped mountains and next to a crystaline lake, above the grassy slopes leading down to the villages. I told Matt we need to go there some day, and then they told us about the narrow road that leads up to it. They said there are parts of the road that are so narrow, the driver can't get out on his side for fear of the cliff next to him, and the passenger can't move, due to the ravine on his side. So they crawl out the back. Thats why they all drive jeeps...I'm not as hyped to visit anymore.

I glanced at the TV that was playing the local horse race for today, and realized, contrary to all evidence present, we are still sitting in Ireland. It was pooring rain when we woke up, although it wasn't that cold. Half an hour later the sun came out and stayed bright long enough for us to have our educational breakfast, and then rained on us all the way to the internet place. Thats right, its sunny again, and we're sitting inside again....The weather prompted discusions again on all of our "native" homes, and the weather there. Then all of the different types of traditional breakfasts in the States. Have you ever tried to describe what grits are to someone who's never heard of "The South"? I think I got the idea across. Matt enjoyed conveying the wonder that is country biscutts and gravey.

So, we made ourselves too late to get a good look at the National History Museum. We could still go, but we wouldn't have time to do it justice. So we'll leave that for another day.

Matt's sitting across from me doing some interesting research on wheather or not he can claim Italian citizenship through his Italian grandmother on his dad's side. Its kind of a long stretch, but it would be cool nonetheless. I don't think it would come through soon enough to be of any help to us in the search for an easy way to get work permits and so jobs, but its something to do on a bank holiday when no one's in the office, at any rate. I've been told that my being a 5th generation (maybe I'm 4th....) American is actually a little rare. Matt's a 2nd gen-er and thats going to hopefully turn to our benefit. I don't know if I get to have honorary Italian citizenship through marriage, if Matt gets it, but that would constitute us as E.U. Nationals, thus make me legal to work without having to take the extra step (and time) to also be a student. Thus making it that much easier to stay in the pioneer realms. I'm still hopeful of that too. Especially since we've found the congregation we are now attending and its a 10 minute bus ride away.

Pray for us, we are praying for you too.
All of ya.

Namaste

p.s. I snuck a peek at our hosts mail, and have corrected our address to be as it appears on their letters...I also corrected it on my previous post, but here it is anyway:
The Coachworks
#8 Synge Lane D8
Dublin, Ireland