There's Aidan sitting in the big birthday chair all proud...

Today Aidan made it to school although he wasn't feeling 100%. He really didn't want to "miss" his party... We had a fun little party with his classmates, who were all amazingly well behaved, and we played pin the tail on the donkey.

This afternoon, the woman who had come selling candy and who had previously lied to us, came back. Even though I purposely stood in the doorway, she still managed to worm her way just inside our house (all the while casing the joint). This behaviour is incredibly culturally improper as I did not invite her in. I thought she would come back selling candies like yesterday only this time she tried to sell me an ugly black purse and a pair of boots... yes, boots... I said to her,"Ibu, first of all, I'm moving to Papua, when would I wear boots there, and secondly, look at my feet, they are really small and those boots are big (there was no way I was going to put my feet in them to try...)." Then she told me that she really needed rice did I have any rice in the house. I said to her,"Ibu, I feel, well, you've already lied to me before, so I feel..." Then she says,"Offended? Sad?" I said, "Yes, I'm sorry, I'm not going to help you today." This woman is infamous in our area and is called the "Lipstick Lady" because she likes to wear this rather vibrant shade of pink lipstick. She is a notorious liar and has rather successfully pulled the wool over the eyes of numerous expats that have lived in this area. I'm not inclined to help those who lie. But from what I understand, Muslims are allowed to lie to infidels, Christians or other non-muslims, and it is not considered a sin.