Bits and Bites...

I tried to post this yesterday already but alas the internet was not cooperating...

*Yesterday I bravely asked Ritha if she would ever consider marrying again. She said that she would rather not. And not because she really really loved her husband and couldn’t imagine being married to anyone else. No, she’d rather get married because about 85% (I’m very much guestimating) of the guys here are not faithful to their wives. Ritha doesn’t even know one single couple around here whose marriage hasn’t been touched by infidelity. Can you imagine??
Now that her husband is dead, his family wants her to marry another guy in their family that is also a widower with children. Ritha refused as she knows that combining two families is a very difficult thing, especially here. In addition, she doesn’t really know the guy. So because she refused to marry into the family again, in June they are going to discuss whether or not one of her children has to live with another family related to her husband. The thing is that her husband’s family basically bought her way back when they first got “married” so they kind of “own” Ritha. What a terrible situation! Ritha feels very sad about this and is rather sick and tired of her in-laws cultural traditions. (remember the 40 days of being stuck in the house and having to put up with the women and children sleeping at her house each night…) Please remember this little family in your prayers.
*Ice had a boyfriend a little while back. After some discussion with her I found out that he had forced her to do somethings she didn't want to. I feel so bad for the women here as this, again, is the norm. Women are only a object to be used by men as they desire. This "boyfriend" has gone to Wamena to study there and in the meantime Ice has changed her cell phone number so that he can't get a hold of her anymore. Ironically, her dad was angry about this boyfriend but not so much because he wasn't a good guy, but because he feels that he should choose her husband for her... Oh man....
*Hugo has made it safely to Medan where he is staying with our Kiwi friends from language school in Bandung. Tomorrow he will fly to Meulaboh where he will begin the installation on the aircraft. (He is already in Meulaboh and has started working...)
*This morning the kids gave me their gifts that they had made in school. Hugo gave me an alarm clock… hmmm… does that mean something?? Actually, I told him that that’s what I would like and there is a new kiosk in the mall that actually sells good ones. Of course it’s not a plug in digital one, they are non-existent here. In Bandung we were only ever able to find one digital plug-in the wall alarm clock. It comes complete with a thermometer and it plays a tune every time the power comes back on after it's been off… thankfully it stops doing that after 10pm…
*Wishing all you mom’s out there a Happy Mother’s Day! May God give you all you need to do your beautiful task!