Update Via Autumn

I know it's not the same but I was able to talk to Emily for close to a half hour today and wanted to update everyone on how she is doing.


Emily is doing well and sounded really good (despite the cold and possible parasite). She has started taking medicine and is already feeling better than yesterday. She said she goes out into town about once a week. She has been to church (International Evangelical Church) twice and really loves it. Two weeks ago she couldn't go because as she was walking out the door one boy broke his arm and she spent all day at 4 clinics trying to get him fixed up. Then last week she was planning on it but didn't make it... "I" (our 8 year old brother), "A" (our 10 year old brother), Emily and A's uncle (who is a pastor) went out to get a taxi and couldn't find one. I guess there were tons of taxis but no contracted drivers so every taxi was missing a driver. There was one guy who was a driver but he was missing an entire tire. He was trying to get Emily and the three boys into his 3-wheeled taxi. She refused and all the other people standing around were laughing at this guy who was trying to talk the white girl into something so stupid. I guess he didn't give up easily despite only having 3 tires. So...they didn't make it to church.

"A" hangs out with Emily a lot. Yesterday for example he came to her room and just plopped on the bed. She asked what was wrong and he said he was sick of the little kids. So they just hung out and talked then watched a movie together. Each day during nap time the 4 big kids ("A", "I" and 2 others) crowd on Em's bed and watch a movie on her laptop. They have run out of movies even though she has bought quite a few pirated ones (shhhh) so yesterday they watched The Office. They didn't understand much but really liked it and were glad to be watching something different. Both A and I are bummed she doesn't have the Spiderman movie. They both LOVE spiderman and the color red. Emily asked what they wanted their room like. They said they each wanted their own bed (not one big bed to share) and reiterated how much they love spiderman. Crazy to think that the BEST room a these boys can imagine is one in which they get their own bed.

Emily was trying to explain Christmas to A. She said it was really hard because he has never received a present before. She started giving him examples and asking him what things he would like for gifts. She asked him clothes, games, a bicycle? I guess when she said bicycle he got this look in his eyes of complete amazement. She said the level of excitement and unbelief that he might have a bicycle made her so sad she almost started crying.

On Monday she went out into town by herself for the first time. She said she was a little nervous but she went to Philippa's (an Australian nurse who has befriended her) house (about 1/2 hour away) but she had been there before so she knew where she was going. Philippa and her two daughters and Emily went out Christmas shopping and had a really good time. She said there are a couple of grocery stores for foreigners. One is called Bambi's and it has everything but it is far away from her house. The other is right by Philippa's house. She said they also have tons of stuff. Everything is imported from the Middle East so it has Arabic writing but she did recognize corn flakes. Philippa was going to pick her up some peanut butter because she has already run out.

Emily is planning on going to the internet cafe tomorrow and will be checking her e-mail then and hopefully sending out another blog post.

Love,
Autumn

Also, Emily has a cell phone but can't use calling cards to call out. We can use calling cards to call her though. If anyone wants to buy a calling card to give her a call let me know and I will pass along her number.