Microscope

Another expat family in town had two microscopes(!) so they let us borrow one for a week.  The girls had a blast looking at various slides and anything else they could find - like pencil shavings, carpet lint and oregano.  Education full steam ahead!

Getting some education on

Jetlag has been conquered, and we're organized just enough - barely - to get started this week with the girl's home education.  A part of the history curriculum is Israel.  So Lori had the idea of making a salt-dough topographical map of Israel. (My map-master park ranger friend, Ian, would be proud.)  We'll eventually get around to painting and labeling it.  Here are some snapshots of the process:

Pictures from our window

After much running around for last-minute purchases and A LOT of packing, we finally arrived back in East Asia.  Upon arrival, our home was all in one piece, and even our beloved dwarf hamsters - Cookie and Scuffles - were here to welcome us.  (When the girls saw C&S, their shouts of joy echoed up and down the concrete stairwell ... and likely woke one or two neighbors.)

As we settled in, we observed some new things in the life of our apartment complex.

One was the garden/jungle across the way.  I could be wrong, but I think I heard neighbors speaking of a young boy being lost in it for three days.  He was found unharmed. ;)

Frequenting the concrete area outside has been two adolescent Muslim girls.  They've been practicing their badminton, and they were clearly enjoying themselves.  Perhaps they've been inspired by the London Olympics.  (And using my keen eye, they certainly weren't trying to lose.)  The only way I was able to differentiate them was by the color of their shoes - one with teal and one with pink.  Awesome.  Look forward to seeing you ladies in Rio!