Tofu

Hello. Garth and I went on a field trip yesterday with the 1st and 2nd graders to the tofu factory. I must say that I learned a lot about tofu. The soybeans they use here to make the tofu are from the States, Texas I think. The soybeans here produce tofu with a bitter taste. So they buy the beans from you. This factory that we went to makes 3,000 blocks of tofu a day and they sell them in pasars and markets around Sentani. The workers start at 2 am and work until 10 am. It was very stinky, wet, dirty, hot and really gross. There were cob webs and dirty rags all over the place. I usually buy tofu at the market, but now that I have seen where it comes from…I am not sure. The kids had a good time and were able to taste some tofu cracker spread after the tour. Sophie had to spit hers in the grass because she was dry-heaving. Ha ha.
Our days lately have been very long and hot. For some reason the heat has been hanging thick in the air and coating us in constant sweat. With only 7 weeks left of school the kids are scrambling to get projects and tests done. Emma has had a hard time this year with tests and was very excited to tell us that she got a 100 % on her Science test today. Sophie continues to amaze me at her love for learning. When we go to the library she will get a stack of chapter books and then a pile of “learning” books- like The Statue of Liberty and How Plants Grow. She was all excited that she knew some of the answers on Emma’s science test. I always tape up pages from magazines in the bathroom so they have something productive to read and apparently Sophie has been reading. She corrected me the other day when I was talking about our earthquake. “Mom, it was only a tremor.” And at the beach when I dug a hole in the sand and poured water in it. She told me, “Mom, the water won’t stay in the hole unless you dig down to water.” And when I told her I was going to dig a hole to China, she informed me that it is impossible to do that. The kids have Track-N-Field Day coming up next week. This is right up Wyatt’s alley. He is very fast and loves to have the variety of so many different things to choose from. Cale is at the pool right now with Garth. It is a great activity for him especially now as he is getting so much better at swimming. He likes to swim laps from ladder to ladder.
Well, we survived the water crisis. We do have water again!!!! For the next few weeks we still need to ration it carefully as it takes the tank 3 weeks to refill. We survived not having our cook as well. She is finally back after missing a week. I am thankful for that. We are not exactly sure what is going on with her but hopefully she will be here until the semester is over.
Hope you are surviving as well.
Love you all-
Rachel