you might be a hostel parent in Ukarumpa if...
you think it is normal to have nine PCs running at once in your living room
you can plan an easy meal of breakfast for dinner and end up cooking two dozen eggs for omelets, four and a half loaves of bread for french toast, twenty four sausages, and a dozen potatoes for hash browns
your kids can speak a total of eight different languages and represent six different countries
your days begin before six am and last until after eleven pm seven days a week for nine weeks at a time
you take a cold shower (not by our own choice, but so that you will be clean) at least four days out of the week
you nap or risk falling asleep while cooking
you have twenty-five pairs of shoes by your front door at all times
your lazy susan is bigger than your two next door neighbors' dinner tables combined (and has been nicknamed "lazy larry")
you have a stash of two cases of Indo Mie instant noodles, one case of Maggie instant noodles, four cases of Twisties, and three cases of crackers in your pantry (just in case someone needs a snack after nearly eating four and a half loaves of bread in the french toast form for dinner)
your kids can consume three ten kilogram bags of flour each week
you have a full time haus meri (house help) that does laundry five days a week for eight hours a day and your kids still ask you if you wash clothes on the weekend
you laugh out loud when your kids ask if you do laundry on the weekends
you have at least ten unmade beds in your home at all times
you live in a house with four bathrooms and never have time to clean one of them cause you are always cooking
you think it's completely normal to visit the member store every single day it is opened to buy more food
you think it's completely normal to visit the market every single day it is opened to buy more food
you only leave the house to shop for food, go to church, or take a kid to and from here and there
your social circle is composed of people only under the age of eighteen
you laugh more than the average bear
you can fall in love with a Canadian, a German, a Dutch guy, a Papua New Guinean, and a guy with a Jersey accent all in a matter of weeks and call it your job
you can plan an easy meal of breakfast for dinner and end up cooking two dozen eggs for omelets, four and a half loaves of bread for french toast, twenty four sausages, and a dozen potatoes for hash browns
your kids can speak a total of eight different languages and represent six different countries
your days begin before six am and last until after eleven pm seven days a week for nine weeks at a time
you take a cold shower (not by our own choice, but so that you will be clean) at least four days out of the week
you nap or risk falling asleep while cooking
you have twenty-five pairs of shoes by your front door at all times
your lazy susan is bigger than your two next door neighbors' dinner tables combined (and has been nicknamed "lazy larry")
you have a stash of two cases of Indo Mie instant noodles, one case of Maggie instant noodles, four cases of Twisties, and three cases of crackers in your pantry (just in case someone needs a snack after nearly eating four and a half loaves of bread in the french toast form for dinner)
your kids can consume three ten kilogram bags of flour each week
you have a full time haus meri (house help) that does laundry five days a week for eight hours a day and your kids still ask you if you wash clothes on the weekend
you laugh out loud when your kids ask if you do laundry on the weekends
you have at least ten unmade beds in your home at all times
you live in a house with four bathrooms and never have time to clean one of them cause you are always cooking
you think it's completely normal to visit the member store every single day it is opened to buy more food
you think it's completely normal to visit the market every single day it is opened to buy more food
you only leave the house to shop for food, go to church, or take a kid to and from here and there
your social circle is composed of people only under the age of eighteen
you laugh more than the average bear
you can fall in love with a Canadian, a German, a Dutch guy, a Papua New Guinean, and a guy with a Jersey accent all in a matter of weeks and call it your job
Thanks -- I spent my high school years living at a missionary boarding school (Faith Academy), so I know what it is like from the "kids point of view". I do appreciate my dorm parents--they did a lot for me, physically and more important spiritually. Thanks for being dorm parents.
ReplyDeleteHi Ken!
DeleteI spent three of my high school years at Hillcrest International School in Papua (or what used to be called Irian Jaya) on the other side of the island. I lived in a hostel in 9th, 11th and 12th grade, and never would have thought that God would bring my life into such a full circle, using my life experiences the way He is! Thanks for saying thanks! :) I hope this post helps my friends, family, and our partners by giving them insight into our daily life here in Ukarumpa. Have a great night.