A Day With New Friends

We spent a Saturday afternoon with our neighbors recently. Our first stop was a small music school where the daughter takes drum lessons (as does the mother, actually). They took some time to teach our girls how to make some noise. As you can see from the first picture, A was a pro. Our neighbors, along with some of their friends, then took us on a hike up a mountain where we visited a historical temple. The walk was beautiful, albeit somewhat challenging for this pregnant girl. And all our conversations were in the local language, another challenge for me. But it was a sweet time, spending those hours with new friends and experiencing the beauty of the area. It was also a good reminder of the culture that surrounds us and the reason why we are here. We are hoping this will be the first of many such excursions.



Who needs a drum lesson? This girl's got skills.

Our neighbor's daughter and her friend with E. Our sweet girl is pretty shy, so it took her some time to warm up to the drum thing.

A view of the city from our hike.

 
Lots of stairs on our walk. Lots. of. stairs.

 
The temple is an important historical structure in the city...2,500 years old.

Those who visit the temple to worship write down their prayers (for family, healthy, money) on pieces of red paper and then attach them to the branches of the tree in the courtyard.

New friends.

 
Cheesin'. As usual.

Me with our neighbor and her friend in front of the temple entrance.

I like red doors.

 
Another view of our city from the top of the mountain.