Our First Anniversary!

On May 24th, Brendan and I had been married for 1 year! In that year we have been everywhere - Iowa, Australia for World Youth Day and our honeymoon, training with the Canossian Sisters in Italy, and now we are volunteering with them in East Timor. With all this excitement (in addition to the excitement of being married!) the time has flown. It's difficult for me to imagine how we are going to top this 1st year, but I know we'll find a way. Marriage is awesome!

So to celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary we wanted to take the ferry to Ata'uro Island, a beatiful island off the shore of Dili, and spend the weekend there. But, as often happens here, the best laid plans never turn out exactly as you expect. We found out the Monday before that the ferry had been taken to Indonesia for 3 months to be repaired. The other boat for rent was outrageously expensive, so we knew we had to come up with a new plan.

Everything is busy here around this time of year, so it's difficult to even take a day off. The weekend of our real anniversary was packed so we decided to postpone our celebration one week (I'm sure that this will have to happen a lot throughout our lifetime). So we reserved a room at the nicest hotel in Timor and got Saturday.

And it turned out to be a glorious day! We got to sleep in just a little and had a nice and slow breakfast, before going to the Comoro Market for some shopping. Then we came home and washed clothes. After washing we had a quick lunch and packed our backpacks and left for the hotel. As we walked through the doors we were greeted by the friendly employees and the cool of the air conditioning. After some confusion at the front desk (they gave us a room that hadn't been cleaned yet so we had to change), we made it to our room and collapsed!

When I was a kid, I remember my uncle telling us that the way to judge a hotel room was based on how springy the beds were (he had caught me and my siblings jumping on and between the room's 2 double beds : ) Well, I didn't try it, but this bed would have been a 10 for bouncing. It was perfect and a little like a trampoline - firm, but delightfully springy.

Other features we had to take advantage of:

1.) REAL SHOWERS! The 2 things I miss most about home are: 1. Family and friends and 2. Real showers! It had been almost 9 months since I had a real shower (in Rome they had a bath tub). Let me tell you that although bucket showers can get you clean, they are not comparable to real, warm, high-powered showers. To have a real shower after so many months of cold bucket showers felt like it must feel to go from this life to heaven (like going from ok/good to AMAZING!).

2.) Did I mention that the hotel had air conditioning? Also a great thing to experience every now and again, especially here.

3.) TV. I never thought I'd say this, but it was really nice to get to watch a little bit. Throughout our time at the hotel we got to see part of an episode of Man vs. Wild on the Discovery Channel, part of a Cops episode, and some basketball and soccer. It's a little luxury that we really appreciate now.

Lately we've been living really simply. Since the computer crashed we have no music or movies, and we've never had a TV. So at night we do a lot of exercising, reading, playing games, and talking. It's definitely been good for our marriage, as any extra time together is, and we are both happy about it, but it was also nice to relax and watch a little TV together too : )

Our time at the hotel was so relaxing - almost an unofficial marriage retreat. No work, just time together like it should be for a wedding anniversary. Our only committment for the day was Bible Study at 4 pm. Brendan is the leader and the group recently doubled in size so we wanted to be sure to go. It went really well - we're now up to 10 regular members, half Timorese and half internationals working/volunteering in Timor.

After Bible study we went back to the hotel and relaxed until we got hungry. Around 7 we got dressed up in our nice, new clothes and went to try a restaurant we hadn't been to - the Coconut Restaurant.

It was Saturday night and we expected there to be people around, but there was almost no one. Even at the restaurant we were the long customers, although it was very clean, nicely decorated, and the food amazing! Well, we got excellent service - there were four people at the the counter watching us constantly, ready to respond if we needed anything : )

The dinner was excellent with reminiscing conversation and great food, especially the mango chicken and rice presented as nicely as I've seen in any Asian restaurant at home. We left full, relaxed, and happy for the opportunity to have so much uninterrupted quality time.

The next morning we enjoyed the hotel's complimentary breakfast buffet - an interesting mix of Western and Asian-style foods catering to the business people who stay at the hotel. I had never had fried rice and noodles for breakfast, but it felt like a necessity since this was the first time I could : ) After breakfast and packing we checked out of the hotel and drove to Mass for Pentecost Sunday (when the Holy Spirit came down on Jesus' followers after He ascended into heaven).

Mass was especially relaxing this week because usually we're doing something up front - reading or singing in the choir, so we don't get to sit together. But this Sunday we sat together in the middle. Mass was great - there was a guest priest who is a chaplain with the Australian military and also, one of the Sisters we know, Sister Francisca, renewed her vows to love Jesus and live with and serve the poor in front of the whole congregation. It was as beautiful as watching a married couple renew their vows, but in this case our human eyes could see only one of the spouses : )

After Mass, we caught up with friends and went home, you guessed it, for more relaxing. We decided that because Saturday had been such a success we would continue it and make it a real weekend! Normally, Sundays are as busy as every other day - just not with work. Because they have school/work 6 days a week here, Sunday becomes the "Free Day," and we've gotten in the habit of filling it with things to do too. Everything is optionally - playing with the girls who live in the boarding house at school, prayer and games with the Sisters sometimes, helping an SMA student with her English course for kids sometimes. All are very worthy and fun things, but to have a real day of rest was great for us.

Later in the day Brendan played basketball and I went for a walk and when we got back there was a message from Sister Sonia inviting us to the Balide convent for dinner in honor of our 1st anniversary. We drove over (our car had been returned after a month in the shop and it's in much better shape now - it's so nice to have it back) and we talked and ate with the Sisters and some other guests. Eventually we headed home rejoicing in the blessing of our marriage and refreshed and ready for a new week : )

Blessings on you always! Hope your summer is starting off well!

Love, Rachel and Brendan