Slacker......

     

The beach....
       

    

Waterfall...

Pictures of the beach the week after new years... the locals camp out on the beach, and it is VERY crowded, and looked like what we pictured a refugee camp might look like....

Going away party for new friends who were immigrating to Austrailia.
    

Singing karaoke...Hotel "Caleeforneeya" :)  like how I'm the only one with food.....

New Year's Eve----
    


      

Crocodile Park!
      

Christmas time :)  This is the only pic we have of the 4 of us.... nice and fuzzy :)
    

Pictures of us at the beach:
     
    

Hello!  Well, I figured that I had been a lazy bum for long enough, and it was time to finally update this blog.  A lot has happened since I last posted, so bear with me :)  There will probably be lots of pictures and information that isn't really that important anymore.  Ha ha!  I hope all of you that are reading this are doing well, and are happy and healthy.  We are all doing well in Nizh.

Let's see... last time I wrote it was in October... OK, so in November we celebrated Thanksgiving at our house with about 15 people.  I cooked my first turkey in the oven, and it turned out pretty good!  I was pleasantly surprised.  After Thanksgiving, we started preparing to leave the country.  The kid's visas were expiring on December 17th, so we had to leave Russia or face a hefty fine.  We decided to go to the Republic of Mauritius (it is a small island in the Indian Ocean, about 500 miles east of Madagascar).  We chose to go here, because this was *supposed* to be a fairly quick trip, and we didn't want to fly all the way to the states and have to deal with jet lag, etc.  So, we loaded up, and headed for the island.  As it turns out, we ended up being there for almost a month, due to not getting our invitation letter on time, and the embassy being closed for the Holiday.  So, yes, we were "stuck" on the tropical island. 

We had a fabulous time there!  It was very warm (34-38 degrees Celsius, or in the mid 90's), so we spent our time at the beach or in the pool.  It was fantastic!  Emma learned to dive a little, and Paul started trying to swim without his floaties.  They loved hunting for crabs on the beach, building sandcastles, chasing each other around outside.... all of the fun things we can't do in Nizh.  We spent Christmas there, and New Year's.  We were invited to a local family's home for New Year's Eve, and had a ball cooking out, hanging out, and shooting and watching fireworks!  It was neat to get to spend this time with locals, and see how they celebrated.  At midnight, it sounded like I imagine a war zone must sound.  There were VERY loud and multiple fireworks going off simultaneously!  After the fireworks, we went over to a couple of their neighbor's homes to have yet another bite to eat, and toast the new year with them.  Everyone was so nice, and just welcomed us like we were family.  It was really interesting because one family was a Indian family, and the other was Mauritian.  It was the first time we have ever been able to experience so many different cultures in one place!

Mauritius is a multicultural island.  The majority of people had ancestors from India, and the remainder of people had ancestors from African countries like Mozambique.  The predominate religion is Hindu, with Muslims and Catholics making up the rest of the main religions.  We definitely were in the minority... It was the first time I had ever felt like my skin color set me apart from the majority of people.  Paul caused quite a stir with the Mauritians!  Almost every time we walked down the beach to the sun chairs, groups of locals who were picnicking would stare, and say hi, and give him little treats.  Many wanted to take their picture with him.  He would usually oblige, and would stand with them...... I wonder if he is posted all over their websites as the oddity!?!  Emma pretty much blended in... especially as she got tan!  With her dark hair and skin, she didn't cause quite the stir Paul did.  I wish I had a nickel for every time someone said, "Wow! He is WHITE!"  I would be rich....... :)

We arrived back in Nizh in mid January, and have kept busy getting settled back in.  The kids are back in school, and are doing well.  I started back at the gym, and have gotten used to the cold weather again.  Last week, it was -38 degrees Celsius (-36 in Fahrenheit)!  It was COLD!  All of the schools were closed, and some of the oilfields were closed too because it was even colder out there.  Here, they close the lower grade schools (1st-4th, I think) when the temperature is -25 or below.  I find that strange, since that can happen quite often here in Siberia.... and they don't make up the days at the end of the year either.  

Anyway, that catches you up a bit.  I will write more and post more pictures soon :)

Love, Juli