Missionary Monday ~ What Is Your Normal?

A while back, I wrote about some of the things that are "normal" for us here on the mission field.  Tonight as I was fixing my evening cup of coffee - not in my "Tiny" Cup or my "Elegant" Cup - I got to thinking that you might find it interesting not just to read about what is normal for us, but to see what is normal.  My Sweetie is really going to scratch his head and wonder why in the world I took all those pictures of our pantry items.....until he reads my blog!  So here we go on our visual journey of what is normal in our daily home life on the mission field....

My normal morning routine

My children don't know that in other parts of the world milk comes in plastic 1/2 gallon or 1 gallon jugs!  They think milk comes in boxes that you get from off the shelf (not refrigerated) in the milk aisle at Tottus (our local grocery store).

Many condiments come in these sachet-type packages.  I don't buy mustard or catsup this way (I can get those in plastic bottles), but I do buy mayo, crema de aji (chili sauce), and huancaina (creamy sauce that is used with potatoes), tomato sauce (Sorry - I didn't think to take pictures of the other sauces!) in the sachets - they fit into my refrigerator better - you know that top row in the door of the "frig" that always ends up holding all the condiments you could ever want....yep - that spot!

Mayo

Tomato Sauce

Then there are some things that are just staples in my pantry - things that can be made in a hurry - you know in case you have starving-children-who-won't-last-another-five-minutes-until-mealtime circling you like piranhas and you have no idea what you're going to fix for lunch because you failed to plan a menu for the week...you see where this is going.... 

Canned Corn and Boxed Cake Mix - A treat!

When we go to Wong (another grocery store we frequent), we can find Betty Crocker Cake Mixes and canned corn!  Wong is where I can find Italian Herb Seasoning and "Lemonade Salt" (Martha's creative name for Lemon Pepper!)

And last but not least...what is in that bag anyway?  Eggs, of course!  Doesn't everyone buy their eggs this way???  This is when I buy them from the market...though I used to buy them this way also from the grocery store in the Philippines.

I can buy them in a carton from the grocery store.

Here a carton of eggs is 15 eggs.   How I buy them depends on if I have time to make a trip up to the market or not - I can usually get the same amount of eggs if I buy them by the kilo as if I buy a carton, but by the kilo is usually cheaper!

This is my normal, and I love it!  I love going to the stores here - it is always an adventure - for example....Tottus recently rearranged their store - the milk and the snack aisles trading places!  I am still getting used to the "new normal"!  I love going to the market also!  My kids like to go past the stand with all the pets....puppies, kittens, rabbits, birds, and cuy (guinea pig)....if they could convince their parents, they would bring home one of everything every time they walk by (make that everything, not just one of everything!)

This guest post was written by: Sarah McKendree, she blogs at My Cup Runneth Over.

  

So...what is your normal?