Travelog for: Sam Sam

Hi World!  I'm coming.

Leslee helped Big Owen make me a profile.

Big Owen put me in an envelope and said I was going to America.  I hope it isn't a bumpy ride and I am excited to meet my host family.

Sam has arrived in Kansas! He was sure glad to get out of that envelope, into the home of his American hosts. Jellybean, the currently resident TV, welcomed him to the home, and looked forward to sampling the candies that Sam brought for his hosts!

Sam took a look around his host family's yard. The family's house was built in 1900; about 40 years after the city that became known as Iola was settled. There are many well grown trees and lovely flowers. Sam was glad to see that his host family has a boy (actually, two boys, but only one was assisting with the yard tour today) because every dog needs a boy.  Sam was surprised and delighted with F3, the concrete armadillo. Sometimes in the fall, real armadillos will come through the yard and root in the leaves. His family said the saw their first one in 2005 and it really surprised everyone because it was the first time one had been sighted this far north.

Sam was invited to dinner! This week, his host family kids have dance recital and are staying over with another family to drive them to their daytime rehearsals, while host mom is at work. Sam and Jellybean joined the kids for dinner at our friend's family's home. Vegetarian taco salad was on the menu.

Sam went on a shopping trip to Wal-mart with his host mom. In their town, Wal-mart is the only place to buy groceries, there is no grocery store. Iola, KS is small enough that when people are bored, they go to Wal-mart to see what is new and see who they can run into.

Sam and Jellybean went to the Cottonwood Gardens with their host mom. It used to be a vacant lot, where a house was torn down, but someone bought it and turned it into a lovely garden. Then, they donated it to the city and maintain the upkeep as a volunteer.

Sam rode to Garnett, KS with his host mom today. She works in Garnett on Mondays and Thursdays. They stopped at the town square and admired the court house before going to her favorite local haunt, the fabric store. A very nice lady cut their fabric (for a quilt backing) and showed some idea books. Sam and Jellybean explored all of the lovely fabrics!

Sam was so excited to get to go to dress rehearsal for the Classique dance studio! The little acrobat was so excited to hold him and Jellybean when she wasn't on stage!

Sam wanted to see what his host mom eats for a typical weekday breakfast! She has cereal with plain yogurt, accompanied by strong coffee!

Tonight was the opening night for Classique Dance Studio's annual recital, and all five of the host family's children were in the show! Sam was so excited he could barely stand it! Sam toured the dressing room and watched as our ballerina prepped for her ballet. Then he went out in the hallway and learned about the tradition of break a leg gifts. He thought it was fabulous to hang out backstage with all the dancers!

These are a little late, but Sam wanted me to make sure I posted the pictures of him at the curtain and opening acts of the Classique dance recital dress rehearsal!

Yay, Saturday! Everyone slept late because they were up so late with opening night of the dance recital. Host mom decided to make pancakes for breakfast and Sam was very curious! She got the recipe online and made them from scratch. She added raisins that were soaked in milk and vanilla. The batter looked very thick and rich, and they browned nicely on the griddle. Sam helped eat- Yum!

Sam's host family's grandparents flew out to visit, from Maryland! While the rest of the family was at church, Grandma and Grandpa took Seph, Sam, and Jellybean to Diebolt Lumber to get parts for repairing some things, and to look at all of the cool stuff. Sam and Jellybean thought the paint samples were the most fascinating thing! Sam decided he liked some of the coral shades the best.

Sam got a cooking lesson today! First, he and his host mom picked fresh thyme from the garden. Sam guarded half of it while host mom chopped up the other half to put in the rice. Then, they got a bowl of soy curls... Sam thought it looked a bit like dog kibble until they soaked it in boiling water and then it looked more like chicken. Host mom sauteed it with a little oil, minced garlic, the other half of the thyme, and a chicken seasoning blend. Once it was nice and aromatic, she added some frozen veggies and a can of diced tomatoes, and cooked until everything was heated through. The soy curls were then served over the rice, with cheese on top and salad on the side.

Sam went to Riverside Park with his host family, for a picnic and hanging out. They had a delicious cheese sandwich. Then Sam learned about softball and crazy eights. He thought grandma was super fun!