I missed posting a few days so we will need to double up on some posts:

Carla wrote:

I followed up on contact I made earlier this week at the LSS office....with Mr. Rahmad who just last week moved to the US with his wife and son. I visited their apartment to get an idea of what they need....they live on 28th Street just south of Indian School. There are four other Iraqi families there. Mr. Rahmad is Muslim but one of their friends said he is Christian. I took them so basic necessities and a few games for his son. They have a nice dining table and two nice oak chairs, and a very large comfy chair and ottoman in the living room. I think they need a bed, but I am not sure. A roll away bed would be perfect as they live in a one bedroom so that way their son would be able to put his bed away out of the living room. I took them a folding camp chair so that at least they could all three sit at the table for meals. They were so gracious and so extremely appreciative. I intentionally took along the two boys I babysit, to broaden their world views. The 8 year old was a little scared of them when he realized they were from the war zone, thinking they were the enemy in Iraq, so it was good for him to get a better understanding of the situation and to see the friendly smiles and gracious attitudes towards us. . Kathy, just let me know what you have leads on.....I"d like to know how big the stuff is as their place is very small. The end tables and lamps would be a sure bet. I have time this weekend to make a trip and can fit a lot in my van. Anyone have plans with the Achyara family this weekend? I'd like to do something with them but don't want to interfere with anyone else's plans......Movie review: we saw "Bolt" today......very funny, good family movie!Carla

Mike wrote:

I spend Saturday with the Acharya family. Tika showed me the materials he had from the Sheraton Crescent. I decided to bring everyone to my house so Tika could complete the online application. The rest of the family watched "Polar Express" while Tika completed the application with some help from me and Uma. Uma is their family computer geek. Her English is also quite good. She acts as translator in spots. It was challenging to complete a very long application. We tried to make the work experience fit. Tika was part of a team of four that distributed food and other items to about 700 people. We made some attempt to describe distribution of bamboo, thatch roofs, and food in HR terms with strong skill terms like "supervise, organize, submit reports, etc." There was also a quiz of 54 questions asking about work ethic, honesty, punctuality, and response to specific scenarios.

Next I decided to give them more driving experience. We all piled into my truck and went to CCOJ. Tika's driving improved from last time. We decided to give Kamala a try. It was very funny. Since Purna was 17, she got a turn too. Purna was almost as good as Tika. When we were done, Kamala learned to say, "Today, I drove for the first time." I also prepped her for Sunday when I explained she would say, "Yesterday, I drove for the first time." She was able to tell this to Frankie on Sunday.

After driving, we went to a very busy Arrowhead Mall. Tika and I were walking in front of the rest of the family around the mall. He told me that one day he wants to take me to Nepal to show me around!

We then went back to my house. I invited them to stay for dinner. We played dominoes for a while. It seemed really good for Kamala. Uma, Perna, and Terra caught on very quickly. Tika was on the phone a lot all day. I understand why he might need unlimited minutes. We made them chicken enchiladas and a cottage cheese/jello salad. They ate a lot and had seconds on the salad.

The girls got on the computer together. They were checking email and sending instant messages to friends in Nepal even though it was very early in the morning. I asked how they got computer access in Nepal. They told me you could get 20 minutes for 30 rupees at an Internet Cafe.

By then it was almost 8:00 PM. We took three cars back to CCOJ to go through the lights. Then we crammed ten people into the bed of my pickup with lots of blankets. Tika, my daughter Naomi, and I were in the cab. At the end we all crowded into a photo with Santa. Kamala and the girls really like our young grandchildren! It was after 10 when I got them home. It was a great day!