Our Trip to Malumghat - Outside the Compound

As I mentioned in the previous post, the compound we visited was surrounded by a gate that was guarded 24/7.  Although we didn't explore outside the gates, we were able to take some amazing pictures of village life through the fence. 

Through the fence I saw some little children playing. They came over to me to say hi.  They were fascinated with my camera.  They loved to look at themselves after I took a picture.  I have about 30 photos of these 2 children :)

They soon called over their friend and I took another 20 pictures or so! 

BJ took a while to warm up to the children, but soon they were passing leaves back and forth through the fence. 

Our Trip to Malumghat - The Compound

I cannot believe it is already May.  I am still posting about events that happened in March!  I need to get on the ball a little more.  I do have to say that I am not a fan of the new blogger setup.  It takes SO much longer for me to load pictures.  I assume it's only because of where we are that it takes so long.  Well, without further ado...

Back at the end of March we attended a conference for the American teachers at WCA.  As a treat, we stayed for an extended weekend at a compound in Malumghat, a village about 3 hours drive south of the city.  This compound is well-known to the teachers at the school and many come and visit often throughout the year. 

We arrived on a Friday morning and started the weekend off with church.  Basically, all day Friday was a time of prayer.  Brian and I were asked to help with the children and teens (there were many families there).  Brian did most of the helping while I tended to BJ. 

BJ and I had a fanTAStic time exploring the compound.  There were so many things to see and do.  The compound is surrounded by a gate and is guarded 24/7.  No one without permission is allowed to enter the compound.  With that being said, I felt VERY comfortable walking around on my own.   Several American families live on the compound so there were playgrounds, a basketball court, and even a swimming pool!  Here are some pictures of the compound and us enjoying it!

The basketball court.

The guest house that we stayed in.

The American school house for the children who live on the compound.

There was a Bengali school on the compound as well.  This picture is taken through the window...I didn't want to distract them from their schooling :)

The compound also is home to "Heart House."  Heart House assists widowed and disabled women through handicraft training.  They make patchwork, embroidery, and other crafts to sell.

BJ and I walked around A LOT.  It was so wonderful to be able to just exercise our legs.  BJ has not had the opportunity to run around often (he is usually carried whenever we go somewhere in the city) so once he saw that he could run...he didn't stop!

The sidewalks were lined with piles of dirt. Don't know why.  But BJ did a great job in destroying the piles!

We found this really cool tree to take a photo in front of!

BJ loved climbing on the roots of this tree.

We found some chickens to chase... 

ducks to chase...

lambs to (try to) feed...

and a HUGE pile of leaves (that BJ wanted to jump into but Mommy was afraid of what might be lurking inside.)

At some point in our exploring acquired a small following.  These two boys kept their distance but were very curious about us!

BJ having a blast at the pool! 

Boys Basketball Tournament

After almost two months we finally got our hands on the photos taken at the boys basketball tournament held in the capital city back in March.  As you might recall, BJ and I did not attend the tournament so I can only guess what is happening in each photo.  Brian would be able to tell what team we're playing, what the score of the game was, etc.  Without further ado, below are pictures from the tournament with my own captions :)

Stretching!

All the players packed into a small van.

We are the team in white and red.

Time out huddle.

More basketball.

And more basketball.

Team picture :)

Some of our fans that traveled to the game.  Go Eagles!

This tournament marked the end of the season for boys basketball.  Brian is currently coaching the girls basketball team at WCA.  Although the girls regular season is in the fall, Brian has been working with them for a few weeks now.  They have a few games scheduled in the near future.  Let's Go Lady Eagles!

March Family Fun

Here are some photos of the Deschaine family having fun :)

(PS It's mostly BJ having fun!)

BJ likes to pick up Daddy's bag and take it to the door saying "Bye mom. Bye dad." So cute!

A tower of Golden Books.

Sitting in a Mega Blocks castle that daddy built.

A Mega Blocks snake (or "ssssss" as BJ calls it).

Playing indoor soccer. The idea is to knock over the towers with the soccer ball. BJ prefers to kick them over with his foot.

A photo with friends.

Batter up!

Playing T-ball. BJ is very funny when he hits the ball off the tee. Instead of swinging for the fences he lightly taps at the ball until it falls off.