Every morning, our shortwave radio alarm goes off at 7 o'clock. But by that time, there is no shortage of other noises to grab our attention.

Sometimes, we hear the family's two cows mooing at each other. Occasionally, we hear donkeys, but I'm not sure where they live. Also, the neighbor boy, who's about 12, rides his horses across the street so they can spend the day grazing. Clop, clop, clop.

A rooster crows just outside our bedroom window. He lets loose every 20-30 seconds. Andrew timed him.

Finally, we hear cuckoos, real live ones. They sound just like the clocks but are less concerned with the time.

At about 7:30, one of us goes to take a bucket bath. By this time, a pot of water has been heating for awhile, graciously put on the stovetop by our host mother. Whoever is bathing that day (forget daily showers, people) takes the pot into the bathroom and pours the water into a big red tub, which sits next to the actual porcelain bathtub. If the water's really hot, we run the cold water from the sink into the red tub via a rubber hose.

The bath commences with the bather standing in the bathtub, spooning water over the body with a little blue plastic bowl. I have found that it's not as cold to wash my hair if I do it from outside the tub, with my pajamas still on. I am surprised by how quickly this has become a normal part of my morning ritual. The bathing, not the hair-washing. I do that only once a week or so.

After the bath, it's time for breakfast. There is always bread and cheese. The bread, hahtz, comes from a round loaf, about 2 inches thick. It's delicious. The cheese, paneer, is not that different from the paneer you might eat in an Indian restaurant. It is saltier. I love it, but reviews are mixed among the trainees. The other regular item is a mix of fresh tomatoes and cucumbers.

Those dishes always appear. Our host mother might also add eggs (boiled or fried), pasta, meat for Andrew, hot rice cereal (my fave), jam, fried bread (not quite french toast) or cake. I'm still not quite used to seeing "dinner" items for breakfast but have found that I like plain macaroni in the morning. Also, our host mom usually gives us hot milk or hot milk mixed with coffee. Both are tasty.

I can't imagine that this is a typical, daily spread. Andrew and I are usually the only ones at the table for breakfast, as the children are still in bed, our host grandmother is working outside, and our host mom is working inside. I suspect they are more casual with their eating when we're not around. We are given a lot of food. It's far more than is necessary, but we are grateful for our family's hospitality.

After breakfast, we go to our training session. On language days, we stay in our village with a small group of fellow trainees and walk to school. On "center days," we travel into the city by marshutney (or van) to gather for other types of training.

Sometime, I'll write about local transportation. It's a trip, so to speak.

-m