12.26.2015
…If Only In My Dreams
Sing with me! “On the first day of Christmas my bathtub gave to me: a HUGE scary brown spi-der.” Nope.nope.nope.nope.nope.nope.not happening. Sorry buddy but the mistress of the room is pretty territorial. I’d have taken a picture for proof of his largeness and scariness but I didn’t think of that until he’d already been… swimming. In scalding water. (I couldn’t take chances… I needed to use that shower!) But his body was the size of a penny and from end to end he was probably 6inches. Too big to try and step on safely. I was quite lucky he was in a place I could dispose of him easily! If he’d been on the wall or ceiling…. Someone buy me a plane ticket? Just kidding. Kind of. Anyways. Enough ranting about spiders! ;)
I’ve gone back and forth in my head about how I feel being away for Christmas. Of course I miss family and friends and the familiar, but I’m spending Christmas in Africa! Where the sun is still up at 6pm on Christmas day and you can wear a sundress! I suppose it comes down to whether or not one spends Christmas with those they care about, and this Christmas I did. I enjoyed a lazy morning and then got to see the boys go crazy over their new Legos (and received a few gifts of my own! :) ) and then, a delicious vegetarian brunch was had by the families here! I’m learning that beetroot is fantastic with potatoes and carrots, cashews can make an Amazing gravy, and waffles can be had for any meal. It’s true that the native dish nsima is pretty good, especially with the right relish, but for Christmas it’s nice to have food that reminds me of home. After brunch the kids ran around and played with their new toys while the adults watched and fought sleep. Then we returned to our homes for a bit of a siesta and got ready for the evening where some of us went to the Kay’s house at Satemwa for Christmas dinner. A good time was had by all, good food was eaten, and we all returned to our homes for a satisfied night’s sleep. :) It isn’t the same as Christmas at home in the U.S., but I think I can honestly say I was “home” for Christmas here in Africa, surrounded by wonderful people. What more could I ask for? Now today is Boxing Day, and I admit I know very little about it, so we’ll see if that changes by the end of today!
I’m a little bummed about travel plans, I was planning on visiting Zanzibar in January with a couple other SM’s, but after changed tickets and changed flights and phone calls and travel agencies, it fell through. I’m sad for obvious reasons, but I’m thinking if God let it fall through he must have better plans for us doing something else. There will be other opportunities to travel.
A new role I’ve picked up is to be the guest house manager while the current one is away. This means I coordinate with LLU and any others needing to stay in the guest house and ensure that their rooms are ready for them, they know their way around, and someone is there to pick them up at the airport. I had a crash course of about 1 day to learn about the role, so sending some prayers up I don’t forget anything! But I’ve got a folder of information and phone numbers and some friends at the hospital to help as well and somehow we’ll get these residents here!
In terms of teaching, we reached a mini breakthrough (or what I consider to be one) when the boys discovered that you aren’t supposed to know all the answers in school ahead of time! And no, I’m in college and I DEFINITELY don’t know all the answers! (Their eyes got big when I shared that gem of a discovery!) I now see why they got so frustrated at times, thinking they shouldn’t be getting assignments they don’t already know how to do! I can understand, though – it’s super frustrating looking at a problem and thinking that it may as well have been asked in Latin. But with that cleared away, hopefully we’ll take to new things a little more open-minded. Hopefully. :)
With that said, a Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Happy New Year, wherever “home” may be.
12.16.2015
Lightning bugs and Louries
A couple nights ago, I was enjoying an evening with the Haytons on their conde, when throughout the yard glowing yellow lights started painting paths in the darkness. Being from the PNW, I’d never seen a lightning bug before so it was a surreal experience seeing them in person. I was as eager as the kids were with spotting new ones, and after they caught one in a jar I was curious as any to catch a glimpse. I was not disappointed. :) Pretty neat creature for sure! I much prefer them to the large crickets that have magically appeared in my room. To those, who I don’t quite have the heart to kill yet, I have designated Tupperware to trap them and scoot them out to the hallway. Humane? Perhaps not exceedingly, but more so than the alternate execution. Judge me not.
A few days later, the boys found a baby lourie that had been attacked by a squirrel and fallen out of its nest. Not more than an hour later, Digger (the dachshund) gingerly delivered a second (larger) baby to us that had presumably fallen from the same nest. Both birds were obviously traumatized and we did our best to give them a dark warm basket with a nest that had fallen to make them comfortable. We weren’t sure if they’d make it, but we were hopeful. The next morning I went in to school and couldn’t believe what I’d missed. The Haytons had taken the birds to their enclosed Walden’s Garden to try and give them a chance, and within 30min the two parent birds had found their fledglings and began nurturing them/feeding them, and continue to do so. That thing we were always told about birds abandoning their chicks if they smelled “human” on them? Not true – at least not in this case. Those parents religiously care for their young, and it looks like both should recover. Oh, and did I mention that Louries are insanely beautiful? Bright red feathers under their wings, yellow-green chest, red eye patches, and a blueish/purplish Mohawk. Most beautiful bird I’ve seen since getting here. I wouldn’t say I’ve seen a ton of new wildlife since getting here, but I’ve truly enjoyed what I have seen! (Except the spiders/mosquitos/etc.) I have even seen a few monkeys chilling in trees. I’ve heard multiple accounts of them making bad pets, though, so I’m happy to let them remain in those trees.
Currently, Benny (the lizard) is giving me a stare-down from his perch on my wall. I’m a little annoyed that he’s letting bugs into my room, but I don’t want him to think he isn’t welcome. We happily coexist for the most part, which is good. Now for some card games with the house-mates. Until next time, au revoir from me and the critters!
Saturday, December 26, 2015
Monday, December 14, 2015
One Month In
12.13.2015
It’s a strange thing looking at the calendar and seeing the page flipped to December, then chuckling as you fan yourself while you sit in shorts staring at the mini Christmas tree loaned to you. I’ve always loved Christmas and all the decorations and festivities that come with the holiday season, so being here where it’s so hot and the Christmas decorations exist mostly only inside of houses is something new. We still play Christmas carols and I loved helping decorate the Hayton’s tree, but it’s definitely not the Christmas I’ve grown up with. I’m thinking it will be ok, though, because being able to see a new perspective on Christmas helps highlight the things I do love and appreciate about the season so when I find those things again, I’ll appreciate them more. Just a thought as I sit here sweating on a Sunday afternoon. :)
School is going well, there will always be days where the word “concentration” is as foreign as the word “snow” but things are being learned and the garden is growing. (Some of it. We may have had to replant some plots that housed only weeds and mini papaya tree plants.) The boys love science experiments, and most recently we cracked open some geodes and that was a big hit! I also taught the boys how to do situps after a particularly distracted bout where the boys needed to use some energy and that was pretty fun for me as well as them as I played drill sergeant and they laughed and tried to do “one more.” There are so many things that make me smile throughout the day and plenty of things that make me have to take a deep breath as well. Can’t let the kids see me lose it – lead by example they say! (I’ve never really come close to losing it, though, thankfully!) Here’s a snapshot of the schoolroom from when we first started, if you see it now there will be a few more art projects and such added.
Last weekend I had the pleasure of going to Lake Malawi with the Haytons, Graybills, and Dustin and Dartagnan (two of the surgeons living in the guest house with me). It was a hot but relaxing weekend spent mostly either in the water, eating, or playing games. I tried my best to keep up in Trivial Pursuit despite the slight age gap between me and everyone else playing, but I definitely have a bit to learn about trivia pre-1995! The neat thing about the water there where we were at is that it stayed shallow for quite a ways, so if you waded out to where normally you’d have to be swimming, the water was still only at our waists which was great for needing to keep track of small kids. I could have swam further out, but I admit that being so far away from shore in water that housed hippos and crocs made me a bit squeamish, so I stayed where I could see clearly what was in the water around me. The sand was soft and the water refreshing, the food was amazing and there was air conditioning at night. The beach was picturesque, and the snails that cause us so many problems in the water leave a plethora of empty shells to be collected. I was happy as a clam :) I also loved seeing the broken shells.
Lessons from the lake #1: It’s a bit of a cliché but it’s interesting that often we have to be completely broken before seeing what we’re truly made of. Being broken can be as beautiful as being whole, but for such different reasons.
I think my favorite morning was Sunday morning when I woke up at 5 and went outside to watch the sunrise coming up over the water (the house faced dead east). It was so peaceful and there was a nice breeze to make it cool. For having to wake up early, I’ve never once regretted doing it for a sunrise. It’s moments like that where I feel closest to God, with no distractions, just the beautiful sky painted just for me. After the sun had sufficiently risen, I went on a run with Casey and Shar where we were surrounded by Baobab trees (the only tree I was determined I HAD to see in Africa). I was surprised that they were so old because most trees are cut down by the people for wood, but apparently according to tradition Baobab’s aren’t cut down, they are left until they come down on their own. Anyways, something else really neat about the lake, is every night we were there, there was a storm, but not a close storm, just enough that there was refreshing wind and lightning in the sky. No rain, and no thunder because it was too far away, just the sky lighting up and cooler air. On top of that, every night the fishermen would bring out their boats with a lantern, so our view showcased what looked like stars dotting the surface of the water. It created a nice ambience! As with everywhere, we had power outages daily which made keeping the fridges cool difficult but it always came back on in the evening which was really nice. For not having an ocean beach to go to, the lake was a perfect substitute!
Currently, we’re sitting here with no power and the thunder is cracking (it literally sounds like the sky is splitting in two it’s SO LOUD!) and the rain is starting. The downpour is coming, and the air smells incredibly fresh. It’s fantastic. :D I’m a bit bummed that my laundry has stopped in the middle of the load, AGAIN, but I’m happy enough for the rain that I don’t care right now. Laundry can be re-done tomorrow.
On Wednesday, I got to experience my own Downton Abbey evening. It was unexpected but so neat! I was invited to dinner at the house of someone at one of the nearby estates and getting there it was like stepping into the past for a few hours. If you care for details about it, feel free to ask but I won’t give them all since this post is already quite long! Then last Thursday I went to town and for 5000MK had my visa extended till January, so I don’t have to leave the country yay! (Not that I was worried, the visa situation seems much more stressful when you’re needing to get into the country than when you are already here. We’ll see if I say that again when I have to extend it long term next month.) After almost missing my ride, I also got to spend Friday night in town with the two WWU girls who are teaching there, so that was a nice break! We (mostly they) cooked amazing food and we chilled and got to talk about life. Unfortunately, though, my debit card isn’t working at the ATM so when we were walking around town I couldn’t get any cash. It’s a lovely freak out moment when the machine, after accepting your pin and asking you how much cash you want, decides that no, you can’t have any cash, nor can you have your card back. This happened twice at two different bank machines, letting me know that it’s just my card. Perfect. But thankfully I was able to get my card back both times without too much hastle. Now I have to figure out why my card won’t work. (Before you ask, yes I contacted the card company and gave them the when/where of me being in Africa so that shouldn’t have been the problem.) Hoping it’s an easy fix. Then since there was no ride for me to get back to Malamulo on Sunday, I had to return on Saturday afternoon on the hospital vehicle but everyone on the vehicle had phone problems so I ended up sitting outside in the rain at the designated pick-up point for almost 40min, but a little rain never hurt thankfully. :) Which is good because back to my current state, the rain is coming down in sheets and the temp has dropped significantly. So with that blessing, here are some other pictures from the area. Happy Holiday Season everyone :)
It’s a strange thing looking at the calendar and seeing the page flipped to December, then chuckling as you fan yourself while you sit in shorts staring at the mini Christmas tree loaned to you. I’ve always loved Christmas and all the decorations and festivities that come with the holiday season, so being here where it’s so hot and the Christmas decorations exist mostly only inside of houses is something new. We still play Christmas carols and I loved helping decorate the Hayton’s tree, but it’s definitely not the Christmas I’ve grown up with. I’m thinking it will be ok, though, because being able to see a new perspective on Christmas helps highlight the things I do love and appreciate about the season so when I find those things again, I’ll appreciate them more. Just a thought as I sit here sweating on a Sunday afternoon. :)
School is going well, there will always be days where the word “concentration” is as foreign as the word “snow” but things are being learned and the garden is growing. (Some of it. We may have had to replant some plots that housed only weeds and mini papaya tree plants.) The boys love science experiments, and most recently we cracked open some geodes and that was a big hit! I also taught the boys how to do situps after a particularly distracted bout where the boys needed to use some energy and that was pretty fun for me as well as them as I played drill sergeant and they laughed and tried to do “one more.” There are so many things that make me smile throughout the day and plenty of things that make me have to take a deep breath as well. Can’t let the kids see me lose it – lead by example they say! (I’ve never really come close to losing it, though, thankfully!) Here’s a snapshot of the schoolroom from when we first started, if you see it now there will be a few more art projects and such added.
Last weekend I had the pleasure of going to Lake Malawi with the Haytons, Graybills, and Dustin and Dartagnan (two of the surgeons living in the guest house with me). It was a hot but relaxing weekend spent mostly either in the water, eating, or playing games. I tried my best to keep up in Trivial Pursuit despite the slight age gap between me and everyone else playing, but I definitely have a bit to learn about trivia pre-1995! The neat thing about the water there where we were at is that it stayed shallow for quite a ways, so if you waded out to where normally you’d have to be swimming, the water was still only at our waists which was great for needing to keep track of small kids. I could have swam further out, but I admit that being so far away from shore in water that housed hippos and crocs made me a bit squeamish, so I stayed where I could see clearly what was in the water around me. The sand was soft and the water refreshing, the food was amazing and there was air conditioning at night. The beach was picturesque, and the snails that cause us so many problems in the water leave a plethora of empty shells to be collected. I was happy as a clam :) I also loved seeing the broken shells.
Lessons from the lake #1: It’s a bit of a cliché but it’s interesting that often we have to be completely broken before seeing what we’re truly made of. Being broken can be as beautiful as being whole, but for such different reasons.
I think my favorite morning was Sunday morning when I woke up at 5 and went outside to watch the sunrise coming up over the water (the house faced dead east). It was so peaceful and there was a nice breeze to make it cool. For having to wake up early, I’ve never once regretted doing it for a sunrise. It’s moments like that where I feel closest to God, with no distractions, just the beautiful sky painted just for me. After the sun had sufficiently risen, I went on a run with Casey and Shar where we were surrounded by Baobab trees (the only tree I was determined I HAD to see in Africa). I was surprised that they were so old because most trees are cut down by the people for wood, but apparently according to tradition Baobab’s aren’t cut down, they are left until they come down on their own. Anyways, something else really neat about the lake, is every night we were there, there was a storm, but not a close storm, just enough that there was refreshing wind and lightning in the sky. No rain, and no thunder because it was too far away, just the sky lighting up and cooler air. On top of that, every night the fishermen would bring out their boats with a lantern, so our view showcased what looked like stars dotting the surface of the water. It created a nice ambience! As with everywhere, we had power outages daily which made keeping the fridges cool difficult but it always came back on in the evening which was really nice. For not having an ocean beach to go to, the lake was a perfect substitute!
Currently, we’re sitting here with no power and the thunder is cracking (it literally sounds like the sky is splitting in two it’s SO LOUD!) and the rain is starting. The downpour is coming, and the air smells incredibly fresh. It’s fantastic. :D I’m a bit bummed that my laundry has stopped in the middle of the load, AGAIN, but I’m happy enough for the rain that I don’t care right now. Laundry can be re-done tomorrow.
On Wednesday, I got to experience my own Downton Abbey evening. It was unexpected but so neat! I was invited to dinner at the house of someone at one of the nearby estates and getting there it was like stepping into the past for a few hours. If you care for details about it, feel free to ask but I won’t give them all since this post is already quite long! Then last Thursday I went to town and for 5000MK had my visa extended till January, so I don’t have to leave the country yay! (Not that I was worried, the visa situation seems much more stressful when you’re needing to get into the country than when you are already here. We’ll see if I say that again when I have to extend it long term next month.) After almost missing my ride, I also got to spend Friday night in town with the two WWU girls who are teaching there, so that was a nice break! We (mostly they) cooked amazing food and we chilled and got to talk about life. Unfortunately, though, my debit card isn’t working at the ATM so when we were walking around town I couldn’t get any cash. It’s a lovely freak out moment when the machine, after accepting your pin and asking you how much cash you want, decides that no, you can’t have any cash, nor can you have your card back. This happened twice at two different bank machines, letting me know that it’s just my card. Perfect. But thankfully I was able to get my card back both times without too much hastle. Now I have to figure out why my card won’t work. (Before you ask, yes I contacted the card company and gave them the when/where of me being in Africa so that shouldn’t have been the problem.) Hoping it’s an easy fix. Then since there was no ride for me to get back to Malamulo on Sunday, I had to return on Saturday afternoon on the hospital vehicle but everyone on the vehicle had phone problems so I ended up sitting outside in the rain at the designated pick-up point for almost 40min, but a little rain never hurt thankfully. :) Which is good because back to my current state, the rain is coming down in sheets and the temp has dropped significantly. So with that blessing, here are some other pictures from the area. Happy Holiday Season everyone :)
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