What a Day!

Do you ever have those days where you feel like you have accomplished a lot? You know one of those days where you feel like everything has fallen into place and your hard work is starting to show? You know those days when you come home from work feeling energized, on top of the world, and just plain good? Today was one of those days for me. Throughout my time here, I have known that it would take time to build relationships to be able to go deeper, and get to the nitty gritty of things. However, patience has never been one of my strengths! Not only relationships, but also just understanding how things work here, what the processes are, who to talk to, etc. etc. With any new job, it takes a while to figure your way around and here I am adding a new country, new culture, new language, and stuff so it has taken a while. I still have more to learn but today was just good. We were able to get so much accomplished and really talk through a lot of the issues that we have been facing at one of the projects. In addition, we were able to be creative and figure out how to tackle them and even do that without getting outside funding. I felt like we were really communicating which so often I do not feel like because the culture here is indirect communication and protecting the relationship at all costs and sometimes that means telling me what they think I want to hear instead of reality. I feel like today significant progress was made in that area. WOW! Praise God! What a day!

This is WAR!

Okay, now these mice or rats are becoming arrogant. Last night, Julia and were sitting on our couch talking and we both saw out of the corner of our eyes a little fur ball scurrying across the floor. We look but to no avail. Just a short while later, the fiesty little guy runs across the floor in our living room. I am not sure but I think he stopped, stared at us, and stuck his tongue out at us. We moved the couches, lifted them up, banged around with a broom, and nothing. I think those annoying rodents were in the wall having a good laugh at our expense.

We even set up a new trap but it hasn't worked yet. We put a bottle that has peanut butter on it on the end of a broom over a bucket of water. So, if they climb up and try to get the peanut butter, they will slip in and DROWN! We will not lose this battle!

We have talked about watching some movies for research purposes such as Cinderall and Ratatouille. If anyone has any suggestions, we are desperate!

Really?

I want you to know that I have always been prone to exaggeration especially as a means to appear funny. So, when I was writing about the internet only working on Wednesdays, a full moon, and solar eclipses, I was trying to be funny. I was trying to make light of an enormously infuriating situation. Because the internet has been worse than normal this week, I have found myself going to use internet cafes. Yesterday was the first day that it worked this week and it worked quite well. AND, wouldn't you know it was a Wednesday and there was a full moon! Hilarious!

And, right now my biggest nemesis is a mouse! This pesky little mouse is absolutley brilliant. I think and fear that there actually might be a whole team of them. We have food that is sitting on top of a three foot table that only has thin metal rods for legs. But, still they can get it. Do they climb on each other's shoulders? Is there one mouse on a rope that is being lowered by the others through the roof? Can mice climb walls like spiderman? Are our mice relatives of mighty mouse and have the ability to fly? No matter what we do or what we try they are one step ahead of us! But, fear not! I am not giving up. If these mice want to fight, then it is fight they will get. I will not be beat by a rodent!

The day the President came

Today was the day that the President came to our humble little home of Arusha, Tanzania. President George W. Bush is here! As I am sure many of you know, he is making a tour of several East African countries with his longest stay being in Tanzania. We heard rumors that he might be coming to Arusha as well as Dar es Salaam but we were not sure when. A guy that came out to inspect the possibility of internet sent us a text saying today! I think that my invitation might have gotten lost in the mail to lunch. Oh well.

We heard that the main road into town was going to be closed for most of the day to the President, so we left early for work. Our office is right off the main road so we were excited about the chance to see the President. Every time a car went by, we would get excited. Keep in mind that this road is completely closed except for official business, for cars that is. People had to walk miles because there was no local transport. There were children with American and Tanzanian flags, people with shirts with the American Flag or a picture of Bush on it. They even had kitanges (material that women where as skirts) made special for the occasion with both flags and a picture of President Bush. I am doing everything in my power to get one of those! =) After several hours, we began to lose hope and decided to walk a little to see if he might be in another location. There were hundreds, maybe thousands of people all standing around waiting for the chance to see the president. AWESOME!

Eventually, he did come with quite a big entourage. There were two big, black SUV's with tinted windows that were in the middle. I am assuming that he was in one of those. I may not have seen him but I am pretty sure I stood out in the sea of black faces. So, now he knows me! =)

The Georgia Tech bond

One thing that I have always found interesting is that anytime you meet someone that went to Georgia Tech, there is an instant connection. They know your pain, the torture you went through! There is a bond. So, when I found out that Jeff Foxworthy went to Tech, I felt that bond. So in light of that I am going to try and tap into his comedic genius.... I am going to adjust it a little to fit life here though. So here goes, my first attempt at humor..... (Please know that my ego even likes fake chuckles, you know the polite ones so the person does not feel stupid) =)

You know you might be living in Africa if ....
.... you see a 50lb girl carrying a 70lb bunch of bananas on her head while holding a machete while you are breathing hard carrying your 5lb backpack.
.... having running water and power in the same day is a special sign of love from the government.
.... taking a plane to the States to carry the message is quicker than waiting for your computer to load the email, turn off, try again, and then continue the process.
.... having internet that works and that does not take 20 minute for each email only happens on the first Wednesday of every month, on a full moon, or during a solar eclipse.
... you have to choose between a squatty potty that smells so bad that you might lose consciousness and one with 50 flying cockroaches.
... cars driving straight towards one another is not cause for concern
.... there is no such thing as a full car.
.... a raging river going over the road you are about to pass does not mean you should turn around just simply hold on and pray.
...taking your time has a whole new meaning.

So, I am not sure if you are laughing or not, but remember fake chuckles are just fine! Living in Africa is never dull!

Examples of God's goodness

There are times here that I feel like I am living life upside down and backwards. Nothing feels the same. Even the simplest things feel different. And, I definitely struggle with trust issues! I am not sure why. God reminds me of his faithfulness again and again but still I struggle with trusting Him. Even though He is taking care of me and looking out for me, I feel like I have to do it. As I was praying yesterday about this, God brought to mind a memory from my freshman year of college.

It was my first quarter as a freshman at Georgia Tech. Finally, Independence! I am a big girl now! I can handle anything. Yeah Right! November of that year, I got some pretty bad food poisoning or so I thought. Several days later, I was still pretty bad. I tried going to classes but was having a hard time and something just did not feel right. I am not sure why, but something said go to the hospital. Since I did not have a car, I called dad who lived about 45 minutes away. Even though it was late and it was a work night, there was no hesitation. The next thing I knew my dad was there. It felt like only a few moments had passed. While we were driving, I felt like I was being silly and dramatic. I was sure it was nothing and it would pass soon. However, my dad still thought it would be good to go to the hospital. For the first time ever, we got in right away at the emergency room. I barely remember anything except for all of a sudden I was on a bed with lots of wires stuck in me. I was not sure what was going on, but my dad was by my side the whole time handling everything. Throughout the night, I would doze in and out as several doctors would come in. Most of that time is hazy, but the one thing I do remember is that my dad never left me. Every time I woke up, there he was at my bedside holding my hand. I felt like I was in a fog. Doctors were talking to my dad and arranging the procedure and going through the process of admitting me. Not once did I feel fear or anxiety. I felt taken care of the whole time. My dad was there. I trusted him completely and felt safe and loved. I knew everything was going to be okay.

So, after praying I realized that was a glimpse of how God loves me and takes care of me. He is always there working on my behalf even when I do not completely understand what is going on. Life can seem hazy and upside down but God never lets go. I can relax and trust Him.

The Great Tickle Fest of 2008

Sometimes in the midst of all that is going on here, I get caught up in the tasks. I focus on the books to be purchased, the schools that are being built, finding money for porridge for the children, class schedules, curriculum, developing the child sponsorship, creating systems for things to be more efficient, etc. etc. etc.!

So, yesterday, we traveled to Karanse and in my attempt to be more effective and efficient, I created a list of all the things that needed to be done. As we were driving, I was thinking through everything and how to make sure we got everything done. However, at one point, I had nothing to do. We were waiting for the school children to have a break and Julia was taking pictures of the smaller children for sponsorhsip updates. I had talked with the social workers and the teachers and given them all roles and tasks to make sure things got done. But, then I was left with nothing to do. I just had to wait for the children to each of their picture taken. So, I stopped and looked around. And, there were tons of the cutest little kids just sitting on the grass. What person in their right mind would not go sit and join them? How fun! The crowd around me continued to grow and the kids just wanted to touch me and we played a little and sang some songs. From out of nowhere, I had this urge to just start tickling! The laughs, the squeals, the giggles were contagious. They could not get enough. Soon, kids were just walking up to me holding out their bellies to be tickled. Hilarious! And, then the tides turned! I had all these little fingers tickling me. I could not breathe I was laughing so hard. I was tickling them, then tickling me. It became this huge tickle fest! In the midst of the laughter and the smiles, I remembered while I do all of those tasks.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

I love flying! I think it is so much fun. I always have. Part of it, I am sure, is due to the fact that my Dad is a pilot and I pretty much think he is the coolest ever! These past several weeks I have been a traveling maniac! I have been on the road so much. When I came back to the office today, everyone was hugging me and greeting me and so excited because it has been so long since I was last here. Last week, I spent most of the week in a village called Kondoa which is about a 5 - 7 hour drive from Arusha where I live on roads that are "slightly" bumpy. When you get out of the car, it takes hours for your body to stop vibrating. =) However, yesterday, I went there by using an airplane! I like that way MUCH better.

Just flying was fun but going into a village where everyone comes out to greet you makes it even more enjoyable. The runway looks like nothing more than a dirt path but it gets the job done. Yesterday, after going to see the school, we went to several homes of the children at the school. We had so much fun visiting the children and their families at their homes. While we were at the homes, the teacher explained to the family that we were the people that came on the plane yesterday. Hilarious! As we left today, we once again had a big crowd and after we took off, I saw that a whole school had come out to look at us up in the sky. What a blast! They were so thrilled to see us and just giggled and squealed with delight!

I want to hold your hand

I have three of the cutest nieces in the whole wide world. I love them so much and miss them terribly. Life with them is never boring. One story in particular sticks out in my memory. While taking the two five year olds to the dog park one day, there was a some hurt feelings. I would hold the dog leash with one hand their hands with the other. Each was holding one of my fingers. That did not last long, so eventually they took turns holding my hand. One soon became angry at the other because I held her hand longer. I could not help but laugh even though to them it was so important, it was a sign of my love.

Throughout my time here, there have been multiple times where I have had similiar situations in the villages with the children here. You literally have one child per finger and they are all fighting for the chance to be held. In one of the villages, Kondoa, one girl in particular is the fiercest fighter for my attention. Every time I come, she makes a run for me. This precious little five year old girl. She has the huge smile and seems so desperate for attention and love, sometimes even to the point of being rude to other children (which I address). This past visit, I had the opportunity to go to her home. Since she knew we were coming, she was able to leave early from school to go home. When we arrived, we noticed that she had changed and put on her best outfit. She would not let go the whole time I was there in her home. As I talked with her great aunt, in their tiny little mud house, I began to understand some of her behaviour. Her father left, I am not sure about her mother. Her grandmother died and now this little five year old girl is being taken care of by her 80 year old great aunt. Fatina, the little girl, is definitely loved by her great aunt but you can sense the loneliness and fear in her. Nothing in me wanted to leave. I just wanted to stay and live there and help take care of this precious little girl. However, I am so thankful for the amazing teachers at our school who love her, guide her, shepherd her, and so much more. Her future will be different.