not like jacob

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-13T10:24:00.000-08:00

....from South Sudan.

(Kissa, this is especially for you and the godchildren, of course. When are you going to get Facebook already? Just kidding.)

Some Yida scenes...

2012-01-26T09:31:00.001-08:00

The maternity ward and the nutrition center.

Our swing in our tree in our compound.

Our grass office.

It's a long story...

2012-01-19T04:26:00.000-08:00

...but here is my new home in the Yida transit camp in South Sudan. Further bulletins as events warrant.

B.

2012-01-13T19:29:00.000-08:00

We've both spent the last week getting ready to leave. I couldn't stop thinking about that as I packed and repacked.

I am getting on a plane again tomorrow morning, and I wonder if you will have arrived at your destination by the time I arrive at mine. I've been thinking about when I was getting ready to leave for Mozambique and you told me to just go for it- to go with my whole heart. I don't think that you wanted me to leave, but you cheered me on when I did. I wish I could be as selfless as you, but I can`t. I don't want you to go.

I've been thinking about how strange it is that you are the one who is supposedly dying, and I am the one who is supposedly living. I find this odd, when it is me who is filling bags with more and more weight. Bags full of pills to ward off malaria and boost my nutrition. Full of clothes and lotions to keep away the heat of the sun. A million and one things designed to help me limp along somewhat successfully in this wretched planet. You on the other hand have been slowly letting go- letting go of the need for morphine and radiation and chemo and surgery. Away from the hold of pain and fear and disappointment. It seems like you are actually the one who is going to go on living, while we stay here and feel the sting of death and decay. I think that at some point I will be happy for you because of this, but tonight I am just sad.

I love you a lot, friend. I really do. You are the best man that I know. I will always be so thankful that I knew you, and so honored that you wanted to know me.

Journey well. I know that you will.

Hope...

2011-12-06T18:10:00.000-08:00

Hope is like a path on the mountainside.
At first there is no path.
But then there are people passing that way,
And then there is a path.’

-Lu Xun-

The purge...

2011-11-25T23:04:00.000-08:00

I'm back in Canada for a visit, and currently at my folk's place. One thing that I've needed to get done for ages is to rid my parent's basement of the piles of Keren-related memorabilia that have been littering it for, well, decades. I knew it was time when I walked into my old room and realized that it looked as though I had died and someone had erected a shrine in my honour. It was me, everywhere! On the walls, in boxes in the closet, choking up the bookshelf. It was way too much.

On the whole, it's been rather refreshing to throw away bags of old odds and ends and officially giving up on projects I'll never complete (i.e. scrapbooks- I HATE scrapbooking). It's also been somewhat entertaining unearthing things like old notes from my friends in high school (oh, the drama!) and a stack of handmade cards from my first class as a student teacher (my favourite being the one written by an anonymous 9 yr old that reads, "Miss Massey is made of chocolate and rainbows!").

On the other hand, I've found some parts of the process a bit sad. I spent six years in undergraduate education and I worked myself to the bone during that time. I worked while I studied (regularly working all night and then attending lectures the whole of the next day- perhaps not one of my most prudent decisions) and jumped into a ream of time consuming extracurriculars. At the end of those six years I had a handful of credentials, ridiculously high grades, no debt and not a shred of energy left for anything. I was even tired of people. Sometimes I think I'm still suffering from a bit of undergraduate fatigue.

Strangely enough, throwing out stacks of old lecture notes and workbooks from that period in my life was surprisingly hard. I knew I'd never use them again, but somehow having a row of cardboard boxes full of uni related memorabilia was validating. I had evidence that I did something and that it was worth all that it cost to do it. I've been putting off getting rid of this stuff for years, but this time I finally accepted that never would I sit my grandchildren down and read them one of my truly pedantic exegeses of words from the original Greek. So, I threw it all away with the exception of that stack of cards and an essay I wrote ages ago about feminism which I figured would be good for a laugh.

There is a line from the old TV show The Wonder Years that says, "Change is never easy. You fight to hold on. You fight to let go." I've been thinking about that quote both whilst sorting through boxes and whilst bringing the UK chapter of my life to an end. It is always a struggle to hold on to the things from the past that you should keep. It's always a struggle to let go of the things from the past that have no business in your future. It is never easy. I've found it hard to leave many places in the last few years, but I found it especially difficult to leave my home and community and life in London.

Change is hard, at least it's hard for me, but I am learning that all that is really changing is the props and the scenery (which I can let go) but that the real, true, important things remain the same (like God, and relationships- those are the things that I'll keep).

Let me conclude with a classic photo of me at my 6th grade science fair which I came across in my rummaging. I was a nerd from the womb, it would appear. Please note my yawn-inspiring project on "Tides". My three most pressing questions about this photo are 1) did I need glasses that thick, 2)why do I look so interested in the topic, and 3) why do those other girls look so interested? Maybe I paid them off to pose for the photo. By the by, I kept that project for YEARS before it got thrown away.

Out for a curry...

2011-11-01T17:46:00.001-07:00

Logan, I keep forgetting to tell you that Flat Stanley and I went out for lunch last month just before he posted himself back to you. We went to a place called Camden. There is a big market there and if your mom ever comes to visit me I will take her there- she would love it!

Glad to hear that Stanley made it back to Three Hills safe and sound! Hope you are having lots of fun. Give my love to your sister and brother. I miss you guys!

Gifts...

2011-10-25T05:30:00.000-07:00

This could easily be a Mary Oliver tribute blog. I love her poetry.

I've been thinking about this particular poem lately, and not because I'm unhappy or because anything is wrong. There is just something about it that I think is very beautiful and true and deeply comforting.

Hope it encourages someone out there today.

The Uses of Sorrow

(In my sleep I dreamed this poem)

Someone I loved once gave me
a box full of darkness.

It took me years to understand
that this, too, was a gift.

-Mary Oliver

Old material...

2011-09-30T17:03:00.000-07:00

Cousin Laura,

I was looking through some photos from my brother's wedding and this one reminded me of something...something from the past...

(Victoria, Canada, 2011)

Which was, of course, this photo. Are they not strangely similar? Why are our facial expressions exactly the same? And what possessed us to wear scarves on our heads?

(Mucombeze, Mozambique, 2010)

Sadly, this is not the first time that something like this has occurred: http://notlikejacob.blogspot.com/2010/03/dear-laura.html

I think we're in a rut.

Egads...

2011-09-28T13:02:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in ages. Please accept this link to my recent Facebook photo album as a proxy for the 15 or so blog posts I should have written in the last little while:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150834402225215.746907.804750214&l=f8b553aba2&type=1

The project...

2011-08-10T06:02:00.001-07:00

Since getting back from my brother's wedding my focus has been on getting my dissertation finished as the due date draws nigh...very, very nigh.

I told my tutor that I would get my first draft to him by today, August 10th. In retrospect, that was a bit ambitious.

Anyways, after a rather sleepless night, a brief nap at dawn and then a few more hours of frantic edits, my first draft is submitted!

I stumbled out of my room at about 1:30pm exultant and full of joy! According to my housemates I also bore a strange resemblance to a mad scientist.

And now I guess I'd better clean up the post thesis-writing mess...

Love

2011-07-28T11:42:00.000-07:00

My brother got married this last Sunday. I am so happy for them. I am so happy that I could be there.

The bride and groom set off on their new bicycle for two!

London

2011-07-06T11:40:00.000-07:00

"New ideas must use old buildings."

Jane Jacobs

Inside the Natural History Museum.

Love this shot of St. Paul's in the gloom.

White Tower at the Tower of London.

One of my favourite places in the British Museum.

Victoria Monument at Buckingham Palace.

Westminster Abbey.

Canada Day

2011-07-03T10:30:00.000-07:00

On Canada Day there was a big shindig here in London at Trafalgar Square.

My friends Celia (Italian) and Meghan (Americano) kindly accompanied me to the celebrations.

(Here are Megs and Cel with their loves. It's a great shot, no? Okay, on to Canada Day...)

Here are Megs and Cel surrounded by friendly Canadians with the lovely National Gallery in the background (by the by, Trafalgar Square is probably my favourite place in London, hands down. It was the first place I took my brother when he visited and, while I won't name any names, I will say that one of us got a bit emotional. It's just that lovely).

Here is me proudly wearing my Vancouver 2010 Olympic t-shirt! I think covered wagons are alright. Especially when they sell curly fries.

I introduced the girls to poutine. Celia was unimpressed, Meghan professed to enjoy it, and I was very obviously in love. There was a Tim Horton's booth as well, but they sold out of coffee and donuts before I could get some. I was rather saddened, until I remembered that I'll be in Canada in two weeks. I'll stock up then.

Wimbledon

2011-06-26T09:04:00.000-07:00

The majority of our class agreed that this weekend should be exclusively devoted to frolicking before we settle in to a delightful summer of thesis writing.

Hence, I spent most of yesterday trying to get into Wimbledon to watch some world class tennis. I also spent a small portion of yesterday actually at Wimbledon watching some world class tennis.

Imagine our delight when we walked out of the Tube station and found that there were free bicycle taxis shuffling eager tennis fans from the train to the grounds.

Mac and I in our taxi. I am holding a Starbucks in my hand. I am happy. Mac just bought second-hand sunglasses. His fiance told him that he looked like a dreamy character from "Top Gun." He is also happy.

When we got to the grounds we were all given a number which determined our place in line. My number was 12, 476. We were told that there was 4,000 people in line in front of us. This is a true story.

This information didn't dampen our spirits, however. We were avoiding writing our theses! Waiting in line for four hours to watch tennis seemed like the perfect excuse! We had a proper good time in the line up thanks to the strategically placed pizza and ice cream stands.

This is Ashli when, at about hour 3.5, we were getting close enough to the grounds that we actually began to see signs that said things like, "Wimbledon." She is happy! We are getting close!

At last we made it inside the grounds! There were petunias everywhere and it smelled like my home town. Roger Federer is sitting up on that balcony. There was a large crowd of ardent fans standing below calling out his name and taking pictures of his elbow, which was basically all we could see. I guess he is a big deal in the world of tennis. I wouldn't know.

Through an advantageous turn of events, we got inside one of the big courts to watch mixed doubles. As it turns out, watching tennis is actually quite enjoyable. I like how everyone watches so politely when the players are wacking the ball around, and then how everyone yells little, dignified nuggets of encouragement when there is a pause in the action. i.e. "Come along now, Jonny! You can do it, old boy!".

Here we are politely watching tennis, as though we have a clue as to what is going one. One of us had actually played tennis in real life. One of us played tennis on Wii. One of us was actually a fan and even knew some of the names of the players.

This is Florence. She is the tennis fan. I sat next to her and clapped whenever she did.

Canterbury

2011-06-24T12:59:00.001-07:00

My class headed to Canterbury for two days after the end of exams.

We really are a lovely bunch. It's been a pleasure and a privilege to study with such brilliant people this last year. I'm so glad that we got to spend a last bit of time together before we disperse to the four corners of the earth (literally).

Hurray for friends, yummy food, slightly disorganized cricket matches, and loads of public health related jokes that we alone are likely to find funny.

On our way to a party...

2011-06-22T17:12:00.001-07:00

She says it better than I can...

2011-06-21T16:05:00.000-07:00

I wish I could write poetry because I love it. But, in the absence of such a skill, I am thankful for others who can express so beautifully the things I have trouble putting words to.

I write my last final tomorrow which means that I am quite close to being done grad school. Which means that change is coming, which means that I have decisions to make, which means that there is another adventure in the wind. I'm certain of it.

And I am certain that there is goodness in store that will come wearing a thousand different faces. And so I love this poem, because I can see the light spilling too, and I plan to be there soon.

Walking to Oak-Head Pond, and Thinking of the Ponds

I Will Visit in the Next Days and Weeks

What is so utterly invisible

as tomorrow?

Not love,

not the wind,

not the inside of a stone.

Not anything.

And yet, how often I am fooled-

I'm wading along

in the sunlight-

and I'm sure I can see the fields and the ponds shining

days ahead-

I can see the light spilling

like a shower of meteors

into next week's trees,

and I plan to be there soon-

and, so far, I am

just that lucky,

my legs splashing

over the edge of darkness,

my heart on fire.

I don't know where

such certainty comes from-

the brave flesh

or the theater of the mind-

but if I had to guess

I would say that only

what the soul is supposed to be

could send us forth

with such cheer

as even the leaf must wear

as it unfurls

its fragrant body, and shines

against the hard possibility of stoppage

which, day after day,

before such brisk, corpuscular belief,

shudders, and gives way.

-Mary Oliver-

Who do you see...

2011-06-10T15:45:00.000-07:00

...curiously etched into this ancient artifact currently housed in the British Museum?

(Hint: Leads a world super power)

Reasons I have not blogged...

2011-06-10T07:25:00.001-07:00

First, Gemma and I started slipcovering all of our living room furniture. We are still slipcovering our living room furniture. Well...actually, we're kind of on a hiatus. We both have degrees to finish!

My room became filled with a terrible odor which turned out to be mold or something growing on my damp, London window sill and I was busy lighting candles every evening to try and decrease the stench: success!

I bought a little, yellow ukulele and I play it an awful lot. Most often late at night. Thankfully my nearest house mate is also a bit of a night owl and doesn't mind my nocturnal jam sessions.

I spent the month of April in Uganda doing a research project for my graduate degree. It was a study examining how women are affected by inadequate sanitation in urban slums. April was an almost perfect month.

I've also been busy playing with my friends.

We did have a long weekend, during which I could have blogged, but I went canoeing/camping instead!

House mate Mary got engaged and former house mate Laura came back from Madagascar for a visit. Here are the ladies of 63 Manor Park Road up late making invitations!

Then two of our chickens got sick and required quite a bit of loving attention. Here is Annabel in the tub. I think she hated it.

Baby Cris...

2011-03-14T17:37:00.000-07:00

One afternoon, near the end of my time in Mozambique, I was working at my desk in the main office when one of the staff came to tell me that two women had brought a sick baby to the farm.
I went out to greet them and they handed me a bundle of blankets, inside of which was a very tiny baby boy.

I took the bundle to the office, laid it down on my desk and started peeling back the layers. It reminded me of the time in Uganda when a badly burned young girl was brought to us. Her family had wrapped a cloth around her burned arm and a part of me just dreaded taking off that cloth- I was afraid to see the extent of her injury. With this baby I was afraid again.

I finally unwrapped the smallest baby that I had ever seen. His tiny bones were jutting out all over and he was clearly dehydrated and listless. We weighed him and found that he was only 1.5 kg.

His mother had died shortly after his birth and he was left in the case of his two aunties and his father. Initially they had given him formula, but then they ran out of money and had started giving him water. They realized that they needed help and made the trek to our farm. I think the baby was about three weeks old when they first came to us.

I really wasn't sure what to do with a baby that little so I decided to take the family to our nearest hospital, which was about half and hour's drive away, and consult with someone more knowledgeable than I. The nurse we spoke with seemed totally nonplussed by the situation, an attitude which in this case was actually quite relieving. According to the baby's birth record he had only weighed 1kg at birth, so even though he was only 1.5kg, he was gaining weight, and that was a good sign.

We took the family back to their home and they were enrolled right away in our milk program. Because the baby was so tiny they came in for weekly follow up appointments so we could weigh him and make sure that all was well. And all was well! The little guy packed on the weight and started looking so cute and hydrated.

His family asked me to name him, and I named him after my brother: Christopher. In Mozambique (rather, in Portuguese) that looks more like Cristofer. However, he ended up being registered as Cristofa. I liked it. It's a bit gansta, no?

Here he is at just over one month. He had already gained a good amount of weight by this time!

After I left, Lynn was kind enough to send me this picture. Look at those fat cheeks!

Just recently Lynn put these up on her blog. Look at Baby Cris now! He is such a big boy!

And so handsome!

Here he is with his aunt and their new tin of formula. Go, Cris, go!

Cristofa still has a lot of obstacles in front of him. Surviving past the age of five is tricky in countries like Mozambique where preventable and treatable illnesses are still taking such a devastating toll. However, he is plugging along and I am so grateful for that, as well as for his loving family who take such good care of him.

Lynn was also just writing on her blog that they have seen an increase this year in the number of mothers seeking nutritional assistance. If you would like to read about it or if you would like to donate to the milk program, you can find Lynn here.

I highly endorse the program...and so does Cris.

A hint...

2011-03-03T15:50:00.000-08:00

You may be studying in England if you note either of the following:

Tea breaks written directly into the lecture notes.

Mums (also in the lecture notes).

It all so adorable!

Spring, spring, spring...

2011-02-18T09:30:00.000-08:00

This seems a bit like a recipe for disaster- potting soil hovering above my nice, white bedspread. However, spring is on its way and we must be prepared with flowers, flowers, flowers! Seeing as my room is sunny and occasionally warm it seems like the best place for the seedlings at the moment.

I spent some time this afternoon out in the garden working on this little project. The chickens were especially clingy for some reason and followed me around in a little group, pecking at my jeans and chatting away. Annabel even managed to knock over an entire pot of freshly planted snap dragons (note to housemates: anticipated a heavy concentration of snap dragons in one corner of the veggie box this summer).

Yesterday was Gem's birthday. She wanted to stay in and order Indian food, and so we had ourselves a nice little chicken-themed party at home.

Slightly out of line with the chicken theme was the geography-themed birthday cake. Ah well.

Paris...

2011-02-08T07:04:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I met up with my friend Charles in Paris. We met a couple of years ago when we both worked in Uganda. He works in Afghanistan at the moment and had saved up his vacation in order to have a proper holiday.

There are quite a few pictures to wade through in this post, so I thought I'd cut right to the money shot to kick things off.

Behold! I got into Paris just before the sun was going down and Charles and I decided to begin the sightseeing right away after checking in to our hostel. We took the metro (Paris' version of the Underground) and I was just chatting away when I glanced to my left and saw this! It was quite lovely at night with all the lights.

Instead of asking one of the other 234, 234 tourists in the area to take a picture of us, we decided to try and do it ourselves. This is the best shot out of many, I'm afraid, but I like it.

Random shot of a Parisian intersection.

After checking out the Eiffel Tower (and me eating my first delicious crepe from a street vendor) we decided to head to Notre Dame. Charles has friends in Paris and we were going to meet them in front the cathedral. Charles and I consulted our map and decided that we could easily walk the distance as the map made the two locations appears to be rather close to one another. After over an hour of walking (and if you know me you'll know that I walk at a fairly brisk clip) we finally made it to Notre Dame. It wasn't so bad, in all honestly. We walked along the Seine the entire way and it was very beautiful with the water and the lights and the buildings.

Self portrait in front of Notre Dame while Charles was off looking for his friends.

The next day we went back to the Eiffel Tower and decided to go all the way to the top. Why not, right? How often are YOU in Paris?

And here's me.

After that we headed to the Louvre (we took the Metro this time- no more arduous walking tours!). I had three goals at the Lourve: 1) See the Mona Lisa, 2) See the Nike, and 3)See the Venus de Milo.

Check.

Still at the Louvre. Quite the doorway, eh?

I really can't tolerate movies where kids play evil characters. There is nothing creepier to me that an child with a black soul. Hence, this statue of a chubby little kid strangling a swan haunted me the rest of the day.

I like old stuff.

After the Louvre, Charles wanted to find a church that has some Napoleon-related historical significance. Here he is consulting his Lonely Planet for directions.

We found it...eventually! Then we had a bit of a rest on the steps before setting out to find supper. This turned out to be the second epic trek of the weekend because I said that I wanted to go to the Arc de Triomphe before we ate. Again, on the map, it looked to be close by. Again, it really wasn't. Again, the very long walk was quite lovely as it was along the Champs-Elysees.

We made it.

The next morning I had to head back to London and Charles went off to Germany to finish up his vacation. I had another crepe at the train station. I'd like my last meal to be a warm, Parisian crepe smothered in chocolate. Thank you, please.

Off to Platform 4! And then home.

Travels...

2011-02-06T16:50:00.001-08:00

I just got back to London after a weekend away in Paris. I'm about ready to lapse into unconsciousness, but I thought I'd try and get up a quick blog post before I do.

This will not be a blog about Paris, however, as I need to catch up on the happenings of last week.

(To clarify, I really do go to school. Actually, I spend the majority of time there or at home working on assignments. I just don't take pictures of it, and it would make for some dull blogs. Right now I am beginning my last week of what is known as "C Block". If you never hear from me after tonight it's C Block got the best of me. Well, to be more accurate it will be because epidemiology got the best of me.)

So, a week ago two friends and I went down to Brighton for the day. I think I've mentioned a few times on this blog how much I truly love the sea (i.e. here, here, also here, here as well, etc) so I was rather excited to go.

Truth be told, it was a little chilly. Here are Hannah, Gemma and I smiling whilst braving the cold wind (and enjoying the complimentary lollipops that came with our fish and chips and mushy peas).

The general consensus was that the clouds and the light were amazingly beautiful.

(Sky over the Brighton Pier)

After fish and chips and strolling and browsing in little shops we decided to end the day with tea and scones at a very eclectic and wonderful tea shop. Oh, the scones! The cream! The china!

We had to stop for gas on the way home but we parked on the wrong side of the pump. Hannah was confident that the hose would wrap all the way around the car. She was right.

And there was much rejoicing.

Final installment...

2011-01-28T12:48:00.000-08:00

... of Christmas photos. It had been three years since I spent Christmas with my family, so it was kind of a big deal.

Here's me and my mom, also known as "Marmseepopsiclemuffinhead" (but only rarely).

Here's me and mom out for a Christmas Day stroll, thanks to an obliging chinook (I inserted this link for all my chinook-illiterate friends).

The wintery road to my parents' house.

Now here we have me and my dad. I think we look a great deal alike, no?

Right down to the wrinkles around our eyes! Egads! Remind me to ask Santa for some anti-aging moisturizer next year.

Pictorial to-do list...

2011-01-22T06:35:00.000-08:00

Today I need to...

Pick up a parcel from the post office.

Read that book.

Give Mac his birthday present.

Reminisce fondly about my brother's visit.

Research and write papers. Lots of them.

See if my plant needs water.

Enjoy my tulips.

Chickens and a new apron...

2011-01-21T10:03:00.000-08:00

It was somewhat sunny when I got home today and so I thought it would be a good opportunity to take some photos of the chickens.

Initially they were confused and uncooperative.

Then they began to show an interest in the camera.

Then everyone wanted a close up! Chicken glamor shots!

My roommate got a new apron and I love it. I wore it all afternoon. Here it is. I forgot to smile.

Smile.

Flat Stanley, Vol. I...

2011-01-19T11:45:00.000-08:00

Hi, Logan!

I took Flat Stanley with me today to university. He has been sitting on my desk since we got back and it seemed like he was getting bored of watching me do homework all day. So, today we went out.

We took one of these to school. I wanted to take a picture, but, um...Stanley was too shy.

After I was done at school Stanley and I went across the road to this place...

This is the British Museum! The British Museum has been on this spot since 1759, but this building was built in 1857. This is one of my favorite places to go, and since it is right across the street from my university I can go whenever I like!

When you go into the museum this is the first place you come to. It is called the Great Court. Look at the ceiling! It is always full of light and always very noisy!

The Museum is full of very, very old things, like this very, very old Egyptian statue! (Stanley always stands too close to the camera, that's why his face is blurry- sorry!)

This lion is from 860 BC! That is REALLY old!

This is one of my favorite rooms in the Museum.

And here's Stanley again!

Okay, that's all for now. Stanley and I bought you a postcard from the Museum so he will travel to Canada with it very soon!

Love, Auntie.

More New Years photos...

2011-01-15T06:53:00.001-08:00

I'd like to title this series:

"Happy Happy Happy Suspicious Sad Happy."

(Alternatively titled, "My face is round and Brenda's is not.")

Happy happy

Happy suspicious

Sad happy

Home...

2011-01-09T10:58:00.001-08:00

"You can go through life and make new friends every year--every month practically--but there was never any substitute for those friendships of childhood that survive into adult years. Those are the ones in which we are bound to one another with hoops of steel."

-Alexander McCall Smith-

(Photos from my trip back to Canada for Christmas and New Years. I apologize for the general blurriness- I'm still sorting out how to use my new camera!)

Brenda, with the entirety of her army relegated to Iceland, carefully considers her next move.

Pictionary masters, reunited at last.

Judging by the expressions, this is the point in the game when Brenda was trying in vain to get her team to guess the words "Bugs Bunny."

Ramie waits eagerly for her beloved husband to mess up so she can use the buzzer.

Matt waits eagerly to return the favor to his lovely wife.

I set up the auto timer on my camera in order to capture us toasting the New Year when the clock struck midnight. Unfortunately, I didn't check the angle. Hence, we only have a picture of Clayton toasting in the New Year.

Attempt #2: Happy (fake) New Year!

Cracking out the vintage Super Nintendo for old times sake.

Me and a portion of the E family.

Catching up with friends from my mom's group (haha, true story).

Christmas...

2010-12-18T15:54:00.000-08:00

Seeing as my housemates and I will all be dispersing for the Christmas holiday, we decided to declare last weekend "Christmas Tree Day" in our home. I don't have any pictures of the tree, but hopefully these shots will satisfy those eager for some photographic evidence of my life (i.e, mom).

Here we are enjoying our Christmas Tree Day brunch. Note the festive Christmas crackers and crowns. One housemate is missing from this photos, but I'm sure he'll show up on here eventually.

I included this shot to prove that I was actually there. I didn't Photoshop myself into this one, I promise.

Festive, London-esque Christmas Tree Day centerpiece.

After brunch we went to get a Christmas tree from a home supply store. I don't have any photos of this leg of the day. This is unfortunate, because it was slightly hilarious.

We were a bit short on ornaments, so we decided to make birds. I was borderline obsessed with bird Christmas tree ornaments last year in Mozambique. Apparently that's carried over a bit.

Housemate L takes her turn.

Clearly an emotional moment between crafter and craft.

She deserves a lot of applause for cutting out roughly 239, 494, 202 cookies.

This is only a fraction. Some we ate, some we hung on the tree. Some...are still sitting in Tupperware containers in the kitchen.

Last but not least, here are our beloved chickens (Annabel, Bruiser and Joan) in front of their coop! The third one is around there somewhere.

Our chickens used to live on a commercial egg farm and were a little lacking in feathers and high on post traumatic stress disorder when they came to live with us. However, they get prettier all the time and seem to love their new life in our back garden.

I finished up my first term at LSHTM on Friday. It was a great term, definitely the most challenged I've been academically (ever), but I do feel like I've learned a lot and I'm looking forward to jumping back in come January.

If the weather here cooperates, I should be back in Canada early next week for some rest and some time with a lot of my favorite people. Looking forward to seeing many of you very soon!

Beauty...

2010-12-03T12:17:00.000-08:00

I'm still fresh out of pictures of my London life, but I wanted to post these photos.

I've been thinking a lot about Mozambique lately, partly because I've settled into some sort of routine here and have had time to stop and think about all the changes that have come about in my life in the past few months.

During one of my last weeks in Mozambique The General and I headed out to the school to meet up with the girls who were learning to sew. We had a lovely morning together. They were so excited to finish their first animals and so proud of their accomplishments. We laughed and chatted (as best we could!) and just had a wonderful hour. It turned out to be our last time together, and I hope that it is as good of a memory for them as it is for me.

Anyways, here are some photos from that morning of the girls and their creations. Aren't these girls beautiful? If you are of the praying persuasion, you can pray for them- that they will be safe and healthy and able to continue going to school.

London...

2010-10-09T12:20:00.000-07:00

I have been in London for a few weeks now.

I love grad school! The course is proving to be fairly challenging, but I appreciate my school more every day and I am so excited to be in such a top notch learning environment. This term consists of core courses like statistics, health economics, etc, most of which I have never studied before. This has led to a steep learning curve in some areas, but I really enjoy it! One of the greatest surprises of my life is how much I like statistics. Honestly. Our class has just over 60 people in it (I think?) from all over the world and from such different backgrounds. Fantastic!

I also could not have asked for a better living situation. I am living in a house with five other people in northwest London. Having found this house on-line, I was a little anxious about what I was getting myself into but I have been pleasantly surprised over and over. We just adopted three chickens who live in a little coop we built in our backyard. We have failed somewhat in naming them and right now they are called 1, 2, and 3. We do intend to give them actual names at some point, for the record.

Some of you have asked for pictures. The unfortunate thing is that my camera was stolen during a mini- crime spree in Mozambique (along with my watch, my glasses, a necklace, some shampoo, etc, etc, anyways) so I'm not able to take photos right now. However, I hate to disappoint, so here is a little sampling to tide us all over until I get my hands on a camera again:

Here I am enjoying a slushie while wearing my bridesmaids dress in front of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine! You can't really see it in this photo, but all around the exterior of the school are bronze insects and animals like mosquitoes, ticks, and rats- all things that carry illnesses harmful to humans! I love my school. Even the art is health related!

Here I am (same day, obviously) in front of St. Paul's Cathedral!. Beautiful!

Lastly, here I am in front of an iconic red phone booth (this one is for you, Esther).

So, to summarize, I:

Love school
Love my house
Love our chickens
Love statistics
Love living in London

However, I can't help but miss Three Hills and Edmonton and Mucombeze, etc. Come and visit!

Checking in...

2010-09-22T22:01:00.000-07:00

My friend Esther told me that I needed to write on here again because "people who read your blog but don't know you personally will think that you've died."

I don't know if anyone reads this blog who I don't know personally, but just in case, here we go.

I am alive. I am in Canada.

It has been very nice being back in Canada. This is one of my favorite times of year- autumn- and it has been lovely to watch the wheat ripen and the leaves begin to turn. It's also been lovely to catch up with friends and family. I love my friends and family.

The two things people have said to me the most since I got back are:
1. You are back already?
2. Why don't you have a tan?

The two things that I have had the hardest time remembering since returning to Canada are:
1. To yield to pedestrians
2. That hot water comes out of taps here (ouch!)

Leaving Mozambique was pretty sad. I was speaking in staff devotions that morning and I had something all eloquent planned but then most of my mental effort was spent trying not to sob convulsively. I did pretty well with the not sobbing until I went to say goodbye to Tendai and her mom. Tendai wasn't sure what all the fuss was about, but she gave me a hug and two kisses anyways.

(Lynn and I at the Beira airport)

Dwight and Lynn very kindly flew me from Chimoio to Beira where I caught my first flight to Johannesburg.

(The plane getting some fuel under Dwight's supervision while I try to soak in my last glimpses of Moz)

While I was waiting for my flight out of Beira I decided to organize the loose change that was clinking around in my wallet. The tally was:

$2.01 CAN
£ 1.17
2 MZM (that's Moz currency)
7.10 ZAR (South African Rand)

I'm pretty sure that this all comes to less than $6.00. The only reason that this is notable is because when I got to London I went to the British Museum to see one of the moai (aka a giant stone head from Easter Island). I wanted to leave my rather weighty backpack in the coat check but alas...it cost £1.50 to leave your backpack at the coat check and, if you will recall, I only had £1.17.

I stumbled around the museum for a while but my backpack was SO heavy and I was SO tired and had SUCH a bad headache after flying all night. I made my way out of the main entrance to the museum, sat down on the steps, looked up and made the very happy discovery that there was a Starbucks right across the street. I hastened over, bought a tea and a muffin, and went back to the museum steps to sit in the sun and have my snack (and some Tylenol. Good thing I don't leave home these days without a malaria survival kit!)

After the Starbucks and the drugs kicked in I decided to go find the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). I will be beginning my masters degree at said school this coming Monday and I wanted to check the place out.

In May I really began to regret my decision not to go to school this year. In late June I was looking around at the websites of some of the schools I was the most interested in applying to, one of which was the LSHTM. While I was browsing I noticed that the LSHTM didn't have an application deadline! I wasn't sure how things could work out, seeing at it was kind of late in the game and I had, well, no money, but I decided to just go for it an apply! I applied in early July and, two days before I left Mozambique, I was shocked to find out that I was accepted! I didn't think that I was be able to go (remember, no money) but on my flight home while I was waiting in the Johannesburg airport I checked my e-mail. There was a message in my inbox informing me that a line of credit was available to me which would cover my tuition and living costs. I was one happy girl!

So, I came back to Canada, waited the mandatory 28 days until I could apply for my student visa (don't ask me why you have to wait 28 days, I have no idea), applied for my visa, bought a plane ticket and then received my visa last Friday! I leave for London this Friday and school begins the following Monday. I am SO grateful for this opportunity. It seems like God has so quickly brought everything together that I needed to go to school this year, including a great airfare and what looks to be a fantastic living situation. I don't think I'm really going to believe that this is all true until I'm through the registration line and sitting in my first lecture! I am very happy and thankful and excited, both for the last wonderfully rich year of my life and for this new chapter, full of possibility.

The Lasts...

2010-08-08T09:22:00.000-07:00

The other night I was in my tent taking pictures of my nightstand.

I really like them.

I like the peeling label on my alarm clock, evidence of my initial strategy to learn Portuguese.

I like the candlelight.

I like the way that necklace looks sitting on top of a beautifully carved box I bought in Malawi.

I kept going back to look at these pictures and had been wondering what it is about them that appeals to me so much when another blogger, a young woman who lives in Sudan, gave me my answer.

She wrote:

"Sometimes, I feel like I should write about the things that are different or interesting or noteworthy about life in Sudan. But, just as noteworthy are the little things that seem simple and mundane. I often overlook the abundance of my life."

I like these photos because they remind me of the little things, the myriad of small things, that have made my life so rich these last 10 months.

I remember one day back in March. I was riding The General out to the school and thinking about life and, due to different things, feeling deeply discouraged.

I must have arrived at the school just as the kids were getting out for recess because a good chunk of the grade 1 and 2 students poured out of their classrooms as I pulled into the yard. They crowed around me and my bike so closely I couldn't get off, saying hello, shouting my name, reaching out to shake hands.

When I finally managed to get off my bike I was escorted to the classroom with one set of little hands holding on to each of my fingers, my arms. One little set of arms was wrapped around my waist. Several little boys offered me their treats of roasted corn on the cobs. Other little boys took turns wearing my helmet and running about the schoolyard making motorcycle sounds.

I sat at the back of the class with tears welling up in my eyes because God was speaking to me. He was telling me that I was measuring my life by what what it didn't have, instead of by what it did have. The truth was that my life was full up of good things.

And my life is rich. I am blessed every day by so many things, big and small.

I am entering my last week in Mozambique, which also means that this is my week of lasts.

Last time I build a fire to warm my bath water.

Last time I make supper in the camp kitchen while I watch the sun sinking down over the trees.

Last visit to the school.

Last trip to town

Last ride on The General (no!).

Last devotions with the staff.

Last time to buy a Coke at Fadzai's shop.

My last chance to appreciate all the small things that God has used these last 10 months to show me grace and comfort.

It makes my heart heavy to know that the time has come again to say goodbye. I have been here for a relatively short time, but it has been so (ahem) eventful and full that it feels like much longer and it will be difficult to let it go.

The General...

2010-08-04T06:37:00.000-07:00

It is no secret that I quite appreciate The General, my little motorbike. I've never felt, however, that The General has returned my affections. Actually, on many occasions it has almost seemed like he wanted to do me harm. This has been rather puzzling.

The General and I went out to the school today. It's about 40km round trip. When my cousin was here she would come with me and we would chat. Now that it is just me, well, I talk to myself a bit. Or sing. 40km of total silence? No thanks.

The scenery on the road to the school is quite pretty. The road itself, however, is another matter.

When the nursing students were here one of their leaders was taking a turn driving out to the school in our big van. I was sitting in the passenger street giving her tips on how to navigate the road. As we we nearing the school she said, "I feel like I'm getting to the end of the level!"

Well said. It IS kind of like a video game. I tend to think of it in segments, each segment ending with one of the obstacles. It goes a little like this:

Sand trap. First sketchy bridge. Rocky incline. Hell's Corner. Sand trap. Second sketchy bridge. Deep ruts full of rocks. Sand trap. Final stretch to the school.

Here is where the road kind of turns into a "W" sort of shape and the ruts are full of sharp rocks. The General once drove itself right into one of these ruts and remained there for some time. It was a bumpy, slightly terrifying ride.

Here's sketchy bridge #2. Let's take a closer look.

Here is The General at the bottom of the Rocky Incline. It is his least favorite part. Coincidentally, it was also my cousin's least favorite part.

Anyways, I have been wondering if maybe after all The General doesn't hate me. Maybe his bad behavior is rather a cry for help. After all, the road to the school is less than ideal for a little bike like him. Maybe all those times he tried to scrape me off on a tree or wanted to fall over in one of the sand traps, he was only trying to get my attention in order to beg for mercy. He didn't want to scratch his shiny purple paint job or dent his Chinese Throwing Star wheels. Completely understandable.

I guess I have put him through an awful lot.

General, I forgive you for being so ill-tempered and breaking down so often.

Group shot.

Introductions...

2010-08-03T00:22:00.000-07:00

As I enter my twilight days here in Mozambique I am trying to make sure that I don't leave things undone. One thing that I have not done (how is it possible?) is to introduce you to some of the people I have been with for the last ten months.

Here is the whole kit and caboodle. Sorry it's so tiny, but I'm sure you can get the gist of it. As you can see, the farm employs quite a large staff. The number fluctuates somewhat throughout the year as some staff are permanent and some on contract. In this groups we have health workers, administrative staff, carpenters, gardeners, shepherds, drivers, teachers, staff for the orphan program, staff for the women's program, bricklayers and general laborers as well as some women who are part of our "work for milk" program.

Here are my fellow expats.

Me: Hi!

Andy: just coming on board. He is a pilot and will also be involved in the agricultural aspect of the work. He is from Switzerland and makes very delicious and artistic bread.

Dwight: Also known as Mr. Boss. He is our most excellent team leader and the head of SAM Ministries here in Mozambique. He is also a pilot. He is involved in pretty much everything that goes on around here, though I would say that our pastoral leadership and training program is quite dear to his heart. Dwight it just generally great.

Lynn: Mrs. Boss. Married to Dwight. She is a nurse and runs the health aspect of the work here which includes two, soon to be three, health posts. She is also involved in running our child sponsorship program AND she is also continuing her education by correspondence AND she takes good care of Dwight. Pretty impressive.

Ron: Ron is an American but has lived for years in South Africa heading up the ministry of Mercy Air. Now Mercy Air is establishing a base here on the ASAM farm so Ron and his wife Barb are here to oversee that. Ron and Barb have been a big encouragement to Dwight and Lynn for a long time and it is great to have had them living here on the farm.

Barb: Also American. Married to Ron. Barb is one of the sweetest ladies you will every meet and has a huge, compassionate heart for people (as does her husband!). Right now Ron and Barb are in the States raising support.

Francois: Francois is a South African and has been working here in Mozambique for a number of years. He has a passion for evangelism. He is also in charge of our schools and does a lot of work with finances here on the farm. He is very funny and an excellent speaker!

Alta: Also South African, and married to Francois. Alta runs our women's ministry which has well over 1000 women enrolled through several provinces in Mozambique and up into Malawi as well. The women learn to read and write as well as learning income generating skills like embroidery. Alta is also in charge of our very delicious lychee orchard. Alta and I share a deep love for coffee and have shared many a cup along with chit chat and yummy baking.

Chris and Corissa: They were here for a month as volunteers. We are very blessed to have a lot of people, like Chris and Corissa, come out to visit us and give us a hand for short amounts of time. It is so encouraging!

Tendai: Short, cute. Likes to punch people in the face. 20 months old. Did I mention that she is cute?

Rick: Is a fellow Canadian. He oversees the youth and children's ministry here which includes regular programs for the orphans and other students as well as travelling up north to train pastors and other leaders on how to care for children. He is also very handy and is involved in many of the day to day projects that take place on the farm. He loves to hunt and do all things outdoorsy, and it currently teaching his daughter Tendai to hunt elk in anticipation of their upcoming furlough. Rick also makes very delicious fruit smoothies.

Heather: Is married to Rick and is Tendai's mom! She is in charge of the orphan program here. She and Rick run a program for our orphan kids every other week and she makes sure that food and other supplies are delivered to the families on a regular basis. Heather learned to cook when she moved to Mozambique and now she is basically a gourmet. She is also learning Portuguese very well. Heather and Rick are my neighbors on the farm and let me come and hang out at their house quite often (thankyouthankyouthankyou).

Mushu: Mushu belongs to Dwight and Lynn. He was born on January 1, 2000 and Lynn likes to joke that he got the Y2K bug. She is probably right. We still like him, though. Mushu cannot sleep without his blanky. He has serious issues, I'm afraid

The new kid...

2010-07-28T23:16:00.000-07:00

Notes...

2010-07-25T05:13:00.000-07:00

I've never been very good at keeping a diary in the one sense. I have kept a journal on and off throughout my life, but it usually takes YEARS for me to fill one. The entries are very sporadic and have little to do with keeping any sort of record of events. I usually write about things that I am thinking about, or something I learned, or about something I hope will happen. In the midst of all the extended passages about what I'm thinking or feeling there will be a little statement that says something like, "Oh, by the way, I graduated from college last month" or, "Oh, by the way, I spent the summer in Peru." See what I mean? For historical purposes, it's rather useless.

I'm afraid that my blog has gone much the same way, which is unfortunate for those of you who read this hoping to hear about what is actually happening here at the farm.

Allow me to try and do better.

1. I only have a few weeks left here in Mozambique. I haven't mentioned this because I wanted to surprise a few people when I went back to Canada. As it turns out though, it is one thing to surprise people when you are popping home for a visit and quite another to try and surprise people when you are coming home. I can just picture myself bursting into my home church a few weeks from now and saying hello to the wonderful people who support me financially who perhaps might be a bit confused as to why I'm not in Africa. So, the cat is out of the bag!

2. The health manual is done and printed and the health course makes its debut into the curriculum of our seminary tomorrow. We also wrote a (much shorter) book (a booklet, really) about how and why churches can promote health in their community. This booklet is the health manual's travelling companion. Who knows where all they will go?

3. On Friday the shepherds started a brush fire to clear some ground for our sheep to graze. Unfortunately, said brush fire reignited itself several times throughout the course of the evening. Mr. Boss beat it out.

4. Speaking of the sheep, they seem to have developed a distaste for their pasture and have taken to grazing around our homes and the office. Several times I have come out of the office only to find that I am surrounded by sheep frantically nibbling on the lawn.

5. Also on Friday, a helicopter landed on the farm. It was friends of Francois and Alta, just stopping in for coffee. This happens every now and then, but it's still exciting.

If you really want to read about what happens around here please allow me to direct you to Lynn's blog (you may know her as "Mrs. Boss"). She does a great job of recording all the happenings around here and she takes a lot of lovely pictures.

Okay, there we go. The regularly scheduled random postings will recommence shortly.

I have good friends...

2010-07-23T11:19:00.000-07:00

...I have evidence.

Currently in process...

2010-07-22T02:40:00.000-07:00

...one pod of hippos.

(Heather, I changed it just for you. Did you know you can also call a group of hippos a herd, dale or bloat? Anyways, totally besides the point...)

Stitches...

2010-07-20T09:09:00.000-07:00

Here is Eunice (and baby Melody), Alta and I. We are clearly discussing something of great import.

I mentioned how we have started teaching some of the older girls to sew. They are learning how to make little African animals out of local material.

Alta and Eunice wanted to learn so that they can help out after I am gone.

This morning I taught them how to make giraffes.

Here are the fruits of our labour. Aren't they cute? Mine is the one staring off into the heavens. The rebel. Alta thinks they all look like rebels, what with their shaggy haircuts and all.

I think the girls are going to do a great job and I can't wait to see how this all turns out!

Here is another member of the gang. Tendai is the happy recipient of all my initial creations. This little lion is waiting for Tendai to get back from South Africa!

Soon to join the group is a hippo and an elephant.

A warthog and a leopard are on the drawing board.

Don't you want one? Or all?

Skills...

2010-07-15T03:12:00.000-07:00

Once students complete their education at our primary school (Preschool through Grade 5) they have the option of continuing their education in some of the other towns in our areas that have schools with more grades. SAM provides a little house and food and the students are visited every other week (or every week) by a staff member. At those visits there is a devotional and games and some chit chat to see how everyone is doing.

One of the groups of girls had mentioned that they missed having art classes at school so it was decided that we would try and provide that for them. I have been experimenting with making small, stuffed African animals out of local fabric and we thought that the girls might like to learn how to make them.

My first class with them was this morning. I asked Joao (a university student here to volunteer for the month) if he wouldn't mind coming along to translate. He agreed. All the mission vehicles were gone, so I asked if he wouldn't mind riding with me on The General. I told him that he could use the helmet. He agreed.

I got my supplies together and went to pick up Joao. He hopped on the back of the bike and off we went! Or so I thought. About half way down our drive way I looked in my mirrors and found that Joao was no where to be seen. (This explained why he wasn't responding to anything I said!) Feeling rather foolish I turned around and drove back to camp, trying to figure out where and how he might have fallen off. I found Joao in the campsite. Apparently he had jumped off when I first start the bike. We had a good laugh, he got back on the bike, and we drove to the next community down the road.

When we got to the students' house we gathered the girls together and started our class. I had printed patterns of a hippo and today we practiced threading the needle and making even stitches all away around the paper pattern. The girls were amazing! They did so well and I can't wait to start sewing with fabric next week. I never have a camera at the right time- they looked so sweet sitting together on their grass mat, concentrating intently on making straight, even stitches. Next week?

It was a good morning. This afternoon also looks promising, as one of the missionaries and I are going to meet with the principal of a school down the road. She is interested in using the health curriculum that we have been developing at her school. Exciting!

To summarize...

2010-07-13T00:19:00.000-07:00

Well. Hello. I hear that you are tired of looking at the snail.

Things have been rather busy around here the last little while, what with teams of nursing students and manuals and health lessons and sick people. I shall try and recap using pictures I have scalped from numerous sources.

Like I said, we have had nursing students here. They truly bless our community here and we were so glad to host them!

They were involved in quite a few things, including:

Teaching at women's classes.

Helping with Well Baby clinics.

Teaching health lessons at the primary school.

Helping to construct new handwashing stations.

(The first graders line up to use the new hand washing stations after some fingerpainting.)

Because we are good hosts, we took them to one of Mozambique's national parks (actually, it was more like THEY took US to the park). I had never seen lions so close up!

Our nearest international airport is conveniently located on the coast. Please enjoy this tiny photo of the lovely Beira coast. Oh, I love the ocean.

It has also been rather sad around here the past little while. I know of at least five deaths in our community in the last month and a half, including one of the dear grannies in our sponsorship program. Mozambique can be tough.

Macro...

2010-06-10T09:45:00.000-07:00

I logged on tonight because I wanted to put up this picture of a snail. I am finally figuring out how to use the macro setting on my camera and I am, I must admit, rather excited about it. What's more exciting than taking pictures of things really close up?

However, when I logged on I saw that this was set to be my 100th post!

100! Surely this calls for something more than a picture of a snail.

But the snail was my plan. I get nervous about deviating from the plan. Don't you?

So please enjoy the stunning detail of this Mozambican snail.

Maybe 101 will be more noteworthy.

Second...

2010-06-09T01:53:00.000-07:00

SAM Ministries has a number of grannies in their sponsorship program. These ladies, for one reason or another, are alone. More often then not, they are caring for children or orphaned grandchildren. The life expectancy here is around 48. To be elderly in Mozambique means that you are a survivor. I love our grannies. I really do.

One of our grannies has been having a hard time lately. Years ago leprosy left her quite disabled and she was abandoned by her family. Months ago a fall left her with what we think is a broken hip. She didn't want to go to the hospital, though. She preferred to stay at home in her little brick house built for her by the mission. After her fall she wasn't able to get around well at all so the mission built her a little latrine of sorts close to her home and her neighbour, another one of our grannies, has been helping her.

Several times over the years, from what I understand, her husband has come and reclaimed her, taking her back to where he lives with his other wives. I'm not entirely sure why. Perhaps he thinks the aid she receives from the mission (because she is alone and other wise destitute) will be funnelled over to him if he takes her home. I don't know. She is rather neglected when she is at her husband’s house. Her friend told us that no one fed her the last time she was there. Whether this is true or not, I don't know, but either way, neglect occurs and eventually she comes back to her own home, back to her kind neighbour, back to our care.

In the last few weeks our visiting team of nursing students had been visiting this granny almost every day, helping her exercise her legs and keeping an eye on some of her other chronic health problems. About a week ago her husband showed up and announced that he was taking her back home again. This was hard news. We didn't know how she would be cared for there. She was living in a nice, brick home. At her husband's she would be back in a hut. She wouldn't have a special latrine close to her house. How would she get to the bathroom? Would she eat? Would she get enough to drink?

What was even harder was trying to understand that she wanted to go with her husband. In our eyes she had a good life right where she was- a nice house, good neighbours, food, medical care. However, she wanted to leave, so the nursing students transported her back to her husband’s home.

We were talking about this around the fire one night. Many voiced their worries and concerns and their confusion as to why she would want to return to her husband. Did she want to think that her husband loved her? Did she want to think that her family wanted her at their home out of a concern for her well being? What would make her choose what so obviously seemed to be second best?

As the discussion continued I sat watching the fire and began to think about how I do the same thing.

I thought about the Father. I know that he offers me bread and fish, not rocks and snakes. I know this and yet I choose to worry and sometimes even doubt that He will provide.

I know that the best choice I can make is to love, but instead I choose anger or envy or bitterness.

I know that truth will set me free, but I chose instead to think in a way that is comfortable.I make choices out of fear instead of a desire for freedom.

Too often I choose distant second bests.

What a waste my life will be if I fill it with second bests.

How exciting to think that the best is available to me, should I have the wisdom and courage to choose it.

And this...

2010-06-01T10:12:00.000-07:00

...this sticker on the right?

...is what a visa for Mozambique looks like.

Signs of the times...

2010-05-31T08:56:00.000-07:00

There are two things that are sure signs the month is coming to an end. My desk will be littered with:

1. Stacks of visual aids for the health curriculum.

2. Piles of receipts (these may or may not be tear stained. Finances. Blech.).

So long, May!

(And Happy Birthday, Esther!)

Today...

2010-05-20T07:04:00.000-07:00

Praising God that Tendai's adoption was finalized this morning.

Praying hard for the three Samaritan's Purse staff members who were kidnapped Tuesday in Darfur.

Thursday...

2010-05-17T11:09:00.000-07:00

I may have mentioned Little Miss Tendai a few times on this blog.

You know. Short, cute, almost 18 months old, my best little buddy/little darling/little dear/love of my life/highlight of every day, etc, etc. I could go on. Really.

Here is Tendai with her mom and dad, Rick and Heather (taken WAY back in October when Tendai was so little!). Rick and Heather have been in the process of adopting Tendai for some months now and just today they were informed that this Thursday they have a court date. At this court date the judge is expected to either approve or deny the adoption. We, of course, are praying and hoping for his approval!

Please be praying for Rick and Heather and little Tendai!

An interlude...

2010-05-12T11:59:00.000-07:00

I was at the school again yesterday to observe a health class. I was sitting in an empty classroom taking advantage of the quiet to write some comments down in my notebook. A little boy slipped into the room and came and sat in the desk in front of me. I greeted him. He greeted me. I asked him his name. He told me. Then I asked him if he knew my name.

He thought.

He pondered.

He looked up at me, paused, and then said in the tiniest little voice:

"Mzungu?"

I laughed and laughed and laughed.

Mzungu is the general term for all white people here, which is really what made this exchange so funny.

Your name?

Why yes, I believe I have heard it...

It's on the tip of my tongue, really.

This is terribly embarrassing. You look so familiar...

Oh, wait. Yes! Now I've got it!

"Mzungu!"

Dear mom...

2010-05-09T07:38:00.000-07:00

Look what decided to bloom today after considering it for some time.

My chrysanthemum! Aside from church-issued carnations, nothing says "Happy Mother's Day" like a chrysanthemum.

So...

Happy Mother's Day.

I love you and I miss you!

This morning at the school...

2010-05-07T06:43:00.000-07:00

The Girl's Club attendees show off their artwork. What do you want to be when you grow up?

I watch a round of a game that I can't quite catch the name of while waiting for health class to start. It makes me want to play Mweso. Why didn't I bring my board with me?

An unruly crowd of boys (and I mean that in the most endearing way possible) exchange punching, shouting, running, etc for paper and pencil crayons.

No less...

2010-05-04T09:34:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading a book by a Zambian woman called Princess Kasune Zulu. She is HIV positive, and writes about her journey with the disease. It is probably the most optimistic book about HIV/AIDS that you will ever read.

The virus led to the death of both her parents, her sister and her husband. At one point in the book she talks about grief:

Death is so much more common in Africa, but does it hurt us less? I've thought about this a lot. I believe that losing your parents or anyone you truly love hurts the same no matter where you are from. Death may not surprise us as much in Africa because it visits too many of us too early and too often. We're always wary; we know the ugly head of tragedy may lurk in childbirth, in the contaminated water we drink, in the mosquitoes that bite us as we sleep, in the breast milk we have no choice but to feed our babies, in an outbreak of TB or cholera that spreads when opportunity is ripe and immunity low, in disease much of the world has the luxury of calling preventable. But does it hurt less? I honestly don't think so.

I can still recall the pain. Even now there are times when it sneaks up on me, making me wince. I still see myself curled up in a tight ball, a sharp ache spreading from my heart, throughout my body, exhausting me. So no, I don't think it hurts less."

One of our staff, a young man named Lovemore, lost his 17 month old son this afternoon. Someone came to find him at work and tell him that his son wasn't doing well. Rick, one of the missionaries here, gave him a ride to the clinic where I happened to be at the time. We all went together to Lovemore's house and were directed to their outdoor cooking area. An older woman was holding the little boy (about 17 months old) in her arms. He was struggling to get air, gasping with each breath. His arms were completely limp. He couldn't hold up his head. His chest was all crackles and wheezes under my stethoscope.

I told Lovemore to take his baby to the clinic right away and have him weighed so that I could calculate the dosage of antibiotics. I would go and get the drug and come back.

I went back to the farm to get the drugs. It probably took about half an hour as I had to look up several things. Rick and I went back to the clinic, expecting to find Lovemore and his son there. The health workers told us that they had come, weighed the baby, and left. As I was turning to get back into the truck one of the health workers said, "But...we hear the baby has died."

I got angry. "Who told you that? Didn't you see this baby yesterday at the clinic? Which one of you assessed this baby?"

The health workers looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. No, they said, they didn't bring the baby to the clinic until today. And, Keren...that baby was very sick.

I know, I know. I'm sorry.

We went back to Lovemore's house. As we walked into the yard we could hear the telltale sounds of mourning; the family was together behind closed doors, wailing. Someone told Lovemore that we were there and he came out, wiping his eyes and weeping. This was his only child. His son. He is devastated. We are devastated for him.

Thousands of children in the developing world die every day from preventable and treatable conditions like respiratory infections. I know this. I can rattle off all sorts of similar statistics. I am guilty of forgetting that all the numbers represent real people...real families...real grief. Grief that hurts no less simply because it is in good company.

Home improvements...

2010-04-29T09:57:00.000-07:00

My tent is getting especially homey these days. Things have really gone uphill since the last time I posted some photos of home, sweet home. Allow me to elaborate:

A new bedside table. (New to me, that is. It belongs to the farm. I can keep this for now, though, right Mr. Boss? Say yes.)

Some new landscaping.

A new earring holder. New Year's dinner centerpiece turned earring tree. I bump into it oh, so often, but all in all, I like. So it stays.

A new layer of blanket on my bed, because winter is coming and the nights are getting c-c-c-cold.

A new mat for my dusty feet! I got it in Chimoio for $1. What a deal...

A little update...

2010-04-28T02:43:00.000-07:00

The staff told us this morning that they heard on the radio that this communication blackout is due to an undersea cable being damaged. Mozambique really only has one telecommunications supplier so when it goes, we all go. They said on the radio that it might take up to four weeks to repair the cable.

Thankfully, we get our internet through Europe so we are still able to communicate with the outside world via the net.

Please pray that this problem will be solved quickly and that we would be able to somehow get funds!

System failure...

2010-04-27T06:31:00.000-07:00

I went into town today with Rick, Heather, Tendai and Barb. We all had long to-do lists. I had a date with immigration and the grocery store and I needed to buy parts for The General. Barb needed building supplies. Rick and Heather needed everything from wire fencing to pork chops. Rick also needed to withdraw a significant amount of funds from the mission's bank account as there are many projects on the go requiring transport and supplies and, being as the month is coming to a close, we need to pay salaries.

Unfortunately, we soon found out that business in Chimoio had more or less ground to a halt. There was no cell coverage. None of the bank machines were working, nor were the banks themselves. Credit and debit cards also didn't work. Basically, there was no way to get cash but the only way to pay for things at the moment is in cash.

Word on the street is that everywhere in Mozambique north of Maputo is off-line. I included a map to illustrate this. I circled Maputo. As you can see, basically everything is north of Maputo. The square is where I live, more or less.

So...we went for pizza. Then we came home.

We are hoping that whatever is causing this problem will get sorted out soon. Pray! Until the banks are up and running again things will be a little tricky.

Back again...

2010-04-20T23:33:00.000-07:00

I'm back home on the farm as of about lunch time yesterday. I ended having to stay an extra day in Maputo due to flights. I was feeling a tad under the weather so I was happy to stay curled up in bed while the rain came down in sheets.

Being back is good. I had forgotten how cozy my tent is and how much I like building the fire for the shower and brushing my teeth by candlelight.

One highlight of going to South Africa is checking our mailbox. Getting mail from home is so lovely and encouraging. This picture is of some of the tea that has arrived from the loved ones back home. Thank you so much! Thank you also for the beef jerky and the letters and the Grade A quality Crayola crayons and everything else. It is so thoughtful and kind of you to take the time and the effort to send these things and it means a great deal to me.

It's really humbling for me to realize how much God has blessed me with the relationships in my life. Your sweet generosity inspires me to give more.

This and that...

2010-04-17T09:16:00.000-07:00

I’m back in South Africa after a fantastic two weeks in Uganda visiting my friends Ruco and Kristi. I’m not too handy with the picture taking, so I’m afraid I don’t have much evidence of my trip. You’ll just have to believe me when I tell you that I saw a leopard on the side of the road and that eastern Uganda was dramatically beautiful. I was worried that I would get behind with work while I was in Uganda, but it turned out to be quite the opposite. I get a lot done when I’m not constantly making up excuses to go and visit Tendai.

I think that I will head back to Mozambique tomorrow. Today is being spent taking advantage of the speedy internet connection here in SA (my computer is sadly in need of updating and my iTunes begging for some refreshment), grocery shopping, and buying a few warmer pieces of clothing for the winter. Plaid is all the rage here in South Africa. Plaid was all the rage when I was in junior high. For everything there is a season, I suppose. I also bought a new suitcase. If you have read this blog for a while you may remember that my former suitcase died a quick and unanticipated death on my trip over to Moz and 50% of my belongings made the trip in a giant plastic bag provided by the airline. The baggie served its purpose admirably, but its time is over now.

I was in the taxi this morning on my way into town and I saw the strangest thing. On the curb at a major intersection there were three dolls set up. You know the type- white blond hair; large, blank, blue eyes. Anyways, they were just standing there, watching the traffic with their synthetic curls blowing in the breeze from passing cars. It was a little creepy. Who put them there? Why? And how were they able to stand on their own?

The mall here in Nelspruit is like my Cheers. We do all our computer work from a coffee shop called Mugg and Bean because they have great internet (and lattes, oh, the lattes). When I walked into good old M&B this morning the server greeted me and apologized because my “usual” table was already taken. The good men and women at the mail/laminating place are also pretty friendly. I don’t have to give them my name...or my order number, for that matter. I just walked in and they ran and got my laminated materials, checked the mail box, and inquired after the “orphans.” I suppose that they don’t have too many customers that regularly bring in drawings of chickens and poop and waterborne diseases (don’t be intimidated by the glamour of my job, I beg you) so I suppose it’s not too surprising that they remember me. But, for whatever reason, it’s nice to be known- to feel like you have a little place somewhere. You know?

I shall leave you with a video of three Karamajong women saying “Happy Birthday” to Ruco’s dad. Fantastic.

Seriously...

2010-04-13T08:29:00.000-07:00

...this coffee tasted different.

Little Miss Tendai...

2010-03-30T13:12:00.000-07:00

...is just so cute.

Especially...

...when she wears my glasses.

(Photo credits go to Heather, as is often the case)

Blending in...

2010-03-27T02:56:00.000-07:00

(Just act casual)

In my mind, this is how this week will go:

Sunday: Er...listen to a downloaded sermon?

Monday: My new passport will get here.

Tuesday: Business as usual. Laundry?

Wednesday: Fly to South Africa with Mr. and Mrs. Boss (in the little plane).

Thursday: Get my visa for Mozambique.

Friday: Good Friday. Go to Mugg and Bean (South African equivalent of Starbucks).

Saturday: Fly to Uganda.

I will keep you posted on how it all pans out.

Sincerely,

Your's truly

PS- The health manual is almost done!

I've been thinking lately...

2010-03-25T09:42:00.000-07:00

...that if I am ever a mother and one of my children comes to me, heart sick because life has handed them some cruel disappointment, this is what I will do.

I will say, “When life gives you lemons, have a good cry.” I will encourage them to take the time to honestly acknowledge the extent of their pain, even though it will be hard for them to do and hard for me to watch. I will not offer up any “bright sides” or quotations or advice. I won’t try and make them feel better so that really I can feel better. I will try very hard not to do those things.

Then, when some time has passed and the tears have begun to dry a little, I will remind them of what I hope they will have already learned.

I will remind them that they are still alive, and that other people are still alive too. And, as that is the case, their path is clear. I will remind them that they exist not for themselves, but for others, and of how that is a comforting thing. For although something sad has happened to them, it does not mean that something has gone awry in the grand scheme of thing. Their life, although precious, is not the grand scheme. It is only a part of it.

I will remind them that none of the meaning or purpose or richness in their life has been lost. They are doing and can continue do what they are meant to do. Loving God, loving others. Those are the things that flood a life with goodness. We are filled by what we give, not by what we get, I will say.

And, I imagine, they will look at me and I will see hurt and doubts and questions in their eyes.

"Trust me," I will say. And I will mean it, too.

Sad.

2010-03-24T09:57:00.000-07:00

It was a sad day, the day the helicopter whisked away my uncle and my cousin.

Don't I look small and lonely?

I can only hope that this will encourage an avalanche of care packages.

(I am just kidding about the care packages.)

This weekend...

2010-03-21T05:29:00.000-07:00

...has pretty much been dedicated to finishing up the next unit of health curriculum for the school. It has taken a back burner to the health manual this month and now time is running somewhat short.

However, I have writer's block. 100%. I only have to write one more lesson plan but for the life of me I have no good ideas. I just keep staring at my laptop and making more cups of coffee.

Perhaps blogging about it will inspire creativity. If nothing else, it will give me an excuse to use some of the many photos I have from the last month thanks to Laura and her photog skills.

As mentioned, I head out to the school at least once a week to observe some health classes. I have begun bringing my laptop along so that I can get some work done while I am waiting. It has turned out to be a surprisingly productive time for me and is quite the hit with the kids. A crowd of some size usually forms and the kids watch intently, talking amongst themselves, exclaiming when I scroll up and down the page or when a word is misspelled and underlined in red. Rather cute.

Here's the title page to the current unit, "What's In My Water?" I am working right now on "Hygiene and Me", which shall be followed with an as of yet untitled unit on sanitation.

When it is time for a new health unit to start I meet with the teachers to go over the material. In this shot the teachers are participating in a drama called Criminal Illnesses about sicknesses that travel in dirty water. The teacher in the blue shirt is playing the role of Diarrhea and the teacher standing is interrogating him.

Here we all are talking about the health program.

This has been a very interesting experience for me as I learn about culture and education. As I have been watching the classes I have been thinking a lot about how information is given and received, and the cultivation of problems solving skills, and how we can help develop and mature a learning environment at a pace that is not too fast or too slow. If I ever get to grad school I think that those are the things I will study.

But for now, one more lesson plan.

Dear Laura...

2010-03-19T10:36:00.000-07:00

Can you spot the differences between these two pictures?

Me neither. There really is nothing new under the sun.

In the last month...

2010-03-18T09:51:00.000-07:00

I did the following:

Hung out at the local watering hole.

Enjoyed having my cousin and uncle here for four weeks.

Went to Malawi.

Observed a lot of health classes at the primary school.

Worked on the health manual.

Made a pancake that looked exactly like Jason Mraz. True story. I would have taken a picture, but a monkey stole the pancake. Also a true story (I think).

Started Girl's Club at the school.

Broke my previous speed record with my cousin on The General.

Crashed The General (it had to happen sometime).

Worked on the health manual.

Got malaria.

Worked on the health manual.

Almost ran over a piglet on The General.

Worked on the health manual.

Sadly neglected my blog.

(I'll do better this month?)

School days...

2010-03-05T10:30:00.000-08:00

In February the health curriculum I am working on began to be used at the primary school. I am trying to get out to the school at least once a week to observe the classes. The first unit was called "Why Do We Get Sick?" This month the unit is about water.

The curriculum is so simple and handmade (literally) and there are a few kinks to work out, but it still brings a little tear of joy to mine eye to watch the health classes in motion.

These shots are from Tuesday of this week. Here are the Grade 1's and the Grade 2's. They are listening to the beginnings of a story about a little boy who learns about why river water is dirty (when he mysteriously shrinks down to a minute size and travels down the river on a leaf. I completely stole the idea from a Child to Child book. Why reinvent the wheel?).

I especially enjoy watching Paulo teach. He is so animated and does a great job of getting the students involved.

If you enlarge this picture you can see the kid on the leaf...learning his lesson. Oh, did he ever learn it.

And then, after the lesson on water, we just had to go outside and play water games with water balloons! Because (clean) water is fun!

End of an era...

2010-03-04T01:04:00.001-08:00

Once there was a little blue Canadian passport that belonged to a little blond Canadian.

They met in 2006 and had many adventures together.

Then came 2009. The little blue passport was almost full and had discussed with the little blond Canadian the possibility of an early retirement. She agreed. She was going to Mozambique and was worried that the little blue passport wouldn’t be able to hand the trip.

So off they went to the city to start the paperwork.

“No!” said Passport Canada. “Your passport is too young.”

“But, but, but...” said the little blond Canadian.

“No!” said Passport Canada.

So the little blue Canadian passport and the little blond Canadian went to Mozambique. They had to get a gigantic sticker in order to enter the country. It took up a whole page.

Then they ran into some trouble.

Mozambique asked the little blond Canadian to leave the country after only two months, so she went to Zimbabwe and came back to Moz. This meant two more gigantic stickers in the little blue passport.

More time went past, and the little Canadian and her passport had to leave Moz again. So, they went to South Africa hoping to get the usual three month visitors permit which would give them time in South Africa to apply for a more long term visa to Moz. A long term visa for Moz would mean another giant sticker, but this one would be the last one.

But they ran into some trouble.

South Africa would only give them seven days instead of three months. How surprising. How awkward. There only option was to get another giant sticker in the passport and go back to Mozambique. By this time the little blue passport was full, but the little blond Canadian wasn’t worried. Her most recent sticker was for three months in Mozambique. Plenty of time to get a new passport.

But then...more trouble.

It turned out that the three month sticker had a sneaky special feature that required her to leave the country every thirty days. Where to go? What to do? The little blue passport was full!

Then the little blond Canadian thought, “What about Malawi?” Sure enough, Malawi didn’t use gigantic stickers, they only used little stamps. The Canadian looked through her passport and found a little unused corner on page 11. Perfect!

So the Canadian and her passport went to Malawi for the weekend, along with a cousin and an uncle who were visiting her. Malawi was a treat. Really. Just lovely. No, truly. You should go.

Then the little blond Canadian and her little blue passport came back to Moz, and the little passport jumped into an envelope along with numerous assorted other documents and went on its way to the nearest Canadian High Commission where it would finally retire and be replaced with a new, shiny, little blue Canadian passport.

Then, the new passport and the little blond Canadian will get to leave the country again in hopes of then getting a new giant sticker and coming back to Moz for longer than thirty days at a time.

The end.

Cats and dogs...

2010-03-01T08:49:00.001-08:00

It has been raining here lately.

And by lately I mean, it's been raining here for weeks.

Our laundry takes days and days to dry.

There are toadstools popping up everywhere. Hundreds and hundreds.

My tent smells funny.

It is fabulous.

Rain.

Food.

Hope.

Thanks for all the prayers.

Laura (my cousin is here!) and I got caught in a deluge while out for a ride on The General. No complaints.

A letter

2010-02-28T09:12:00.000-08:00

Hi, mom!

I am back from Malawi. Malawi? More on that later.

I thought you would want to know that I stopped in to check on Paulo the other day.

I told him that I had a present for him. From you. Because he was so brave.

And he thought, "A present? For me? What is this all about?"

Then he opened it up and shook my hand and said, "Thank you very much." (In Portuguese, of course).

See? He really likes it. I was a little jealous. It's a nice shirt.

More later.

Love you.

Little love...

2010-02-01T07:40:00.001-08:00

Alyssa

2006-2010

You were so tiny when I started working as one of your caregivers.

I was always so nervous that I would do something wrong: forget a medication, not clean tubing well enough, fall asleep and miss some subtle change in your breathing.

Time passed and my nerves began to settle. You grew from tiny baby to little girl and I grew to love you. You were so sweet and dear to me.

I would sit there all night long and think and pray and pray. Why didn't God heal you? Why didn't He help me help you more? I wanted you to enjoy a night of sweet sleep, but sometimes nothing I did seemed to help you settle. There were a few tears sometimes, too. This is an imperfect world and my heart ached for what should be.

There were lots of other questions that ran through my mind in all the nights I watched over you. I thought about how people go on and on about what makes a meaningful life, about what it means to be a contributing member of society.

Does the ability to walk or talk define a life? The ability to go to school and get a job one day in the distant future? What consumerist garbage.

God used you to teach me that it is love that defines a life.

And you were (and are) very, very loved.

I was never sure how much you could understand this, but I know you understand it perfectly now and I am so glad for you.

You are missed, little love.

Thursdays...

2010-01-30T04:03:00.000-08:00

I keep meaning to tell you about my Thursday activities. Thursday is the day that I have a class with our community's traditional birth attendants. We only began about a month ago, but it has been the highlight of every week so far.

From right to left we have Fanesse, Azalea (both birth attendants), Eunice (ASAM staff who was translating for me) and yours truly.

I wish you could meet Fanesse and Azalea. They are such sweet ladies. When I asked them why they were chosen as birth attendants, they told me it was because they had good hearts.

Our second week of classes only Azalea showed up. I was so disappointed. Was this little project going to fail in its second week?

A few minutes into class Fanesse came bursting through the door, huffing and puffing. She was sorry to be late, she said. She had been working in her corn fields.

I was quite overjoyed to see her.

Fanesse and Azalea are both illiterate so we use pictures to go through our lessons. We laugh a lot, and chat, and it is wonderful.

On the 30th of this past December, Fanesse, Azalea and I delivered a baby together. It was such a great way for us to work together and bond a little before classes started. We don't deliver babies at the clinic...ever...so things were slightly funny and crazy with a little bit of improvising required. Can you imagine a delivery room in Canada stocked with a candle, a flashlight, and some women's skirts? Here is Azalea and I with the mom, baby boy and grandmom.

Thursdays are the best.

(Carey, thanks again for the great photos! Lynn, you too!)

Back to the beach...

2010-01-29T06:50:00.000-08:00

South Africa is rather lovely, friends. Also, ever lovely, is the Indian Ocean. The first day of our trip ended at the beach.

It was really wonderful. I never get tired of the ocean. One day, maybe, I will live by the water.

This is a shot for all my fellow "Roman Holiday" fans.

Thank you for your prayers for rain and for my paperwork. From what I hear, Mucombeze has seen some rain this week. Please keep praying for the crops.

I went to the High Commission of Mozambique today and it sounds like I may be able to get a three month permit to get back into the country. However, I will have to leave Mozambique again during that time to get a residents visa. Also, I could only get a seven day visa for South Africa, so by next week I need to be going somewhere! Hopefully back to Moz. Please pray for me as I wait.

(And thanks to Carey for all the great photos!)

A little update...

2010-01-23T03:34:00.000-08:00

I thought you might like to know how the boy I mentioned in my last post is doing.

Long story short, he is improving. His leg is much better, but there were also two abscesses on his back. The one seems to be responding well to antibiotics, the other we are watching with an optimistic eye. Today his mother directed us to another abscess forming on his other leg. He is quite the medical mystery.

Every day Lynn or I (or, Lynn and I) go and change his dressing. The doctor put a drain in his leg after the aformentioned traumatic initial draining of the wound.

Paulo fortifies his spirit for yet another dressing change. This guy is pretty tired of all things medical.

Cleaning the wound.

The start of a nice clean dressing.

(It is really hot here. Can you see me glowing?)

And here is Tito, Paulo's cousin. I believe I have introduced you to him before. He says "hello" and "goodbye" with a very confident high five. Love this kid...

PS- Please pray for Mozambique. No rain means no crops means no food.

PS- I am going to South Africa tomorrow. Please pray that I come back in

a few weeks with a shiny new resident's visa.

Bends in the road...

2010-01-18T09:30:00.000-08:00

This time last year

I thought that this time this year

I would be snuggled in a coffee shop in Vancouver

Looking at the ocean

Doing my grad school homework

Instead...

Today I spent the morning in a clinic

Holding down one of the boys in our orphan program

While a doctor sliced into his leg to drain a large abscess

Without the benefit of anesthetic

It was rather traumatic for him

Life is funny and always a surprise

I can't even speculate where I will be this time next year.

(But I hope it won't involve an abscess....)

Dear everybody...

2010-01-10T02:08:00.000-08:00

Please pray that it rains here soon, and in just the right amount.

We lifted our eyes up...

2010-01-04T23:10:00.000-08:00

Unto the mountain

And then we climbed it.

Right to the very top.

And it was steep.

Really steep at times. And I was shocked that I was climbing it because I am afraid of ladders.

And Gabriel was like, "I own you."

A good day.

A short Christmas drama...

2009-12-27T03:28:00.000-08:00

Here is Tendai shining like a Christmas angel under the tree.

Here is Tendai deciding that sitting like an angel is for the birds, and she would rather knock over a bottle of wine whilst Auntie Keren is fiddling with the settings on her camera.

Here is Auntie Keren frantically trying to clean up the wine puddle before it stains the tiles.

Tendai got a present anyways, though. She is just too cute.

The end.

Merry Christmas...

2009-12-26T02:59:00.000-08:00

From my tent...

...to yours.

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."

Luke 2:10-11

Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

Revelation 7:16-17

PS- Hey, Stuka. Did you see the star?

And then Tuesday was a little nuts...

2009-12-23T09:45:00.000-08:00

I was talking the other day with one of the missionaries here who also keeps up a blog. I was saying that sometimes I am unsure about what to post. I like talking about all the good moments, and there are very, very many good moments. But there are very bad moments too. Sometimes I don't want to write about those moments because I don't want to sound overdramatic or sensational. The truth is, however, that life can be very, very harsh and hard and unfair for people in Mozambique.

Anyways, as I said, I was talking with one of the other missionaries about what to post, and she said that she tries to keep a balance between good and bad. That sounded like good advice.

So, here is a post about frustrating and funny.

Quite often people wait until they are almost beyond help before coming to the clinic or sending out a mayday. By the time we see them it can be too late. It is extremely frustrating. Other times people come to the clinic, get treated once, then go home and get sicker, but don't come back to the clinic. And then sometimes they die. Just today Lynn and I went to see a woman who was complaining of stomach problems. She is seriously, seriously ill and suffering terribly. Back in Canada she would be an emergent case, but here things are different. She is afraid that she will die if she goes to the hospital (people around here call the hospital "the departure lounge" which gives you an insight to how things run sometimes). Lynn and I are doing what we can, but it really will be a miracle if she recovers well.

A lot of people just don't understand how to care for a sick person, or what the signs are that someone is seriously ill and needs help immediately. Two kids, one about 12 years old and the other a two-weeks old baby, have died in our area in the past two months because they got too little help too late. In both cases the situation sounded pretty innocent, but turned out to be critical. In the case of the baby I was told on a Friday that the child was "a little thin". I was going to see the baby on the Monday to help the mom with breastfeeding, but on Monday morning I was told the baby had died on the weekend. I was shocked, until I found out that the baby who was a "little thin" had actually lost 60% of their birth weight in their two weeks of life.

Anyways, all this has made me a little paranoid. Now, when I listen to prayer requests from the staff at morning devotions I am always thinking, "Okay...he said his child was sick and had a headache. What could that mean? How sick? How long? It is malaria? Is the child conscious? Can they eat and drink? Have they gone to the clinic?"

On Tuesday one of the workers asked for prayer. His brother's child was in the hospital and needed a blood transfusion. My paranoia kicked in. Blood? Why? How sick? Did he get the blood?

You see, if someone in Canada needs a blood transfusion, they get one. Right away. Here in Mozambique, things work a little differently. We're a little short on something called a blood bank. If you need blood you had better hope that there is a willing volunteer.

I happen to be blessed with extremely user-friendly type O blood, which means that almost anyone can enjoy my nutritious, plentiful blood in times of need. I asked a few questions, and found out that the little guy had not received blood, as there was no one to donate to him, so I decided to go in and donate. The hospital is only about 1/2 an hour away and also, well, mostly, I don't want people to die. Y'know?

And, like I said, I got plenty on tap.

Donating blood in Africa. It was something else.

It turned out to be kind of funny.

First things first, ensure that I don't have HIV. Here is my test. I don't have it. But it was still nervewracking. I kept thinking about how much my life would change if I found out I did have HIV.

Ouch. That is a big needle you so confidently jammed into my arm.

Tendai watches intrigued. This is understandable, because she is going to be a doctor one day...after she graduates from Julliard...on an athletic scholorship.

Tendai takes advantage of my weakened state to try and steal my hat.

They took half a litre in less than five minutes. Basically, the blood bag sat on one chair and I sat on a higher chair. Gravity then did it's job and suctioned my blood out at an alarming rate.

Did I mention it was a big needle? I could have used this sucker on our cow. No wonder my blood poured out of me like a fountain. Very efficient, though.

The highlight was when a nurse came into the lab and asked if I was sick. "No," I said. My Portuguese is pretty bad so all I could tell him was, "A child wants my blood." He looked at me as if I were deranged, and when I put myself into his shoes, it would sound pretty creepy.

And then last Thursday...

2009-12-22T10:36:00.000-08:00

This is Magnum's cute face. He lives here on the farm with Rick and Heather.

This is Magnum's not so cute face when he gets stung by some mysterious insect and inflates rather dramatically, so that Lynn and I are paged (via Facebook) while we are making pizzas at her house to come to Magnum's house stat before he puffs up past the point of no return.

It took us a while because...what drugs do you give a dog? We had to look it up. And then we had to find the medication which took some time because we both have very bad eyesight and the printing on those medication vials is so small.

Ever wonder how much Benadryl you can inject into a dog? Just ask me. Magnum also got a needle from Lynn full of steriods and now he has an epipen, just in case. I have never heard of a dog with an epipen, but here one is, deep in the wilds of Mozambique.

Then Lynn and I want back to her house, pushed the injectable drugs to the side, and kept making pizzas. And then we laughed a little at how funny it is nursing in the bush. It's all very exciting.

So then on Friday...

2009-12-20T22:48:00.000-08:00

Since I arrived in Mozambique the government has changed their visa regulations. This came as a bit of a surprise, as I was all set to apply for another visa here in Mozambique, only to find out that I had to leave the country.

How convenient that Zimbabwe is only about an hour and a half away.

Here is Matthew. Matthew is the farm adminstrator, but on Friday he got the job of taking me to Zimbabwe and back. Matthew spend quite a bit of his childhood in Zimbabwe, so I think he was a little bit excited about the trip.

I only have one picture from the border crossing (as you are not allowed to take pictures) but going into Zimbabwe was quite the adventure. First we went through customs on the Mozambique side. The customs agents stamped about 52 papers, wanted all possible information about about van including the serial number on the engine (...uh?), charged Matthew a tax for leaving his own country, and off we went. But only for a few meters before we were stopped and sent back to the customs office to provide more information about the van.

Eventually, we were on our way and drove through the no man's land between the two borders. Then we had to go through Zimbabwe customs. Once again, 52 papers were stamped, an entire precious page of my passport became home to one giant visa (granting me one day in Zim at the low, low cost of $75 USD) and all possible information about our van was recorded. We were also charged a carbon tax of $25 USD.

So, up we drove to the gate into Zim, where we were informed by a border guard with a gleam in his eye that we would have to purchase special car insurance for our time in Zimbabwe. This insurance was $120 USD. I choked. Also, the insurance building was back where we had come from, but we couldn't turn around because the traffice was lined up behind us. So, the border guard told me to give him my passport and my car information, drive through the border, and then walk back to the insurance office. I handed him my passport and jumped out to follow him...only to be stopped by the border guards. I couldn't come through! I didn't have a passport! Crazy white girl. They let Matthew go back through. So...I roamed around passportless in Zimbabwe hoping that Matthew would re-emerge and trying not to think about that movie where that guy gets stuck in the airport for years

Anyways, Matthew did come back with everything in order and we carried on our merry way.

Truth be told, in spite of the expensive border crossing, I quite enjoyed Zimbabwe. The border town was very quaint and delightful in spots and Matthew and I did our Christmas shopping.

And the mountains around the town were really green and beautiful.

This is coming home, back into Mozambique. Like I said, you aren't supposed to take pictures at the border but I just took this one. This was kind of a ridiculous thing for me to do, but I let my annoyance get the best of me and this was my small, pathetic act of rebellion. (This is all very embarrassing). I'm pretty sure at this point we were being hassled for more car information or something or being charged for who knows what. And why does the visa have to be so big! In the new year I am going to start writing African heads of state to suggest the manufacturing of new, SMALLER visa stickers. A passport only has so many pages, y'know?

Here, Matthew and I are happy to be done with border crossings and back home in Friendly Mozambique.

Hopefully the visas will continue so that I can stay!

One week...

2009-12-20T09:29:00.000-08:00

Last week was very eventful. I usually spend the greater part of every day at my computer writing parts of the health manual or school curriculum. But, goodness gracious, this last week there were a few other things on the roster.

Sunday: Sick cow gets a big needle. I think I already mentioned this.

(Evidence of my foray into vetrinary medicine.)

Monday: Christmas party for orphans and widows in our sponsorship program. My heart overflowed with goodwill and gladness. Fabulous. It was fabulous.

(Joao helps out one of the littlest participants in the gunney sack race)

Tuesday: I get a big needle.

Wednesday:...what happened on Wednesday? Anyone? I think I went to a meeting or something.

Thursday: Sick dog gets two big needles and, on an unrelated note, we make pizza.

Friday: I have to go to Zimbabwe and back. Quite expensive and passport consuming. And hot. Have I mentioned that it is hot here this time of year?

(My gigantic visa from Zimbabwe. Note my angst.)

Saturday: Made lots and lots of Christmas cookies with Mrs. Boss. Decorated tree belonging to Mr. and Mrs. Boss. Watched "A Christmas Carol" with the Boss clan and pesky fellow short-termers.

It was a good week, though. One of the best ever. Hopefully THIS week I will have time to tell you more about it.

A little sigh...

2009-12-16T09:05:00.000-08:00

The General has been under the weather for a few weeks. It has been a bit of a bummer. Actually, I can't think about it. It's too sad.

Today I had to go into the clinic, though, so I decided to ride a bike.

Our driveway is a few kilometres long.

It is all uphill from the farm to the road.

One of the pedals fell off early in my journey.

I need to learn perserverance though, so I kept riding....really slowly.

I made it into town and there was quite the sensation. Kids started running out of houses and falling out of mango trees, all so that they could point at me and yell. I don't speak the local dialect, but I'm pretty sure they were saying, "WHITE GIRL ON A BICYCLE! WHITE GIRL ON A BICYCLE!"

And it was really hot today.

Get well soon, General. Please, get well soon.

Some Sundays...

2009-12-13T02:44:00.000-08:00

A typical Sunday in Three Hills:

Wake up.

Open one eye.

Stumble into kitchen.

Make coffee.

Drink coffee.

Open other eye.

Shower.

Brush teeth.

Begin the day.

This Sunday in Mozambique:

Wake up .

Open one eye.

Stumble into kitchen.

Start making coffee.

The boss drives up- one of the cows is sick, he says. It needs a shot.

Get into truck. Attempt to open other eye. Still wearing pajamas.

Get needle for cow. Quite dirty. Try to clean needle. Photos are taken.

Discussion ensues about where to inject cow.

Wonder where our copy of "Where There Is No Vetrinarian" might be.

Collectively decide to inject cow in the bum.

Go to cow pen.

Spy a smallish sort of cow lying near the fence. Relief.

No, says the boss. Not that cow. It's one of the larger males. Relief dissapates.

Let cows out of pen. Try and corral sick cow into another pen. I am not very helpful. I feel the cow is eyeing me.

Get sick cow into chute.

Attempt to inject. Needle breaks. Cow skin turns out to be rather different than human skin.

Attempt to inject again. Success. Cow doesn't even say "Moo." Photos are taken.

Back to camp. Go to house of boss.

Put water on to boil in order to sterilize needle.

Put water on to boil for coffee.

Have coffee with boss and Mrs. Boss.

Remember that I am still unwashed and in my PJ's.

Start heading home.

Stop to visit with other friends.

They are trying to kill a mouse with a broom handle.

I sit on the couch and watch.

The kill is a gruesome success. Photos are taken.

I go home.

Shower.

Brush teeth.

Begin the day.

Games children play...

2009-12-02T09:42:00.000-08:00

I thought you might like to see some pictures from the Vacation Bible School that was held at our mission school during the first two weeks of November. I am going to have to break it up into several posts, as I am afraid of losing everything if I try and add too many pictures to one post.

So, here is the first collection of photos. These pictures were all taken during game time, by the very talented Heather Neufeld. I am photographically impaired, so I am grateful for her skills and her willingness to share.

I just like this picture so much. It is just a shot taken during a relay race, but the look on my face says a lot to me. Sometimes I find it hard to express just how I feel about being here, about Africa, but this picture captures a bit of it. This is my place.

This is little Tito. He is one of the kids enrolled in the orphan program. Tito doesn't want to go to school yet, but we shall provide him with wise counsel as to the importance of higher education. Surely he will come 'round.

We played one game where the kids raced wearing these huge hats with a beanbag balanced on top. The little ones were so cute, especially, practically blinded by hat.

Sometimes the grown-ups had to participate, too. In this shot I am just trying to figure out how to avoid participating in the part of the relay where we we're supposed to drink a cup of juice from a communal bucket. Every feeling revolts! I faked it and then made sure I lost the race in order to satisfy my guilty conscience.

And this may be one of my favorite photos of all time.

Above and beyond...

2009-11-30T09:46:00.000-08:00

In response to your requests for pictures of my new little home, here is my humble offering:

Here is my tent. You can see The General parked in the carport. You can also see a few of the darling little flower boxes that Amadeo, one of the farm staff, made around my tent. I asked him to plant a few vines by some trees and came home at the end of the day to six flower bloxes all around my tent. I have planted them full of flowers and am so excited for them to bloom.

Thanks, Amadeo! I think I am spelling your name wrong...sorry.

Here is where the magic happens. Mr. and Mrs. Perry, a wonderful and lovely couple who attend my church, helped me out a ton when I was getting ready to come to Mozambique. Seriously, it was actually a ton worth of help. They gave me all these do-dads that connect to a car battery. Lights, fans, an electical outlet. The light is so great, and the fans are necessary to survival.

Thanks, Mr. and Mrs. Perry! You have blessed me immensely.

Here's a picture of my bed...and my tiny, life-giving fans...and my vintage motorcycle helmet...and the coverlet and throw cushion that I brought from Canada to make my tent feel cozy.

Here's the beginning of my shelving unit. Those bricks were seriously heavy, but I was seriously motivated to make a shelf, so it worked out great.

And here is my shelf in all it's glory! Gabriel, our carpenter, made me nice shelves out of lovely wood when all I asked for were a couple of planks.

Amadeo, the Perry's, Gabriel.

They really went above and beyond.

Thanks!

Hope you enjoyed the tour.

Yum...

2009-11-29T00:51:00.000-08:00

The fruit in our lychee orchard is ripe and ready for harvest.

It is my first experience with fresh lychees.

They are a lovely color.

Their taste is delicious.

But if you eat them in bulk, they corode the inside of your mouth.

Worth it.

I'll be down in the orchard if you need me.

Waking up is hard to do...

2009-11-24T22:12:00.000-08:00

I was snuggled in bed this morning, mentally calculating just how many more times I could hit my snooze button, when some intriguing noises outside my tent banished any lingering traces of drowsiness.

I peered through my window and saw not one, not three, but four baboons in front of my tent. Jumping into trees and running about. I tried to take a picture, but once I started moving around in my tent they headed for the hills.

They were probably taking turns pretending to ride on The General while I was off in dreamland, the little scamps.

Mailing address...

2009-11-20T06:33:00.000-08:00

A number of people have asked about how to get mail to me here in Mozambique, so here is the info:

I can receive mail through a box in Nelspruit, South Africa. Here is the addy.

Keren Massey

c/o Dwight Lagore

Suite 531

Private Bag x11340

NelspruitSouth Africa, 1200

Send items via airmail. Regular mail may take an extraordinarily long time to get here, as in, I might be gone before it arrives..

This mail box probably won't be checked again until January/February, just so you know. If you are wanting to mail me things for Christmas, mail them now! That increases my chances of getting them early in the new year.

There is also a DHL about an hour from where I live, but from what I hear it costs an obscene amount to send things via DHL so please, unless you are mailing me a kidney for transplantation, don't use it. I am a very patient waiter. Christmas in February sounds fabulous to me!

My wish list reads as following:

Tea!

Glorious tea!

Tea of every flavour!

Beef jerky?

Crayola pencil crayons

Anything else you can think of that can sit for a few months and not grow mold or a personality

Of course, there is always good oldfashioned e-mail as well. My address is:

keren.massey@hotmail.com

Thanks for the love, youz guyz.

What month is it, Mr. Wolf?

2009-11-18T09:17:00.000-08:00

Today I bought a tiny, artificial Christmas tree at the grocery store. I am forcing myself not to set it up until December 1. I hear that you can also buy Christmas lights around here that are shaped like corn cobs. Wouldn't I have the snazziest tent around?

Here is a picture of my Christmas tree from last year. The ornaments were attached with dental floss and we had to nail it in place. Our house in Uganda was a little...grimy, and no amount of tape could make anything stick to the walls.

Hopefully all the Christmas decorations will help me remember that it is not July or August. I keep getting confused by the weather. It happens regularly and then I do embarrassing things like set off 4th of July sparklers or wax eloquent about how the leaves back in Canada will be starting to turn in a few weeks. Sometimes I have to carefully explain to people that I am book smart, not smart smart. There is an important difference.

They do exist...

2009-11-16T06:02:00.000-08:00

I have this little problem. Actually, it's not so little- it's an exaggerated startle reflex. If something scares me I kind of flip out. I can't control it. It's almost like I have an out-of-body experience every time it happens. My reaction to being startled has, in the past, been compared to a cartoon character. You know, arms and legs flying everywhere, jumping eight feet off the ground, eyes bugging out, etc.

When I get startled I also let out a blood curdling scream. It usually sounds something like, "AHWHAKKAHAKKAHOEYHOEY!" It happens every time.

I have been startled a few times since I got to Mozambique, usually when I look down and something like a giant stick bug is clinging to my shirt and grinning up at me. I scream and it echoes all through the campsite, over the river and possibly into Zimbabwe. It's really embarrassing.

Bugs are just so sneaky. I have started a catch and release program for the bugs in my tent, but not all of them qualify.

The other night I was over at Rick and Heather's house and Heather told me that Glenn (another short-termer who really likes Spam and went home yesterday) was sitting in our kitchen when he was startled by a Black Mamba. I had to panic a little and scream, "AHWHAKKAHAKKAHOEYHOEY!" in my head. I crept around our kitchen on my tippy-toes for days.

Today I was walking back to my tent at lunch time. I heard a big "thwack" as something smacked onto the roof of my tent and fell to the ground. I saw a tail wiggle under my doormat. "That is either a very long skink," I thought to myself, "Or else...it's a...". I inched closer for a better look. Out from my doormat wriggled my first snake. A real snake. A real one. It was startling, but strangely enough, there were no screams. Perhaps I was frozen in terror.

Do you remember those old Christmas M&M commercials where the M&Ms see Santa and Santa see the M&Ms and they both say, "He does exist!" and then they pass out? That is how I feel. They do exist! Shoot. I ran over to Heather's and told her that I saw a tree snake (I think) by my tent. She reminded me that they are very poisonous but also very shy and have very small fangs way in the back of their mouths. It was very reassuring.

VBS is now over so I am settling into more of what I expect will be my actual routine. Here is a picture of my desk: a laptop; copies of Where Women Have No Doctor, A Book for Midwives, a Child-To-Child Resource Book; and a Lambchop puppet. That gives you a little glimpse into my life these days.

Tomorrow it will be one month since I left chilly Canada. There was one last thing I wanted to mention...what was it now...

Oh...yeah

Long exhale, short inhale...

2009-11-12T08:40:00.000-08:00

(The General seeks shelter under a mango tree during a late afternoon rain.)

I wasn't feeling so well yesterday, or this morning for that matter.

I was all aches and fever and chills and more aches, and dreading this afternoon.

Part of my preparation for working on the women's health section of the preventative health manual has been meeting with small groups of local women to hear about their concepts of health and disease. A few weeks ago I made an appointment to spend this afternoon with the area's traditional birth attendants, an appointment that I had been looking forward to.

But I felt so gross.

I came home for lunch, demolished an entire carton of frozen juice (a Bush Slurpee, as I like to call it) and then found myself feeling quite well (medication may have also played a role). I jumped on The General and drove into town.

The traditional birth attendants were right on time and eager to talk, all shy smiles and sweet faces. They graciously answered my long list of questions about how they help women in Mucombeze bring their babies into the world.

I wish I would have had someone taking pictures. I think the women here are so beautiful. I love their colorful head coverings and the wild hodge podge of clothing that makes up their attire. The birth attendants looked wonderful sitting against a blue wall in their multicolored clothes with bright orange Fantas in their hands.

I was sitting on a simple brown chair, laptop on my knees, sporting one pair of the oversized earrings I bought on Etsy specifically for Mozambique.

The birth attendants kept expressing an eagerness for more training (well, training at all, they have never had any). And who should arrive midway during our conversation but Senor Da Cruz! This fellow is an adminstrator in the health district and I know him from past immunization campaigns. I had meant to get in touch with him to ask about training for the birth attendants, and...there he was! We chatted, he told me that their were trainings every three months in a city a few hours away and that the government paid for them. All we needed to do was write a letter or recommendation from the mission. This was exciting. I hope it's true.

The birth attendants were watching this little exchange, and after Da Cruz left we went back to our conversation. At the end of our time I asked the women if they would be interested in training and they responded with an enthusiatic yes. But...they could only go in April once they were done tending to their crops.

Fine, I said. In the mean time would you like to meet every few weeks and have classes here with me?
Tell us when to be here, they said, and we'll be here.

I'm so excited.

So, first order of business: get these women some gloves to wear during delivery! They don't have any protective equipment at all and could only tell me some very vague facts about HIV/AIDS. I think that will be one of the first lessons.

Second order of business: Have regular training sessons with the birth attendants.

Third order of business: Get these women off to school!

Or course, I need to run this by my superiors...and find out if these trainings actually exist.

Here's hoping.

After my afternoon with the birth attendants I went to the community leader's house and taught him how to use his new puffer. Oh, lands. It was so funny. It took a while but I think he got it.

In the meantime, a midafternoon rain storm blew in and The General sought shelter under a tree with the required crowd of small children crowding curiously around him. He is more popular than me, I think. Ah, well. You can't win them all.

A visitor...

2009-10-31T02:49:00.000-07:00

Look who dropped1 by to help me with lunch the other day...

Me: Could you pass me the spatula, buddy?

Frog: Anything for you.

1 I know I should have said "hopped" instead of "dropped", but I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

It's a hard knock life...

2009-10-29T06:27:00.000-07:00

My internet is being a bit slow at the moment, so these are not all the photos I wanted to post. I scalped these three pictures from Rick and Heather (a couple who work here with SAM, along with their adorable foster daughter, Tendai). I will try and get the rest of them up later, but for now...

My first weekend here all the staff went to the Indian Ocean (close to Inhambwe, if you are into maps) for a few days. The place we stayed at was right on the water and there was an awesome reef running parrallel to our beach. The weather was perfect. I love the ocean.

This picture is a little misleading. I wanted to go snorkling out on the reef but didn't have a life jacket. I am a pretty terrible swimmer to I took this board out and floated on it with my head submerged in the water.

Heather and I spent a lot of time frolicking around in the ocean and letting big waves smack into us. So fun. Seriously.

All that frolicking was pretty tiring, however, so every now and then we had to take breaks. You can't see it really in this shot, but the sun was just starting to go down and the light was beautiful on the water. Oh, it was so lovely at the beach!

Recap

2009-10-22T09:33:00.000-07:00

I bought my motorbike yesterday. It is purple and I call it The General. I spent a good portion of my day today riding around the farm, practicing switching gears. For my reward, I have a watch tan.

This morning I also went out on a home nursing visit to see an elderly woman who is part of the mission's orphan/widow program. She has been feeling not so hot, and has one nasty sounding lung. I also drove out to the mission's school to try and find a little boy who we hear has a serious abscess on his chin. No luck tracking him down, but his mom was around so we sent her home with some medication and careful instructions to bring her son to the health post next week.

So, my trip over. I will use photos to capture the magic:

Here I am, just arriving at the airport in Calgary, striking a pose for mom. You can tell if my mom is taking the picture because she always makes me place my feet just so. I'm so hopeful, so stress free...

Now, the suitcase on the bottom of my pile was being a tad problematic. When I weighed it the night before it was slightly overweight. When I tried to open it to remove some items, the zipper jammed. I decided to just pay the overweight fees because I wasn't sure what to cut. When I got to the airport I was informed that I was actually allowed to take THREE CHECKED ITEMS.

Three? Who has ever heard of that? So, weight was no longer the issue but I did need to wiggle some stuff out of the suitcase so that bag at least would be the right weight. The stuff I removed was going to go in a cute plaid plastic shopping bag-esque container the airline provided.

Here I am with my cousin Laura and the plaid bag. Although I can't actually open my suitcase to get anything out of it, we are optimistic that we will be able to drag enough stuff out of the bag using the little gap that is available before the zipper jam. Trying to claw my belongings out of the gap resulted in numerous scrapes, which resulted in drops of blood all over my stuff. What's a girl to do?

So, a few minutes into our endeavours my suitcase had a change of heart and the zipper came completely undone, undone in the sense that I would never be able to close it again. The zipper, and the bag, were toast.

Noting my predicament, the airline guy gave me two giant see through plastic sacks to shovel all my stuff into. I liked to think of it as a glorified Ziplock. That's right, all my stuff in a giant baggie, all set to jet across several continents. I was rather nervous about my stuff actually arriving, but, it did!

Who are the gentelmen behind us, you ask? Why, it's the entire team of Saskatchewan Roughriders. As Laura and I were madly trying to repack my stuff in the baggie, with fistfulls of underpants flying through the air in the middle of the chaos, these gentlemen quietly lined up behind me. So quietly that I didn't really notice their arrival until my baggie was packed and I became conscious of the fact that people had been watching my little episode. Ah well.

Okay, the rest of the trip, moving on.

London: neutral, I slept practically the entire time.

Jo-berg: walked around a corner and stumbled upon a woman having a seizure. First Aid hadn't arrived so I went to help, and a few minutes later a doctor came along. Later, I took an airport survey and was given a free key chain. There is so connection between the seizure and the key chain, I'm just trying to wrap this up.

Beira, Mozambique: I handed in my passport to get my visa and was given back a passport which was 1) burgandy in color, and 2) had a picture of a man in it. The customs guy asked, "Is this yours?" Had I known more Portuguese I would have said, "Are you kidding?" I had to wait a while but I did get my nice, navy blue passport back.

So, there you have it.

Arrived...

2009-10-20T05:45:00.001-07:00

Hello, friends.

Today is a good day. I am wearing my favorite blue butterfly earrings and my feet are dusty and red. Perfect.

I am waiting to go to down to the woodshop to pick up a plank for the..."shelving unit"... I am making in my tent. My tent is the cutest. You can check it out on MTV Cribs next week.

I want to tell you all about my trip over but I will save that for another time. It will be an epic tale. Ziplock bags, professional athletes, a mistaken identity oh, I could go on! And I will. Tonight? Tomorrow? Some time.

Enough to say that I am here and safe and sound and taking the occasional deep breath.