2-27-09
7:17 pm
i'm learning...
...how to use a mosquito net. the first 3 or 4 nights i managed to trap a few inside with me. i'm getting better.
...to appreciate and value my education. kids here have quite an uphill battle ahead of them if they want to attend secondary school. this lesson is probably the kick in the tush i needed most, as i've become a tad bitter toward college and school in general. i am so blessed to be able to go to university.
...that one should never leave campus without an empty bladder, toilet paper, and a hefty supply of purell. this point is entirely non-negotiable.
...that one must always use spf 85. forget it once and you're fried.
...that you should always read the paintings on the dala dalas (taxi-like vans). each one is painted differently and usually has some sort of slogan. they're always a good source of entertainment. "you hit us, we'll hit u." "jesus is inside!" "we heart horny rhinos!"
...that bugs here come in two sizes--heart attack inducing enormous and jurassic park gigantic. today i ran across a grasshopper/spider hybrid the size of a small bird.
...how creepy it is at night to live in a cement block in the middle of nowhere by yourself.
...the beauty of a new day. how incredible is it to wake up to a new adventure every morning? you never know who you're going to meet or what you're going to encounter. no matter what happened the day before, you always get a fresh morning to look forward to.
...how to be a quiet extrovert. i used to be extremely loud and probably a bit obnoxious. i still draw my energy from being around others, but i'm learning how to listen more carefully and observe groups of people. it has given me a lot of insight others have missed while drowning in their own voice. plus, when i do want to say something, people listen much more carefully.
...the history and rules of this ridiculous netball. it's sort of like basketball/ultimate frisbee combined.
...how to make scrambled eggs.
...that if the eggs seem even the tiniest bit suspicious, don't eat them, even if it's the first meal you've eaten in 24 hours. you'll spend at least the next 24 hours regretting it.
...that vans that don't consistently start should always be parked on a hill or surrounded by plenty of open space, should you need to pull a little miss sunshine.
...that if you're constantly showering in/washing your face in dirty water, your nose piercing will get lovely and infected. imagine that novel concept.
...that some adults never mature beyond the age of 13. it amazes me how close-minded some people can be. in the past 3.5 years, i've gotten transcripts from 5 schools, lived in 5 cities, and had 9 roommates. within my roommates alone, i've lived with guys and girls, liberals and conservatives, gay people and straight people, well educated students and some who barely passed high school, hippies and preppy kids and arty kids/musicians, rich kids and poor kids, small town kids and kids from the suburbs, introverts and extroverts, athletes, druggies, kids with body art, opera singers, christians and athiests, and pretty much every other type of person you can imagine. despite the sometimes suckiness of being in a perpetual state of packing or unpacking, i have to say i'm glad i've been on the "college sampler plan." most kids get to college, find a niche, and stay there. i've gotten to hear the lives and stories of people i never would have encountered if i had stayed in one place for four years. the group of volunteers i've been with the last 10 days have very diverse personalities and backgrounds. it led to a lot of clashing and middle-schoolish drama, as people tend to close their minds off as soon as they encounter something unfamiliar. i sometimes want to say, "just take some time to listen. open your heart and don't let yourself judge. remember that everyone has a battle they're fighting and nobody's life is perfect, despite what it looks like from the outside. sometimes just attempting to understand someone will make you realize how much you actually enjoy their company and have in common with them."
...that you can say just that in the calmest manner possible and still get screamed at and have the f-bomb thrown in your face by a 40 year old man.
...how to appreciate the things that matter. i've heard people complaining all week about the showers, the food, the dust, the heat, the car rides, and pretty much everything else you can think of to complain about. it's easy to complain when you start feeling uncomfortable. the wonderful thing is that we actually have ANY showers or food, a house to sleep in, and a family to go home to. i certainly miss the convenience and luxuries of things at home (i would love to sprawl out on the couch with picabo, eat pizza and watch grey's anatomy), but i am learning how to squash that negative voice that sometimes surfaces with, "but remember that you have ______"
...how to have faith and worship like a peace house student. after every meal and chai (tea time), the students sing the same worship song. it is definitely my favorite part of meal time. they are completely unashamed and unconcerned with whether they're in tune or not. instead, they all belt it out and sing at the top of their lungs. the sound echoes off the walls and completely fills your soul. the kids attend devotions everyday, and when i failed to show up, a student asked me, "why couldn't you take the time to come to devotions? it is the most important thing to thank our god for our blessings."
...that sometimes you just have to suck it up. when the last 2 volunteers left this evening, leaving me as the lone volunteer for the next month, i have to admit i was jealous. there have certainly been a few times where i've wanted nothing more than to pack up and head back to the comforting arms of home. i'm trying to maintain my faith that i'm here for a reason and purpose, even if i have yet to find it.
welcome to the planet. welcome to existence. i dare you to move. i dare you to move. i dare you to lift yourself up off the floor. i dare you to move like today never happened before. where can you run to escape from yourself? where you gunna go? salvation is here. --switchfoot
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
twiga twiga lovebird
2-25-2009
10:01 am
the past few days have been crazy! i actually seem to have lost track of what day it is. let's see if i can remember back to my last post.
on sunday, we started the day by going to an assemblies of god church service. it was fascinating. there were people hallelujahing and amening in every direction and everyone prayed out loud. the coolest part of the service was the maasai choir. the women wear huge beaded necklaces adn the men are dresssed in brightly colored, patterned fabric.
after church my group walked into town for lunch. walking the streets of arusha is exhausting, exhilirating, heartbreaking and somewhat of a death sentence. there's an outstretched hand everywhere you look. children are begging for money. the streets are filthy, dusty, and SO crowded. the cars seem to be oblivious to pedestrians and there are no stoplights (well, actually, there's one in town, but that's it), so you basically just dart across the street when you see an opening in the flow of traffic. it made me realize just how incredible peace house is. the kids here come from these crazy streets.
7:32 pm
i had to go to lunch. now i'm back. but campus is like a sanctuary. it's quiet, clean, and most importantly, safe.
andrew met up with my group for lunch (which is a tad more difficult here than it is at home, as neither of us have cell phones and the streets do not have names!).
from there, we all went to the maasai curios market. it's basically an outdoor market, where everyone has cramped, cluttered stalls. the vendors stand in front of you, begging you to come into their stall. once you're in, they stand in front of the exit in an attempt to keep you in there until you buy something. apparently you're supposed to bargain for prices, which it turns out i'm quite bad at. luckily andrew drives a hard bargain, so he made a good shopping partner :)
my shopping stamina was poor that day, so andrew and i skipped the rest of the alotted shopping time and walked to his house from the market. (as a sidenote, mileage wise i'm pretty sure we live closer here in africa than we do at home. haha, super crazy!) i got to see his room, meet "mama," and... pet his cow!! true story.
monday and tuesday we were on SAFARI! it was incredible. on monday we were in lake manyara national park. our group was split into two SUVS. our day started when kibo (the company) picked us up at phs. when we arrived at the entrance of the park, our guides had to fill out some paperwork. moses, my guide, told us we could get out of the car and walk around, but to keep the doors and windows shut. apparently the other car missed that memo, because all of a sudden we heard screaming. a huge baboon (at least twice the size of picabo) had jumped into the car to steal a bag of granola. it was hysterical, but i probably wouldn't have laughed so hard if it had hopped into my car. those things are scary! our best sightings monday were a bunch of giraffes (moses would chant "twiga twiga!" everytime we spotted one), baboons, and hippos. at the end of the day, we came across a group of 3 elephants. a herd? a pack? well, whatever. there was an adult, a middle-sized one, and a little baby that moses estimated was only a couple months old. they decided to cross the road directly behind the van-we literally could have reached out to pet them. not going to lie, i was seriously tempted.
both nights we stayed at a gorgeous old farm house. i was in the kasuku room. aka the "lovebird" room. by myself. sad day.
yesterday morning we were up at 5:30 to start day 2 of the safari. we headed to ngorongoro crater, which was formed when a volcano collapsed. we saw THOUSANDS of wildebeast, zebras, and flamingos. we also saw a few cheetahs from afar, a wildebeast giving birth, the highly endangered black rhino, jackals, more elephants, and many other animals. the best part of possibly the whole trip was when we were approached by 8 lions-a male, 3 females, and 4 little cubs.
2-26-2009
6:00 pm
last night i totally conked out before i finished writing. i've been writing all my entries on paper so i can just upload them all at once. after "4 little cubs," i have written, "althoug (no 'h') were different sizes, so they probably have different ages, but differences." and then there's a giant scribble across the page. why yes, i did go to sleep at 8:20 last night. apparently sitting in a car all day takes more stamina than i had previously thought.
i didn't really have that much more to write. i've decided though that if the whole marine biology thing doesn't work out, i'm for sure becoming a safari guide!
for those of you hoping for great pics, you aren't going to see TOO many. there were a couple people on our trip who brought two cameras and spent the entire safari staring at one animal at a time, waiting for it to turn its head to the perfect angle to get the perfect shot. they missed half the experience because they were so focused on their pictures. i decided i don't want to spend my whole trip seeing the world through a view finder. it's way too pretty and exciting-the pictures don't do it justice. plus, how many pictures of zebras can one honestly want???
ps-i would normally save this until a later update, especially because this is getting ridiculously long, but i'll just quickly do my daily update. the superintendent of phs (paul)'s neighbor had some people break into his house the other night in town and was robbed at gunpoint and machete... point? paul, his wife, and his 1 year old child are moving into the guesthouse i've been staying in. today was spent packing up the simba house and moving into tembo. i also got to go to a farmers market type thing and out to lunch with jenaya. more importantly, we finally chose from the bajillion of projects and settled on two of the most important. while at peace house, i, the world's most mathematically challenged human being, will be tutoring math and coaching netball. for those of you who have never heard of netball, don't be alarmed, as i had never heard of it either. this weekend will be spent trying to remember how to do long division and learning the rules of this mysterious sport!
didn't have a camera by my side this time. hoping i would see the world through both my eyes. let me say, you should have seen that sunrise with your own eyes. it brought me back to life. no more 3x5s. today i finally overcame trying to fit the world inside a picture frame. --john mayer
10:01 am
the past few days have been crazy! i actually seem to have lost track of what day it is. let's see if i can remember back to my last post.
on sunday, we started the day by going to an assemblies of god church service. it was fascinating. there were people hallelujahing and amening in every direction and everyone prayed out loud. the coolest part of the service was the maasai choir. the women wear huge beaded necklaces adn the men are dresssed in brightly colored, patterned fabric.
after church my group walked into town for lunch. walking the streets of arusha is exhausting, exhilirating, heartbreaking and somewhat of a death sentence. there's an outstretched hand everywhere you look. children are begging for money. the streets are filthy, dusty, and SO crowded. the cars seem to be oblivious to pedestrians and there are no stoplights (well, actually, there's one in town, but that's it), so you basically just dart across the street when you see an opening in the flow of traffic. it made me realize just how incredible peace house is. the kids here come from these crazy streets.
7:32 pm
i had to go to lunch. now i'm back. but campus is like a sanctuary. it's quiet, clean, and most importantly, safe.
andrew met up with my group for lunch (which is a tad more difficult here than it is at home, as neither of us have cell phones and the streets do not have names!).
from there, we all went to the maasai curios market. it's basically an outdoor market, where everyone has cramped, cluttered stalls. the vendors stand in front of you, begging you to come into their stall. once you're in, they stand in front of the exit in an attempt to keep you in there until you buy something. apparently you're supposed to bargain for prices, which it turns out i'm quite bad at. luckily andrew drives a hard bargain, so he made a good shopping partner :)
my shopping stamina was poor that day, so andrew and i skipped the rest of the alotted shopping time and walked to his house from the market. (as a sidenote, mileage wise i'm pretty sure we live closer here in africa than we do at home. haha, super crazy!) i got to see his room, meet "mama," and... pet his cow!! true story.
monday and tuesday we were on SAFARI! it was incredible. on monday we were in lake manyara national park. our group was split into two SUVS. our day started when kibo (the company) picked us up at phs. when we arrived at the entrance of the park, our guides had to fill out some paperwork. moses, my guide, told us we could get out of the car and walk around, but to keep the doors and windows shut. apparently the other car missed that memo, because all of a sudden we heard screaming. a huge baboon (at least twice the size of picabo) had jumped into the car to steal a bag of granola. it was hysterical, but i probably wouldn't have laughed so hard if it had hopped into my car. those things are scary! our best sightings monday were a bunch of giraffes (moses would chant "twiga twiga!" everytime we spotted one), baboons, and hippos. at the end of the day, we came across a group of 3 elephants. a herd? a pack? well, whatever. there was an adult, a middle-sized one, and a little baby that moses estimated was only a couple months old. they decided to cross the road directly behind the van-we literally could have reached out to pet them. not going to lie, i was seriously tempted.
both nights we stayed at a gorgeous old farm house. i was in the kasuku room. aka the "lovebird" room. by myself. sad day.
yesterday morning we were up at 5:30 to start day 2 of the safari. we headed to ngorongoro crater, which was formed when a volcano collapsed. we saw THOUSANDS of wildebeast, zebras, and flamingos. we also saw a few cheetahs from afar, a wildebeast giving birth, the highly endangered black rhino, jackals, more elephants, and many other animals. the best part of possibly the whole trip was when we were approached by 8 lions-a male, 3 females, and 4 little cubs.
2-26-2009
6:00 pm
last night i totally conked out before i finished writing. i've been writing all my entries on paper so i can just upload them all at once. after "4 little cubs," i have written, "althoug (no 'h') were different sizes, so they probably have different ages, but differences." and then there's a giant scribble across the page. why yes, i did go to sleep at 8:20 last night. apparently sitting in a car all day takes more stamina than i had previously thought.
i didn't really have that much more to write. i've decided though that if the whole marine biology thing doesn't work out, i'm for sure becoming a safari guide!
for those of you hoping for great pics, you aren't going to see TOO many. there were a couple people on our trip who brought two cameras and spent the entire safari staring at one animal at a time, waiting for it to turn its head to the perfect angle to get the perfect shot. they missed half the experience because they were so focused on their pictures. i decided i don't want to spend my whole trip seeing the world through a view finder. it's way too pretty and exciting-the pictures don't do it justice. plus, how many pictures of zebras can one honestly want???
ps-i would normally save this until a later update, especially because this is getting ridiculously long, but i'll just quickly do my daily update. the superintendent of phs (paul)'s neighbor had some people break into his house the other night in town and was robbed at gunpoint and machete... point? paul, his wife, and his 1 year old child are moving into the guesthouse i've been staying in. today was spent packing up the simba house and moving into tembo. i also got to go to a farmers market type thing and out to lunch with jenaya. more importantly, we finally chose from the bajillion of projects and settled on two of the most important. while at peace house, i, the world's most mathematically challenged human being, will be tutoring math and coaching netball. for those of you who have never heard of netball, don't be alarmed, as i had never heard of it either. this weekend will be spent trying to remember how to do long division and learning the rules of this mysterious sport!
didn't have a camera by my side this time. hoping i would see the world through both my eyes. let me say, you should have seen that sunrise with your own eyes. it brought me back to life. no more 3x5s. today i finally overcame trying to fit the world inside a picture frame. --john mayer
Friday, February 20, 2009
asante sana squashed bananas
(lion king anyone?)
2-20-09
4:47 pm
our days have been totally jam packed. i'm trying to cut down entries to all but the exciting points, but also write enough to help me remember everything. sorry if they are boring you.
yesterday we spent the day on campus. i started out by painting... toilet signs. we were given eight pieces of tile and directed to decorate them. let me tell you, they were the prettiest ladies and gents signs you'll ever see. unfortunately, others agreed and i was immediately nominated to be the sole art club project thinker upper for eternity. i finished the toilet signs by shelacking (let's be honest, i can't even begin to spell that word correctly) the tiles. little did i know that you aren't supposed to touch it with your bare hands, let alone try to squeeze it all out of the paintbrush in the sink. an hour and 1/2 a bottle of paint thinner later, and i was set to go.
i also received an email yesterday from blue ventures, the organization i'm supposed to be going to madagascar with. they canceled the expedition before mine because of the riots and wanted to let us know that ours might be canceled as well. if that is the case, we can move to the fiji or malaysia trip. unfortunately, they won't know until right before we're supposed to get to madagascar whether it will be safe enough to go... which means we could end up with no trip. i think my mom and i decided to wait a week and see what happens and go from there. pray that i can go to madagascar or that we can figure out the travel plans to fiji asap!
last night we got to see some masaii dancers. SO cool. they are comprised of "warriors," complete with stretched earlobes, beautiful fabrics wrapped around their bodies, branded faces, and... cell phones. the dances are calls to their god. they basically sing, grunt, whistle, shout, whine and screech out a chant like you've never heard. then they do this part where they jump up and down, one at a time. they have verticals that could rival nba players'. some of the members of our group also went up and tried jumping with them. couldn't even begin to compete. it is a ritual that goes back many many years, but since africa doesn't have the wiring for landlines, everyone here has super cheap cell phones. one guy was holding his phone in one hand and a staff in the other. it was really cool though. we got to hear all about their culture, where the men have multiple wives, circumcision is celebrated at age 15 (both men and women), and they drink blood. it's fascinating.
today i did very little. most of my group went on an 8 hour hike. we have been going on and off campus every day, which means that i have been in a dramamine coma since arriving. i finally got to the point that i was so tired and incoherent that i had to skip the outing today to rid my system of all the drugs. i slept in (which means i slept until about 7:30, when the crickets and birds got totally out of control) and then meandered through campus a bit. after lunch, beth (another woman who stayed behind) and i tried to teach some kids various card games. the form 1's had finished exams early. instead of having free time, they were immediately coralled into a classroom for impromptu study time, even though they've had exams in all 11 subjects all week. when we came to free them, they remained in their seats, claiming they wanted to study. it wasn't until jenaya reassured them that it really was okay to leave that they started cautiously approaching the door. seeing as how i hate cards and all board games (the combo of lack of short term memory and lack of patience equates to me lasting about 2 minutes), i couldn't actually remember how to play many games. i would think i had remembered how to play something, start teaching them, and then realize 4 minutes in that i did not, in fact, actually remember. we spent 45 minutes playing a game that was a combination of slapjack, egyptian rat screw, war, crazy eights, and go fish. then we all got confused and the kids left. so far i'm really changing lives over here.
in other news, i sort of feel like i'm cheating. phs' campus is GORGEOUS and it's 100 acres surrounded by a barbed wire/electric fence. we have our own security team that watches the entrance and walks around and patrols the grounds, meaning we're pretty safe. we have toilets and filtered water. my room in the guesthouse is larger than my room was in my apartment in denver (which isn't saying much, but still). it isn't exactly the africa i was expecting. i think part of it has to do with the fact that i'm currently with a group until wednesday. it's a fundraising group and i think peace house knows that if they have a fabulous time, they'll go home and give more money/get their friends to give a bunch of money. so, we have gotten the best of the best since arriving. we've gone out to some really great meals at the nicest restaraunts in town and we're even supplied with beer and wine in the houses. the students have a very strict schedule so we haven't spent enough time with them yet to hear about much. if you want to know what arusha is REALLY like, read my friend andrew's blog (andrewsafricablog.blogspot.com), because you aren't really going to read it here. i suppose it's disappointing, but i'm hoping that i'll feel more involved once we're back from safari and i start actually accomplishing something.
anyway, i've got a lot coming up in the next few days to look forward to. we're having a movie night with the kids, going to the masaii market, i'm meeting up with andrew, and we leave for safari on monday!
time to go, as i may have just been locked into the office. shoot.
i'm living again, awake and alive. i'm dying to breathe in these abundant skies. --switchfoot
2-20-09
4:47 pm
our days have been totally jam packed. i'm trying to cut down entries to all but the exciting points, but also write enough to help me remember everything. sorry if they are boring you.
yesterday we spent the day on campus. i started out by painting... toilet signs. we were given eight pieces of tile and directed to decorate them. let me tell you, they were the prettiest ladies and gents signs you'll ever see. unfortunately, others agreed and i was immediately nominated to be the sole art club project thinker upper for eternity. i finished the toilet signs by shelacking (let's be honest, i can't even begin to spell that word correctly) the tiles. little did i know that you aren't supposed to touch it with your bare hands, let alone try to squeeze it all out of the paintbrush in the sink. an hour and 1/2 a bottle of paint thinner later, and i was set to go.
i also received an email yesterday from blue ventures, the organization i'm supposed to be going to madagascar with. they canceled the expedition before mine because of the riots and wanted to let us know that ours might be canceled as well. if that is the case, we can move to the fiji or malaysia trip. unfortunately, they won't know until right before we're supposed to get to madagascar whether it will be safe enough to go... which means we could end up with no trip. i think my mom and i decided to wait a week and see what happens and go from there. pray that i can go to madagascar or that we can figure out the travel plans to fiji asap!
last night we got to see some masaii dancers. SO cool. they are comprised of "warriors," complete with stretched earlobes, beautiful fabrics wrapped around their bodies, branded faces, and... cell phones. the dances are calls to their god. they basically sing, grunt, whistle, shout, whine and screech out a chant like you've never heard. then they do this part where they jump up and down, one at a time. they have verticals that could rival nba players'. some of the members of our group also went up and tried jumping with them. couldn't even begin to compete. it is a ritual that goes back many many years, but since africa doesn't have the wiring for landlines, everyone here has super cheap cell phones. one guy was holding his phone in one hand and a staff in the other. it was really cool though. we got to hear all about their culture, where the men have multiple wives, circumcision is celebrated at age 15 (both men and women), and they drink blood. it's fascinating.
today i did very little. most of my group went on an 8 hour hike. we have been going on and off campus every day, which means that i have been in a dramamine coma since arriving. i finally got to the point that i was so tired and incoherent that i had to skip the outing today to rid my system of all the drugs. i slept in (which means i slept until about 7:30, when the crickets and birds got totally out of control) and then meandered through campus a bit. after lunch, beth (another woman who stayed behind) and i tried to teach some kids various card games. the form 1's had finished exams early. instead of having free time, they were immediately coralled into a classroom for impromptu study time, even though they've had exams in all 11 subjects all week. when we came to free them, they remained in their seats, claiming they wanted to study. it wasn't until jenaya reassured them that it really was okay to leave that they started cautiously approaching the door. seeing as how i hate cards and all board games (the combo of lack of short term memory and lack of patience equates to me lasting about 2 minutes), i couldn't actually remember how to play many games. i would think i had remembered how to play something, start teaching them, and then realize 4 minutes in that i did not, in fact, actually remember. we spent 45 minutes playing a game that was a combination of slapjack, egyptian rat screw, war, crazy eights, and go fish. then we all got confused and the kids left. so far i'm really changing lives over here.
in other news, i sort of feel like i'm cheating. phs' campus is GORGEOUS and it's 100 acres surrounded by a barbed wire/electric fence. we have our own security team that watches the entrance and walks around and patrols the grounds, meaning we're pretty safe. we have toilets and filtered water. my room in the guesthouse is larger than my room was in my apartment in denver (which isn't saying much, but still). it isn't exactly the africa i was expecting. i think part of it has to do with the fact that i'm currently with a group until wednesday. it's a fundraising group and i think peace house knows that if they have a fabulous time, they'll go home and give more money/get their friends to give a bunch of money. so, we have gotten the best of the best since arriving. we've gone out to some really great meals at the nicest restaraunts in town and we're even supplied with beer and wine in the houses. the students have a very strict schedule so we haven't spent enough time with them yet to hear about much. if you want to know what arusha is REALLY like, read my friend andrew's blog (andrewsafricablog.blogspot.com), because you aren't really going to read it here. i suppose it's disappointing, but i'm hoping that i'll feel more involved once we're back from safari and i start actually accomplishing something.
anyway, i've got a lot coming up in the next few days to look forward to. we're having a movie night with the kids, going to the masaii market, i'm meeting up with andrew, and we leave for safari on monday!
time to go, as i may have just been locked into the office. shoot.
i'm living again, awake and alive. i'm dying to breathe in these abundant skies. --switchfoot
7:51
apparently i enjoy journaling at 7:51 in the morning, as the past 2 entries have both (unintentionally) begun at 7:51.
2-19-09
7:51 am
highlights/notable mentions of the past few days:
-clubs with the kids. 3x/week, the kids meet after school for clubs. they have carpentry club, cooking club, acrobatics, sewing club, art club, choir, soccer, rugby, netball, drumming club, english club, journalism club, and probably some others i can't think of. on tuesday i went and helped with art club and choir. janaya (the volunteer coordinator... she's completely hysterical and a ton of fun) has decided to put me in charge of art club... basically i have some crayons, markers, 100 pipecleaners, a handful of popsicle sticks, and 500 random straws to work with. and i have to come up with arts and craft projects for the next 6 weeks. creative juices, please immediately begin flowing.
-the storage closet. we began organizing phs' "closet." think enormous room filled with crap. and lots of it. it is unreal what people have donated. used lipstick, ripped clothing, half used boxes of crayons, a 3000 page book on how to reprogram your computer circa 1995, etc. my favorite: a group of DU grad students came and volunteered. they brought a bag filled with really nice pens and good paper. they specified that it not be donated, but instead saved for when they returned so they could have better pens? typical.
-stiggy's. on tuesday morning, i got an email from my mom informing me i had been admitted to the university of queensland. that night, we went out to dinner at a place called stiggy's. stiggy is an australian man who currently owns 5 restaraunts in arusha (which is unheard of... he is the only one here who owns more than one). when he came to talk to our table, someone mentioned i had gotten into uq that morning. he looks at me and goes, "oh, my daughter goes there! where are you living?" i told him i had looked at a few places online but wasn't really sure yet. so, he whips out his cell phone and calls his daughter. "hi, yasmin. i have an american girl here who got into uq today and needs to know where to live." then he handed me his phone and walked away. at the end of our conversation, yasmin asked if i had facebook. so there i am sitting in a third world country on the phone talking to an australia who happens to be in arusha visiting about facebook. totally surreal. it continues to amaze me how small the world is. there's a girl who works here who's a st. olaf grad and who's headed to grad school at DU. there is also a boy on my trip who is a junior at du.
-amani center for street children. yesterday we drove to moshi, the town next to arusha. peace house foundation had chosen to support amani ("peace" in swahili) before peace house school had opened. it is essentially an orphanage that provides medical care, education, food and a place to sleep for the street children. STREET CHILDREN. when was the last time you heard that term in the US? some of these kids have lost their parents and others have chosen to run away from physical abuse, sexual abuse, and modern day slavery. perhaps the saddest are the children who run to the streets simply because their family can no longer afford to feed them. they have to leave home to survive. we met one child who had been abandoned on the street at the age of one and a half. he is mentally handicapped and most likely severely autistic. unfortunately, tanzania isn't quite as ADD-happy as america. at home, it seems like everyone has a "learning disability" and is on meds. here, they can't even diagnose and treat someone with debilitating autism. he cannot speak or understand when someone is talking to him. the stories are heartbreaking but the outcomes are usually happy. amani teaches the kids how to reintegrate into the community and how to survive once they are old enough. it is a truly amazing organization.
-on a lighter note, we met a guy at lunch who honestly must be 7 feet tall. he runs ultramarathons (100 miles) and get this-holds the world record for climbing kilimanjaro. 8 HOURS. if you were to climb kili right now, it would take you 5-9 days.
i still cannot believe i'm in africa. the stars, the mountains, the people and culture are all amazing. that being said, it is heartbreaking knowing you can only do so much. for every child you help, there are thousands more who need that help as well. one of the things we're consistently hearing about is lack of funding. when our economy at home takes a hit, so do these organizations. these organizations need money to help provide children with the opportunity to change their lives. there's just so much to do. it blows my mind how far we have to go.
ps-the internet here is suuuuuper slow, which means no skype dates or pictures until i'm back. but feel free to email me :)
i don't want to know, 'cause life is better off a mystery. so keep on coming with these lines on the road. keep me responsible, be it a light or heavy load. keep me guessing with these blessings in disguise and i'll walk with grace my feet and with faith my eyes. --caedmon's call
2-19-09
7:51 am
highlights/notable mentions of the past few days:
-clubs with the kids. 3x/week, the kids meet after school for clubs. they have carpentry club, cooking club, acrobatics, sewing club, art club, choir, soccer, rugby, netball, drumming club, english club, journalism club, and probably some others i can't think of. on tuesday i went and helped with art club and choir. janaya (the volunteer coordinator... she's completely hysterical and a ton of fun) has decided to put me in charge of art club... basically i have some crayons, markers, 100 pipecleaners, a handful of popsicle sticks, and 500 random straws to work with. and i have to come up with arts and craft projects for the next 6 weeks. creative juices, please immediately begin flowing.
-the storage closet. we began organizing phs' "closet." think enormous room filled with crap. and lots of it. it is unreal what people have donated. used lipstick, ripped clothing, half used boxes of crayons, a 3000 page book on how to reprogram your computer circa 1995, etc. my favorite: a group of DU grad students came and volunteered. they brought a bag filled with really nice pens and good paper. they specified that it not be donated, but instead saved for when they returned so they could have better pens? typical.
-stiggy's. on tuesday morning, i got an email from my mom informing me i had been admitted to the university of queensland. that night, we went out to dinner at a place called stiggy's. stiggy is an australian man who currently owns 5 restaraunts in arusha (which is unheard of... he is the only one here who owns more than one). when he came to talk to our table, someone mentioned i had gotten into uq that morning. he looks at me and goes, "oh, my daughter goes there! where are you living?" i told him i had looked at a few places online but wasn't really sure yet. so, he whips out his cell phone and calls his daughter. "hi, yasmin. i have an american girl here who got into uq today and needs to know where to live." then he handed me his phone and walked away. at the end of our conversation, yasmin asked if i had facebook. so there i am sitting in a third world country on the phone talking to an australia who happens to be in arusha visiting about facebook. totally surreal. it continues to amaze me how small the world is. there's a girl who works here who's a st. olaf grad and who's headed to grad school at DU. there is also a boy on my trip who is a junior at du.
-amani center for street children. yesterday we drove to moshi, the town next to arusha. peace house foundation had chosen to support amani ("peace" in swahili) before peace house school had opened. it is essentially an orphanage that provides medical care, education, food and a place to sleep for the street children. STREET CHILDREN. when was the last time you heard that term in the US? some of these kids have lost their parents and others have chosen to run away from physical abuse, sexual abuse, and modern day slavery. perhaps the saddest are the children who run to the streets simply because their family can no longer afford to feed them. they have to leave home to survive. we met one child who had been abandoned on the street at the age of one and a half. he is mentally handicapped and most likely severely autistic. unfortunately, tanzania isn't quite as ADD-happy as america. at home, it seems like everyone has a "learning disability" and is on meds. here, they can't even diagnose and treat someone with debilitating autism. he cannot speak or understand when someone is talking to him. the stories are heartbreaking but the outcomes are usually happy. amani teaches the kids how to reintegrate into the community and how to survive once they are old enough. it is a truly amazing organization.
-on a lighter note, we met a guy at lunch who honestly must be 7 feet tall. he runs ultramarathons (100 miles) and get this-holds the world record for climbing kilimanjaro. 8 HOURS. if you were to climb kili right now, it would take you 5-9 days.
i still cannot believe i'm in africa. the stars, the mountains, the people and culture are all amazing. that being said, it is heartbreaking knowing you can only do so much. for every child you help, there are thousands more who need that help as well. one of the things we're consistently hearing about is lack of funding. when our economy at home takes a hit, so do these organizations. these organizations need money to help provide children with the opportunity to change their lives. there's just so much to do. it blows my mind how far we have to go.
ps-the internet here is suuuuuper slow, which means no skype dates or pictures until i'm back. but feel free to email me :)
i don't want to know, 'cause life is better off a mystery. so keep on coming with these lines on the road. keep me responsible, be it a light or heavy load. keep me guessing with these blessings in disguise and i'll walk with grace my feet and with faith my eyes. --caedmon's call
Monday, February 16, 2009
true love
first, let me point out that there is a D.A.R.E. manual sitting next to the computer. awesome. this is going to be a long post. beware.
2-16-09
7:51 am
i love it here. we have yet to really get into a schedule or routine, so things are pretty chaotic, but the campus is gorgeous and the kids are really fun.
we spent our first night at a hotel by the airport. of course, i somehow missed the fact that the rooms had air conditioning, so i basically lost half my body weight in sweat that first night. i also got lost in the dark maze of the grounds. good times.
here on campus, i've got my own bedroom/bathroom and our guest house has a full kitchen and living area. these houses (there are 3, each can accomodate 6-8) are fairly new and very nice. plus, our house is named "simba" and you're greeted by a sign with a lion on it as you approach the house. it goes without saying that i mentally burst out in "i just can't wait to be king" everytime i walk in. we have a porch with adirondaks (no idea how to spell that) out front, overlooking the surrounding hills and part of campus. so far the only difficulty of the living situation is the showers. the water pressure is terrible. and by terrible i mean non-existant. yesterday i stood in the shower for over 10 minutes and didn't even get enough water out to wash my feet. i finally had to tiptoe across my room with my feet covered in soap and use my bottled water to get the suds off. you know how showerheads have all those little holes in them? the water comes out of ONE of those holes. i am on the verge of shaving my head and don't really plan on showering much. thank god you can't smell me from the states.
yesterday we got to eat lunch and dinner with the kids and got a tour by a few of the students. (as for the food, i have yet to decide whether i'll gain weight as they eat strictly carbs or whether i'll lose weight because i can't quite stomach rice laced with shards of cow bones.)
the students here are ages 10-19 and have each been hand-picked by peace house. because peace house is relatively new, there are currently 2 "forms" (which are like tanzanian grade levels)-form 1 and form 2. as the students age, peace house will add new forms. there will be about 100 students per form.
the kids are so grateful to be here and are anxious to learn everything from commerce to english to biology. the classes are taught in english, so they study hard to improve their language skills, as classes are easier for those who have better english. there are signs on classroom doors reminding them, "english first." peace house sends a team of staff (teachers, cooks, drivers... everyone is involved) out on "verification" (which i will get to do later in my trip!) for each student. the team visits the place the student is living and basically makes sure all their information is correct and then tells them in person that they've been accepted. all of the students are either orphans, "at-risk," or "vulnerable" and cannot afford to pay for schooling. many students come to peace house with nothing more than the clothes on their back. one girl was shown her twin-sized bed in her dorm and asked, "how many people am i sharing it with?"
peace house runs an exceptionally tight and efficient ship. the students each take 11 subjects and have mandatory study hours each day. they study 2 hours every weekday and 4 hours on sundays. they are each assigned a classroom to study in. there are not teachers supervising individual rooms, but because they're so happy to be there, the students actually utilize their study time. yesterday we walked past them and they all were quietly reading their books. i can't imagine a bunch of teenagers doing that in the states. pretty sure half of them would just leave.
the tanzanian schooling system is based strictly on memorization and standardized testing. the schools don't really accept or encourage critical thinking and analytical skills. peace house is starting to teach their students to go beyond the memorization and you can tell how much it's impacting their education. they asked us questions like, "how do you elect a president in the united states? (and as a follow up- "in tanzania, you must be a citizen to be elected president"... obviously asking about obama) what is the best way to succeed in school? how come america has street children if they're so wealthy?" peace house is also an extraordinary school because they just got a grant for a science lab, complete with microscopes. there are secondary school science teachers in tanzania who have never even seen a microscope in real life. they teach off of pictures of microscopes.
another cool thing about peace house is they're trying to become more self sustainable. some future plans include an irrigated farm plot, bunny hatches (to raise and then sell as food), chicken coops for eggs, sheep to "mow" campus, and they just planted lime, papaya, mango and banana trees. plus, part of campus is running off of solar power. the showers are heated by solar power, but the campus as a whole can only run off the solar energy for about 2 hours, so it's used as a back up.
the power here goes out frequently, but usually only for a couple hours. yesterday, however, it was out all day. i didn't even miss it until the sun started going down. we ate dinner as it was beginning to get dark and by the end of the meal it was basically pitch black. the kids were supposed to have 2 hours of study time after dinner, but because it was so dark, it was impossible to do so. one boy looked at me and said, "we are all so sad there is no power because we want to be reading."
the head mistress met with the students after dinner and told them to wait in their dorms until 9:00 and if there was still no power, to go to sleep. however, if the lights went back on by 9:00, they should go to the classrooms to study. well, at about 7:45 the lights went back on. all of a sudden, a stampede of students comes SPRINTING across campus, books in hand, to go study. it was incredible.
as a sidenote, the headmistress is unbelievable. she clearly loves the kids and her job. she got to go come to minneapolis last year and see the mall of america and ride an escalator for the first time. she truly wants the very best for each and every student and is so proud of the kids. last night when she arrived at dinner, the kids went silent within seconds and ran out to meet her and listen to her. another man had been trying to get the kids to quiet down for about 10 minutes with no success. also, her husband works for world vision here in town! we're probably going to be having dinner with her family sometime this week (all the teachers and their families live on campus) and i'm hoping to see what world vision is like over in this part of the world.
well, that's my exceptionally long post for now. hope everything in the states is going marvelously.
this is real. this is me. i'm exactly where i'm supposed to be. --demi lovato
2-16-09
7:51 am
i love it here. we have yet to really get into a schedule or routine, so things are pretty chaotic, but the campus is gorgeous and the kids are really fun.
we spent our first night at a hotel by the airport. of course, i somehow missed the fact that the rooms had air conditioning, so i basically lost half my body weight in sweat that first night. i also got lost in the dark maze of the grounds. good times.
here on campus, i've got my own bedroom/bathroom and our guest house has a full kitchen and living area. these houses (there are 3, each can accomodate 6-8) are fairly new and very nice. plus, our house is named "simba" and you're greeted by a sign with a lion on it as you approach the house. it goes without saying that i mentally burst out in "i just can't wait to be king" everytime i walk in. we have a porch with adirondaks (no idea how to spell that) out front, overlooking the surrounding hills and part of campus. so far the only difficulty of the living situation is the showers. the water pressure is terrible. and by terrible i mean non-existant. yesterday i stood in the shower for over 10 minutes and didn't even get enough water out to wash my feet. i finally had to tiptoe across my room with my feet covered in soap and use my bottled water to get the suds off. you know how showerheads have all those little holes in them? the water comes out of ONE of those holes. i am on the verge of shaving my head and don't really plan on showering much. thank god you can't smell me from the states.
yesterday we got to eat lunch and dinner with the kids and got a tour by a few of the students. (as for the food, i have yet to decide whether i'll gain weight as they eat strictly carbs or whether i'll lose weight because i can't quite stomach rice laced with shards of cow bones.)
the students here are ages 10-19 and have each been hand-picked by peace house. because peace house is relatively new, there are currently 2 "forms" (which are like tanzanian grade levels)-form 1 and form 2. as the students age, peace house will add new forms. there will be about 100 students per form.
the kids are so grateful to be here and are anxious to learn everything from commerce to english to biology. the classes are taught in english, so they study hard to improve their language skills, as classes are easier for those who have better english. there are signs on classroom doors reminding them, "english first." peace house sends a team of staff (teachers, cooks, drivers... everyone is involved) out on "verification" (which i will get to do later in my trip!) for each student. the team visits the place the student is living and basically makes sure all their information is correct and then tells them in person that they've been accepted. all of the students are either orphans, "at-risk," or "vulnerable" and cannot afford to pay for schooling. many students come to peace house with nothing more than the clothes on their back. one girl was shown her twin-sized bed in her dorm and asked, "how many people am i sharing it with?"
peace house runs an exceptionally tight and efficient ship. the students each take 11 subjects and have mandatory study hours each day. they study 2 hours every weekday and 4 hours on sundays. they are each assigned a classroom to study in. there are not teachers supervising individual rooms, but because they're so happy to be there, the students actually utilize their study time. yesterday we walked past them and they all were quietly reading their books. i can't imagine a bunch of teenagers doing that in the states. pretty sure half of them would just leave.
the tanzanian schooling system is based strictly on memorization and standardized testing. the schools don't really accept or encourage critical thinking and analytical skills. peace house is starting to teach their students to go beyond the memorization and you can tell how much it's impacting their education. they asked us questions like, "how do you elect a president in the united states? (and as a follow up- "in tanzania, you must be a citizen to be elected president"... obviously asking about obama) what is the best way to succeed in school? how come america has street children if they're so wealthy?" peace house is also an extraordinary school because they just got a grant for a science lab, complete with microscopes. there are secondary school science teachers in tanzania who have never even seen a microscope in real life. they teach off of pictures of microscopes.
another cool thing about peace house is they're trying to become more self sustainable. some future plans include an irrigated farm plot, bunny hatches (to raise and then sell as food), chicken coops for eggs, sheep to "mow" campus, and they just planted lime, papaya, mango and banana trees. plus, part of campus is running off of solar power. the showers are heated by solar power, but the campus as a whole can only run off the solar energy for about 2 hours, so it's used as a back up.
the power here goes out frequently, but usually only for a couple hours. yesterday, however, it was out all day. i didn't even miss it until the sun started going down. we ate dinner as it was beginning to get dark and by the end of the meal it was basically pitch black. the kids were supposed to have 2 hours of study time after dinner, but because it was so dark, it was impossible to do so. one boy looked at me and said, "we are all so sad there is no power because we want to be reading."
the head mistress met with the students after dinner and told them to wait in their dorms until 9:00 and if there was still no power, to go to sleep. however, if the lights went back on by 9:00, they should go to the classrooms to study. well, at about 7:45 the lights went back on. all of a sudden, a stampede of students comes SPRINTING across campus, books in hand, to go study. it was incredible.
as a sidenote, the headmistress is unbelievable. she clearly loves the kids and her job. she got to go come to minneapolis last year and see the mall of america and ride an escalator for the first time. she truly wants the very best for each and every student and is so proud of the kids. last night when she arrived at dinner, the kids went silent within seconds and ran out to meet her and listen to her. another man had been trying to get the kids to quiet down for about 10 minutes with no success. also, her husband works for world vision here in town! we're probably going to be having dinner with her family sometime this week (all the teachers and their families live on campus) and i'm hoping to see what world vision is like over in this part of the world.
well, that's my exceptionally long post for now. hope everything in the states is going marvelously.
this is real. this is me. i'm exactly where i'm supposed to be. --demi lovato
flight to amsterdam
february 13
2:37 (mn time)-board plane to amsterdam
2:39-am smashed in face by 40 lb carry on as i attempt to shove it in overhead compartment.
2:40-take seat directly next to bathroom. should smell pleasant after 8 hours.
2:42-seatmate arrives decked out in denim shirt, khaki carharrts and a camo hat/workboots. reeks of booze and cigarettes and apparently has yet to discover the miracle of deodorant. suppress urge to vomit. commence mouth breathing. inexplicably decide to start mentally refering to him as 'banjo.'
2:44-banjo calls wife or girlfriend
2:45-banjo and girl start fighting
2:47-banjo drops the f bomb loudly enough for half the plane to hear.
2:50-banjo and girl begin having phone sex. "baby, you know i love that thing you do with your tongue. i wish i was there right now. i'd let you do whatever you wanted to me."
3:10-banjo and girl are still chatting, despite flight attendant's request to turn off phones. decide that if plane goes down due to banjo's lack of cooperation, he will be receiving a swift punch in the sexing mouth, delivered by yours truly.
4:00-take 2 dramamine.
4:04-am startled out of my drug induced slumber by... wtf? is that cher? turns out banjo doesn't believe in actually wearing headphones on his ears. instead, he wears them around his neck and blasts the volume.
4:06-decide to try out in flight entertainment system. unable to work remote.
4:09-decide i am too technologically retarded to get movie to play. plus, banjo is beginning to smirk. give up and put on ipod.
5:00-banjo falls asleep and misses drink cart. proceeds to lean over me and glance down the aisle 6-7 rows prematurely to insure he never again misses food or drink for duration of flight.
5:20-dinner is served. turn off ipod to conserve batteries. notice banjo has segued from cher to heavy metal. begin contemplating strangling myself with the rubber posing as chicken currently residing on my tray table.
8:47-woman with huge butt and black leather fanny pack farts 2 inches from my face while waiting in line for the bathroom. begin wondering if i died without realizing it and ended up in hell.
10:11-banjo finally goes to bathroom. ah, fresh air. quick! try to figure out in flight entertainment before banjo returns to continue laughing at me.
10:15-VICTORY! turns out i wasn't pressing the buttons hard enough. watch secret life of bees.
2nd flight uneventful. arrived at kilimanjaro with no sleep. waited in line for visa for 35 minutes. discovered that because i'm so short and couldn't see the signs, that i was in wrong line. waited in correct line for 45 minutes more. got stopped in customs because i look so sketchy. couldn't find group at first because i didn't know what anyone looked like and they were on the lookout for a girl with really long hair (going off a facebook photo).
2:37 (mn time)-board plane to amsterdam
2:39-am smashed in face by 40 lb carry on as i attempt to shove it in overhead compartment.
2:40-take seat directly next to bathroom. should smell pleasant after 8 hours.
2:42-seatmate arrives decked out in denim shirt, khaki carharrts and a camo hat/workboots. reeks of booze and cigarettes and apparently has yet to discover the miracle of deodorant. suppress urge to vomit. commence mouth breathing. inexplicably decide to start mentally refering to him as 'banjo.'
2:44-banjo calls wife or girlfriend
2:45-banjo and girl start fighting
2:47-banjo drops the f bomb loudly enough for half the plane to hear.
2:50-banjo and girl begin having phone sex. "baby, you know i love that thing you do with your tongue. i wish i was there right now. i'd let you do whatever you wanted to me."
3:10-banjo and girl are still chatting, despite flight attendant's request to turn off phones. decide that if plane goes down due to banjo's lack of cooperation, he will be receiving a swift punch in the sexing mouth, delivered by yours truly.
4:00-take 2 dramamine.
4:04-am startled out of my drug induced slumber by... wtf? is that cher? turns out banjo doesn't believe in actually wearing headphones on his ears. instead, he wears them around his neck and blasts the volume.
4:06-decide to try out in flight entertainment system. unable to work remote.
4:09-decide i am too technologically retarded to get movie to play. plus, banjo is beginning to smirk. give up and put on ipod.
5:00-banjo falls asleep and misses drink cart. proceeds to lean over me and glance down the aisle 6-7 rows prematurely to insure he never again misses food or drink for duration of flight.
5:20-dinner is served. turn off ipod to conserve batteries. notice banjo has segued from cher to heavy metal. begin contemplating strangling myself with the rubber posing as chicken currently residing on my tray table.
8:47-woman with huge butt and black leather fanny pack farts 2 inches from my face while waiting in line for the bathroom. begin wondering if i died without realizing it and ended up in hell.
10:11-banjo finally goes to bathroom. ah, fresh air. quick! try to figure out in flight entertainment before banjo returns to continue laughing at me.
10:15-VICTORY! turns out i wasn't pressing the buttons hard enough. watch secret life of bees.
2nd flight uneventful. arrived at kilimanjaro with no sleep. waited in line for visa for 35 minutes. discovered that because i'm so short and couldn't see the signs, that i was in wrong line. waited in correct line for 45 minutes more. got stopped in customs because i look so sketchy. couldn't find group at first because i didn't know what anyone looked like and they were on the lookout for a girl with really long hair (going off a facebook photo).
Friday, February 13, 2009
finally!
i'm going to AFRICA! ahhh! hopefully this friday the 13th will prove to be safe and wonderful.
it's so different than before. i have a purpose and i'm not nervous. now i feel so much more. i'm walking proudly and singing loudly. and i wouldn't want to be anywhere but right here now. --karmina
Thursday, February 12, 2009
RIP frickin neoprene deathsuit!
long, stressful day. may have had aneurysm. and/or heart attack. highlights include:
-packing my bags and then realizing they weighed 136 pounds combined.
-deciding to get a thinner (lighter) wetsuit. then i remembered that i threw the receipt away. so, my mom and i had to go through the garbage. some shrimp tails, spaghetti sauce and used kleenex later and we were victorious! if i get chilly, i can just lower my graves' medicine and warm myself up.
-emailing a bunch of strangers on my trip to see if anyone could fit in the mandatory 6 pound bag of candy we have to bring. then driving to eden prairie to drop it on the doorstep of a man i've never met. proceeding to get stuck at a railroad crossing as an exceptionally long train crawled by.
-packing my carry on. currently consists of: ipod. personal pharmacy. choral music. scuba fins. wetsuit.
-packing. and unpacking. and repacking. and unpacking. and repacking. and unpacking.
still not packed. can't believe tomorrow's the day. can't even think in full sentences. tired but so excited. whooooo.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
wanted: hermione granger as my new bff
stilllll have not packed. everything is now either on one of the beds or the floor, but my suitcases remain empty.
dear hermione,
i am in the market for a new bff. you make think i'm just shamelessly using you for your magical skills, but let me assure you, i make a fabulous friend. as a bonus, i will let you apparate into madagascar (and australia, further down the road) to visit me. in return, i ask for very little beyond your friendship. if you could whip up a little potion to decrease my procrastination, that would be wonderful. also, i hear you have an ingenious little purse that is pretty much bottomless. one of the perks of being bffs is sharing accessories, right? well, please respond by owl immediately. i anticipate your response.
sincerely,
your future bff
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
when am i going to learn?
about a week before any trip, i say to myself, "okay, you should probably start packing right about now." usually i end up packing the night before i leave. true to form, on friday i decided i would start packing. it is now tuesday and i have yet to do any more than throw some stuff on my brother's empty bedroom floor.
instead, i have filled the past few days doing... well, i don't even know where all of my time has gone. i've been shopping for all of the last-minute things i need, playing wii with kevin, downloading an obscene amount of music, seeing people for the last time, cuddling with picabo, and things of that nature. i've also been busy trying to figure out student visas, finding places to live in australia, and trying to decide where i'll spend the next 3 years. today i spent the afternoon watching madagascar: escape 2 africa. it made me SO pumped for my safari! now i will have to hum "i like 'em big... i like 'em chunky... i like 'em big... i like 'em plumpy" if i happen to run across a hippopotamus. (watch the movie)
of course, now i am freaking out a tad about everything i have yet to do. and by "a tad," i mean i may be on the verge of an aneurysm. and what am i doing? procrastinating further by updating my blog. i am amazed by my own ridiculousness.
andrew came over today to pick up my third bag (filled with 16 pairs of running shoes and soccer cleats!), which he is so kindly checking for me. as he left, he gave me a hug and said, "see you in africa!" :)
i can hardly even believe that in a few short days i'll be in AFRICA! it really only just set in at that point that i'm actually leaving. that being said, with the riots in madagascar that have killed 25 and the fires in australia that have killed almost 200, i won't be surprised if i wake up on friday and my mom has locked me into my bedroom for eternity. i'm not really nervous about the trip. i know things will work out. i'm sure i'll be more nervous as i get closer to leaving for madagascar, but mainly i'm just stressed about trying to get everything done and packed before i leave!
well, time to continue avoiding packing by watching american idol and judging paula's endless supply of vomit-inducing outfits. i just realized she has extremely short fingers. and there is a guy with his cheek pierced. man, what a quality waste of time.
and i will fear no evil, for my god is with me. and if my god is with me, whom then shall i fear? whom then shall i fear? oh no, you never let go through the calm and through the storm. oh no, you never let go in every high and every low. oh no, you never let go. lord, you never let go of me. --matt redman
Friday, February 6, 2009
one week
one week until i go! i can hardly even believe it's almost time. with the exception of packing, i am pretty much completely ready to go.
today i finally checked off the last few items on my shopping list (well, except electric converters, but that's tomorrow's project) and booked my hotel rooms in madagascar for the few nights in between projects. when i say "I booked my hotel rooms," i actually mean my wonderful, fluent-in-french friend kevin came over and booked them for me. i was very impressed and found myself wishing, once again, that i had taken a language other than latin. my one year of 7th grade french isn't really going to be taking me anywhere. (especially since i spent the entire class admiring the adorable norwegian foreign exchange student. turns out, by the way, that he's gay and has a boyfriend, as i learned when we recently became facebook friends. man, can i pick 'em.) hopefully by the time i come home i'll have picked up a little french, malagasy, and swahili!
no news yet from the university of queensland or the university of adelaide. i'm really hoping i hear back from them before i leave, as the outcome of the next 3 years of my life depends on this decision. things are so hectic right now! not only am i trying to get ready for africa, but i'm also trying to figure out dorms and tuition and student visas and all of that fun stuff for australia. let the adventures begin.
so, i have my first prayer request for the trip. it turns out that us citizens are being advised not to travel to madagascar at this time, as there have recently been riots around the capitol. apparently, if the riots continue and escalate, the US embassy in madagascar may be closing. on march 31 i will be flying alone into the capitol at midnight and then have to make it to my hotel. i think that out of all aspects of my trip, this is the one short portion i am most concerned about.
i've been thinking a lot about what i want this trip to mean and what i would like to get out of it. i suppose i have a lot of goals i would like to accomplish, but i have learned over the past few years that plans (at least my plans) never really seem to work out. so instead, i'm surrendering this trip and myself to god to make of us what he wants. my heart is open, and i'm ready to take it all in-- the good, the bad, and everything in between. had you asked me a few years ago, i never would have thought this is the path my life would take. despite the setbacks and obstacles along the way, i am so blessed and ecstatic to embark on this journey of a lifetime.
ps-it is now 12:30 on saturday morning, so i suppose the title is no longer accurate :) LESS than one week!
we are crushed and created. we are melted and made. we are broken and built up in the very same way. what i thought i could handle, what i thought i could take, what i thought would destroy me leaves me stronger in its wake. and there are times that i've underestimated both the grief and goodness found in something new. when one thing dies, something else can be created. --caitlyn smith
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
goodbye hair, hello space for underwear
in a feeble attempt to open up some space in my suitcase, i chopped off 15 inches of hair today! before the haircut, i was going through a bottle of shampoo and a bottle of conditioner roughly every 2 weeks. in other words, half of my suitcase would be comprised of hair detangler. now that i hardly have any hair left, hopefully i'll have room for some more important things... mosquito nets, underwear, that sort of stuff. and all my hair's going to locks of love, so it's like a 2-for-1. :)
check out the before and after photos above (because i'm too stupid to figure out how to get them below)!
ps-i was contemplating shaving my head or getting a faux-hawk. my mom's response: "what? don't be ridiculous. what if you meet the man of your dreams?" girls, apparently the trick in snagging a man is not in the personality. it's all in the hair.
pps-i am currently obsessed with godiva solid shampoo, from lush cosmetics. it's like a bar of soap (a little smaller than a hockey puck) for your hair. it's tiny and there's no plastic waste, as it doesn't come in a bottle. plus, you can bring it on an airplane without being accused of being a terrorist!
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