So, rainy season here is so far a pretty interesting experience. The days and nights are cooler, but when the sun comes out, it is extremely hot. When it rains, it pours and thunders and lightening and we almost always lose power (which pretty much happens every day lately). My room floods, I guess as a result of the wind picking up the roofing and allowing some water cascades to enter inside the room.
But, one of the most interesting parts of rainy season is the BUGS! We have these bugs here (I think they are termites or somehow related to them) and they come out after a big rain. They gather around any light and that means if my room light is on, they try to find ways to sneak inside--even if my windows are closed. They have four wings and their body is kinda like a little worm, though they do have legs.
Well, these creatures are just crazy. Their wings fall off so easily and with the THOUSANDS that gather around our outside lights, we are guaranteed to have a few fly into the bedroom and into the living room. The other day, Edwin thought it was so awesome to go chasing after them with his flipflop. I encouraged it as I hate the little things freak me out. They would fly into my room and hit the ceiling fan, their wings would fall off, and they'd be floundering on the floor just long enough for Edwin to come and smash him with his shoe (which was actually Portia's shoes that she'd left in my room--sorry Portia!). He probably caught 15 or so before it was bedtime and the lights were turned off and that meant no more bugs.
Last night was REDICULOUS though. I had my windows closed, so I only had a few come into my room, but the living room was getting filled with them and Nosa was running around trying to shut the windows and Justice and Edwin were running around trying to catch all the bugs. So, I decided to check outside. There were seriously THOUSANDS flying all around our outside light. Then, Atta, our security guard, pulled me over to see them all flying around our front security light. It was crazy. There were so many of these bugs!!!
This morning, on our walk to school, the whole road was covered with the wings of these bugs. And this afternoon when I was doing laundry, there was seriously handfuls of wings laying all over the ground, floating into my laundry bucket, getting on my newly cleaned clothes. It was out of control!
Worst of all, the Ghanaians (and apparently Nigerians too because John and Miracle have both commented on this) eat these bugs. They set out buckets of water under the lights to catch the bugs that get too close or lose their wings, then the next day--pluck the wings and fry them up some bugs. Micheal said I should try it, but I kindly said, "No, thank you!".
Besides the bugs, today was filled with anticipation for my mom coming. I think she had a bit of a hectic morning as she got a speeding ticket on the way to the airport and then had issues with an overbooked flight. She got on though and it winging her way to Washington D.C. as we speak. Can't wait to see her tomorrow! Hoping that she doesn't have quite the bug problem that I've had the past few weeks...we'll see what this rain does!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Going a little buggy!
So, rainy season here is so far a pretty interesting experience. The days and nights are cooler, but when the sun comes out, it is extremely hot. When it rains, it pours and thunders and lightening and we almost always lose power (which pretty much happens every day lately). My room floods, I guess as a result of the wind picking up the roofing and allowing some water cascades to enter inside the room.
But, one of the most interesting parts of rainy season is the BUGS! We have these bugs here (I think they are termites or somehow related to them) and they come out after a big rain. They gather around any light and that means if my room light is on, they try to find ways to sneak inside--even if my windows are closed. They have four wings and their body is kinda like a little worm, though they do have legs.
Well, these creatures are just crazy. Their wings fall off so easily and with the THOUSANDS that gather around our outside lights, we are guaranteed to have a few fly into the bedroom and into the living room. The other day, Edwin thought it was so awesome to go chasing after them with his flipflop. I encouraged it as I hate the little things freak me out. They would fly into my room and hit the ceiling fan, their wings would fall off, and they'd be floundering on the floor just long enough for Edwin to come and smash him with his shoe (which was actually Portia's shoes that she'd left in my room--sorry Portia!). He probably caught 15 or so before it was bedtime and the lights were turned off and that meant no more bugs.
Last night was REDICULOUS though. I had my windows closed, so I only had a few come into my room, but the living room was getting filled with them and Nosa was running around trying to shut the windows and Justice and Edwin were running around trying to catch all the bugs. So, I decided to check outside. There were seriously THOUSANDS flying all around our outside light. Then, Atta, our security guard, pulled me over to see them all flying around our front security light. It was crazy. There were so many of these bugs!!!
This morning, on our walk to school, the whole road was covered with the wings of these bugs. And this afternoon when I was doing laundry, there was seriously handfuls of wings laying all over the ground, floating into my laundry bucket, getting on my newly cleaned clothes. It was out of control!
Worst of all, the Ghanaians (and apparently Nigerians too because John and Miracle have both commented on this) eat these bugs. They set out buckets of water under the lights to catch the bugs that get too close or lose their wings, then the next day--pluck the wings and fry them up some bugs. Micheal said I should try it, but I kindly said, "No, thank you!".
Besides the bugs, today was filled with anticipation for my mom coming. I think she had a bit of a hectic morning as she got a speeding ticket on the way to the airport and then had issues with an overbooked flight. She got on though and it winging her way to Washington D.C. as we speak. Can't wait to see her tomorrow! Hoping that she doesn't have quite the bug problem that I've had the past few weeks...we'll see what this rain does!
But, one of the most interesting parts of rainy season is the BUGS! We have these bugs here (I think they are termites or somehow related to them) and they come out after a big rain. They gather around any light and that means if my room light is on, they try to find ways to sneak inside--even if my windows are closed. They have four wings and their body is kinda like a little worm, though they do have legs.
Well, these creatures are just crazy. Their wings fall off so easily and with the THOUSANDS that gather around our outside lights, we are guaranteed to have a few fly into the bedroom and into the living room. The other day, Edwin thought it was so awesome to go chasing after them with his flipflop. I encouraged it as I hate the little things freak me out. They would fly into my room and hit the ceiling fan, their wings would fall off, and they'd be floundering on the floor just long enough for Edwin to come and smash him with his shoe (which was actually Portia's shoes that she'd left in my room--sorry Portia!). He probably caught 15 or so before it was bedtime and the lights were turned off and that meant no more bugs.
Last night was REDICULOUS though. I had my windows closed, so I only had a few come into my room, but the living room was getting filled with them and Nosa was running around trying to shut the windows and Justice and Edwin were running around trying to catch all the bugs. So, I decided to check outside. There were seriously THOUSANDS flying all around our outside light. Then, Atta, our security guard, pulled me over to see them all flying around our front security light. It was crazy. There were so many of these bugs!!!
This morning, on our walk to school, the whole road was covered with the wings of these bugs. And this afternoon when I was doing laundry, there was seriously handfuls of wings laying all over the ground, floating into my laundry bucket, getting on my newly cleaned clothes. It was out of control!
Worst of all, the Ghanaians (and apparently Nigerians too because John and Miracle have both commented on this) eat these bugs. They set out buckets of water under the lights to catch the bugs that get too close or lose their wings, then the next day--pluck the wings and fry them up some bugs. Micheal said I should try it, but I kindly said, "No, thank you!".
Besides the bugs, today was filled with anticipation for my mom coming. I think she had a bit of a hectic morning as she got a speeding ticket on the way to the airport and then had issues with an overbooked flight. She got on though and it winging her way to Washington D.C. as we speak. Can't wait to see her tomorrow! Hoping that she doesn't have quite the bug problem that I've had the past few weeks...we'll see what this rain does!
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Coming Soon to a City Near You!
Well, really, in a city near me...MY MOM, SISTER, and BROTHER are heading over in just a few days! I got to talk to my mom today and she said that they are leaving tomorrow for Denver and their flight is on Tuesday.
Just about a month ago, my mom called worried that they wouldn't have any donations to bring with them. Today, when we talked, she had enough to pack one more box, but didn't have the money to spend to bring the extra box with her. Wow! God is so faithful! I can't believe that she is going to be bringing SIX boxes full of supplies, goodies, and little blessings for our ministry here. I'm just so excited!
Wednesday, their flight comes in at 1:30 in the afternoon. We are going to pick them up, but also have other guests coming in later that evening as well, so we'll have to figure something out for transportation. Oh, how I wish the van were fixed! It would be so helpful right about now! Anyway, a private school in Accra is offering us some used supplemental curriculum and I'll be going Wednesday to pick that up as well. We'll have all kinds of boxes coming back with us to City of Refuge that day. Exciting stuff!
Can't wait to see the fam and have them experience my life here in Ghana. I am pretty sure I'll be all smiles for the next two weeks!
Just about a month ago, my mom called worried that they wouldn't have any donations to bring with them. Today, when we talked, she had enough to pack one more box, but didn't have the money to spend to bring the extra box with her. Wow! God is so faithful! I can't believe that she is going to be bringing SIX boxes full of supplies, goodies, and little blessings for our ministry here. I'm just so excited!
Wednesday, their flight comes in at 1:30 in the afternoon. We are going to pick them up, but also have other guests coming in later that evening as well, so we'll have to figure something out for transportation. Oh, how I wish the van were fixed! It would be so helpful right about now! Anyway, a private school in Accra is offering us some used supplemental curriculum and I'll be going Wednesday to pick that up as well. We'll have all kinds of boxes coming back with us to City of Refuge that day. Exciting stuff!
Can't wait to see the fam and have them experience my life here in Ghana. I am pretty sure I'll be all smiles for the next two weeks!
Friday, May 27, 2011
Missing posts
It's been awhile since I've written anything on my blog and it feels a little strange since I used to write almost daily. Life here has been busy as I've been preparing for the upcoming school year as well as trying to finish up this one and finish it well.
It's been a little rough this week though as my thoughts have frequently been focusing on stuff back home with 3 friends that just recieved some rather scary news, and stuff going on with family. I just have been in a mode of prayer all week. And even now as I think about all that is going on there, I know that God is a good God--a healer, a comforter, and the One who provides ALL strength. So, I've been praying that over my three friends and trusting that the One who holds us all in the palm of His hand is so present to them now!
Today, I picked out paint colors for my bedroom at the new house. I'm excited about what we get to do there and it's very exciting that one of our guests right now is an interior designer so she's helping us put it all together. I'm excited to see how it's all going to come together. Fun to be on the ground floor of all this!
It's also been kinda fun putting together all the paperwork for our trainings at the beginning of the school year next year. It's been fun to just think about how I want things to run, the best ways to support students and train new staff, and how to draw staff closer together and closer to the Lord. I just get to dream about what I want things to look like and then I have to figure out how to get it that way.
That is pretty much all that has been going on this week. My mom comes in on Wednesday and I'm so excited to see her and Bri and Chris. It'll be such a fun time having them come in and experience life here with me. With all the flight comings and goings this week, we're trying to schedule it all out so we don't have too many crazy trips into Accra, so I think we'll probably be sticking around Accra the day my mom comes in as we have someone else to pick up that night.
This is why we need a volunteer coordinator! Anyone interested?
Time flies by...I can't believe it's almost June! Well, I guess I'll wrap up this post of randomness and head to bed.
Oh, one more random thought. This one is for Katie Majewski who loves this story, but yesterday, Stacy and I were crammed up in the front seat of the car together and somehow I got on the topic of out of control days. Well, one of my most out of control days was spent with an intern named Ian. I loved my amazingly random and crazy day, and as I told the story, Stacy and I were seriously laughing so hard! Ask me about it sometime...I'll have to tell you all about one of the most interesting days of my life! So, if Katie reads this...think about that day to put a little smile on your face!
It's been a little rough this week though as my thoughts have frequently been focusing on stuff back home with 3 friends that just recieved some rather scary news, and stuff going on with family. I just have been in a mode of prayer all week. And even now as I think about all that is going on there, I know that God is a good God--a healer, a comforter, and the One who provides ALL strength. So, I've been praying that over my three friends and trusting that the One who holds us all in the palm of His hand is so present to them now!
Today, I picked out paint colors for my bedroom at the new house. I'm excited about what we get to do there and it's very exciting that one of our guests right now is an interior designer so she's helping us put it all together. I'm excited to see how it's all going to come together. Fun to be on the ground floor of all this!
It's also been kinda fun putting together all the paperwork for our trainings at the beginning of the school year next year. It's been fun to just think about how I want things to run, the best ways to support students and train new staff, and how to draw staff closer together and closer to the Lord. I just get to dream about what I want things to look like and then I have to figure out how to get it that way.
That is pretty much all that has been going on this week. My mom comes in on Wednesday and I'm so excited to see her and Bri and Chris. It'll be such a fun time having them come in and experience life here with me. With all the flight comings and goings this week, we're trying to schedule it all out so we don't have too many crazy trips into Accra, so I think we'll probably be sticking around Accra the day my mom comes in as we have someone else to pick up that night.
This is why we need a volunteer coordinator! Anyone interested?
Time flies by...I can't believe it's almost June! Well, I guess I'll wrap up this post of randomness and head to bed.
Oh, one more random thought. This one is for Katie Majewski who loves this story, but yesterday, Stacy and I were crammed up in the front seat of the car together and somehow I got on the topic of out of control days. Well, one of my most out of control days was spent with an intern named Ian. I loved my amazingly random and crazy day, and as I told the story, Stacy and I were seriously laughing so hard! Ask me about it sometime...I'll have to tell you all about one of the most interesting days of my life! So, if Katie reads this...think about that day to put a little smile on your face!
Sunday, May 22, 2011
A Day in the Sun
Today, our visitors from Finding Refuge continued the process of painting the basketball court. I went out shortly after lunch to see the progress and the court looks great! It's so fun to see what they have done. It's really quite lovely and the kids are just going to LOVE playing! In fact, we brought a few of the kids out to play in the afternoon and they had a blast. You should have seen Valentina bouncing the ball. Oh, I thought I was going to cry it was so funny! She had this funny little leap dribble. And Grace's leg over the basketball approach was hilarious. She threw her leg up in the air over the ball. Oh, man! I just laughed and laughed. Most of them have only seen basketball from High School Musical and much prefer soccer. Aaron, the tallest of the bunch, was definitely learning the form required for basketball and was having some great success. Though he enjoys soccer, I think he's really going to enjoy basketball. I'm excited for our summer camp when they will teach the kids the skills of basketball. That will be great!
The sun took it out of me though. I don't think my stamina has returned quite all the way yet from the malaria. I was exhausted and had to come lay down for a little bit when I returned home. I came out to play with the kids after awhile and ended up having a little Twi lesson with Evelyn. I'm afraid that since I didn't write anything down though, I don't know that I'll remember it. I'm kinda a visual learner instead of a verbal learner. It was fun to chat with the volunteers over dinner and hear about what is going on in their lives and chat a bit about what to expect on the lake. I think some of them are going to have a harder time than others, but I think they're all going to learn a lot. I love the debriefing part of the trip when we get to answer questions and chat about the value of community development along with child rescues. I just love being a part of this organization. And I'm looking forward to their return when we can chat about what's ahead...how they can set up projects...fundraising ideas and frameworks,etc.
In other news, I figured I needed to start exercising again. It's been hard to figure out how to do that here as it's so hot, but I'm going to try going to bed earlier, like asleep by 9:30 or so, and then getting up at 5 so I can go exercise. We'll see if I can do that. I just know I've got to get my weight under control and it's just not happening by itself, and why would it?, so I have to get this started.
In any case, things are going well here. I'm a little nervous about everyone being gone the next couple of days. Last time that happened, it was a little overwhelming, but we'll see how it goes this time. Alright, off to bed so I can be up early tomorrow!
The sun took it out of me though. I don't think my stamina has returned quite all the way yet from the malaria. I was exhausted and had to come lay down for a little bit when I returned home. I came out to play with the kids after awhile and ended up having a little Twi lesson with Evelyn. I'm afraid that since I didn't write anything down though, I don't know that I'll remember it. I'm kinda a visual learner instead of a verbal learner. It was fun to chat with the volunteers over dinner and hear about what is going on in their lives and chat a bit about what to expect on the lake. I think some of them are going to have a harder time than others, but I think they're all going to learn a lot. I love the debriefing part of the trip when we get to answer questions and chat about the value of community development along with child rescues. I just love being a part of this organization. And I'm looking forward to their return when we can chat about what's ahead...how they can set up projects...fundraising ideas and frameworks,etc.
In other news, I figured I needed to start exercising again. It's been hard to figure out how to do that here as it's so hot, but I'm going to try going to bed earlier, like asleep by 9:30 or so, and then getting up at 5 so I can go exercise. We'll see if I can do that. I just know I've got to get my weight under control and it's just not happening by itself, and why would it?, so I have to get this started.
In any case, things are going well here. I'm a little nervous about everyone being gone the next couple of days. Last time that happened, it was a little overwhelming, but we'll see how it goes this time. Alright, off to bed so I can be up early tomorrow!
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Sometimes...
Sometimes, I wish I could be home. This week has been an especially difficult week for me to be away from home. I was sick and it's never easy to be sick here. And friends of mine found out they are sick. All I want to do is be there so I can hug them and walk alongside them. It's just not that easy being so far away.
But, I can trust that my prayers can carry them as well. So, I'm going to do that...just have faith on their behalf.
Sometimes, I wish I could be home. I saw pictures this week of Miss Brylie Kay's 1st birthday and I wish that I could have been there to celebrate and see how my little girl is growing up. It's weird to only get these every 6 months snapshots of time with her. She grows to fast in between my time with her. Wasn't it just yesterday I had my "baby bag" packed by the door so that I could head to the Koldings at any time of day or night. And then, it was time and I was on my way to Stockton and then Brylie was here. And then, I saw pictures of Isabella and video of her beginning to crawl around. She just can't be that old! And a tooth? How can time pass so quickly?
And sometimes, I know that there is no other place to be...but here. And seeing the delight when guests arrive (our first group from Finding Refuge arrived yesterday) at all that has happened and changed for City of Refuge in the past year...well, it's been amazing! And even though my life is completely different than how I lived in the States, it's where I'm supposed to be for this time.
So, while I'm longing to be home, I also know that my home is here as well. And anywhere I go, I'd be missing someone...
But, I can trust that my prayers can carry them as well. So, I'm going to do that...just have faith on their behalf.
Sometimes, I wish I could be home. I saw pictures this week of Miss Brylie Kay's 1st birthday and I wish that I could have been there to celebrate and see how my little girl is growing up. It's weird to only get these every 6 months snapshots of time with her. She grows to fast in between my time with her. Wasn't it just yesterday I had my "baby bag" packed by the door so that I could head to the Koldings at any time of day or night. And then, it was time and I was on my way to Stockton and then Brylie was here. And then, I saw pictures of Isabella and video of her beginning to crawl around. She just can't be that old! And a tooth? How can time pass so quickly?
And sometimes, I know that there is no other place to be...but here. And seeing the delight when guests arrive (our first group from Finding Refuge arrived yesterday) at all that has happened and changed for City of Refuge in the past year...well, it's been amazing! And even though my life is completely different than how I lived in the States, it's where I'm supposed to be for this time.
So, while I'm longing to be home, I also know that my home is here as well. And anywhere I go, I'd be missing someone...
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Finally...relief
Today, I woke up and for the first time in 4 days, I could swallow without wincing. I still have a little bit of throat pain, but for the most part, I am back to normal. I stayed home again today simply because my body is still a bit weak with body aches, but I rested a bit and hopefully that will be completely gone by tomorrow. I'm going to attempt returning to school tomorrow.
I am seriously so THANKFUL for Anna Gailey, our NYU volunteer who decided to stay with us for a week after her program ended and before she was to leave Ghana. She was able to take my class and it has been such a relief for me.
I started to get a bit of work done this morning, but after working for awhile, I took John's advice to lay down and REST. So, I read a bit today, napped, ate my first full meal in 4 days. It's been a great day! But, I think I'll be ready to see the light of day.
Last week, I called to set up a meeting time with Katty's class of kindergarteners and today was the scheduled day. Yesterday I was worried because my throat was still really bothering me, but I was able to "meet" with them today via skype and my telephone. It was so fun to see all of her kids, to show them some pictures, and get to answer their questions. And it was fun to see her in action. I used to go and visit her class occasionally when I lived in SoCal, so I miss seeing her teaching. She is such a GREAT teacher!
Well, the week of being sick has put me behind on my list of a million things that I have to get done, but sometimes I wonder if I just put too many things on my plate and get run down because of that. One day, I'll be able to look back at this time and wonder at how all of these hats were able to get filled by John, Stacy, Nosa, and I. It is a wonder at times! But, a joyful wonder. I love what I'm doing here and it doesn't feel like a burden...which is probably why I don't recognize when my body is telling me to SLOW down.
I'm also praying for some way to figure out how to get some exercise in my day to day life. I think that is part of my sickness issue too. But, how do I exercise in this heat? I need to get it figured out. My body still has the same issues it has when I left the States in hopes that it wouldn't be an issue here...in AFRICA. But, I have to figure out a way to get moving otherwise it will always be this way.
In other random news, we were able to purchase a four wheel drive vehicle here! Thanks so a GENEROUS AND AMAZING family, John, Stacy, and Nosa were able to pick up our new silver 2001 Toyota Sequoia yesterday. It is a beauty and you should have heard the kids scream when John pulled up to the house. And after the rains last night, John took the new 4x4 out for a spin and came back grinning from ear to ear...no sliding all over the roads.
Also, a big praise is that a little over a week ago, we received word that the local quarry was going to donate 300 TRUCK LOADS of waste rock for the development of our road out at the site. We have to pay for the trucks (which is very expensive and we are praying for funding to come in for that), but the roads will be covered. That's awesome!
So, this blog was a totally random blog filled with random information, but I thought you might enjoy a random update on the life I lead here.
I am seriously so THANKFUL for Anna Gailey, our NYU volunteer who decided to stay with us for a week after her program ended and before she was to leave Ghana. She was able to take my class and it has been such a relief for me.
I started to get a bit of work done this morning, but after working for awhile, I took John's advice to lay down and REST. So, I read a bit today, napped, ate my first full meal in 4 days. It's been a great day! But, I think I'll be ready to see the light of day.
Last week, I called to set up a meeting time with Katty's class of kindergarteners and today was the scheduled day. Yesterday I was worried because my throat was still really bothering me, but I was able to "meet" with them today via skype and my telephone. It was so fun to see all of her kids, to show them some pictures, and get to answer their questions. And it was fun to see her in action. I used to go and visit her class occasionally when I lived in SoCal, so I miss seeing her teaching. She is such a GREAT teacher!
Well, the week of being sick has put me behind on my list of a million things that I have to get done, but sometimes I wonder if I just put too many things on my plate and get run down because of that. One day, I'll be able to look back at this time and wonder at how all of these hats were able to get filled by John, Stacy, Nosa, and I. It is a wonder at times! But, a joyful wonder. I love what I'm doing here and it doesn't feel like a burden...which is probably why I don't recognize when my body is telling me to SLOW down.
I'm also praying for some way to figure out how to get some exercise in my day to day life. I think that is part of my sickness issue too. But, how do I exercise in this heat? I need to get it figured out. My body still has the same issues it has when I left the States in hopes that it wouldn't be an issue here...in AFRICA. But, I have to figure out a way to get moving otherwise it will always be this way.
In other random news, we were able to purchase a four wheel drive vehicle here! Thanks so a GENEROUS AND AMAZING family, John, Stacy, and Nosa were able to pick up our new silver 2001 Toyota Sequoia yesterday. It is a beauty and you should have heard the kids scream when John pulled up to the house. And after the rains last night, John took the new 4x4 out for a spin and came back grinning from ear to ear...no sliding all over the roads.
Also, a big praise is that a little over a week ago, we received word that the local quarry was going to donate 300 TRUCK LOADS of waste rock for the development of our road out at the site. We have to pay for the trucks (which is very expensive and we are praying for funding to come in for that), but the roads will be covered. That's awesome!
So, this blog was a totally random blog filled with random information, but I thought you might enjoy a random update on the life I lead here.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Being sick
So, this is my third time with malaria here in Ghana. I'm thinking I'm going to have to go on some anti-malarial for awhile. It's just no fun! Sunday, I woke up with a bit of a sore throat, but I doubled up on my vitamins that night and thought that with a good nights sleep, maybe I'll beat this thing!
Well, forget about the good night's sleep! I was up for 3-4 hours with Edwin during the night. He was WIDE AWAKE and just whimpering, whimpering, whimpering! With all the noise he was making, I took him out to the living room to sleep and we both laid down on the floor. We laid there for about an hour and I looked over to check and see if he was asleep--no such luck. So, I moved to the couch and he moved to the floor by himself and finally, after Atta, our security guard, came through the living room and told him to go to sleep, he finally closed his eyes and went to sleep. I took him to the room and about an hour later, he was up again. At that point, I really felt the body aches coming on and was so uncomfortable. So, needless to say, I didn't get hardly any sleep and when morning arrived, my throat was too sore to be able to teach, so I had to call the teachers to let them know I wouldn't be coming.
Its not too fun to be sick in Ghana. When I have a fever, I don't really even recognize it because it's so hot to just be laying in bed anyway. And with a sore throat, the spicy food that I usually adore, is very difficult to eat.
Anyway, needless to say, Ma and Dad took Edwin last night and while it was super helpful to not have to get up with him, I was awake on and off throughout the night because it just hurt to swallow anyway.
Praying I'll be well by tomorrow so that I can go back to school. The kids are anxious for me to be back! And I love getting a break, but not this way...
Well, forget about the good night's sleep! I was up for 3-4 hours with Edwin during the night. He was WIDE AWAKE and just whimpering, whimpering, whimpering! With all the noise he was making, I took him out to the living room to sleep and we both laid down on the floor. We laid there for about an hour and I looked over to check and see if he was asleep--no such luck. So, I moved to the couch and he moved to the floor by himself and finally, after Atta, our security guard, came through the living room and told him to go to sleep, he finally closed his eyes and went to sleep. I took him to the room and about an hour later, he was up again. At that point, I really felt the body aches coming on and was so uncomfortable. So, needless to say, I didn't get hardly any sleep and when morning arrived, my throat was too sore to be able to teach, so I had to call the teachers to let them know I wouldn't be coming.
Its not too fun to be sick in Ghana. When I have a fever, I don't really even recognize it because it's so hot to just be laying in bed anyway. And with a sore throat, the spicy food that I usually adore, is very difficult to eat.
Anyway, needless to say, Ma and Dad took Edwin last night and while it was super helpful to not have to get up with him, I was awake on and off throughout the night because it just hurt to swallow anyway.
Praying I'll be well by tomorrow so that I can go back to school. The kids are anxious for me to be back! And I love getting a break, but not this way...
Friday, May 13, 2011
School life
Our first week of the third term is finished and it was quite a week. One of our teachers quit his job the day before school started, leaving me with a bit of a burden trying to fill his shoes...but, thankfully, Stacy stepped in and taught his class and I think she rather enjoyed it! So, all in all, the week turned out very well for what could have happened.
We started a science unit this week on the human body and the kids LOVED IT! I seriously couldn't get them to stop asking questions. We talked about bones one day, the brain another day, and the digestive system yesterday. Seriously, I have never had anyone so interested in marrow (you know they eat bones here). The kids were chowing down on their "calcium" today at dinner and commenting about how it was going to make them strong. So funny!
Our NYU girls spent some time here for their last week with NYU Ghana. We hated to say goodbye to them. Such sweet girls! Elizabeth spent the night here last night and we made jewelery until midnight. She was supposed to take off by noon today, but just couldn't leave yet. We'll miss her sweet spirit! Anna will spend the week with us starting tomorrow before she has to leave next Saturday. We're looking forward to having her here with us and the kids for the week!
Well, it's almost 10 and I'm exhausted, so it's off to bed. Teaching makes me TIRED man!
We started a science unit this week on the human body and the kids LOVED IT! I seriously couldn't get them to stop asking questions. We talked about bones one day, the brain another day, and the digestive system yesterday. Seriously, I have never had anyone so interested in marrow (you know they eat bones here). The kids were chowing down on their "calcium" today at dinner and commenting about how it was going to make them strong. So funny!
Our NYU girls spent some time here for their last week with NYU Ghana. We hated to say goodbye to them. Such sweet girls! Elizabeth spent the night here last night and we made jewelery until midnight. She was supposed to take off by noon today, but just couldn't leave yet. We'll miss her sweet spirit! Anna will spend the week with us starting tomorrow before she has to leave next Saturday. We're looking forward to having her here with us and the kids for the week!
Well, it's almost 10 and I'm exhausted, so it's off to bed. Teaching makes me TIRED man!
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Back to School--and full of surprises too
I have felt the pressure to really see the children do well this term and also see to the spiritual positions of our staff as well. Because of that, I wanted to really start the term off well with a well-planned out approach to the term. I wanted to make sure that everyone completed the curriculum and really taught what needed to be taught throughout the term.
Monday, the teacher's came back and we all sat down to plan out our term. It was a pretty successful day, though I was nervous about some the conversations I was going to have with my staff. I came to find out that one of my teachers had accepted another position during the break and didn't inform me that he was even interviewing. He was going to be unavailable two days a week until almost the end of the term.
When I talked to Stacy and John about it, we decided that it would be in the best interests of the children to have our teacher decide one job or the other. He chose to go with the other job, leaving us teacherless. It put us in a very frustrating position, trying to find another teacher for the coming weeks.
With the stress of the first day of school looming at me, a missing teacher, and some curriculum gone bad(Rosemary's curriculum is all on the computer and it is currently NOT WORKING), I was more than a little nervous about returning to school.
Today, went very well though, considering all that happened. The kids, for the most part, were ready for school to start back up again and we didn't have hardly any behavior problems. Stacy took one class of kids, while Letitia took her own class. Everything went pretty smoothly.
I also had a fun lesson on the skeletal system and the kids got really into it, asking all kinds of questions about bones. So many questions, in fact, that we didn't even get to do our art lesson today. Whoopsie!
This afternoon, I was able to get a lot of work done, answering emails, getting my school's website info off to our web designer, and more. John, Stacy, and I also met with a girl from town who will be a teacher's aid, helping in the classrooms and occasionally taking over a class when a teacher is absent. Thank goodness for friendships in the village, huh?
Overall, even though we had a little surprise in our staffing, I feel like God's hand was in it and am looking forward to the term ahead.
Monday, the teacher's came back and we all sat down to plan out our term. It was a pretty successful day, though I was nervous about some the conversations I was going to have with my staff. I came to find out that one of my teachers had accepted another position during the break and didn't inform me that he was even interviewing. He was going to be unavailable two days a week until almost the end of the term.
When I talked to Stacy and John about it, we decided that it would be in the best interests of the children to have our teacher decide one job or the other. He chose to go with the other job, leaving us teacherless. It put us in a very frustrating position, trying to find another teacher for the coming weeks.
With the stress of the first day of school looming at me, a missing teacher, and some curriculum gone bad(Rosemary's curriculum is all on the computer and it is currently NOT WORKING), I was more than a little nervous about returning to school.
Today, went very well though, considering all that happened. The kids, for the most part, were ready for school to start back up again and we didn't have hardly any behavior problems. Stacy took one class of kids, while Letitia took her own class. Everything went pretty smoothly.
I also had a fun lesson on the skeletal system and the kids got really into it, asking all kinds of questions about bones. So many questions, in fact, that we didn't even get to do our art lesson today. Whoopsie!
This afternoon, I was able to get a lot of work done, answering emails, getting my school's website info off to our web designer, and more. John, Stacy, and I also met with a girl from town who will be a teacher's aid, helping in the classrooms and occasionally taking over a class when a teacher is absent. Thank goodness for friendships in the village, huh?
Overall, even though we had a little surprise in our staffing, I feel like God's hand was in it and am looking forward to the term ahead.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
A Shower, A Funeral, and a Proposal
Yesterday was a strange day. It was kinda my first for a lot of things here, which is strange since I've been here almost a year now. (WOW!)
Nosa, (thank goodness for for Nosa), figured out how to give our water a bit of pressure and rehooked up our water system. For the first time since November, we got to take showers here in Doryum. (Katie, can't believe it happened a week before you left!). It was so nice to actually be able to wash my hair out well! Awesome!
Yesterday was Providence's funeral. If you remember me writing about Providence's death a couple of months ago, it was quite a shock. It was my first time at a Ghanaian funeral. Everyone had to dress in black and red, so I had to go through my wardrobe in hopes of a black shirt. I'm glad I found one (one I hadn't expected). Our staff all went and we left early in the morning to reach Providence's family village before the funeral would begin.
When we arrived, we went to the Father's house first to greet the family. The mourners were outside the house as Providence was about ready to be placed into the coffin. They asked for us to go inside to view the body. I hate that part of funerals, but especially after someone has been in the mortuary for two months, Providence didn't even look like himself. And with the mourners wailing outside the door, I was overwhelmed immediately by the whole situation. People kept ushering me inside to see him clearly, but all I wanted to do was back right out the door and keep on walking until I got to the funeral site. We didn't have to stay long, luckily, as they placed him in the casket not long after we viewed the body. Then, we all headed to the funeral site.
I've never been to a Catholic funeral, so it was a very different experience. A lot of it was standing up and down, and since I didn't understand the language, I didn't get a lot out of what was happening in the service. I do know that our tent that we were sitting under had a lot of ants on it and so they kept dropping down onto laps, heads and shoulders and we kept squishing them and throwing them off of us. Eventually though, the service ended and then, we began the journey to the gravesite. All of the funeral guests walk through the town and follow the casket to the grave, with marching bands leading the walk. The weeping women who follow the casket were just wailing and falling down and I was afraid someone would be hurt! When the casket was brought to the gravesite, everyone followed it down and waved their handkerchiefs and cried. It made me think of some New Orleans funeral down in a bayou or something. It was quite the ordeal.
Afterwards, we all went back to a house in town to eat lunch before meeting with the father's family again and giving him a "gift" to wish him our condolences. It was such a sad, sad, sad day--emotionally exhausting.
When we finally got back to the house, Stacy and I took a walk to a neighbors house. Their little boy was burned awhile back and Stacy and John took him to the hospital. A few days ago, Eugune (the little boy, who is only 3 years old) was walking along our road by himself and a girl brought him to us, so we took him home. Apparently, his dad left him with another little girl and went to work. He got confused when the other little girl ran away and then he was just left to fend for himself. Argg...parents! In any case, we went to check up on him. On our way back, we ran into a couple of guys who were walking into town. They were older, like a grandfather's age. One of them asked how long we'd been living here and then immediately asked if we were married. Stacy said that she was and she lived here with her children. I was honest, and said no. Should have said yes, because the next thing I know was he was asking me to marry him. Seriously, why on earth would that be attractive to any girl? I don't know a single person who would fall for that! I just said, "Oh, sir!" and walked away! Issues!
In any case, yesterday was a day of firsts and now I'm off to bed as tomorrow I meet with the teachers for the beginning of a new term. I can't believe how fast time passes! Our third and final term of the school year is upon us!
Nosa, (thank goodness for for Nosa), figured out how to give our water a bit of pressure and rehooked up our water system. For the first time since November, we got to take showers here in Doryum. (Katie, can't believe it happened a week before you left!). It was so nice to actually be able to wash my hair out well! Awesome!
Yesterday was Providence's funeral. If you remember me writing about Providence's death a couple of months ago, it was quite a shock. It was my first time at a Ghanaian funeral. Everyone had to dress in black and red, so I had to go through my wardrobe in hopes of a black shirt. I'm glad I found one (one I hadn't expected). Our staff all went and we left early in the morning to reach Providence's family village before the funeral would begin.
When we arrived, we went to the Father's house first to greet the family. The mourners were outside the house as Providence was about ready to be placed into the coffin. They asked for us to go inside to view the body. I hate that part of funerals, but especially after someone has been in the mortuary for two months, Providence didn't even look like himself. And with the mourners wailing outside the door, I was overwhelmed immediately by the whole situation. People kept ushering me inside to see him clearly, but all I wanted to do was back right out the door and keep on walking until I got to the funeral site. We didn't have to stay long, luckily, as they placed him in the casket not long after we viewed the body. Then, we all headed to the funeral site.
I've never been to a Catholic funeral, so it was a very different experience. A lot of it was standing up and down, and since I didn't understand the language, I didn't get a lot out of what was happening in the service. I do know that our tent that we were sitting under had a lot of ants on it and so they kept dropping down onto laps, heads and shoulders and we kept squishing them and throwing them off of us. Eventually though, the service ended and then, we began the journey to the gravesite. All of the funeral guests walk through the town and follow the casket to the grave, with marching bands leading the walk. The weeping women who follow the casket were just wailing and falling down and I was afraid someone would be hurt! When the casket was brought to the gravesite, everyone followed it down and waved their handkerchiefs and cried. It made me think of some New Orleans funeral down in a bayou or something. It was quite the ordeal.
Afterwards, we all went back to a house in town to eat lunch before meeting with the father's family again and giving him a "gift" to wish him our condolences. It was such a sad, sad, sad day--emotionally exhausting.
When we finally got back to the house, Stacy and I took a walk to a neighbors house. Their little boy was burned awhile back and Stacy and John took him to the hospital. A few days ago, Eugune (the little boy, who is only 3 years old) was walking along our road by himself and a girl brought him to us, so we took him home. Apparently, his dad left him with another little girl and went to work. He got confused when the other little girl ran away and then he was just left to fend for himself. Argg...parents! In any case, we went to check up on him. On our way back, we ran into a couple of guys who were walking into town. They were older, like a grandfather's age. One of them asked how long we'd been living here and then immediately asked if we were married. Stacy said that she was and she lived here with her children. I was honest, and said no. Should have said yes, because the next thing I know was he was asking me to marry him. Seriously, why on earth would that be attractive to any girl? I don't know a single person who would fall for that! I just said, "Oh, sir!" and walked away! Issues!
In any case, yesterday was a day of firsts and now I'm off to bed as tomorrow I meet with the teachers for the beginning of a new term. I can't believe how fast time passes! Our third and final term of the school year is upon us!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Finally...a post
So, Katie left on Saturday, and since then, I have been trying to post, but our internet has been a little hit and miss lately. More miss than hit it seems!
This week has been filled with my "To Do" list. It's a constant, flowing list that never seems to completely get finished. Most of the time, I'll get frustrated with the sloppyness of it all and just tear it out and start over again, only to start the process all over again!
In any case, this week, I've been trying to accomplish some of the things that I've had on my to-do list for the past few months, along with teaching each morning for Uncle Mark's class. I finished putting together the information we needed for our Faith Roots Website, so hopefully that will be put together soon (as long as I can forward our documents on to the guys who is doing it all!). I was able to finish up a couple of things for the summer camp program. I looked into administrative software for our school and was able to get some of it donated to us (if we were able to find funding for training and updates--which is crazily out of our budget). A couple of friends volunteered time and money to make copies of phonics curriculum and teachers handbooks for me. I started working on a fundraising framework, but put that on hold until Finding Refuge arrives. I started to look up teacher recruiting websites, but the internet has proven to be a bit of a challenge with that one! So much work to do, so little time! I need to spend a little bit of time planning for our next term and making sure that I can get the kids through everything they need to know for the year. Whew!
I've had a few interesting "African" experiences this week that I thought you might enjoy:
1) We had a storm a couple of nights ago and with the way that my bed is situated in my room, in between the two windows, I was getting rained on pretty heavily before I woke up and closed the windows. The storm lasted all night, heavy rains and winds, before it finally stopped raining mid-morning. Edwin didn't wake up all night...surprise, surprise!
2) The boils are back and Edwin had a few really bad ones lately. After a month and a half of very little middle of the night wake up calls, Edwin was up for two nights in a row. Poor little guy! He's on an anti-biotic and back to sleeping through the night.
3) Last night, Stacy and I were watching movies and working on jewelery and we had this crazy BUGGY experience! These bugs started flying in my windows, even though they were closed (little creepers coming in through the holes or between the windows or something). They were these bugs with huge wings and when you killed them, their wings fell off, but their bodies still stayed alive and were like little worms crawling around the floor. Stacy and I went crazy killing them for about 15 minutes. We had this huge pile of bugs and finally I ran to the kitchen to get raid and blasted my windows. They were so gross! I definitely need to sweep my room today after that disgusting thing! I have bug parts all over my floor. Sick! But, we did come up with a couple of designs that are worth remaking and selling. We'll see what happens!
Today and tomorrow will be school prep days and the days ahead of me are going to be busy, busy, busy as I have to prepare for the next school year as well as my time at home. I need to find a school administrator to help with some of the stuff that I'm not going to be able to get to while I'm gone.
Saturday, we'll be going to Providence's funeral. My first Ghana funeral...and such a sad one at that. Still hard to believe he's gone sometimes and that I won't hear his voice or see him walking Juanitta down the road. Life is strange sometimes.
I don't think I've even touched the busyness that is the month of MAY!
This week has been filled with my "To Do" list. It's a constant, flowing list that never seems to completely get finished. Most of the time, I'll get frustrated with the sloppyness of it all and just tear it out and start over again, only to start the process all over again!
In any case, this week, I've been trying to accomplish some of the things that I've had on my to-do list for the past few months, along with teaching each morning for Uncle Mark's class. I finished putting together the information we needed for our Faith Roots Website, so hopefully that will be put together soon (as long as I can forward our documents on to the guys who is doing it all!). I was able to finish up a couple of things for the summer camp program. I looked into administrative software for our school and was able to get some of it donated to us (if we were able to find funding for training and updates--which is crazily out of our budget). A couple of friends volunteered time and money to make copies of phonics curriculum and teachers handbooks for me. I started working on a fundraising framework, but put that on hold until Finding Refuge arrives. I started to look up teacher recruiting websites, but the internet has proven to be a bit of a challenge with that one! So much work to do, so little time! I need to spend a little bit of time planning for our next term and making sure that I can get the kids through everything they need to know for the year. Whew!
I've had a few interesting "African" experiences this week that I thought you might enjoy:
1) We had a storm a couple of nights ago and with the way that my bed is situated in my room, in between the two windows, I was getting rained on pretty heavily before I woke up and closed the windows. The storm lasted all night, heavy rains and winds, before it finally stopped raining mid-morning. Edwin didn't wake up all night...surprise, surprise!
2) The boils are back and Edwin had a few really bad ones lately. After a month and a half of very little middle of the night wake up calls, Edwin was up for two nights in a row. Poor little guy! He's on an anti-biotic and back to sleeping through the night.
3) Last night, Stacy and I were watching movies and working on jewelery and we had this crazy BUGGY experience! These bugs started flying in my windows, even though they were closed (little creepers coming in through the holes or between the windows or something). They were these bugs with huge wings and when you killed them, their wings fell off, but their bodies still stayed alive and were like little worms crawling around the floor. Stacy and I went crazy killing them for about 15 minutes. We had this huge pile of bugs and finally I ran to the kitchen to get raid and blasted my windows. They were so gross! I definitely need to sweep my room today after that disgusting thing! I have bug parts all over my floor. Sick! But, we did come up with a couple of designs that are worth remaking and selling. We'll see what happens!
Today and tomorrow will be school prep days and the days ahead of me are going to be busy, busy, busy as I have to prepare for the next school year as well as my time at home. I need to find a school administrator to help with some of the stuff that I'm not going to be able to get to while I'm gone.
Saturday, we'll be going to Providence's funeral. My first Ghana funeral...and such a sad one at that. Still hard to believe he's gone sometimes and that I won't hear his voice or see him walking Juanitta down the road. Life is strange sometimes.
I don't think I've even touched the busyness that is the month of MAY!
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Katie's gone...
Katie left yesterday. It was kinda a sad day all day. She had to pack up and the morning was filled with just relaxing together in my room before hanging out with the kids for the rest of the morning. It seemed like every minute, a knock came at the door. Everyone wanted Katie to come out and play. She really was loved here and I'm hoping that God will work it out for her to come back again!
We were planning on walking into town to do a little bit of sightseeing, but time flew by and we weren't able to go. Katie got to eat her favorite meal while she was here...beans and plantain. Then, we all gathered around her and prayed over her. I love it when the kids pray over people. The prayers of children are just so powerful! I know that Katie really felt the love of each of the kids that morning.
Then, it was off to Accra. We stopped by the market to get bags to send back home to sell (thank you Bristol), and then went by the mall to get some ice cream for her last day here. Afterwards, we met Emily (a girl who is working at another local orphanage) and some others for a good mexican meal at Champs. Unfortunately, the food took about an hour to prepare and we ended up having a mad dash at 7:30 to have them stuff it all in boxes and bags so we could head out the door. We ran Katie to the airport and made it just in time for her to check in. Everything went very smoothly! We were praising God for no traffic.
It was so quiet in my room last night. Weird not to have someone there to chat and laugh with. I so enjoyed my time with Katie. I was up super late, just trying to tire myself out and into sleep.
This morning, we woke up to no water. We had hoped the tap would turn on during the night, but nothing. So we all took baths with pure water sachets. That was a new experience!! Then, John, Stacy, and I got to go to a church gathering for the first time in weeks. Since we haven't had our vehicle, we've been meeting at the house, which is nice, but it's always good to enjoy a worship service by someone else too! It was our pastors last Sunday as they are leaving the church to start their own outreach ministry where they live. We really feel that they will do well with their new ministry and wanted to go to support them. It was a very long service, but was so honoring of their time with Action Chapel. We also stopped by the children's village site on our way into Tema. They're putting in the roads and it's looking AWESOME! It's coming together! It is beginning to look possible that we'll be in there by August. Wow!
Katie has made it to Washington DC by now and probably even home to San Francisco. I miss her already, but know that she has to be home for a season to prepare to return here (hint, hint Katie!). Praying for her...and looking forward to ONE MORE MONTH when I'll get to see my mom, sister Brianna, and brother Chris S. Excited!
We were planning on walking into town to do a little bit of sightseeing, but time flew by and we weren't able to go. Katie got to eat her favorite meal while she was here...beans and plantain. Then, we all gathered around her and prayed over her. I love it when the kids pray over people. The prayers of children are just so powerful! I know that Katie really felt the love of each of the kids that morning.
Then, it was off to Accra. We stopped by the market to get bags to send back home to sell (thank you Bristol), and then went by the mall to get some ice cream for her last day here. Afterwards, we met Emily (a girl who is working at another local orphanage) and some others for a good mexican meal at Champs. Unfortunately, the food took about an hour to prepare and we ended up having a mad dash at 7:30 to have them stuff it all in boxes and bags so we could head out the door. We ran Katie to the airport and made it just in time for her to check in. Everything went very smoothly! We were praising God for no traffic.
It was so quiet in my room last night. Weird not to have someone there to chat and laugh with. I so enjoyed my time with Katie. I was up super late, just trying to tire myself out and into sleep.
This morning, we woke up to no water. We had hoped the tap would turn on during the night, but nothing. So we all took baths with pure water sachets. That was a new experience!! Then, John, Stacy, and I got to go to a church gathering for the first time in weeks. Since we haven't had our vehicle, we've been meeting at the house, which is nice, but it's always good to enjoy a worship service by someone else too! It was our pastors last Sunday as they are leaving the church to start their own outreach ministry where they live. We really feel that they will do well with their new ministry and wanted to go to support them. It was a very long service, but was so honoring of their time with Action Chapel. We also stopped by the children's village site on our way into Tema. They're putting in the roads and it's looking AWESOME! It's coming together! It is beginning to look possible that we'll be in there by August. Wow!
Katie has made it to Washington DC by now and probably even home to San Francisco. I miss her already, but know that she has to be home for a season to prepare to return here (hint, hint Katie!). Praying for her...and looking forward to ONE MORE MONTH when I'll get to see my mom, sister Brianna, and brother Chris S. Excited!
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