Summer--oops I mean Winter madness :)

Today marked our last day of school before the "summer" (or if you're living in Dar it is Winter) break.  The day was filled with many goodbyes to staff and students alike as is the case when you live in a mission community.  It is hard to believe that I have been living in Dar for nearly 11 months.  Though I love teaching, it will be nice to have some time off.

We had a final assembly this morning and after that a time of farewells and checking out.  The day has been very  cool (chilly in fact) at a current temp of 78 degrees Fahrenheit.  I really appreciate Dar weather at this time of year.

This afternoon, Crystal and I and our neighbor Lydia, took the opportunity to go to Tegeta to browse through their used clothing market (which is open every Friday)...I found a pair of good Capri's for 500TSH (30ish cents), we were then able to buy some fresh produce.  There is a huge produce market in Tegeta. Right now oranges are in season and 10 oranges cost us 1000 TSH or 69 cents.  We've made a few batches of homemade orange juice! (YUM!!)  After shopping in Tegeta, we went to "Camel Oil" which is a gas station/small 'supermarket' they have most things that we need and are very close to home.  They have even started selling LUKU, (LUKU is our electricity--we prepay it and then get a code to punch into a LUKU box at our home) which makes them even nicer and more convenient!

The weekend will be filled with many events, some of us on the compound will go out for a nice breakfast. (I hear it's the best place to go when feeling homesick--apparently the food is wonderful!).  In the afternoon we are invited out for one last beach party.  On Sunday it is farewell to my roommate and a few others.


A month and a half ago I started tutoring a little guy with special needs who is not a part of our HOPAC community.  I go to their school and tutor him three days a week.  I will continue to work with him throughout the summer.  It still baffles me that there are virtually no options for those with special needs.

I am hoping to have my newsletter out very soon...

Hope all is well for each of you! happy Friday!  :)

Beautiful star lamp

So,
The other day I went to the "mall" with my friend who was in town for the day.  We used a school car and this was my first real driving experience in Dar. :) Who-hoo!! I survived traffic day one :)
Whilst at the mall I saw this beautiful paper star shaped lamp, I've looked at it two other times but decided against it, this particular day I decided.."that lamp would be nice to have, it would have a soft glow that my flourescent lights don't provide"  I told the man behind the counter I wanted the red star lamp (which turns out it is BRIGHT pink).

I paid for the lamp and we went on our way, headed for home.  When I got home I took my lamp out prepared to plug it in however there was a slight problem...the cord had no plug, just a wire.  I said "what is this?" I have since learned that this is how they sell these lamps, none of the chords have a plug...who would think they would have to buy a plug to wire onto the cord before being able to use their lamp??  I guess I have learned yet again never to assume, and Africa wins again!

Thankfully one of the hs boys next door came over with an old chord and he put the plug on for me. :) Yay!! it's great to have nice neighbors.

Have a wonderful week!

Sala ya Yesu

We have spent our last two Kiswahili lessons learning the Lord's prayer:

Sala ya Yesu:
Baba yetu uliye mbinguni
jina lako litukuzwe
ufalme wako ufike,
utakalo lifanyike duniani kama mbinguni.
Utupeleo mkate wetu wakila siku.
Utusamehe makosa yetu kama tunavyo wasamehe nasisi walio tukosea;
usitutie katika kishawishi lakini utuokoe na maovu.
kwakufa ni ufalme wake nguvu na utukufu ni wako milele.
Amina.

Wow! Another year has come and gone and my life has changed dramatically. I will try to stay on top of this blog a bit better, at least for awhile.

I have moved internationally to work as a missionary and am spending Christmas this year in a HOT climate. What a change from the white Christmas' I am so accustomed to. It was very hard to get into the Christmas spirit this year but shouldn't be as Christmas is the celebration of the birth of our savior, it should not be dependant upon being with family, or having the usual decorations in the streets or our home, the ability to make the goodies that have become traditional or the lack of snow.


This past week was long as everyone is excited and counting down days until the end of 1st term. On Wednesday night my roommate and I decided we were too exhausted for Bible study but decided we would order out some food. This sounds like a grand idea in the general scheme of things but this was one of those evenings my roommate would describe as an "AWA day/night' (Africa Wins Again). Wednesday was a national holiday here and we didn't have school, which means many others don't have work either. We decided to catch a dala-dala to T-square, a small little bar/restaurant to pick up our food. We stood and waited and waited for a dala that looked at least a little bit safe (meaning no people hanging out the side). We finally caught the dala and wound up at Africana where we wanted to stop. From Africana we took a walk to T-square, where they asked us to wait for our food. We had ordered 7 mishkaki and 2 chips. After 30 minutes they brought 'our' order: 9 mishkaki and 5 chips. We explained as best we could in our limited Swahili that we hadn't ordered that much and were quoted a price of elfu tisa (nine thousand shillings). They agreed not to charge us for two orders of chips. Crystal and I were on our merry way when we received a call "your food is ready come and pick it up" (all in Swahili). We tried to explain 'tulikuja chakula' we came and got the food. Needless to say we were on our way home and got a text, then two more phone calls---we could not quite bridge the language gap. So we asked our friendly guard to help us send a message--he can understand our limited Swahili and actions better than the restaurant ;) We had a crazy bajaji ride home, with a driver that did not listen to our directions and who grumbled about our fair price the entire way.

Last night we had our staff Christmas party which was great fun, on the way home we were going to catch a bajaj...they decided they needed 5,000TSH for what should have cost 1,500 at the most. The farther we walked towards home the more expensive and more rude the bajaj drivers got. We decided to walk all the way as we couldn't find a reliable bajaj. We were walking on the shoulder when the guy we were with says "watch out!" we look up to see a car coming at us in our lane (which is not really a lane---a two lane highway can become 4-6 on evenings with heavy traffic)...this means "Watch out Pedestrians--you don't have the right of way".

Today we took a dala on our way to go out to eat...the dala skipped our stop and kept going. We ended up a lot farther than we wanted to be and changed our plans for lunch. :)

I think it's just been one of those crazy weeks and one of wonderful memories in Africa! :)

Next week we will have a plethora of school Christmas activities and finish the end of our term! :) already one third of the way through the year, it's so hard to believe.

Well..time to end this post...more later!

Have a wonderful day!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Wishing you and your family a blessed Christmas season. :)

Since it's been awhile since my last update I figure I should give a brief update. I have moved home from Alaska and am preparing to go overseas to teach in a few months. As the dream becomes closer to reality it gets more and more exciting. I have received all my official invitations and now have the paperwork to start the visa process.

It has been very nice to be home for all of the Christmas preparations and the flurry of activities. It has been many years since I have been able to participate in and attend certain Christmas activities.

We will most certainly be having a beautiful white Christmas this year. We have been blasted with cold snowy weather. The few inches of snow we received last night were light, fluffy and sparkle and shimmer in the sunlight or moonlight. It will be a beautiful Christmas. I think I will miss the snow for Christmas next year.

I found this song and thought I'd post it to remind people of the reason for the season, the author is unknown...

It’s not the biggest teddy bear Sitting in the window there,
It’s not the chubby baby doll, A wind-up toy or basketball.
It’s not the latest, greatest thingThat Santa Claus will ever bring,
But still, it’s the greatest Gift of all.
It’s not a fancy shirt to wear,
A shiny diamond solitaire,A silken tie, a suit of tweed—The silly things we think we need.
The greatest Gift to come our wayWas sent by God on Christmas Day.
Jesus is the greatest Gift of all!

When He came down to earth,
It was a lowly birth,
But soon the world would sing,“Behold the King of Kings!”
And when He died for me,
He gave unselfishlyThe greatest Gift of all!

It’s not the greeting cards we write,
A choir singing “Silent Night,”Snowflakes on the windowpane,
Stockings filled with candy canes.
The greatest Gift God gave to man:A baby Boy in Bethlehem!
Jesus is the greatest Gift of all,Jesus is the greatest Gift of all!

Merry Christmas!

School's Out!

School is out, I'm not sure who is more happy--students or staff ;)

My days in Tunt are quickly dwindling, and I find myself dragging my feet as I pack up and get ready to ship out. It's amazing to see how much stuff one can accrue in so short a time. I'm ready for time with friends and family but will miss the "family" I have here.

A treasured gift from people here---Thanks!!

We've started the process of goodbyes, Pam and Kat will leave this coming week. I will miss them both a great deal next year and wish them all the best...I hope the new duo doesn't get into tooo much trouble ;)

A pillow case made for me by a co-worker/friend

I've received some wonderful "farewell" and "thank-you" gifts thought I'd post some pictures. :) Iain gave me some great pictures, if you'd like to see some of his prints check out http://www.iainfoulds.com/ :)

Some Earrings from one of my students.

The ice on the river broke and the first barge arrived this past week. Days are wonderfully long, sun is visible before 6 am and it's not dark until well after 12 am.

Have a blessed week!

Wow, time flies by...it seems we just started this school year and it's nearly over. If I've calculated correctly, only 36 sleeps until I leave Tunt permanantly.

In mid March we had one day off for spring Break..Pam and I flew into Anchorage and had a wonderful time relaxing and touring the beauty of the area. The scenery is captivating.



On March 17th, with mixed feelings I submitted my resignation to Frank. Though excited about pending possibilities I was aprehensive about the unknown.



On April 2nd, I was accepted as a member with Wycliffe Bible Translators, (the same day I was replaced by another SpEd teacher) now I will begin to raise prayer and financial support. I am in awe at the support of those around me. Yesterday my partnership brochures arrived, Syliva jumped in and started to help fold them, then Kat came and said "Can I help?" and Pam arrived a few minutes later and said "Give me some to fold" awhile later another staff member came in and helped stuff envelopes. We had 300 brochures folded in no time. These little gestures mean a lot and I know that I am blessed with great friends. I am so lucky to have people such as Kat, Iain, Pam, Sylvia, and Maat around me, willing to jump in and help and do what they can just because they want to. They are truly treasured friends and will be missed greatly next year.



We had state testing the first week in April, my students had a strong determination and some stayed until after 6 pm 3 nights that week, trying to put forth their best effort on the test.



Since announcing my resignation, students have had many a question and have been trying to figure out life's questions. It is great to watch their new interest and curiosity grow, as well as watching them grow from the "kids" I knew when I first arrived into the teenagers and young adults they are today.



The weather warmed up a bit last week but has since cooled off and snowed again...one would think spring might soon be here?? ;)

My classroom door--decorated for spring

Hope everyone is doing well! have a wonderful week! :)

Pending Possibilities

Well, it is already March...as some eagerly count down the remaining days of the school year; I join but with some apprehension. Though nothing is concrete as of yet, there is a very slim possibility that I will return to the tundra for a 4th year.
My mind and heart have been whirling with conflicting emotions, and anxiety, wondering what God has in store for me next. I feel led to pursue missions and have been working on the application process with Wycliffe Bible Translators. The opportunity landed in my lap, and many doors have opened up; with God's timing. At the same time, this is home now, and the goodbyes will be hard.

I am nearly to the end of the Wycliffe application process; having completed the application, an informal interview, a Bible knowledge assessment, an interview with my home church pastor, and several papers. I'm hoping for a decision of membership by March 19th. From there I will work with a pre-field Rep. to determine how to gather sponsorship and budgeting etc.

There are currently 2 Special Education positions available in Africa; one in Cameroon and one in Tanzania (my first pick). Today feelings of hesitation and questioning have been replaced with feelings of excitement and eager anticipation. I've spent the day doing some more paperwork and calculating as well as researching Tanzania. The pictures I've seen of the city and the beach/resort area near the school are surreal. LOL--going from sub-zero temperatures to 90's and along the ocean and having trees; even thoughts of being able to shop or go out to eat if I want are unreal....what about no snow??? Won't that be different?

Not much else happening here right now....

A few prayer requests:
1. God's will is done regarding acceptance with Wycliffe
2. Decisions regarding my contract for next school year
3. If accepted to Wycliffe, my field placement and support.


Have a wonderful weekend!!

Snow and Vehicles :)

A few weeks ago....(maybe a month) they brought fuel tanks up; they were working on installing them using a crane, and trucks!! We all turned our heads to catch a glimpse of the trucks out our windows. Some pictures of the guys working and making noise..... The first pictures shown are of the snow we got one night towards the end of January. A beautiful, white, soft, fluffy snow :)

My front steps :) Can anybody spy Rocky's dog house??

The boardwalk between my house and Dave and Angie's house.

What I found when I opened my front door :)

Driving on the pond...(we had to take pictures; how often is a rig in town??)

A picture just for my guys ;)

One of two trucks we have in the village--don't think this one will go anywhere anytime soon.

Happy Valentine's Day!

My little helper :)

This morning I had my kids and one on one aides over for baking Valentine's cookies. It was a great exercise in practicing reading comprehension and following directions. They were split into 3 groups; the frosting group, mixing group and the rolling and cutting group. All worked well together :)

We had a decorated box outside the classroom for kids to place their Valentine's in. I received many cards, and I now see how valuable a handmade card can be versus a store bought card. The kids put much time and thought into some of the cards.

The weather continues to be cold. Currently, the acutal temp is -14 with a windchill of -35 F. They've been having some problems with the village generators, run by TCSA. They froze up for a few days over Christmas break, this week they were off for about 3 hours due to a leak. Last night the power was off 3 times for 10-20 min. each time....perhaps it's time to look more closely at the maintainance or replacement of the village generators? :)

The guys finished the sewer lines a couple weeks ago, and I now have a flushing toilet!! WHO HOO!! (I know, simple pleasures ;) I appreciate all the time the guys put in during the cold wet weather. They deserve a raise :) Soon, (if things thaw out) we will have water running into the older teacher houses (mine included) so all we need to do to fill our water tank is turn on a valve. Frank has seen to many improvements in housing during his time as Site Administrator.

Hope you have a wonderful and relaxing weekend! :)