Monday, September 26, 2011
All in a day's work
As I was waiting for this guy, I wanted nothing more than to just say, "Hey, never mind, I'll walk out and get a taxi at the road," but I thought maybe this was a way I could learn some patience and appreciation of the culture. I waited for probably ten or fifteen minutes and then the car was ready to be started....without keys. A few guys came and pushed the car down a small hill, but it didn't quite catch. A woman came by and asked the taxi driver for a ride as well and she and I helped the guys pull the car back up the hill and try for running start #2. It worked and the taxi took another few minutes to turn around and we were on our way. The driver was a really sweet person, though and helped me find the place I was looking for even though I wasn't real clear on its location.
I am learning to slow myself down. Greet people before thinking about business (and somehow not forget about business then, either), stop to talk to people who are just hanging out in the road, wait for the taxi in the road, etc. It's going well, and I am also sure that people are extending a lot of grace to me as I am not following cultural norms yet.
We're celebrating the small things like our success this week in managing to avoid the exuberant seating assistant at church who likes to forcibly seat us in the front row at church. We celebrated in a quiet way as we sat in the middle of the congregation and were able to watch everyone else and figure out what to do.
I can't wait to see the things that we'll learn in six months or a year. It's fun and exciting to look into this culture and enjoy aspects of it so much!
My camera cord is missing right now, when I find it, I will post pictures.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Emotional Culture Adaptation
At MTI, we spent a day talking about loss and grieving and they used verses from the Bible from all places that talk about different kinds and ways of showing grief. I took away from the lesson that it's critical to access emotions and deal with them fully in my own way before they abcess. For me, it usually means crying quietly, but not always. For a Guinean woman, it might look very different. Both are valid ways to handle loss.The flip-side of grieving outwardly is that most emotions are openly expressed here. Laughter is loud, conversations get loud and spirited easily and people here usually don't hold grudges long. It made me wonder if keeping emotions out in the open might be a great idea. Once you've cried out and expressed all you were feeling, what's left but to move on? Once you've had a huge argument and said all you had to say, you just call it done where if you hold it in and get upset, you never quite let it go the same way. Then, when it's time to laugh, you can do so openly and fully as well.
Since arriving, I have wanted nothing more than to start working. Now don't get me wrong, we are working, we're learning language, we're learning how to run a household in a whole new world, we're starting off and it takes time. But I, in all of my American "get 'er done" mentality, just ITCH to get to writing lesson plans, talking business, making what I would call progress. I have to keep stopping to realize this IS progress we're making right now. The picture below is of us Skype-ing with some family and friends recently. That in itself was a whole new skill-set to learn. Cooking is a MAJOR learning experience for me. Last time I was here, I just snacked most of the time, now I am starting to cook....and it's SO different than cooking has ever been. We got our water filter out and have cleaned it and it's just now filtering its first CLEAN water for us! I went and got medicine for Sheba today and learned more Kriol on the way. I have hired my friend, Ruthie to help me with the work of washing and cleaning so I can have time to work on teaching and things when we move. We pay her about $30 per month for 10 hours a week of work and it is a good wage for someone here. We're learning how to carve out time for us and spend time with people just talking and getting to know them. It's all a process and we're learning to walk at a pace that's reasonable.
Thanks for reading these thoughts about recent experiences. We love you tons!
Friday, September 16, 2011
The odd menagerie blog post...
I am on my way over to Emily Atkins' kitchen for the next couple of hours. We're attempting to make some salsa that a friend, Catalina, showed me in Washington DC. Hope we get it right, if so, our tastebuds will be duly rewarded! :)
About our current place in the journey:
I have been absorbing all that's going on rather slowly. This transition has been different on every level from the last transition. Last time, I think the way I prepared myself and set to work here in such a hurry was great, but not sustainable. This time, I feel like we're preparing for more of a marathon than a sprint. We're taking our time to pick a place to live, think about the things we might want in our house that will help us feel at home (for me, that's things like having good bedding on my bed and a pressure cooker in the kitchen; for Jason, it's having an internet connection that's easy to use and knowing the doors lock well--no cheesy locks). I think this will be a time of being ready for the long-haul. We're sinking our teeth in.
This is a brief video from our 10K race this year.
Thanks for being with us:
Jason is in the bathroom right now using a hand-pump water filter to get us clean water for the day. We're thankful to have running water and filters to make it drinkable! Sheba is napping on her bed wishing she could curl up in our clothes, and I am writing you. It's like having you here in our house. We can feel your hugs, your encouraging words, your jokes and smiles. I can imagine each of you hanging out with us here right now and I know what you'd be doing.
There was a large spider on the wall this morning. It was one of the kinds that when you hit it with the fly swatter, all its legs fall off. I should take a video of it some time, you kinda have to see it to believe it. Anyway, I kept laughing because I was thinking of different ones of you and how you would react; from friends who would say "It's a spider, they eat other bugs, let it live in your house" to those who would be climbing the tallest thing in the room and just screaming. The spider was too high for me to reach so I was going to leave it alone, but Jason decided to swat it. It was over our bed, so when he hit it, its legs showered down on the sheets around its body. What inefficient spiders! Jason was a bit awestruck--he's heard about these spiders, but I don't think he realized they REALLY did lose their legs when you hit them.
Thank you all for pouring into our lives. As we spend ourselves and our hearts here, we are pouring out to people and God uses you to pour into us. Sometimes, when I talk to someone here, I see them through the eyes of the people who send us. There is tremendous love, compassion, sensitivity, humor, and joy we receive from you and it is so uplifting. Thank you for your heart for Africa.
Talking in Church:
A few days ago, I spoke at a women's group at church. I have no idea if the message I prepared was any good, but they were gracious and seemed appreciative--people here are SO kind. They tell you that you're doing a great job even when you slaughter the language completely, and they ask you to speak at meetings and groups on your first week here, just trusting us immediately. It's VERY humbling. Before I spoke, one of the women stood up and delegated different topics of prayer to each person in the group. The one that struck me most was the topic of prayer for women and marriages in Bissau. The way the woman talked about marriage was very telling. She said that there is an absolute war in in the spiritual realm over marriages. Marriage itself has become a battle here. She asked us to pray for God's intervention in marriage. The way she said it cannot be conveyed in words. Her eyes were alight with sincerity and the immediacy of this need. All at once, I saw these women in a whole new light, like fierce and sweet soldiers fighting for God's glory in their own families. They are like pillars of strength, and yet they are so fragile. Speaking before this group was absolutely the most humbling thing I have done in a while. All I wanted to do was pull up a seat and ask them to tell me their life stories and share with me about their strengths and experiences. I told them about how we've said goodbye to all of you and how it has been to leave the USA. I said that I've said goodbye to my family and dear friends knowing God has people for me to grow close to here, and I told them how glad I was to finally meet them!
I look forward to going back for women's group again this week. I know God is doing AMAZING things in the lives of women here and I am honored to witness it and play a role. Please pray that I approach all aspects of this with God's grace and heart.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
No tene casa! (We have a house)
The real news is about the decision we made today! We chose a house to live in and we went and signed papers! I forgot to get a picture of the outside of the house, so the Pepto-Bismol wonder that it is will have to wait until another day for your viewing pleasure. :)
This is a picture of Jason with the landlord and the guys from MAFI here who have helped us find this wonderful house. The people in the picture, from left to right are: Adu (I think) our landlord, Pastor Felix, Jason (easy to spot in this crowd) and Fernando. It is House #1 from the Facebook post, it is the one with 24/7 electricity and a yard that will enjoy some improvement. The landlord seems like a really honest guy and has been hoping to find renters with integrity, so I am glad we can both be glad to have found each other. The picture with the 4 guys was taken on the front porch at our house.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Bu obi Kriol?
We had our first lesson in Kriol today with our friend, Fernando. He spent the entire lesson patiently talking to us in Kriol and trying to help us get a clue about what's going on. Even the Kriol that I speak is limited enough that people have a hard time knowing exactly what I mean.
It's the funniest thing to BE the foreigner. You realize that people are being nice just to talk to you because it takes them extra energy to give it a go. You are not the only person around that they could try talking to and it's kind that they even try!
We went to church yesterday and fought sleep. We were very tired to start with because our dog had kept us awake (we fought with Sheba to get her into her bed and off of us all night--we are sleeping on the floor right now) and then we'd gotten up early to go give a friend our baggage tickets so she might be able to look for our bag at the airport in Senegal. There are many things in that bag that we need. Pray they arrive!
We went to the downtown market today with Emily and Savannah Atkins. We got some basics for life in the next few weeks. We'll move into the Guest House in a few days and will spend a couple of weeks there while we get our house in order. During that time, Emily has said I can practice cooking in Bissau (she's been showing me how to cook affordably and with not too much difficulty using what's here) and that way I can come borrow anything that I forgot to get and ease into the process a bit. The Atkins have been a complete lifesaver for us! We are SO thankful for them!
Tonight, we go to our first leadership meeting at MAFI Church and we have no idea what's in store for us there! It should be fun!
We also decided that we should get a small scooter as our form of transportation. We're in the process of finding one right now and will get one as soon as possible. When we do, we'll have to send you a picture!
Tomorrow morning, we will also go look at another house here that is a possibility for us to live in and we will also go to Pastor Felix's house to look at some items that the church has there that we can borrow until we have enough to be able to float on our own. They have a bed for us (well, two twin beds) and a table and chairs and some other things. It's such a strange thing to be putting together a house in another country. I feel like I've done a lot of this in the past few years, but this is a whole new puzzle. I don't know what I even need.
We're going to borrow a stove that's a gas-powered stove and we won't have a fridge for a while. When we do get one, since we're in an apartment with electricity, I think we can get an electric one, but most of the fridges here are run off of propane and you change the propane tank every couple of weeks. I think we're going to need things that I can't even physically identify right now. :) We're really blessed by the people who are helping us get established.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
From Africa
We arrived and realized that our immediate situation is not quite what we thought it would be and have adjusted accordingly with the gracious help of many friends. The picture to the left is of our friend, Emily Atkins and her daughter, Savannah. We are staying on their floor until we have a more permanent arrangement. This will be a few more days. We're working on getting a house and then after that's settled, a full job description. We went to church this morning and everyone there was very excited to have us. Apparently, they've all been hearing about us coming for a few months and are excited. It was quite a feeling just hoping we don't let them down somehow. There seems to be a lot of excitement, but we're still trying to get a really level-headed idea of what our immediate goals and plans are. Take one step at a time....we're here, now. That's a HUGE step.
For anyone wondering, Sheba is doing fine. She handles all the displacement better that us at this point. Pray that she doesn't get any more ticks. There have been a lot at the place we're staying right now, so she's been pretty loaded with them. She has a REALLY high quality tick collar and it does kill them when they bite her....most of the time. But they have to bite her and hang out for like an hour or so. Most of the ones we find on her are not doing too well by the time we pull them out, they're usually mostly dead. :) Sheba has discovered that she is the same size as most livestock here.
We will be blogging more often from now on, I promise, I just needed a week to get my feet and thoughts under me. This transition has been bizarre and fun and emotional and exhausting and exhilirating all at the same time. The picture below is Jason at one of the houses that we are considering renting. We have several very awesome choices to consider.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
At the airport
I am waiting to board the plane and thinking about the culmination of amazing events that brought us to this point!
Right now, I am overwhelmed with thankfulness. I can't believe we've been planning to arrive at THIS moment since 2007 and are FINALLY HERE! It's amazing. Each of you has played a vital role and we are unbelievably thankful and excited to go into Africa with you in our hearts. You've loved us and supported and cared for us in ways we never dreamed possible and we've been blessed by so many of you.
We love you dearly and say farewell and thank you! Next blog is from Africa!