a trip home

It's 7:15 am on Dec 17. I leave at 3 am to go home for Christmas. I have been waking up between 4-5 am each morning for the last two weeks. I'm thinking it's partly malarial effects, excitement, stress, etc. I'm just telling you this in case the following doesn't make sense...lol

It's hard to believe I've been here a semester. I'm wondering how I'll react when I go home? In some ways I think the culture shock will be worse going home than coming here. I mean, after living in a poverished nation, how can I not feel the effects of returning to the wealthiest nation in the world?

Don't get me wrong. I am really looking forward to seeing friends and family. I am looking forward to seeing snow, being cold (for a bit anyway), drinking real milk, drinking water from the faucet, eating cereal, pork, good beef and chicken, and using towels that are nice and fluffy from the dryer. I'm excited to help cut down the Christmas tree on Saturday, to tell others about my experiences here, and to visit Tipton.

Speaking of which, God really blessed me by placing me at Tipton. I really did have great coworkers and students. I am so fortunate that many people have kept in touch, and that I can continue those relationships. That was my biggest adjustment-a new school. I mean, I love it here, but I have no history here. I had a history at Tipton. The students knew me, and I knew them. That is starting to come here, and I am loving it. I realize I'm not betraying my former students by forming deep relationships here. I can do both. It's not like I left Tipton (which was good) in search of something better. I was just being obedient to God. He has provided here too. It is a great experience. The kids are great, and I enjoy teaching them and getting to know them. I know time will bring more good things.

Well I better go prepare for my 2 exams this morning.

God bless and Merry Christmas. May you seek God and be surrounded by His love this season.

The Alphabet Game

On the malaria roadtrip, my friends and I played the alphabet game to take my mind off how I felt. Since there are really no road signs here, we decided to list things that can be boughten out your car window on the side of the road. That's right folks, you can buy all of these things while staying in your car or even cruising along in neutral. I tried to recreate the list two nights when I couldn't sleep. That means this isn't an exhaustive list. ;) Happy reading:

A-axe (during Tabaski), apples
B-boxers, baby walkers
C-crackers, CDs, cots
D-dates, duffle bag
E-eggs, electronics
F-fruit
G-games
H-hats
I-iron, inflatable toys
J-jackets
K-knifes
L-luggage
M-machete (during Tabaski)
N-nuts
O-oranges
P-phone cards
Q-q-tips
R-radios, rams (during Tabaski)
S-shirts, shoes
T-tea
U-undershirts
V-vegetables
W-water
X-xylophone ***haven’t seen this out the window of the car; have seen at beach
Y-yo-yos
Z-zucchini

Ouch

Well, people keep saying I’ve become a veteran of Senegal. I survived my first bout of malaria. Let me tell you, I hope I never get it again. I have never been in so much pain (and I’ve had the true flu and missed a week of school). I couldn’t move but I couldn’t get relief from just lying around. I couldn’t even watch a movie because it hurt so badly. I don’t mean to whine. I’m just trying to portray what I went through. What’s sad is people go through this all the time around the world. I read on the CDC website that 350-500 MILLION people get malaria every year. Wowzers. I am so thankful the Bush administration dedicated a lot to malaria in Africa because it is a problem here.

CDC website: http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/

I was fortunate because they started me on medication right away. I was in a village on outreach. We were supposed to roof a church, create a soccer field, treat some medical problems, and do evangelistic campaigns. I felt sick within the first 45 minutes of arriving. Malaria takes a while from the bit of the infected mosquito until the symptoms show so it didn’t occur in the village. I felt so bad because I felt so helpless-both to helping others as well as helping myself. Fortunately, I work with AMAZING people who did everything they could to help alleviate the pain.

Well I guess that’s a general description of what is new. I wish I could blog about the outreach, but I spent most of it lying down. I can tell you the kids were great workers. They worked hard in some tough conditions. I am so proud of them.

Well I better tackle some schoolwork. I missed four days this week and my plan book shows it.

I hope to see some of you in less than two weeks. Yahoo!