It was 7:50 pm on Sunday night. The Muslim call to prayer was ringing in the background. My roomie and I were waiting for the fruit man to finish.
How much my life has changed.
It was 8 pm on Monday night. I was returning to my apartment when I saw a bat fly overhead.
How much my life has changed.
It is November, 19. I am still wearing skirts and short sleeves. (Yeah, those three cool days are proving to be an anomaly, but at least the humidity levels have dropped.)
How much my life has changed.
“Retreating and Returning”
They say after you have been somewhere for 6 weeks, you don’t notice many new things anymore. I have been here longer than that of course, but I am surprised that I don’t notice new things anymore. Sometimes I have to take a step back or have another newcomer point something out before it registers.
I have gotten used to the poverty in Dakar. I see it every day. I don’t want to say I have become blind to it, but it doesn’t stand out anymore. (sad I know) This past weekend, I was able to get out of Dakar for the annual women’s retreat. We went to Saly which is a resort town in Senegal. I must admit, we were spoiled. There was a pool, a beach, corn flakes, and chicken that did not taste like rubber! And of course, the company was fantastic. Anyways, I was talking with a lady who came to help with the retreat, and I asked her what stood out the most about Senegal. She talked about the poverty. When we drove back into Dakar, it’s like the poverty and dirtiness of the city hit me all over again. The sand, the shacks, the cars spewing out black exhaust, etc stood out like new again. Maybe it’s a good sign. I don’t know. I hate to think that I will become so comfortable with the status quo that I will no longer feel anything for the Senegalese.
Upcoming Events:
Friday: Movie night outdoors at DA
Saturday: Softball game
Tuesday: Turkey bowl (football games at DA)
Thursday: Thanksgiving
Friday: Outreach to a village
Stay tuned for the details!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Is it that time again?
Greetings. I do apologize for the length between posts these days. I just haven't found anything exciting to write about. I mean, I was walking by the office this afternoon thinking that 3+ months ago, I would have never thought lizards crawling on the walls would be "normal." How time and experience change things.
You may be wondering about softball. Well we are 2-0. I got my first hit the other game. Yay, yay! I am getting to know the kids better through the game so that is nice. I guess it's worth the embarrasement of never catching fly balls...;)
I am just finishing 2 Corinthians and I thought it was an interesting read during the election campaign. (Yes, I did wake up at 4 am to come find out the winner.) What surprised me the most here was all the focus on the candidates' words. Don't get me wrong. Words are great and powerful. However, I think we fall into a dangerous trap when we evaluate anyone based on their words. The addage "Do as I say, not as I do" kept coming back. I found myself wanting to ask people about the candidates' actions. What have their actions shown. That is what reveals something about a person. Sometimes we as believers can focus so much on our speech that we miss our actions and character. What do people see when they look at you? Have you stopped to think about that lately?
P.S. I didn't change for DST so I am now 6 hours ahead of CDT.
You may be wondering about softball. Well we are 2-0. I got my first hit the other game. Yay, yay! I am getting to know the kids better through the game so that is nice. I guess it's worth the embarrasement of never catching fly balls...;)
I am just finishing 2 Corinthians and I thought it was an interesting read during the election campaign. (Yes, I did wake up at 4 am to come find out the winner.) What surprised me the most here was all the focus on the candidates' words. Don't get me wrong. Words are great and powerful. However, I think we fall into a dangerous trap when we evaluate anyone based on their words. The addage "Do as I say, not as I do" kept coming back. I found myself wanting to ask people about the candidates' actions. What have their actions shown. That is what reveals something about a person. Sometimes we as believers can focus so much on our speech that we miss our actions and character. What do people see when they look at you? Have you stopped to think about that lately?
P.S. I didn't change for DST so I am now 6 hours ahead of CDT.
Monday, October 27, 2008
the day by day
Life has certainly become busy these days. Every afternoon brings an activity and the weekends have not become a reprieve to the crazy schedule. I am learning to better balance my time through this, and I do relish the times that I get to know the students better.
I was talked into playing softball-slow pitch softball. For those of you who know me from my younger years, I was not known for my stellar softball skills. I am viewing this as a ministry, a time to better get to know the kids. Plus they can’t say too much because there have to be three girls on the field and there are only four girls on the team.
I have been experimenting more in the kitchen. I made crackers the other day. They didn’t taste half bad. Well except for the little accident. I forgot two pans in the oven while watching a movie and they were burnt to a crisp. I hated to throw them out because of the time and labor involved. So I have compromised, and I eat them with my homemade, weak, salsa. That is followed by lots of water.
Yesterday I made two apple pies with a couple students. I am a big fan of apple pie. I have learned I’m an apple snob. Haha. I like Granny Smith apples in everything. You can’t always find them, but they did have them yesterday when I went to the fruit stand. I made a big deal of this and the students looked at me like I was crazy.
Then after that, two students came over and made chicken curry. It was fabulous and a definite learning process. You cannot buy chicken breasts. You buy a whole chicken and you have to debone, deskin, and remove all the yucky inside organs. Fortunately, one of the girls was an expert at this.
I know what you’re thinking-I’m making my students cook for me. That’s not entirely true. As you know, getting to know the kids outside the classroom is my favorite part of teaching. It is encouraged here because our lives are so interconnected. I like to cook and I find a lot of my students like to cook as well. It is such a fun time of hanging out, joking around, and building great relationships.
Last night I went to our church’s choir concert. There were 9 choirs there. Let me tell you-it was an African event. The singing was amazing! It was also a great reminder that time is not the most important thing here. The concert lasted four hours. Unfortunately I did not stay for it all. I took video and hope to piece some of it together when I come home so you can enjoy it as well.
Hmmm…what else…
The diplomat spoke at our school the other day. She is a strong Christian and it is great to have people in public service that desire to follow the Lord. I find myself buying into an international view of America, and I don’t always like that. Sure, America has its problems, its vices, etc. I’m not ignorant of those. However, we tend to gloss over all the good features of America-our giving spirit, the chance of opportunity, etc. I am proud to be an American. I wish others around me would be proud to be Americans too instead of focusing on all the negatives. The same should be said of you in America. Yes, acknowledge the problems and try to change them, but don’t ignore the things that make America truly great.
Until next time…
I was talked into playing softball-slow pitch softball. For those of you who know me from my younger years, I was not known for my stellar softball skills. I am viewing this as a ministry, a time to better get to know the kids. Plus they can’t say too much because there have to be three girls on the field and there are only four girls on the team.
I have been experimenting more in the kitchen. I made crackers the other day. They didn’t taste half bad. Well except for the little accident. I forgot two pans in the oven while watching a movie and they were burnt to a crisp. I hated to throw them out because of the time and labor involved. So I have compromised, and I eat them with my homemade, weak, salsa. That is followed by lots of water.
Yesterday I made two apple pies with a couple students. I am a big fan of apple pie. I have learned I’m an apple snob. Haha. I like Granny Smith apples in everything. You can’t always find them, but they did have them yesterday when I went to the fruit stand. I made a big deal of this and the students looked at me like I was crazy.
Then after that, two students came over and made chicken curry. It was fabulous and a definite learning process. You cannot buy chicken breasts. You buy a whole chicken and you have to debone, deskin, and remove all the yucky inside organs. Fortunately, one of the girls was an expert at this.
I know what you’re thinking-I’m making my students cook for me. That’s not entirely true. As you know, getting to know the kids outside the classroom is my favorite part of teaching. It is encouraged here because our lives are so interconnected. I like to cook and I find a lot of my students like to cook as well. It is such a fun time of hanging out, joking around, and building great relationships.
Last night I went to our church’s choir concert. There were 9 choirs there. Let me tell you-it was an African event. The singing was amazing! It was also a great reminder that time is not the most important thing here. The concert lasted four hours. Unfortunately I did not stay for it all. I took video and hope to piece some of it together when I come home so you can enjoy it as well.
Hmmm…what else…
The diplomat spoke at our school the other day. She is a strong Christian and it is great to have people in public service that desire to follow the Lord. I find myself buying into an international view of America, and I don’t always like that. Sure, America has its problems, its vices, etc. I’m not ignorant of those. However, we tend to gloss over all the good features of America-our giving spirit, the chance of opportunity, etc. I am proud to be an American. I wish others around me would be proud to be Americans too instead of focusing on all the negatives. The same should be said of you in America. Yes, acknowledge the problems and try to change them, but don’t ignore the things that make America truly great.
Until next time…
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