After a slight delay we made our way to our dormitory style rooms there.
After two nights in this room, we moved to an apartment where we stayed 3
nights (until Christmas day). This facility was cheap, had hot water, and a
kitchen! Plus it was very safe. And they had internet, even wifi! [It was
during my time on the computer here that I learned of many, many engagements
amongst people I know; I was determined not to let it depress me haha. There
was no reason for me to be unhappy! I'm traveling the world, serving others
in the name of Christ! I'm doing exactly what I should be.] It was on the
other side of town, though, so we spent an unexpected amount on taxi fare.
The grand finale of our stay in Yaounde occurred on Christmas day, when we
moved in to the Hilton for the night. We were there at the hotel as soon as
we could check in, and didn't leave the place until the exact check-out
time. Yaounde was fun to explore, but it was also quite expensive-especially
everything with the word "Hilton" on it. Christmas night was also the night
I really started feelings malarial. Is that a word? Anyway, Saturday night I
felt really awful. Plus I was more homesick than I had been in a good while,
it being Christmas day spent without any family and all (though I did spent
quite a bit of time on the phone with family that day). Oh yeah! On
Christmas Eve we visited Yaounde's zoo. THAT was pretty awesome. They had
peacocks and monkeys roaming free around the facility, seven large, active
lions, some crocs, tortoises, and parrot-type birds. The monkeys and the
lions were my favorite. The zoo itself seemed pretty run down, but I was
able to see more and be closer to the animals than I would at any zoo I've
been to in America. Honestly, after Yaounde, I just felt like either going
back to Lassin or back to America. Our next stop was Kribi, one of Cameroon'
s "beach resort" towns. I guess I felt pretty miserable in Kribi, too. Yeah,
the beach was there, but we were kind of bored. Now that I think about it, I
wasn't bored. I was exhausted. Funny how I can get those mixed up. We only
stayed there 2 nights. By the time we left for Limbe, the last time I had
showered was Sunday, the morning we left the Hilton (best shower
ever-bathroom was complete with a hair dryer!). So I was pretty gross.
GROSS. Haha! On our way to Limbe, we had to go through Doula (my very first
glimpse of Cameroon). Anytime we go through Doula, we get to see our very
dear friend Charles Ichu. What a guy. He picked us up from the taxi park,
drove us to Moneygram/the bank/the bakery, and then we all started together
toward Limbe. I mentioned to Charles that I wasn't really feeling well, and
he insisted on taking me to the Adventist Hospital in Buea, a town right
next to Limbe. Unfortunately, we got there after their lab had already
closed for the day (the was Tuesday, Dec. 28 btw). Dr. Trixie, a Loma Linda
graduate, informed me of the possibilities and asked me to call her the next
day after I got tested for malaria. I either had malaria, a viral infection
(in my lungs? which was causing pleuritis), or a pulled back muscle from
doing a handstand. I didn't want to take malaria meds without knowing if I
actually had malaria or not. I did have a temperature of 102. So we headed
to Limbe, so grateful for Charles' company. After checking out a few hotels,
we finally chose one located inside a botanical garden and very close to a
bakery and ice cream shop. Finally, a shower! I hit the sack pretty quickly
after washing up. I was beat. You know, I think the time we spent in Limbe
evenly tied with our time in Yaounde, or maybe even beat it. Wednesday
morning, we had brunch at Chela's, a restaurant located inside Limbe
Wildlife Center. We could see the gorillas from our table! The lab techs
there also performed my rapid response malaria test without charge! Turns
out, yes, I had a moderate infection of malaria. Now I can say I really have
experienced Africa. or at least Cameroon. I was talking with the tech and
the "doctor" about my mission here in Cameroon. They said that they love to
hear about someone working for the Lord. They invited me to take some of
their brochures back to America and talk to some friends or family about
donating to their cause. I promised them I would. We headed to the pharmacy
where I bought some Courtem (great stuff!), then to the room, and then to
Hotel Seme Beach! For 3 bucks, we hung out at the chocolate beaches of Limbe
and never found out about the drink that the fare included. I had a good
time but not as good a time as Kim and Kat had. I just wanted to sleep on
the beach and work on my tan. I stuck out like an elephant. Haha :) That
night, Kim and I left the room to go for a walk (I was secretly looking for
ice cream. I thought it would help my fever go down, ya know), and we ran
into some very interesting people. First we saw this big safari-like jeep in
the driveway. It was painted white with "Drive Against Malaria" in big red
and black letters on its side. Then, all of a sudden, its driver, Dr. Sara
from the Netherland introduced herself and immediately noticed my fever. I
thought she was so cool. Right away, Kim let her know that I had malaria. I
just smiled haha. Her cohort, David, showed up, and I noticed that he had no
right arm or leg. Yikes. He had whitish-grey, long, curly hair and piercing
blue eyes. He's from the UK. They proceeded to visit with us and educate us
about malaria. They checked Kat's temperature (no malaria) and gave us all
free Courtem. They were pretty G. The next day, after a quick stop by Mt.
Cameroon (we tried walking to the first geographical "level", the forest,
but we didn't really make it too far), we headed back to Douala hoping to
catch the night bus to Bamenda and make it to Lassin by Friday evening. I'm
sorry to say that I did not take a enough pictures during our Cameroonian
adventure. I did have a pretty swell time, though. Now I can say that I
really have seen Cameroon. Another thing we failed to do was to go up north
towards Lake Chad to see Waza National Park. We decided that the journey
would be too long and dangerous. I don't think I'd mind doing Christmas in
Africa again, just as long as I have some family to keep me company.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
An African Christmas, Part One (1/9/11)
It really seems like a year has passed since I last "updated" you all. That
much has honestly happened. Let's see how well I can remember everything.
Well, December found us (Kim, Kat, & I) with extreme cabin fever. We really
wanted to get out of Dodge, er, Lassin. So we planned accordingly. We would
leave on the last Thursday of school after class let out, and we would set
out to see the world! And even though we didn't end up leaving until Friday
morning or seeing the world, we let nothing curb our enthusiasm AT ALL.
Thursday night/Friday morning was spent packing up ol' Silvy, Kim's old,
silver, hard-top, on-its-last-leg suitcase and all our respective backpacks.
We were going to enjoy this trip no matter what happened. Friday morning, we
tramped down to the taxi park clad in jeans hauling all our stuff. The day
before, I'd been told that it would just be best if I ate the rest of my
2010 meals with Kim & Kat. So this morning, defeated, I carried my bag of
white, breakfast bread to the market with francs to supplement it with
chocolate, biscuits, and ching ching all 'round. The night before, Julianna,
one of the sweetest people in Lassin, had brought us fufu & fried agusi
(pumpkin seed swimming in palm oil: very tasty!). I ate my fufu with avocado
and shared some with D. We had way too much fufu to know what to do with-aka
we gave it away. Anyway, we found a taxi & the four of us piled in,
completely pumped for our adventure across Cameroon. First stop? Kumbo of
course! This was pretty much the most important stop since I needed onions
so bad from Moneygram (onions is Rose lingo for cold, hard CASH). Oh! Funny
story. Well this taxi ride was one of my first experiences with dust. The
roads in rainy season are just awful to drive on, BUT the roads in dry
season are covered with at least a few inches of loose, orange dust. This
dust will find its way into a taxi or suitcase or person through the tiniest
of openings. It's great. Our trip Kumbo also found us with some interesting
cargo, and I'm not talking about taxi mates. Two pretty big bags of bong (I
think that's what they called it?) traveled with us most of the way to
Kumbo. Also great. Okay, so after taking a bike to the post office (3 more
packages! Thank you Mom & Gma Anne!), walking to Pastor Josiah's house
(pastor of our church here in Lassin), loading up on holiday goodies from
the boxes, taking a bike to Moneygram/the supermarket, then BACK to the taxi
park, we were all almost ready to go to Bamenda. The roads to Bamenda are
much better than those to Lassin. So, in that respect the trip was better.
There are even some paved stretches of road which means a lot less dust. But
I think we must have gotten on the oldest "Taxi Bus" in the business.
Bamenda is just on the other side of these big hills. In order to get to
Bamenda, the Taxi Bus had to climb these hills. It barely made it. Once we
started up the hill, the driver had to stop what seemed about every ten
minutes to replenish the water in the radiator. One time when we stopped, he
didn't wait long enough for the pressure to decrease before opening the cap.
Hot water and steam came shooting out in all directions! By this time, all
the occupants of the van were very angry at the driver for putting them
through this and not maintenance-ing his vehicle before the busy holidays.
We made it to Bamenda, but he couldn't even take us all the way to the taxi
park-the van was in that bad of shape. He pretty much made us get out on the
side of the road (we were very, very close to our stop, though). After a few
minutes, our Bamendian contacts, Mercy and Rita, met us. Mercy is the wife
of Felix who Kim met through the installment of her village phone
antenna-like you know what that means. Our time in Bamenda was very nice. We
got a total change of scenery, TV (Kat was ecstatic about the Disney
channel), ice cream, internet, new hair-dos, free lodging, malaria (haha!
Yeah, I'm pretty sure I contracted it in Bamenda, 7-10 days before the onset
of symptoms.), ATM use, and good company. One thing I did not get was a
shower. All I can say about that is: mercy. I think my favorite part of
Bamenda was the hair-platting line of the market. Or maybe it was the cold
or frozen drinks and snacks we enjoyed. Yeah, I think both. The
hair-platting line is a pretty long aisle of the market with nothing but
women and girls standing or sitting on stools doing nothing but braiding
hair. It was really awesome. When we first arrived, I was kind of annoying
because all the women were staring and trying to get us to go to them for
their services. We finally found the ladies Rita was looking for and I got
to sit. The women starting braiding Kim and Kat's hair at about 1 pm in the
afternoon, and we didn't leave the market 'til 7 or 8 that night at least.
It was a long day, but they had beautiful, yet painful, braids to show for
it. Sunday night we carried/rolled our things to the taxi park ready to
embark on our next leg of our adventure. This time, we'd be taking the night
bus to Yaounde, the capitol of Cameroon. This would be one of my favorite
stops on our trip. I slept like a baby on the bus. Only because Divine was
nice enough to let me have his window seat. I conked out before the bus even
rolled out of the park. I have learned some funny things about night buses.
The seat number that is written on your ticket means nothing. Sure, you
might be sitting in Seat 55, the information given on your ticket. But, then
again, you might be sitting in Seat 54, Seat 12, or Seat 74. Or you might be
sitting on some luggage in the aisle, someone's lap, or even the floor. If
you're not quick to claim your seat, you may not have one for the ride.
Also, about half-way through the drive to your destination, night buses
always stop at a sort of night market. The first time my sleep was
interrupted by this, I was pretty startled: What the heck is going on?!
People actually want to eat at this time of the night?? Crazy. The second
and third times were old news. My first few goals in Yaounde were to find
lodging, go to a bakery, and take a shower-in no particular order at all.
So, we found our way to the SDA Union office hoping they could help us.
Fortunately, they are located right across the street from the best bakery
in Cameroon-Calafatas Boulangerie. Wowsers, that place is awesome. After
picking up some breakfast, we just lounged in the lobby of the union office,
dozing on and off after their staff worship. We waited to see the president
for about 3 hours. Turns out that their hotel units were booked. They helped
us find a taxi across town to the Baptist mission, SIL. Now this place
looked so nice! It's a huge gated community filled with Americans and
Canadians and even Cameroonians.
much has honestly happened. Let's see how well I can remember everything.
Well, December found us (Kim, Kat, & I) with extreme cabin fever. We really
wanted to get out of Dodge, er, Lassin. So we planned accordingly. We would
leave on the last Thursday of school after class let out, and we would set
out to see the world! And even though we didn't end up leaving until Friday
morning or seeing the world, we let nothing curb our enthusiasm AT ALL.
Thursday night/Friday morning was spent packing up ol' Silvy, Kim's old,
silver, hard-top, on-its-last-leg suitcase and all our respective backpacks.
We were going to enjoy this trip no matter what happened. Friday morning, we
tramped down to the taxi park clad in jeans hauling all our stuff. The day
before, I'd been told that it would just be best if I ate the rest of my
2010 meals with Kim & Kat. So this morning, defeated, I carried my bag of
white, breakfast bread to the market with francs to supplement it with
chocolate, biscuits, and ching ching all 'round. The night before, Julianna,
one of the sweetest people in Lassin, had brought us fufu & fried agusi
(pumpkin seed swimming in palm oil: very tasty!). I ate my fufu with avocado
and shared some with D. We had way too much fufu to know what to do with-aka
we gave it away. Anyway, we found a taxi & the four of us piled in,
completely pumped for our adventure across Cameroon. First stop? Kumbo of
course! This was pretty much the most important stop since I needed onions
so bad from Moneygram (onions is Rose lingo for cold, hard CASH). Oh! Funny
story. Well this taxi ride was one of my first experiences with dust. The
roads in rainy season are just awful to drive on, BUT the roads in dry
season are covered with at least a few inches of loose, orange dust. This
dust will find its way into a taxi or suitcase or person through the tiniest
of openings. It's great. Our trip Kumbo also found us with some interesting
cargo, and I'm not talking about taxi mates. Two pretty big bags of bong (I
think that's what they called it?) traveled with us most of the way to
Kumbo. Also great. Okay, so after taking a bike to the post office (3 more
packages! Thank you Mom & Gma Anne!), walking to Pastor Josiah's house
(pastor of our church here in Lassin), loading up on holiday goodies from
the boxes, taking a bike to Moneygram/the supermarket, then BACK to the taxi
park, we were all almost ready to go to Bamenda. The roads to Bamenda are
much better than those to Lassin. So, in that respect the trip was better.
There are even some paved stretches of road which means a lot less dust. But
I think we must have gotten on the oldest "Taxi Bus" in the business.
Bamenda is just on the other side of these big hills. In order to get to
Bamenda, the Taxi Bus had to climb these hills. It barely made it. Once we
started up the hill, the driver had to stop what seemed about every ten
minutes to replenish the water in the radiator. One time when we stopped, he
didn't wait long enough for the pressure to decrease before opening the cap.
Hot water and steam came shooting out in all directions! By this time, all
the occupants of the van were very angry at the driver for putting them
through this and not maintenance-ing his vehicle before the busy holidays.
We made it to Bamenda, but he couldn't even take us all the way to the taxi
park-the van was in that bad of shape. He pretty much made us get out on the
side of the road (we were very, very close to our stop, though). After a few
minutes, our Bamendian contacts, Mercy and Rita, met us. Mercy is the wife
of Felix who Kim met through the installment of her village phone
antenna-like you know what that means. Our time in Bamenda was very nice. We
got a total change of scenery, TV (Kat was ecstatic about the Disney
channel), ice cream, internet, new hair-dos, free lodging, malaria (haha!
Yeah, I'm pretty sure I contracted it in Bamenda, 7-10 days before the onset
of symptoms.), ATM use, and good company. One thing I did not get was a
shower. All I can say about that is: mercy. I think my favorite part of
Bamenda was the hair-platting line of the market. Or maybe it was the cold
or frozen drinks and snacks we enjoyed. Yeah, I think both. The
hair-platting line is a pretty long aisle of the market with nothing but
women and girls standing or sitting on stools doing nothing but braiding
hair. It was really awesome. When we first arrived, I was kind of annoying
because all the women were staring and trying to get us to go to them for
their services. We finally found the ladies Rita was looking for and I got
to sit. The women starting braiding Kim and Kat's hair at about 1 pm in the
afternoon, and we didn't leave the market 'til 7 or 8 that night at least.
It was a long day, but they had beautiful, yet painful, braids to show for
it. Sunday night we carried/rolled our things to the taxi park ready to
embark on our next leg of our adventure. This time, we'd be taking the night
bus to Yaounde, the capitol of Cameroon. This would be one of my favorite
stops on our trip. I slept like a baby on the bus. Only because Divine was
nice enough to let me have his window seat. I conked out before the bus even
rolled out of the park. I have learned some funny things about night buses.
The seat number that is written on your ticket means nothing. Sure, you
might be sitting in Seat 55, the information given on your ticket. But, then
again, you might be sitting in Seat 54, Seat 12, or Seat 74. Or you might be
sitting on some luggage in the aisle, someone's lap, or even the floor. If
you're not quick to claim your seat, you may not have one for the ride.
Also, about half-way through the drive to your destination, night buses
always stop at a sort of night market. The first time my sleep was
interrupted by this, I was pretty startled: What the heck is going on?!
People actually want to eat at this time of the night?? Crazy. The second
and third times were old news. My first few goals in Yaounde were to find
lodging, go to a bakery, and take a shower-in no particular order at all.
So, we found our way to the SDA Union office hoping they could help us.
Fortunately, they are located right across the street from the best bakery
in Cameroon-Calafatas Boulangerie. Wowsers, that place is awesome. After
picking up some breakfast, we just lounged in the lobby of the union office,
dozing on and off after their staff worship. We waited to see the president
for about 3 hours. Turns out that their hotel units were booked. They helped
us find a taxi across town to the Baptist mission, SIL. Now this place
looked so nice! It's a huge gated community filled with Americans and
Canadians and even Cameroonians.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Blog: Improvement (Dec. 12, 2010)
Wonders of wonders: we'll be home in less than 5 months, it's almost
Christmas here, less than 1 week of school 'til break, I'm happy. I never
thought that Africa could be as cold as it is right now!! Wow! The
temperature difference here between the middle of the night and then middle
of the day is huge! I really do feel like I'm camping and have been for over
3 months. It's great, though! The crispiness of the morning is really nice.
Or is it just crispness? Ha! Well, I've heard that, according to teachers,
one of the things most dreaded things in teaching can be summed up in just
one word: grades. And, boy, did I really agree about a month and a half
back! The testing that I've done in the past week, though, has simply been a
breath of fresh air. Testing my whole class (orally, for the most part) can
really take a long time. That's what I learned about the process during
mid-term testing a few weeks ago. But this past week was really nice. I knew
what I needed to do and had a plan. Instead of testing all the kids the week
before grades were due, I've done them. well it's still the week before. but
I've allowed for much more time this go-around. And let me tell you what I'
ve learned from all my students (except for one) by testing them. They've
really improved! Now I know how good teachers much feel when they realize
that the students they have been teaching have actually been learning, too!
Haha-go figure. So I want you all to know that I really am teaching over
here in Lassin, Cameroon. The kids really are learning. God really is
working. A LOT! He's the one responsible for all the good things happening
here! What a big job He's got; but He surely is capable. Not only has class
2 improved at APS of Lassin (as well as the other classes, I'm sure), but
the relationships here amongst missionaries and locals has really changed.
Improvement's been prayed for, and God has delivered. Another thing that's
gotten better is my cooking skills. Friday afternoon, I attempted to create
a cake that looked and tasted like chocolate. The main ingredient: carob!
God must've performed a miracle on that cake! Thank you all for your prayer
and support. It makes such a difference to me and the others here. Your
random texts, calls, and packages are such a blessing. Hope everyone reading
this has a wonderful holiday!HH
Christmas here, less than 1 week of school 'til break, I'm happy. I never
thought that Africa could be as cold as it is right now!! Wow! The
temperature difference here between the middle of the night and then middle
of the day is huge! I really do feel like I'm camping and have been for over
3 months. It's great, though! The crispiness of the morning is really nice.
Or is it just crispness? Ha! Well, I've heard that, according to teachers,
one of the things most dreaded things in teaching can be summed up in just
one word: grades. And, boy, did I really agree about a month and a half
back! The testing that I've done in the past week, though, has simply been a
breath of fresh air. Testing my whole class (orally, for the most part) can
really take a long time. That's what I learned about the process during
mid-term testing a few weeks ago. But this past week was really nice. I knew
what I needed to do and had a plan. Instead of testing all the kids the week
before grades were due, I've done them. well it's still the week before. but
I've allowed for much more time this go-around. And let me tell you what I'
ve learned from all my students (except for one) by testing them. They've
really improved! Now I know how good teachers much feel when they realize
that the students they have been teaching have actually been learning, too!
Haha-go figure. So I want you all to know that I really am teaching over
here in Lassin, Cameroon. The kids really are learning. God really is
working. A LOT! He's the one responsible for all the good things happening
here! What a big job He's got; but He surely is capable. Not only has class
2 improved at APS of Lassin (as well as the other classes, I'm sure), but
the relationships here amongst missionaries and locals has really changed.
Improvement's been prayed for, and God has delivered. Another thing that's
gotten better is my cooking skills. Friday afternoon, I attempted to create
a cake that looked and tasted like chocolate. The main ingredient: carob!
God must've performed a miracle on that cake! Thank you all for your prayer
and support. It makes such a difference to me and the others here. Your
random texts, calls, and packages are such a blessing. Hope everyone reading
this has a wonderful holiday!HH
Blog: Get Outta My Face! (Dec. 12, 2010)
Sometimes on my walk home from school, the butterflies go fluttering by and
nearly run in to my face. The first time this happened, I was really in a
foul mood (haha). My day of teaching had gone fine, but I just really wanted
to be alone; I really wanted to be free from the children. Here, though,
that just doesn't happen. The faster and harder I try to walk, the more they
try to keep up with me. So the first time these butterflies tried to take me
out, I was really kind of mad at them. I knew I was wrong for being annoyed,
but I guess I didn't care at first. Then I got to thinking. Those
butterflies are beautiful. They weren't really trying to hurt me. They're
totally innocent creatures-even if they do like to hang out in gross places
(or piles.). I should be thinking of them as a huge blessing and not a huge
annoyance. Then a drew the great parallel. The butterflies are just like the
children. They're carefree, innocent, beautiful. That is, up until I wanted
to pin them as annoying. How dare I. Since beginning my new life as a
teacher, I have really learned more of the appreciation due to the adults
throughout my life. Sometimes adults have just had it with kids. All they
really want to say is "Get outta my face, kid!" But I'm so glad they said
that so seldom to me. I'm so, so grateful. My parents and family, my friends
and their families, my teachers. All of them chose to be kind to me (as far
as I can remember). As much as I just wanted to be around them, to be
included, even to be in their face-they could've really had a problem with
me. But they chose not to. Sometimes we all just need time to be alone, time
free from others. I know I violated that me-time of many, many adults
growing up. But I think that's just the beauty of kids. They remind how we
should be: always loving, always selfless, always like Jesus. The past few
weeks I've wondered if He even ever got tired of the people who were just
always there at His heels. And I don't know. But I'm sure if He was, He did
everything in His power to keep them from knowing it. What kind of person
would Jesus have been if He didn't want to be around people or got tired of
people? I'd feel guilty for wanted to depend on Him, for needing to depend
on Him. Thank God Jesus wasn't like me. So for now, I'm so thankful for the
Spirit's small reminders of how to live like Jesus lived. Thanks for the
butterflies in my face.
nearly run in to my face. The first time this happened, I was really in a
foul mood (haha). My day of teaching had gone fine, but I just really wanted
to be alone; I really wanted to be free from the children. Here, though,
that just doesn't happen. The faster and harder I try to walk, the more they
try to keep up with me. So the first time these butterflies tried to take me
out, I was really kind of mad at them. I knew I was wrong for being annoyed,
but I guess I didn't care at first. Then I got to thinking. Those
butterflies are beautiful. They weren't really trying to hurt me. They're
totally innocent creatures-even if they do like to hang out in gross places
(or piles.). I should be thinking of them as a huge blessing and not a huge
annoyance. Then a drew the great parallel. The butterflies are just like the
children. They're carefree, innocent, beautiful. That is, up until I wanted
to pin them as annoying. How dare I. Since beginning my new life as a
teacher, I have really learned more of the appreciation due to the adults
throughout my life. Sometimes adults have just had it with kids. All they
really want to say is "Get outta my face, kid!" But I'm so glad they said
that so seldom to me. I'm so, so grateful. My parents and family, my friends
and their families, my teachers. All of them chose to be kind to me (as far
as I can remember). As much as I just wanted to be around them, to be
included, even to be in their face-they could've really had a problem with
me. But they chose not to. Sometimes we all just need time to be alone, time
free from others. I know I violated that me-time of many, many adults
growing up. But I think that's just the beauty of kids. They remind how we
should be: always loving, always selfless, always like Jesus. The past few
weeks I've wondered if He even ever got tired of the people who were just
always there at His heels. And I don't know. But I'm sure if He was, He did
everything in His power to keep them from knowing it. What kind of person
would Jesus have been if He didn't want to be around people or got tired of
people? I'd feel guilty for wanted to depend on Him, for needing to depend
on Him. Thank God Jesus wasn't like me. So for now, I'm so thankful for the
Spirit's small reminders of how to live like Jesus lived. Thanks for the
butterflies in my face.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Blog: Death by Pineapple (Dec. 5, 2010)
Breakfast yesterday consisted of hot breakfast cereal, granola and soy milk,
corn bread with honey/soy milk, AND like 1/3 of a large pineapple as well as
2/3 of a small guava. Wow. My belly was so full that I could hardly
comprehend the Sabbath school lesson about temperance. I really think I
needed to hear that too. Living in Africa for three months can teach a
person so, so much. One thing I have learned is that one of the hardest
things to do as a missionary is to just get along with the other
missionaries. How sad! God has really worked in us, though. I've been
learning a lot about the power of prayer. I'm sure God loves to answer our
prayers. Time is going as fast as ever. The food here is getting better and
better. I'm becoming much more of a teacher. The other missionaries and I
are growing closer together. The Holy Spirit is amongst us often. My heart
is changing. These-and so many others-are His answers to my prayers. I've
found at least one opportunity to study for the MCAT. We're planning an
exciting Christmas tour of Cameroon that will begin in less than 2 weeks.
Yesterday we trekked to a beautiful little waterfall just a few minutes from
our house. God is so, so good to us here. Another thing I've learned here is
the concept of African time. At the end of last week, we all rode to Nkor
for 2 days of teachers' meetings or workshops. The first meeting on Friday
was supposed to begin at 8 am. It didn't start until 1 pm (which is when the
presenters arrived from Kumbo). So Thursday morning was spent in the Barnes
and Nobles of Nkor (the Noone Literacy Center of Nkor), a very nice facility
with a small collection of American books. I spent a good hour or two
studying from my MCAT biology book. The afternoon was spent in these really
boring meetings; there's no way workshops for teachers back home are
anything like that one. Friday we arrived later in the morning for the
workshop. It was a similar meeting-stressing the importance of teachers
teaching and testing from the government national syllabus alone, no more
and no less. We left by noon to go back home and prepare for Sabbath.
Sabbaths here (and weekends in general) are such a blessing! There are less
than 2 weeks left of school before Christmas break. I can't fathom that.
Goals for the new year include: teaching more from the government syllabus,
making myself more available for the Spirit to change me, being more
involved with the people around me, and eating a little less pineapple
corn bread with honey/soy milk, AND like 1/3 of a large pineapple as well as
2/3 of a small guava. Wow. My belly was so full that I could hardly
comprehend the Sabbath school lesson about temperance. I really think I
needed to hear that too. Living in Africa for three months can teach a
person so, so much. One thing I have learned is that one of the hardest
things to do as a missionary is to just get along with the other
missionaries. How sad! God has really worked in us, though. I've been
learning a lot about the power of prayer. I'm sure God loves to answer our
prayers. Time is going as fast as ever. The food here is getting better and
better. I'm becoming much more of a teacher. The other missionaries and I
are growing closer together. The Holy Spirit is amongst us often. My heart
is changing. These-and so many others-are His answers to my prayers. I've
found at least one opportunity to study for the MCAT. We're planning an
exciting Christmas tour of Cameroon that will begin in less than 2 weeks.
Yesterday we trekked to a beautiful little waterfall just a few minutes from
our house. God is so, so good to us here. Another thing I've learned here is
the concept of African time. At the end of last week, we all rode to Nkor
for 2 days of teachers' meetings or workshops. The first meeting on Friday
was supposed to begin at 8 am. It didn't start until 1 pm (which is when the
presenters arrived from Kumbo). So Thursday morning was spent in the Barnes
and Nobles of Nkor (the Noone Literacy Center of Nkor), a very nice facility
with a small collection of American books. I spent a good hour or two
studying from my MCAT biology book. The afternoon was spent in these really
boring meetings; there's no way workshops for teachers back home are
anything like that one. Friday we arrived later in the morning for the
workshop. It was a similar meeting-stressing the importance of teachers
teaching and testing from the government national syllabus alone, no more
and no less. We left by noon to go back home and prepare for Sabbath.
Sabbaths here (and weekends in general) are such a blessing! There are less
than 2 weeks left of school before Christmas break. I can't fathom that.
Goals for the new year include: teaching more from the government syllabus,
making myself more available for the Spirit to change me, being more
involved with the people around me, and eating a little less pineapple
I'm Giving Up (10/17/10)
I've been stuck in Kumbo since Friday morning. This is a record.Three days.
And ugh,I'm sick of it. I've been learning things, though. We got to skip
school on Friday. We're skipping school tomorrow, too. I feel guilty about
missing school, but no one seems to care. Which makes me think that I should
really care. Even if no one else cares, I'll try and care. And so, during
the 9 weeks 'til Christmas and, after that, the 8 weeks 'til spring break
and, after that, the 9 weeks 'til May 10, I really want to try my best to
not miss a single day of school if I can help it. It's so easy to come up
with an excuse; and because of that, I think it is so important to have an
excuse to actually go to school. Being here in Kumbo with Kim and Kat has
really magnified my homesickness. While here, I picked up 3 packages at the
post office from my mom (thanks mom!). It was so, so, SO good to get those!
One was full of crayons (and my MCAT study books and some candy, too. and
there's not a whole lot left haha). I'm really looking forward to seeing my
students use the crayons! One box is full of Sabbath school quarterlies and
Guides and stuff. Then there was an actual care package-with my Conflict of
Ages books, tea, another outfit for school, s'more candy, and, best of all,
some Knox News Sentinel crossword pages! I've already completed many of the
puzzles (not the crosswords, though).
Lately, I've really been thinking about some things. For starters, I am such
a selfish being. It's something that is inside of me. Nothing that I do
changes that about me. It is part of who I am. Another thing I've been
contemplating is how much I really depend on others. My whole life, I have
been very well taken care of-by someone, even if at times it really only is
God. I've been fed, clothed, sheltered, loved. Some people really aren't
taken care of by anyone but God. I'm so blessed to have had the friends,
family, and opportunities that I have. That's all so cliché. I hate writing
like this.
This weekend I have also really noticed, focused on, my introversion. I
really need time to be alone. We've all been in such close quarters with
each other this weekend on our little occasion. Yesterday, I just had to go
into the bathroom to be alone. I just stood there and stared out the window
at the trees, the wind winding through the leaves; I felt a lot better after
just breathing that fresh air. Today I took out the trash and walked up and
down the road that our hotel is on. That was so nice, too. The sun was
fierce today. Last night, it was like the three of us were a carton of
sardines in this queen (full's more like it) size bed. I am not really
looking forward to tonight at all. I just hope I'm not going to be in the
middle.
Spending all this time with Kim and Kat really makes me miss my mom. It also
really makes me appreciate her. It's making me consider my behavior. There
really are too many times I feel like a ten or eleven-year old. There are
actually too many times I look back at my behavior and feel ashamed. How can
I be so selfish?
I have so, so much. I have so much. Why? Who am I that I could be so
blessed? I do not understand it. I know I must give. I must give of myself.
Give everything away. Let God have it all. Give what I have to those who do
not have. Give to all. Give them love, money, time. Give them my ears, my
feet, my hands.
I don't want to think high thoughts of myself. I want to be humbled. Don't
you want to put others before yourself? No? Yeah, me neither. That is
because we are selfish! Didn't you hear me before? Nothing that we do can
change that about ourselves. Please, Lord. Please, please change our hearts.
We are nothing without You. We can do nothing of ourselves. I cannot do this
on my own. Let us put others before ourselves in all things. In all things
let us trust in Your understanding and not our own.
And ugh,I'm sick of it. I've been learning things, though. We got to skip
school on Friday. We're skipping school tomorrow, too. I feel guilty about
missing school, but no one seems to care. Which makes me think that I should
really care. Even if no one else cares, I'll try and care. And so, during
the 9 weeks 'til Christmas and, after that, the 8 weeks 'til spring break
and, after that, the 9 weeks 'til May 10, I really want to try my best to
not miss a single day of school if I can help it. It's so easy to come up
with an excuse; and because of that, I think it is so important to have an
excuse to actually go to school. Being here in Kumbo with Kim and Kat has
really magnified my homesickness. While here, I picked up 3 packages at the
post office from my mom (thanks mom!). It was so, so, SO good to get those!
One was full of crayons (and my MCAT study books and some candy, too. and
there's not a whole lot left haha). I'm really looking forward to seeing my
students use the crayons! One box is full of Sabbath school quarterlies and
Guides and stuff. Then there was an actual care package-with my Conflict of
Ages books, tea, another outfit for school, s'more candy, and, best of all,
some Knox News Sentinel crossword pages! I've already completed many of the
puzzles (not the crosswords, though).
Lately, I've really been thinking about some things. For starters, I am such
a selfish being. It's something that is inside of me. Nothing that I do
changes that about me. It is part of who I am. Another thing I've been
contemplating is how much I really depend on others. My whole life, I have
been very well taken care of-by someone, even if at times it really only is
God. I've been fed, clothed, sheltered, loved. Some people really aren't
taken care of by anyone but God. I'm so blessed to have had the friends,
family, and opportunities that I have. That's all so cliché. I hate writing
like this.
This weekend I have also really noticed, focused on, my introversion. I
really need time to be alone. We've all been in such close quarters with
each other this weekend on our little occasion. Yesterday, I just had to go
into the bathroom to be alone. I just stood there and stared out the window
at the trees, the wind winding through the leaves; I felt a lot better after
just breathing that fresh air. Today I took out the trash and walked up and
down the road that our hotel is on. That was so nice, too. The sun was
fierce today. Last night, it was like the three of us were a carton of
sardines in this queen (full's more like it) size bed. I am not really
looking forward to tonight at all. I just hope I'm not going to be in the
middle.
Spending all this time with Kim and Kat really makes me miss my mom. It also
really makes me appreciate her. It's making me consider my behavior. There
really are too many times I feel like a ten or eleven-year old. There are
actually too many times I look back at my behavior and feel ashamed. How can
I be so selfish?
I have so, so much. I have so much. Why? Who am I that I could be so
blessed? I do not understand it. I know I must give. I must give of myself.
Give everything away. Let God have it all. Give what I have to those who do
not have. Give to all. Give them love, money, time. Give them my ears, my
feet, my hands.
I don't want to think high thoughts of myself. I want to be humbled. Don't
you want to put others before yourself? No? Yeah, me neither. That is
because we are selfish! Didn't you hear me before? Nothing that we do can
change that about ourselves. Please, Lord. Please, please change our hearts.
We are nothing without You. We can do nothing of ourselves. I cannot do this
on my own. Let us put others before ourselves in all things. In all things
let us trust in Your understanding and not our own.
Monday, November 8, 2010
A Day in the Life (11/3/10)
An incredible 2 months have gone by here
in Cameroon (and all over the world, I'm sure). I just can't believe it.
Recently I realized I haven't given you all a schedule of a typical day in
the life of Madame (should be Mademoiselle.) Jessica. So here it is!
5:00-5:45 am-WAKE UP! The days I get to sleep through my alarm are a real
blessing haha. ~6:30-6:45 am-head to the Roses' house up the path for
breakfast. 7:30-8:00 am-go back home/brush my teeth/leave for school! I
should really start leaving closer to 7, but that's hardly ever possible.
8:30-9:00-arrive at school and prep my classroom. My windows don't lock so
each day I have to take all my class stuff back into the main classroom with
the locking windows. 8:45-9:30-Assembly (the starting of it can be anytime
during those times). Then up until 11 am Naphtali and I do ABC & reading
review with my class, bible story, song time (?), short break, and math.
11:00-LONG BREAK! About the 2nd or 3rd week of school, we all decided that
long break should only be 30 minutes so we can go home early on Fridays. We'
ve continued to take 1-hour long breaks since then, though, haha. 12:00-
1:30-Science class, General Knowledge, National Culture, blah blah blah. You
know, school stuff. 1:30-Dismissal!! Then, I pack up my class room, lock the
door, and start on my 2.5-3 mile journey home. My record time so far for the
trip to or from school is 45 minutes. Just thinking about that walk makes my
body hurt physically haha. Once I get home a variety of things could happen
on up until bedtime. I do go over to the Roses' every day to help with
dinner (the preparing and eating of it). I also shower there, charge my
electronics, visit, grade, clean my water filter/pump drinking water, and
pick grain/rice/beans/corn there. Here at our house (Kim, Kat, & I) much of
the same happens minus the grain picking and plus some more fun activities
like an occasional movie or P90x session. Life here is beautiful. I really
should get out of the house! Dry season is on its way, and it is SUCH a nice
day today. With God's help, I am really starting to enjoy teaching my class.
Today, I was very late. I got to school during assembly!! And just
yesterday, Naphtali announced to the class that everyone should start coming
much earlier to school and that whoever arrived early would get a reward. I
just laughed at myself as I walked up during assembly. God's timing is
perfect, and He's the one who kept me ha. Weeks are really flying by.
Physical labor here is getting easier; I'm glad for it, too, because it is
totally necessary for survival haha. Kat and I were practicing our
handstands Saturday night before chowing down on french fries, nibbling
chocolate, and watching most of Shrek III, and I am really getting stronger!
I can almost do a press. Well, maybe I don't remember what that is haha. God
is so good. Thanks for reading! Maybe we'll get internet next week and maybe
not. Still miss you all and am keeping very busy here. Love you!
in Cameroon (and all over the world, I'm sure). I just can't believe it.
Recently I realized I haven't given you all a schedule of a typical day in
the life of Madame (should be Mademoiselle.) Jessica. So here it is!
5:00-5:45 am-WAKE UP! The days I get to sleep through my alarm are a real
blessing haha. ~6:30-6:45 am-head to the Roses' house up the path for
breakfast. 7:30-8:00 am-go back home/brush my teeth/leave for school! I
should really start leaving closer to 7, but that's hardly ever possible.
8:30-9:00-arrive at school and prep my classroom. My windows don't lock so
each day I have to take all my class stuff back into the main classroom with
the locking windows. 8:45-9:30-Assembly (the starting of it can be anytime
during those times). Then up until 11 am Naphtali and I do ABC & reading
review with my class, bible story, song time (?), short break, and math.
11:00-LONG BREAK! About the 2nd or 3rd week of school, we all decided that
long break should only be 30 minutes so we can go home early on Fridays. We'
ve continued to take 1-hour long breaks since then, though, haha. 12:00-
1:30-Science class, General Knowledge, National Culture, blah blah blah. You
know, school stuff. 1:30-Dismissal!! Then, I pack up my class room, lock the
door, and start on my 2.5-3 mile journey home. My record time so far for the
trip to or from school is 45 minutes. Just thinking about that walk makes my
body hurt physically haha. Once I get home a variety of things could happen
on up until bedtime. I do go over to the Roses' every day to help with
dinner (the preparing and eating of it). I also shower there, charge my
electronics, visit, grade, clean my water filter/pump drinking water, and
pick grain/rice/beans/corn there. Here at our house (Kim, Kat, & I) much of
the same happens minus the grain picking and plus some more fun activities
like an occasional movie or P90x session. Life here is beautiful. I really
should get out of the house! Dry season is on its way, and it is SUCH a nice
day today. With God's help, I am really starting to enjoy teaching my class.
Today, I was very late. I got to school during assembly!! And just
yesterday, Naphtali announced to the class that everyone should start coming
much earlier to school and that whoever arrived early would get a reward. I
just laughed at myself as I walked up during assembly. God's timing is
perfect, and He's the one who kept me ha. Weeks are really flying by.
Physical labor here is getting easier; I'm glad for it, too, because it is
totally necessary for survival haha. Kat and I were practicing our
handstands Saturday night before chowing down on french fries, nibbling
chocolate, and watching most of Shrek III, and I am really getting stronger!
I can almost do a press. Well, maybe I don't remember what that is haha. God
is so good. Thanks for reading! Maybe we'll get internet next week and maybe
not. Still miss you all and am keeping very busy here. Love you!
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