The Final Return

Often it is easier to make new memories instead of reminiscing about the old.  However I am a strong believer that our past is what makes us who we are today.  It has been very easy to simply slip into the flow of things and not take time for processing the experiences I just had.  The following is my attempt to force myself to think about what took place in my life and how it has changed the way I view the world.

About two years ago I traveled to a place I knew little about.  I didn’t really know what to expect, although I knew the family I would be living with was nice.  Upon landing in this foreign land, it was hard to see beyond the rain dripping down the bus window onto me and the treeless landscape I saw out the window.  I was nervous as well as excited to begin this new adventure.  Well one month ago this adventure ended.  After spending 16 months in Africa I have returned to the United States.  Upon my return I spent a month in Ohio visiting with my parents, brother, grandparents, and other friends.  I have now returned to Portland, Oregon where I am hoping to reestablish myself and find a job.  In the meantime, I want to share a little glimpse or reflection of what the past two years have been like.

As previously stated, I had no idea what to expect from my experience in Chad, nor did I even imagine that I would stay the extra year.  The first portion of my stay was spent getting to know the Kariuki family and figure out how I fit into their life.  I began teaching and designing activities for the kids and rediscovered my joy for seeing kids learn.  I suppose not just seeing them learn (like watching Katelyn learn to read, Marianna discover her aptitude for math, Zack’s spelling improving by leaps and bounds, and Josh taking responsibility and working independently) but seeing their curiosity evolve.  I had the privilege to play with the children, including the neighbor kids and the guard’s son.  I discovered how I could best help around the house and discovered when I needed to remove myself and have some quiet time.  Another interesting aspect was discovering how people operate in extremely warm temperatures.  I also got to enjoy the love of a little puppy, something I had never really experienced before.

Outside of our family compound I was introduced to a community of people who worked together and thrived despite the difficulties that they faced.  Each person knew their role and was unafraid to ask for help or to offer it.  For people who appeared to have so little in my eyes, generosity was simply an everyday event.  Meals were shared and houses were opened.  The people of Chad were kind, intelligent, hard working, and determined to give their children the best life possible.  I am so grateful that I got to be just a small part of that community for a short time.

 

I learned about the process of food preparation in a country like Chad.  I chopped up a chicken, helped make guava, papaya, and mango jams, sifted bugs out of the flour, and observed the difficulty to simply keep enough filtered water for a family when temperatures really got hot.  I also had the opportunity to work on a few sewing projects, though I regret not getting a tutorial of hand sewing from Margaret.

 

My favorite part of being in Chad, aside from getting to be a part of an amazing family, was the time we spent out at the YWAM base.  I got to observe the construction and watch as the land developed.  I also got to help a very small amount with the labor.  I loved getting to observe the community that exits is a place like that, all the joy, sorrow, and peace.  Despite my embarrassment of my lack of French, I did enjoy being forced to use it.  The wide-open spaces also grew on me as I spent more time there.  Getting to be on the base after dark allowed for some pretty amazing views of the stars, always a favorite with me.

From hippos to lizards Chad will always have a place in my heart.  I admit it was difficult to leave not knowing whether I would ever return again.  Not a day has gone by when I haven’t thought about that amazing place, but I know that there are great things in store for me yet.

Goodbye to Chad ...

Sunrise

As unbelievable as it is, this will be my last blog update from Chad.  The last week has been a filled one in preparing to leave.  I finished teaching this past week and have prepared a few lessons for the boys while I am gone.  The girls still have some work to do in school with their mom, so I had to come up with a few projects for the boys in order to keep them occupied and to review their school year.  There are some fun activities and I plan to send some cryptic emails to the kids to solve.  Even when I am away, the kids better be prepared to write journal entries for me (our little joke).  I am making my lists and checking them off!

Movie / Community Night

Morning Walk

This last Friday night I had the opportunity to join in on community night at the YWAM base.  All the staff and students invited their families out to share a meal and watch a movie.  Nothing quite like Cool Runnings in French projected on the outside of a building with a plethora of stars above.  We also made sure to pop some popcorn (in French they call it jumping corn) and chocolate chip cookies (with chocolate chips we have been hoarding since August).  It was a wonderful time to spend with some amazing people.  The girls and I also slept at the base Friday night which was special.  We had a few other girls sleep in our room and it was like a slumber party….ahhh the memories.  In the morning I was able to help prepare breakfast and go on some walks with the kids who were still there.  It was fun to just wander around.  I was also able to help shovel a little bit more sand to fill in the floor of the dinning hall.  I enjoyed throwing Frisbees and just observing kids be kids.

Talking in Church

Today was a special Sunday.  I was able to share a little in church and the church showered me with kind words and prayers for my future.  I admit I had to work really hard to hold back the tears.  It was a very special time.  I was also reminded about how generous the people in the church are here.  They gave me money for my bus fair/road lunch.  They also brought me a beautiful dress and other gifts.  I am truly blessed to get to know them and be a part of their community.

Lunch Out

After church we had the privilege of dining out.  Now here in Sarh, restaurants are few and far between (considering I have been here a little less than 2 years and never been to one).  The food was ordered the day before (it is not possible to eat unless food is ordered in advance).  We got to eat delicious chicken, shishkabob, and fish.  It was good food and we had the added bonus of not having to do the long prep or dishes!
 
Now I am preparing for my departure.  The next few days will be busy getting last minute items checked off my list and then Wed. will be the lovely bus ride from Sarh to N'Djamena.  I will be back in the states Friday morning if all goes as planned.

River and Swimming Hole Near our House

River by the Base



Bouillie Cooking

Garden



 

Visitors!

The past couple weeks here in Sarh have been filled to the brim with new experiences as well as extra of the usual.  In anticipation of busyness, we scheduled to take school off beginning February 14th.  No we were not planning big Valentine's day parties (although we did make some delicious cookies).  On the evening of Feb. 13th, our first guest arrived.  She was the cousin of JoAnna.  It was fun to have a new person around to help celebrate Moses' birthday on Saturday and we also put her to work doing music class with the children.  It was great to see the kids listening to the variety of classical and world music.  They participated in fun activities like guessing the animal the composer was describing with their music, dancing the waltz, drawing pictures to music, and learning about different styles of music from different countries.  The kids were thrilled to have someone new to interact with and smother them in attention.

Clifford for Mariana's birthday - done by me

A week later the bulk of the visitors arrived.  Twelve people from Pennsylvania came to volunteer their time here on the YWAM base.  Two members of the team were JoAnna's mom and aunt.  It was great to see the miniature family reunion.  Thursday night the whole team slept at our house.  It was quite the group, but we made cinnamon rolls, eggs, and fruit salad for them all (and in honor of Marianna's birthday).  Just making food to feed the group, filtering enough water, doing laundry and dishes, and putting the house back in order kept us busy most of the time the team was here.  We were very grateful for all the dishes and other help that Jo's family were around the house.  With other people to help out at the house and more things occurring at the base I was able to do a few activities I hadn't yet participated in while living in Chad.

Saturday morning I got to go to the base and help with the construction projects.  Essentially all I did was haul wheelbarrows of sand into what will be the dinning hall to create a level surface for the cement to be poured onto.  It was hard work in the hot sun, but a little heavy labor while chatting with new friends was just what the doctor ordered for me.  A change of pace, a little sun, and new conversations were well worth the bruises that showed up a little later.  Saturday evening, thanks to Moses' willingness, I was able to join the team again when they projected the Jesus film on the outside wall of a church.  There were probably about 300 people in attendance and many children gave their lives to God.  The movie was in the local language, but unfortunately due to technical difficulties many people could not hear it.  It was neat to sit amongst the people (even if the wooden backless benches caused sore bottoms rather quickly) as they watched the film and hear them talk about the different characters when they made their appearance on the screen.  I liked to hear them laugh as well when people of Caucasian descent with big bushy beards came on the screen speaking their language.  Of course before the start, I got to hang out with some kids and let them take pictures with my camera.  I will continue to pray for all those people, that their commitment to God will turn into something truly wonderful.

Sunday brought the team back to our house after church services.  One of my highlights for the day was getting to serenade Jo with my few praise songs on the guitar while we prepared lunch and then getting to play Rook after lunch.  It has been a while since I got to play semi competitively with others and have a little friendly banter with the opponents.  It felt a little like being at home playing with my brothers, although I wasn't volunteering to play the dummy hand.

Monday was a laundry day although I did play some games with the ladies staying at our house.

Tuesday I was able to go back to the base and help haul sand again.  Again, it was nice to hear others chatting and laughing and just enjoying being amidst a different group of people.

University of the Nations

Morning view

Wednesday was probably the most memorable day for me.  I spent the morning at home dong the usual house things, but in the afternoon I was dropped off at the base with Zack and Josh.  We wanted to be there for a youth gathering, primarily teenagers, that was taking place at the base.  Around 20 teens, the team from PA, plus some other YWAM staff and DTS students were there to participate.  We sang a number of songs.  They asked the PA team to lead a couple songs in English, so they pulled out Father Abraham.  Needless to say, we weren't afraid to make fools of ourselves.  I also got pulled out into the middle to dance during another song. I am pretty sure I need some Chadian dance lessons before I do that again.  We were able to share a meal together and play a little Frisbee after.  It was a great opportunity to introduce the youth to the University of the Nations and the possibility of them attending a DTS.  Due to the program ending in the evening, we planned to sleep at the base.  After the sun set, no work could be done so the students and team sat around talking and singing.  It was truly amazing to feel like I was a part of that community, even if it was for just one night.  I actually had to use some French (a skill I am sad to say has not improved much with my lack of practice).  Instead of just being la maîtres de les enfants de Moses, I was Elin.  It was great to get to glimpse a bit of their lives on the base and I will cherish that moment for a long while.


Moving sand - and kids - at the base

Drum kit

Thursday was party day.  After breakfast I did the dishes at the base and then began to haul sand.  The difference was that this time I had a whole lot of help.  Four boys whose dad was working at the base helped us (even if it was just playing in the sand pile).  Zack, Josh, another boy around their age who came with the PA group, and one man from the PA group all helped out.  Though it didn't look like a whole lot of sand got moved, there were many big smiles and laughing going on.  After tea time I got the assistance of one of the female team members and we filled about 70 water balloons.  This was quite the challenge being out at the base with only one faucet that was much too big for the balloons.  In order to obtain enough pressure to get the water into the balloon, we used one of my platypus water bottles that could be squeezed.  It took about 1.5 hours to fill them all and the water balloon fight lasted about five minutes, but Zack said it was the best birthday ever…which makes it all worthwhile.  We also make frozen pudding pops for everyone to enjoy - as close as we get to ice cream here in Sarh.  After the party, I headed back to the compound via motor bike and got to have a few hours where I was completely alone in the house.  It was nice to sing and play the guitar…no audience frees me up a bit.

Friday was a preparing for the team to come back to our house to stay the night and Saturday morning the team arrived back at chez Kariuki.  After a delicious lunch, I was able to take the group on a walk to the river where we saw a group of around 12 hippos.  This was the most I had seen in one place and I know that the team was thrilled to see a little of the Chadian wildlife.  That afternoon and evening I simply enjoyed hanging out with people and playing more games like Rook and Scum.

It was certainly a packed few days with pretty much nonstop work of one type or another.  I am completely exhausted but also renewed.  I feel a little bit closer to the Chadians I have been living amongst for over a year and I have had some outside interaction, which I was craving.  I got to joke and laugh and play with people over the age of 12 (and with kids under that age too).  I must admit that as I watched them leave, I couldn't help but think that in 1 month, I too will be back in the States.  It makes me a little sad now knowing that I have made a little more connection with people out at the base, but I am looking forward to some family time.  I hope that the team from PA will remember their visit here fondly and know that it was greatly appreciated.

Final product!

Tie dye hands





Baby snuggle time

Gift from the neighbor

February already?

It is hard to believe that another month has passed and February has begun.  As I recall growing up February was always a rather slow month and I assume that all those stuck in this year's arctic freeze would agree.  I on the other hand am assuming that February will simply fly by.  It is with mixed emotions that I come to the realization that I have only 2 months until I return to the U.S. and February is a reminder that these coming months will be like a whirlwind.  It seems that I will be spending another summer living from a suitcase, nomad style.  If anything it is a great way to connect with people as well as put off the inevitability of the job search.

Other than the future many thoughts have been passing my mind…such as does one put lotion on dry cracked skin, even if it makes it more difficult for the body to sweat throughout the night?  What activities can I do with the kids and leave for them to do after I am gone?  How best does one help friends in need from so far away?  Is it really good to know how long it takes you to read a book?  17 hours to read Lord of the Rings?

Front of the totem pole

Tails, wings, feathers, oh my!

We recently have been studying a bit about Canada and with Canada the Inuit peoples.  We have done a bit of artwork inspired by this great people group.  We did paintings as well as constructed a totem pole.  We wrote stories about where certain towns in Canada might have gotten their names.  We are also trying to grow some beans and corn to compare the differences in monocots and dicots (not related to Canada).  School is going well, though I want to leave the kids well prepared, before I depart, to do some educational yet fun activities after I have departed.  Without school the days are just so long, the kids need something to do!

Papaya, papaya, everyday ...

With many mangoes on the way ...

I have been spending lots of time with baby JoAnna as there is nothing quite so encouraging as a baby smiling and giggling.  We are also enjoying a plethora of papayas and are looking forward to mango season.  We are also looking forward to some visitors arriving in a couple of weeks.  We are not too excited about the fact that the temperature is on a steady incline again yet our power is still getting cut.  This makes sleeping a bit more difficult and it will only get hotter.  On the other hand, we aren't having to deal with snow days!

January 2014

Hello everyone!  It is hard to believe that we are nearing the end of January!  Time flies when you are having fun right.  I realize that it has been quite some time since I have shared here.  School has been pretty typical although I am trying to ensure that I cover all I need to cover before I depart for the US at the end of March.  It is slowly coming into reality that my time here in Chad is coming to an end.  Two months is not much time in the scheme of things.  I have been trying to spend a little extra time with the kids doing extracurricular type items for school, a little art, music, gym, etc.  It is interesting to think about some of the experiences they are missing out on while being homeschooled.  It is fun to try and ensure that I can at least fill a few of those experiences before I go.  I am not saying it is easy, especially when our schedule is interrupted.

Last week we had the pleasure of hosting a group of other YWAM staff members from other parts of North Africa and Spain.  The beginning of the week was preparing for their arrival, resulting in me doing school with all the kids on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday.  Then while the team was here we provided a number of meals for them, provided a place to sleep a few nights, and offered the wonderful shower.  It was fun to get to know these wonderful people, even if it was just for a short time.  It was an exhausting week, but I enjoyed it a lot.  It is always nice to have new people to talk to and to break up the routine of our everyday life.  This week we are slowly getting back into the routine of things as well as catching up on sleep.

Back to normal… well almost….

80's kick back after having my hair braided for over a week

For the first time since I was a little girl, I had beads and braids in my hair!  Marianna started braiding my hair outside and soon a couple of neighbor girls came and helped.  Then Marianna decided that I too need beads at the end of my braids like she and Katie had.  It was fun while it lasted!  It was pretty funny though, all three of us shedding beads and hearing the bouncing of them across our tile floor.  So that is the fun thought for this update.

I am currently trying to plan my summer travels.  It seems like much of my travel will be dictated by weddings.  So now I am focusing on how to be the greatest amount of help and the least amount of burden.  All this from Chad where the internet has been deciding to not function properly!  Anyway, this is a brief glimpse into my life and I promise that this coming weekend will have something a bit more put together instead of simply random thoughts!

Enjoying our hippo walk… The vegetable lady said people weren't wanting to cross the river due to hippos.

So what do we do?  Go looking for them of course!  We saw about six - mostly submerged in the river.

Hard to spot, but dangerous… Nothing like a herd of hippo driving the vegetable prices up in the market!

Nap time on the front porch…. Yup sometimes the cat thinks it is a dog - loves water and naps in the exact same way!

 

Christmas in Chad ...

Well, another Christmas has come and passed.  I just wanted to share with you a little about what our week looked like.



Don't get fruit like this in America

Christmas eve we had a few families over for lunch.  There was talk of getting a pig, then chickens, and in the end we simply used beef in a rice dish and in a veggie stew.  We had fresh chapattis to go along with the meal as well.  It was a fun time with friends.  We also prepared little gift bags for all the children.  The kids chose a few of their toys and shirts to donate to the gifts and we purchased a little candy as well.  It was fun to be able to give the families something special for the holidays.  We also had a huge dessert platter with banana cake, pumpkin cake, and of course a variety of our Christmas cookies.  The best part, in my opinion, was our giant bowl of fruit salad: papaya, banana, watermelon, pineapple.  I admit that we were quite tired in the evening but we still managed to do a carol sing around a bonfire in our yard.  We looked at the stars, talked about why Christmas was special to us, and I got to snuggle with an Abdoulaye on my lap.  It was nice to spend a little bit of time with the guard's family.  It wasn't exactly a silent night, but it was very enjoyable.

For my family ...

Waiting to unwrap ...

Christmas morning I shared a tradition that my mom used to do when I was a kid.  I made cinnamon rolls in the shape of a Christmas tree for breakfast along with eggs.  After eating we read the Christmas story together and then the kids opened their gifts.  I am grateful that my mom has been sending me newspaper comics because they were turned into wrapping paper for Christmas.  The kids were pleased with their gifts and spent the rest of the morning playing.  Well, Jo and I played as well by helping the girls build their new Lego structures.  In the afternoon we were invited to visit one of the local pastor's houses.  We were provided with a delicious meal, though none of us were extremely hungry.  I excused myself after the meal because it had reached my scheduled time to chat with family.  I am sure that that was something that the pastor and his wife had never heard before, but when you have family in 4 different time zones, you've got to do what you've got to do.  Unfortunately the Internet decided not to work for me and I missed out on my family chat.  I am still awaiting my make up time.

The rest of the week has been a time of relaxing a bit and enjoying the break from school and preparing for one event or another.  Thursday we return to our usual schedule with school, but until then we shall enjoy our time relaxing.  I hope others enjoyed a crazy, enjoyable, and relaxing holiday!  Happy New Year from Chad! 

Cakes and Cookies oh my