Home

I didn't know what home felt like until being gone for so long. Home feels awesome! Home feels like being able to drive to Bridgeport with Jeff to get used tires for his tractor. It feels like ruining Kim's internet power cord and having to wait all day for the repairman to show up. It feels like going to a t-ball game with Sara to watch my nephew knock one out of the park. It feels like surprising Leland and Irene over a Runza because they didn't even know we were back. Home feels pretty good.

We spent yesterday at Horizons Church. That was cool and a little surreal too. It was good to see so many familiar faces of friends. But, it was also a little too fast. My biggest shock, though, was seeing Brandon. He used to be a 4th grader I worked with in Discovery Zone. Now, he's 5'2" tall and has a deep voice. What the heck?

And who knew they brought yogurt shops to Lincoln? You can load your cup up as high as possible and then add toppings. Nice addition.

We were also able to get in a little shopping. Lisa is still not a fan!

These past few days have been a little like on the Matrix when Neo wakes up and finds himself in a whole new world. We hadn't planned on coming home. Then when it was a reality there were so many other things going on we couldn't think about being home. Now we are here and...well it's just strange.

Thank you friends and family (and of course Taco Johns) for being "home".

7 Stitches in Sub-Saharan Africa

Return of the Peter

Peter, the director of IEFT, returned from the US on Tuesday. He had been there raising money to run Orkeeswa and buying me two bags of sunflower seeds. I'm not sure of the order of importance of those two things. It's good to have him back! He brings a load of energy when he arrives.

Ben Dies A Slow, Painful Death (Or, why 32 does not feel like 22)

Our poor dear friend Ben died yesterday of a nasty rugby overdose. In case you don't know rugby is a sport similar to football but you don't play with any pads. Ben is recovering from his death by eating sushi and swallowing pain killers. He has mentioned many times to us that a 32 year old body does not move the same way it used to. I think Ben needs to find better friends who do not compel him to play rugby. Or, he should avoid it for a long time. We are hoping for a speedy recovery of our friend.

Testing, Testing

We are busy transferring all of our stress of writing tests on to our students who are busy taking them! We will finish our end of term testing on Wednesday. Bummer that I made a 10 pager for form 3. I had visions of frightening them with it and making them have undying fear and respect for me after they took it. Unfortunately, all I got for my efforts was one student saying "Well, that was a little difficult." Cripes! What does it take to get through to these guys!

Goodbye Everyone

It is time to say goodbye to Ben and Quinn. They have been our friends, teaching companions and house mates for many months. They are returning to Australia and America respectively next week. I must say they will really be missed.

Hello Home!

LISA AND I GET TO COME HOME! We are very excited to be heading home for a month to visit family next Sunday. Bring on the Taco Johns baby!

P.S. - no one received stitches as of the making of this blog. Just wanted to catch your attention!

Do Dik Dik's Mate for Life?

This has been an ongoing topic of conversation around here for many months now. Now, many of you are asking...what is a Dik Dik. Glad you asked! It's a tiny little deer like creature...maybe 16 inches tall. There have been many rumors that they mate for life. So...when you eat one (which is really more like an appetizer!), one could argue that you are robbing the other of it's life partner. I don't make that argument, mind you. Well, yesterday morning, I had a sighting of two little Dik Dik's standing side by side. For me that just confirmed it. They are in fact mated for life. My assumptions were further verified later on wikipedia.com. Ahh, the more you know.

End of School Exams

You'll be happy to know we are nearing the end of our term. We will begin giving final exams on Thursday and finish on Wednesday of next week. Then next Friday is a big celebration and we are outta here. I think the kids are handling the stress pretty well. They are really focused on doing well on their exams. Picture your achievers in any class...that's what most of these kids in each form are like!

Orkeeswa Idol

We have been working on the second annual Orkeeswa Idol! We are set to have it this Wednesday. As of now we have two skits, one singing group and many dancing groups. Should be interesting. My personal favorite as of now is the group of two form one boys who are going to dance off to "The Hips Don't Lie" by Shakira. Yes, come one, come all! It's bound to be one entertaining show!

More Water Issues

There has been little to no water in Monduli for over a week. How can people live without water? Why aren't they sending any more? Don't know! Some corn around here looks OK, but apparently the rains came at the wrong time so many of the crops either failed or under produced. Consequently there is widespread speculation that prices are going to go really high on people's staple food.

Microfinance

One of the fun things we have been working with is developing a microfinance project here. Already there are nine groups working on filling out loan applications. We would potentially lend each group a loan to begin a small project. Projects range from cutting hair to buying and selling chickens and eggs. These guys have some good ideas, but as usual, there must be some degree of experience here. So, we're hoping to work with them on developing good businesses. I really enjoy the beekeeping idea that is buzzing around!

I hate sickness!

We had a kid get really sick from some water he drank. At least that's my professional opinion in the matter. We took him in to the hospital and he had a fever and was in pretty bad shape. What killed me is he had dressed in his nicest clothes to go. Here he feels so terrible and just looks terrible and was considerate enough to put on his slacks and dress shoes...underscores why I really like this kid. Anyway, mercifully he was immediately sent to a bed and treated rather than having to wait in the waiting room. Again, it was one of those "sucking chest wound" things with this guy where you felt so sad that he was so sick. I am thankful that when I saw him yesterday he was eating. It just reminded me how much I hate sickness. This was a strong young man who was just taken down by these things that persist here!