A week semi summed-up

Mmmm. It's Friday. I mean, Saturday.
It is Saturday, right?

I planned on posting more frequently, but well, it has been another week, if you know what I mean. Two weeks of weeks.

Whitney and I discussed my lack of posting.

It may very well be why we had the power go off for 24 hours.

It may be the reason for a great many things.

I don't want the lack of my writing to affect anything any farther, *wink-wink* so here is a post.

If you don't know what I mean about it being a week, well, these have been weeks full of activity, adventure, and new things.

Here's a somewhat-quick sum up (and that teacher's trip wiiiiillll get a post, eventually)

Sunday- I taught Sunday School, played lots of games with the kids, and helped unpack all of those exciting boxes! What with all of these great resources, I could definitely see myself become a teacher.
...which I've been considering strongly.
It seems that the tasks I like to do go hand-in-hand with teaching. Annnyways...

Monday- I went to Discovery School bright and early (7am), and met the team! There were 12 people from NC here this past week.
I can't imagine how they felt.
ONLY ONE WEEK in a foreign country?
Talk about jet lag!

They were great, and (as I said in my last post) they definitely helped me with getting used to seeing a crowd of white people. The morning was filled with reading groups from P3, and assisting Joy in multifarious ways.

In the afternoon, we went to Musee Vivant (I guess that's how it's spelled? The living museum?) I've posted about that. There was a lot of carnage, as the team bought guinea pigs to feed to the animals...but those pictures shan't be posted, since I may have readers with weak stomachs. It was some hardcore National Geographic.

this lock wasn't actually attached to anything closing the door...and these were 12-minute snakes (meaning you DIE if you're bitten) 

Petting something that isn't meant to be petted...yeah

Powerful animals!

They let this guy out for a bit, so we could all see him REALLY close!

 As I've been told, it's basically a petting zoo of things not to pet.

The museum contains a psychotic chimp, a leopard, a room full of highly poisonous snakes and too many huge crocs for comfort.


Tuesday- School in the morning, FULL of activities! It is seriously all a blur, and I wish I had journaled it. As it was, I just remember helping out and feeling like I was a busy bee!

In the afternoon, one of the teachers, Mama Furaha cooked a FEAST for us all!
She doesn't have a fridge or ovens...and she had the biggest spread for our group of 30-ish people!

Some teachers :)

...and there was ANOTHER TABLE OF FOOD!

At Mama Furaha's house

Whitney, Alain, Jane, me, Mama F, and Mary

She had SUCH a joy, it was touching. She was so thrilled to have us all at her house, and I was blessed to be there.

Wednesday- In the morning, there was school, working with the kids, and running various errands. The day was full and busy, as the team had prepared seminars for the Discovery School teachers. While they were in seminar, I helped to prep some of the classrooms for next year. As I did, I had an awesome conversation with one of the ladies from the team. God gives great unexpected blessings throughout the day.

Thursday- After the morning at the school, we planned to go to visit a tea plantation, Teza. The timing didn't work out, so we went to visit the National park. They have hippos and crocs there, and I got the chance to ride on the roof rack of the land cruiser as we drove around the park. Woo hoo!

Riding on the roof is something that sounds fun, but in reality is not in the least.
Especially when you're squeezed up there with 5 other people.
And there are bumps and turns.
At least we were going slowly.

But it was a bucket list item that has been crossed off! 

Friday- I woke up with no voice. Whitney felt nauseated. After going down to the school for a bit and ending up with a splitting headache, I came back to the house to hang out with the little guys (Thursday was their last day of school!)
Those boys are a blast to play with. After lunch and a long nap (I hate naps unless I'm sick) I started to feel more like me. I don't know why I don't like to sleep. Lately I've been borderline insomniac. When I do actually sleep, I am always soo thankful for it.

The power went off in the evening, and stayed off for 24 hours. This is the longest power outage we've had here.

Today was the Discovery School's last day.
It was the closing ceremonies. The teachers were still frantically finishing writing report cards (they do them ALL by hand--hopefully that will be changing soon with new computers for the school!) so Whit and I helped with that, and then headed back to get lunch for the little guys.
I had rice and beans.
One of my favorites.
Really.
Rice and beans is a food that takes some getting used to, but man, dab a little pelepele and mayo on those, and they are the best!

We brainstormed what would be good for dinner.
Okay, Whitney decided to make her family's secret recipe stromboli. I just emphatically agreed with her plan. I wasn't much in a cooking mood.

She worked on it, and I worked on a gluten free version.

I am seriously so thankful for that girl. The timing of her visit here has been such a God-thing, and I have been blessed by being able to room with her and work with her. We have shared the Burundi experience, and it is awesome to have someone to talk to about the experience...especially in a few month's time.

Anywho, as Whitney worked on the stromboli, I went with Joy to pop by to make an appearance at a wedding (yep. I left the other volunteer to cook while I went to a reception. I'm suuuch a great help.) 

I understand more Kirundi now than the last time I went to a wedding, and I smiled at how they referred to the bride as a...
COW.

They talked about her like a cow constantly, and my Burundian friend told me that it was a huge compliment to be called a cow.
I told her that it was a big insult in the states, and we laughed together over it.

We got back and ate Whitney's stromboli. SO MUCH YUM.
...did I mention I'm thankful for her?

Tomorrow is my last Sunday here, so I'm going to sit through the entire 3-hour service at the chapel. The past few weeks I've been teaching Sunday school to the 7 Johnson kids [and occasional tag-alongs] (which I LOVE doing!) but since it's the last Sunday here, I'll get that full African experience one more time.

I cannot get my mind around the fact that I'm going home on Friday. I'm trying to mentally prepare myself for this.  My dad is coming here on Monday (thanks to my wonderful grandparents!) to escort me home. He's also going to help out with some construction projects. I know that him coming here will help me to re-acclimate to coming home-- such a blessing!
I've been praying for a while now that the transition will be smooth, and so far God has been so faithful.
My college adviser finally contacted me (I was getting stressed!) and things are falling into place for my return in a way that only points to God being the one in control.

I keep reminding myself that there are only a FEW MORE DAYS LEFT, so it's time to get into high-gear!

I should also go sleep.

It's quite late here, but my mind is racing.
Oh the curses of being a night owl.

Boxes and Blessings

The boxes arrived on Sunday!
(If you're friends with me on Facebook, you know this, but here's a picture)
It was like Christmas to get all of the wonderful supplies for next year's Discovery School!

Yay God!
The boxes could have come in one at a time, which would have been a major headache to drive down to the airport daily to check on the box situation (the airport here isn't as great as the states...they don't call you or drop your luggage off if they've found it, rather, they're likely to rifle through and pocket a few things) 
 Or they could have just never come at all.
Either way, those things didn't happen, and God made it work. Awesome.

This week, there's a huge team of 12 volunteers here. Crazily enough, they're all from North Carolina, my home state! What a neat coincidence, though I am not used to seeing so many Americans all in one place!  It's good prep for when I head home in 11 days [really? only 11 days?]. I have been trying to prepare myself for the culture shock that I am sure will take place.
While I have only been here for almost 4 months, I feel that I have adapted my way of thinking. I've grown used to the customs here. I know that I will miss many things...

...though I'm not going to worry about all of that presently.
I have missed my family and friends while I have been here, and if they could be here too, I would be happy. There isn't much else I miss about the States.
Especially not McDonald's and Walmart.

In other news, last Friday, I was able to go on a teacher trip!
...and I know that it is starting to sound like my time here is just one big tourist trip...
but this was a trip to Muramvya, the province of the king of Burundi (back when there were Kings, pre-Belgian colony times).
It was educational, gave me a better understanding of the culture, and most importantly, it helped me to bond with the teachers at the Discovery School.
It was a wild time, and I got to see the teachers come out of their shells! The trip made for some excellent memories (and a good blog post) though I'm going to save that for later, as it's late, and morning will come soon.

An Upcountry Adventure Pt 2-- Wanderlust and Waterfalls

Sorry it's taking me a while to post all of the story of my travels...it's been a week, if you know what I mean.
I've been helping post-exam time at the school, with activities and planning. It has been fun, but whew!
Joy has had acute bronchitis, and there is a team of 12 coming that has required some prep work. They arrived today, all safely, but 10 pieces of luggage (that all contained Discovery School supplies) are not here yet. Please pray they come safely and without hassle from the authorities!

Many things are happening, and God is working!
He is teaching me so much about servant-hood.

Anywho, about that trip...

This weekend trip was a fantastic experience, and seeing God's creation here in Burundi was...well, there are no good words.

To read part 1, see here.

...I awoke Sunday morning to a bright, crisp morning. We were the only guests at this particular hotel, so we had the whole place to ourselves. The 9 of us gathered in the "lobby" area, and after requesting hot water, feasted on cereal, french press coffee, and fruit. Some hotels here offer breakfast and tea, but this hotel was merely a place to sleep, which was fine by me. Though my body has gotten used to some of the germs here, it's hard to eat at a place where you aren't entirely sure how clean the preparer's hands and utensils are.

At 8:30, we were off to the falls!

After 2 hours of bumpy roads, we arrived, and it was well worth it.
As you approach in your car, you immediately see a giant waterfall:

 

After admiring the site, there was a hike up to the top of the falls. The trail-makers did NOT believe in switchbacks. Straight up the mountain!  We had an armed soldier with us.

The descent from the falls

Me and Z!

At the top of the ridge

At a crazy big waterfall (huge drop behind us!)

See? it's a looong way down!

After hiking to a smaller fall up higher, Whitney and I went to another fall where I washed my hair. The water was FREEZING. I have a picture, and though I'm laughing, it looks like I'm crying. I guess I was, in a way. It was frigid water. But clean hair was worth it. 

free climbing! SO FUN.

It was beautiful, and a reminder of God's greatness. We had a few scares with the boys as the rocks were slippery!
But praise God, they were ok, and there were no serious injuries.

After lunch at the falls, we went to the German's Gorge, the 2nd deepest rift in Africa.

If words could not describe the waterfall, I'd have a harder time of explaining this gorge. It was vast, deep, awe-inspiring. A waterfall ran down the face of the gorge, and chills crept up my spine as I took in the view.

 The next day, we traveled to the southernmost source of the Nile. There was a monument sitting at the top of a hill, which provided a gorgeous 360 view of the countryside.

M wouldn't look at the camera...haha, silly boy

 Then we drove down to the source. THE SOURCE of the Nile!

...it was anti-climatic: a pipe in the side of a hill. It actually looked like a construction site, and it was indeed a construction site. The people are working to turn it into a tourist-y place, complete with a pool. Oh the priorities of this country.

Drinking from the source.

The site of the source.

 Annnd, for lunch, we stopped to eat on the side of the road. LOOK AT THOSE FERNS! Wow.

I am so thankful for this trip, and the chance to see the wonders of God's creation. It made me appreciate Burundi and its people all the more.

This next week will be filled with soo much to do. I am happy to be busy.

An Upcountry Adventure Pt 1 - False starts and being like Goldilocks

Saturday afternoon, after a lengthy parent-teacher meeting, we set off, in a little borrowed white van, for Matama, a city located in the interior of Burundi. Our goal was to reach this city and settle in for the night.

This van (we thankfully found out prior to departure) had almost no brakes.

That is a very scary thing when you're heading up into the mountains of Burundi. The roads are winding and the ascents/descents are steep.

Happily, the no-brake-thing was caught the day before we left. It was quickly fixed.

We were in the van, and finally driving out of the city (Buje has congestion like you wouldn't believe!).

We climbed and climbed. The roads were winding and steep. The views were spectacular!

Then we stopped because the engine was getting seriously overheated.

It wasn't like we were driving fast or crazy, but overheat it did, for reasons unknown.

We pulled off to the side of the road and opened the radiator cap, which was [scarily] located under the passenger seat. The radiator hissed, sputtered, and gave off a huge cloud of steam. It gave a whole new meaning to the term "hot seat"!

Looking at the radiator while a giant truck is coming! Happily, it missed us.

We were stuck. The radiator was way too hot to do anything about for a good long while, and we were only 1/3 of the way up the mountains.

What were we going to do?

Well, thankfully, there was someone to call. They had a van we could use that was 4-wheel-drive and much more reliable.

We waited. A large crowd gathered to stare at the van of stranded wazungu (muzungu= white person. wa=plural, yay mini kirundi lesson!)
The people laughed and chattered and pointed at us. They were fixated on the little baby muzungu. There aren't many of those around, I guess.

I couldn't help but laugh at the crowd and the silliness of it all. I'm sure to them we looked a little ridiculous.

Our new van arrived, we traded cars, and we were off [again]!
Van #2.The trusty mazda.

How did I get this shot? Good question...

Here's a map of where we were headed. Google says it should only take 59 minutes to get there. Google has not actually driven this route, I guess. It took more like 3 hours...

There was much singing, photography, and stories to be told. It was a good trip down, and we made ok time, though not google time.

Upcountry Burundi is very cold, as it's ~6,000 feet above sea level. I was very glad to have my coat, as it got down to...

50 degrees Fahrenheit.

Can you say brr? After 3 months of that constant-85-degree-balmyness, it was a definite shock. (and my Northern friends can laugh at me. I'm thin-blooded, and that's all there is to it)
 
We stopped at a hotel and found out it was full, but one of the porters there offered to find us another hotel so long as we ate dinner at his hotel.

Easy enough, I guess.

Now, here in Burundi, hotel rooms are not quite like what you'd get in the States. But the room is clean (at least where we were), there's a double-bed, concrete walls and floor, and a bucket of icy-cold water in the bathroom for bathing, if you're that desperate.

Whitney and I had a time of getting a room.

We were going to share a room. We were both tired and ready to plop down our gear and chill until dinner. It had been quite a day of adventure and activity. The first room we were led to was Room #1. After we had hauled in our backpacks and sat down on the bed, we were told that we actually should not sleep there since the bathroom light did not work.
No problem.
So, we moved our stuff to Room #2.
After setting our things down, and sitting down on the bed, we were told that, in this room, well, the bed was not the best. It was not soft. Perhaps another room.

I was starting to feel like Goldilocks!

We were led back to Room #1, and, glory be, the bathroom light worked when we flipped the switch!

The hotel worker was very kind because he showed us that actually the porch light did not work, and that we were welcome to change rooms again if we liked.
Hm. Lumpy bed or no porch light?
...tough decision...
The porch was a small concrete patio off of the room, and what with the freezing temperatures outside, I had no plans to go bask in the cold night.

We assured him in broken French and Kirundi that all was fine with Room #1.

Here is our room!

We went back to the first hotel to eat, keeping our word to the porter.
Dining out in Burundi is a long process. You put in your order and... wait.

People in the States make jokes about killing the cow and all that when they have to wait, but here, I think they really do kill the cow first! Food takes about an hour or so to come, if it's a "fast" place.

After dining on banana fries and gravy'd meat (with lots of hot pele pele sauce...mmmm spicyness), I fell into bed, worn out from our first day of adventuring and ready for the day to come.

We had exciting spots to visit, and the journey to them was also a big part of it. We were hitting the back roads. Oh boy! Where were we headed? What did we do?

...that's for a later post.

An Upcountry Adventure Intro

I had quite an adventure this weekend in Burundi.

It took three days, and I've now traveled pretty much all around this beautiful country. I've seen more than I've seen in 3 months of being here.

I am just back to Jesse and Joy's, I have [finally] showered (who knew water could be so brown? I was DIRTY) and am uploading pictures to my computer. It was an incredible experience, and FULL of laughs and inspired moments. So much good story material.

RAINBOW waterfall! Magical!!

I'm still processing all that has happened, so here are a few pictures (that will be followed with stories soon!)

Things like this make you say "WOAH! God is amazing!"

Look for Whitney in this picture. It gives you an idea of the SCALE of this gorge! 2nd biggest in Africa. You couldn't see the bottom...

I have so many pictures and stories ...but the internet isn't letting me upload any more pictures at present...and my brain isn't letting me type very well.

So, until later, my friends!  Needless to say, I have a lot to blog!

language is clicking

So, after over 3 months of being in this culture, the language is finally making sense!
The past few days, I've been learning how to conjugate infinitive verbs.

Language breakthrough! So now, I am understanding more of the gist of what people are saying in Kirundi. Not at all fluent, but it's coming!

What a relief.
I wish the language had started to click sooner, but I still have a few weeks left to practice.

This week was so fun and full of activities. Today, P2 made coffee filter butterflies!

Siga neza!

Hmm, what is today?

As I sit here thinking, I swear that it must be Friday. When I think back on all that has happened since Sunday, it feels as though much time has passed.
But it's just Wednesday evening. 

This week has been filled with activity, and it has been such a lesson in taking life one day at a time. I feel like that is one of the skills I'm supposed to learn: to live every day. I'm good at planning and daydreaming what ifs, but the logistical living in the moment is a skill I am learning to acquire. 

this week is the start of exams for the kids at Discovery School
 ...and they have some free time after they are finished with their testing. They need to have something to do! 

That's where we come in. 

Another volunteer, Whitney, and I have been planning activities and crafts for the kids. We have 200 to plan for, and we have one other helper.
It took some getting used to, but I'm sure that God will continue to provide us with patience and well-behaved kids.

It has been fun to brainstorm and think of creative ways to utilize the limited resources we have. As I am reminded, there is no wal-mart around the corner...

I had a happy moment. I was able to supplement my instructions today with some Kirundi! The children understand some English, but it always helps to back up what you're saying in the native tongue. It was a few phrases, and I can't be sure of the spellings because I write it down phonetically...

Siga nurupaporo rwoshe.
Siga neza!
Siga bokeboke.

(Color the whole paper. Color well! Take your time to color.)

Here is one of the classes today working on a project (they color a page totally with crayon, paint it, then etch away the paint with a golf tee. Thus all of the coloring commands):

New Kirundi word: Twenga -- to smile

A Change in Scenery

This next month, I'm staying out on the mission compound with Jesse and Joy.

It's fantastic so far.

I'm close to the discovery school and I can get in on more of the local events.

Like Sunday, I was invited to a youth concert. I went, and found out it was a Sunday school choir competition! And it was intense.
(a lesson that worship is a competition...haha, juuuust kidding)

I am used to calm, orderly church services (for the most part) and when I envision a children's choir, I think of mild-mannered children nervously standing on a stage and barely singing.

But that's just my preconception.

Well, this youth concert blew that thought out of the water. It was intense. The church was PACKED with children, it was loud, it was hot, ...and did I mention it was loud? So much great energy used for praising the Lord!

...and this is an Assembly church.
Plymouth Brethren Assembly.
Oh yeah.

It was great fun, and I was glad to be there for it.

Jumping for Jesus

From the back of the church--this place was FULL of young people

Strangers

I love having conversations with strangers.
Though once you start a conversation, you aren't really strangers anymore! 


...maybe I need to clarify that statement.
I talk to strangers within certain bounds of "strangeness".
I wouldn't talk to someone who gave off a creepy vibe.

But I mean, here, the social circles I roam in are safe.
All I have to do is strike up a conversation.
...which sometimes takes guts...
but I've found that once the ball is rolling, things get off splendidly.

As Bill Murray said (in What About Bob):

You know, I treat people as if they were telephones; if I meet somebody I think doesn’t likes me I say I’m Bob, this one is temporarily out of order. You know, don’t break the connection, just hang up and try again!
 ...I'm not quite that persistent, though.


Today, in Nairobi, we were in the store, stocking up on things that couldn't be found in Buje, but there was trouble with the payment method. While Melli went off to sort it out, I made conversation with the bagging guy.
This I learned in 5 minutes:
He is married. He wants to be a teacher, and he has a baby on the way.  He is somewhat satisfied with his job, though it could pay better. He was also very kind! The line for the customer service was long, so he offered to let me sit behind one of the check-out counters.

...people in the states would NEVER let that happen. I told him I'd scan some people out, so we didn't have to pay for the groceries. He just laughed and went back to work.

I met a Mr. W who works with an NGO that sells small-time farmer's milk -- they get better wages for the farmers.

Then, I talked with a Mr. and Mrs. M, from London, England (What accents! So cool). They foster 9 street boys, and had fantastic anecdotes about life in Africa.

I met an Australian/New Zealand-ite couple who were scoping out Africa as a place to serve. We swapped stories of what it was like, and what we thought of everything.

I met a missionary accountant who told me about Venezuela.

I met some pre-med students. They were so fun! We watched Lion King. It was fantastic.

I've met two dear ladies who had computer issues (separately) and I was able to help them! Praise God, because I am no IT person. They are both missionaries with AIM.

I met a church team of Uni students....

And oh so many more. It has been awesome. 

When one takes the time and effort to be friendly, it's amazing what encouragement and joy can come of it! I have found myself to be extremely chatty as of late. When you're where people don't speak your mother tongue, you start to get all of these stories pent up. Blogging helps, but it's great to verbally communicate.

This trip is helping relieve some of my introverted-quiet tendencies.

It is so freeing to just talk to people.

I have been refreshed by fellowship and some down time, but I am quite excited to get back to Burundi!