I know I have been MIA for the past several months, but I am really going to start making an effort to blog again. I cannot say that I enjoy it in the slightest, but I know that you all enjoy reading about my crazy African experiences, so I will do my best. I am currently without a camera (I think my house keeper stole it...he is now fired) so I might not be posting a lot of pictures. Sorry.....
OK, where do I begin? I think my last blog was in Febrauay and a lot has happened since then. I will just fill you in on the highlights since then.
1) The end of the schoolyear went well and I won the lottery to move to a bigger apt. I am now in my luxurious 2-bedroom apartment, and I am so happy here.
2) Story's family came to visit me in June. It was an incredible trip! I loved spending time with Alicia (Story's daughter who is unbelieveably adorable) and the rest of the clan. Our safari with Willy was so fun, and we also hung out in Moshi and Zanzibar.
3) I had a very fast paced summer break in Boise and Spokane. I got to catch up with almost everyone at home (Nat and Nicci, sorry it didn't work out). It was so good to be home and to eat all of those foods I miss so much when I am here. The top of my cravings list include: Taco bell, Wendy's, sushi, Diet Dr. Pepper, and chocolate chip cookies. I am looking forward to eating all of these things again in about a month, when I am home again! I will definitely gain weight, and can count on Willy (my friend in NBO) to let me know the minute I get off the plane. In their mind, putting on weight is a good thing...but I still cringe each time they tell me I am "bigger"!!!
4) In July, I was accompanied back to Africa with my mom, aunt Susan and two friends, Jessi and Melissa. We did the usual.......safari with Willy, Moshi, beach and Dar. It was the first time my mom got to actually experience all that is Africa! This moment had been a long time coming. Of course, my dad did not join us on the adventure. You know, there are WAY too many germs on this continent. Toilet seat protectors don't do much when there isn't even a toilet seat! My lovely father would not do well here. Anyway, the girls had a wonderful time. I am so happy that they got to meet all my friends in Nairobi, especially Willy and Oscar. Willy was our safari driver and Oscar was the cook. These two guys are my best friends here, so we had a great time on safari! Then, we drove my little Suzuki from Nairobi to Dar (1000 km) with a stop in Moshi along the way. We dropped Jessi off in Moshi, where she began her 5 month stint of volunteer work. For those of you who dont know, Jessi is the daughter of my mom's friend at North Star. She worked at Light in africa for a few months, and now she is staying with me in Dar, working at an orphanage here and tutoring at my school. We are officially a married couple....infact, we are sitting in our side-by-side chairs now, watching tv together! My mom's adventure continued in Dar, where they spent a day in Bagamoyo learning the history of the slave trade, and then they went to Zanzibar on a Spice Tour. Meanwhile, Melissa was climbing Kilimanjaro with another friend, and Abdi as their guide. Of course, she summitted! (Sidenote: I broke up with Abdi...too many cultural differences.) Overall, their trip was incredible! I am glad they had such a great time and got to experience all the things that make me love it here.
Now that you are caught up, onto this school year. Things are going really well. I am teaching grade 7 this year, exclusively, and that has made a huge difference. Last year, my time was split between grade 7 and 10, so I had two curriculums to learn. This year, I am much more productive because I am not spread too thin. I work with some really dynamic teachers, and my students are great. I am still a Student Council advisor, and that is really rewarding. It allows me to meet a wide variety of students, and keeps me connected to the school. I love it, but it takes a LOT of my time. I am also tutoring two students, soon to be three, for some extra cash. They are great kids, so it is fun! Plus, I get a good amount of dough!
Most of you already know this, but I am starting my own business!!!!!!!!!!!! I have been toying with this idea for a long time now, and it is finally becoming a reality. I want to start with Africa, Kenya specifically. It seems like I am always planning trips for people anyway, so I might as well be official. Some of my friends and I will be going to South Africa this summer for the World Cup. We are driving down, and making it a month and a half long journey! We have all pitched in to buy our own safari van! My friend, Willy, in Kenya is driving us down and back. He is then going to buy the safari van off of us, and he will be my safari driver for the company. I am hoping to have a business that actually pays a decent salary to African employees. So many businesses here treat people unfairly, and dont pay their employees fair wages. I wont do that. I am very excited to get it going, so if you know anyone that is going to Africa, send them my way. You are all more than welcome!!!!
In more recent news, I was on a school field trip this weekend. We accompanied some grade 12 students to a beautiful beach house, where we got to observe blue monkeys in their natural habitat all weekend. The students were on a biology trip, and needed some "lab time." Jessi and I took groups of 8 students into the forest, and sat with the monkeys for an hour at a time. It was so cool! At times, they got very close to us! On the last day, the other teacher we were with witnessed an African fish eagle swoop down and snatch a baby monkey. At that point, the monkeys got a little stressed about us being there, and were showing their teeth! We booked it out of there pretty quickly! At one point on the trip, I got caught in a pile of biting red ants. While I was jumping up and down, freaking out about the bites, I felt something clamp down on my big toe. I was in a pile of leaves, so I didnt see what it was. However, I immediately felt shooting pains clear up my leg, and when I looked down, I was bleeding out of two puncture wounds. I am not sure what it was, but I think it could have been a snake. My swelling has gone down, but I still have the wounds. Who knows...but I guess I am lucky to be alive!!!!!
Today, I got pulled over by a stupid cop. My seatbelt wasn't on. He threatened over and over to take me to the police station. I tried to turn on the charm, and it seemed to be working, but he still said he was taking me in. Who knows what "taking you in" really means here, but i don't think I want to know! Anyway, when it looked like my mzungu charm wasn't going to work, I turned to the old standby (when it comes to being pulled over by the cops). My arm. I lifted it up, very awkwardly, and said, I can't wear my seatbelt because I have a prosthetic arm. He looked at me, very baffled, and I played up the "injury." Jessi backed me up, sayin "really officer, she cant wear it because of her arm!" Luckily, he fell for the bull shit, and let me go. Phew! This same excuse has now worked for me about 6-7 times, including in the states. I love being "disabled" when I need to be! If they only knew......................SUCKERS!
Well, I think thats it. Sorry for the ridiculously long blog. I am off to Moshi this weekend. I can't wait, it has been forever! I am excited to see Godfrey and the other boys. A class at North Star raised a lot of money for Light in Africa, so we went on a huge shopping spree today. It was so fun!!! We are going to give the kids an early Christmas this weekend....it should be great.
Hope everyone is doing well. I will see most of you at Christmas!!!! I am excited to be home...but not sure my body is ready for the temperature change. It is so hot here right now. The hottest summer in 20 years...so you can imagine. Keep in touch everyone. Love you all!
Jen
