Africa is a very large continent. It is diverse and beautiful! From my little sphere, what I have seen of the people, they are very nice. So, why is it that Africa is such a troubled continent? It seems to have the most inner struggles of all the other continents. The most poverty, the most disease, the most violence amongst themselves… Why is that? All nations have a history—both temporal and spiritual. So what is Africa’s history? I know so little about it. I think that would be a good project for me. Find out why Africa is the way it is!
Well, it is now 2008. Happy New Year! How strange! I never would have guessed that I would be sitting in a somewhat empty house in Africa, of all places, come 2008. I wonder what this year holds in store for us? We had a good 2007. Lots of fun! We saw many of the sites in D.C., made lots of friends, got a new job, and moved to a new continent! (Talk about the ‘Reader’s Digest Condensed Version’!!)
We finally got the packages I was so concerned about. Turns out, they got here in November…but someone in the mail dept sort of dropped the ball, and we didn’t get it until yesterday. Ooops! So, this morning, we had a special, special treat: I made SOYMILK!!!!!! Yea!!!! The kids were so excited, that they had to put the hot soymilk onto their Cheerios. They just couldn’t wait! ϑ What fun! And tonight, we’ll try out the new ice cream maker and have some homemade soy ice cream! YUM!!! It’s the best ice cream in the world! (If I do say so myself…and I suppose that I can, since it’s usually Devin that makes it anyway…so it’s not like I’m bragging about my superior ice cream making skills, or anything.) I even found tons of frozen fruit at the commissary, so we can choose from strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, or peach. Oh, I’m so excited! And either before or after ice cream, we’re going to open our Christmas package…pull out the stockings and Christmas Eve pj’s… I wanted to wait and have a big ol’ shin-dig once all our stuff got here, but Devin doesn’t want to wait. Since he really rarely asks for things, and did so with such a nice smile and a big please, I couldn’t help but give in! Ha!!! ϑ
This afternoon, I think I’m going to go to the outdoor market with our housekeeper. I need to get some nice flip flops for me and Devin to wear inside (since I won’t let anyone wear shoes inside because it’s too dirty…and Devin doesn’t like to wear just socks or go barefoot on tile floors…and, well, I know that in the states it’s completely taboo to wear flip flops to church, but here it’s almost important! The church is on a road lovingly known as ‘the Grand Canyon’ because of how bad it is…and the grounds around the church…well, let’s just say they’re not conducive to heels. But don’t worry, I’ll find some nice churchy looking flip flops), and I’m going to look for some nice rugs/carpets! Woohoo! I suppose I’ll have to change my shirt before I go, too, since Andrew wiped his nose all up and down my sleeves. GROSS!!!! I look like I have snails crawling on me! SICK!!…
Friday, January 4, 2008
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Under Lock and Key
December 29, 2007
Josh locked himself in his room today…boy that was exciting! All the doors are the super old fashioned kind—there are no doorknobs here, they’re all handles instead. And the keyholes are for the super big old fashioned skeleton key type keys. It looks neat, but it is such a pain! Josh thinks that it’s important to lock yourself in your room when you’re upset…the only problem is, that he couldn’t UN-lock it once he’d locked it! We spent probably a good hour trying to get him to turn the key in the lock, and all he did was sob behind the door. We were finally able to get him to shove the key under the door—which was no mean feet either, since there is only less than a quarter of an inch of clearance between the door and the floor—and Devin was able to unlock it from this side. Hopefully that taught him a good lesson and he won’t go around locking the doors anymore.
I remember always wondering if the expiration dates on things were for real, or just suggestions. Apparently, they’re just suggestions. It appears that everything in the commissary is expired…and that no one seems to really mind so much. I know of people who, even if it’s a day after the expiration date, throw it away without a second thought. Here, that would be considered extremely fresh, and sold for more money! Ha! I went to pick up some more children’s Ibuprofen there, and every single package expired January 2007. An entire year ago! Is that legal? I suppose that doesn’t really matter here, since there really isn’t too much to govern it, and I should just be grateful that it’s even there!! I am…I don’t really mind eating food that has long since expired, as long as it’s sealed…I just don’t know how I feel about giving my kids expired meds. Just another good reason why I really can’t wait for our shipments to come. If worse comes to worse, I’ll probably end up buying the overpriced, expired goods from the commissary, but for now I’ll just pray we don’t need it within the next month or two…or three…or four…
Driving here is absolutely HILARIOUS!! I don’t know that I’ll ever feel comfortable enough to drive here…we’ll see. It’s like a video game! I thought that the driving was bad in Guatemala…it’s ten times worse here! Good grief! There really aren’t any lines on the roads, no stop signs, I’ve seen one traffic light, but it didn’t work. There are thousands of yellow ‘taxis’ and they are the craziest drivers! They rarely use blinkers, and when they do, it’s usually only the right one. That could mean all sorts of things. Usually, it just means they’re going to stop—right there—in the middle of the road. So, you just drive past them and kind of hope they don’t start going again, but they usually do. The roads are fairly small—supposed to only be 2 lanes, but usually end up being 3 or 4, depending on the traffic and the amount of yellow taxis that you’re dealing with at the time. Crazy!!! There are no rules to speak of, everyone just drives in hopes of getting where they need to go without too many mishaps. I’m grateful we have drivers for the time being as we’re waiting for our car to arrive. And who knows…I may try to continue to use the drivers even after our car arrives!
We found a HUGE papaya in the yard (well, actually, Josh and the guard did)—I think the thing weighs somewhere between 5-10 lbs and is bigger than Claire’s head. Neat!
December 30, 2007
Some of the things that I miss from the church in the states: Air conditioning, electricity, carpet, bathrooms, padded chairs, chairs (sometimes there are, and sometimes you just stand), microphones, English, classes for the kids…Oh, it’s still church. Thankfully, we still have the sacrament, and there is RS and Priesthood…but only when there’s room. Today there wasn’t room in RS, so I (and many other women) went to Priesthood. Didn’t really matter. I didn’t understand anyway, and Andrew was mad because he needed a nap…so I stood outside with him where it was much much cooler (like 90 degrees…nice day! But it was AWFUL inside! Not compared to where Ben is, of course, and if he were to read this and make some comment it would probably be to the effect of – “Well, at least you get to go to church at all, and it’s under 130 degrees, so count yourself lucky!” I still don’t understand why anyone would actually CHOOSE to live in Iraq…but if anyone out there understands it and wants to enlighten me, feel free!) So, it’s a different experience here. I expected it to be different, though, so it’s not a big deal.
We are SO spoiled here! Whew! We have a generator, so when the power goes out, we have power all the time regardless. Apparently, the city loses power almost every other day…but we don’t feel it at all. Same with the water. I remember times in Guate when we would be out of water for days at a time—it was so nasty! But, here we have this huge water tank! Yesterday, the city was out of water for the whole day, and we didn’t even know it until our guard told us all about it. Crazy. And after listening to what the missionaries regularly eat out there with members and investigators…MAN I’m glad that I don’t have to!! Guatemala is CUSHY compared to this mission! Wow! And it’s always nice to be able to go to the commissary and find American stuff…even if it is all expired…it is still American stuff! (So, if anyone wants to send us American stuff that’s NOT expired, feel free! ϑ Just remember that you can’t send liquids to our current address!) But we are spoiled and sheltered here. We took a walk today around our neighborhood and passed the Algerian, Belgian, Brazilian, Chinese, Japanese, Israeli, Egyptian and Korean embassies…all just around the block! Crazy, eh? Our house used to be owned by the Germans up until about a year ago. Hmmm… I wonder why they sold it?
Happy New Year, everyone! I hope it’s a fantastic one…and just know that I’ll enjoy it before most of you will! Ha!!! ϑ We’re having our neighbors over to watch a movie using our wall and a projector…we’re not sure which movie yet…and eat pizza! Spoiled? Yes!!
Josh locked himself in his room today…boy that was exciting! All the doors are the super old fashioned kind—there are no doorknobs here, they’re all handles instead. And the keyholes are for the super big old fashioned skeleton key type keys. It looks neat, but it is such a pain! Josh thinks that it’s important to lock yourself in your room when you’re upset…the only problem is, that he couldn’t UN-lock it once he’d locked it! We spent probably a good hour trying to get him to turn the key in the lock, and all he did was sob behind the door. We were finally able to get him to shove the key under the door—which was no mean feet either, since there is only less than a quarter of an inch of clearance between the door and the floor—and Devin was able to unlock it from this side. Hopefully that taught him a good lesson and he won’t go around locking the doors anymore.
I remember always wondering if the expiration dates on things were for real, or just suggestions. Apparently, they’re just suggestions. It appears that everything in the commissary is expired…and that no one seems to really mind so much. I know of people who, even if it’s a day after the expiration date, throw it away without a second thought. Here, that would be considered extremely fresh, and sold for more money! Ha! I went to pick up some more children’s Ibuprofen there, and every single package expired January 2007. An entire year ago! Is that legal? I suppose that doesn’t really matter here, since there really isn’t too much to govern it, and I should just be grateful that it’s even there!! I am…I don’t really mind eating food that has long since expired, as long as it’s sealed…I just don’t know how I feel about giving my kids expired meds. Just another good reason why I really can’t wait for our shipments to come. If worse comes to worse, I’ll probably end up buying the overpriced, expired goods from the commissary, but for now I’ll just pray we don’t need it within the next month or two…or three…or four…
Driving here is absolutely HILARIOUS!! I don’t know that I’ll ever feel comfortable enough to drive here…we’ll see. It’s like a video game! I thought that the driving was bad in Guatemala…it’s ten times worse here! Good grief! There really aren’t any lines on the roads, no stop signs, I’ve seen one traffic light, but it didn’t work. There are thousands of yellow ‘taxis’ and they are the craziest drivers! They rarely use blinkers, and when they do, it’s usually only the right one. That could mean all sorts of things. Usually, it just means they’re going to stop—right there—in the middle of the road. So, you just drive past them and kind of hope they don’t start going again, but they usually do. The roads are fairly small—supposed to only be 2 lanes, but usually end up being 3 or 4, depending on the traffic and the amount of yellow taxis that you’re dealing with at the time. Crazy!!! There are no rules to speak of, everyone just drives in hopes of getting where they need to go without too many mishaps. I’m grateful we have drivers for the time being as we’re waiting for our car to arrive. And who knows…I may try to continue to use the drivers even after our car arrives!
We found a HUGE papaya in the yard (well, actually, Josh and the guard did)—I think the thing weighs somewhere between 5-10 lbs and is bigger than Claire’s head. Neat!
December 30, 2007
Some of the things that I miss from the church in the states: Air conditioning, electricity, carpet, bathrooms, padded chairs, chairs (sometimes there are, and sometimes you just stand), microphones, English, classes for the kids…Oh, it’s still church. Thankfully, we still have the sacrament, and there is RS and Priesthood…but only when there’s room. Today there wasn’t room in RS, so I (and many other women) went to Priesthood. Didn’t really matter. I didn’t understand anyway, and Andrew was mad because he needed a nap…so I stood outside with him where it was much much cooler (like 90 degrees…nice day! But it was AWFUL inside! Not compared to where Ben is, of course, and if he were to read this and make some comment it would probably be to the effect of – “Well, at least you get to go to church at all, and it’s under 130 degrees, so count yourself lucky!” I still don’t understand why anyone would actually CHOOSE to live in Iraq…but if anyone out there understands it and wants to enlighten me, feel free!) So, it’s a different experience here. I expected it to be different, though, so it’s not a big deal.
We are SO spoiled here! Whew! We have a generator, so when the power goes out, we have power all the time regardless. Apparently, the city loses power almost every other day…but we don’t feel it at all. Same with the water. I remember times in Guate when we would be out of water for days at a time—it was so nasty! But, here we have this huge water tank! Yesterday, the city was out of water for the whole day, and we didn’t even know it until our guard told us all about it. Crazy. And after listening to what the missionaries regularly eat out there with members and investigators…MAN I’m glad that I don’t have to!! Guatemala is CUSHY compared to this mission! Wow! And it’s always nice to be able to go to the commissary and find American stuff…even if it is all expired…it is still American stuff! (So, if anyone wants to send us American stuff that’s NOT expired, feel free! ϑ Just remember that you can’t send liquids to our current address!) But we are spoiled and sheltered here. We took a walk today around our neighborhood and passed the Algerian, Belgian, Brazilian, Chinese, Japanese, Israeli, Egyptian and Korean embassies…all just around the block! Crazy, eh? Our house used to be owned by the Germans up until about a year ago. Hmmm… I wonder why they sold it?
Happy New Year, everyone! I hope it’s a fantastic one…and just know that I’ll enjoy it before most of you will! Ha!!! ϑ We’re having our neighbors over to watch a movie using our wall and a projector…we’re not sure which movie yet…and eat pizza! Spoiled? Yes!!
Friday, December 28, 2007
Life in Africa
December 22, 2007
We went to church today for the first time in Cameroon (or on Mars, whichever). Whew. It’s like my first week in Guatemala. Old falling apart building. Lots of people I don’t know or understand. The only difference this time, was that I had my kids to look after. Andrew had a hard time. Claire and Josh seemed to enjoy their time in the primary. Everyone was very friendly. Lots of warm welcomes. They had us bear our testimonies en francais…boy, that was a kicker! The accent here is very different than France French. Of course it is. This is Africa! What was I expecting?? Well, it’s certainly different. But, I am determined to learn it.
The kids are super tired. I almost want to make them all take naps. But I think that that option is out. Andrew was asleep, then all heck broke loose between Josh and Claire and they’re both screaming and yelling through the house. (Apparently, there is a new favorite chair in the den, and josh was sitting in it, and Claire wanted it, so she pushed him, and he shoved back and they ended up beating each other up. It was fun.) So, all the screaming woke up Andrew. Marvelous. Merveilleux.
I just can’t seem to kick this cough that I picked up in the hotel in VA. It’s horrible!! I cough off and on during the day, but then at night, I lay down to go to sleep and usually cough for between 2-3 hours. And it hurts. A lot. And I can’t sleep. I am extremely sleep deprived. I need chocolate!!!
December 24, 2007
It’s Christmas Eve. What does that mean? I suppose my idea of Christmas has to be redefined now that we live in a place completely devoid of cold and snow. I think it’s a good thing, as it helps me to remember that it doesn’t matter whether you have a few feet of snow on the ground—that’s not what Christmas is all about. It doesn’t matter if you have stacks and stacks of presents under the tree. Again, that’s not what Christmas is all about. Christmas is about that Babe born in a manger long ago, but who matters just as much today as He did on that morning!
Today we spent the day picking flowers with the guard (Claire’s favorite pastime),
playing outside enjoying the fabulously beautiful weather, and scrounging up ingredients to make cookies! It is super fun to make something from nothing! Of course, cookies just don’t turn out quite the same as they do in the States, but they are cookies nonetheless! :P Our guard works hard, so we want to do something for him, so we’re giving him cookies.
December 27, 2007
It is interesting to note that invasions of ants no longer bother me. I actually feel bad for them! If anything…and I mean ANYTHING is left on the counter for more than 13 seconds, swarms of ants attack. They can smell food from miles away (well, miles away in ant miles, at least…) and they come running in hordes! Are they really so starving that they can smell food so far away so quickly? People always talk about the starving children in Africa…well, what about the ants? They’re alive, too, and if the people are starving, how do you think the ants are faring???
I am loving having a housekeeper!! She is fantastic! I don’t have to sweep, mop, clean bathrooms, do laundry or wash dishes at all! Isn’t that weird???? I just play with the kids and cook food…I do some straightening, just because I feel retarded not doing anything at all…and I clean after dinner…but I find that there is this HUGE burden lifted from off my shoulders. I feel lighter and happier and way more able to cope with things. I know that I couldn’t keep up this house without a little extra help, and it’s so great! I don’t feel burdened down by the things that need to be done and aren’t. I can’t explain it. It’s wonderful! And, I still do the things that I like to do (cleaning wise), the kids still help (they LOVE Pascaline—Claire follows her around all day long, and cries when she leaves!!!), and it’s just all around a good thing for everyone. I’m very, very grateful! She’s a good ‘nanny’, too, as I can leave the kids here with her when I have to go somewhere, and I have no worries or concerns at all. Between her and our awesome guard, Napoleon, our kids are safe and happy here! It’s so funny to have a housekeeper and a guard, but they are such a blessing to our family! I can’t even begin to express my gratitude for them! And hopefully, they enjoy working here for us as much as we enjoy having them here! :P
I took the kids to a playgroup/birthday party today. It was fun, but a little too long, I think. Claire just wanted to go home and eat…Andrew would NOT leave my side…and Josh got really sunburned playing out in the pool for too long during prime daylight hours! :/ Luckily, we have a couple of nice aloe vera plants growing in our yard!! Yea!! Our yard rocks!!
We have a giant bunch of bananas that should be ripe soon, and some papayas and guavas…and a giant avocado tree!! J How fun is that? I started Claire and Josh on watering the yard. As we don’t have a gardener yet, and it’s dry season, our plants were droopy and needed water, so what better way to get the kiddies away from the tv and doing something constructive and wet?? :P They’ve really enjoyed it, and the guard joins in with them (he’s even been teaching them how to do it properly!!!) and even Pascaline joined in this afternoon….so Josh, Claire, our housekeeper and our guard were all outside with a big bucket of water using old yogurt containers to water all the plants!! Ha!!! I should have taken a picture!!! It was so fun!!
I went to the commissary and bought a bunch of frozen stuff to stock our freezer with. I think the poor lady thought I was nuts as I brought basket after basket of stuff up to the counter! Ha! I got frozen fruit and veggies, English muffins, tortillas, chicken breast, sausage (Jimmy dean!!!), Ball Park hot dogs, Sherbet…I even found some Parkay! Yah, you’re not supposed to freeze it, but it’s still ok. I am SOOOOO spoiled here! It’s great! :P After I finished my shopping in the commissary, there was a choir performance going on in the lobby! It was an African community (?) choir, and it was so fun! All these Africans who probably don’t speak English, singing Handel’s Messiah, and other English Christmas carols! :P They also sang some Afrikaan folk songs and such. It was fun! The singing here is very different. They all sing probably a quarter step flat consistently…but they have fantastic voices otherwise! They can BELT!!! Whew!!! And the things they can do with their voices is just amazing! It was fun! I enjoyed it! I had Andrew with me, and we were up on a balcony watching them. He was standing by the fence watching and just dancing along, and clapped when everyone else clapped…it was so cute!! Some of the choir members saw him dancing and clapping and smiled. The Africans LOVE children! They are so sweet when they see little kids! It’s sweet. :P
Bed time.
We went to church today for the first time in Cameroon (or on Mars, whichever). Whew. It’s like my first week in Guatemala. Old falling apart building. Lots of people I don’t know or understand. The only difference this time, was that I had my kids to look after. Andrew had a hard time. Claire and Josh seemed to enjoy their time in the primary. Everyone was very friendly. Lots of warm welcomes. They had us bear our testimonies en francais…boy, that was a kicker! The accent here is very different than France French. Of course it is. This is Africa! What was I expecting?? Well, it’s certainly different. But, I am determined to learn it.
The kids are super tired. I almost want to make them all take naps. But I think that that option is out. Andrew was asleep, then all heck broke loose between Josh and Claire and they’re both screaming and yelling through the house. (Apparently, there is a new favorite chair in the den, and josh was sitting in it, and Claire wanted it, so she pushed him, and he shoved back and they ended up beating each other up. It was fun.) So, all the screaming woke up Andrew. Marvelous. Merveilleux.
I just can’t seem to kick this cough that I picked up in the hotel in VA. It’s horrible!! I cough off and on during the day, but then at night, I lay down to go to sleep and usually cough for between 2-3 hours. And it hurts. A lot. And I can’t sleep. I am extremely sleep deprived. I need chocolate!!!
December 24, 2007
It’s Christmas Eve. What does that mean? I suppose my idea of Christmas has to be redefined now that we live in a place completely devoid of cold and snow. I think it’s a good thing, as it helps me to remember that it doesn’t matter whether you have a few feet of snow on the ground—that’s not what Christmas is all about. It doesn’t matter if you have stacks and stacks of presents under the tree. Again, that’s not what Christmas is all about. Christmas is about that Babe born in a manger long ago, but who matters just as much today as He did on that morning!
Today we spent the day picking flowers with the guard (Claire’s favorite pastime),
playing outside enjoying the fabulously beautiful weather, and scrounging up ingredients to make cookies! It is super fun to make something from nothing! Of course, cookies just don’t turn out quite the same as they do in the States, but they are cookies nonetheless! :P Our guard works hard, so we want to do something for him, so we’re giving him cookies.
December 27, 2007
It is interesting to note that invasions of ants no longer bother me. I actually feel bad for them! If anything…and I mean ANYTHING is left on the counter for more than 13 seconds, swarms of ants attack. They can smell food from miles away (well, miles away in ant miles, at least…) and they come running in hordes! Are they really so starving that they can smell food so far away so quickly? People always talk about the starving children in Africa…well, what about the ants? They’re alive, too, and if the people are starving, how do you think the ants are faring???
I am loving having a housekeeper!! She is fantastic! I don’t have to sweep, mop, clean bathrooms, do laundry or wash dishes at all! Isn’t that weird???? I just play with the kids and cook food…I do some straightening, just because I feel retarded not doing anything at all…and I clean after dinner…but I find that there is this HUGE burden lifted from off my shoulders. I feel lighter and happier and way more able to cope with things. I know that I couldn’t keep up this house without a little extra help, and it’s so great! I don’t feel burdened down by the things that need to be done and aren’t. I can’t explain it. It’s wonderful! And, I still do the things that I like to do (cleaning wise), the kids still help (they LOVE Pascaline—Claire follows her around all day long, and cries when she leaves!!!), and it’s just all around a good thing for everyone. I’m very, very grateful! She’s a good ‘nanny’, too, as I can leave the kids here with her when I have to go somewhere, and I have no worries or concerns at all. Between her and our awesome guard, Napoleon, our kids are safe and happy here! It’s so funny to have a housekeeper and a guard, but they are such a blessing to our family! I can’t even begin to express my gratitude for them! And hopefully, they enjoy working here for us as much as we enjoy having them here! :P
I took the kids to a playgroup/birthday party today. It was fun, but a little too long, I think. Claire just wanted to go home and eat…Andrew would NOT leave my side…and Josh got really sunburned playing out in the pool for too long during prime daylight hours! :/ Luckily, we have a couple of nice aloe vera plants growing in our yard!! Yea!! Our yard rocks!!
We have a giant bunch of bananas that should be ripe soon, and some papayas and guavas…and a giant avocado tree!! J How fun is that? I started Claire and Josh on watering the yard. As we don’t have a gardener yet, and it’s dry season, our plants were droopy and needed water, so what better way to get the kiddies away from the tv and doing something constructive and wet?? :P They’ve really enjoyed it, and the guard joins in with them (he’s even been teaching them how to do it properly!!!) and even Pascaline joined in this afternoon….so Josh, Claire, our housekeeper and our guard were all outside with a big bucket of water using old yogurt containers to water all the plants!! Ha!!! I should have taken a picture!!! It was so fun!!I went to the commissary and bought a bunch of frozen stuff to stock our freezer with. I think the poor lady thought I was nuts as I brought basket after basket of stuff up to the counter! Ha! I got frozen fruit and veggies, English muffins, tortillas, chicken breast, sausage (Jimmy dean!!!), Ball Park hot dogs, Sherbet…I even found some Parkay! Yah, you’re not supposed to freeze it, but it’s still ok. I am SOOOOO spoiled here! It’s great! :P After I finished my shopping in the commissary, there was a choir performance going on in the lobby! It was an African community (?) choir, and it was so fun! All these Africans who probably don’t speak English, singing Handel’s Messiah, and other English Christmas carols! :P They also sang some Afrikaan folk songs and such. It was fun! The singing here is very different. They all sing probably a quarter step flat consistently…but they have fantastic voices otherwise! They can BELT!!! Whew!!! And the things they can do with their voices is just amazing! It was fun! I enjoyed it! I had Andrew with me, and we were up on a balcony watching them. He was standing by the fence watching and just dancing along, and clapped when everyone else clapped…it was so cute!! Some of the choir members saw him dancing and clapping and smiled. The Africans LOVE children! They are so sweet when they see little kids! It’s sweet. :P
Bed time.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Our Trip
December 18-21, 2007
We are here at last!! Whew what a journey! Let me just start by saying that great adventures never start out boring! Ha!
The Arc de Triomphe. We got off at our stop, and went into the elevator that takes you to the surface…and almost died!!!! It was SOOOOOOOOOOOOO COOOOOLLLLLD!!!! HOLY COW!!! Now I know why everyone there wears scarves. Oh my goodness! I knew it would be chilly, but this was ridiculous! It was cold, windy and humid, and not fun! So, we ran to the corner, took a couple of family-ish pictures (there were no other people around to ask to take our picture) and ran back to the elevator. The kids were crying! Yikes!! So, we went back down, and decided to head to the Eiffel Tower. Yes, it was cold, but how many times do you get to spend a day in Paris?? So, we figured there was a stop right at the Tower, and we could do just like we did at the Arc. Um, no. The stop was closed for renovation or something, so we had to go one stop more. Not only was it a fairly long walk, the stop was NOT stroller friendly!! LOTS of stairs and very tight doors. Oh well. We made it. But the walk was horrid. The kids were screaming by the time we reached the Tower.
We got attacked by a bunch of gypsy ladies. The first one asked us for money to buy food…so we gave her our half eaten sandwich. Oh well. Then this whole pack of them descended on me while Devin was off taking pictures…they were berating me for having the kids out in the cold, and pulling their hands into their sleeves and pulling their hoods tighter over their faces and making the kids scream even more, and the whole time I’m thinking to myself, “Are there any valuables in the stroller? Is my purse zipped shut and tucked under my arm securely?” I did NOT want to have someone stealing my money or purse. My purse had ALL of our passports!! That would have been so awful!! So, Devin finally finished taking pictures, and shewed all the ladies away, and we turned around and walked back to the RER station with the kids screaming bloody murder the whole way. The gypsy ladies tried to stop us again, so I yelled at them in Spanish!! Ha!! (They kept asking everyone they saw if they spoke English, and that’s why we talked to the first one who took our bread. We thought she needed directions, or wanted to help us or something…but she just handed us a note in English that said she needed some food and money or something. So, from then on, I just spoke Spanish.) So, we got back on the train, and I warmed up everyone’s red frozen fingers. We had to change trains at Notre Dame, so we decided that since we were there, we’d poke our heads up and see, so we did. We chased some pigeons and looked at the giant Christmas tree, and yelled at some gypsy ladies in Spanish, then went back down to the train to head back ‘home’ to the hotel.
We spent like 4 or 5 Euro on some water. Rip off! Again, someone came by and told us that because we had so many kids and a stroller that we could board with the business class people, which was a REALLY good thing! That was a crazy airport! There is no rhyme or reason…just a lot of people all packed in together as tightly as possible hoping to get into the right line! They boarded almost an hour late, and when they finally said all passengers with children, we had to really push and shove our way through to the line!! I have to admit that I was fairly ruthless trying to get through. Devin was trying to be all polite and careful, so I finally just pushed a bunch of people out of the way and shoved him and the kids forward! Ha! They wouldn’t have let us through, otherwise! It was nuts!! We finally got up to the line, and had no trouble getting through at that point. We walked down the ‘plank’ (as Devin calls it) to get to the airplane, and instead of an airplane, there was this huge flight of stairs going down! Weird. So, again, we had to have the kids get out of the stroller (and again, they were mad and screaming) and walk down the stairs to gate check the stroller, and then they loaded everyone up on these busses! Umm…I wanted to go on an airplane! Ha! The bus took us to an airplane out on the tarmac, and we all got off the bus and walked up the stairs into the plane. Apparently, they had to change planes at the last minute. There was no explanation. So, since they changed planes, after everyone got on, they had to switch all the luggage and the food from the other plane to the new one. That took another hour or so. THEN some of the passengers that were supposed to be on the plane, never showed up…SO they had to go through everyone’s luggage AGAIN and find the luggage for the people who didn’t come, just in case there was a bomb or something. It’s always better to be safe than sorry, right? Then they had to count everyone again to make sure we were all there, and then make sure that everyone’s overhead bags were accounted for…anyway, 3 hours later we were finally on our way. Due to our late leaving, we had to wait an extra ½ hour to be able to take off…but then we were finally in the air. Whew.
We landed in Douala (the biggest commercial city of Cameroon), FINALLY, after about 7 hours in the air. Most everyone got off. Then, they counted us all again, and made sure that we only our luggage was left in the overhead bins, and we took off again for Yaounde. The flight here took only ½ an hour! We barely got in the air, and we were starting our final descent! Very cool! I can do the short trips! J We landed in Yaounde, and we were the last ones off. It’s just easier that way. So, we walked out, and there was no one there…so we found the baggage sign, and followed the stairs. We walked down the stairs and something was definitely not right. There we found a couple of baggage carousels that weren’t moving, but instead had a bunch of African ladies who were dressed as nuns sitting on it, and a bunch of other people just standing at the window staring out. No one moved a muscle when we came down. It was super creepy!! There was definitely no baggage there! We asked someone who looked somewhat normal, and she told us to go through the big glass doors and walk the other direction. Ok. So, we did. And we still didn’t see anyone who looked remotely helpful, and we didn’t see any baggage! I was starting to panic a little at this point. We walked through crowds of people, hoping someone would be helpful, but they mostly just looked at us funny. We were headed toward an information booth, when a smiling guy with a badge came up and said, “What happened to you?” I about fainted! I was so relieved! He was there with the guy who was supposed to meet us, so he took us through the crowds of people and through the customs/passport check backwards (somehow we had gone totally the wrong way, and if we would have gone through one more set of glass doors, we would have been right in the country! We sidestepped the passport place and all the other stuff! I don’t know how we did it. But no one was there to tell us we were going the wrong way. We just read the signs and went where the arrows pointed!) So, we got back in, and met up with the people we were supposed to meet, and they took care of our passports for us and got our bags for us, and the kids and I just sat in a nice quiet corner and I cried! No, I wasn’t sad. I must say that I felt like I was ‘home’! I know that sounds super weird after all the things we’d already been through, but it was JUST like the airport in Guate, and even smelled like it! Ha! I was just so excited!!!!!! We found ALL of our bags—for which I was pleasantly surprised and grateful that none of them got lost! Being only 3 ½ hours late and with no lost baggage was a pretty good deal, I thought! It could have been much worse. We got our passports back quickly (oh, I can’t even say what a relief it was to be with people who cared that we were there and were taking care of us!), and we got to go through the VIP exit (pretty cool!), then we loaded up in the van and let the driver take us home! Oh, it’s SO beautiful here!! SO PRETTY!! Tropical fruit trees are everywhere…palm trees, banana trees, papaya, mango…flowers are blooming everywhere… there are big rolling hills covered in green… It’s just gorgeous! I already love it, and haven’t even seen it during the day! J The roads sure are crazy, though! It’s like playing a video game! I was sure glad it wasn’t me driving!
In our yard, we have a pear tree, papaya tree, and a guava(?) tree! Cool, eh? Our yard isn’t huge, but it’s beautiful! Lots of tropical plants and flowers…I have no idea what half of them are. I’ll have to take some pictures and see if anyone can tell me what they are! J
Our first morning here, Devin told me that he woke up around 6am to the sound of the birds outside, and his first thought was: “Just one more for exotic bird bingo! I am loving this!” (Gotta love Kronk!)
Anyway, this is terribly long, and may be boring to some of you. I need to get Andrew up from his nap, and find out if Josh wants to come home from the neighbors any time soon. Our neighbors are having a White Elephant thing tonight, so we’re going to that.
I just can’t tell you how much I am loving it here! It’s fantasticTuesday, December 18, 2007
So Long, Farewell...
It is now the last morning of our sojourn in the USA for now. We fly to Paris this evening. How crazy!!!! I don't think I slept very much last night, dreaming about the Eiffel Tower (it had been demolished, so we couldn't go up to the top, and I was disappointed!)...
So I haven't written due to busy days! Saturday was a flurry of fun as we packaged up some boxes to send to ourselves (...and when it arrives, I'll smash it with a hammer! It's brilliant, brilliant, brilliant, I say! Genius, I tell you! *smash*--Emperor's New Groove), and went to the FedEx/Kinko's about 3 times doing things that we could have accomplished there in 1/2 hour. Oh well. We mailed our vacuum! I should have taken a picture! It was super funny! We copied our Christmas letter there, too...and enjoyed the experience of having the copier jam. What a waste! I think the people there mess the copiers up on purpose, because regardless of whether it comes out right or not, you still pay for the copy. Somewhat frustrating.
Sunday we went to church at Oakton for the last time. I was sad. I will miss it there. I tried not to think about it so I wouldn't cry. We went to a friends' house for lunch, then went up to the temple to see the lights. We got up there just in time to see the Joseph Smith movie. So good! I always cry a lot! The lights at the temple were so beautiful! I just wish it would have been a little more temperate as far as the weather was concerned! The wind was gusting around 50 mph, and it was around 30 degrees before wind chill. Sufficeth to say, we did not walk around the grounds. We drove. It was super cold!!
Yesterday we went downtown and Devin checked out at work and picked up our passports with the visas. Then we went to lunch. Then we went to the dentist so I could get my permanent crown put on. Devin had been having some struggles with one of his fillings, and when the dentist looked at it, yes, he'd cracked it somehow! So, they had to put on a new one. Then we had to get home to ship off the car. Now, said the way I just wrote it, it sounds laid-back and mundane. Well, let me go a little more indepth:
Devin had to get in to work to check out...after 9am. Which isn't a bad time, it's just that that is the height of traffic, because that's when everyone else has to be to work, too. So, we all decided to go with him so we could use the HOV lanes. He he he... We didn't leave here until 8:40, but we made really good time and got downtown by 9:20! Impressive! Well, then there's the question of parking. We drove around the building he needed to be a few times. Then, we realized there was some 1-3 hour parking right next to it! So, we parked there, but then realized that everyone else was sitting in their cars. Why? The free parking didn't start until 9:30, and in downtown D.C. that is enforced!!! So, instead of waiting in the car with unhappy kids, we decided to drive around and try to find an open meter. (Yes, Devin decided to find a place where we had to pay to park!!! He's certainly lightened up there! Ha!) We found one right in front of the building. So, while Devin took the kids out of the car, I plopped in the quarters. Well, it's supposed to be a 2 hour meter, so I just started throwing all the money in. Then I realized it wasn't going up in time anymore. I thought it was a fluke, so I put in another quarter to see if it went up, and instead of going up, it flashed FAIL OUT OF ORDER!! BAH!!!!! (I'm sure if the meter were alive it would be laughing evilly as well!) So, I panicked! But we didn't have time to do anything about it. We needed to get in and pick up our passports and check out, because I had a dentist appointment at 11:30! So, we just ran in, hoping that we didn't get ticketed, because then they wouldn't ship our car that day!! AH!!! So, after I go through security with the kids (who are all screaming and crying because they can't go in the same door as dad...*sigh*) and get visitor's badges, we go over and pick up our passports and check out with almost no incidents. (except for Andrew screaming when Devin had to write an email...and Josh and Claire stealing candy from the front desk people...) So, we were in and out in about 45 minutes!! *breathe!!!!* I was so glad, too...we were afraid it would take hours!!! So, after all the checking out finished, we ran back to the entrance and handed in our badges. Then off we went hoping the car was still there...and ticketless and bootless!!!! Thankfully, it was! AND the meter had stopped flashing out of order! We still had 1/2 hour left on it! So, whether it fixed itself, or whether some wonderful person stopped by and fixed it for us (and if that is the case, thank you! whoever you are!!), we didn't have to worry about a ticket from downtown (which would have been truly horrible!!!!). We got in the car and drove back toward Fairfax and decided to find some food before the dentist (sorry, dentist! I got hungry, and I knew that I wouldn't be able to eat for some time after the visit...), so we ended up at Panda Express. Ah, I like that place! We got there just as it opened, and they weren't quite finished making the food yet! It was 10:30 by this time, and by the time they got out our food, it was 11! But, it was freshly made! Yea!! So after some fried rice, chow mein, mushroom chicken and egg rolls, we rushed off to the dentist. I got there just in time for my appointment. We thought it was going to take an hour to an hour and a half! Well, she pulled out my temporary, fixed the permanent to fit, glued it on, and I was done! Whew!! By the time she'd finished (10 minutes later) Devin had just left!!! AH!!! So, I ran outside and caught them as they were driving out! I'm SO glad that I caught them, otherwise I would have been stuck just sitting there in the building for an hour and a half all by myself!!! I told Devin to run in and get his filling checked, and I played with the kids in the hallway. He got his filling replaced, and after another 1/2 hour we were on our way again. The stressful part about this: We were shipping our car out! And the people were supposed to come any time between 12 and 4!!! We had no way of knowing when they'd be there, and it was going to be almost 1 by the time we got back to the hotel!!! YIKES!! I thought I was going to get an ulcer!! If they had come and gone, they would have charged Devin's work for a no-show, and we wouldn't be able to ship our car, because we don't have enough time to reschedule a pick up time!!! I suppose this is why people have cell phones. I don't think we'll be cell phone-less for much longer!!!!! Anyway, we got back to the hotel, and there was no message from them (they were supposed to call an hour before they got there).
So, with no message, I felt able to breathe a little better. We did some laundry, and played a bit, and they finally came for the car around 3pm, as did Robyn and Eric! So the car left without a hitch, and we enjoyed a nice evening with Robyn and Eric and Mierae and Jolie...talking and playing, eating pizza and swimming! It was a nice last day in the US...full of drama, excitement, suspense and thrills! Ha!! I'm certainly glad it's over! And now, we are just going to pack, and hang out at the airport. I'm tired! :)
So I haven't written due to busy days! Saturday was a flurry of fun as we packaged up some boxes to send to ourselves (...and when it arrives, I'll smash it with a hammer! It's brilliant, brilliant, brilliant, I say! Genius, I tell you! *smash*--Emperor's New Groove), and went to the FedEx/Kinko's about 3 times doing things that we could have accomplished there in 1/2 hour. Oh well. We mailed our vacuum! I should have taken a picture! It was super funny! We copied our Christmas letter there, too...and enjoyed the experience of having the copier jam. What a waste! I think the people there mess the copiers up on purpose, because regardless of whether it comes out right or not, you still pay for the copy. Somewhat frustrating.
Sunday we went to church at Oakton for the last time. I was sad. I will miss it there. I tried not to think about it so I wouldn't cry. We went to a friends' house for lunch, then went up to the temple to see the lights. We got up there just in time to see the Joseph Smith movie. So good! I always cry a lot! The lights at the temple were so beautiful! I just wish it would have been a little more temperate as far as the weather was concerned! The wind was gusting around 50 mph, and it was around 30 degrees before wind chill. Sufficeth to say, we did not walk around the grounds. We drove. It was super cold!!
Yesterday we went downtown and Devin checked out at work and picked up our passports with the visas. Then we went to lunch. Then we went to the dentist so I could get my permanent crown put on. Devin had been having some struggles with one of his fillings, and when the dentist looked at it, yes, he'd cracked it somehow! So, they had to put on a new one. Then we had to get home to ship off the car. Now, said the way I just wrote it, it sounds laid-back and mundane. Well, let me go a little more indepth:
Devin had to get in to work to check out...after 9am. Which isn't a bad time, it's just that that is the height of traffic, because that's when everyone else has to be to work, too. So, we all decided to go with him so we could use the HOV lanes. He he he... We didn't leave here until 8:40, but we made really good time and got downtown by 9:20! Impressive! Well, then there's the question of parking. We drove around the building he needed to be a few times. Then, we realized there was some 1-3 hour parking right next to it! So, we parked there, but then realized that everyone else was sitting in their cars. Why? The free parking didn't start until 9:30, and in downtown D.C. that is enforced!!! So, instead of waiting in the car with unhappy kids, we decided to drive around and try to find an open meter. (Yes, Devin decided to find a place where we had to pay to park!!! He's certainly lightened up there! Ha!) We found one right in front of the building. So, while Devin took the kids out of the car, I plopped in the quarters. Well, it's supposed to be a 2 hour meter, so I just started throwing all the money in. Then I realized it wasn't going up in time anymore. I thought it was a fluke, so I put in another quarter to see if it went up, and instead of going up, it flashed FAIL OUT OF ORDER!! BAH!!!!! (I'm sure if the meter were alive it would be laughing evilly as well!) So, I panicked! But we didn't have time to do anything about it. We needed to get in and pick up our passports and check out, because I had a dentist appointment at 11:30! So, we just ran in, hoping that we didn't get ticketed, because then they wouldn't ship our car that day!! AH!!! So, after I go through security with the kids (who are all screaming and crying because they can't go in the same door as dad...*sigh*) and get visitor's badges, we go over and pick up our passports and check out with almost no incidents. (except for Andrew screaming when Devin had to write an email...and Josh and Claire stealing candy from the front desk people...) So, we were in and out in about 45 minutes!! *breathe!!!!* I was so glad, too...we were afraid it would take hours!!! So, after all the checking out finished, we ran back to the entrance and handed in our badges. Then off we went hoping the car was still there...and ticketless and bootless!!!! Thankfully, it was! AND the meter had stopped flashing out of order! We still had 1/2 hour left on it! So, whether it fixed itself, or whether some wonderful person stopped by and fixed it for us (and if that is the case, thank you! whoever you are!!), we didn't have to worry about a ticket from downtown (which would have been truly horrible!!!!). We got in the car and drove back toward Fairfax and decided to find some food before the dentist (sorry, dentist! I got hungry, and I knew that I wouldn't be able to eat for some time after the visit...), so we ended up at Panda Express. Ah, I like that place! We got there just as it opened, and they weren't quite finished making the food yet! It was 10:30 by this time, and by the time they got out our food, it was 11! But, it was freshly made! Yea!! So after some fried rice, chow mein, mushroom chicken and egg rolls, we rushed off to the dentist. I got there just in time for my appointment. We thought it was going to take an hour to an hour and a half! Well, she pulled out my temporary, fixed the permanent to fit, glued it on, and I was done! Whew!! By the time she'd finished (10 minutes later) Devin had just left!!! AH!!! So, I ran outside and caught them as they were driving out! I'm SO glad that I caught them, otherwise I would have been stuck just sitting there in the building for an hour and a half all by myself!!! I told Devin to run in and get his filling checked, and I played with the kids in the hallway. He got his filling replaced, and after another 1/2 hour we were on our way again. The stressful part about this: We were shipping our car out! And the people were supposed to come any time between 12 and 4!!! We had no way of knowing when they'd be there, and it was going to be almost 1 by the time we got back to the hotel!!! YIKES!! I thought I was going to get an ulcer!! If they had come and gone, they would have charged Devin's work for a no-show, and we wouldn't be able to ship our car, because we don't have enough time to reschedule a pick up time!!! I suppose this is why people have cell phones. I don't think we'll be cell phone-less for much longer!!!!! Anyway, we got back to the hotel, and there was no message from them (they were supposed to call an hour before they got there).
So, with no message, I felt able to breathe a little better. We did some laundry, and played a bit, and they finally came for the car around 3pm, as did Robyn and Eric! So the car left without a hitch, and we enjoyed a nice evening with Robyn and Eric and Mierae and Jolie...talking and playing, eating pizza and swimming! It was a nice last day in the US...full of drama, excitement, suspense and thrills! Ha!! I'm certainly glad it's over! And now, we are just going to pack, and hang out at the airport. I'm tired! :)
Friday, December 14, 2007
Sick...
Last night we all hit a wall, I think. We're getting pretty tired of hanging out in a hotel, no matter how nice it is! And of eating hotel food. Claire decided the only thing she is going to eat now are crackers and pretzels. Well, she and I had a little talk about it last night and we both missed dinner because of it. They were all so tired and hungry for some good home-cooked food, that everyone went to bed early. Devin had a cold all day yesterday, and woke up still sniffly, but better. I woke up feeling nasty, and so did Andrew, so it's our turn to be sick. I'm sure that Josh and Claire aren't far behind. *Sigh* That's one thing that I will NOT miss being in Africa. The seasons don't change, so you don't get the spring/fall colds, or the winter flu epidemics. Of course, there are different things there...like malaria, dengue fever, mango worms, and the myriad of other things that no one has even named yet...but I suppose that's all part of the experience, eh?
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
A Walk in the Park
So, this morning, to keep away the stir crazy bug and to let housekeeping enjoy their time in our room (he he he!) we took a walk outside! It's a beautiful day--about 60 F, and cloudy. That's ok, though, because my transition lenses work even when it's cloudy! Neato!! It's supposed to rain this afternoon, so we decided to take advantage of the warmness early. There is a pond just outside of the hotel with a nice walking path all around it, so off we went! There were even some fun geese! I forgot the camera our first time around, so we went back to the room, picked up the camera, and went around the pond again. Here is our fun:
This is our hotel where we're staying, Staybridge Suites:
Here are the happy kiddies! Josh wanted to have a picnic on this picnic table. Unfortunately, it was all wet and covered with goose droppings. Gross!
Josh begged and begged to take a picture, so I let him! Here is his photography! (Can you tell that my transition lenses are working? Sweet, eh?)
Here's Josh watching the geese swim. Love the boots...
Being by the airport, we see lots and lots of airplanes flying low overhead! Andrew gets a kick out of them! :)
Andrew and Claire hanging out in the stroller eating granola bars. The geese are enjoying their swim in the background.
This is our hotel where we're staying, Staybridge Suites:
Here are the happy kiddies! Josh wanted to have a picnic on this picnic table. Unfortunately, it was all wet and covered with goose droppings. Gross!
Josh begged and begged to take a picture, so I let him! Here is his photography! (Can you tell that my transition lenses are working? Sweet, eh?)
Here's Josh watching the geese swim. Love the boots...
Being by the airport, we see lots and lots of airplanes flying low overhead! Andrew gets a kick out of them! :)
Andrew and Claire hanging out in the stroller eating granola bars. The geese are enjoying their swim in the background.
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