Happy Turkey Day!

I'm thankful for: Adventures. Across the Universe. Africa. Airplanes. Alifa. Alps. Alumni. Andrew. Basketball. Bata Bullets. BBC. Being part of Ben's life, even if it wasn't this year. Betsy. "Better in Time". Birthdays. Black Mountain. Blog. Books. Buses. Cameras. Candlelight. Carlsberg. Cellphones. Chai. Chat. Cheese. Crepes. Cooking. Dad. Davidson. Dripolator. Emails. Facebook. Family. Fisherman's. Flip Flops. Food. Friends. Frisbee. Gimmelwald. Gossip Girl. Gruyere. Help. Hostfamily. Hugs. Isaac. Igloos. Internet. Jackson. Jojo. Katie. Katie's graduation. Kenya. Kenya Airways. Kids. Kikoys. Lake Malawi. Lebara. Lesotho. Life. Lilongwe. LISAP. Mail. Malawi. Marion. Matatus. Matterhorn. Memories. MGTs. Ministry of Hope. Mom. Mombasa. Money. Montreat. Moses. Mountains. Music. Nathan. Naps. New Friends. Nsima. NYTimes. Obama. Old Friends. Online TV Shows. Pain. Paris. Pictures. Postcards. Prague. Prayers. Roadtrips. Roast Maize. Roomies. Safety. Scuba Diving. Skype. Sleep. Snow. Summit. Switzerland. Tears. Trains. Travel. Tusker. Venice. Village Market. Visitors. VW Bug. Webcams. Wine. You. Zermatt.

once upon an october

October 24, 2008

This blog has become one of my pet peeves (checking something and finding that it hasn’t been updated in FOREVER). Apologies. I will eventually get around to telling you about my daily life and non-school adventures, but I’m more in the mood for a stream of consciousness right now so that’s what you’re gonna get. If you have no idea what I’m talking about just wait for the next post where I will hopefully fill you in on everything. Also apologies if there are spelling mistakes. I’m sitting outside at the gare waiting for friends and since it’s the end of October, my fingers are rather numb. They’re pretty though cause I painted them last night. Instead of going out in the pouring rain and cold to have a drink and celebrate finishing French classes I painted my nails and went to bed at 10. It was great. One of the best nights I’ve had so far. Tonight won’t be as good. I’m going over to Casie’s house to study for our take home final. Once we’re done studying, probably around 3am, I’m gonna take it and be done by 6. Then I’m gonna go home and clean my room cause Mark Hoover’s coming to visit me! I’m excited to show him my view. It is seriously the reason I’m ok being up at insanely early hours of the morning. Because the sun’s been rising later, I get to see it coming up behind the Alps and reflecting over the lake as I take the train to school. I usually see it setting behind the smaller mountains on the way home. As soon as it’s gone the temperature drops ten degrees. At least it was up today though. Yesterday was cold and rainy. I was in Geneva doing interviews for one of the papers I had to write this week and forgot my key to my house. I took the train ALL THE WAY there and walked ALL THE WAY up the hill only to figure this out. After unsuccessfully trying to break in with a spoon I went to Rad’s house and watched Gossip Girl. It was warm and cozy and not academically stressful. I was too lazy to put on shoes to get in the car. My host-mom chewed me out for not wearing enough clothes. That’s probably why I have a hacking cough right now. And am wheezing. Or that might be the cat allergies. Not being able to breathe is really not much fun. Take home exams are even less fun. Just not as bad for your health. This one might be though. I’m gonna get to it. Be back to continue this stream in 3+ hours. It is absolutely beautiful today. I could sit outside all day long. After I finish my exam. Yes, I’m still working on it. But I had to catch the bus home. Then the bus I wanted to take never came. So I’m sitting outside waiting for the next one. Should be here in 20 minutes. I’m eating candy corn. That Hannah and Julia sent me. It’s putting me in such a fall mood. Weather wise it’s like October in Atlanta right now. So great. If I had a bike, I’d go for a ride in the mountains. There are little kids riding around on their bikes. And playing on the playground. The school’s right next to the bus stop. Today would be perfect weather for hiking. Or hang-gliding. I was gonna go shopping, but I don’t want to be inside anymore. Now that my classes are over I feel like I have so much free time. Really that’s not true and there’s a lot I need to do for this research project, but maybe I will give myself 2 days to goof off before I get to it. I love how the tractors here look like giant insects. They’re huge. Also, the birds here are really fun to watch. They remind me a little bit of the tuna in Finding Nemo—the ones that make shapes. Days like today make me want to be five again and playing in the leaves with my Dad. This candy corn is making me sick. I’m gonna stop eating now. Bus is coming, should be working on my exam. Gonna go now. Hope you’ve enjoyed following my thoughts for a bit. If not, why’d you read it? Coming next time…PICTURES! And after that, A Day in the Life and my Adventures. Paix et Amour.

p.s. Another thing I love about Switzerland and the French language in general is the way they say “euh” instead of “um”.

La Vie en Suisse

Note: this post is not finished yet. I just thought I'd put it up so there's SOMETHING new and you don't think I've died. Cause I haven't.

It’s already been a month and there is much to tell so I have broken this post into four parts for your convenience: Meet the Olaniyis, Take a Ride on my Picturesque Train, A Day in the Life, and Non-School Adventures. Enjoy!

Meet the Olaniyis, my host family here in Switzerland.

Edward: My host dad is Nigerian. He’s been married to Odile for 8 years, but has lived in Switzerland longer than that. He speaks French and English. He works in “clothes” (whatever that means) and works a lot. The only time I see him is after 12 or 1 at night when he comes home and on Fridays when he takes care of the kids and Odile works. Whatever his job, he does well for himself. He drives a black Mercedes SUV and likes to listen to rap music. He’s currently in Portugal on business. He and Odile own their house and have a swimming pool. I love hearing his West African accent even when he speaks French.

Odile: Ma mere Suisse described herself as “dynamique” and I think the word fits her perfectly. She loves to talk in both English and French, is very good at correcting my poor French grammar, and works part time as a nutritionist (NOT a dietitian). When she was 19 she studied abroad in California for a year. Her father used to be the mayor of Geneva. She loves Portugal (they spend their summers there), and always seems to be busy. Her life revolves around her two sons. The Swiss school system is such that kids come home for lunch and then go back to school. This makes it hard for moms to work, and Odile ends up doing most things part time or starting work at 6am so she can finish before lunch. We generally make tea after dinner and talk (in French if I can manage it) about our days, politics, Swiss culture, and all sorts of things. For example, tonight we had crepes for dinner and watched a documentary on TV about the American healthcare system and its faults. It made for an interesting conversation as my knowledge of it is fairly limited. She likes to watch TV almost as much as she likes to talk (we’re watching ‘Dr. House’ as I type this) and will often stay up until 1 or 2 watching and just sleep on the couch. I don’t understand how she functions on so little sleep, but she manages and is probably the best host mom I could have asked for.

Tunde: Tunde is eight years old. He plays on the soccer team (he scored the winning goal last Saturday) and loves sports. He’s also an avid reader (mainly Asterix and Obelix, Tintin, and Tinteuf—all classics) and a big fan of dinosaurs and geography, especially flags. He’s been learning English as an extracurricular outside of school and is very curious about lots of things. He also very graciously corrected me when I babysat and tried to read him a bedtime story about Noah and his Ark. He likes vegetables, but not red fruits and will eat more than I ever thought an 8 year old could.

Deji: Deji is four. He just started at the “big school” this year. He also just started English and swimming lessons. He reminds me a lot of my little brother Isaac except that he whines more at dinner. Some of his more common phrases are: “a table” to call me to dinner, “mais maman, je n’aime pas” (but mommy, I don’t like it!), “Tunde arrête!” (Tunde STOP!), and “je suis trop fatigue pour manger ma soupe” (I’m too tired to eat my soup—we have this every day and he hates it and always ends up being force fed three spoonfuls before he can eat cheese, which is what he really wants). He has tiger pajamas and sometimes runs around with a cape on. He brings the living room pillows into my room as a sort of peace offering. A lot of the time, even his parents can’t understand what he’s saying, and he usually falls asleep on the couch underneath his Finding Nemo blanket after dinner and then has to be carried up to his bed.

Ça c’est ma famille Suisse. Je les aime bien et je suis très heureuse que je suis chez eux. La maison est très belle et a une grande vue de Lac Limon et Mont Blanc. Il y a aussi une piscine, mais il faisait trop froid de nager.

Take a Ride on My Picturesque Train, the little (one or two cars max), red La Cure-St. Cergue-Nyon line than criss-crosses the mountain down to the edge of Lac Limon (known in Geneva as Lake Geneva).

From my house in Arzier I walk (or run, as has been the case the past three mornings) approximately 7 minutes down the hill to the station. The view from the train station (‘gare’ on Français) is incredible. I have witnessed many beautiful sunrises while waiting for the train. It comes up over the mountains on the Northeast side of the lake. Geneva is at the close end of the Lake, and has a landmark (of sorts) called the “Jet D’eau” which is a tower of water 140 meters high and which can be seen from many miles away. I always get in the first car and because my stop is one of the first on the way down the mountain, I usually find a seat. Depending on which train I take (the 6:17 one is deserted, as is the 10:40…the 7:14 is packed with highschoolers and business people.

From Arzier, the train goes through a tunnel and along the side of the hill. Across the way I can see beautiful trees, which decided a couple of days ago to change colors. This morning it was cloudy and the top bit was covered in snow (yes, snow) so I couldn’t really see them very well. After going through a tunnel and various fields usually containing a few cats and/or some cows, we arrive in Bassins. The only interesting thing about this stop is that there is a pile of firewood on the side of the tracks that could easily last a house a year.

From Bassins, on continue a Le Muids (Forgive me for occasionally slipping into Franglais. It’s what I’ve been thinking in lately). Le Muids is cool because the town is actually on the next hill over and the church steeple dominates the scene. People have to walk a long way to get from the gare to their houses, past a house with fields full of sheep. It’s funny because the water for the sheep is kept in random bathtubs in the middle of the fields. Between Le Muids and the next stop, La Joy-Clinique, there are some houses that remind me of rural North Carolina, mostly because they have lots of broken down RVs in their backyards.

La Joy-Clinique is a tiny stop right next to an apartment block that looks like it belongs in on the Spanish coast or somewhere not on the side of a hill in Switzerland. They’re also building something right behind the stop that blocks my view of the lake and the mountains behind. I’m interested to see how soon the building’s done.

Sus-Chatel is even smaller than the last and the train only stops there when people are waiting to get on or someone on the train presses the button to get off.

Genolier is the “big town” between Arzier and Nyon. The track splits into two so we always wait here for the train going the opposite direction to pass by. Every morning a whole bunch of preschool kids (who speak English) get on the train wearing fluorescent yellow “I’m-unaccompanied-on-the-train” vests and waving at their parents until they can’t see them anymore. This is also the stop where most of the highschool kids get off (including a Swiss version of Willie Shain, who makes me really happy every morning that I see him just because he looks like him).

From Genolier, the train goes through Givrins and all the little kids are met by an adult wearing a bright orange “I’m-meeting-the-unaccompanied-kiddies-off-the-train” vest. I love this stop because on the other side of the tracks is a bonsai tree plantation. I kind of want to buy one.

By this point, the train is coming into the flatlands between the lake and mountain. It takes a long time to get to the next stop, Trelex, but passes through a forest with a creek that reminds me a lot of Montreat. Trelex has horses and sunflowers in the lakeside field. I always know when we get there because there are two donkeys that live on the right side just before the stop. My friend Radhika gets on this stop every morning (17 minutes after I leave Arzier), and if I’ve managed to save her a seat, shares the free daily newspaper with me.

From there, we train past some apple orchards and vineyards, stopping to pick up my friend Megan at L’Asse, the stop with the best name by far. There’s a little old lady who lives right by this stop and can be seen walking her dog and/or cat in the morning in her green rainboots and pink sweater. La Vuarpilliere and Les Plantaz are like Sus-Chatel, with service only when necessary. Shortly after passing them, the train arrives in Nyon, passing by a House covered in ivy with 5 sheep in the hard and a preschool with colorfully painted fences and then going underground to stop underneath the main train lines. From these depths, we emerge and usually meet up with other students on platform 1 to wait for the next train to Geneva.

There are many different things to be seen on/from said train depending on what time of day one rides it. Some of the more memorable are the chihuahua in a basket across from me, the girl with a rat on her shoulder, the drunk boy puking all over the floor one night (that was not so much fun), look alikes: Willie Shain, blonde Austin Bell, Lucy Trumbull, Jay McNair (this guy looked so much like him that I creepily took a picture on my phone. When I showed Jay on skype he thought it was him), Ashley Tisdale, Crutchy from Newsies, and probably a couple others that I've now forgotten.

Exciting Experiences, European Excursions

How 'bout that alliteration? Haha.

It has just been a few days more than a week since my last post, but it feels like it could easily have been a month. SO much has happened.

Things that happened in the world:
1. It snowed in Kenya!
2. McCain picked Palin to be his running mate.
3. South Africa beat Australia in a Tri-Nations game.

Things that happened in my life:
1. I flew from Amsterdam to Paris on the same plane as someone who was being deported. He got carried in the back door of the plane by two guards because his hands and feet were bound and was screaming until they sedated him. Everyone else was staring. I felt bad for him.
2. I arrived at my hotel after paying half my life savings for a taxi from the airport, showered, and promptly fell asleep for 4 hours instead of going off in search of my group, who were at orientation elsewhere.
3. I went to orientation with our academic director, Earl (who is probably the funniest character I've ever met).
4. We met with various people working at Medecins du Monde to learn about Health and Complex Emergencies (famines, tsunamis, genocides, earthquakes etc.)
5. We went to L'hopital au Bretanneau to learn about Alzheimer's and it's effects on society in the Developing world.
6. I "faire du tourisme"-d around Paris, seeing the Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees, Arc de Triomphe, and Sacre Coeur. It was great to be there a whole week and see different places during different times of the day and night. Montmartre is my favorite part of Paris. Hands down.
7. On Thursday morning (Sept. 4th) we left the hotel, drove to the Gare de Lyon, took the TGV (fast train--top speed of 300ish kph) from Paris to Geneva, transferred to another train to Nyon (which is where my french classes are going to be 3x/week for the next 2 months). Our various homestay families met us and drove us to our respective houses.
8. I unpacked! It was a glorious occasion. I now live in the village of Arzier, a 35 minute train ride from Nyon, 17 minutes from the closest person in the group. My host-dad is Nigerian and works a lot. My host-mom is Swiss and speaks French, English, Portugese, and German. They have two kids--Tunde, who's 8 and Deji, who's 4 and just started at the big school. They only speak French. I've had a great time getting to know them a little bit and practicing my French. They're at the circus right now, but when they get back we're having a BBQ with some neighbors and friends.
9. Yesterday we got all of our reading for the entire semester in the form of a 10 pound box of paper (the equivalent of 5ish trees, je pense), took our french placement exams, and explored Nyon. There is a castle, a McDonald's, Roman columns in ruin, and beach on Lac Limon. I'm excited to explore it more tomorrow.
10. (Random Fact about Jesse #whatever the last number was +1: Her lists have to be multiples of five long). I LOVE SWITZERLAND.

Other random fact: I love getting mail. Also, my birthday's coming up (hint, hint). My address here is Jesse Dimmock, c/o the Olaniyis, Ch. de la Chartreuse 4, 1273 Arzier, Switzerland.

Peace and Love and Pictures:

From various airports, with love

Time: 4:07pm EAT/ 10:07am EST

Date: Wednesday, 27^th August 2008.

Location: Jomo Kenyatta International Airport

I love Kenya. I also love my iPod. Both have played a major role in my day. My flight took off just after 1am last night in Joburg and I forced myself to stay awake long enough to eat some bread. I had THREE whole seats to myself so I could lie down completely. I was so tired that I would have fallen asleep even if surrounded by people hogging the armrests and babies crying in my ear. I blinked and we were landing in Nairobi and it was 6am. First thing I did once I got off the plane was go to Java house. They didn’t have any ice so I had to settle for a $5 milkshake. It was SO hot and stuffy in there that I decided not to try and spend 12 hours in the airport and to pay for a transit visa. They filled another entire page of my passport. Charles the taxi driver drove me to Village Market where I was able to get some real chai from Dormans, shop (albeit unsuccessfully) for new bata bullets, a kenya rugby jersey, and a Kenyan nose stud (just for you Megan…no success though), reminisce about fun times there over alumni weekend just a few weeks ago, eat Prime Cuts for lunch, wander through the shops, avoid recognition by several RVA staff members (I think it was the red hair, because Mr. Peifer walked right past me), and get some time online to write a few emails. I came back to the airport with plenty of time to kill, wrote and posted some postcards and letters, bought an AWESOME pair of leather sandals, and have since then been doing everything possible to avoid having to read my scholarly journal articles for school. My iPod has provided a consistent soundtrack to the day. I can’t figure out how to pay for wireless so you won’t get to read this until I’m at my next destination. From here I’m flying to Entebbe, Uganda, for a few hours layover, then on to Amsterdam for another layover, then finally on to Paris tomorrow morning, to catch a taxi to the hotel and hopefully meet up with the rest of the people in my program. So now, to avoid my readings some more, I’m going to be a creepy stalker again. Enjoy.

Spotted in JKIA, Nairobi:

1. Man who has the exact same shirt I do.
2. What Hannah Lyon will look like when she grows up.
3. Old lady with the most awesome white hair ever (I want white hair when I grow up-not gray)
4. Kid wearing not one, but two hats à la the Man from Snowy River whose name I’ve just forgotten.
5. Newspapers talking about the foiled Obama assassination plot.
6. Obama and his family on the cover of almost every magazine.
7. Tuskers.
8. Mr. Myrick.
9. Americans! Haha.
10. Many people walking back and forth multiple times (the terminal is shaped like a concave lens and there are only 14 gates so it’s not hard to go all the way back and forth).
11. A Daddy dancing with his daughter.
12. A woman who must have been 6’2” and from Somalia.
13. A look inside the business lounge for Air Qatar. The door was accidentally left open.
14. A girl with some incredible henna on her hand.
15. Someone wearing Skousers (that’s a skirt on top of trousers…I guess Americans would call them “Skants”???)

Also, being here reminds me of that one time when the Malawi/Zambia group was flying home at the same time as the Kigale group and Chris Vinton pretended to be handicapped so they could push her around in a wheelchair. And the other time when the Uganda group was with us and Pep and Pierce and Lowell got out their guitars and started playing and drew a slight crowd (it was big for 7am). And the time that Nathan sat down on the floor and played worms on his computer the whole time.

------------------------------------------------------

Time: 7:48pm EAT/ 1:48pm EST

Date: Wednesday, 27^th August, 2008

Location: Entebbe International Airport, Uganda

I cannot believe that I’ve seen people I knew at all 3 airports I’ve been to so far! I was standing at the transfer desk shortly after landing in Entebbe when I saw David Leber in the baggage claim. I actually laughed out loud. Multiple times. I could not believe it. I didn’t have the nerve to bang on the window and cause a scene so I didn’t get a chance to say hi, but it’s still made my day. Haha.

Other things I’ve seen in Uganda while waiting for my flight to Amsterdam:

1. Cute Kenyan kid with so many clothes on he walks like a penguin and can’t put his arms down. He has no fears of strangers and is playing with everyone in the lounge willing to play with him.
2. Cute little Dutch boy hitting the cute little Kenyan boy over the head with a galimoto (wire car).
3. Group of Americans (mission team) conversing about something comical (I don’t know what exactly--may be creepy, but I’m not an eavesdropper. A girl’s gotta have her standards.)
4. A girl wearing a “Life is Good” t-shirt.
5. A sweet kikoy the colors of the Kenyan flag being worn as a scarf. I’m still trying not to covet it. I’ll have to find one the next time I’m in Kenya. Whenever that is…
6. My dirty feet. One of which is asleep and tingly right now and it really hurts.
7. Airport workers trying to match passports and boarding passes to faces. I don’t understand why they decided to make this transit so difficult. Maybe their computers are down or something.
8. Man in orange flared capris that matched his backpack.
9. Painting of crested cranes.
10. A woman with a pink Hannah Montana roll on. (Not gonna lie, I’m kinda jealous of her self-confidence…although I would’ve picked Spiderman over HM).

Flight’s boarding so I’m off. I hope that cute Kenyan kid and cute Dutch kid sleep the whole flight. Talk at you from Europe next!

--------------------------------------------------------

Time: 7:24 am Holland time/1:24 am EST

Date: 28th August, 2008

Location: Schipol Airport, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

One flight left. And it's now boarding. So I'm gonna post this and sleep my way to Paris...

Reasons why today was the worst day of my life:

1. My aunt came to visit.
2. I couldn't sleep last night.
3. My first flight was delayed so I would have missed all my connecting flights, so instead we spent 8 hours chasing KLM, Air France and Kenya Airways people all over Johannesburg only to find that they couldn't do anything besides book me on all the exact same flights tomorrow.
4. I decided instead of spending the night by myself in the TownLodge by myself to take the red eye flight to Nairobi and have a 12 hour layover there instead.
5. This decision means that I had to say goodbye to my family.
6. It also means that I cannot sleep until I am on the plane at 1am, because there's no one to watch my bags for me.
7. Also, as a result of all this, I get to Paris a day later than everyone else in my program for orientation.
8. I'm so tired!

Reasons why today was a good day:
1. I got to spend 9 more hours with my family than anticipated.
2. I got to drive through Alexandra and Sandton (the poorest and richest areas of Joburg).
3. I got a chance to get online and write this.
4. I cried in an airline ticket office...and while the experience was not at all pleasant, being able to say that I did it is enjoyable.
5. I got to people watch in the airport for MANY more hours than I would have otherwise.

For those of you who don't know what I'm doing with my life right now, here's the plan. I've just finished spending a few weeks with the family in Lesotho and from here am flying to Paris (hopefully I'll get there soon) for orientation for my semester abroad, which is in Geneva, Switzerland with the School for International Training Development Studies and Public Health Program. I'll be there until mid-December at which point I'll fly back to Charlotte for Christmas in the NC mtns. Watch this space for updates on my perspective of life in Switzerland and perhaps, proof of my increased proficiency in le langue de francais. paix et amour, Jesse

Things I will miss about my beloved Africa:

rain. mud. goats. chickens. people everywhere. marketplaces. bartering. smiles. hospitality. clouds. blue sky. zebras. biltong. appletizer. fanta passion. stoney. nsima. ugale. pap. relish. nyika chicken. maroho. sikumuiki (sp?). beans and rice. bacon. roadside chips. matatus. matolas. minibuses. dirt paths. acacia trees. lake malawi. mombasa. diani beach. samosas. carlsberg ads--"probably the best beer in the world". STARS. dugout canoes. maize. brown rivers=bathtubs. lightning and thunder. wicker furniture. naptimes. mama chikus. CHAI-ketepa. tea. rooibos. five roses. lots of sugar. and milk. baobabs. palm trees. bananas. mangoes. granny smith apples. onions from the garden. tomatoes in everything. driving on the left side of the road. singing. church and the simplicity of people's belief. children. imaginations. culture. cows. lilongwe. nairobi traffic. haha. potholes. the fact that relationships matter more than success. no worries. sunshine. warmth. spice. color. cheap food. and clothes. names. wonderful names. and craftsmanship. and delight in life. strength in suffering. two lane main roads. mom. dad. andrew. alifa. isaac. jack.

Chez moi, avec ma famille

"That's not healthy"
"Is this healthy?" -Andrew

"Jackson's so cute! No, Jack! Don't look at me with those big eyes!"


"I had a dream that I was getting my nails polished at a nail salon."

"Nala's sitting just like a queen."
-Alifa

"Jesse, I wish I lived in a world of Coleslaw." - Isaac (This kid has the best imagination ever. I love hanging out with him.)

Dad: Telling a story about India..."I was really jetlagged..."
Andrew: "You were bootlegged?!?"
Isaac: "I have a buff leg."
Jack: "You were a waffle fish?"

"I'm a donkey...and donkeys are mysterious!"-Alifa

Andrew and Alifa quoting Kung Fu Panda: "You know what the best part of that movie is? When he's trying to get the, what are those called again? Dumplings and he's like 'You are free to eat...I said, you are free to eat' 'Am I?' 'Are you?' many indescribable Kung Fu sounds and actions follow...

Andrew: "Does my breath smell?"
Dad: "The answer is always yes, Andrew."

The following conversations occur every night (without fail):
Alifa: "But why do I have to go to bed so early? It's vacation!"
Dad: "It's not early, it's almost 11!"
Alifa: "Well how come Jesse gets to stay up? Can I PLEASE stay up with Jesse? Just once?"
The answer is never yes, but Alifa is always awake when I finally go to bed:
Alifa: "How come you get to stay up?
Jesse: "Um, I'm 10 years older than you."
Alifa: "I wish I could stay up late. Are you tired?"
Jesse: "Alifa, you are up late, and yes, I'm always tired."
Alifa: "I'm not tired, I can't sleep. I'm a night person.".....and I end up falling asleep to the sound of her voice, blabbering on about whatever's in her head that night.

"People say you cannot wash the dust of Africa off your feet...well, I have been rolled in it."








"People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa...It is emphatically no sacrifice. Say rather it is a privilege" - David Livingstone

peace,

love,

happiness,

jd

August 20th-July 1st = 50 days of silence. Finally Broken. Apologies.

I'm sitting in my dad's office at our house in Maseru, Lesotho...physically 1822.72 kilometres from where I was for my last post, but a world away from who I used to be. It is incredible how much life can change in a few short weeks. Here's an attempt to catch you up on what happened after I left Malawi...I have a feeling that most of you reading this have heard from me via different ways and already know most of it. DISCLAIMER: this post will be WICKED LONG, (it’s taken me 3 days to write) I apologize if your eyes hurt at the end. Consider yourself forewarned.

July 2nd Nathan and I finally managed to get out to Nkhoma and visit with the TerHaars. It was really good to see them. The kids have grown so much! They were getting ready for Adam and David's adoption on the 9th. We went out in the Ministry of Hope van with John the driver. Nathan drove. John slept. We thought about making some cash by turning it into a matola on the way back, but would've been stopped by the police without a license...so we didn't. Nathan packed that night and we took him to the airport the next day. I hung out with the Ministry of Hope staff one last day before it was my turn to fly out the next day--July 4th. Rachel took me out to the airport nice and early in the morning and I flew from LLW to Nairobi through Lusaka. I was really excited to see the whole family and RVA friends, but it was hard saying goodbye to Rachel and to Malawi, especially because I don't know when I'll manage to get back there again. I will get back there again though--I do know that.
I got to Jomo Kenyatta Intl Airport and through customs to see Mom, Dad, Andrew, Alifa, Isaac and Jack waiting for me around 5pm. The RVA varsity rugby team was playing in the Prescott finals so Nathan had taken a taxi there as soon as they'd landed. I was SO upset that he got to be there and I didn't. We went from the airport straight to the Java House at junction, but since it was rush hour on a Friday afternoon in Nairobi it took 2 hours (Jack and I got out of the car, walked to the nearest gas station, used the choo and got back in the car before it moved). After going to Nakumatt we headed to the guesthouse where we were staying until Moses flew in the next morning. Dad went and picked him up at the airport, then came back for breakfast and we all piled in the rented van and headed out to Kijabe. We got there about 10 minutes after the alumni girls basketball game had started (For you non-RVAers, alumni weekend happens every year the weekend before graduation. The alumni--mostly from the class two years before--play against the varsity teams in all the sports). I saw SO many dear friends. It was especially good to see Jojo, 2 years was way too long to go without seeing my better half. She was playing in all the sports so I didn't get to see her really until after the games were over. Cheryl surprised me to tears when she showed up cause I didn't think she was coming--she also played all the games. Meanwhile I saw about half of the rest of my classmates, had stoney(s) :) and jr. store food, walked circuit, watched field hockey, basketball, volleyball, and rugby (Nathan got a concussion, alumni played really well). That night was alumni banquet in the tents behind the new cafeteria (which was still under construction). The food was one of my favorite cafo meals and it was fun to be with the girls and to welcome Katie and Danjella to the elite club of Rift Valley Academy alumni.
After the dinner, Jojo, Cheryl, Megan, Sarah, and I climbed up onto the woodshop roof for a bit, then just hung out by the science pond with the boys catching up on life and reminiscing about highschool. The Jazz Ensemble concert was going on at the same time and we could hear the music from outside. At the end Cheryl and I ran in to sing Mayibuye and the Hallelujah chorus with the choir and other alumni. I cried. Typically. The Class of 06 alumni continued to hang out at the science pond until late. Elise, Jojo and I went to get my stuff from where my family was staying and carry it down the hill to the Riches house. We were all fairly exhausted and semi-jetlagged so we only talked for a few hours. The next morning was church and we all met our respective families to sit with them. It was senior Sunday, and they did a great job. Afterwards the whole fam, plus some of Moses's buddies, plus some of mine who showed up and joined tables with us went to Mama Chikus for lunch. (Those of you who have never been to this fine Kenyan duka, it's worth the plane ticket and matatu fare to Kijabe--it will change your life).
Saturday had been Katie's 18th birthday, but we didn't celebrate until Sunday afternoon. She had cake, ice cream, sodas, lots of balloons (Jack made the most hilarious look of shock whenever one popped), lots of friends, and lots of presents. From there Jojo and I ran to Suswa for our reunion tea with the Manns. I only stayed for about 10 minutes before I ran down the hill to the Riches to change and then to the matatu station to catch a ride into town with a group of friends. We went to village and ate food, enjoyed tuskers, watched Hancock in the theatres and chilled around a couple of hookahs. It was late when we left so we squeezed into 2 taxis. The one I was in broke down/overheated multiple times on the way up the escarpment to the highlands so we didn't get back until midnight.
I got up extra early on Monday morning and headed to the computer lab to work on financial aid and collegeboard stuff (blech…it followed me all the way to Kenya) before watching Katie in the girls soccer game at 9. Sarah and I then managed the alumni team for the guys game. It was just like old times…and lots of fun cheering the guys on. It was the only game the alumni won (3-2). Ben scored the winning goal. We had a family picnic above upper field and then I ran down to the Riches to pack for a few days at the coast. A group of 30 or so of us, mostly class of 06 were taking the night bus down to Mombasa and spending three nights there before coming back in time for Graduation. We waited for the matatus at lower gate and arrived in Nairobi with about 4 hours to kill before the bus left. A few of us opted to go to Sarit and wander around/do some last minute shopping. We ended up being the only ones who’d booked the bus so we left earlier than planned. The ride was a whole lot faster than it had been two years earlier. A lot of the road had been resurfaced.
We got to Mombasa at 5 and watched the sunrise over the buildings while we waited for a couple of matatus to take us from the bus station to Diani Beachlets where we were staying. We got one of our cottages there at 7 and had to wait until 11 to move into the others. I was sharing 3B with Jojo, Cheryl and Sarah Pate. The next three days consisted of much sun, ocean water, walks on the beach, brief rainstorms, chai, walks to the market, cooking incredible food, taking funny pictures, discussing past, present and future, heart-to-heart talks, tears, smiles, swimming, henna, gato negro, blue bandits, new experiences, fuzzy memories, fun times, and renewed friendships. I only saw Ben from a distance while we were there because he wasn’t feeling well and mostly stayed inside. At one point on the last day there I tried to talk to him about life and how it had changed in the past year (we had stopped dating a year before), but I felt awkward and made a quick exit.
We had to leave at 5:30 on Friday morning so most of us opted to stay up all night Thursday night. On 45 minutes of sleep, Sarah and I fell asleep pretty soon after the bus got out of Mombasa. Jojo and Cheryl were across the aisle and we had lots of fun chatting taking embarrassing pictures of each other while we slept. Ben and Jon sat behind Cheryl and Jojo. Ben wasn’t doing too hot. He hadn’t shown any signs of getting better all week. He took a turn for the worse on the bus, losing feeling in his right leg and stumbling over his speech. Everyone on the bus became increasingly worried as we were in touch with his parents on the cellphone and praying the bus to Nairobi faster. It was raining when we got to Nairobi and chaos broke out as soon as the bus arrived at the depot. A few people were getting off in Nairobi and leaving from there so we had to say goodbye to them, the rest of us had to switch to another bus which was carrying on to Kijabe. Jon, Owen, and Cheryl got a taxi and rushed Ben to Nairobi hospital—by this point he couldn’t walk and had to be carried off the bus. His parents met him there.
It took the rest of us an hour just to get out of Nairobi because our bus’s transmission was shot. We were praying the whole way. Nate, Joe, and Luke took charge of distributing the food we had as we were all starving by this point (we each got one marie biscuit and a half a piece of canned pineapple). It was almost nine when we reached the Kijabe turn at the top of the hill and were met by the Riches, Nanningas, and my Dad in the van. All persons and luggage were accounted for and we headed to RVA in hopes of catching what was left of senior night. Senior night happens every year the night before graduation and the seniors go through past performances and memories before they kick all the non-seniors out so they can say goodbye to each other. We didn’t get there in time so I just went in to hug Katie and tell Jesse (Ben’s brother) what I knew and give him a hug. From there Jojo and I went to the basement of Swala where my parents were staying and had pancakes for dinner. It was almost 10 by this time. We talked about what had happened with our parents and prayed a bit and just sat there, emotionally exhausted about a lot of things. Jojo’s mom, Aunt Mathilde, walked the two of us down to the Riches where Marti, Kaari, Elise and Sarah were with Mrs. Pate. We all gathered around the kitchen table and Mrs. Pate told us that the doctors were fairly certain that Ben had had a stroke. After she left we talked and prayed for about an hour before we fell asleep physically and emotionally exhausted.
I got up early to write a few notes, and then those of us with siblings who were graduating that morning got ready and headed up to Centennial for the ceremony. It was a great service with Dr. Kraus giving a great speech about how we are LITTLE…but it’s ok because God is BIG. Then Katie was a high school graduate! Once graduation was over everyone gathered outside for the traditional pictures, including the one of whole class on the steps in front of the cafo, and one of the whole family. After the seniors had turned their gowns in, we all ate lunch in the huge new cafeteria…even though it was still under construction. That afternoon I had a couple of long conversations… everyone one leaving so it was the last chance to catch up with some people and say goodbye. I don’t know when I’ll see most of them again, so the goodbyes were important. It somehow became 5 by the time I was finished packing up all my stuff and saying my goodbyes. The rest of the family had gone into Nairobi earlier and was waiting for the Nanningas to drop me off at Nakumatt. I said goodbye to Moses and Dad in the parking lot there (they were flying out that night to the States and Germany) and we headed back to the guesthouse where we were staying. I took a taxi to village market and met up with Jon and the Lebers. Nathan was over at Wes’s house and Katie was at Jackie’s for a grad night party. We hung out at village and Jon and Owen came back to the guesthouse with me (our taxi broke down…again…we just have bad luck je pense). The next morning we all went to church and picked up Katie and Nathan there. We had lunch back at the guesthouse and watched a movie/slept. That night Nathan, Jon, Owen, and I went to the hospital to visit Ben. He didn’t look any better than he had on Friday and seemed really uncomfortable in the bed, but still had his sense of humor. We said goodbye and headed back to Village market to meet some more classmates there. We got dinner and watched kung fu panda (if you haven’t seen it, stop reading this and go watch it right now) before saying some more goodbyes and heading back to the guesthouse.
I was up at 5:30 the next morning. Mom drove me to the airport to catch the early Kenya airways flight to Johannesburg. I got in around lunch time and was picked up by the Pates. I hung out at their house and found out from them that Ben’s condition was worsening and his family had decided to med-evac him to Joburg for emergency heart surgery. It was 5ish when they dropped me off at BIMS in Joburg where the rest of the family would meet me after their South African airways flight got in. I fell asleep waiting for them and was woken up 3 hours later by the smell of McDonalds and the sounds of Jack and Isaac arguing over whose happy meal toy was whose. The next morning we all went to the mall for some shopping. The Pates told me that Ben hadn’t left for Joburg until that morning and they were going to meet him at the hospital. It was Nathan’s birthday so we celebrated by taking him to the Golden Spur for lunch.
While we were there Owen called from Kenya to tell me that Ben hadn’t made it to Joburg. I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t say anything. As soon as I hung up I collapsed into my mom’s arms, sobbing. We talked about it with Andrew, Alifa, Isaac and Jack. It was really hard to watch them digest the news—alternating between being really sad and asking serious questions about life and death to avoiding the subject altogether and playing normally. After lunch we went back to BIMS so that Nathan and Katie could pack for their flight to the states that night. I really, really wanted to be with Sarah so my mom dropped me off at the Pates for the night after we took Nathan and Katie to the airport. My phone had run out of credit so Sarah and I walked to the grocery store looking for some…after a very unsuccessful time there we got home and found that Mr. Entwistle was there. He and Mrs. Pate had spent all day at the hospital sorting things out and he was booked on the red eye flight back to Nairobi at midnight. He was just the person that I needed to see right then. The fact that he had such comforting and encouraging words to say to me, who’d only dated his son for two and a half years while he’d lost his son of 20 years, amazes me to this day. He tried to catch up on some sleep before heading to the airport…but ended up having coffee with us instead and reminiscing about ski trips and camping and other things. Aside from the constant stream of tears from my eyes, we were all quite composed. We couldn’t be completely sad knowing that Ben was in the presence of the Most High, where there are no tears or sadness or pain. The pastor of the Pates church in Joburg came over and prayed with us and I spent a lot of time talking with Sarah and Mrs. Pate about alumni weekend, the time at the coast, the past year, our break up, and what would happen now. Sarah and I stayed up pretty late talking to friends online about what had happened and what we thought would be happening as far as the funeral…
The next morning we moved very slowly, talking more about Ben and thinking constantly of the Entwistles. My mom had promised me the day before that she would do whatever necessary to get me to the funeral. We were going to stay in Joburg until we heard where it was and could get a plane ticket, but the Baptist guesthouse was completely booked up and we couldn’t afford anyplace else. So Wednesday morning I said goodbye to the Pates and we loaded up a full car headed for home—Maseru, Lesotho. We got home at dusk and just in time, we had a flat tire as we pulled in the drive way. The next day I found out that there would be a memorial service for Ben at RVA on Friday and that the funeral would then be held the next weekend in the States. I booked a cheap two week ticket from Joburg to DC. The next four days are a blur of being home with the family, grieving, talking to friends online, and on the phone occasionally. I flew from Maseru to Joburg Monday morning and had an 11 hour layover (which I spent at the Pates house—they are wonderful and were such a blessing to have in Joburg). At midnight I flew from Joburg to Amsterdam to DC, landing at 4pm on July 22^nd (for those of you who have now lost track of what day it is). Owen had flown in from Kenya a few hours earlier and picked me up at the airport. We stayed with family friends of his that night, and of course, the first thing we did after landing in the States was go watch THE DARK KNIGHT. Heath Ledger = probably the best performance I’ve ever seen by any actor, ever. The next day, after running errands that included buying a new macbook for Owen, we headed down to my house in Marion, NC. Owen is a great roadtrip buddy so the 8 hours it ended up taking passed by without any trouble. It rained on us, which slowed us down a bit, and it was dark by the time we got there.
Dad and Katie weren’t home yet because they’d gone to Greeneville, SC to buy a used car and it had broken down on them on the way back. We made some mac ‘n’ cheese for dinner (I can’t say mac ‘n cheese without thinking of Juno’s ‘he is the cheese to my macaroni’ line. I <3>), thought about watching a movie, but fell asleep talking instead. The next morning (Thursday) we got up fairly early to drive down to Charlotte and pick up various people who were arriving there and staying at my house for the funeral, which had been set for Saturday afternoon, the 26^th. Jon Milligan was waiting for us at the airport and from there we went to the bus station to pick up Laura and Mary Iseminger who’d just spent 15 hours on the bus down from NJ. After some Arby’s for lunch we picked up Thomas, who’d bused it from Memphis (see Ben, we all love you enough to come from all corners of the world to say goodbye).
After checking out Southpark mall for a bit we decided that I’d take a car full of people back up to Marion and Owen and Jon would wait for Josh and the Solfelts to arrive. My poor little VW bug had a hard time going up the hills with five people so once we got to Montreat I traded with my dad for the church van we were borrowing for the weekend to cart everyone around. I showed Thomas, Laura and Mary a bit of Montreat and we cooled off in the creek for a bit before heading back down to the house to meet Owen, Jon and Josh. They’d opted out of waiting for Chris and his mom to arrive later that night. Dad took the whole crowd over to the No. 1 China for dinner, which was conveniently located next to a Food Lion so we could pick up some snack and breakfast food for the house. From there it was back to the house to catch up on life…aside from Jon and Owen, I hadn’t seen anyone else in 2 years. We told them about Ben’s last couple of days and attempted to stay awake until Chris and his mom arrived. They were driving up from Charlotte in a rental car and she was staying in the Hampton Inn a couple of miles away. Chris called about 1 and everyone that was still awake piled into Yoda (Owen’s car) to go pick him up.
I figured out at some point that night that Megan was flying into Raleigh and not Charlotte like I’d thought. It worked out though because Owen had to drive there the next day to pick up his girlfriend Sheryce. We were sitting around the breakfast table drinking chai when he drove off the next morning after trying unsuccessfully to convince anyone to accompany him on the 3 hour drive there. We decided to get some food and head up to Montreat and explore instead of sitting around doing nothing to enjoy the beautiful NC mountains. We bought subway sandwiches and carried them to the top of Lookout Mtn. It was a fun hike and we had a great picnic on the top. Laura carried a camera all the way up and down in her pocket, but we didn’t take any pictures! Once we got down we cooled off in the pool and attempted to keep “said pink thing” that we were playing with away from the really annoying 9 year old girls. We then headed back down the mountain to Marion and met Cheryl, who’d driven up from Columbia that afternoon.
We waited for Owen, Sheryce and Megan to get in from Raleigh before heading to a Mexican restaurant in downtown Marion for dinner. I wanted to get up the hill again to the Friday night barn dance at Montreat, but it was too late by the time we finished. Instead, we built a fire in the backyard, made some chai, ate some watermelon and took time to talk about Ben and the great memories we shared with him. I spent some time looking back through old notes we’d written, yearbooks, pictures and my end of times journal before finally going to bed. We got up early the next morning to give everyone time to shower and get ready. The funeral wasn’t until 1, but it was in Lexington a couple hours away and we wanted to get there early because we knew the church would be packed. Three cars and 17 people pulled out of the driveway by 9. We got to Lexington two hours before the service and saved the first two rows for ourselves and friends who would be joining us. From there we got directions to Wendy’s and grabbed some lunch before heading back to the church. There must have been a thousand people there. It was full. The service was beautiful. Jesse and Mr. and Mrs. Entwistle did a wonderful job with the eulogy. I started crying the minute the first song started and didn’t stop until it was over. We sang my 2 absolute favorites: In Christ Alone, and Blessed Be Your Name. Afterwards the family was in the fellowship hall greeting people. We spent a while outside enjoying a bittersweet reunion with old friends and didn’t get through to see them until 4:30 or so. I am so glad for the way people have surrounded and supported their family, and the way they have been there for each other. They are a constant example to me in their faith and love for each other.
When we finally pulled out of the parking lot at 5:30, plans had been made to go from there to the Chili’s in Winston-Salem. Our group had lost three who were leaving from Charlotte that night, but had gained a few, including Audrey (=happiness). It was Cheryl’s 21^st birthday so we made her order a Strawberry Daiquiri (which she graciously shared with everyone at the table) and sang happy birthday. A few people went their separate ways from there, but most of us headed back to Marion. It was 10:30 by the time we got back, but since it was the last night we’d all be together we decided to take advantage of the Hampton Inn pool. The boys had a great time with the lifesaving ring and a little batman basketball. Nathan cut the bottom of his foot open on a screw that was sticking out on the bottom of the pool. We stayed and played until 12:30, then said goodnight. The next morning Josh and Thomas made us French toast. Owen and Sheryce pulled out around 8 headed for Little Rock, AK. Josh and Chris were headed down to Charlotte with Chris’s mom later that morning so we said goodbye to them and went to church in Montreat. From the service in Anderson we went to Coach House for lunch with my grandparents. Thomas, Audrey, Cheryl and I then took a blanket to the grass near Lake Susan and enjoyed the beautiful sunshine and company. During that conversation, or maybe before, Cheryl, Audrey and I had spontaneously decided to dye our hair. We did it out on the deck at the house in Marion and had a great time. Thomas turned out to be quite the hairstyle perfectionist much to the surprise of all, including I think himself. We thought about dying his hair and then cutting it all off, but Walmart was closed (at 9!—shows you how big Marion is) so we couldn’t get any haircutting scissors. We went to bed fairly early that night and were up with the sun. Cheryl drove back to Columbia and dropped Audrey and Thomas off in Charlotte at the airport and bus station. I went back to sleep after they left for another five hours, then drove Katie into Asheville for some shopping with Dad.
On Tuesday I got to sleep in for the first time since I’d been in the States (Random fact about Jesse I have no idea what number I’m up to now: I LOVE SLEEP). Nathan, Katie and Dad headed up to Montreat mid-morning and I stupidly shut the door as I went out to say goodbye. Got locked out of the house for a good half hour…tried climbing through the kitchen window, but finally got into the basement. I drove to Lexington and spent the afternoon getting beaten by Michael at Wii baseball and by Jesse at real bowling. I was honored to introduce Jesse to Cookout milkshakes and spend some time talking with him and his dad, mostly about Ben but about college and life in general. From Lexington I drove down to Davidson (the weather and sunset were gorgeous and I had a blast driving in my car, radio up, windows down…the summer in America that I was sad I was missing when I left in May). First thing I did when I got there was order some Chicken fried rice from Bonsai and take it to Summit to meet Hannah and Julia. It was so good to see them, and weird to be at a fairly empty Davidson. We went to Harris Teeter and got P.S. I love you from the red box. Julia was house-sitting an awesome house in Davidson so we all snuggled on the bed to watch on the flat screen TV.
They immediately fell asleep so I was left to wake them up laughing by myself. Julia had work the next day, so we got up and went to Toast for breakfast before she had to be there. From there Hannah and I went back to the house and took a nap (like I said, I love sleep…especially when I get to share it with friends :P) before going to Summit for some chai and chatting (ooh, alliteration, haha). We aimed to leave at 12, but it was 2 before we pulled out of the Belk parking lot. I had letters to deliver and people to see…what can I say? I got stuck in traffic for an hour on I-40 on the way home—not pleasant in the bug with no AC. I didn’t need a microwave to heat up my lunch though, the leftover chicken fried rice from Bonsai. Thursday morning I took Dad to the airport to fly to Mexico for a conference, then went to hang out with the awesome Jr. Highers at Montreat (my kiddies from last summer). Friday was the pool party, last day of clubs and last big barn dance. Getting to dance the San Antonio Stroll with Lil’ Mac made my entire summer :) From there a bunch of us went to the blue cone, as always. I then headed down to the Marion house. Nathan had work the next day so he stayed with my grandparents and Katie had driven down to Charlotte to pick Moses up at the airport (he was getting back from his semester in Germany). Katie called at 11:45 to say that he’d landed ok and they were on their way. She called again at 2:30 to say that they’d broken down. I was delirious with exhaustion and would have been a danger on the road if I tried to pick them up so I told them to get a tow and call me when they got to Marion. At 5 they called from the gas station and I went and picked them up.
My aunt, uncle, and cousin were visiting from Alabama so WAY too early in the morning (11:30) my grandpa called to say they were coming down to Marion to take us out for lunch. It was painful waking Katie and Moses up but we managed and had some good country BBQ. From there we all went up the mountain. Katie and I went into Asheville and met her future Montreat college roommate, did some last minute shopping and had dinner with everyone at my grandparents. I got to hang out with Will for a bit, but didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to any other Montreat summer staffers (sorry!). It was almost midnight when I got down to Marion and thought about packing…needless to say I didn't sleep much, but I did get to talk to Rachel! The next morning we all somehow managed to make it up to Black Mountain in time for breakfast. Everybody then took me to the airport, except Nathan cause he had work. US Airlines gave me a bit of hassle about my luggage, but otherwise things were fine.
I had lunch in Charlotte, dinner and a few last chance phone calls in DC, breakfast in Paris, and got to Joburg on Monday night. My luggage didn’t come with me. The Pates picked me up (again, thank you!) and I spent the night at their house. Sarah and I talked until 4, slept until 1, created the most awesome facebook group ever online until 4, then went to the mall. The rest of my family arrived from Lesotho and picked me up at 6. From there we went to the airport and picked up my dad, who was arriving from Mexico. We spent the night at BIMS and went to get my luggage and run a few errands the next morning before driving home...for those of you who have lost track again, it’s August 6^th. I think I’ll save the past 3 weeks in Lesotho for another post.

Congratulations—you survived the longest post in the history of posts! I really do apologize about the length of this and will do my bestest to update more regularly from now on so there are no more godzilla-posts like this one. Peace and Love!

thursday, 26.o6.o8 -- tuesday o1.o7.o8

thursday, 26.06.08
woke up, watched stardust (random, yes), went to work to do last-time emails and say goodbye, packed, took a minibus into mzuzu, ate lunch at boyd's take away (where you can't really take it away, you have to eat it there), bought a ghetto phone charger in the market, found a bus headed to salima that could drop us off at the kande beach turn, got in at 2:30, sat for TWO HOURS waiting for it to fill up, left at 4:30, got dropped off on the side of the road at 6:45, walked by starlight from the main road to kande beach (it took 20ish minutes. nathan was carrying by backpacking backpack, i had one backpack on my back and one on my front and a shoulder bag), we were guided by (no joke) pink floyd, samuel jackson, and captain morgan. i was terrified that we were gonna get mugged and was praying the whole way, but we got to the gate (finally) and checked into a room, ate food, attempted to take a nap before watching the euro cup semis...didn't wake up until the next morning.
friday, 27.06.08
woke up, swam, chilled, read, ate lunch, went scuba diving, saw a huge catfish, played beach volleyball, ate dinner, socialized for many hours, slept for few hours.
saturday, 28.06.08
woke up too early, bought a painting from pink floyd and samuel jackson (btw, their sister's name is jennifer lopez), caught a lift into lilongwe with a friend made friday night, slept in the car, ate lunch at ali baba's, crashed at the mcauley's, slept lots more.
sunday, 29.06.08
woke up, ate breakfast, went to church, saw lots of old friends, went to 15 weddings (in the same place, at the same time), ate lunch, watched tv, ate dinner, watched more tv, slept.
monday, 30.06.08
woke up, walked to the crisis nursery via crossroads for breakfast at capuccino's, played with babies and saw rachel, ate philip's incredible lunch, played some more, saw luke payton at bisnowaty for maybe 10 minutes, got a lift back to the mcauley's, took rachel with for a sleepover, made some disgusting ramen noodles, ate popcorn while watching my big, fat, greek wedding, looked at pictures, talked, slept.
tuesday, 01.06.08
woke up late, ate breakfast, walked to the nursery, got pinched and punched (for the first of the month), played with babies, ate lunch at steers (meh), were unable to get transport to nkhoma, emailed, blogged. basi.

12 Samosas, 4 Minibuses, 3 Jackfruit, 2 Airplanes and a couple of pirated DVDs

6:38 pm Malawi time/12:38pm EST, Tuesday 24^th June 2008

I burnt my rice. Turned down the wrong eye of the stove. Boo. Luckily for me, tonight has become at spontaneous baking party at the house and the rest of dinner will consist of chocolate-snickers-banana-peanut butter cake, banana loaf, “biscuits” w/ crushed MnMs on top, and lemon cupcakes. And powdered milk. Yummy.

Two weeks ago today Allison, Sarah, Sarah and Lucy (two med. students from Univ. of Newcastle) and I celebrated the last meal Allison, Sarah and I would all be together for with steak and rice and salad and carrots and peas. It was a feast of a feast. The next morning I was picked up by Aunt Jodi at the Nursing school and drove down to Lilongwe in between John and Joseph’s car seats. We sang lots of the same songs as on the way up with the new addition of Old MacDonald (he had a farm, for those of you whose childhood is too far behind you). It was my first times to Lilongwe in two years, one month, seventeen days, and 7 hours…give or take a bit. Not much had changed and that was comforting. The McGills dropped me off at Shoprite and I met up with Ministry of Hope people. Justin and Joni Manon (the volunteer coordinators) were driving the minivan full of white people when I hopped in. Sydney and Rachel are long-term volunteers, and then nine others called the “New Wilmington” group. We drove from Shoprite to Bisnowaty to pick up Paul (who was there because he had lost his passport and had to sit at immigration for a while) then went to their house in area 44—way out next to the President’s Statehouse. I was completely surrounded by Americans for the first time since I’d arrived in Malawi and it was strange. I missed the constant intake of tea and good food and accents. I shared a few blankets and a sleeping bag with Sydney in her and Rachel’s room. Paul came and hung out with us while the group had their devos. (Paul and Sydney go to Davidson with me and are awesome) (Rachel doesn’t go to Davidson, but is awesome nonetheless). The next morning we all went over to the Ministry of Hope office and I was reunited with our gardener/driver of 8 years, Dada Nyirenda, one of our dog’s puppies, George, and several people who knew me because of my last name, but who I didn’t remember. I convinced Paul to walk around Lilongwe with me instead of going into the village with the others. We went first to the Crisis Nursery; saw Mama Jere and Amai Nyoni and Lundu. It was fun to play with the babies and be there again (those of you who don’t know the significance of the Ministry of Hope Crisis Nursery should ask me about it sometime). From there we walked to Crossroads and Café Delight for lunch. On the way I introduced Paul to sugar cane. He didn’t like it. I was ok with that cause it meant more for me.

--We now interrupt this transmission to go sing karaoke, peace--

4 hours later…all the 80s songs have been sung, two hilarious episodes of The Mighty Boosh watched, and I just remembered that I have to be at work early tomorrow morning so I’m off to bed…hopefully the internet in the office will work tomorrow (it didn’t today).

2:41pm Malawi time/ 8:41 am EST, Wednesday, 25^th June, 2008

I was soooo happy when I got on the internet this morning and had 12 real emails and only 17 junk/facebook ones. Much of my time has been passed reading them and replying to people. I was given one assignment at work today: call a member of the HTC (HIV testing and counseling) team and tell them to set up a meeting in Luwerezi next week. I was excited about being assigned something to do, but before I got a chance to call, someone else went and did it. I guess that gives me more time to tell you about the last two weeks though so it’s not all bad.

Thursday night I went to the Capital hotel to eat pizza with the MoH volunteers and a group from Arizona that was staying there. We got to see what one of the rooms looked like (these are $150ish a night and VERY posh) and what a bit of the Euro cup match that was on at the time. The next morning I was on the same flight as the AZ group to Nairobi. They had a nine hour layover so I showed them where the lounge and Java House were then headed into town. Because I arrived in Nairobi around 4:30 traffic was terrible and it took us an hour and a half to get to the de la Torres’ house. I spent the night there and arranged for Francis to take me out to Rift Valley Academy (my high school) early the next morning. It was all I could do to not go to bed at 7. I managed to stay awake until 10 watching MTV music videos…Francis picked me up at 7:30 Saturday morning and we drove out to RVA. It’s about an hour north of the city so we got there in plenty of time for me to wake Katie up and surprise her. The entire purpose of my random, frequent-flyer ticket to Kenya for the weekend was to surprise her and hang out with her. (Fun Fact about Jesse #5: She loves surprises. Allsorts. Giving and getting them). It was a volleyball tournament and Jr. Store that day so after a bit we went and got in line. I had a cheeseburger and three stoneys :) They stopped making Chicken tikka and teriyaki which was VERY upsetting news, but since the Manns were junior class sponsors I didn’t complain. (Those of you who are confused by this point should ask me sometime to explain the various aspects of RVA culture that you don’t understand). (Don’t ask me at the same time as you ask me about the crisis nursery though unless you have a couple of hours to spare). I saw Malderink (my better half), Josiah and Elise and all the other Riches, Megan McHaney, the Nanningas , Mushroom Man, Studmuffin, and many others that I hadn’t seen since I graduated two years ago. It was really strange being there and all the little kiddies being grown up. I didn’t actually feel any older at all. Just much more confident and mature (whether or not that’s true that’s how I felt). Mama Chikus food for Sunday lunch was definitely the highlight of the weekend and Francis came to pick me up on Monday afternoon before I felt any time had passed at all. Monday night I ate with the de la Torres and some guests and discussed politics and missions and development and fell asleep at 9. The taxi to the airport emptied my wallet so when I arrived back in Lilongwe at lunchtime I was determined not to spend 4,500 Kwacha on a taxi into town. I recognized one of the cars in the airport parking lot and ended up bumming a ride from Dada Kamanga in the CCAP van with 15 Australians who arrived on my flight and were coming to work in Blantyre for two weeks. They dropped me in area 47 and I walked to the Ministry of Hope office and waited for everyone else to arrive from the village. That night and Wednesday I spent in the office and around Lilongwe with Sydney, Paul and Rachel. We planned to go to the Lake on Thursday and maybe spend the night camping on the beach and come back Friday. The New Wilmington group was planning to go for the day on Thursday and give us a ride out there, but that fell through.

Instead, we made our own adventure (Mom, don’t worry, I’m alive to tell this tale so everything went fine). We drove to Area 2 at 7:30 Thursday morning and catching an AXA bus to Salima (it only cost MK290 each, but there were people in every seat and standing in the aisle the whole way…Rachel graciously gave her seat to a woman with a baby on her back so they could sit down). From Salima we started walking to Senga Bay in hopes of catching a minibus or hitching a ride. We ended up in the back of a pickup truck with 10 other people. Five minutes out of town it ran out of fuel and parked on the side of the road. We waited for the next empty truck to come by, piled in and continued on our way. By the time we reached Senga Bay 25 other people had joined us in the back of the truck. From Senga Bay we walked the last 8 kilometres to the campsite, stopping at the Red Zebra Café for lunch. It was 2:30 before we started climbing the rocks to jump into the water. (Sorry, no pics for now…maybe later when I get them on my computer). It wasn’t as cold as it looked and the jump was a huge adrenalin rush. I was glad that Paul and Sydney and Rachel got a chance to do it. Rachel had to be at a meeting Friday morning so she drove back to town with the New Wilmington group (they picked her up and dropped off our tent). Sydney, Paul and I set up the tent, showered, ate our peanut butter and banana sandwiches for dinner, arranged a very shady looking “taxi” to take us to Salima the next morning, then headed over to the bar (at the five star lodge next to the campsite) where the Euro Cup was on TV. We met a cool Australian couple who were running a bush camp in South Luwangwa National Park, Zambia for the summer and taking some time off to travel Malawi. They were camping on the beach next to us. Sleep was good…the sand was soft and I didn’t have to fight too hard to keep my half of the blankets. It was cloudy so no stars, but the moon shining through was really pretty on the water. Paul thought that the Mozambican mountains on the other side of the lake were on fire when the bright orange moon started rising. Early the next morning we got up and broke down the tent. Paul made the mistake of feeding the baboons a banana and they bothered us for the rest of the morning. Eventually getting bold enough to steal my sugar cane. It only cost MK10, but I was still annoyed with them. (Fun Fact about Jesse #6: She hates Baboons. They are the only animal that truly scares her). Our “taxi” to Salima was an old blue dihatsu (sp?) pickup truck that is about the size of my VW Bug. We fit about 30 people in the back (mostly schoolchildren) very uncomfortably but made it to the bus stop only 8 minutes later than we wanted to. The AXA bus was not there and apparently had no intention of being there so we took a minibus (that cost twice as much) back to LLW. It smelled very strongly of fish and soaked into our clothes and bags so that for the rest of the day MoH people were commenting on our fishy smell. I slept the whole way back and hung around the Ministry of Hope office waiting for my turn on the internet until it was time to go pick my brother up at the airport. He flew in from Lesotho just after lunch and had already arranged for someone else to pick him up so I gave him a hug and arranged to see him later and went back to the office to play on the internet some more. That night he had borrowed a car from the friends he was staying with so he picked up the four of us from the office and took us out to Blue Ginger, a new Indian restaurant in Lilongwe, for dinner because it was Sydney’s last day in town. The food was delicious and afterwards we went back to the house and watched Braveheart. I was so tired that I fell asleep before the first big battle scene and was really disappointed that I didn’t get to watch it all when I woke up at 7:30 the next morning.

Think this post is long enough yet? I’ve only got a few more days so bear with me or take a break and come back or just quit now and never know or do whatever you want cause it’s your life.

Saturday morning we took Sydney out the airport and sorted out her tickets etc. for her Ethiopian airways flight (she’s a brave one). That afternoon we drove out to Matapila for “social Saturday”. Basically the wazungus (foreigners) and Ministry of Hope staff played against the kids from the feeding centers in the area. I was clueless as to how to play netball, but we won that anyway…and volleyball, and football. Once the games were over we handed out soft drinks and scones and had a short devos with the kids before Justin and Joannie dropped us off at the McAuley’s house for the night. Sunday morning we went to CCBC (the church we went to in Lilongwe for 8+ years) and saw lots of familiar faces. Pastor Henry Joseph was in the middle of a sermon series on Marriage so that was interesting…he made the women sit on one side of the church and the men on the other. That afternoon we were dropped off at the Crisis nursery once again, to wait for our ride North. Aunt Martha (another “missionary aunt” of no real relation) picked us up along with two med. students from Liverpool and my Dad’s boss and we drove to Embangweni (get out your map of Malawi again :P) for the night. The next day I rode from there to Mzuzu in the back of an ambulance and tried to help the McGills out because they were packing to leave Mzuzu the next day. I ended up having a sleepover at their house with the kids and saying goodbye at 6:30 the next morning when I got a ride out to Ekwendeni.

So I am finally back in Ekwendeni. Nathan is here too. I may leave tomorrow…may not. I’m not sure yet. Regardless, I probably won’t have internet much in the next week. Then (this is funny) my blog is blocked on my high school’s highly filtered internet so I won’t be able to update this at all between July 3^rd and 18^th. But don’t worry. I’ll keep a detailed log of all my adventures on my computer so that I can just update it when I find wireless somewhere. Hope your lives are happy. Until next time, peace and love.

--pictures to come...sometime--