I will say, this has been the most "unthanksgivinglike" Thanksgiving I've experienced so far. It was just a normal class day. I had ramen for lunch. (Is that sacrilegious?) But the Americans in our department are getting together for a Thanksgiving meal on Saturday... so we won't be deprived!
But there is still so much to be thankful for. Just thinking about our families gathering together today makes us think about how thankful we are for each one of them... and how much we miss them. What a blessing to love people so much that it's painful to be apart from them. We truly are thankful!
And we are so thankful to be where we are. We still have to pinch ourselves sometimes... are we really living in beautiful South Africa, doing something we love and are so excited about?? Indeed we are. We are so thankful that it is possible for us to be here. I really mean that. We feel so blessed.
So, while Thanksgiving doesn't look "normal" for us this year, we are still filled with thankfulness for our loved ones and for the many blessings in our lives.
Enjoy your Turkey!
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
a week in the life...
This morning as I look out our salt coated window, I see trees whipping in the wind and sand swirling down the street, the overcast sky keeping the sun at bay. A day like this would be totally normal in Sitka right now... cloudy sky and sideways rain... but we're in Africa. And it's summer. Apparently this is not usual for this time of year. But I'm enjoying it, nonetheless... today's a study day so I have the whole day to sit in my cozy apartment and study Luke, with no sun to tempt me outside.
Before I begin Luke, I thought I'd spend a little time here... it's been awhile and we have a goal of updating our blog at least once a week. So I'm going to tell you a little bit more about our life here. (Since Hans' day looks different than mine because of different roles and responsibilities, he'll have to write his own entry... this is just my perspective)
What does an average day in our lives look like? I'm thankful that there is some variety in our days. We have class 3 or 4 mornings a week, and the rest of the time is ours to study. Each student also has a work duty so we get to factor that in as well. ( I clean 4 restrooms and wash the base dish rags... I chose this duty because it's flexible. As long as I stay on top of it, I can do it when I want to.)
So every day starts with coffee from my little french press from Reba. On lecture days, we're up by 7 and to class by 8:30. The first hour is either an all base gathering for prayer and/or worship, or an SBS time of worship or review for our tests. From 9:30 to 1:oopm we hear a lecture on the book that we are studying. Our staff members are the ones who teach, except for the occasional outside lecturer who comes in to teach a book.
Lunch on base is at 1pm. Hans and I eat maybe 2 lunches a week on base, but typically walk home and eat at our apartment. We like to eat on base to spend time with people, but prefer the freedom of eating what we want at home. My afternoon is then typically spent doing homework at home. (What that entails is for another blog, another day.) Because it's hard to sit for hours and hours, I usually intersperse my studying with other things, like a walk to the local grocery store or fruit market. We've gotten into the habit of only buying small amounts of food at a time (partly because we have to carry it home... no car) which I actually really like. We go to the store at least 2 or 3 times a week. It's only a 5 minute walk from our house and it's a nice break from studying.
We usually eat dinner at our apartment (maybe once a week at the base). I've really enjoyed the mental break provided by activities like preparing dinner. It uses a different part of the brain and helps me feel a little more balanced. And we're both glad to be able to control what we eat, choosing healthier options than we've had access to during our last 3 years of eating in cafeterias. We eat a lot of chicken, and have been experimenting with the different spices and sauces that we don't have in America. We also eat a lot of fruit and veggies. This is a farming area and since it's summer, there's a lot of great produce available. Yesterday I walked to the "farm store" (fruit stand) a few block from our house and bought 2 cantelope, 6 bananas, 2 avocados and a bag of about 10 onions for the equivalent of $2.50.
Our evenings sometimes consist of more studying. When Hans is preparing to teach a book, he uses his evenings to study. When he isn't and I do have to study, he's usually at the base playing ping pong. He started a ladder tournament and there are about 35 people participating. Ideally, though, we don't have to study at night and can take time off to relax. We read, write email, maybe have someone over for dinner, or watch the TV show Prison Break (don't ask).
So that's a typical week for us. The weekends are different (we typically study on Saturday and take Sunday off). We fit cleaning in there somewhere, and we're learning to prioritize things like communication with our friends and family and supporters and keeping track of our finances (we know this is important for tax purposes but are still figuring out what that looks like). We're still deciding on which church to attend regularly. There are several in this area. And we typically go to the Sunday market to buy dried fruit and things we need for our apartment (last week's target, a cutting board and a fly swatter, this week - a cleaning bucket).
I think we're both still adapting to our new life, and there are definitely challenges and moments of loneliness and homesickness. We are so happy to be here, and at the same time, we don't feel like we have our feet totally beneath us yet. It's an interesting time for us. Good in so many ways, difficult in so many as well. So we still appreciate your prayers and are so grateful for your support. And we're excited to see how things continue to unfold for us. We'll keep you posted!
Before I begin Luke, I thought I'd spend a little time here... it's been awhile and we have a goal of updating our blog at least once a week. So I'm going to tell you a little bit more about our life here. (Since Hans' day looks different than mine because of different roles and responsibilities, he'll have to write his own entry... this is just my perspective)
What does an average day in our lives look like? I'm thankful that there is some variety in our days. We have class 3 or 4 mornings a week, and the rest of the time is ours to study. Each student also has a work duty so we get to factor that in as well. ( I clean 4 restrooms and wash the base dish rags... I chose this duty because it's flexible. As long as I stay on top of it, I can do it when I want to.)
So every day starts with coffee from my little french press from Reba. On lecture days, we're up by 7 and to class by 8:30. The first hour is either an all base gathering for prayer and/or worship, or an SBS time of worship or review for our tests. From 9:30 to 1:oopm we hear a lecture on the book that we are studying. Our staff members are the ones who teach, except for the occasional outside lecturer who comes in to teach a book.
Lunch on base is at 1pm. Hans and I eat maybe 2 lunches a week on base, but typically walk home and eat at our apartment. We like to eat on base to spend time with people, but prefer the freedom of eating what we want at home. My afternoon is then typically spent doing homework at home. (What that entails is for another blog, another day.) Because it's hard to sit for hours and hours, I usually intersperse my studying with other things, like a walk to the local grocery store or fruit market. We've gotten into the habit of only buying small amounts of food at a time (partly because we have to carry it home... no car) which I actually really like. We go to the store at least 2 or 3 times a week. It's only a 5 minute walk from our house and it's a nice break from studying.
We usually eat dinner at our apartment (maybe once a week at the base). I've really enjoyed the mental break provided by activities like preparing dinner. It uses a different part of the brain and helps me feel a little more balanced. And we're both glad to be able to control what we eat, choosing healthier options than we've had access to during our last 3 years of eating in cafeterias. We eat a lot of chicken, and have been experimenting with the different spices and sauces that we don't have in America. We also eat a lot of fruit and veggies. This is a farming area and since it's summer, there's a lot of great produce available. Yesterday I walked to the "farm store" (fruit stand) a few block from our house and bought 2 cantelope, 6 bananas, 2 avocados and a bag of about 10 onions for the equivalent of $2.50.
Our evenings sometimes consist of more studying. When Hans is preparing to teach a book, he uses his evenings to study. When he isn't and I do have to study, he's usually at the base playing ping pong. He started a ladder tournament and there are about 35 people participating. Ideally, though, we don't have to study at night and can take time off to relax. We read, write email, maybe have someone over for dinner, or watch the TV show Prison Break (don't ask).
So that's a typical week for us. The weekends are different (we typically study on Saturday and take Sunday off). We fit cleaning in there somewhere, and we're learning to prioritize things like communication with our friends and family and supporters and keeping track of our finances (we know this is important for tax purposes but are still figuring out what that looks like). We're still deciding on which church to attend regularly. There are several in this area. And we typically go to the Sunday market to buy dried fruit and things we need for our apartment (last week's target, a cutting board and a fly swatter, this week - a cleaning bucket).
I think we're both still adapting to our new life, and there are definitely challenges and moments of loneliness and homesickness. We are so happy to be here, and at the same time, we don't feel like we have our feet totally beneath us yet. It's an interesting time for us. Good in so many ways, difficult in so many as well. So we still appreciate your prayers and are so grateful for your support. And we're excited to see how things continue to unfold for us. We'll keep you posted!
Saturday, November 1, 2008
teaching....
teaching is, kinda surreal.
i spent months, literally, reading through and studying 1st thessalonians.
then i get to get up and talk about it for three hours, roughly.
whats challenging to me, is.....well, everything about that.
concerning myself with others communication style and background is ground unfamiliar.
i truly do desire to have others understand what has challenged and changed me through that book, but my ability to clearly communicate that; lets just say the desire and the ability don't always align. or match up.
it went well. not as well as i would have like though. i had desire to tie my illustration (basically a self discovery tool) into my interpretation of thess much better. to make it clear.
learning experience..
one of the student's world got rocked as far as i know.
and thats worth it.
God moved. and challenged an individuals concept of himself.
which is what i think paul was doing in 1st thess. removing peoples cultural blindness to truth.
challenging historical, cultural norms prevalent in the times.
God is teaching me how to better communicate.
its a privilege.
i enjoy it actually, but my perfectionism and desire to be admired;
based on my performance,
might suffer some blows.
who knows. it might even get goned.....
thats hopeful.
i spent months, literally, reading through and studying 1st thessalonians.
then i get to get up and talk about it for three hours, roughly.
whats challenging to me, is.....well, everything about that.
concerning myself with others communication style and background is ground unfamiliar.
i truly do desire to have others understand what has challenged and changed me through that book, but my ability to clearly communicate that; lets just say the desire and the ability don't always align. or match up.
it went well. not as well as i would have like though. i had desire to tie my illustration (basically a self discovery tool) into my interpretation of thess much better. to make it clear.
learning experience..
one of the student's world got rocked as far as i know.
and thats worth it.
God moved. and challenged an individuals concept of himself.
which is what i think paul was doing in 1st thess. removing peoples cultural blindness to truth.
challenging historical, cultural norms prevalent in the times.
God is teaching me how to better communicate.
its a privilege.
i enjoy it actually, but my perfectionism and desire to be admired;
based on my performance,
might suffer some blows.
who knows. it might even get goned.....
thats hopeful.
experiences........
isn't it great to know you are where God wants you?!?
isn't it odd, that that place is so challenging,
that you feel "in over your head" 90% of the time??
realizing one is in a place where the experience
one has is insufficient, and the training one has
is as well.
i am in that place.
it is not comfortable.
but it is wonderful.
it is life changing.
growing dependence and
increasing humility
is
grand. and painful.
I am amazed how the experience here has been so rich.
daily confrontation
with tragedy and brokenness
lends itself towards bravado's demise.
the spectrum of emotional experience,
and increasing fluency in such,
is a privilege.
isn't it odd, that that place is so challenging,
that you feel "in over your head" 90% of the time??
realizing one is in a place where the experience
one has is insufficient, and the training one has
is as well.
i am in that place.
it is not comfortable.
but it is wonderful.
it is life changing.
growing dependence and
increasing humility
is
grand. and painful.
I am amazed how the experience here has been so rich.
daily confrontation
with tragedy and brokenness
lends itself towards bravado's demise.
the spectrum of emotional experience,
and increasing fluency in such,
is a privilege.
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