Dec 25, 2008
Dec 21, 2008
:-)
An innocent banter of the eyes never hurt anyone, right?
I smiled as I turned around. The two policemen I tried to walk past were calling out to me to stop. I hesitated, then turned around with a smile, bom dia, and a little banter of the eyes. I did not want to go to jail today!
It was raining. I was soaked head to toe. Two heavy grocery bags in hand. I tried out my little Portuguese for as long as I could carry the conversation, knowing that would help. The policeman seemed more interested in how I was doing than anything else. He wanted to know why I was in town, I said I lived here, what was I doing, working, where was I living, just up the street. I asked him the same questions. He smiled back. I tried not to show how nervous I was, as several of the other "white" people in town had been questioned and held in police custody for hours. All week police have been roaming the streets to check passports. I guess with the holiday season they have alot of people coming in without a visa. I have no idea how, as any place aside from Maputo is difficult to get to. Challenging to say the least. If a person was wondering around without a visa or valid passport, they'd have been wondering for days on end. Quelimane is not an easy place to arrive.
I kept smiling at the police officer. He practiced his little English with me and allowed me to walk home. I was more than thankful as my passport is currently being held with Immigration and I did not want to join it! I had a Christmas party to get to! :-)
I smiled as I turned around. The two policemen I tried to walk past were calling out to me to stop. I hesitated, then turned around with a smile, bom dia, and a little banter of the eyes. I did not want to go to jail today!
It was raining. I was soaked head to toe. Two heavy grocery bags in hand. I tried out my little Portuguese for as long as I could carry the conversation, knowing that would help. The policeman seemed more interested in how I was doing than anything else. He wanted to know why I was in town, I said I lived here, what was I doing, working, where was I living, just up the street. I asked him the same questions. He smiled back. I tried not to show how nervous I was, as several of the other "white" people in town had been questioned and held in police custody for hours. All week police have been roaming the streets to check passports. I guess with the holiday season they have alot of people coming in without a visa. I have no idea how, as any place aside from Maputo is difficult to get to. Challenging to say the least. If a person was wondering around without a visa or valid passport, they'd have been wondering for days on end. Quelimane is not an easy place to arrive.
I kept smiling at the police officer. He practiced his little English with me and allowed me to walk home. I was more than thankful as my passport is currently being held with Immigration and I did not want to join it! I had a Christmas party to get to! :-)
Dec 9, 2008
(?)
what shoes do you where when its raining?
*tennis shoes get wet and keep your feet wet
*flip flops get slimy and slippery - dangerous!
*i have no other options :-)
any ideas? the majority of the community goes barefoot. but i remember my sister coming back from africa with a very scary foot fungus!
*tennis shoes get wet and keep your feet wet
*flip flops get slimy and slippery - dangerous!
*i have no other options :-)
any ideas? the majority of the community goes barefoot. but i remember my sister coming back from africa with a very scary foot fungus!
significant
There are moments in life that are so significant you don’t always know what to do with them. We all have them. Some are big and life changing; others are small and victorious to only oneself. And then there are those goosebump moments where time stands still and you can’t believe what you are seeing and feeling. All you know is that it is so significant you have to remember to breathe.
I am someone who needs to remind myself daily of the significant things to keep stepping forward. My defense at the moment is that I am living in a country outside of my own which functions on a completely different scale. It’s not better or worse, it’s just different (or so I continue to repeat to myself :-)). There is a four-month mark in a new job, a new location, which hits me hard and my frustration esculates to the point of near destruction. I want to quit. I don’t see the significance in continuing when things are so clearly askew with little hope in them changing. I realize I am the one that needs to change and therefore its time to move on. :-) Obviously, this is not the high road. So I remind myself of the significants in my life to put that next step forward in faith that there are more to come.
I am stepping forward. I apologize if my writings in the past month or so have been heavy with frustration or non-existent. I do still have moments within my day that I am overwhelmed with where I am and amazed at the many blessings that have brought me here. I love being in Africa. I love that I am a part of a bigger picture in the work that I am doing. I also have moments of being completely overwhelmed in a not so positive way and need to remind myself to breathe. :-) The daily struggles of living in a foreign land, not speaking the language or understanding the culture, adjusting to the heat and living conditions, are a lot to take. Thankfully, I only am asked to take one day at a time. My greatest struggle at the moment is the language barrier. I’m at a crossroads with my work. I need to speak and understand the Portuguese language to do my job well and I have not yet become fluent. I am practicing and studying. I find myself speaking it more and more unconsciously. And I am able to communicate past the morning greetings and saying please and thank you. I can understand most of what is said in a short meeting – if spoken slowly. These are my little victories each day. The significant at the moment is that I am still here. I haven’t quit. I am stepping forward. :-)
I am someone who needs to remind myself daily of the significant things to keep stepping forward. My defense at the moment is that I am living in a country outside of my own which functions on a completely different scale. It’s not better or worse, it’s just different (or so I continue to repeat to myself :-)). There is a four-month mark in a new job, a new location, which hits me hard and my frustration esculates to the point of near destruction. I want to quit. I don’t see the significance in continuing when things are so clearly askew with little hope in them changing. I realize I am the one that needs to change and therefore its time to move on. :-) Obviously, this is not the high road. So I remind myself of the significants in my life to put that next step forward in faith that there are more to come.
I am stepping forward. I apologize if my writings in the past month or so have been heavy with frustration or non-existent. I do still have moments within my day that I am overwhelmed with where I am and amazed at the many blessings that have brought me here. I love being in Africa. I love that I am a part of a bigger picture in the work that I am doing. I also have moments of being completely overwhelmed in a not so positive way and need to remind myself to breathe. :-) The daily struggles of living in a foreign land, not speaking the language or understanding the culture, adjusting to the heat and living conditions, are a lot to take. Thankfully, I only am asked to take one day at a time. My greatest struggle at the moment is the language barrier. I’m at a crossroads with my work. I need to speak and understand the Portuguese language to do my job well and I have not yet become fluent. I am practicing and studying. I find myself speaking it more and more unconsciously. And I am able to communicate past the morning greetings and saying please and thank you. I can understand most of what is said in a short meeting – if spoken slowly. These are my little victories each day. The significant at the moment is that I am still here. I haven’t quit. I am stepping forward. :-)
Dec 8, 2008
Quelimane
As promised…pics of Quelimane are now on flickr, http://www.flickr.com/photos/khunkristi
Enjoy! It’s a lovely little town. :-)
Dec 7, 2008
rain
The rainy season has started. This is good for the second season crops and to lesson the hunger season. We pray for no floods. I went to Zalala beach this past weekend and it was noticed on our way back to Quelimane that the fields have now been plowed and are ready to be planted; this was not the case two weeks ago. The farmers wait for the first rains to give them hope that their planted seeds will grow. I was hoping the rains would cool things down a bit – nope! Now it is like living in a steam room! But with full bellies on those that would otherwise go hungry. :-)
storm clouds rolling in...
the first puddle of the season - in front of my drive!
Dec 3, 2008
big white & fluffy
I enjoy the day flights and try to get a window seat whenever I can. Fluffy white clouds always make me think. It’s almost trance-like as I get lost in my thoughts. On this flight I was reminded of how blessed I am. How blessed my life has been and all the many things I have to be thankful for. I thought of my very first flight to Africa; it was 8 years ago. I would never have imagined all the places I have been and experiences I have now had in these past years following that first flight. I have so much to be thankful for. So many experiences, so many people in my life, so much opportunity.
The flight back from Maputo to Quelimane today, I am flying with a colleague’s wife and two young children. The kids are in the seats in front of me. I watch as the young boy looks wide-eyed out of the window and points out all that he sees. He is also very blessed. He is growing up in an English family in Africa. I often am asked if I want to raise my family overseas or if I’d want to go back to America. I don’t have an answer yet. There is something absolutely beautiful to watch children learn and grow to respect a culture outside of their own. They learn the language, make friends, and think no different of their home being here than somewhere else. They have this amazing opportunity to fly across the world and see so many things. But they also miss out on so much from their own culture and extended family life. Thankfully I don’t yet have to make a decision :-). I can just sit back and enjoy the wonder on this sweet boys face as he views the world beneath us, as we fly high above the big white and fluffy clouds.
They are awesome!
The flight back from Maputo to Quelimane today, I am flying with a colleague’s wife and two young children. The kids are in the seats in front of me. I watch as the young boy looks wide-eyed out of the window and points out all that he sees. He is also very blessed. He is growing up in an English family in Africa. I often am asked if I want to raise my family overseas or if I’d want to go back to America. I don’t have an answer yet. There is something absolutely beautiful to watch children learn and grow to respect a culture outside of their own. They learn the language, make friends, and think no different of their home being here than somewhere else. They have this amazing opportunity to fly across the world and see so many things. But they also miss out on so much from their own culture and extended family life. Thankfully I don’t yet have to make a decision :-). I can just sit back and enjoy the wonder on this sweet boys face as he views the world beneath us, as we fly high above the big white and fluffy clouds.
They are awesome!
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