All The Places You'll Go

Hey friends!

I have already been so many places these past two weeks and feel like I haven't shared much about them. I don't have much time and figure a picture is worth a thousamd words so here are some pictures.

This is Arusha National Park where there are lots of "twigas"! 

This is also at the park where we got to walk around and see animals such as watter buffalo (everyone has one ya know?!), baboons, zebras and cool bugs.

This is our classroom! Taking Core 350 (philospophy and political class), Cross Cultural Religion, History and kiSwahili are all taught here!

This is our room in the house. I feel kindof like a princess under the nets. 

These are Arabic coffee beans being grown in Tanzania. They won't be ready to harvest until June through October and are picked one by one by the hands of 6,000 workers. I even tried some kawaha (coffee)....still don't like it!

This is the Pentacostal Church that I went to this morning. It was very big and very loud, but the people were really welcoming of their "unique" new freinds. 

Those are some of the places I have been. A week from today I will be on the Island of Zanzibar getting ready to go to classes at the University of Zanzibar (SUZA) as an international student. Also, as I highlight and super blessing, on Friday, March 9th I will be visiting Larry and Joni Bender's compassion child back in Arusha! 

Hope you all have a wonderful January and that the weather is as good for you as it is going for me! 

Hakuna Matata

Timon and Pumba were onto something when they coined their famous moto. Over the past two weeks I have seen how true it is not not worry.

I have had exchange student siblings before. I have seen them come into a new culture and tried to help them in anyway I could to adapt. However, I have never been on the other end of it. Before coming I was worried that I would be in a host family that wouldn't work and have no kids. No worries! I have both. My host father, called Baba, works at a safari company and knows English pretty well. He also explains stuff in swahili which has really helped. Mama works at her shop of childrens' clothes. It has been so much fun getting to talk with her both in engligh and Swahili and make her laugh. This past week we even made a song while cooking. Peace in 13 and sadly went off to boarding school for 5 months. I am sad she is gone but am praying she is learning tons so she can be an engineer. Glory is 10 and fluent in english and tagging around. She is so fun to wrestle, joke, laugh and learn each others language. This past week I helped her with order of operations. She was amazed as she used a calculator to check her work for the first time. Brittney who goes by Angel is my buddy who is 5 and know little English. She has really taught me that language doesn't have to be a barrier. Her favorite games like coloring and being flung in air, involve little language. She has been my inspiration to learn more. Each day I try to form a different question to ask her to see if she understands. Most of the time she does which is really cool. Iglesia is 16 months and has just now gotten use to the first white people he has ever seen. Hopefully he doesn't forget me over the weekend. Asia, the house girl, isn't related, but she is so much fun. She usually just laughs shyly when I say something in Swahili but then replies. It has become clear in the past few days that I am no longer a guest in the house, but a family member. I have been reminded not to worry about the people.

Another concern that was raised as I was left was the food. I love it! It mostly concerns with meat, rice, veggies, and fruit for every meal. The most interesting thing that I have had was a four inch full fish. I had to pull back the skin in order to eat it. We also have shocked our Mama by eating traditional food with fingers and liking it. Fruit also tastes wonderful here. One of my friends doesn't like bananas in the states, but enjoys them greatly here. We drink bottled water that tastes better thank American and chai that is super fantastic, Thankfully I have not gotten sick from food like others in the group.

I have become a master at bucket and bottle showers! No worry that there isn't any water working in the showers, because a bucket of stove boiled water and an old water bottle work fanatstically. Don't worry that people drive on the other side of the road on uncivilized rock and dirt roads without seat belts as the drivers all how everyone else is driving and magically doesn't get hurt. Don't worry about school, as we are learning so much both in and out of the classroom.

The biggest adaption was to not worry about time. If someone says that they will meet you at nine in America you expect to meet at least five minutes before. Here if you say nine you may me ready at nine thirty at the earliest or eleven at the latest. There really isn't any rush. People value each other and know that you will come to fulfill your word eventually. Hakuna Matata!

I hope you all are able to just set aside some worry to enjoy some time being free. Living under the grace and love of Christ it will open up a whole new world.

Made It Safe And Sound

With a bag weighing 38 pounds and a backpack weighing 25 I left on a wild adventure. Amazingly enough everything went smoothly as planned. Our lay overs were as long as expected and our flights a little shorter due to a pilot admititting to flying fast! But oh what and adventure.

Quick highlights of the trip:
Nothing was lost or broken
Ate two decent meals on the two long flights
Played tons of games in airports
Watched movies and colored
Made all connections with no delays or complications



Looking out of the window coming into Dar Es Salaam was amazing. Green trees and grass was every where thanks to the recent floods. Flying into Kilimanjaro everything was dry. The only unsparatic trees were used as borders around houses. Driving to Arusha was fantastic. There were goats and cows grazing at ease on the side of the road. People from all classes were walking in bright colors. Corn and sunflowers grew in the same field. Every once and awhile there would be a town with speed bumps that made a snail seem fast. The majority of people walked any where and everywhere. Those on motorcycles and vans loved to drive anywhere and everywhere. This combination of those two made me thankful I was sitting in the back.

After checking into our hotel we went exploring....don't worry we have been reassured that it is safe to go walking in the day and I was with a friend. The small shops along the side of the dirt walk was amazing. There were many people roasting corn on a fire along someone selling shoes, next to a pineapple stand and across from a mattress stand. It was here that I realized how I have been apart of the majority my entire life. Amongst the streets of dark skin I look like a splotch of white paint. People would change to speeking in English to try to get our attention and no doubt our business as well. What is amazing is that English spoken here is pretty good;however, after practicing some swahili it is clear I have a long way to go. Oh it's all part of the adventure.

In short I love Africa. The weather is nice and warm all the way to reach my fingers and toes. The food is amazingly good. I keep learning more and more and more although classes haven't started yet. My camera is going crazy!

PS I know it is like no big deal or nothing, but just so you know Emma Watson (Harry Potter's friend Hermione Granger) met up with us in London to Africa. She didn't have to deal with long customs lines and got to go on her journey.

Let's Go!

When I was younger, my parents always made us do a double check to make sure everything was alright and in working order before a trip. Not every event needed to be planned to a tee, but you had to be ready to go when they said; “Let’s go!” Tomorrow at 1:45 pm I will fly into the air on a “Let’s go!” on an wild adventure…but first let’s make sure everything is in order and there is a game plan for this adventure.

So game plan for whirl wind adventure kick-off:

Check in at Spokane Airport (12:30ish)

Fly to Seattle (aprox. 1 hr)

      Have a great four hour lay-over

Fly to London (aprox. 9 hrs)

      Have a six hour lay-over

Fly to Dar Es Salaam (aprox. 9.5 hrs)

       Have a three hour lay-over

Fly to Kilimanjaro (aprox. 1 hr.)

       Check in at hotel, go to market and eat dinner

Extended Outlook for January

9^th, first day in Arusha, Arusha National Park

10^th:  Meet Tanzanian mentors

12^th:  National Holiday – Zanzibar Revolutionary Day

Be with host families getting accustomed to Tanzania

22: Church with host families

26^th: Start classes: Swahili, Core 350, Politics, Economics

27^th: Start religion class

28^th: Go to the Island of Zanzibar

29^th: Attend services at Christ Church Cathedral in Stonetown

30^th: Start classes as an international student with Swahili

Tomorrow I fly 11/24^th , about 9, 302 miles, around the world. It’s going to be an adventure and I am really ready for the “Let’s go!”