Well, I can't say I'm the best at keeping up with blogging while here in the States. I'm sorry about that, but not too sorry; I'm enjoying my time with family, friends, and convenient eating. One other thing we have done a bit of while here is go to doctors. Baylor had her first real check-up, where we discovered she's perfectly healthy after not having had any other check-ups the first two years of her life.
Our most recent trip to the doctor was for our new little one, now 23 weeks into life before the outside world. If you read Brett's blog, you will already know what we're having, but if not, you get to find out now. Another girl! yea:) We've already decided on a name -- Harper Mae Harrison. Harper is looking perfectly lovely according to the ultrasound. Everything is normal and on schedule. We've been trying to explain to Baylor that she's going to have a sister and that I have a baby in my tummy. She lifts up my shirt and searches everywhere and says "Where baby?" She never finds her.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
Earthquakes and Hurricanes, Oh My
It seems that Mother Nature was so excited I'm back in Virginia that she just couldn't contain herself. This was the second earthquake I've felt. The first actually, was about four months ago in Rwanda. This one was much bigger. Not big enough for me to think we were in any real danger, but big enough that I got Baylor up from her nap and went and stood in a doorway in case anything fell off the walls. Definitely the biggest consequence of the event for me was dealing with a tired, grumpy baby for the rest of the day. I was awakened two nights later by an aftershock, but by the time I really had a grip on my mental faculties, I figured it would be over before I could get Baylor and go downstairs so I just stayed where I was and went back to sleep.
Hurricanes, though, are a more familiar natural disaster for us Virginians. We never get the brunt of the storm, but often enough get the edges of the storms to know we'll be without power for a while and have to spend the next morning clearing limbs and debris from our yards. I have a blister and some splinters from my efforts this year. I remember one time in high school getting out for a hurricane and it ended up changing direction so we had the day off because of some light rain. My mom told me of a time when I was seven or eight when we lost power because of the storm for several days. It was really cold so my dad lit a fire in the fireplace and we all stayed down in that one room. My mom put a roast, potatoes, and carrots in a pot in the fire and cooked dinner.
It's a lot more inconvenient to live in the States without electricity than in Africa. It seems that it is either hot or cold without air conditioning or heat; there are too many cars on the road without working traffic lights so there are extra accidents; people usually have electic stoves and ovens so you can't cook; and of course, most people don't have back-up generators so you lose much of what's in the fridge and freezer. But that is a nice excuse to eat all the ice cream.
Thus far my time in Richmond has been surprising, hopefully I won't be encountering any tornadoes or floods here in the near future.
Hurricanes, though, are a more familiar natural disaster for us Virginians. We never get the brunt of the storm, but often enough get the edges of the storms to know we'll be without power for a while and have to spend the next morning clearing limbs and debris from our yards. I have a blister and some splinters from my efforts this year. I remember one time in high school getting out for a hurricane and it ended up changing direction so we had the day off because of some light rain. My mom told me of a time when I was seven or eight when we lost power because of the storm for several days. It was really cold so my dad lit a fire in the fireplace and we all stayed down in that one room. My mom put a roast, potatoes, and carrots in a pot in the fire and cooked dinner.
It's a lot more inconvenient to live in the States without electricity than in Africa. It seems that it is either hot or cold without air conditioning or heat; there are too many cars on the road without working traffic lights so there are extra accidents; people usually have electic stoves and ovens so you can't cook; and of course, most people don't have back-up generators so you lose much of what's in the fridge and freezer. But that is a nice excuse to eat all the ice cream.
Thus far my time in Richmond has been surprising, hopefully I won't be encountering any tornadoes or floods here in the near future.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Family and Friends
After four days in the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area with both of our immediate families, we went to the Nashville/Murfreesboro area for a week. We were able to stay with my sister's family for a few days and then with Daniel, Kasey, and AnnElise George. It was so fun to see Baylor playing with her cousins and friends. We got some car work done, saw the doctor, went to the bank, had a great meeting with the shepherds at Stones River (our main sponsering church) and in general were busy all the time. We did find time to go hiking and rock climbing at Foster Falls. Baylor loved it. Brett tried to convince me to let him rock climb with her on his back but you just have to draw the line somewhere.
From Tennessee we drove to Christiansburg, VA to see Casey and Susie Lowrance, and did our best to get Casey kicked out of med school for skipping class and not studying. We got to hiking in the Blue Ridge mountains and it was beautiful. I miss the trees and greenery of Virginia. I like the Tanzanian landscape as well, but it's completely different. Both times we went hiking we were able to borrow a backpack that you can carry small children in. And both times Baylor loved it in the beginning, hated it in the middle, and fell asleep in the end.
I would have post more pictures but I'm really awful at remembering to take my camera so we have here just a few of our time with Casey and Susie. I'll try to get some pictures of our time with other people and places at some point.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Observations
It's funny how different things seem after leaving a place for so long and then returning to it. America mostly seems the same, but certain things stand out a lot to us now. Here are 10 random observations from a furloughing missionary's first week.
There is A LOT of sugar in everything.
Things are big, from buildings to people to serving sizes at restaurants.
We keep our country clean and quite well-manicured.
We have a lot of laws, especially about driving, which most people seem to completely disregard.
Baylor is not nearly so interesting to people here as there are a plethora of other young blonde children.
Everything looks new and often shiny, except for my three year old clothes.
There is too much security in airports.
People schedule everything and the whole day is filled, even weekends.
August is hot.
When you order a sandwich without mayo, it actually comes without mayo.
There is A LOT of sugar in everything.
Things are big, from buildings to people to serving sizes at restaurants.
We keep our country clean and quite well-manicured.
We have a lot of laws, especially about driving, which most people seem to completely disregard.
Baylor is not nearly so interesting to people here as there are a plethora of other young blonde children.
Everything looks new and often shiny, except for my three year old clothes.
There is too much security in airports.
People schedule everything and the whole day is filled, even weekends.
August is hot.
When you order a sandwich without mayo, it actually comes without mayo.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
And We're Here
After a many days journey we finally made it to the good ol US of A on Tuesday night. We were supposed to get here Monday night but alas, it was not to be. Last Saturday we flew to Dar Es Salaam and spent the day in our hotel room waiting to get up before dawn to catch our next flight to London. Upon arriving at the airport at 6:30 in the morning, we were greeted with "Hello. Your flight has been delayed for a minimum of 10 hours. Please wait for more details." Oh happy day. Fortunately, British Airways put everyone up at the Holiday Inn (one of the nicest hotels in Tanzania) for the day while we waited. And then they put us all up their for the night because the flight had been delayed until the next day due to the fact that the original plane had to make an emergency landing in Greece because of engine problems. The pilot assured us that we were not in fact on that plane but that a new one had been flown in. As a um, somewhat nervous flier, I was relieved to hear that. The flight was pretty smooth and Baylor behaved wonderfully for the most part, and we landed in london just 2 hours after our flight to Atlanta departed. So, we enjoyed another night in a hotel paid for by British Airways. By enjoyed, I don't mean we were thrilled by staying yet another night in a hotel with Baylor, but just that it was free, which was nice. And the breakfast buffet was amazing--strawberries, hashbrowns, fresh squeezed orange juice and milk that tasted like milk. Delicious.
Our last flight was not quite as pleasant as the previous two. Since we missed our first flight we got stuck in the back (poor person next to us) instead of in the bulkhead where infants usually get put and Baylor was less than thrilled with being confined yet again for nine hours. Plus she was exhausted and I imagine a little confused. But after four hours of grumpiness she went to sleep for the rest of the flight while I endured scary turbulence for another four hours. I hate turbulence. But we landed safely and soon made our way to the customs line where Baylor promptly threw up all Brett and the floor. And while that was not exactly pleasant, we were swiftly moved to the front of the line, so there was a silver lining. After a ridiculous amount of security, we finally exited the airport where we were met by friend extraordinaire, RaDora, who took us to Chick Fil A and then to a soft comfy bed. I love beds in America.
Our last flight was not quite as pleasant as the previous two. Since we missed our first flight we got stuck in the back (poor person next to us) instead of in the bulkhead where infants usually get put and Baylor was less than thrilled with being confined yet again for nine hours. Plus she was exhausted and I imagine a little confused. But after four hours of grumpiness she went to sleep for the rest of the flight while I endured scary turbulence for another four hours. I hate turbulence. But we landed safely and soon made our way to the customs line where Baylor promptly threw up all Brett and the floor. And while that was not exactly pleasant, we were swiftly moved to the front of the line, so there was a silver lining. After a ridiculous amount of security, we finally exited the airport where we were met by friend extraordinaire, RaDora, who took us to Chick Fil A and then to a soft comfy bed. I love beds in America.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
And We're Off! almost
Today is our last full day in Geita before we start making our way to America for furlough. For the last week we've been scrambling trying to get our house ready for our teammates, the Groens, to move in while we're gone. We've finally got shelves in all our closets, albeit with no rods or doors, but that's ok. The important thing is that there won't be waist and shoulder-high piles of boxes and things lying about in the corners of rooms. It takes a bit longer to do things like this here than in the States. I'm sure most of you would not have lived in your houses this long without closets. But you have to do everything yourself here. Brett goes and orders the wood and then gives measurements to the wood cutting guy. Hopefully, that guy cuts the wood to the correct size and then you can begin the process of installation. Brett has spent the last two weeks gathering every screw and fisher plug in Geita. The city actually ran out before we could get everything up so we still lack a few things. Also, you have to wait for a day when there is electricity so you can run the electric drill. No hammering here -- we have concrete walls. So anyway, it takes a while and I'm glad it's finally done. It makes me feel a bit more organized.
We've managed to pack up most of our things to give the Groens some room and after dinner tonight with the McNeals we'll head to Mwanza tomorrow, pick the Groens up from the airport on Friday, spend a nice day with them, fly to Dar on Saturday, fly to London on Sunday, and fly to Atlanta on Monday, where we will finally be able to hug our family and friends and eat an Arby's roast beef and curly fries.
See you all in a week!
We've managed to pack up most of our things to give the Groens some room and after dinner tonight with the McNeals we'll head to Mwanza tomorrow, pick the Groens up from the airport on Friday, spend a nice day with them, fly to Dar on Saturday, fly to London on Sunday, and fly to Atlanta on Monday, where we will finally be able to hug our family and friends and eat an Arby's roast beef and curly fries.
See you all in a week!
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Senene
Senene are considered to be an especially delicious treat here in Tanzania. "What are senene?" you ask. Why, they are grasshoppers. Wings and legs pulled off and fried to perfection. Mmmm. During a big rain, they come out in droves and our house feels like it's in the midst of a good ol' biblical times plague. Since Brett and I in general do not partake in the eating of sanene, we allow the neighbor kids to come over and gather them: from our porch, on top of the car, hanging on the windows, in a pile on the ground from where we swept them out of our house. You get the picture. It's like Halloween to them (without the costumes).
It is currently dry season so we have not seen senene in quite some time. However, earlier this week our friend James, who grew up in Kenya a missionary kid, came to stay with us on his way through back to Mwanza from Bukoba. Now, Bukoba is a town further north and is a very green and beautiful area. And this green lovliness comes from rain, and rain leads to senene. So up in Bukoba they have sanene year round and James brought us a bag of them.
Baylor seemed intrigued so we let her have a taste. But Baylor's new-found senene love was not satisfied by just a morsel. She ate and ate and ate to her heart's content. It wasn't particularly strange to me that she liked them. What was strange was that later in the evening we had chocolate pudding for dessert and Baylor took one bite and didn't want any more. My child prefers grasshoppers to pudding. She's truly a Tanzanian child.
It is currently dry season so we have not seen senene in quite some time. However, earlier this week our friend James, who grew up in Kenya a missionary kid, came to stay with us on his way through back to Mwanza from Bukoba. Now, Bukoba is a town further north and is a very green and beautiful area. And this green lovliness comes from rain, and rain leads to senene. So up in Bukoba they have sanene year round and James brought us a bag of them.
Baylor seemed intrigued so we let her have a taste. But Baylor's new-found senene love was not satisfied by just a morsel. She ate and ate and ate to her heart's content. It wasn't particularly strange to me that she liked them. What was strange was that later in the evening we had chocolate pudding for dessert and Baylor took one bite and didn't want any more. My child prefers grasshoppers to pudding. She's truly a Tanzanian child.
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