dear friends.

to all my beautiful friends who so sweetly and beautifully comment on my blog.. THANK YOU! i love reading your comments via email. i'm so sorry i can't personally reply to each and everyone of you, but please know they mean a lot to me. so please feel free to comment more, i DO read them! :)

safari. (sorry for small size.. still working on getting resizing down)

changes.

Oh how my life has changed in the last two months… I went from driving every day, shopping at Wal-Mart, eating whatever I could scrounge up, Starbucks being five minutes away, and my mother just a phone call away to Idaho for two weeks to Africa. Instead of park.reverse.neutral.drive, one-stop shopping, five minutes for a coffee, mom being speed-dial number two, and microwaves, I find myself adjusting to a life some people have lived since the moment they were conceived. Well, ok, correction: here at Rivervalley, we have our food made for us, don’t do many dishes, and hardly have to fold our laundry! We are incredibly spoiled –blessed- to be treated so well by Tanzania’s with such willing hearts in the middle of God’s beautiful bush.

We have successfully (I use this word lightly) completed three weeks of language study and our brains are constantly full. I’ve discovered that, once I hear a word enough, I really do remember it. But, unlike the ‘hear it once, know it now’ –ers, I really do need to hear it probably at least five or ten times. And then there are the words that sound familiar, but for the life of me I cannot think what they mean!

Just for fun, here are a few words you may need to know if you ever step foot on Tanzania soil: 1. Choo- this means bathroom. Very basic, very important. 2. Habari (news) to which you reply nzuri (good). Greetings are huge in this country! 3. Asante (thank you) and karibu (welcome). Now, please everybody, now that you know five Kiswahili words, come visit me!! J

Last Saturday found me and my roomie up at five am for Safari. We had an early breakfast with all our safari buddies, and were on the road by six-thirty freezing our bums off in the very open safari vehicle. We arrived at Ruaha National Park after a bumpy ride down a long dirt road.

Once in the park, we felt quite disappointed by the lack of creatures. We came upon a river, stopped, got out, and witnessed one of our first animal sightings of the day: hippos! And an alligator. Through the day, I couldn’t help but feel incredibly in awe of the fact that I was on safari. People pay lots of the big ones to go on safari, and here I am serving Jesus in Africa and get to go anyway. God does delight in our pleasure, doesn’t he?

We saw at least 15-20 twigas (giraffes), countless four legged deer-type creatures (gazelles, impalas…), multiple herds of tembos (elephants), baboons, and one of my new favorites, zebras. They have the some of the cutest faces, and their stripes are quite a sight to see. Along our trek, we saw lots of my new favorite tree, the baobab (spelling?), that I mentioned in my last blog. They are a most gigantic and majestic tree with fat, gnarly trunks and green, leafy tops. I’ve heard a couple different legends about them, one of which is that the tree was quite leafy and got prideful about it, so God picked it up and stuck its leaves in the ground. In the winter when the leaves aren’t on it, its branches look like roots. O, and fun fact of the day: giraffes don’t have vocal chords!

On Friday of this week, we had our second town outing, and used a tad of our Kiswahili. The problem is, you get stage fright and tend to forget a lot of what you know when talking to the Tanzanians. In the next couple weeks, we’re going to start going to the village nearby to get some practice in, and soon we’ll start visiting churches in town. I think we’re all a bit nervous about the new adventure. If you think of it, we’d love it if you shot up a prayer or two to the big guy upstairs for us. J

During our town trip, I once again almost got ran over. Or at least it felt like it. Pedestrians aren’t exactly top priority around here. The rig flew past me as I was walking along the street, and I couldn’t help but think about the fact that had I stepped much closer, my toes would have gotten ran over. I guess living life on the edge is just sort of required around here! (Don’t be scared, mama. I’m safe with Jesus J)

I absolutely love the letter writing I’m getting to do now that I’m here. Licking the Tanzanian stamp and smooshing it onto the envelope brings me great pleasure, and sitting down to write the letter is so very much fun. In some ways, I almost wish I could go back to the days where letter writing was one of the only ways of communication. It says so much more when you have to get pen and paper, sit down, write the letter, address it, and then find your way to the post office to mail it. It’s like saying, ‘I care enough about you to take the time to send this to you.’ Or, as Hallmark puts it, ‘When you care enough to send the very best.’

I am so thankful for Facebook, email, and Skype though. They make the miles seem a whole lot less. Last weekend, I was quite blessed to be Skype called by my family and talk to a whole load of them. Even just how are you’s and I love you’s meant a ton. And to all my family that I didn’t get to talk to, I love you all! Mama and I were almost done talking when Skype credit ran out. How awesome though, to sit in the pleasantly warm night air under a million breath-taking stars, and talk with someone 9,000 miles away. Thank you Jesus!

I have quite enjoyed building relationships here. Some of our language study friends are leaving (too) soon, and it’s quite sad. But I am grateful for the time we’ve had to build even short relationships.

My apologies for my lack of updates, friends. I hope to get to my blog at least every couple of weeks. I wish you all well, and am thankful for you! J

thou shalt not covet another man's toilet.

This week has gone by surprisingly slow. We find ourselves adjusting to a new schedule complete with yummy food, awesome new missionary friends, Swahili in the mornings, beautiful scenery, lots of volleyball, and bugs. As the week went by, something would happen and I would think to myself that I wanted to write about it in my blog. But alas, my brain is rather full of new words that I’m learning do make sense once someone tells you what they mean. So, I’m rather positive that I won’t recall everything.

Our travels from Dar to Rivervalley Campsite turned into an all day affair. We taxied to the bus station, looked for our bus, climbed aboard, and then us girls went in search of a potty. What we found: a squatty potty that we had to pay for. Oh Africa… Once on the bus, we left ahead of schedule. And sat in traffic, a quite normal situation for one to find themselves in in Dar.

Once out of city, the almost nine-hours of scenery we enjoyed was immense. We started out tropical and ended up mountainous. Along the way we saw flat, lots of bow-bob (not sure how to spell that..) trees, and even traveled through Makumi National Park. I was praying I’d see at least one animal in our speedy drive through the park. You know God’s sense of humor, right? We saw Water Bulls. And….. Wildebeests. Impalas. Elephants. Zebras. And giraffes! They were all so great to see, but I was especially quite excited for the giraffes. It seems most people I meet love them as I do. I wonder what it is about them that makes us like them so very much… Are we simply fascinated that their necks are almost as tall as we are? Is it their seemingly gentle eyes and innocent spirit? Or that they’re unlike any other creature on the planet? I just love how our Jesus’ creativity in all things never ceases to stop.

I think God was preparing me to not have what I expected. And I’m certainly glad he did. I went from thinking I would have my own little cabin with a bathroom to sleeping in a covered tent. The first night. Then I had a decision to make. I felt like I was on that show on HGTV where the people have to decide which house they like best. House Hunters I think. Do you want the condo with the great view but small kitchen, or the downtown apartment with all your wishes that’s a bit far from your job. For me it was, do I take the banda in the woods far from the toilet, or the tented banda just a short and flat stroll from my new friends and the toilet? I chose the latter since living in a tent for four months didn’t appeal much to me. I love sleeping in a tent. For a week.   

My new home is becoming homier the more I live in it. I’ve even started putting pictures up which makes me love it even more. Avery and I call it the quarter-house and theirs next door, the half-house. Mine has one room and no toilet. Theirs has two bedrooms, an attic, and a toilet with a sink and shower. It is quite a small walk down the hill for me to my toilet and shower. And not only that, but the stone bathroom I use with a grass roof is a welcoming haven for bugs. One day when I went to use the other bathroom in the lower part of the campsite, I discovered a spider on the door. I promptly walked back out and used the other toilet in the bathroom.

My first night in my banda was complete with discovering that I live with a lizard. It scared me so bad at first. Then I remembered it was a good thing because he eats the bugs. And then I remembered he has to poop somewhere… My new roomie, Megan (starting last night) and I discovered he can escape through the many cracks in our door, so that’s a comfort. I am so happy he feels at home enough to come and go whenever he chooses.

I’ve had my share of homesickness since arriving here. And one morning, I had to remind myself, ‘thou shall not covet another man’s toilet.’ Being here will I imagine be a good lesson in being content with what I have. This is Africa after all. Just go with it!

Tuesday night found Garrett with Malaria. He was quite miserable, but able to do some schoolwork the next day before feeling icky again. It’s great to see how caring our new friends are here. They kept asking how Garrett was and such. Avery and I got more bonding time doing Kiswahili with our teacher.

This has been a most humbling and rather difficult week. Humbling due hugely to this new-to-me language called Kiswahili (in this language you always put a Ki before you say any language). Garrett and Avery and I study with our teacher with the great African name that I can’t remember. They had a bit of Rosetta Stone Kiswahili in Mozambique, plus they have these great kid minds. They pick things up (especially Garrett) like I pick up chocolate, and I’m stuck with my hand still in the air reaching for the chocolate. I’m fairly sure I don’t remember half of what we’ve been taught so far. But God is good, and I will continue to attempt to learn it.

I have been most pleasantly surprised to discover that homeschooling isn’t as hard as I feared. I quite enjoy it actually. And on Tuesday, our first official day, the kids helped me set the rules with the consequence of breaking them being their nose on the post, wall, or if really bad, the ground. I have excellent students. On Thursday, I found myself quietly thrilled to discover that Garrett enjoys reading Narnia. We read out loud together, taking turns. On that particular day, Garrett read first, and when Avery was almost done reading, he offered to read again. When I asked him if he liked to do it, his reply seemed quite positive that he did. I too enjoy reading aloud, but it was quite worth the small sacrifice to let him read again. To all you teachers out there, isn’t it wonderful to discover that your students actually enjoys something about school? J

Today, we traveled up the mountain to Iringa town with some of our friends who have a vehicle… Tricia and I both had lists, and were quite successful in finding our goods. It occurred to me today that when I shop here, I mostly just buy what I’m looking for. There’s not much impulsive buying for Naph anymore. it’s quite a comforting thought for me. And hey, if I do buy on impulse, it’s for a good cause, like buying gifts or Africa goodies for myself J

Town was quite nice, especially as we attempted to use the little Kiswahili we remembered. The people knew some English, and despite the fact we saw very few whities like us, I didn’t feel horribly out of place. I could have gone wild with all the beautiful and colorful fabrics we saw. But hey, I’m here for a few more months… There’s still time to go crazy!

I am thankful to be in the country once again. Surrounded by God’s abounding beauty, it changes perspective a bit. I really need to stop more and just remind him how wonderful of a creator he really is. How about you? J

sticky and sleepy.

Let me tell you, this doggone heat is draining to one’s person. Tomorrow we embark on a four-month adventure called language school. I am feeling freer now that I’m mostly packed. But I also feel quite tired. Imagine that! So who knows how long this post will be…

The beginning of the week found us babysitting for the Ellis’s overnight, and then… Hopping into a taxi that arrived for us and traveling to the Slipway (where the boats come in to be repaired and also where the tourist hang out). Upon our arrival, I fell in love with shopping the Tanzania way. The women at the Slipway have their little plots of shop and they all love you and want your business. The first lady, Mary I think, was one of my favorites. She kept calling me ‘my friend’. She was great. I feel kind of bad for not buying anything from her.

Shopping here we barter and buy lots of beautiful things. I was overwhelmed with the abundance of it all. I spent most all of the cash I had with me. And got great goodies like a purse, a dress, and some beaded sandals. What a great day. Then to lunch. Also quite great. And off to the hotel where Amy and Rob were staying.

We dressed in our swimwear and headed down to the pool and enjoyed our little selves. As we played, swam, and soaked up the sunshine amongst the palms, it occurred to me that this is the kind of place that people go to on tropical vacations. And we’re at it. God, how are we so blessed?!

One interesting observation I’ve had in the last couple weeks: the closer we get to the equator, the longer the skirts get. Shouldn’t it be the other way around? I think so. It’s stinkin’ hot.

Yesterday, we taxied to the mall. And among the shops we went to, my favorite was Mr. Price. Poor Amy was with me as I perused the clothes. I was in ooh and ah mode. ‘Oh! This is cute!’ ‘Ooh, that’s really cute!’ They had great clothes, especially little dresses. But when I went to finally try one on, I made a shocking and somewhat funny discovery: the elastic waist wasn’t quite big enough for me and resulted in a gaping hole in my tummy. I didn’t buy it.

After we sat in Dar traffic, got back, and baked a cake, we went to dinner at Pastor George’s. The Ellis’s pastor and Swahili tutor. We walked. Heat, humidity, and a million layers on for modesty sake, and I was a sweaty mess. And it wasn’t just a small stroll to his house. It was a WALK.  

Pastor George and his family were so kind and hospitable. And when we walked back, it was dark and Friday night. It’s as if people had come out of the woodwork (or claywork in this case). The night was alive and full of sights and sounds and lots of people. And there walked a group of ten whities among all the locals. Ha! We didn’t stick out at all. J Note: nighttime doesn’t cover up your skin tone in case you were wondering. The people were selling fruit and things, and a lot of the street vendors used little flames as their lights. There were lots of new and exciting sights to see, and it was nice to do in the somewhat cooler evening.

Today, I finally did it. I said I was going to at some point. And since today was my last day here, I had no choice: I tried the squatty potty. When I first heard the words squatty potty, I just thought it was a small toilet. But I found out a little later, it wasn’t. It looks kind of like a sink with a hole in it. In the ground. It’s like a sophisticated kind of toilet that you use backpacking, except it’s indoors. I was scared. And it stunk (literally). But I did it. And survived. It really wasn’t that bad. But it wasn’t quite as relaxing as normal toilets…

Things seem to taste better when eaten here. I’m not sure if it’s the ingredients, the cooks, or just that it’s Africa. Maybe it’s all three J  It’s been such a blessing to spend time with Tricia and Amy. Cooking and making messes in the kitchen. Shopping. Watching shows. I feel quite honored to be part of their circle despite the fact they’re married, in their thirties, and both have kiddos. They’re both joy and fun to be around!

As we head out to Rivervalley tomorrow, we head into the unknown. Life is full of unknowns, and tomorrow and the next four months especially. The kiddos and I will start homeschooling next week. I am truly excited, and a little nervous. I’ve never done this. But there’s a first time for everything, right? God is sure to teach us lots these next few months. Now the key is to be teachable. Lord give us grace!

mansion on a hilltop.

first giraffe sighting.. he just stood there. the whole time we were there.

a little taste of paradise.

the sweet little pool outside..

farewell my temporary home.

hello my new home.

voted best shower for shaving ones legs by me.

the slipway. and our taxi.

unlike any best western i've ever been to..

my new little sister :)