thanks be to God...

This week has been a bit emotional for me. I’ve been thinking about last year, wishing for my mommy quite badly, and dealing with my roomie leaving. But through all of that God provided lots of sunny days. Sunshine can cure lots of things, ya know…

In town with Megan and Anna, we ventured into this very cramped and full to the brim jewelry type shop. I was buying a birthday gift for Avery, and a couple rings for myself. Avy’s gift was Tsh 7000. I looked at him and asked for 6000. He laughed, and then proceeded to help Megan with her purchase. When he was finished, he turns back to me, smiles and says in a potentially flirtatious manner, “Now back to you.” I’ll take this moment to explain that this guy is probably in his mid-twenties, good-looking, and a trendy dresser. He was a bit hesitant, but he gave me it for 6000. As I was paying, he asked me how long I was in Iringa. I stumbled around for words in my head, and couldn’t seem to blurt out anything but the truth. “’til June.” As I was leaving he said, “Maybe see you again!” Oh boy, friendly Tanzanians…

One night, Megan I were snuggled in our beds and she says to me (regarding her not being here anymore), “It’s comforting to me to know that the Morrison’s woke up to those gunshots (the night the gal in town was attacked), so if you scream they’d hear you.” Eeek! Not comforting.

Megan woke me up one night and announced that there was a mouse in our house. One day as I was retrieving TP from the basket hanging on the choo wall I discovered a spider right by it. It was a big one! If you make an ‘o’ with your thumb and pointing finger, that’s about the size of him, legs and all. I decided to leave him alive since he probably eats other bugs. I haven’t quite decided on a name for him yet, but that’ll come. Prior to my last blog post, I also discovered a snail almost as big as all my fingers on one hand combined on the path to the Morrison’s. I made a loud noise upon discovery. I’m used to snails the size of large coins. Not snails the size of small birds!

Friday night came with mixed feelings due to Pierman and Megan leaving. But the good news: I saw the Southern Cross! This is one thing that I’ve wanted to see quite badly here. And I did. All I’ll say is that we’re missing out in the northern hemisphere. J

Megan wrote me a note that she told me I couldn’t read ‘til she left. Like a good girl, I waited. It was rewarding to wait. The note was incredibly sweet and filled up my love tank. It also got me to think more about my future, which I’ve been doing anyways, but… It’s funny how we have this great big old planet, and billions of people on it, and we’re supposed to find our place on it. Thank goodness for God and parents. They help finding that place easier. And what’s my place in this world you might ask? Right now all I’ll tell you is that my place is in God’s hands and Africa for now.

As some of my pictures show, this weekend we visited this beautiful horse farm and some of us – ‘us’ as in us from Rivervalley, not ‘us’ as in me J –  played volleyball. We ended up running through the torrential rain and getting quite wet. All was worth it though for the fun pictures I got. This last week has been a fun week for the photographer in me. I even got some photos on vodarock. It has a breath-taking view of the valley.

I woke up on Sunday morning to my alarm beeping. I looked over to Megan’s bed, and wondered why she wasn’t there. It took me a moment to remember that she’s gone. A sad way to wake up. But after a quiet and relaxing breakfast and a hot shower, things were loads better. Oh, and the sun was shining. How can things be bad when the sun is shining? J

I love to be thankful, but don’t always execute that love. So as of last blog, here’s my new addition: Thank you Jesus for… Another year for Tricia to be her beautiful self – her birthday was the 25^th. Cruising down the African highway crammed into a car filled with friends, bopping to World Cup tunes. Rain drops so huge, they soak you in a minute. Thunder almost loud enough to rock your socks. The thoughtfulness of my mum – she surprise called me thru Skype, but I missed it. Weekends to refresh one’s soul. And the promise of potential in the unknown future.