Touristy

One more to go! Ok, well...

I've done a few things while here, some of them I've posted about and some I've not. Some of them happen to be touristy things, and so I'll post pictures and describe them, because it is easy, and because it is what people like, win/win!


I went to a football match! Benin vs. Mali, a World Cup qualifier. It wasn't that exciting actually, they tied in the end and that's the only time it had much action, the last ten minutes, but I'm glad. Had Benin lost I dunno what sort of 'reaction' there would have been. Note the barbed wire encircling the field.

I've gone to play frisbee pretty regularily. I was out of commission for a couple weeks, so I went and took pictures one time.

I gave blood. Not too touristy a thing to do, but my name was called and I had to be brave. We only do whole blood here so the recipient was just in the next room in surgery. I'm O+, if you know what I mean?

This last weekend I arranged it to get the latter part of my friday off to coincide with a ship holiday long weekend. It was cool. We went to Grand Popo and stayed at Awale Plage for a couple nights, 13 of us, in a few bungalows near the beach.

There was a pool of course, and we played a fair bit in the water. It was PJs birthday and he got an inflatable volleyball net.

There was also the beach where Ben and I made a sandcastle. It rained the next morning for a number of hours and so our creation passed away.

We saw some nice sunsets, no sunrises though, I sleep too much then. I like this shot.

On the Saturday evening we got to eat by the pool. All the resort staff were dressed a little like pirates and it was all decked out in lights. The power went out a couple times, but hey, it's Africa...

This is our group, sans me since I'm taking the picture. I ate barbequed prawns, with the shells completely on. I was hesitant at first, but they were tasty ;) Even the steak was good, though I've been without good steak for 6 months.

Overall it was a very nice and relaxing weekend, too bad we had to get back to the ship.

But not before finding and playing with another Praying Mantis, hmmm, did I not blog about the couch?! I should I guess, maybe when I'm on my way home, lol.

That's it, pictures. Now I think I have to go make a trifle, oh the trials of this life.

Oh, and just 27 days left until I come home ()!!!

Tranquility

I feel that to reward all of you for slogging through that last monster post I will post a few pictures. Plus it's easier to do and I still need two "ty" posts after this one ;)

Despite all the smog from zimidjans and open fires it is rare to get a spectacular sunset here, I think it might havesomething to do with the ocean breeze. This shot is from Deck 7 portside.

They laughed and mocked me for picking these flowers, which I had to do very stealthily, but I don't care, they are for someone very special to me. Taken during a relaxing day at Hotel Marina.

My apologies for the dude in the speedo (and now I've drawn your attention to him) but the other pictures I had also included less than decent folk. This one just had the most palm trees.

The beach where we play frisbee, I was out with an injury, so I decided to take a few pictures. You can see the ship way in the background. Sigh, wish you were here.

Moonlight on the water. Taken from the dock looking east, the picture doesn't do it justice.

I tell you whut!

Howdy.

I am in Texas, the lone star state, where the earth is red and the sky is blue. This is the first step in my 9 month journey, and a tedious one it has turned out to be. I am at the International Operations Center for Mercy Ships, I'm here taking my BST (Basic Safety Training). I've just completed the first two days which are dedicated to basic firefighting, specifically marine firefighting. I got 100% on my written test, easy peasy, multiple choice. 3 Days left, then I'm here for the weekend, after which I fly out to the dark continent for 9 months.

Tedious because of many things. The grounds here are amazing, but frustratingly vacant. It seems that there is more life flying between the trees than walking the extensive paths or using the large classrooms that make up the complex. There are goats and sheep too, but also unused. The agricultural training aspect of Mercy Ships is in doubt they say, it's too bad, I'd be interested in something like that. Who else will come with the proper training for raising crops and herds effectively?


I've been under the weather as it would be said. I was greatly blessed to be able to finally get all my shots on Friday, the day before I left, along with weekly malaria pills. And I was chipper and full of energy late into the night as my friends were over to send me off. Thanks guys. But on the plane I caught ahold of something, or it caught ahold of me, like a cat viruses choose their owners. A tickle, a cough, a sore throat, a headache. This, coupled with the effects of the live Yellow Fever vaccine I had gotten stuck in me on Friday, made for a miserable cocktail of symptoms. But I am over the Yellow Fever now, the cold remains yet.

My course consists of 3 instructors, nice folk all, and 3 students, myself included, again, nice folk all, with the exception of me. Thankfully the classes have kept my mind a bit more occupied than it would have been otherwise, or more like alternately occupied. It is good to be busy in some ways. I cannot relax here regardless. The sooner I am gone the sooner things actually start to feel like they are moving.

Perhaps I should sit out in the hot Texan sun with my pasty white legs and arms and play with the fire ants.

Dolphins of the sky.

I have discovered them, the dolphins of the sky.

In my job with the city I have the privelage/honour/joy to be able to mow sports fields on a large mowing device. I try my best to keep a straight line, I focus on some distant point and hope not to be distracted. It at least puts a small element of challenge into the day. And one thing I like to be distracted by during these times, is my visits from swallows. You know, the little birds, Barn Swallows, with the V shaped tails. Swallows are the dolphins of the sky. For just as dolphins will jump and frolick in the wake of a ship in the ocean, so will swallows swoop and veer in the proximity to my mower. It is quite cool to see actually, there will be up to 10 swallows around my mower and I can look across the field and see there are none anywhere else. I must stir up the insects or something, even on rainy days. I want to get a video of it maybe sometime, we'll see.

I tried my hand at a diet, a non-dairy diet. It is supposed to help clear your sinuses of all that extra mucous. Well, it works, or at least it worked for me. I didn't notice the change though, until there was free pizza, and I had a few slices and the next day I was stuffed up unlike I had been for the previous week. So it works, but is it worth it? I can live without drinking milk from the jug no prob, but cheese, ice cream, and did I say cheese? It is too much to abandon for a sense of smell, mostly because there are so many temptations anyway. Dairy farmers thank me, I am back on the wagon.

I am also looking for a place to stay, I have been given the boot, so to speak. In hte end I think it is a good thing. I've been where I'm at for almost two years now,a nd I think it is about time to branch out in a different direction. I was really interested in a single bedroom apartment, but they are generally overpriced compared to a two bedroom basement suite. So I'm looking for a roommate, I have a few options, but I'm uncertain about them at the moment, I'll have to do some more praying. But I think it will be good to be out, I'll start buying all those thing I never really had to buy for a home when I was just renting a room, still, it would be nice to be on my own somehow.

I think my writing speaks for itself, or at least will when I reread this later, but you may just be able to tell that I only went to sleep 4 hours ago.... I should try to get a couple more hours at least, ugghh.

Arbour Day

Well, I don't know how much I should post about my job, but today was momentous, in a way, maybe, to some people, maybe.

Today, or really yesterday (cause it's Saturday now), was Arbour day in the city, my city (I don't put it's name there because then google will show this post to whoever searches those words, you all know where anyway). I was selected for an elite unit of children dealers-withers, we assisted and instructed a large number of younglings in the planting of Hemlock and Douglas Fir saplings. I doubt many, if any, will survive a month (saplings, not children). I was a team leader, leader of team #1, I had a walkie-talkie, and a bright shiny vest, and a button which I got to keep.

I don't even know where to start, I guess I already did as this is the third paragraph. So we planted trees. I got "interviewed by a reporter, he took my name and my department down, and my picture I think. He had good timing, he got me in my best presentation (as the team leader I had/chose to give the kids a bit of an education about planting trees and stuff) I asked for a volunteer and this cute little girl, grade 2 I think, immediately put up her hand, so she helped me demonstrate how we plant the tree, and then got stung by stinging nettle, lol. I can still feel the bumps on my own fingers.

I have to admit I had my reservations about the whole activity, seemed to be a bit last minute to me. We got in early and had to drag yards and yards of blackberry vines out of the way so we could plant easier, k-5, not a very tough group for certain. And the amount of saplings they wanted in that little park, we had over 1000, but they fit, if a bit tighter than realistically possible in a healthy environment. So that was my day, my throat was a bit sore, I had to yell to groups, of sometimes 60 kids, essentially a stones throw away from the highway. and it was fairly non-stop, I wouldn't have been as weary had I weed-wacked all day, I wonder how those two guys did anyway...

Ok, now off to a more important message before bed, yes loyal readers it is sad, you are not the most important thing in the world to me, I mean, I feel that this relationship is so one-way, you know?

;)

Recently

There has been food, like tasty ham! With good friends to share. Movies too, some good some not so good. I would recommend: "Everything is Illuminated" and "Eastern Promises", but not "Shoot 'em Up" or "Donnie Brasco".

I perfected my pancake recipe, but I ran out of maple syrup. But I've been using the plum-pear jam my brother and sister-in-law gave me! It is better by leaps and bounds. I also found my Peter Gabriel CD, I looked for it so many times.

I like going for walks, and spring is starting too. The weather was nice for a while, but I forsee much rain, I need to get away. So many things to get away from.

I am looking for another job, they keep cutting down my hours, they hate me, I do not know why. It sucks cause I really like working with most of the people I work with, I probably won't miss them, I'm good at forgetting people, usually.

Sometimes I feel like a stranded starfish.

Nice

Yup, as my eldest sister pointed out Nice is nice :p We were quite jealous of all the really beautiful beaches we whizzed past in the fast train, but we were sure Nice would be better. It was, kinda, the sand wasn't as fine as we were hoping, but you know what they say about the sand on the other side.


These are flowers, they were growing in a garden, the usual place for flowers this nice, I have to admit that I don't know what kind the yellow ones are, but I posted the pic because of the orange Gerberas in the background, for somebody who likes Gerberas especially.

Most of the beach where we had access was not sand at all but a flatrock like at Cultis Lake, I found it humourous (love the canadian spelling) that these 4 women were trying to soak up a little sun through all their ethnic clothing.

If any of you have been unfortunate enough to have seen the movie 'The Transporter', then you may recognize this location, it was near enough to the begining of the film that you were most likely still awake. There were many interesting individuals to be found here, those selling things and those just being themselves. It was a good place to walk and be freely entertained at the least.

Ok, off we go again, this time we say goodbye to France and head easterly into Italy, passports in hand. Next stop Genova!!

A picture, cause my sis wanted one. This is a Lionfish, it lives in water and eats things that also live in water or that have fallen into the water where it lives. I took this picture at the Vancouver Aquarium.

This is another picture, taa daa! This is a picture of a turtle, it is a silly turtle, it was moving too fast for me to take a picture. I am the slowest picture taker in the world apparently, but I guess I can't be good at everything. This was also taken at the Vancouver Aquarium. I had lots of fun there.