The Excitement of Travel

So in addition to going on all sorts of hikes, gnome-led and not, Jacelyn and I have been rather busy this past summer. It is too bad it is past, because I would have very much liked to have crammed more into it. We got a late start after all, in not really knowing that summer was here, what with all the rain and cold, but when it came we used it passably well. Next year will be better!

One of the ways we used summer exceedingly well was in our travels. Most notably our quick trip down to visit my sister, brother-in-law, niece, and nephews in very southern California. Two days drive down and we arrived, sans air-conditioning, in a nice inland-of-San-Diego heat wave. We rejoiced at the milder temperatures indoors, and settled in to play in the kiddie pool and relax inside. Needless to say the boys kept us quite busy through the days and so our relaxation was relegated to the evenings.

We enjoyed ourselves immensely throughout our stay, but for me one of the highlights was our trip to Legoland with Tristan. At 5 years old he was just big enough to handle most all of the rides, and was generally in awe of everything he saw. I'm sure his favorite things about the park changed at least half a dozen times (as many times as we asked him) that day, and probably as many times in the days following.

I also enjoyed everything I saw, from the massive displays of cityscapes and landmarks, to life-sized characters from Star Wars, giant dragons, and every bit of detail within the rides themselves. Of course this is all only possible with a full crew of master builders on site for big projects, which turn out to be half art, half science, but completely impressive. It was a very worthwhile endeavour.

Another of  the highlights for me was trying out fish tacos for the first time. I admit, it doesn't sound too tasty from the start, but when everyone kept describing it to me my mouth started to water and nothing would stop my foodie curiosity. They are fantastic! I am sure though that you can only get really good ones that close to the Baja Peninsula, and I am afraid to try them anywhere here. I think we will attempt to make them ourselves, with the consolation if they turn out poorly that we didn't pay too much for them. We have found a particular brand of tempura mix that cooks up perfectly crisp and light, and we had a very enjoyable meal of fried red snapper and chips the other day, which I think might translate into a nice start towards a good fish taco.

Fun while it lasted, but we are glad to be home.

Finality

13 Days for me. I calculated it at 356 hours until I am in my sweethearts arms. I am ready to be there now.

I don't know what it is, but I am just done, mentally I am not here at all. I just wanna be gone. I'm sorry for all of you who have to be here with me these last days, I promise I will try to enjoy it, and I know that I will miss you very much. Hmmm, it sounds like I'm already saying a farewell, well I'm not, not yet. But since I got back from my weekend in Grand Popo I haven't been exactly the same. I have 4 shifts left, and tomorrow is only partial. Well maybe. Remember that Presidential invitation to a dinner at the palace? It's on again, and has only been postponed twice so far, it should be tomorrow, and if so I get half of my shift off to go. Thanks Murray. I am of course more doubtful than those people who were not here those many months ago when this scene originated.

James S. the DayVolunteer who works at reception is going to become crew on the 23rd, he is so excited, and I am really excited for him. He's had a hard time this last little while, the people that really took him under their wings in the beginning of the outreach are all gone now, and it's up to me and Hannah to help him along. He is a sensitive soul, and of course there are cultural differences, but he has been an invaluable addition to the reception team. Not many know this, but I was fully ready to pull a 'Rudy' and lay my epaulets on the Pursers desk if James wasn't accepted. I'm glad it didn't shuffle that way, but I wouldn't have minded a change in this last month.
I think I've done most of my souvenir shopping now, I am well aware of what money is being spent on these trinkets, and I am almost out, we'll see what life is like at home being broke. That is a lot to think about too, and something I definitely need prayer regarding. Going home I have no place to stay (I don't want to impose on my parents hospitality too much) and no job, as mine convieniently reached the end just before I thought I was coming here, and all other jobs were just stop-gaps. I think I'll get a travel insurance refund enough to insure my scooter for 3 months, that gets me mobility, but in winter, on a scooter. It's been done 3 winters before. So yeah, prayer.Despite that I am very excited to finally come home. They say home is where the heart is, and that would have to be true. No matter how comfortable the toilet seat is at my parents that is no longer my home. My heart has found me a home, and I am ready. My sweetheart is picking me up from Seattle airport on December 1st *sigh* We will take our time getting back across the border.

I think that is all I have in me at the moment. I'll intersperse pictures to liven it up perhaps.

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.

Missed Opportunity

The other day -that was how this post was supposed to start.


The other week I went off the ship. My mother always asks me if I get off the ship, I do. We are docked constantly, gangway down, with the exception of the very occasional refueling maneuver or dredging operation. Leaving the ship is easy, just go up (or down) to deck 5 and scan out, walk past the Gurkha and down the gangway, and you're off. There's not all that much to do in Cotonou, West Africa's premier port. I have been privy to the discovery of the best food in town; Bangkok Terrace is a Thai place, they've got the vermicelli I so like, I'll try the seafood next. You never order seafood the first time. I also play Ultimate Frisbee pretty much every week. We used to go to the sand field at the police academy, a pretty safe place to play I think. That got kyboshed recently, so we occasionally pay to play at another sand field, the local kids cheer us along. So yes, I get off the ship occasionally.


The other week when I went off the ship it was to the fabric market. I had just finished a shift, or was just about to finish, when a trio of new girls on their first day off work showed up at the desk asking James #1 for directions to the fabric market. He was very hesitant, telling them it wouldn't be safe for just the 3 of them to go alone for the first time. I hear like a fox, and I offered to accompany them for navigational and security reasons, as soon as my shift was over. They waited and we went.


I took them by a back way, it seems James #1 is not great at giving directions, lol. The fabric market is near the "big market", apparently West Africa's largest open market. You don't go down there with a ratio = or less then 1:1 My eyes weren't open well enough I don't think, or maybe it was my heart. I only thought about it on the way back really, so into the security detail I missed it, no excuses. I took a picture to show you. Here it is:



The dude in the foreground ducked out of sight when he saw my camera out. I am thinking that he was under the impression that I was trying to steal his soul. Voodoo is fairly widespread here, and seriously I haven't done much looking into it from a research perspective, so I'm going on hearsay, but I think that might be related.

We were in a shop that I had been in before with a different group of ladies, I had bought something that time, to make a dress for my beloved. Such a wonderful fabric ;) And the floor manager obviously recognized me at once, how many white guys with this much hair are there in Cotonou after all? We talked a bit, both of us with our accents, and he asked about Mercy Ships. I told him of the humanitarian effort, the improvements to peoples daily lives that we provide. He asked a lot of questions, and I think by the end I hadn't ever mentioned Jesus Christ. Bonnie-Jean, one of the girls that I was escorting commented "Do we ever get to tell people the good news?" and I knew I had missed an opportunity.


That got me thinking (finally) on my way back to the ship, the shops floor manager was an obvious (missed) opportunity. But going back to the dude who avoided the photograph, how I might have ministered to him, just walked up to him and told him that Jesus loves him? Maybe he would have understood english, maybe not. Maybe I would have thought I was speaking english and he might have heard Fon, I don't know, but I was in the wrong mindset and I missed an opportunity to save an eternal soul/plant a seed/water a seed/show Gods love :(

This experience has stayed with me for so long and I am only now writing it down, but it has definitely changed my thoughts on ministry and where I might feel called. Jesus is relational with us, and that is where He beats out any spirit or deity any human could imagine. We need, absolutely need, to be relational with those we seek to save, or at least with those we seek to share our own salvation with.

My thought, that's it.


I'll leave with a couple more pictures, another of the selection of prints in the market...



And to show dj kosmotronix that I did make Nanaimo bars at Tamaras suggestion... (I had no bakers chocolate, so I used 3 Ritter Sport bars)



And one shot of that fabric I am so happy with from that first trip to the market...

Tasty

I've been thinking of things to post about that end in "ty", as I've been challenged! :)
I've got pictures to go with it...


Ok, we get pretty good food here on the ship, it is brought from either Texas in a big container, or Holland in a slightly less big container (Texas, c'mon). Sometimes we start to run low on things and we don't get cheese or cinnamon for a while, but then a container will arrive and the wonderful cooks will run wild with their crazy ideas.



Today we had Tasty fish with a vegitable stir-fry and coconut rice. I always take pickles as a condiment when they are available, though they by no means rival my mothers. We normally have fish on fridays, but I think the new container bumped that off a few dayswith the endless possibilities it offered.
This meal is classified TASTY!








A couple days ago we had this meal, pulled pork with beans on a bun. Eddie, the baker, from Vancouver, bakes our bread and buns, and these were ever so Tasty. I'm not exactly sure what the pasta was for, but I took some anyway and put beans on it. That is also fresh pineapple that is sooo good. Obviously there were no pickles that day. This meal is also classified TASTY! (And I'm not even a pork fan)








I sometimes miss meals, due to my irregular shifts and subsequent sleeping patterns. I don't mind so much, I'm rarely hungry, and I've gained a few pounds since being here. But it has been really nice to not be tied to the galleys strict schedule. I sometimes enjoy some 25 cent ramen noodles when I am in the mood for something salty. I would say that in a way these noodles are Tasty.








Ok, seriously, do you wonder why I've gained weight. Look at this burger, crafted based off of a fine Canadian's recipe, this is not your traditional slab of slapped together American ground beef. This thing is thick, it's got all the flavour a cow never even dreams of, spices, herbs, even onions built right in, mmmm. The freedom fries ain't bad either, actually deep fried for that fast food TASTE-Y!! You may note the pickles I added to the meal ;)






The galley staff are not the only ones who dabble in the realm of Tastilicious, there are other brave souls who spurn the limitations of the snack shop and buy mixes for things, some even venture to the "from scratch" nebula! I made this TASTY cake for Ryans birthday (Happy Birthday Ryan!) and Deb made the icing. No pickles, but note the bear and shark locked in mortal combat on his shirt.

For those ever so not-very-hot African days (seriously, it's the rainy season) there is FanMilk. Vendors with little push carts and old fashioned rubber ball horns, wearing bright blue, ply their TASTY wares wherever there may be folk who sweat or could do with some refreshing. There are even a few with bicycle carts!! This is a FanChoco, my favorite, other flavours include FanIce, FanMilk, and FanYogo.

And lastly we come to my favorite, something I crafted from scratch, Apple Perishky, mmmmm. I tried blueberry first, but due to the terrible state of either the Texan or Dutch blueberries available to me, I gave up. The little yellow apples we get locally are great for baking, I don't even peel them. I've made em 3 times so far, from a recipe at www.Mennonitegirlscancook.blogspot.com and they have been a hit.

This last time I tried something new, I grabed a handful of bananas, local and ripe, and blended them with some whipped cream and sugar, making a runny, but TASTY banana cream filling. I then used a few mini marshmallows to give it form and packed it all up together inside the pastry. The marshmallows expanded, breaking the seal, but they also bowned nicely giving the Perishky a little crown with a banana core, mmmm.

Ok, I'm done, let's see if this works this time...

Until we meet again, eat hearty!

My new residence

I cannot say that Africa is my new home. Home is a place that you are comfortable in, I used to say that home is where the toilet seat is most comfortable. Others say home is where your heart is. My home is then back in a cozy little town on a hill above a river in the midst of a temperate rainforest. I miss home.

Homesickness? more like heartache, from all the way over there, yeah, I know.

I am a crewmember of AFM. A receptionist, I get to put these black sleeves on the epaulets of my white shirt, the sleeves have gold embroidery, crossed quills. I guess that's appropriate. The novelty of this glory wore off quickly.

I should really have pictures to post here for everyone, but I haven't gotten around to taking many. I ran through my camera battery on the plane looking at stored pictures, I just recharged it. I am on deck 2, or my cabin is. That's right above the tanktop, which is the lowest, hottest, noisiest deck. There are 8 decks total, though deck 8 is just a weather deck, which means it is exposed. They don't call the beds Racks, or even Bunks, they call them Berths. I call them Racks. It doesn't look much like the Battlestar Galactica inside, it's mostly white and green, instead of the nice utilitarian grey. There are a few watertight doors, but none of them have wheel seals, just dog-ears. It does feel like I imagine being on a starship would feel. The vibrations are constant, even though we are in port, the generators must run all the time for the lights and A/C. The climate is controlled and air is recycled just as it would need to be in space. The water tastes scrubbed, but better than the awful water in Texas, my hair is doing alright. And there are not many windows, at least not on my deck, so it feels like the containment I would imagine in space. Even the windows here on deck 6, the big ones, feel like feeble imitations to me, the sun and the clouds mix the light so that from anywhere but close up they appear as white lights, I guess that is the opposite of the blackness one would see in space, but when it gets down to it it's a minor difference.

I don't know what to think yet, I am very adaptable, but I don't want to fit in. It's not that I have to make a concious effort to not fit in, I'm just not putting forth any effort to. Books, headphones, laptop, all are my hidden coves of refuge from everyone here. I'm sure that after a while I will discover that there are people who I get along with, but I am not seeking it, why?

I'm not telling. We'll just have to see if God is going to shake me up and make me, or if He can teach me what lesson I need to be taught without the ease of such confidants.

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.

I here am

I have been a rubber-tramp these past days. Dirty looks from decent folk, "Hon" from greasy spoon servers, and quashed exclamations from the young and less worldly. I could do this for a living.

There's much to be missin' from back home in cananada, but I'm not for missin' it. Truth to tell this has been a mighty freeing experience. I know, though, had I embarked on such a journey away back in January the tale would be darker and troubled. God works, plain as that.

I won't be postin' any pictures here, facebook has made that much easier to do, check 'em out if you are so inclined. But for the uninformed amongst all the sailers of the blogosphere, of which there are many, I've been down to South California and Colorado to whittle away some time visiting relations. My sis in Cali, and my aunt and cousins in CO to be exact, and I am exacting, not revenge of course.

Oops, said I'd not stay up til 2:00 again, I'm still on coastal time.

Been having bad dreams, verge of nightmares I think, perhaps prayer? Thanks.

Traveling

Is it one "L" or two? I have been driving a lot. First few days there was not a whole lot to stop and see, because it was raining with a vengeance, seriously, it was making up for the awesome september we BCers had. I stayed in Seaside the first night, I only left home at 1:30, so give me a break. Then I went past Redding and almost into Red Bluff the second night. My car is a beaut for sleeping in, almost got the hang of it now. And I am in Escondido right now, I could call Sis and tell here I am here, but it's nearly 9 and I'll give them one night more of rest afore I drop in, little T's asleep by now anyway.

My GPS is the awesome, it makes things so much clearer, even when it's just on and not telling you where to turn. Anyway battery running out here in the parking lot, and for some reason it won't let me into hotmail, shucks.

I am alive though.

Norge

Welcome to Norway!! We flew into Oslo, kinda, and took a nice bus trip to Oslo proper, funny story that. I think I ate horse meat in the airport. We then took a train to As (don't have the correct type of "a" to make it phonetically appropriate). As is where Cherie's friend Gunhild lives, she met us at the train terminal in Oslo with her boyfriend Gunstien, he's cool.



So this is the house that a Norseman built, I assume, I didn't see any vikings, just a few cairns that Gunstien pointed out to me. This house is about 200 years old, it was a farmhouse, now it is a house for Gunhild and her roommate Ingvil, they were nice enough to let us stay.

Bikes, they like to ride them all over the place in Norway, especially, I think, in As. Many of the people here rent out rooms and small houses to the students going to the university. It is a small town and has a nice country town feel to it. But of course the universal truth applies here too: Students are poor, most don't have cars, so they ride bikes.

I like this sunset shot, the spiders silk in the grass is my favorite part. Norway reminds me of home a bunch, except that there are no huge mountains looming in the back of every shot. Green, and rolling hills, clean air and birds singing, I miss it a bit.

Gunhild and Gunstien took us to Oslo one day to look at the viking ships that had been unearthed and put on display. There were three of them, I learned a whole bunch, it was really cool, I would have liked to be a viking.

A tabletop condiment fairly common for breakfast or lunch, it was explained that it wasn't like the expensive Russian caviar. I didn't try it, but I did like the brown cheese, and corn on pizza is not bad, go ahead and try it sometime. And kebabs, ohhhh, sure it cost us near $12, but it was worth it, even just to watch them make it. Somebody needs to start a kebab stand here.

Oh, btw Heidi, Norway was my most favorite place on this trip, actually my second most favorite place in the entire world! I will of course be posting more pics of this place soon :)