I'm somehow strangely comforted that my friend in Canada has battled the rats over there. But like her, I grew up in a place where there were no rats. (argh, went to look for her hilarious blog post about her battle with rats, but can't find it at the moment :( ).
Anyways, last night, as I was being warmed by the cat at the foot of my bed (he doesn't always get to sleep with me - just when it's really cold!), he suddenly bolted up straight and made a beeline to the edge of the mosquito net. He obviously saw or heard something scurrying past - I didn't see it or hear it, so it must have been on the other side of my bedroom wall, which is made with just a very, very thin piece of wood (not even plywood - more like particle board).
And then, just a few minutes ago, I heard a big clatter in the kitchen, even though everyone is safely tucked into their mosquito nets for the night (and Zane is out having a guys' night out with his buddies somewhere). I grabbed my head lamp, and sure enough, all of the spices were knocked off the shelf.
So tomorrow I declare war on the rats again. I can't declare war tonight - too tired! But tomorrow, watch out you little critters. Tomorrow will be the last sunrise you ever see...!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
I'm SO cold!
There was one day last year during the rainy season where I put my sweater on at about noon. I thought rainy season was just about over here, and I haven't had to wear my sweater in the afternoon at all yet this year. But today... ah... wow. It was wet, muddy, cloudy and cold! What a beautiful day it was!
I wore a "warmer" short sleeve shirt this morning, along with a long skirt and my "mud shoes" (actually my imitation crocs which a lovely American visitor left for me last year), thinking that I would be warm enough to get through the chill of the morning. At about tea time, I came back home and got a scarf (shawl) to wrap my shoulders in. But then at lunch time, I actually put my sweater on! The last time I wore this sweater was when I got on the plane to this place in Ethiopia last January!
I took it off for about half an hour this afternoon at 3:30pm. But put it back on when it started to drizzle again at about 4. I had a look at my thermometer which sits on my desk, and was surprised to see that it was still about 26C in my office. But I was sitting there in the same sweater that I wear at home when it's -30C! I really did feel cold. And now, at nearly 11:30pm, it's 23.5C in my room, I'm still wearing my sweater, and I didn't have a shower tonight because it's way too cold to get wet!
Have I mentioned what a beautiful day it was today?!
I had another typical experience this evening. I've been meeting together with a small group of women each week to pray and just to get to know each other better. It's been a wonderful group, but the past several weeks, we've been having some trouble getting together. Either someone gets "stranded" somewhere out in the bush after a field trip, drivers don't show up when they're supposed to, curfews happen... and tonight, our plans were thwarted once again.
There was a bit of concern that after all the rain, our friends wouldn't be able to actually drive down the road into our compound without getting stuck in the mud. Our drive way literally turns into a rushing river on days like this. You need to put it into 4WD to get in and out of the gate. So we decided to meet at a little cafe tonight, within walking distance of our house.
Annamarie and I set off into the night, armed with our headlamps to make sure we didn't fall into a mud pit. We made it there safe and sound, with just a few mud splatters. However, when we got to the main road (just about a 2 minute walk from the compound), we noticed that it was rather quiet. Normally at that time of the evening (7ish), it's difficult to cross the road because of all the cars and busses zooming up and down.
But tonight, there were people strolling up and down the middle of the road (mind you, they do that when there's traffic zooming along the road, as well!). But tonight, the road was quiet enough that even I felt comfortable marching in the middle of the road! We thought, hmmm... something's not quite right.
And sure enough, a while later, my friend called and said that the road was closed on both ends. Why? Who knows. All we know is that the road was closed, so she couldn't get anywhere near the cafe with the car! And since she was on her own, couldn't park several blocks away and walk (an option during the day, of course, but not in the dark alone!).
Anyways, Annamarie and I had a lovely piece of sponge cake and a macciato together, and then donned our headlamps for the short walk home again!
Of course, upon arriving home, discovered a bit of a plumbing emergency in a neighbor's house on the compound - water was running out the front door and the guy who stays there was still in his office. Richard came to the rescue, along with his able assistant to hold the various hoses and flush the toilet when the tank got too full. I tell you, I'm learning way too much about the inner workings of toilets these days. At least this little emergency involved clean water, and not the kind that's still leaking from my brand new toilet!
I finally took off my sweater lest it get wet :) But quickly put it back on again, lest I catch my death of cold! Now it's time to climb my "warm" pajamas (pj pants and a t-shirt), climb under my two sheets (and I'll get out the sleeping bag in case it gets colder in the wee hours of the morning) and go to sleep!
I wore a "warmer" short sleeve shirt this morning, along with a long skirt and my "mud shoes" (actually my imitation crocs which a lovely American visitor left for me last year), thinking that I would be warm enough to get through the chill of the morning. At about tea time, I came back home and got a scarf (shawl) to wrap my shoulders in. But then at lunch time, I actually put my sweater on! The last time I wore this sweater was when I got on the plane to this place in Ethiopia last January!
I took it off for about half an hour this afternoon at 3:30pm. But put it back on when it started to drizzle again at about 4. I had a look at my thermometer which sits on my desk, and was surprised to see that it was still about 26C in my office. But I was sitting there in the same sweater that I wear at home when it's -30C! I really did feel cold. And now, at nearly 11:30pm, it's 23.5C in my room, I'm still wearing my sweater, and I didn't have a shower tonight because it's way too cold to get wet!
Have I mentioned what a beautiful day it was today?!
I had another typical experience this evening. I've been meeting together with a small group of women each week to pray and just to get to know each other better. It's been a wonderful group, but the past several weeks, we've been having some trouble getting together. Either someone gets "stranded" somewhere out in the bush after a field trip, drivers don't show up when they're supposed to, curfews happen... and tonight, our plans were thwarted once again.
There was a bit of concern that after all the rain, our friends wouldn't be able to actually drive down the road into our compound without getting stuck in the mud. Our drive way literally turns into a rushing river on days like this. You need to put it into 4WD to get in and out of the gate. So we decided to meet at a little cafe tonight, within walking distance of our house.
Annamarie and I set off into the night, armed with our headlamps to make sure we didn't fall into a mud pit. We made it there safe and sound, with just a few mud splatters. However, when we got to the main road (just about a 2 minute walk from the compound), we noticed that it was rather quiet. Normally at that time of the evening (7ish), it's difficult to cross the road because of all the cars and busses zooming up and down.
But tonight, there were people strolling up and down the middle of the road (mind you, they do that when there's traffic zooming along the road, as well!). But tonight, the road was quiet enough that even I felt comfortable marching in the middle of the road! We thought, hmmm... something's not quite right.
And sure enough, a while later, my friend called and said that the road was closed on both ends. Why? Who knows. All we know is that the road was closed, so she couldn't get anywhere near the cafe with the car! And since she was on her own, couldn't park several blocks away and walk (an option during the day, of course, but not in the dark alone!).
Anyways, Annamarie and I had a lovely piece of sponge cake and a macciato together, and then donned our headlamps for the short walk home again!
Of course, upon arriving home, discovered a bit of a plumbing emergency in a neighbor's house on the compound - water was running out the front door and the guy who stays there was still in his office. Richard came to the rescue, along with his able assistant to hold the various hoses and flush the toilet when the tank got too full. I tell you, I'm learning way too much about the inner workings of toilets these days. At least this little emergency involved clean water, and not the kind that's still leaking from my brand new toilet!
I finally took off my sweater lest it get wet :) But quickly put it back on again, lest I catch my death of cold! Now it's time to climb my "warm" pajamas (pj pants and a t-shirt), climb under my two sheets (and I'll get out the sleeping bag in case it gets colder in the wee hours of the morning) and go to sleep!
Monday, September 28, 2009
Connections
The world is a small place! I just got a note on my facebook wall that one of my friends from Uganda actually stayed with my aunt and uncle in Canada last night! And I had nothing to do with it! How crazy is that?
I've also been thinking a lot about friends this week that I've not kept in touch with much over the past several months. Sorry, friends. It's just been really tough to keep up with so many people. But there are so few people who I feel like I can just "let go". But at the same time, it's impossible for me to sit and write each person a real email every week, or even every month. And I feel bad about that, because I'm so interested in how you're all doing and what's new and what you're learning and what you're feeling and what you're enthusiastic about today and even, yes, what you had for breakfast today.
I know this blog and my facebook are a poor substitute for personal communication. And I feel sorry about that. I'm hoping that someday soon, I'll be able to find a better way to communicate with more of you more personally.
But for now, please accept this blog in lieu of an email. I do love you guys, and I miss you, and I wish I could keep up with you better!
And at the same time, the world is a small place, and eventually, down the line, we'll all meet up again somewhere and have a jolly reunion... and hopefully you won't hold it against me that I only sent you one personal email each year :D
I've also been thinking a lot about friends this week that I've not kept in touch with much over the past several months. Sorry, friends. It's just been really tough to keep up with so many people. But there are so few people who I feel like I can just "let go". But at the same time, it's impossible for me to sit and write each person a real email every week, or even every month. And I feel bad about that, because I'm so interested in how you're all doing and what's new and what you're learning and what you're feeling and what you're enthusiastic about today and even, yes, what you had for breakfast today.
I know this blog and my facebook are a poor substitute for personal communication. And I feel sorry about that. I'm hoping that someday soon, I'll be able to find a better way to communicate with more of you more personally.
But for now, please accept this blog in lieu of an email. I do love you guys, and I miss you, and I wish I could keep up with you better!
And at the same time, the world is a small place, and eventually, down the line, we'll all meet up again somewhere and have a jolly reunion... and hopefully you won't hold it against me that I only sent you one personal email each year :D
Pestilence? Or Not?
The kitchen was left in a bit of a mess this evening, so I'm sitting here in my bed, listening to the skittering of the creatures on the counter in the kitchen and debating whether or not I want to go and clean up after those who left it a mess or not. Will the skittering of pestilence-carrying critters keep me awake all night? Do I care enough about the cleanliness of my kitchen to go and clean it at 12:05am on a Sunday night/Monday morning? Obviously, I'm not so sure that I do!
Anyways, I've had a really nice weekend. It actually felt like a weekend, unusually. I didn't work on Saturday, since I've been a bit meeting-ed-out lately. Instead, I went with some friends for brunch on Saturday morning! It was really nice - we went and sat in a place with A/C and real coffee (as opposed to Nescafe instant coffee). I drank rather a lot of coffee, which I could feel coursing through my veins by the time we were done! But we had a good time just sitting and chatting and really enjoying the cool, clean surroundings for a few hours before jumping back into "reality"!
In the afternoon, I did some practical work, helping a colleague, Richard, move into his little mud tukel that's been built on the compound. The mud walls were put up a few months ago, but as they dry, they start to crack a little. So someone has to come and smear more mud into the cracks to make the walls all nice and smooth again. It's women's work around here, and I was keen to try. Unfortunately, Richard wouldn't let me try! He kept telling me that the rough mud would hurt my hands... but really, I think he was just afraid a novice like me would ruin his walls! Instead, he got one of the women who works in the guesthouse to help him with it.
So Mary came, dug some dirt from the garden, mixed it with some water and started smearing it on the walls. I just sat and watched as she did it, since I wasn't allowed to get dirty. But I did learn the Arabic word for "smearing". It's a good word around here, as there's a lot of things one can smear - mud and sunscreen are the two most common things "smeared"!
Once Mary was done filling in the cracks, I could finally help - Richard put me to work scraping the mud droppings from the floor! Not too glamorous, and rather dirty, but at least I got to help!
I'm in the process of sewing some curtains for the tukel as well, but progress on those has been hampered by the lack of electricity outside of working hours :( (however, there is a big political conference on here this week, so rumour has it, the powers-that-be are going to turn the electricity on throughout the city for a few days!).
Once it got too dark to work on the tukel, I went home to finish my pot of pumpkin soup. Pressure cookers are amazing - I had spent about half an hour earlier in the day wrestling a very tough pumpkin with a very big knife. Boiled in the pressure cooker for a few minutes, that pumpkin was as soft as my margarine on a hot day! Jackie and I made it into a lovely soup, though, again, we didn't have any electricity to put it through the blender. So we just mashed it instead. It tasted so lovely and pumpkiny, but looked a bit more like pumpkin porridge rather than pumpkin soup! But it was nice to have a bit of time to be able to cook and to spend some time in the kitchen making something other than a peanut butter sandwich and tomato/cucumber salad!
This afternoon we were invited over to one of Annamarie's Eritrean friend's house for lunch! We met him at a hotel which has the fanciest wall in town.
We had to wait for him for a few minutes, so I just happened to snap this photo while waiting. Fancy wall, eh?
He directed us to his house, which is really quite nice - newly built, with nice tiles, big ceiling fans, a kitchen with a sink and tiles. And he made shiro with injera for us for lunch! It was SO tasty! Another Eritrean girl, plus an Ethiopian guy were there, and it was just such a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon. The best part of it was that we sat around the coffee table, on the couch, in front of the TV, munching on shiro and injera and being urged to eat more and more and more! It felt just like a Sunday afternoon back when I lived over in that corner of the world. I've missed that. We had good conversation about a lot of random topics (few of which were work related!), and just enjoyed each other's company, even though I only knew one of them from before a bit.
It was really a great, restful weekend, full of time together with friends and lots of relaxing! And now I'd better get to sleep, because tomorrow morning is coming very, very soon!
Anyways, I've had a really nice weekend. It actually felt like a weekend, unusually. I didn't work on Saturday, since I've been a bit meeting-ed-out lately. Instead, I went with some friends for brunch on Saturday morning! It was really nice - we went and sat in a place with A/C and real coffee (as opposed to Nescafe instant coffee). I drank rather a lot of coffee, which I could feel coursing through my veins by the time we were done! But we had a good time just sitting and chatting and really enjoying the cool, clean surroundings for a few hours before jumping back into "reality"!
In the afternoon, I did some practical work, helping a colleague, Richard, move into his little mud tukel that's been built on the compound. The mud walls were put up a few months ago, but as they dry, they start to crack a little. So someone has to come and smear more mud into the cracks to make the walls all nice and smooth again. It's women's work around here, and I was keen to try. Unfortunately, Richard wouldn't let me try! He kept telling me that the rough mud would hurt my hands... but really, I think he was just afraid a novice like me would ruin his walls! Instead, he got one of the women who works in the guesthouse to help him with it.
So Mary came, dug some dirt from the garden, mixed it with some water and started smearing it on the walls. I just sat and watched as she did it, since I wasn't allowed to get dirty. But I did learn the Arabic word for "smearing". It's a good word around here, as there's a lot of things one can smear - mud and sunscreen are the two most common things "smeared"!
Once Mary was done filling in the cracks, I could finally help - Richard put me to work scraping the mud droppings from the floor! Not too glamorous, and rather dirty, but at least I got to help!
I'm in the process of sewing some curtains for the tukel as well, but progress on those has been hampered by the lack of electricity outside of working hours :( (however, there is a big political conference on here this week, so rumour has it, the powers-that-be are going to turn the electricity on throughout the city for a few days!).
Once it got too dark to work on the tukel, I went home to finish my pot of pumpkin soup. Pressure cookers are amazing - I had spent about half an hour earlier in the day wrestling a very tough pumpkin with a very big knife. Boiled in the pressure cooker for a few minutes, that pumpkin was as soft as my margarine on a hot day! Jackie and I made it into a lovely soup, though, again, we didn't have any electricity to put it through the blender. So we just mashed it instead. It tasted so lovely and pumpkiny, but looked a bit more like pumpkin porridge rather than pumpkin soup! But it was nice to have a bit of time to be able to cook and to spend some time in the kitchen making something other than a peanut butter sandwich and tomato/cucumber salad!
This afternoon we were invited over to one of Annamarie's Eritrean friend's house for lunch! We met him at a hotel which has the fanciest wall in town.
We had to wait for him for a few minutes, so I just happened to snap this photo while waiting. Fancy wall, eh?
He directed us to his house, which is really quite nice - newly built, with nice tiles, big ceiling fans, a kitchen with a sink and tiles. And he made shiro with injera for us for lunch! It was SO tasty! Another Eritrean girl, plus an Ethiopian guy were there, and it was just such a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon. The best part of it was that we sat around the coffee table, on the couch, in front of the TV, munching on shiro and injera and being urged to eat more and more and more! It felt just like a Sunday afternoon back when I lived over in that corner of the world. I've missed that. We had good conversation about a lot of random topics (few of which were work related!), and just enjoyed each other's company, even though I only knew one of them from before a bit.
It was really a great, restful weekend, full of time together with friends and lots of relaxing! And now I'd better get to sleep, because tomorrow morning is coming very, very soon!
Friday, September 25, 2009
Sneezing and snorting
Has it been so long since I've blogged? Sorry, but my head's been a bit fuzzy for the past few days. The flora and fauna of this land truly amaze me. With any little bit of moisture, all the reproductiveness of the plants around here kicks into high gear. Honestly, it rains, and 15 minutes later, the trees start flowering, the grass starts growing.
And I start sneezing. My eyes start running. My head gets full and my nose leaks, just like my toilet continues to leak. It's not a pretty sight, let me tell you. And since I live and work in what has been referred to as a "brick tent" (ie, a brick structure with screen), I can't really get out of the lovely naturalness of all the nature around me. So not good. Tomorrow morning I'm fleeing to a place with some A/C and real glass in the windows to enjoy a cup of coffee with a friend. I'm being driven nuts with all this itching and sneezing.
So in the midst of all this snorting and hacking and sneezing, I've been working as the secretary for the "executive committee" (or board) meetings for our organization. Not such a hard job, really, but it means I have to sit on my butt all day and listen and take notes and maybe even try to contribute an intelligent remark here and there. Not an easy task, let me tell you.
But at the same time, it's a privilege to have a little bit of say in the way the work here is going and to be a part of the "governance" of the organization. I'm also really learning a lot about how to run a meeting and how to try to make sure all the voices are heard - even those who are too shy to speak up sometimes.
So the meetings ended well, and last night we had a huge downpour. I was awake at 2am when it started to rain because, what do you do when you live in a brick tent and it starts to rain? You get up and move all the piles of books and magazines to higher ground! And grab a roll of toilet paper to catch the drips from your nose.
And I start sneezing. My eyes start running. My head gets full and my nose leaks, just like my toilet continues to leak. It's not a pretty sight, let me tell you. And since I live and work in what has been referred to as a "brick tent" (ie, a brick structure with screen), I can't really get out of the lovely naturalness of all the nature around me. So not good. Tomorrow morning I'm fleeing to a place with some A/C and real glass in the windows to enjoy a cup of coffee with a friend. I'm being driven nuts with all this itching and sneezing.
So in the midst of all this snorting and hacking and sneezing, I've been working as the secretary for the "executive committee" (or board) meetings for our organization. Not such a hard job, really, but it means I have to sit on my butt all day and listen and take notes and maybe even try to contribute an intelligent remark here and there. Not an easy task, let me tell you.
But at the same time, it's a privilege to have a little bit of say in the way the work here is going and to be a part of the "governance" of the organization. I'm also really learning a lot about how to run a meeting and how to try to make sure all the voices are heard - even those who are too shy to speak up sometimes.
So the meetings ended well, and last night we had a huge downpour. I was awake at 2am when it started to rain because, what do you do when you live in a brick tent and it starts to rain? You get up and move all the piles of books and magazines to higher ground! And grab a roll of toilet paper to catch the drips from your nose.
Monday, September 21, 2009
So much to blog about!
Just yesterday, I had nothing to say. Today, I had so many little bloggable moments :)
My day started out at 7am when the girl who helps in the house (our "household assistant") called and asked if today was a holiday! Yes, it was a holiday. And no, I was not awake at 7am to tell her that it is a holiday! I did manage to get back to sleep for an hour or so, though, which was nice.
Started out this morning with my breakfast (which was rather leisurely, as it was a holiday, after all). Yesterday I happened across a bakery which is making cinnamon buns ("Chelsey Rolls", for the refined among us). I couldn't believe it - I've never seen anything like these before here in this town. There is literally a little hole in a wall, and the man had bread rolls, loaves (white, of course :( ) and cinnamon buns on a little shelf behind him! Amazing. The cinnamon buns only cost about $0.50 each! So I brought some home for us to enjoy today. Apparently they bake them fresh every day! When Annamarie saw them, she said they're the same ones that they sell at the fancy restaurant near her office, and they charge $5 for them!! Imagine the mark-up on those things. They buy them for $0.50 and sell them for $5! Disgusting, eh? But man, they were so good! I can't wait to go back and get more.
While I was eating my breakfast, I saw Zane trotting down the path towards me... with a cute little rat in his mouth! He's always so proud of himself when he catches a rodent! So of course he wanted to bring it into the house to show it off. I didn't let him. But he enjoyed his little breakfast on the stoop.
On the way out of my house this morning, after scarfing down my cinnamon bun, I encountered a lizard on the stoop, munching on a giant cockroach! So we all had a nice breakfast this morning :)
This afternoon we started our week of meetings with a half day of prayer. Jackie led the day, and came up with some really creative ways of praying and different things to lead us into a real time of seeking the Lord and praying for each other and our organization. It was really refreshing, actually, even though we just stayed on the compound!
Amazingly enough, the electricity has been on for most of the day, as well! It's wonderful! Since I couldn't find any takers for a real game of badminton, and the electricity was on, I ended up getting an Eid present out of the box! You know how I said people in this place are very, very transient? Well, one of my transient friends has loaned us the use of her and her husband's television and Wii until... well... until electricity comes or he moves away to join her in Rwanda (and has enough luggage allowance to bring a wii with him!).
So I set that up, and worked up a serious sweat with bowling, tennis and baseball in my little house!
It also came with the balance board for Wii fit, so I'm going to try setting that up tomorrow... and if the electricity stays on, yours truly is going to slim and trim again, even if I eat several more of those lovely Chelsey Rolls :)
My day started out at 7am when the girl who helps in the house (our "household assistant") called and asked if today was a holiday! Yes, it was a holiday. And no, I was not awake at 7am to tell her that it is a holiday! I did manage to get back to sleep for an hour or so, though, which was nice.
Started out this morning with my breakfast (which was rather leisurely, as it was a holiday, after all). Yesterday I happened across a bakery which is making cinnamon buns ("Chelsey Rolls", for the refined among us). I couldn't believe it - I've never seen anything like these before here in this town. There is literally a little hole in a wall, and the man had bread rolls, loaves (white, of course :( ) and cinnamon buns on a little shelf behind him! Amazing. The cinnamon buns only cost about $0.50 each! So I brought some home for us to enjoy today. Apparently they bake them fresh every day! When Annamarie saw them, she said they're the same ones that they sell at the fancy restaurant near her office, and they charge $5 for them!! Imagine the mark-up on those things. They buy them for $0.50 and sell them for $5! Disgusting, eh? But man, they were so good! I can't wait to go back and get more.
While I was eating my breakfast, I saw Zane trotting down the path towards me... with a cute little rat in his mouth! He's always so proud of himself when he catches a rodent! So of course he wanted to bring it into the house to show it off. I didn't let him. But he enjoyed his little breakfast on the stoop.
On the way out of my house this morning, after scarfing down my cinnamon bun, I encountered a lizard on the stoop, munching on a giant cockroach! So we all had a nice breakfast this morning :)
This afternoon we started our week of meetings with a half day of prayer. Jackie led the day, and came up with some really creative ways of praying and different things to lead us into a real time of seeking the Lord and praying for each other and our organization. It was really refreshing, actually, even though we just stayed on the compound!
Amazingly enough, the electricity has been on for most of the day, as well! It's wonderful! Since I couldn't find any takers for a real game of badminton, and the electricity was on, I ended up getting an Eid present out of the box! You know how I said people in this place are very, very transient? Well, one of my transient friends has loaned us the use of her and her husband's television and Wii until... well... until electricity comes or he moves away to join her in Rwanda (and has enough luggage allowance to bring a wii with him!).
So I set that up, and worked up a serious sweat with bowling, tennis and baseball in my little house!
It also came with the balance board for Wii fit, so I'm going to try setting that up tomorrow... and if the electricity stays on, yours truly is going to slim and trim again, even if I eat several more of those lovely Chelsey Rolls :)
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Gotta blog
But I'm not really sure what to blog about. Nothing all that exciting has happened this week. Which is a good thing. Don't need too much excitement in my life. Zane the cat is a happy little guy. My housemates are happy people. The guests in the guesthouse are happy. My neighbours are doing ok. It's all pretty good at the moment. It's a bit hot. But we've had some electricity. Our internet is working fine. So it's all good. Nothing too exciting, like I said.
Today/tomorrow is Eid. So Eid Mubarak to my Muslim friends! For us down in this part of the country, it's not such a big deal. It just means that we get the day off tomorrow! Except that my organization has some big meetings planned for the week, so we're having our half-day of prayer for the meetings, starting tomorrow. So while it's not a normal workday, I've still got a full day planned. It will be really good to spend half the day in prayer, praying over our organization and the work we do, committing it to the Lord before we make a bunch of decisions in the upcoming "board" meetings.
For the rest of the week, I'm working as the secretary for the meetings. It's going to be a long week, and when I'm the secretary, it means I have to actually listen to what's going on, and try to summarize everything into some nice succinct minutes at the end!
So it seems like it's not going to be a very exciting week again... but this is a good thing! Having a little bit of "normal", predictability is not a bad thing once in a while!
Today/tomorrow is Eid. So Eid Mubarak to my Muslim friends! For us down in this part of the country, it's not such a big deal. It just means that we get the day off tomorrow! Except that my organization has some big meetings planned for the week, so we're having our half-day of prayer for the meetings, starting tomorrow. So while it's not a normal workday, I've still got a full day planned. It will be really good to spend half the day in prayer, praying over our organization and the work we do, committing it to the Lord before we make a bunch of decisions in the upcoming "board" meetings.
For the rest of the week, I'm working as the secretary for the meetings. It's going to be a long week, and when I'm the secretary, it means I have to actually listen to what's going on, and try to summarize everything into some nice succinct minutes at the end!
So it seems like it's not going to be a very exciting week again... but this is a good thing! Having a little bit of "normal", predictability is not a bad thing once in a while!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Laptop not needed
Because this couch has a computer built right it! I want this. Then you could sit on the couch and skype and instant message your housemates without even having to get a sweaty lap from the laptop!
Friday, September 18, 2009
It all comes together
I spent the whole of the day meeting and greeting, once again. We did the whole planning thing with yet another one of the translation and literacy teams today. Man, what a marathon! But kinda fun, all the same. We have to do the planning using something called "Results Based Management" this year for the first time. I'm quite amazed, but I actually sorta know now what the different between an "Outcome" and and "Output" is, and why you start with the "Impact" and work back to the "Activities". Hence the name, "results based management".
Like it or not, I've had some training in the whole theory of it, and I actually feel like I know what it's supposed to do and how it's supposed to work. Normally, I don't like strategic planning and stuff, but this week, I hate to admit it's been pretty nice to see how it all comes together. And it's amazing that something I actually have previously been trained in (in Canada, even before I came to this country even!) has actually been completely applicable (without any adaptation needed!).
My evenings this week have been spent watching old episodes of the A-Team. Mr T is still so cool. And even though I haven't seen the show since I was, like, 9 years old, I can still sing the theme song. The prospect of another episode in the evening has kept me going through some of the duller moments of the meetings!
I love it when a plan comes together!
Like it or not, I've had some training in the whole theory of it, and I actually feel like I know what it's supposed to do and how it's supposed to work. Normally, I don't like strategic planning and stuff, but this week, I hate to admit it's been pretty nice to see how it all comes together. And it's amazing that something I actually have previously been trained in (in Canada, even before I came to this country even!) has actually been completely applicable (without any adaptation needed!).
My evenings this week have been spent watching old episodes of the A-Team. Mr T is still so cool. And even though I haven't seen the show since I was, like, 9 years old, I can still sing the theme song. The prospect of another episode in the evening has kept me going through some of the duller moments of the meetings!
I love it when a plan comes together!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Off the compound!
Yahoo! I got to go out today! I got let out of the compound during working hours!
I had to go and pick up a box of Bibles for someone from someone's office. And that someone just happens to have just come back from visiting my home and native land. So he had a whole envelop full of goodies in the form of mail and magazines from my parents! Amazing. I had to wait until the end of the day, though, to actually tear into the envelope, because I knew that once I opened it, I'd have to spend quite a few minutes perusing the beautiful glossy pages. So I kept it closed until the end of the work day!
I also made a quick stop at the market on the way, for some tomatoes, avocados, bananas, green beans (wow, what a treat!), zucchini (another wonderful find!), eggplants and limes. But man, it was sweaty in there. I think there's a proverb somewhere about Englishmen and dogs being the only ones foolish enough to go out in the mid-day sun. Yeah, well, I was absolutely drenched in sweat by the time I made it back to the truck. And since we don't have A/C and you can only drive, oh, about 15 km/h on the roads here, I was even drippier by the time I got to my friend's office!
I had a lovely lunch with my friend. She used to live here, but then moved to a different city several months ago (or is it a year ago now?!). She still comes this way quite often for work, though, so I get to see her relatively often. We had a nice lunch and a good chat. Pray for me that I will have wisdom to know what to say to her in a particular situation that she's in, which will help her to think things through, and yet still be a supportive friend.
After lunch, I went to the Catholic Bookshop. It's basically the only bookshop in town, and sells books printed by Pauline's Press in Kenya. They also happen to sell a book that we've published about learning the local language. So every once in a while, I go and bring them more books and collect payment for the ones they've sold. It's quite fun to . And we're trying to work out something where they can sell more of our books in the local language. What a wonderful thing that would be to have them selling books for us!
The bookshop itself is a wonderful oasis. It's quiet. It's clean. And it smells like new books! I love it! It's not very big, but they are getting more books in all the time, so there's always something new to browse through. I picked up two books today by Henri Nouwen (uh, is that how you spell his name?!). So I'm looking forward to reading those ones, too.
It was just nice to be off the compound, doing something a bit different for part of today, other than sitting in front of my computer or in meetings!
I had to go and pick up a box of Bibles for someone from someone's office. And that someone just happens to have just come back from visiting my home and native land. So he had a whole envelop full of goodies in the form of mail and magazines from my parents! Amazing. I had to wait until the end of the day, though, to actually tear into the envelope, because I knew that once I opened it, I'd have to spend quite a few minutes perusing the beautiful glossy pages. So I kept it closed until the end of the work day!
I also made a quick stop at the market on the way, for some tomatoes, avocados, bananas, green beans (wow, what a treat!), zucchini (another wonderful find!), eggplants and limes. But man, it was sweaty in there. I think there's a proverb somewhere about Englishmen and dogs being the only ones foolish enough to go out in the mid-day sun. Yeah, well, I was absolutely drenched in sweat by the time I made it back to the truck. And since we don't have A/C and you can only drive, oh, about 15 km/h on the roads here, I was even drippier by the time I got to my friend's office!
I had a lovely lunch with my friend. She used to live here, but then moved to a different city several months ago (or is it a year ago now?!). She still comes this way quite often for work, though, so I get to see her relatively often. We had a nice lunch and a good chat. Pray for me that I will have wisdom to know what to say to her in a particular situation that she's in, which will help her to think things through, and yet still be a supportive friend.
After lunch, I went to the Catholic Bookshop. It's basically the only bookshop in town, and sells books printed by Pauline's Press in Kenya. They also happen to sell a book that we've published about learning the local language. So every once in a while, I go and bring them more books and collect payment for the ones they've sold. It's quite fun to . And we're trying to work out something where they can sell more of our books in the local language. What a wonderful thing that would be to have them selling books for us!
The bookshop itself is a wonderful oasis. It's quiet. It's clean. And it smells like new books! I love it! It's not very big, but they are getting more books in all the time, so there's always something new to browse through. I picked up two books today by Henri Nouwen (uh, is that how you spell his name?!). So I'm looking forward to reading those ones, too.
It was just nice to be off the compound, doing something a bit different for part of today, other than sitting in front of my computer or in meetings!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
A bit less grumpy
Yes, I was a little less grumpy today. Though I must admit that I grumped a bit when someone told me to do his photocopying for him. I know I should be a servant to all, and do things without arguing and complaining. But quite honestly, sometimes it just feels like people think their time is more important than mine, so they'll tell me to do things that they find inconvenient to do... and often, I think, it's just because I happen to be young and female. There are some people who I really like to serve, because I know they appreciate and respect me, and I'm happy to help them. But there are others... well... I know. Love your enemy. Do good to those who hate you. Heap burning coals on their heads. Have an attitude like Christ Jesus, considering others better than yourself. I know all of this. And I'm being quite convicted of all of this. But man, it's hard!
But I did have some wonderful successes today, which really made my day.
I don't know if I mentioned before, but we got a new internet system installed! Yahoo! It just took a while today to get the modem to talk to the rest of our network. But man, it sure did feel good when we finally got it all together. We're not quite at hummingbird speeds yet, but at least we're cruising along a little faster than a pigeon. I must admit, the lack of internet was stressing me out a little. But now, wow. It's all up and running. And in the process of it all, I realized that I actually do understand quite a bit about how networks and IP addresses work. Scary. I know.
I also figured out how to connect computers to our new printer, over the network! And it actually worked! Amazing.
And then, to top it all off, this evening as we were making some dinner, the city electricity came on! For the first time in months, we have city electricity tonight! I did the happy electricity dance. I love that dance. I've done it a couple of times here and it just makes me happy. Who knows how long this round of electricity will last, but for now, I'm really, really enjoying it!
Imagine, electricity and (relatively) fast internet all in one day. Truly a blessing!
But I did have some wonderful successes today, which really made my day.
I don't know if I mentioned before, but we got a new internet system installed! Yahoo! It just took a while today to get the modem to talk to the rest of our network. But man, it sure did feel good when we finally got it all together. We're not quite at hummingbird speeds yet, but at least we're cruising along a little faster than a pigeon. I must admit, the lack of internet was stressing me out a little. But now, wow. It's all up and running. And in the process of it all, I realized that I actually do understand quite a bit about how networks and IP addresses work. Scary. I know.
I also figured out how to connect computers to our new printer, over the network! And it actually worked! Amazing.
And then, to top it all off, this evening as we were making some dinner, the city electricity came on! For the first time in months, we have city electricity tonight! I did the happy electricity dance. I love that dance. I've done it a couple of times here and it just makes me happy. Who knows how long this round of electricity will last, but for now, I'm really, really enjoying it!
Imagine, electricity and (relatively) fast internet all in one day. Truly a blessing!
Monday, September 14, 2009
A wee bit grumpy
Yup, I was a wee bit grumpy tonight. Not sure why. Perhaps I'm just tired. I'm sure things will be looking up again tomorrow, once I've slept and had some sweet dreams. I'm also going to look at "Apartment Therapy Unplggd" which always makes me smile. Maybe I'm just missing seeing beautiful things - well designed, functional things. Ok, maybe it gets quite a bit too techie for me, but there's always, like, 5 new posts every day, so I can skip the real techie stuff and just look at the pretty things. They often have posts about funky toilets which do cool things. I think I'm just a bit grumpy about having to stand in a puddle of pee every day while I brush my teeth because our toilet is still leaking. Stuff like that makes me grumpy.
But I suppose I should just count my blessings and be thankful for the things that I do have. I have water, which runs out of my taps. I have a toilet, which has water running through it. I have a solar lamp, which lights my way after the generator goes out. I have a generator, which powers my internet. I have a computer with which to access the internet. I have friends. I have family. And I have a God who loves me... even when I'm a bit grumpy!
Anyways, I should probably sleep a bit earlier tonight, to decrease the chances of a lingering grump in the morning!
But I suppose I should just count my blessings and be thankful for the things that I do have. I have water, which runs out of my taps. I have a toilet, which has water running through it. I have a solar lamp, which lights my way after the generator goes out. I have a generator, which powers my internet. I have a computer with which to access the internet. I have friends. I have family. And I have a God who loves me... even when I'm a bit grumpy!
Anyways, I should probably sleep a bit earlier tonight, to decrease the chances of a lingering grump in the morning!
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Change
I'm sure there are some great quotes out there about "change". I'm just a bit too lazy and stuffed up (yay for hayfever - comes the day after the rain, every time) to find any of them, though.
But yeah. Change. It's quite the constant in life. And I think even more so in my little corner of the world. Nothing stays the same here. Not even the roads. For example, yesterday, I went to the airport to pick up Jackie (lucky duck, just came back from 3 weeks in the UK!). She was already in the parking lot when I arrived, and the airport is only about a 10 minute drive from our place. In the time that it took me to get to the airport, collect Jackie from the parking lot, turn around and drive back, they had already changed our main tarmac intersection!
I drive through this particular t-intersection a lot, and I must admit, I've started to drive using "Jb rules". Which means that, well, you basically fill up any available space on the road, especially while waiting to cross traffic while making a turn. And when making a left turn onto a road, people normally drive around the cars waiting to get onto the road on the wrong side of the road. Um, does that make any sense?! Basically, people make left turns into the lane of the opposing traffic all the time, and it can be quite chaotic at intersections - until you see the beauty and the rhythm of it all - it's more like modern dance than a three-step waltz, but it's a dance all the same.
Anyways, in the time that I took to come back from the airport, some traffic police had decided to "helpfully" put a bit metal post in the middle of the road, right where people generally wait for turning, and right in the path where you would turn into the opposing traffic's lane. In the Western world, this is a good thing. Around here, it just confuses people. And it all got installed within the 10 minutes that it took me to go to the airport.
And then today, on our way out to lunch, the other main road was closed (has been closed for several weeks for construction). As usual, there was a bit of organized chaos as people negotiated the poles stuck in the ground where they're going to put a new roundabout. But the road that we wanted to go on was still closed.
However, in the time that it took for us to gobble down our lunch, the road opened! And this on a Sunday afternoon! Truly, truly amazing.
So certain things around here can change very quickly. Just in our organization, we have suddenly gone from being 4 full time expatriates living here to being 8 expatriates living here, in the space of 10 days.
This afternoon, one of my friends called me and said that her organization is no longer funding her job as a consultant with the gov't here, so she's leaving by the end of the month, quite unexpectedly.
In our Sunday evening fellowship, there were so many new faces, and we were already missing so many people who have come and gone. When I tell new people how long I've lived here, their mouths usually fall open, because there are so few expats who have lived here for longer than a year or two. Most of the friends I have here now are completely different from the friends I had a year ago (there are some who have remained, and for them I am very thankful!).
Things change. These seem like little things, and they are in the whole scheme of life, but when it's one thing after another, constantly changing, it's hard to know what's what sometimes!
At least I know that the Lord never changes. His Word never changes. His character never changes. And He will never move away. In a place like this, where I'm constantly dealing with change, that's such a comfort. I don't know how people would be able to deal with all this change if they didn't have that assurance that somehow, they were working in a Kingdom that will not change, and will, in the end, be the only one left standing, serving the King who is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.
But yeah. Change. It's quite the constant in life. And I think even more so in my little corner of the world. Nothing stays the same here. Not even the roads. For example, yesterday, I went to the airport to pick up Jackie (lucky duck, just came back from 3 weeks in the UK!). She was already in the parking lot when I arrived, and the airport is only about a 10 minute drive from our place. In the time that it took me to get to the airport, collect Jackie from the parking lot, turn around and drive back, they had already changed our main tarmac intersection!
I drive through this particular t-intersection a lot, and I must admit, I've started to drive using "Jb rules". Which means that, well, you basically fill up any available space on the road, especially while waiting to cross traffic while making a turn. And when making a left turn onto a road, people normally drive around the cars waiting to get onto the road on the wrong side of the road. Um, does that make any sense?! Basically, people make left turns into the lane of the opposing traffic all the time, and it can be quite chaotic at intersections - until you see the beauty and the rhythm of it all - it's more like modern dance than a three-step waltz, but it's a dance all the same.
Anyways, in the time that I took to come back from the airport, some traffic police had decided to "helpfully" put a bit metal post in the middle of the road, right where people generally wait for turning, and right in the path where you would turn into the opposing traffic's lane. In the Western world, this is a good thing. Around here, it just confuses people. And it all got installed within the 10 minutes that it took me to go to the airport.
And then today, on our way out to lunch, the other main road was closed (has been closed for several weeks for construction). As usual, there was a bit of organized chaos as people negotiated the poles stuck in the ground where they're going to put a new roundabout. But the road that we wanted to go on was still closed.
However, in the time that it took for us to gobble down our lunch, the road opened! And this on a Sunday afternoon! Truly, truly amazing.
So certain things around here can change very quickly. Just in our organization, we have suddenly gone from being 4 full time expatriates living here to being 8 expatriates living here, in the space of 10 days.
This afternoon, one of my friends called me and said that her organization is no longer funding her job as a consultant with the gov't here, so she's leaving by the end of the month, quite unexpectedly.
In our Sunday evening fellowship, there were so many new faces, and we were already missing so many people who have come and gone. When I tell new people how long I've lived here, their mouths usually fall open, because there are so few expats who have lived here for longer than a year or two. Most of the friends I have here now are completely different from the friends I had a year ago (there are some who have remained, and for them I am very thankful!).
Things change. These seem like little things, and they are in the whole scheme of life, but when it's one thing after another, constantly changing, it's hard to know what's what sometimes!
At least I know that the Lord never changes. His Word never changes. His character never changes. And He will never move away. In a place like this, where I'm constantly dealing with change, that's such a comfort. I don't know how people would be able to deal with all this change if they didn't have that assurance that somehow, they were working in a Kingdom that will not change, and will, in the end, be the only one left standing, serving the King who is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Saturday night
So, when people ask me tomorrow what I did on Saturday night...
I will just tell them that I spent most of it in the office, skyping with our computer techies based in N.America, trying to configure a new printer so we can use it for our planning meetings starting on Monday.
Yes, that's what it has come to around here. Saturday night. Just me and the computer geeks and a skype connection. I used to have a life. Really, I did!
I will just tell them that I spent most of it in the office, skyping with our computer techies based in N.America, trying to configure a new printer so we can use it for our planning meetings starting on Monday.
Yes, that's what it has come to around here. Saturday night. Just me and the computer geeks and a skype connection. I used to have a life. Really, I did!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
I think I shall try this experiment
In South Africa, it was proven that a pigeon carrying data is faster than the internet. I think I'm going to try it with the ducks that wander around the compound. I'm sure a duck can make it to Canada faster than some of my data over the internet.
(Not that I'm complaining about our service provider - they've been wonderful at trying to find solutions and keeping us informed of the situation - it's just beyond their control at this point! So please don't let this post reflect poorly on the good folks at our service providing company :) )
(Not that I'm complaining about our service provider - they've been wonderful at trying to find solutions and keeping us informed of the situation - it's just beyond their control at this point! So please don't let this post reflect poorly on the good folks at our service providing company :) )
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
The best laid plans
So, remember how I was mentioning how wonderful planning is... and how you can't plan for the next 8 hours around here?
Well, I woke up this morning to silence. A really eerie silence. There were no cars on the road, no motorcycles on the road. No people talking and laughing outside. It was quiet. People were in their houses. We soon found out why - it's great to have a network of NGO friends and good local colleagues around. People started calling and sending SMSes even before 8am, telling each other to stay home. There were house to house searches - apparently looking for illegal firearms - throughout the entire city. All the roads were blocked, and people weren't able to go anywhere.
So. That meeting I had planned to do some planning for the coming year with one of the teams at 9:30am. Didn't happen until much later in the day, and even then, ended up a bit rushed because I had to rush to the airport to pick up someone who is coming to work with us for the coming year - but we didn't know that she was coming in today until someone called me this morning to tell me to go fetch her from the airport this afternoon!
Anyway, slowly slowly, a few of the staff wandered into work. Many of them live relatively near by, so were able to get to the compound on foot (by footing, as they say here). So I was able to get some work done in the end. And eventually, the cars were allowed to start moving on the roads again (though there's a curfew in place again this evening - everyone was meant to be home by sunset).
That's just part of life around here - you gotta learn to be flexible!
The little restaurant and tea shop down the street were open for lunch today, though! Our fearless leader, someone who's come from a different part of the country to do some work and is staying in our guesthouse along with his friend, brought us back to the same place we ate yesterday, and then led us on after our bellies were full to the little tea shop down the street. I never go into these sorts of places on my own - they are usually full of men (women are all safely tucked away at home, cooking and cleaning during the day!), and I just don't feel comfortable visiting them on my own. But armed with two local men, I can go just about anywhere!
We had a great time drinking our tea, and I'm getting to the point with my Arabic that I can communicate with most people on the street, and actually get what I want! It's really great, and going to these local restaurants and tea places is great practice for me!
I happened to have my camera in my bag, so I took a few photos of us sitting and having our tea:
Well, I woke up this morning to silence. A really eerie silence. There were no cars on the road, no motorcycles on the road. No people talking and laughing outside. It was quiet. People were in their houses. We soon found out why - it's great to have a network of NGO friends and good local colleagues around. People started calling and sending SMSes even before 8am, telling each other to stay home. There were house to house searches - apparently looking for illegal firearms - throughout the entire city. All the roads were blocked, and people weren't able to go anywhere.
So. That meeting I had planned to do some planning for the coming year with one of the teams at 9:30am. Didn't happen until much later in the day, and even then, ended up a bit rushed because I had to rush to the airport to pick up someone who is coming to work with us for the coming year - but we didn't know that she was coming in today until someone called me this morning to tell me to go fetch her from the airport this afternoon!
Anyway, slowly slowly, a few of the staff wandered into work. Many of them live relatively near by, so were able to get to the compound on foot (by footing, as they say here). So I was able to get some work done in the end. And eventually, the cars were allowed to start moving on the roads again (though there's a curfew in place again this evening - everyone was meant to be home by sunset).
That's just part of life around here - you gotta learn to be flexible!
The little restaurant and tea shop down the street were open for lunch today, though! Our fearless leader, someone who's come from a different part of the country to do some work and is staying in our guesthouse along with his friend, brought us back to the same place we ate yesterday, and then led us on after our bellies were full to the little tea shop down the street. I never go into these sorts of places on my own - they are usually full of men (women are all safely tucked away at home, cooking and cleaning during the day!), and I just don't feel comfortable visiting them on my own. But armed with two local men, I can go just about anywhere!
We had a great time drinking our tea, and I'm getting to the point with my Arabic that I can communicate with most people on the street, and actually get what I want! It's really great, and going to these local restaurants and tea places is great practice for me!
I happened to have my camera in my bag, so I took a few photos of us sitting and having our tea:
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Planning?
So in a place where I can barely plan what's going to happen in the next 8 hours, I just spent the morning with one of our language teams planning all of their literacy activities for the coming fiscal year (yes, we're like the Ethiopians - our new year starts in September!). And for those of you who know my personality, it's also quite a stretch for me to look beyond tomorrow and make plans for an entire year at a time!
But it was quite nice, actually, to be a part of yet another round of literacy planning with this team. Because I've been here for so long (yes, three years is an incredibly long time for an expat to live in these parts), I've been able to see a bit of progress with this team, and to see some of the bits to completion, and to see how one bit follows on from the next. I almost feel like I know what I'm sorta supposed to be doing, after doing this for a few years now! And that's a nice feeling, too, knowing that I've got a bit of experience behind me to be able to work with the team to come up with some reasonable plans!
And it's also quite an encouraging time of year - looking back at what we've accomplished (which is quite a lot considering all the factors here: teacher trainings, writers workshops, ABC Books and story books, newsletters and calendars produced...) and looking ahead to the coming year (more books published, more teacher training, more writer's workshops, developing the primer, establishing some more literacy classes ...). And I'm excited about it! Our meeting today, though darkened by some strong words to one of the team members who is just downright lazy, was really a very positive one, and one which we all left feeling quite excited about the work to come.
Tomorrow I have a planning meeting with a different team, in a very different situation. Because of some funding cuts and other personnel issues, we didn't get much literacy work done at all. It was a bit disappointing because we had made good plans last September, but weren't able to carry out hardly any of them. And some folks in our administration are encouraging the team to put their focus on some of the other aspects of our work, rather than on the literacy. So it's a bit of an uphill battle to keep the team motivated to do any literacy work at all - but to me, it's SO important! I mean, if they focus on the translation work, and they end up at the end with a book which no one can read, then they'll be saying, "why didn't we do literacy all along...?" Anyways, I know I'm a bit biased, and everyone always thinks that THEIR part of the work is the most important, but quite honestly, in this case, I do think it's a rather important bit of the "whole picture"!
So hopefully I'll be able to communicate well with the team tomorrow, that I'll be able to listen well to them, also, and that we will be able to come up with a good plan on how to move forward with this work, and not just let it grind to a halt because we ignored it...
Maybe this planning stuff isn't so bad afterall.
But it was quite nice, actually, to be a part of yet another round of literacy planning with this team. Because I've been here for so long (yes, three years is an incredibly long time for an expat to live in these parts), I've been able to see a bit of progress with this team, and to see some of the bits to completion, and to see how one bit follows on from the next. I almost feel like I know what I'm sorta supposed to be doing, after doing this for a few years now! And that's a nice feeling, too, knowing that I've got a bit of experience behind me to be able to work with the team to come up with some reasonable plans!
And it's also quite an encouraging time of year - looking back at what we've accomplished (which is quite a lot considering all the factors here: teacher trainings, writers workshops, ABC Books and story books, newsletters and calendars produced...) and looking ahead to the coming year (more books published, more teacher training, more writer's workshops, developing the primer, establishing some more literacy classes ...). And I'm excited about it! Our meeting today, though darkened by some strong words to one of the team members who is just downright lazy, was really a very positive one, and one which we all left feeling quite excited about the work to come.
Tomorrow I have a planning meeting with a different team, in a very different situation. Because of some funding cuts and other personnel issues, we didn't get much literacy work done at all. It was a bit disappointing because we had made good plans last September, but weren't able to carry out hardly any of them. And some folks in our administration are encouraging the team to put their focus on some of the other aspects of our work, rather than on the literacy. So it's a bit of an uphill battle to keep the team motivated to do any literacy work at all - but to me, it's SO important! I mean, if they focus on the translation work, and they end up at the end with a book which no one can read, then they'll be saying, "why didn't we do literacy all along...?" Anyways, I know I'm a bit biased, and everyone always thinks that THEIR part of the work is the most important, but quite honestly, in this case, I do think it's a rather important bit of the "whole picture"!
So hopefully I'll be able to communicate well with the team tomorrow, that I'll be able to listen well to them, also, and that we will be able to come up with a good plan on how to move forward with this work, and not just let it grind to a halt because we ignored it...
Maybe this planning stuff isn't so bad afterall.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Scroll down...
... to August 15 if you want to read what I wrote today. It's just a bit more travelogue. Don't worry, I won't be offended if you don't want to read about what I did on my summer vacation!
Happy September!
Happy September!
Better check my bags.
It must have been a visitor from Jbs who forgot to check his bags, and brought a little friend along to make his home in rat-free Alberta. Poor little rat didn't have a chance... The rats in my house held a special meeting last night to figure out what to do about the situation. I think I heard their war cries last night...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)