Sunday, October 14, 2012

A little view of Africa

So, I am almost two weeks into this little journey, and it has already been quite the adventure! I can't wait to see what the next two years have in store. 

Here is a little glimpse into what life has literally looked like for me the past week or so. 


Drinking attaya (tea) has become a daily occurrence for us. The tea is a green tea that is imported from China, and it is really an art to make it. Mostly men make the tea, although our guard has been teaching Rebekah and I how to master this skill. The first time I tried it, I spilled tea everywhere, and he had to start the long process all over again. I felt terrible, but he just smiled and laughed. I think it's just because I introduced him to Lecrae, and he REALLY likes rap music!

This was taken in our neighborhood. There is a mixture between taxis, motorcycles, and horse drawn carts here. As you can see, these horses work hard! 
 This is another picture taken in our neighborhood. This is what the housing looks like here. 
Life in this city has been so much fun, but I am excited to see where I will be heading next. Tomorrow I leave for another training where I get to meet up with many friends from Virginia. I am so excited to see them and hear their stories. I won't be able to update the blog when I'm there due to lack of internet, but I will for sure have many stories once I get back on it. Hope this gave you a little glimpse into the life that I've been leading here. I wish all of y'all could come experience this time with me, but I'm so excited to share with y'all what is happening over here!

Friday, October 5, 2012

The New Home

I'm Here!!!

I am currently sitting in the living at my new home, trying to navigate around a website in French, with a hear that is full after an amazing day in this new country. 

In the past couple of weeks my life has gone through so many changes. 

1. I had to say see you later to amazing people who i trained/lived/laughed with for 2 months



2. I had the chance to say a quick hello, then goodbye again, to family and friends in the 3 places I have been lucky enough to call home the past couple of years. 




3. I finally got to say hello to my new home!!
The market in our city
We arrived in our country yesterday morning around 5 a.m. Once here, we drove about an hour and half to the city we will be calling home for the next couple of months. We also got the chance to meet our supervisor and other co-workers. Yesterday, we got accustomed to our new home and went to bed pretty early. We didn't sleep on the flight or all day yesterday, so we were pretty tired.

Today has been full of seeing more of the city, visiting the market, drinking tea with a local friend...and our first language lesson! I had so much fun learning a few key phrases in one of the languages we will be speaking in the city. This will not be the main language we speak in our village, but it is the main language in the city. Our teacher was great, and even gave us new names, Rama (Rebekah, my partner) and my new name is Abi. 

 Tea in the courtyard. 
Rebekah learning how to make tea. 
Tonight was filled with cooking dinner and a movie. Trying to figure out how to cook something that is not from a box is kind of challenging for us, but we're surviving! Now it's off to relax for the rest of the night. Can't wait to share more of this adventure with you all!