This is Africa. The days are long, the weeks are short and before I know it I’ll be on a plane headed straight for Asia. But for the mean time, I’m going to enjoy my cute little bed and the mosquito who is currently buzzing in my ear.
With this being said, I’ve decided to make this pretty casual- so here are some of my thoughts that I’ve put together for you to laugh at, think about, and just enjoy. So here’s to the good, the bad, and everything in between- TIA
For starters, I’ve recently become a teacher along with Leanna and Mary. We spend our mornings teaching English. And on fridays, we lesson plan. By no means, are we professional teachers but I can’t honestly say by the grace of God- our kiddos have shown some real progress. So much so, that one of the leaders of the base wants to send our lesson plans to the government of Ethiopia.
I had to get on to one of our students and in the process of me “disciplining” all it took was him to shed on tear and it was game over for all of my emotions. Next thing, I know I am wiping my own tears and feeling like I’ve completely failed in life. Dramatic, sure but still.
Also, we have a class pet named Nick. He interrupts class everyday. Some days we take a brain break and try to kill him. Since his existence, I’ve had a kid in the ceiling trying catch him, a kid who got his finger bit in attempt to get rid of him for good, and a kid try to catch him. He is a clever little rat. Similar to Stewart Little.
I spend the majority of my nights eating dinner in the home of the kids I teach. I typically share a traditional Ethiopian dish with my youngest student Senna. She usually eats all the toppings and leaves me with the moist bread. We then talk about Nick the rat and if I will bring snacks to class the following day. By the end of the night, if I’m lucky I’ll get invited to a coffee ceremony where we all sit in a circle and drink coffee.
Several of the kids I live with, took it upon themselves to build us a tree house so that we can hangout. They spent all morning making it “beautiful” for me to sit in and according to Meskerm, they made it so I can read my bible. Now, I’m not sure what made me think that myself plus 7 Ethiopian children and some cookies I found in my room, could fit in this small, very unstable tree but sure enough- we were quickly informed by a base staff that we could fall and die any minute. And to be honest, the thought crossed my mind as well- so we quickly took it apart and built a convincing fort instead.
Mary, Leanna, and I decided to go tenting under the skies of Africa. Sounds really cool and adventurous right?? And it is.. until about 1 am and you hear noises of Lion King in real life. The laugh of a hyena alone can make me pee my pants. And sleeping in between Mary and Leanna in a two person tent is bound to be a good time as well. In theory, if the Wesley twins off of Harry Potter- Fred & George were triplets that would be equivalent to Leanna, Mary, and I.
As for Jesus, what a man. I’m serious, living in Africa you will come to learn that you have a lot of quiet time. A lot of time to spend with Jesus. It’s a time for you to learn what you can do better. A time to realize that relationship with the father has never been based on performance but instead intimacy and just resting in his spirit.
With all that being said,
TIA (This Is Africa) & until next time,
KJ
