Branching Out

At almost 4 weeks in to this African adventure, we're starting to get the hang of the most basic things. Grocery shopping and meal preparation is not as overwhelming as it was. We're figuring out how to navigate the water/power issues. Ryan is beginning to understand how to procure gasoline for the generator. It's getting more "normal."

Because of that, we tried to push ourselves to get out of our compound a little more this past week. We still are a far cry from where we want to be, but we're taking baby steps and gaining experience and confidence, which is a very good thing. Here are some highlights from these last several days...

Tuesday was Valentine's Day and it was definitely different than any I've had before. We did want to do something with the kids that would make it seem festive. While we were in Canada I had thought to purchase a pack of plates, napkins, and some Valentine candy and sprinkles to sneak into our luggage. I am so glad I did, because they were a big hit with the kids and I couldn't have found anything like it here. We baked cookies on Monday night and then we delivered them to our colleagues and a few friends on Tuesday. The kids enjoyed making a few cards to go with them and it gave us a chance to do something familiar without using too much energy.

Some friends dropped by that evening and gave us a Valentine's gift of real milk, which was a big hit with the kids. Abby could not have been more excited. We've tried all of the milk options here and while the powdered milk and long-life milk are okay for baking and cooking, we really miss real milk for other things. So, a 1/2 gallon of the real stuff was a big treat. We've been able to find it twice now, so it is occasionally available.

Here's Lizzy showing off her cookie.

Happy faces for our Valentine's breakfast. Daddy didn't join us because he was in bed with a tummy ache.

Cinnamon scones for our Valentine's breakfast.

Abby decorated our wall using paper that she colored with a marker. I wouldn't let her into our extremely limited colored paper supply, so she got creative. It added a festive feel to the dining area!

After we finished school on Tuesday, we went out with our "crazy neighbors." They took us to a place which operates a ministry to women and children who are affected by Aids. This particular ministry teaches them to sew or quilt and then provides them a place to sell their goods. They also involve them in fellowship and classes that help them to navigate life. In addition, they have recently started a school for the children and we were able to see that. It was a neat experience. We bought a few items there and we look forward to going back again in the months ahead.

These are the sewing machines that are used by the women.

Here's Lily with one of the boys at the shop. She LOVES the children here. Her favorite adjective when referring to them is "adorable!"

Here's the front door of the workshop/store area

After showing us around there, Mr. Frank, decided to give us a little side roads tour of the city. Along the way, we had our first African car accident. It was minor, involved a little fussing back and forth, an exchange of about six US dollars, and then we were on our way. Oh well, at least I went ahead and met that fear head-on and we were able to see a more seasoned colleague deal with a very real reality of living here. What's one more dent in the old Toyota?

That night, our other neighbors offered to keep the kids so that we could go out to dinner. We went to the nicest restaurant in town and it was... well...shall we say... interesting. The menu was a blend of Chinese, Lebanese, and western all mixed together. I tried a beef dish, not a good idea! But, we at least got a new experience, had some time alone, and the kids got the treat of time at a friend's house.

The next day, we went to another friend's house to swim. The mama of this family runs a brothel ministry here in our city as well as a halfway house for women who decide to break away from that life. This family is in the process of adopting a little girl that they rescued out of the brothel. The story is amazing and heartbreaking at the same time. She is absolutely adorable and I got to cuddle with her the whole evening.

On the day we went to their house, the brothel owner had actually asked them if they could take another baby that she couldn't take care of anymore. So while we were there, another family went and picked the little boy up from the brothel and brought him to the house where we were. Ryan and I were amazed that we got to be a part of all of the excitement (we thought we were going to swim and have dinner), but he and I could not look at each other when they brought the little boy home because we were both about to burst into sobs. He was absolutely beautiful and the thought that he was a cast-off was more than we could bear. We are praying that God will bring them clarity for the best long-term solution for this little guy.

Thursday, after school, we headed off with the crazy neighbors again. This time, they took us about 45 minutes outside of the city to the village where Ryan's language helper lives. Thursday is the market day in that village, so we went to experience the village market and practice our pitiful Hausa vocabulary.

The market consisted of lots of vendors seated on the ground with their wares. A few had makeshift tables, but not many. For the most part, there was a small variety of goods. Lots of onions, peppers, and tomatoes.

Here I am seated on the ground with a group of Muslim women who were selling some sort of yogurty millet from their pots. I was trying to have a conversation with the lady in the black head covering, but mostly she was having to communicate to my friend in the green, just behind me. I'm not sure what all they said, but I'm pretty sure they had some laughs at my expense. I think that's just part of language learning!

These children followed us all over the market. The little girl in the pink shirt was literally at my heels the entire time. I kept greeting her but she would just giggle and stare. A couple of times she said, "Bature Hausa, Bature Hausa!" I think she was basically saying, "Wow! There is a white woman and she is trying to speak Hausa." Ryan's language helper, who is a pastor in this village, told him before we went that many of these children have never seen a white person before. The first 15 minutes were really overwhelming for me, but after that, I was able to relax and take it in a little bit. I'm sure that with time I'll be able to enjoy it more.

This is the church that our friend pastors. There is actually a smaller church inside that structure. They are building a larger church around it as they get money. Then, when the larger structure is ready, they will remove the smaller one inside.

More village shots.

That's a bit about our week. And yes, we do feel like we're living inside the pages of a National Geographic magazine. It's pretty cool... most days!