We are in California to visit Lesley's family, and it is a great little break from all the preparation before we enter the homestretch that is sure to be a bit crazy (as if times so far haven't been). As you can tell, this provides a chance to post an update with some things I've found and wanted to share:
As you may have seen, we've been meeting with some great people to make some good connections and gather all the advice we can. Meanwhile, Lesley also gets her hands on all the books that she can, and I've taken to browsing blogs to glean information about Africa and Kenya. Well, she browses blogs too - she reads SO much more than I do! ...and probably better ones for our preparation too.
The INTERESTING:
Just the other day, perhaps the best blog about Africa that I've found by a really cool, techie guy who calls his blog "white African", posted an entry about The Curious Case of Africa Blindness. There are a few really great images that I don't want to steal, and he explains that, "A scotoma is a blind spot in your vision. Everyone has it, and it’s due to the lack of photoreceptors where your optic nerve exits your eyeball. Normally, it’s right at the center of your vision. It’s curious to note that most maps have Africa placed squarely in the center, and most are blind to it as well." Then, he goes on with some other great information about Africa's position in the world.
The KIND of FUNNY:
A post back in May also shared some images and maps trying to answer So, just how big is Africa?? The recent entry I talked about above reminded me of this one that I meant to share, but never really got the chance until now. The first map shared the "Total Number of NY Times Articles Covering Countries in Africa, 1981 to 2008," and I was pleased to see that Kenya looks to be above average. It gets funny with another map comparing the land mass of Africa with choice parts of the rest of the world, like Western Europe and the British Isles (aren't they part of Western Europe?) and the (continental) U.S. The humor ensues with the "Contents of Africa According to the Rest of the World," which does not even include the Sahara desert, Congo jungle, or gorillas!?!
The GREAT:
Back to the white African blog, and a post in June that I've found valuable (and need to reference again over the next few weeks!). He provides 15 Travel Tips for Africa in response to another NY Times piece by "Nicholas Kristof [who] is a well-traveled journalist for the NY Times, going to some of the most far-flung reaches of the world, so he does have good advice for travelers." It is quite techie oriented, so not all of it really applies for our trip. Nevertheless, I personally enjoy how he tempered Kristof's "#10. Don’t wear a nice watch, for that suggests a fat wallet and also makes a target..." with his own "#13. Watches are overrated. It’s just one more thing to carry, use your cell phone for the time. Time doesn’t matter as much anyway to be honest… I haven’t worn one for years, but it could be I’m missing something here." I'll side with his closing comment, because I love my watches, but will take only my "Walmart" Timex Ironman - after all, I need something to cover my watch tan line.
That reminds me, I need to get the battery replaced on that trusty old piece. Add it to the to-do list that doesn't seem to shrink, but at least we keep checking things off at a pace to keep it manageable...
Thanks for at least skimming to this point. Stay tuned!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
This week's highlights
Lots has been happening lately! Here are some highlights:
*Got to visit college friends in Louisville, KY for 4th of July. Met baby Annelie and loved being with great people who live so far apart. Louisville is a fun, funky city! We almost skipped the fireworks because of rain, but at the last minute decided to drive and find them. Had to enjoy the American tradition before we leave!
(Pic = 4th of July: Mike, Blair, Chris; Steph, Hanell, Melissa, Lesley)
*Celebrated our third anniversary on July 8th! The traditional gift for the third anniversary is leather or crystal/glass ... I got Chris tickets to the Cardinal's game (leather baseball glove?), and he got me earrings and flowers (glass vase?). We really had to stretch the tradition this year! I was sick all week, but we were both glad to make it to our annual Brewer's/Card's match.
(Pic = Cheering for the Cardinals)
*Spoke at Metrobrook about our trip and were prayed for/sent out by the congregation. We were nervous but think it went okay. We were touched that folks came up and prayed for us and excited to talk to others who were interested in what we are doing.
*Had three terrific lunch meetings with some pastors and a professor who all have Kenya connections (some specifically in the Ribe/Mombasa area). It was amazing to see how the connections are coming together and what an encouragement and support these people are to us. What a blessing!
*Got to visit with my childhood best friend who was in town and generally had fun shopping and hanging out in Madison ... Katie, have we convinced you to come do medical work in Kenya yet? I was also particularly thrilled to find a manual coffee-grinder on this excursion :-)
(Pic = In front of an M-lake ... Monona? Mendota?)
*Did a bit of a 'mock pack' yesterday to see how we were doing on space and weight allocations for the plane. Looks like we're going to be okay ... weight is more of an issue than space. It really helps that we don't need to bring wool sweaters, fleece-lined pants, and down jackets! :-D
*Got a lot of the prescription things figured out (see last post). Thanks for your prayers! Also, we are still figuring out transportation/luggage between Nairobi and Mombasa ... maybe we'll take a train?!
Well, that's the latest here! Chris is off to sail the Hook race (Racine-Green Bay) this weekend, then we will hit California next week. 27 days until we board a plane for Africa!!
(Pic = Start of Queen's cup at South Shore Yacht Club, Milwaukee)
*Got to visit college friends in Louisville, KY for 4th of July. Met baby Annelie and loved being with great people who live so far apart. Louisville is a fun, funky city! We almost skipped the fireworks because of rain, but at the last minute decided to drive and find them. Had to enjoy the American tradition before we leave!
(Pic = 4th of July: Mike, Blair, Chris; Steph, Hanell, Melissa, Lesley)
*Celebrated our third anniversary on July 8th! The traditional gift for the third anniversary is leather or crystal/glass ... I got Chris tickets to the Cardinal's game (leather baseball glove?), and he got me earrings and flowers (glass vase?). We really had to stretch the tradition this year! I was sick all week, but we were both glad to make it to our annual Brewer's/Card's match.
(Pic = Cheering for the Cardinals)
*Spoke at Metrobrook about our trip and were prayed for/sent out by the congregation. We were nervous but think it went okay. We were touched that folks came up and prayed for us and excited to talk to others who were interested in what we are doing.
*Had three terrific lunch meetings with some pastors and a professor who all have Kenya connections (some specifically in the Ribe/Mombasa area). It was amazing to see how the connections are coming together and what an encouragement and support these people are to us. What a blessing!
*Got to visit with my childhood best friend who was in town and generally had fun shopping and hanging out in Madison ... Katie, have we convinced you to come do medical work in Kenya yet? I was also particularly thrilled to find a manual coffee-grinder on this excursion :-)
(Pic = In front of an M-lake ... Monona? Mendota?)
*Did a bit of a 'mock pack' yesterday to see how we were doing on space and weight allocations for the plane. Looks like we're going to be okay ... weight is more of an issue than space. It really helps that we don't need to bring wool sweaters, fleece-lined pants, and down jackets! :-D
*Got a lot of the prescription things figured out (see last post). Thanks for your prayers! Also, we are still figuring out transportation/luggage between Nairobi and Mombasa ... maybe we'll take a train?!
Well, that's the latest here! Chris is off to sail the Hook race (Racine-Green Bay) this weekend, then we will hit California next week. 27 days until we board a plane for Africa!!
(Pic = Start of Queen's cup at South Shore Yacht Club, Milwaukee)
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Jabs to the arm and the wallet
As we prepare to leave for Kenya in a few weeks not many people have asked about our efforts to prepare for a new culture, or our attempts to develop skills as teachers, or our spiritual development (though a few have); they all want to know – “did you get your shots?” Some insightful folks will ask about malaria medication, maybe even water purification. Well, friends, here is a little glimpse of the details that go in to moving overseas …
Story #1:
In April, Lesley looks into getting shots. The public travel clinic is recommended, but there is a shortage of the Yellow Fever vaccine which they will have to special order, so they get on a waiting list. Chris is lucky enough to get the one dose they can offer us. So, Lesley unfortunately had to look for another venue for herself.
Finding a local nursing clinic, she schedules her appointment, gets her 6 shots (OUCH!), and gets a prescription for malaria medication. The nurse prescribes 400 malaria pills for Lesley, more than enough for a year. Since the pharmacy will have to special order them, she puts in the prescription for Chris, too, making it a total of 800 pills.
After a few days Lesley calls the pharmacy to make sure the enormous prescription was filled. It was, so Lesley asks the price.
“25 … 27 … 54” the pharmacy tech says.
“Wait,” says Lesley, “how many digits did you just say?”
“Two thousand five hundred twenty seven dollars and fifty four cents,” he says. “Per person.”
Lesley promptly has a heart attack.
Fortunately, they could return almost all of it, and we get one month supplies each with the help of insurance.
After phone calls to fellow travelers and med-student best friends, Lesley and Chris decide to find a generic anti-malarial, and Lesley tries to call the travel clinic that initially gave the prescription. Only she finds that two weeks prior, the department was closed and the clinic is now operating out of a hospital in another city. And that the prescribing nurse is out for the rest of the summer.
Lesley and Chris are currently pursuing the generic option that will cost $4/month (and wondering why the travel nurse didn’t explain this when she prescribed it!).
Story #2:
Lesley books their flights with a travel agent who gets them a good deal on British Airways that includes 3 pieces of luggage each. Lesley notices that the travel agent’s price for the in-country Kenya flight is higher than she can get on her own, so she says that she will take care of it. As she goes to book the Kenya flight, Lesley realizes that the airline only allows 1 piece of luggage, and charges 100 euro ($139) for each extra bag. Considering that the ticket only cost $115, Lesley is currently considering either packing really light, finding land transportation, or simply buying a seat on the plane for her luggage.
Neither of these stories is all that tragic, nor impossible to solve. Just funny how complicated (and time-consuming) things get when they could have been so simple.
In case you were wondering, other things on the to-do list include:
* Get passports - DONE
* Buy flights - DONE (except for luggage issue)
* Medical - shots, malaria pills, etc. - DONE (except Chris's second HepB shot & a plan for the rest of the malaria pills)
* Sell (almost) everything we own - DONE (except for the stuff still left)
* Get financial stuff in order, like paying off student loans - DONE (except for stocks ... let's not talk about those)
* Make sure we have appropriate clothes - DONE (except for shoes)
* Send fundraising letters - DONE (but could use a little following up)
* Get travel medical insurance
* Make sure we are set for visas
* Buy some supplies, like lots of sunblock
* Learn Swahili
* Prepare teaching material
* … and lots and lots of little things, like meet with bank, change address, get international driver’s license, borrow big Army luggage bags, return library books, say goodbyes …
Not an exhaustive list, but surely an exhausting one. Turns out the only thing that is actually done is getting our passports. Hmm.
So yes, friends, we got our shots, and then some.
Story #1:
In April, Lesley looks into getting shots. The public travel clinic is recommended, but there is a shortage of the Yellow Fever vaccine which they will have to special order, so they get on a waiting list. Chris is lucky enough to get the one dose they can offer us. So, Lesley unfortunately had to look for another venue for herself.
Finding a local nursing clinic, she schedules her appointment, gets her 6 shots (OUCH!), and gets a prescription for malaria medication. The nurse prescribes 400 malaria pills for Lesley, more than enough for a year. Since the pharmacy will have to special order them, she puts in the prescription for Chris, too, making it a total of 800 pills.
After a few days Lesley calls the pharmacy to make sure the enormous prescription was filled. It was, so Lesley asks the price.
“25 … 27 … 54” the pharmacy tech says.
“Wait,” says Lesley, “how many digits did you just say?”
“Two thousand five hundred twenty seven dollars and fifty four cents,” he says. “Per person.”
Lesley promptly has a heart attack.
Fortunately, they could return almost all of it, and we get one month supplies each with the help of insurance.
After phone calls to fellow travelers and med-student best friends, Lesley and Chris decide to find a generic anti-malarial, and Lesley tries to call the travel clinic that initially gave the prescription. Only she finds that two weeks prior, the department was closed and the clinic is now operating out of a hospital in another city. And that the prescribing nurse is out for the rest of the summer.
Lesley and Chris are currently pursuing the generic option that will cost $4/month (and wondering why the travel nurse didn’t explain this when she prescribed it!).
Story #2:
Lesley books their flights with a travel agent who gets them a good deal on British Airways that includes 3 pieces of luggage each. Lesley notices that the travel agent’s price for the in-country Kenya flight is higher than she can get on her own, so she says that she will take care of it. As she goes to book the Kenya flight, Lesley realizes that the airline only allows 1 piece of luggage, and charges 100 euro ($139) for each extra bag. Considering that the ticket only cost $115, Lesley is currently considering either packing really light, finding land transportation, or simply buying a seat on the plane for her luggage.
Neither of these stories is all that tragic, nor impossible to solve. Just funny how complicated (and time-consuming) things get when they could have been so simple.
In case you were wondering, other things on the to-do list include:
* Get passports - DONE
* Buy flights - DONE (except for luggage issue)
* Medical - shots, malaria pills, etc. - DONE (except Chris's second HepB shot & a plan for the rest of the malaria pills)
* Sell (almost) everything we own - DONE (except for the stuff still left)
* Get financial stuff in order, like paying off student loans - DONE (except for stocks ... let's not talk about those)
* Make sure we have appropriate clothes - DONE (except for shoes)
* Send fundraising letters - DONE (but could use a little following up)
* Get travel medical insurance
* Make sure we are set for visas
* Buy some supplies, like lots of sunblock
* Learn Swahili
* Prepare teaching material
* … and lots and lots of little things, like meet with bank, change address, get international driver’s license, borrow big Army luggage bags, return library books, say goodbyes …
Not an exhaustive list, but surely an exhausting one. Turns out the only thing that is actually done is getting our passports. Hmm.
So yes, friends, we got our shots, and then some.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
We are Church Members!
Last Sunday was a great one; although I got home just in time for church, it was a good thing I did, and I had gotten enough sleep that church was not miserable. Quite the opposite!
We became official members at Metrobrook, the church we have been involved in for two years. It was really exciting for us because it's the first time we've become members of a church! We love the mission and heart of Metrobrook, and have been pretty involved over the last couple years. We started looking into membership about a year and a half ago, and took the membership class 8 months ago. With our schedule it just took a while. We hesitated completing the process since we are leaving so soon, but one of the pastors assured us that we should; that we have been active in the church, and it is not bad that we are leaving right away, in fact they plan to "send us off" even though we are not really going through them. I find that so encouraging that they are not too concerned with how we are going, but they want to support us regardless.
Becoming members was not the only good thing about Sunday morning. I also really related to part of the message: Our pastor made reference to being tired of hearing people's excuses that they are still "baby Christians" and not prepared to serve the community in various ways.
Well, I recall feeling that way as I headed off to the Virginia Beach Summer Project I talked about before. I sometimes did not feel like I knew the Bible well enough or lived a Christian life well enough, which was completely unfounded. First of all, I had already been a Christian for about 3 years, so the baby Christian term may not have fit, but furthermore, I had been in Bible studies and discipleship relationships at Northwestern. Fortunately, those feelings did not keep me from going!
That summer, we studied the book of Hebrews, and I distinctly remember the verses in Hebrews 5:12-14 that say, "By now you should have been teachers, but once again you need to be taught the simplest things about what God has said. You need milk instead of solid food. People who live on milk are like babies who don't really know what is right. Solid food is for mature people who have been trained to know right from wrong." The scolding at the beginning helped me to make efforts to move from "milk" to "solid food" spiritually. It helped me gain a little more knowledge of the Bible, and the summer boosted my confidence.
Returning to Sunday's message, we looked at 2 Corinthians 3:4-6, which states that, "Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."
Sorry for some theological thoughts lately; we'll try to share more about the status of our physical preparations along with these spiritual ones. In the meantime, have a great 4th of July... Happy Independence Day!
We became official members at Metrobrook, the church we have been involved in for two years. It was really exciting for us because it's the first time we've become members of a church! We love the mission and heart of Metrobrook, and have been pretty involved over the last couple years. We started looking into membership about a year and a half ago, and took the membership class 8 months ago. With our schedule it just took a while. We hesitated completing the process since we are leaving so soon, but one of the pastors assured us that we should; that we have been active in the church, and it is not bad that we are leaving right away, in fact they plan to "send us off" even though we are not really going through them. I find that so encouraging that they are not too concerned with how we are going, but they want to support us regardless.
Becoming members was not the only good thing about Sunday morning. I also really related to part of the message: Our pastor made reference to being tired of hearing people's excuses that they are still "baby Christians" and not prepared to serve the community in various ways.
Well, I recall feeling that way as I headed off to the Virginia Beach Summer Project I talked about before. I sometimes did not feel like I knew the Bible well enough or lived a Christian life well enough, which was completely unfounded. First of all, I had already been a Christian for about 3 years, so the baby Christian term may not have fit, but furthermore, I had been in Bible studies and discipleship relationships at Northwestern. Fortunately, those feelings did not keep me from going!
That summer, we studied the book of Hebrews, and I distinctly remember the verses in Hebrews 5:12-14 that say, "By now you should have been teachers, but once again you need to be taught the simplest things about what God has said. You need milk instead of solid food. People who live on milk are like babies who don't really know what is right. Solid food is for mature people who have been trained to know right from wrong." The scolding at the beginning helped me to make efforts to move from "milk" to "solid food" spiritually. It helped me gain a little more knowledge of the Bible, and the summer boosted my confidence.
Returning to Sunday's message, we looked at 2 Corinthians 3:4-6, which states that, "Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."
Sorry for some theological thoughts lately; we'll try to share more about the status of our physical preparations along with these spiritual ones. In the meantime, have a great 4th of July... Happy Independence Day!
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