Here you go:
Yep. That pretty much says it all.
Category: Other Page 128 of 181
November 2009
I love Facebook and reading blogs because it helps me keep in touch with people so well. I love that I can see pictures of my friends’ kids as they are growing up….that I can hear about major events in their lives so that when I see them again, we can pick up where we left off.
But then there’s the hard part.
I was thinking about this recently when everyone started posting pictures of taking their kids to the pumpkin patch. And talking about fall colors and cold air and pumpkin pie scented candles. But over here on my side of the world, I laid awake till 1 am last night, staring into the darkness, with soaking wet hair, trying to breathe, waiting for the power to come back on so that we could turn on the air conditioner. As my friends in America are layering on sweaters, we are layering on the deodorant. I put out a fall-themed table runner last week, and this really confused Grace. Is it autumn, Mommy? Well, no, Sweetie, not in Tanzania, just in America. There is much discussion among our American mission friends (as every year) on how we will track down a turkey (a major undertaking) so that we can celebrate Thanksgiving (on a Saturday, since it’s not a holiday here).
It’s often not been so bad as long as I can forget what “my other life” would be like if I were in it. But having just gone through fall/winter last year in the States, and with all these reminders on the internet, it is, well, hard. So I struggle with wanting to keep in touch with people but not allowing my heart to dwell on what I don’t have. I struggle with wanting to remain “American” but yet allowing my children to delight in being Tanzanian.
And you’re probably thinking anyway, “But look at your amazing pictures of Zanzibar!” True. I know that. And though we don’t have bright orange pumpkins appearing in October, we have enormous pineapples being trucked in. So how do I live between these worlds? How do I retain my American-ness while embracing my Tanzanian-ness?
I realized recently that I have spent almost 14 of my 33 years in Africa. Just about half my life, isn’t it? It’s a strange feeling. I’m not quite sure which one is more me.
We had always talked about breeding our Jack Russell, so now, finally, 5 years later, we finally got around to it.
I wondered often what was going through Minnie’s mind through this whole thing. I mean, she’s never seen a birth, never seen puppies, and one day she gets this enormous stomach that is practically touching the ground, and then puppies start appearing. “It all started when that strange dog showed up,” she wonders to herself. Minnie did give us some very bewildered looks those first few days. “How did this happen?” Yet, of course, due to our marvelous Creator, the dog (who has never seen a birth or had anyone teach her) knows exactly what to do. Maybe this isn’t very amazing to many people but I’ve thought it’s all been pretty darn cool.
And of course, there isn’t anything much cuter than kids and puppies.
Don’t bother asking for one. They were spoken for before they were born. Jack Russells like to catch rats and bark at strangers, so they are quite popular dogs around here.
Three more weeks till they go to their new homes. I will miss those little faces, but I will not miss all the pee.
Last week was mid-term break, so Gil and I left the kids with friends and snuck away for four days to celebrate our 10th Anniversary. We went to Zanzibar, where we have been quite a few times before, but there’s always new places to explore and fall in love with all over again.
Zanzibar is an inhabited island (population 1 million) off the coast of Tanzania and though it is technically part of Tanzania, has a very unique culture. The beaches are unlike anything in the world. The architecture is stunning. The culture and people, a mix of Arab and African, are fascinating. We stayed three nights at a beach hotel and one night in Stonetown, the capital city. We biked, snorkeled, walked, watched the sunset, read, swam, kayaked, and enjoyed great food. It was just plain wonderful.
Gil collected these while snorkeling by tying them to his trunks….don’t worry, we threw them all back after the picture!
A sea turtle conservation facility.
Since I’ve seen baby turtles hatching twice now, it was so fascinating to see them as adults! Such beautiful, graceful, gentle animals.
Mnarani Beach Hotel
The rest of these pictures are views from Stonetown.
Tanzania elections coming up on Sunday….the streets everywhere are plastered with posters!
At night, Forodhani Gardens are lit up by dozens of food vendors selling all the seafood you can imagine!
Josiah (almost 3) thinks he is Spiderman. Like, seriously. What’s funny about this is that he has never seen the Spiderman movies (what kind of a parent do you think I am??), so this obsession started only by seeing pictures of him. Even in Tanzania, Spiderman is present on backpacks, shirts, and even sold in inflatable form on the side of the road. So somehow, just by seeing him, with that superhero gene that is present in little boys, Josiah figured out that this is a guy he wanted to be like. Last week Daddy finally let him see some flying scenes from the actual movie (I guess we are those kind of parents), and now the obsession is in full force.
Spiderman even helped Josiah to overcome his fear of jumping in the water. As you can see, when he is Spiderman, he is unstoppable.
The sad part is, that according to Josiah, Spiderman does not kiss his mommy. Actually, he says, Spiderman does not have a mommy. However, also according to Josiah, he does go pee in the toilet. That is very good news.
(and he does still kiss me anyway)
