Loving....
ice-especially crushed..Sonic style
fast food-Sam's cheap hotdogs
salads-with feta cheese and baby spinach
wait....I'm just talking about foods....
and loving...
hugging friends and family
drinking tap water
the smell of clean laundry
constant electricity
showers...long, hot, clean showers
Missing....
friends who are like family
the sunrises
suya
Yahtzee
More to come with photos tomorow.....
goodnight....or goodmorning
13 June, 2007
10 June, 2007
Stateside
43 hours of travel,
4 delayed flights,
1 missed flight,
$7 of internet service,
$24 of McDonalds fries and cokes,
3 sets of currencies,
4 very tired girls...
we have arrived.
4 delayed flights,
1 missed flight,
$7 of internet service,
$24 of McDonalds fries and cokes,
3 sets of currencies,
4 very tired girls...
we have arrived.
08 June, 2007
Chicago and Holding
Began the journey 36 hours ago....we made it to the airport through heavy rains, rough roads, and crazy traffic. Waited there for many hours for our flight to take off. Hung out in Germany for while. And now we are....
Stuck in Chicago.
Missed our connecting flights due to immigration and custom lines.
Stand by flight got delayed. We are praying we'll be able to get home by tonight.
So close...and yet so far.
We will only be in the States for a few weeks for R&R.
(photo: Lauren at Assop Falls)
12 Hours
We took off early in the morning and headed east with a basket of peanut butter and jelly, meat pies, pringles, cookies, drinks, swimsuits and a camera. The ride was beautiful as we watched the sun rise, passed dry river beds, and waved at children in villages we passed. We were heading to a place I had desperately longed to visit for a long time.
We were welcomed to Yankari National Park by spider monkeys and baboons. During the safari we saw warthogs, waterbuck, bushbuck, and so much more. The most exciting part of the journey was when we were in the middle of a large herd of elephants. They were majestic! We heard them warn us to not come too close and saw the little babies. They were larger than I thought they would be. I could have watched them for hours.
But then I would have missed the Wikki warm springs. After a lunch of pb&j, we walked down the 100+ stairs to the water. It was so clear and bath water warm. Naomi learned to swim and we all enjoyed it immensely.....and the next time we go, I'm ignoring the barbed wire and jumping off the tree limb! We ended the day there by sitting outside enjoying the beautiful view.
As we were heading back, we realized that we had done it all in 12 hours. Next time though, we are staying for a few days!
Tomorrow
written 06 June
Tomorrow we leave home and 23 hours later we will arrive home. Home is now on two different continents.
I am apprehensive. I don’t like change and I don’t like to say goodbye. Probably not good issues to have when you live across the world from so many friends and family. As we have been packing to head to the states for a few weeks, I have tried to come up with the words that would describe our life here. That hasn’t been as easy as it was even nine months ago. It was then that culture shock was thick, we were totally exhausted and overwhelmed and probably a bit depressed. Then I would have described our life here with words such as : no electricity, rice, bananas, stress, crying children, homesickness, rice, bananas, loneliness, tears, diarrhea, lack of sleep, bribes, no water, exhaustion, rice, bananas,…..
So glad we didn’t give up and go home ! Although some of the words would be the same in today’s description such as no electricity and rice, I would add so much more : joy, fruit (on many trees and in many hearts!), relationships, contentment, laughter, fun, home,.……
When we were preparing to come, I remember someone once asking me, "How could you do this to your girls ? "I can now confidently reply, "How could we not do this for our girls ?" It sure isn’t the reason we came to Nigeria, but the blessings of growing up here abound. Things that often seemed ike hardships have become the source of friction to polish us. What I thought I would dislike about Nigeria have become the things that have caused me to call it home.
I will be glad to get to the states...but I know that I will be ready to retun home in a few weeks.
Tomorrow we leave home and 23 hours later we will arrive home. Home is now on two different continents.
I am apprehensive. I don’t like change and I don’t like to say goodbye. Probably not good issues to have when you live across the world from so many friends and family. As we have been packing to head to the states for a few weeks, I have tried to come up with the words that would describe our life here. That hasn’t been as easy as it was even nine months ago. It was then that culture shock was thick, we were totally exhausted and overwhelmed and probably a bit depressed. Then I would have described our life here with words such as : no electricity, rice, bananas, stress, crying children, homesickness, rice, bananas, loneliness, tears, diarrhea, lack of sleep, bribes, no water, exhaustion, rice, bananas,…..
So glad we didn’t give up and go home ! Although some of the words would be the same in today’s description such as no electricity and rice, I would add so much more : joy, fruit (on many trees and in many hearts!), relationships, contentment, laughter, fun, home,.……
When we were preparing to come, I remember someone once asking me, "How could you do this to your girls ? "I can now confidently reply, "How could we not do this for our girls ?" It sure isn’t the reason we came to Nigeria, but the blessings of growing up here abound. Things that often seemed ike hardships have become the source of friction to polish us. What I thought I would dislike about Nigeria have become the things that have caused me to call it home.
I will be glad to get to the states...but I know that I will be ready to retun home in a few weeks.
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