Favor & Friends

For all those who have been faithfully praying and believing in faith-- on Thursday we got Jess' passport out of the security office!! This is a virtual miracle and a blessing from God! Masha Allah!!

After being told it would be an easy 4-day process to get a visa as a dependent/wife back in August, now almost 3 months later, we are still awaiting the visa to be issued. BUT, clearing the security office is the most difficult step. We will now go back to the visa office to have the visa/resident permit issued, a 5 day, relatively painless process (Insha Allah!). Following that, we will need to get an exit/re-entry permit for both of us to travel in/out of the country... whew! Thank you for your prayers and faith!!We have 2 friends visiting from the states and were able to join up with them yesterday for a small tour and supper. It was wonderful being able to be with people from "home" and Eddy and I were so encouraged. We took them to our favorite little local dive and enjoyed a typical meal while chatting about life here in the land of sand. It was a bit surreal to be sitting in those dusty plastic chairs in our crazy little African city-- with them! How good fellowship is! We will be seeing them again tonight for supper at our house... looks like we'll be needing to clean up a bit!

Photos: Eddy, Gary and Peter at our favorite little dive, eating traditional local food- beans, bread, meat and no silverware... Eddy at a typical ducan (shop) where we would buy foods like flour, sugar, tomato paste... Watermelons are in season- you can pick one up for about $2...

Girls Defeated, Boys Victorious

Our school crowd was almost deafening as the whistle blew at the basketball tip-off. The munchkin-like Under 11 girls chaotically ran around the seemingly HUGE basketball gym, completely overwhelmed by the court, the noise, the players- everything! Chaos was what we expected, and that it was! Most of our girls have never actually seen the game played, let alone participated in it. Many, overly excited and nervous about playing, forgot EVERYTHING I taught. Dribbling seemed a foreign concept, and many opted to just grab the ball and "Heisman" style charge through the crowd and run for the basket... so much easier than having to bounce that large and cumbersome ball around!

I had decided ahead of time that I would not yell or become frustrated with the girls- some of them are only 9 years old! Instead, before the game I explained our top 3 goals: 1.) Have fun! 2.) Listen to Coach. 3.) Play fair. While I never got frustrated (how could I when I was laughing most of the time?), I did end up yelling- "Defense! (or) Offense!", as many times they would run by asking, "Where's our basket? Which way am I going? What do I do?"... good times!

We managed to make a couple of baskets- and several times found our "man" to defend and blocked some shots. Unfortunately it wasn't enough to secure a victory and we were defeated, 4-16. You really couldn't have guessed the outcome by the look on the girls' faces though, most aglow with smiles, as shrieks of, "That was SO much fun!!" filled the gym.

The boys played right after and played well. Coach Eddy had the same goals in mind with his team- Have fun and good sportsmanship. They were beyond victorious, shutting our rivals out completely for a 26-0 win... Well done Under 11 boys!

Jess' Passport: We will go today to try and "retrieve" my passport/visa. This continues to be a critical situation as I cannot travel/leave/return without it... Pray!!!

Friends In Town: We are fortunate enough to have some friends visiting from the states- Gary and Peter. While we haven't actually met up with them yet, I did randomly see them speaking at a church that I just happened to be walking by yesterday... cool! We will be meeting up with them this weekend.

Photos: While I had hoped to have some documentation of our games, Eddy and I both had to referee the games... sorry, more photos next time! Here are some of our Under 11 players at a fourth grade "party"...

Hit the Books!

Well, in the "figure of speech" way that is... As the librarian here at NVA, I have the opportunity to run reading programs that inspire the children to read! Yay! Last year the theme was "Hop into Reading" with frogs leaping off the pages of parent letters and reading log sheets. This year I went with "Start an Adventure, Read a Book", with sketches of overweight cartoon hikers marching the perimeters of the pages. With weekly goals and prizes, I've managed to capture the attention of K-6 with a whopping 70% participation... amazing what a little bouncy ball or sucker can do! Unfortunately, the 7th and 8th graders aren't as easily won over. It's only 3 weeks long, and we're finishing up our second week... the class with the most participation wins a party hosted by me and Coach Eddy... Yay for reading!

We are well into our 6 month here and are deep into culture adjustment. On the whole we are doing well, but we have noticed an increase in fatigue and impatience! People warned us that exhaustion sets in fast and sleeping the usual 8 hours just doesn't cut it the first year. With language adjustments, culture differences, climate adaptation, relational nuances- we must allow ourselves time to process and change. It is not an easy task and we can feel the stress and pressure not only mentally, but physically and spiritually as well.

We have been considering taking a brief "break" over Christmas, school has time off for the holidays and family has frequent flyer miles. With the encouragement from some long termers here who recommend leaving the country every 6 months or so, we feel it would be a great time to get some R&R before entering the new year and the next semester here at NVA. The trick is my passport- which is still in security.

Please pray that the passport is released and the visa issued so that we can freely travel both inside and outside the country!! Without this I cannot leave... and if returned to me without a visa, I cannot return!

Photos: The Library- Start an Adventure, Read a Book! with class particiation thermometeres (we hadn't started yet)... A few old classics that are on our shelves...

NVA Crocs defeated in Basketball

Let me start off by saying that the school we work at, considering our surroundings, is amazing! We have more than we need, really, but when it comes to practicing for our basketball season, we do lack a few things- like a court, or one with regulation height rims. That being said, we crammed the girls and boys into various vehicles and sped our way across town to our rival school, which happens to be the most expensive school in the nation; with multiple courts with multiple regulation height rims... The NVA crocodiles, while excited to play, were, you could say, a bit overwhelmed...

Unfortunately, the nerves and intimidation got to them, and the boys and girls team both lost their first game of the season. But they played hard and they played fair. We know now what we need to work on and have the fire in our bellies to propel us into the competition.

And while we may not have won on the scoreboard, we for sure beat the competition in the cheering section and support. Parents, friends, teachers, classmates filled the look-out deck and hollered with each one of our 3 or 4 baskets... Go Crocs!!!

Pictures: Coach Jess with the Under 14 girls at warm-up... Sending the team out on the court... Coach Jeff and Coach Eddy at half time... Coach Eddy giving some direction to the team... Last quarter push...

The Love Boat

A group of Khawaja(foreign) couples got together last night for a romantic motor up the Nile. The theme for the cruise was a Hawaiian Luau... So we donned our Aloha attire, or the best we could scrounge up, and brought the bag of Hawaiian Leis Mom so kindly brought over with her the last year. It was a delightful evening of soft music, delicious food and fabulous views of the river. I even brought along my ukulele to accompany the violinist-- and it sounded suprisingly good! We did our own rendition of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" and gave the others a run for their money... : )

Our first Basketball game is this Tuesday, for Boys and Girls. Eddy and I are both a little curious to see how they will turn out. We've only had a few days of practice... coupled with the lack-luster facilities (all four teams play with only 4 backboards, 2 of which are regulation height!)- we have our work cut out for us! Go NVA Crocs!

We've both been feeling a little run down lately and we think the adjustment to life here and our schedule are beginning to catch up with us. We usually leave the house around 6:45 am and are back home around 6pm every day. Tack on the heat, language, and culture... and the fatigue all of a sudden makes a little more sense. But we are truly grateful for all the opportunities that have come our way and thank God for his continual faithfulness and provision.

Photos: The River at sunset... Eddy and our friend Charles... Hawks swarm the banks of the river at sun-up and sun-down; literally hundereds of them... The routine after a trip to the Suuq (market)- a few drops of GSE (grapefruit seed extract) in clean water, soak everything for 10-15 minutes, dry and store; it can be quite a long process!

The New Flat

Here are some photos of our little place... somehow it makes us feel like we are at the beach (even though we are no where near the coast!)... Bright sunny light streaming through the windows, cool breezes... It came fully furnished, saving us the trouble of purchasing our own... It's perfect for us! Praise God!Within a week of our move there was a huge Habuub (sand storm) that swept through the city. We ran outside to try to capture it on film for you... So much grit and dust in the air- after just seconds you can feel the air-borne grime sticking to your face; and if you talk at all, you can feel it coating your teeth... excellent.Photos: As you walk into the apartment from the roof-top... Our wonderful, bright kitchen (my favorite)... Our bedroom (a little messy, we're still settling in!)... Our hamaam (bathroom)... The living/dining room as you walk back towards the entrance... Our veranda (as they call it), the building roof-top and sleeping place for the building's 2 local, female caretakers (most locals here sleep outside)... The Big Habuub hit before sun set- views from our roof-top...

The Little Cooler That Could

We've successfully moved and LOVE our new little flat. People warned us that apartments at the top of buildings are always hotter than those below, receiving the brunt of the suns harsh heat. We went out on a limb and risked cooking ourselves, and moved into the roof top flat of a four story building. And it is wonderful!

To cool living areas here, people use swamp coolers that work with evaporation of water. In our previous little house we had one that might drop the temp to about 85 F. Here in our new place, that little cooler of ours brought the temp down to 73 F, and it was on "low"... I woke up last night shivering... in Africa! We had to pull out a little airplane blanket, the only one we brought, to keep us warm... I guess we are adjusting to the heat!

I'll post some pictures of our place tonight...

Visa Update: Jess' passport is still in security.
Arabic Update: We are still taking 2 classes a week, offered by the school. We've decided to start learning the written as well- to help us in the city with signs...
Half-Marathon Update: We are training for a half-marathon here in December. Some Khawajas (foreigners) friends of ours have done it casually over the years. We thought it would be fun to take it to the next level and make shirts and have an aid station... We're in the process of training, 3-4 days per week at ridiculously early times in the morning to avoid the heat. Our longest yet was 7 miles... we both survived! It still isn't "fun" yet, but we're relatively committed!

Packin' Up

We're in the final stages of cleaning and packing up our current little house. Truly scary how much sand and dust accumulates here- sometimes overnight or after a habuub. We don't have a whole lot of stuff... so we moved most of our personal items to the new flat yesterday. It's in the same neighborhood about 2 miles north of us. Situated on the top floor of a 4 story building, our new place offers views of the "suburbs" sprawling out to the north and a nice "cooler" cross breeze. We are excited to have a more permanent residence for a few months!

Our good friends and neighbors (for a day, we're moving!) returned last night with their now 11 month old child- how 3 months flew by! It was great reconnecting with them and filling them in on what's been going on here. When asked this morning how they are adjusting to being back, my friend said, "I just had forgotten how plain and run-down everything is here... It's going to take me a few days to get back into the swing of things!"

It's true- while mentally seemingly unaware of it, we have been slowly acclimatizing ourselves to life here in North Africa. The weather, landscape, customs, culture, relationships, lifestyles have all become, in some ways, normal or commonplace. There are definitely things we are still adjusting to and coping through, but little by little, we are settling into this place.

Photos: Our hosch (lanai, patio) mid-cleaning/laundry... The kids room we NEVER used with a cool Nemo mural... The Doolabs (cabinets/closets) with beautiful a freehand painting of a tree... *note dust on ceiling fan... yikes...

Out And About

Finally we had a chance to leave the lights, traffic and noise of the city. Both of us being avid outdoor people, spending these past 4 months in the confines of a developing metropolis was no easy task! Alas, our friendly group of teachers and support people invited us to their yearly overnight camping trip in the desert with a stop at some historical sites... We jumped at the chance to "get away" and eagerly awaited our departure time.Around 38 of us, munchkins included, crammed into a few trucks and vans- a Khawaja (foreigner) Caravan- with food, water, mats, mosquito nets, cameras and high expectations for fun. After a 2 hour relatively uneventful drive north/north-east (?) we arrived at some large rock formations- our campsite. Tucked into the northern side, we parked, set up camp and explored before the sun set.

It was fabulous. The only word to describe the emotional experience is... freedom. No longer concerned about what we were wearing, who would be watching us or how would we fit in, we were momentarily free... finally able to, for a night, completely relax. And it was beautiful. The stars... the quiet... the fellowship... the warm breeze...

The next day we drove another few hours northeast to some historical sites- Pyramids, jutting up out of the sandy abyss... gorgeous. And... Geocaching!!! There is supposedly a cache there, but we were not adept enough to find it- blame it on the heat, the wind, the whipping sand... we scoured the place to no avail...It ended with a short camel ride (short for both the ride AND the camel, Eddy's was a bit feeble) back to our vehicles... and a long and sleepy ride back to the city.
Housing Update: We move this Wednesday to our new flat a few blocks away...yay!
Passport Update: Jess' passport is still in security... preventing us from travelling to our target city.
People group update: There has been news regarding a family and 2 singles coming into relationship with the Lord. Please pray for them!!!
Lesson to be Learned: We are here to love people... and that not from us, but a gift and gracing from the Lord. Even if they choose to not accept it, our purpose is to show them Christ's Love.
Photos: The caravan in the desert... Eddy bouldering around our spot... The campsite... Eddy having some down time in our "tent"... Life in the desert... At the pyramids... Handicrafts and old coins... Jess in the doorway... Have camel, will travel... One last look before we head "home"...

Family Fatuur Night

During Ramadan the school hosts 2 nights of Fatuurs- a time where families and teachers meet and eat together. It's like a giant pot luck, Ramadan style with prayer rugs for men and women and dates & water for breaking the fast. Unsure of what to wear, I opted for the culturally appropriate Tob (Tub, Tuub- sounds like Toe-with a "b" on the end). Eddy, while encouraged to wear a Jalabya, but not courageous enough to spend the cash, went with the ol' Hawaiian stand by Aloha shirt. Tonight the primary school families were the main focus, so screaming children running through the yard was the back ground noise for our pleasant smorgus board. We ended up sharing the meal with an American family... I had treated her 5 year old daughter the previous day for a paper cut (her first one ever, by the way), so we go way back.Tomorrow night we focus on the 4th-8th grade students, and because of the weekend, we're expecting more families. The food was delicious- ranging from local fair to Chinese, Korean, Middle Eastern and good ol' fashion American. Towards the end of the night, it got a bit muggy and buggy outside, so we ended up in the 1st grade room, watching Tarzan with the kids...

Photos: Eddy and I in 1st Grade- note self-portrait of a student between our heads : )... The lady teachers... Jess and some of the Arabic teachers... Some of our precious 3rd graders- note T-shirt...

Ferrari Troubles

We've been told not to put our trust in cars here. The weather, the quality of the car, the road conditions... there's no end to the problems or causes! Having already done some work on our little sport car, like replace the spark plugs & general tune-up, we had our 3rd break down of the month last night, and then again this morning. This time, however, it all happened around fatuur time... not good. While it is a manual car, and thus can be started by "popping the clutch", it is also fuel injected. Thus, when the battery goes, one can only "pop the clutch" so many times before there's no more juice, therefore no more gas... So, we pushed her over to the side of a busy road and pondered what to do...
Roaming around a strange neighborhood in search of a battery charger (our guess at this point is a bad alternator) at sundown during Ramadan... good times. The first mechanic we found had a charger, and about 7 other batteries he was waiting to charge. So he connected ours and then proceeded to make a chain with cables to the 7 others. Perhaps that might have been just one too many batteries (maybe?) as within seconds the charger was burned out. On to greener pastures! The next place we found a very friendly group of locals about to start their fatuur, Ramadan Kareem! (Kinda like Merry Christmas- Happy Ramadan...?) The mechanic kindly agreed to charge it despite the hour, replaced the water... and we proceeded to wait... while watching them fatuur. We had to turn down joining them more than a few times- it's customary to welcome anyone to eat- Fatal! (Welcome!). But they did offer (encourage strongly!!) us their local Ramadan drink "Abre", some sort of tea-ish/old shoe/wet cigarette tasting drink which takes days to make... Shukran! (thank you!)

An hour later, freshly charged battery in hand, we headed off to the car, hooked up the juiced battery, drove 5 minutes... only to have it die again. Stranded once more. This time at night, in a less commercial area. We opted to leave the car where it was and took a bus home.

The next morning we returned to our little Ferrari, recharged the battery again, hoping to make it to a friend's house for fixing... to drive it about 7 minutes... in the middle of a busy intersection... It ended with us taking transport to the friend's house, getting a larger battery, returning to the car, hooking the larger battery up via jumper cables to the little dead battery hooked up to the car praying that a) we would make it to said friend's house, b.) the hood, loose to accommodate cables, would not fly up mid-journey, and c.) the engine, hood, car, us would not burst into flames... Well, long story not so short, after almost a full day of focus, it all worked out and the car is now fixed and parked in our hosch... phew!

Housing Update: We've been looking and have found some great options and some not so great ones... and prices seem to be ridiculously high. Praying for wisdom to choose- Location, space, temperature/water (top floors are cheaper, but hot and less/no water pressure).

Visa Update: Jess' Passport/Visa are still in the security office... We'd like to travel to our target city after Ramadan (there is a short holiday then called "Eid" celebrated by Muslims), but need the passport/visa to travel...

Photos: Car troubles, first time...Fatuur at the Mechanics... Car troubles next morning... Car troubles mid-day... Waiting for the fix--Ice Cream ALWAYS helps : )...

Ramadan & English Club Blues

Ramadan is the Muslim month of fasting and prayer... a time to focus on Allah and self-denial, "making up" for the the bad they have done through out the year. Muslims here generally fast all food and water (some refraining from swallowing their saliva) from just before sunrise to sunset. After which the family and extended family and friends join together for Fatuur (break-fast). Just prior to the Fatuur they pray and then break their fast by eating a date. Fatuur is generally a large shared meal. After Fatuuring, they then pray again and retire with family for the evening. They usually eat at least once more before sunrise in the morning as well. It's believed that one night during this month of fasting is the "Night of Power". On this night if one stays up praying and fasting all night, he will be granted automatic access into heaven. The only trick is that this night is not known this side of death-- one can guess and carry out the fasting and praying, but if performed on the wrong night, it does not "count".

Pretty much everything stops around 5:00 pm here; Businesses, in general, close even earlier, around 3:00pm, in preparation for fatuur. If caught without a ride around 5-6pm, good luck! The streets are empty, shops are closed; everyone is fatuuring! Everything then re-opens after fatuur around 8-9:00 pm.

Since the start of Ramadan we have been unable to teach English club, as their requested class time would be around 9:30 pm to 11:00 pm. While we love to teach and thoroughly enjoy the discussions that arise, going to sleep around midnight when we have get up around 5 am would be brutal! We explained our dilemma and are searching for someone else to pick up the slack in our absense. Jess' Visa Update: Still MIA; although it was seen by Eddy at the visa office with a plethora of other US passports. They keep telling us to come back tomorrow... Eddy is not amused.

Housing Update: We're still on the hunt, as our little house will be receving its normal tenants back from the states here in a few weeks. We sure have loved this place- great area, nice size, wonderful little hosch (patio)...

Photos: Jess by the Nile, a short walk during fatuur time... The Nile swells and receeds a lot during this time, with heavy rains in the south... The market area- you can pay a boy about $1-2 to cart around your goods as you shop (a great way to support industry and hard work!)... Eddy sweeping after a Haboob(dust storm)- it's nice having a hosch, except during haboob season, where we will sweep up a pile like this every couple of days... argh!