It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

...well it is in London and California...not so much in Kinshasa. BUT that's ok because I'M HOME! YAYAY! I left Kinshasa on Saturday, November 22 and flew to Kenya. I spent about 7 hours on layover in the Nairobi airport and then flew to London. I have some very close friends in London and so I spent 2 days with them. The first day we spent trapsing around London! And it was snowing!! While I admit it was a drastic change from the hot and humid weather of Kinshasa, I had a great time and even enjoyed the chill!

Here is real British fish & chips....HUGE PORTION but really good!


Here is me in a fun red British phone booth...notice the snow!



And here is me in front of Buckingham Palace :-)

So after my two day London excursion I flew to San Francisco. San Fran was slightly warmer...for which I was grateful. The drastic temperature change was a little rough on my poor body. My parents picked me up in San Fran and we drove home to Fresno where my brother, sister and niece were already home for the Thanksgiving holiday family extravaganza! My mom's sisters' and families came up also and we had our typically large and fun family Thanksgiving!

Moral of the blog...I'm home! My 5 months in Kinshasa was great! And being home for a week has been great too! I look forward to getting to see and talk with all of you!

Happy Holidays!

"Reign Over Me"

Everyone ought to be happy to know that I finally figured out how to get the pictures all in and in the correct order! It only took 4 and a half months...lol! Anyway. Lots has happened recently!

Awhile ago, I don't feel like this happened all that recently but my concept of time comes and goes so who knows, I was able to buy mosquito nets for the family I first lived with in Limete. That would be 13 mosquito nets! And then I went back later and made sure to take pictures so here is the boys' room equipped with brand new mosquito nets!


Since sometime in September I have been teaching at UCKIN - the Christian University of Kinshasa. I began by helping teach an Excel class that someone else was really teaching I just sort of watched and filled in when necessary. And about the same time I began teaching an English class. Now I teach a PowerPoint class and the English class. This picture is of this past week...we were studying the parts of the body because...

Most of my students are teachers of the Scolaire Bolingo that shares the UCKIN campus. Above is me teaching the human body (and if you zoom in you can see that the left is French and the right is English!). And below are the three women (probly my favorite ones) who come to my class diligently and teach in the Preschool-Kindergarten. They are the ones who asked to study the "corps humaine". So we did :-)

I had decided that I would do my best to save some of the money I get every month to donate to some cause or somehow do something big. So I saved. And the last few days Suzanne has been helping me coordinate a large shopping ordeal in which we would spend around $300 on food for an orphanage that has around 50 children! So we did...Here is me with the goods we bought at the store...then there were sacks of rice, beans, and the kinds of flour used to make another main grain dish in Congo - fufu! (on top is a REALLY large bag of sugar.....mmmm!)

Then today we went to the kids! This is their house. The left side is the boys' rooms and sitting rooms and bathrooms. Then on the right side is the preschool they have and the girls' rooms and sitting rooms and bathrooms. Its bigger in person! It seems to go on forever! The large green tanks are water tanks and there is an area out back where they are working on building a rain water catch system - with funds from partners in Canada and Germany.

This is the line of children that came up beside the car to wave "byo" when we were leaving...how cute!

So I've been busy teaching classes and continue the other work I (think) mentioned earlier. This week Pakisa comes! He and I will hopefully be taking care of some things together too.

I can't think of anything else...that seems strange!

Oo I know! This week, I had to take a taxi after teaching at UCKIN. So the guy who taxis with me and I left UCKIN and walked down to the taxi station. While we were standing there waiting...we watched a car run over a military policeman!!! NO JOKE! Right in front of us! It was crazy! The car wasn't going too fast (and it WAS ON PURPOSE) but I think the MP was ok. He was helped up by the crowd and the other police standing there went after the driver at fault and then Andre got us our taxi...Ask me about it sometime for details! Craziest thing I think I've ever seen in real life and not on a movie!

Life continues to be fun, exciting, challenging, and totally worth it here in Kinshasa, RD Congo! And anyone worried about the unrest being reported about Congo right now - don't worry about me it is all on the other side of the country, which is probly more than 5,000KM away with no through roads. But do keep everyone in prayer: leaders of Congo, Rwanda, EU, UN, rebel groups, people fleeing, civilians, everyone!

That's all for now! Hope life is going well where ever you are! Drop me an email and let me know.

Love and God bless,

Andrea the African (sort of...)

Can mosquito bites scar?

Sorry this is a little out of order in terms of a time line but you're all smart people I trust that you'll follow! Here's what's been happening in the continued adventures of "Andrea in Africa"...

And about a week or more ago I got to visit Chez Bonobo! Bonobos are monkeys that are native to Congo. They are about the size of Chimps and are super cute!! Suzanne's boss and assistant were here from Akron, PA and I got to be part of their week of activities and the Bonobos was one of them! Monkies are my favorite animal so that was great! And I really enjoyed getting to know some of the people I've met before but haven't had lots of opportunity to spend much time with before. Good bonding time!

This past weekend I went with John and Charity Schellenberg to an orphanage they help support through their NGO. It's a beautiful location out of the busier areas of the city and closer to the river and mountains! There are about 20 boys there and we had a great time with them! In this picture we had jut handed out their gifts. Someone had made them all school uniforms which meant that they would be able to finally start school that Monday (and only a week or two late!)!! We gave them ring pops (Charity's sister in Canada sent them) which I just found SOO amusing and cute! And this fruit I'm eating which is called a Mangostan. It's quite yummy! (Don't you love my pants?? They are SOO comfortable and I just had them made and they've been a lifesaver in this heat. I have a top too but that pattern top and bottom...??)

October is now in full swing and so is my weekly schedule! I'm still living with Tim, Suzanne, and Rose Lind and will be for the duration of my time in Kinshasa. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays I go to the Christian University of Kinshasa (UCKIN) which many of you are familiar with. Currently I'm helping teach a Microsoft Excel class (basically I teach it the days the professor isn't there - those days are random and uscheduled making lesson planning difficult). That is in the morning for 2 hours. Then I have a break and teach an English class for another 2 hours. While I have never felt that teaching is my strong suit, it seems to be going well! Here is a picture of some of our students (they are doubled up at the computers because there are not enough computers and a few of the ones that are there are currently not functioning properly) and the real instructor - Maurice.

I still help Suzanna and Tim with their various work with MCC and MWC at the office on Tuesdays. Which I have really enjoyed! And on Thursdays I am still going to the Artisinat et Development store I wrote about before. That's going ok too. Right now I'm just helping the workers get a better handle on how to communicate in English with customers. So I try to walk around the shop and think of questions customers (such as myself) would want to ask. They know more English than they admit! Which has made my job there fairly easy! And Tuesday and Thursday evenings I'm still taking my Lingala lessons. But for me it's really Lingala and a little French lesson too so it's challenging that's for sure!

I have been getting text messages from the Embassy for the past few weeks warning of potential marches and just to be cautious but I hadn't seen or heard anything more. Well Thursday I did! As I was driving with Debo (manager of Artisinat et Development) to the A&D store, we passed a group of protestors. I asked Debo who they were and what was going on. He explained that it was a group of women whose husbands had been killed in military actions in the interior and in the East. They were marching and protesting demanding the money promised by the government not only for their husbands' pay but for their deaths. It was quite interesting and tragic all at the same time. But I was glad I got the opportunity to see it. It was peaceful and the cops present were just trying to keep the women off of the street and safe from (the horribly crazy) vehicles. I wish I could have taken a picture, but there were too many cops around and that's a no-no!

So I am fairly busy with planning classes, studying for my own class, and just trying to be useful in general. As always, there are challenges in life. I find that nearly everyday my mind is drawn to thinking about some challenge in life here and wondering how I will think about it all when I return home. That event will of course bring it's own challenges. Currently my struggle is with not having a negative attitude towards certain things. My time is winding down and I'm in a phase where the idea of going home is becoming more appealing. Therefore it's hard to not get frustrated with things like lots and lots of mosquito bites all over my legs and feet or sleeping under a stuffy mosquito net every night. Really just quite silly things but it is my current struggle so I do ask for prayers in that. And also that I can continue to focus on living here and not starting a countdown for coming home...

I think that's it for now. There's been a lot going on lately but that's what seemed most interesting to me! Stay tuned for the next version of "Andrea in Africa"

Love to all, and God bless!

Artisanat et Development Photos!

I find this wood just beautiful! I forgot the name but the younger wood stays a lighter strawberry blonde or just blonde color and the older wood becomes more red!

This is Wenge wood (I believe) and it is typically stained to be fairly dark like this. It is pretty dark wood to start with. These guys work so gently and patiently and their products show it!

Well that's all I could get uploaded today but that's a start! I love getting to go and visit these workshops. They make beautiful things!!

Enjoy the crafts of Congo

Ten Thousand Villages and Lingala!

I experienced all of my new places and duties last week and embarked on new journies along the way!

One of my new places is called Artisanat et Development. It is a program that MCC helped foster that allows artisans in Congo to produce pieces that are then shipped and sold at Ten Thousand Village stores all across the U.S. That's right...the things you see in the TTV near you - I am in their workshops here! It's just been a fantastic experience to meet some of the artisans and see the workshops and the store here. I feel like I'm in a dream really! I have many photos and video from the two wood working shops I went to last week and hope to have more experiences this week. I would love to be able to visit every workshop in Congo (they are all located in Kinshasa)! What a surreal experience for me really!

Another great endeavor I embarked upon is taking Lingala lessons! Ya for language learning! I do find that it's quite a challenge for me because the class is instructed in French and my brain has to be thinking in three languages really - Lingala into French into English! Luckily the teacher is also fluent in English and at least 3 out of the other 4 in the class speak English so when I get that confused look on my face...they translate in English! I am thankful that they are all kind, understanding people!

My next step is to be bold and speak Lingala with some of the artisans I go visit...eek not there yet even though I know the whole introductory coversation (hi, how are you? I'm fine...yada yada). Not sure how long it will take me but I think I'll try it out on some other people first...

I hope you all have had a great first have of September (seriously yes, the month is half over!!!)!

Love the ones your with (but I love all of you too:-))!

More Pictures!

YAYA for pictures!

Here is a truck loaded to the BRIM...after they load them like this, they then put people on top of the load...



Here are a few of my kids being creative with legos!



This is a view of the Congo River with beautiful mountains in the background!

Before Gail and Pakisa left they came and presented Nancy's beautiful quilt to the family with me!

That's it for now, if there are certain things you'd like to see and haven't...let me know!

Enjoy!

Month 2 complete!

Didn’t China do a great job with the Olympics? The opening ceremony was beautiful! And the games were great! I thoroughly enjoyed getting to watch them in English via satellite at Chez Canadian – more on that change in a bit.

So I have successfully made it another month here in the lovely city of Kinshasa! This month has just flown by and has carried with it many changes. First of all the temperature has begun to increase. Today felt like the warmest day I have experienced here (still nothing like the heat of Fresno, CA). I also moved once and will be moving again on Thursday, September 4th. The first move was in answer to a situation I was in that was decidedly unfortunate. While I appreciate everything I learned from my original placement and total immersion in Congolese culture and French for a month and a half or so, I also appreciate the change. I currently live with a Canadian couple and get to work for them in their office as well as continuing my program with the kids. The kids go back to school on September 1st so that means that I move again to be closer to my next batch of assignments. Beginning on the first I will be living with an American family from Kalamazoo, Michigan!

I will be working with the wife, Suzanne, in the MCC office in Kinshasa a few days a week and the other days I will be working with UCKIN and their English Center as well as computer support and visiting the school they have K-12, Mama Makeka’s office in Kinshasa for computer support, and anywhere else I am deemed useful. I may also get to go visit some artisans as they produce and sell their goods! Look at me using all my schooling!!!! Needless to say this change will keep me busy going from office to office working with different people and taking in many different experiences. I’m very much looking forward to seeing different offices, meeting new people, increasing my French, and living in a different area of Kinshasa.

This month I have also successfully SKYPEd with my parents and my sister so my parents got to see my great hair that I could only stand for a week! And I got to see my niece walk for pretty much the first time! She is super cute and has super cute sparkly pink shoes that my sister showed off to me! I will again use SKYPE on Monday, September 1st because it is my brother’s birthday! Which will make the 4th family birthday I have missed in being gone, but also the second of 12 of my kid’s birthdays I have been here for! Trade off I guess.

I also had amoebas this month. Another great experience! But I got meds for them and they seem to be gone…who knows really. All part of living in Africa and getting the full experience! I also found a doctor who speaks enough English that I can go on my own (with a driver of course) and that’s really nice!

Below are some pictures!! Belated but there they are! The first is me and all but one kid...she was behind the camera. The second is me and my three girls! I didnt get all the pictures I wanted loaded so Ill do a second post for that...

That’s all I can think of for now. I hope you all have had a great month. I have enjoyed all the emailing back and forth with people and hearing about life in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and everywhere in between. Keep me in your thoughts and prayers!

Love and God bless, Andrea

Down With The Sickness!!

So originally I was going to title this blog ¨Down with the sickness¨ because I got pretty sick the weekend after Pakisa, Gail, and company left. I had what I now think was a 24 hour flu of some sort and then I was fine after I rested for the weekend. However, now it retains its title because the woman I live with - Mama Jackie - suggested I go get a Malaria test today and so I went with the oldest girl and got my finger pricked. A few hours later we found out I indeed have Malaria..!! I was slightly surprised because I havent felt sick. The last few days I have been tired but I thought that was related to my Hypothyroid and didnt even know that was a symptom of Malaria. So now Im onsome meds that were seriously cheap in comparison to what I paid for other things this weekend...we'll get there...So that was a relief. I went to the convent next door and the Nuns who speak English were able to talk to me a little about the meds and that Id just be more tired and that fruit juice might be something to think about right now.

So this weekend some wonderful Canadians I met while Pakisa was here and who are the only people from N. America Ive met so far who live close...the other side of my street just across another smaller street, about a 5 minute walk! I was ecstatic when I found that out! Anyway, they were planning on taking me to the market a few weekends ago but that was when I got sick so they took me this weekend. I went mainly to look and see and discover what I can get here and what I get to ask Mommy and Daddy to ship me. I discovered that you really can get everything. HOWEVER...I went to specifically pick up notebooks, pens and pencils for my 12 kids for our English sessions during the week. Seriously, no exaggeration...14 notebooks - not even as good as spiral bound - along with some pens and pencils...50 DOLLARS....50 friekin dollars!! And the candy I WANTED to get along with it because one of my kids' birthdays in in a week or so was an additional 30 bucks!! To spend that much on candy in the US I would have to buy like 6 lbs of candy at Smart and Final!!! this wasnt even a pound of candy!! So unfortunately I couldnt do that and just went with the necessary notebooks and school stuff for now. I was pretty shell shocked after that and the fact that literally a can opener was 24 bucks...that I didnt actually check the prices on other necessities like toiletries. Ill look at prices for that stuff next time when I am a little more mentally prepared!

If anyone is keeping track I officially have been away from home for a month now and officially in Kinshasa a month as of tomorrow and officially been with my Congo family a month the end of the week! So Ive survived so far with little incident honestly. One case of Malaria when I didnt even feel sick isnt anything to complain about for now. As I told someone today, in the US I used to say I was having a bad week, or you know whatever the situation but here its hard to judge on a week by week basis. I have to just go one day at a time. Today was a good day, at first I laughed with Mama Jackie and oen of the other women who works here about having Maleria because I honestly found it amusing. BUT then I went and called my mom and then cried for like 10 minutes after! Thanks mom! It really wasnt a bad day I just have to put things in perspective. Recently my kids have been getting more into our schedule of English and eating lunch and then sports or our long walks so I look forward to days just to see who will say what in English to me when we arent actually in our English sessions at that moment! You wouldnt believe - out of the mouths of babes thats for sure! I do miss being funny because I would like to think of myself as quite amusing but I cant really be funny in French yet. I sometimes mock my kids as an example and thats gets a laugh. Or I want to say something but Im usually sure it wont come out right so I just laugh along when others are amusing.

The Malaria is wiping me out today so this is about to wrap up. Again, I have plenty of pictures and videos but I cant upload them yet. There is an American I think can help me but he is at the conference with Pakisa in where ever right now. So maybe in about a month that will be working. But just so you know I taught them American football and its hilarious...it has not yet been videod but that and me teaching are on the queue for being videod dont you worry!! My kids are really pretty funny!

Ok I hope all is well with all of you and feel free to email me because I find it refreshing to hear from people and keep up. I also find that I love to tell about whats going on and about my kids! So ask away and share whats going on in your life!!

Love and God bless! Have a good week

The Glisten

I have discovered that I have this constant glisten about me. While some of you may find me to be angelic…I don’t think that’s what it’s from. The glisten is from to constant application of bug spray mixed with sweat> I apply every morning to exposed skin as well as to whatever clothing I’ll be wearing that day. And then I work with my children all day which is tiring even if we aren’t trying to accomplish anything. So I constantly glisten.

So I’ve now been in Kinshasa for a few weeks…I think at least. I’m getting used to my life, food, daily schedule and just becoming accustomed to Kinshasa in general (the power going out several times in an evening or having no running water all day…the usual stuff).

I know all of the names of the children I live with as well as their respective personalities and voices. During the weekdays we are doing a program of English lessons, typing and computer skills, sports or just going for a “promenade” as the kids call it. I think they are enjoying it but any teachers with good fun things to do or just any ideas of games would be very welcome. This weekend we went to the convent next door that houses orphans, people with physical and mental handicaps, along with people dealing with AIDS. It is all women and children. It was hard a first but as I got used to what was going on I decided that when my kids go back to school I will probably try to volunteer and work some at the convent.

This past Sunday I went to Mass with my kids and it happened to be at the same convent with the same people we had spent time with on Saturday. I think this coming Sunday I will be going to a different, much longer Mass with Jackie, the mother of the children. I do still hope to go to the International church I wrote about awhile ago. I met many Americans there and even babysat for some last night and had my first hot shower in weeks! It was fantastic! Their house is going to be my safe haven.

I took some video of my kids doing different things in the past few weeks but I have been having trouble getting them online. I am trying to send one to my parents right now but I haven’t even been able to upload a picture for you guys so I don’t know if that will happen. But anyone who is interested can talk to my parents about seeing the videos.

Everyone just returned from Kijiji yesterday but they are all out with Pakisa so I will see them all for dinner tonight and am going to bunk with the girls – Jill, Gail, Lainie, and Hannah this evening. Gail already rubbed it in earlier that they get to go home in a few days but that I will still be here…thanks Gail. But honestly I’m doing ok and am excited about all the things I will get to do and see in the next few months.

Thanks for all of your prayer and support you send my way!
Sorry I couldn’t do the pictures I had planned on maybe I’ll master that at some point in the next 6 months and get you some pictures of my great kids!!

Love to all

Cold Shower

I discovered this morning that I could be thankful for a cold shower. In Kinshasa the electicity is shut off or goes away frequently and I had been warned about that but what I discovered the other day is that the same thing happens with the water. The day the water went away I somehow managed to shower under the smallet trickle of cold water. This morning I woke up praying that I could get a good shower and feel clean and nice for church. Well I had a good shower this morning which consists of a good flow of cold water. And I have learned to be thankful for that. That is not however to say that I will take cold showers when I return...no no they will at least be tepid...

So I have been in Kinshas for nearly a week I believe and also with the family I am housed with for just short of a week. I have learned all 11 names and am getting the lay of the land...in the house and yard. Kinshasa is a confusing place and seems to be about the size of Texas only with somewhere between 7 and 8 million...so Ive been told and it feels to be accurate. I will post pictures as soon as my laptop is connected to the internet and I can.

Today Mama Jackie, the mother to the 11 (all orphans really) graciously took me to a nearby international church that has an English service. I met a few women that will be incredibly helpful in my time here and will begin to sort of plug myself in there. There are many churches I have been invited to or told that I would be visiting but this one is close enough for me to attend regularly and the English service is a God-send for my French tired ears.

Tomorrow I get plugged in with my work at the English Center at the Christian University and with the US Embassy. This week I will also be starting my work with the kids I live with. I have spent the last week resting on orders from Pakisa and Mama Jackie. And it turned out to be much needed but now I am well rested, beginning to feel like myself and am ready to hit the road running.

Continued prayers for good listening ears and a good mind to remember the French I hear would be much appreciated. Also for the people I will be with and that I can be useful here.

Thank you all for all of your support and continous love, I would not have survived the last week without it. I hope you all had a good 4th of July and I will write again soon hopefully with pictures

Love to all

From Kenya!

Good morning on Saturday, June 28 from Nairobi, Kenya! Or at least I think that's the date...I have had trouble keeping up with time and date since we left San Francisco. Laine, Pakisa, and myself made it in safely last night after two long 8-9 hour flights. The good thing was that they showed lots and lots of movies which I partially watched or fell asleep to.
This picture is of the three of us having breakfast at a little place in the Heathrow airport after our first flight that was about 9.5 hours. Needless to say that Laine and I were never so happy to see beds and showers when we finally got to Kenya.

Then there's the mosquito netting....interesting eh? Not too bad but I should work on my execution of the mosquito netting over my bed...

We are at a beautiful place in Nairobi and here are some of the wonderful flowers and stuff. Of which I have a picture but I'm just learning this thing so you don't get it today...sorry Mom! At breakfast I noticed the slight differences. The jelly is slightly different, good though, and the juice and tea were also different. Things to adjust to but I'm pretty sure I will soon miss good ol' Smuckers Strawberry jelly!

Ok nap time. I hope you all are well and I can't wait to tell and show you more!

My first blog!

So, as suggested in church this morning I have created a blog. I will be leaving Thursday for Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo for 6 months. I will do my best to blog frequently, upload photos, and the like so that everyone can better be a part of what is going on in my trip! Feel free to comment back to my blogs on this thing or email me! I also have myspace and facebook like most good young adult Americans ;-)

Thanks to Katelin and Bob for the quick tutoring session, I hope to do you both proud!

I will post again once I reach Kinshasa and get settled.