Watch the Walk

Long hikes can get dirty Sometimes things don't go the way you expect them to go. Like the outing I went on recently with some islander friends. We were prepared for a fairly easy walk up a river. They were dressed in nice wraps and even had makeup on. Several hours later we were clinging to rocks to keep from falling in the river and bushwhacking straight up a large hill. In retrospect, it was a fun outing. Just not as expected. This last weekend I went to a conference for English teachers that was organized by colleagues on another island. We had a wonderful plan. There were 4 teachers from my team, plus 6 islanders all signed up for the conference and we were all going to take a boat together on Thursday. The conference started on Saturday, so it seemed like a good day to travel. Waterfall on the hike Wednesday night our team leader's house helper saw on TV that our boat wasn't traveling Thursday, but was delayed until Friday. Well, that's fine. Bonus day on island! ...

If you look closely, you can see the rainbow! The other day I was observing an islander while he taught how to fill out visas forms in English, providing all the information that governments like to know before someone officially enters their country. And suddenly it struck me again—this is all cultural!  Let me give you an example: addresses. Here in the islands, the closest I have to a physical address is telling the neighborhood I live in and the house owner’s name. A person who is looking for me has to come to my neighborhood and ask the neighbors where I live or where that particular house is. It’s like saying “I live at Daniel’s mother’s house, near the golf course.” Try plugging that into a GPS! Running through town singing after a soccer win Or here’s another one: names. In the US, the most confusing it normally gets is when someone either has two middle names or none. Here, the first name is your given name, the second name is your father’s name, and the third name is the...

Smile for the camera! So, as I left the story, the meeting was over and we all went home. But the saga continued... See, I showed up for the first class session to find this student "sitting in wait" for me outside. Student: "Teacher, there's a problem." Me: "Oh? What's the problem?" Student: "The administrator said I could go to class, but I just went in and my name isn't on the list." Me: "Okay, and what should I do?" Student: "Are you okay for me to go to class?" Me: "Are you sure the administrator agreed that you could go to class?" Student: "Yes, he said it's okay." Me: "If he agreed then I have no problem. He's in charge of the class list." So we entered the class. I tried to include the student from the start, so as not to stigmatize him from the rest of the class. During the first group practice time, however, the administrator pulled me aside. "Abby, we have a pro...

Goofing off with a little friend It all started with a solar panel. Because of the power situation on the island and students preferring late afternoon/evening classes, at least half of our classes taught at this particular school are done shrouded in darkness. The administrator has done an excellent job of keeping battery-powered light bars charged and available for class use, but they're nothing compared to an actual light fixture in the classroom. So he suggested investing in a solar panel. The group of administrators also agreed that it was an excellent idea. We're volunteer teachers, so the money wouldn't come from us. What students pay for the class mostly goes towards books, CDs, and the final certificate ceremony, so the leftover funds would be insufficient to buy a solar panel, inverter, and a battery. We were just meeting before classes started to talk details-- an orientation, if you will -- all three levels, together with administrators and teachers. He mentione...

Mt. Kilimanjaro from the air Imagine you're reaching into a bag. In the bag are a variety of shapes, in four different colors. Each color has a unique texture, but only slightly. Now you've got to reach into the bag and pull out a yellow star. Hopefully you're not reaching into this bag... If you've been pulling out yellow items all day, your fingers and brain know what texture to be feeling for. If, however, you've been pulling out green items all day, your fingers might think (at least for a moment) that the blue star is the right texture and that's what you pull out instead. "Mana ntrini ulaguao tan rapido?" "J'ai compri muy mashteku." And herein lies the problem of Spanglish, or Spanench, Franchani, or whatever-language combinations. You know any number of languages, but sometimes the first word that comes out of the bag is the right shape but the wrong color/texture. So you reach into your bag trying to get the French wo...

I visited an elephant orphanage! I'm heading back to the islands day after tomorrow. It's been a good and much-needed break. During this break I participated in a set of evaluation meetings, a conference, a retreat, and finally reached VACATION. Now, some vacations I travel and see things, but for this vacation I decided to just take it easy. So for the last while I've been hanging out at a guest house, visiting with people (workers on their way to or from something), watching movies, and reading. I like reading. Reading draws you into others' worlds and experiences, broadening perspectives and delighting the soul. During this vacation, besides reading some novels for absolute relaxation, I've dived back into an old favorite, Desiring God , by John Piper. It's such a great read, I think instead of reading the rest of this post you should just go buy the book and explore its depths for yourself. But in case you don't have time for that or want to do a little ...

Me and a good friend/language helper "I have learned, in whatever situation I am, to be content." This isn't really an island value. Most people are either apathetic or dreaming of getting away or getting rich. And something I've learned (and am still learning) is that contentment has nothing to do with circumstances and everything to do with attitude. I can have every toy I dream of and be discontent. I can have nothing but food and shelter and be content. It has nothing to do with have and have-not, but rather with trusting the Father who only gives good gifts. Right now I'm off the island with access to many things and I've found strangely that I've grown in contentment. The last time I left Clove Island I wanted to buy everything. Corn chips makes life better. Good quality coffee makes life better. LIES! Jsus makes life better. During the last few weeks on island I started running into this particular taxi driver who surprised me in his lack of desire ...