Watch the Walk

The month of fasting is in full swing, and so far the questions haven't slowed down. "Are you fasting?" "Are you able to fast?" "Do you fast?" "Are you fasting Ramadan?" Sometimes I wonder if I attract more questions because of the way I dress. I've always got a scarf over my head and I wear local clothing items. So maybe it seems natural for islanders to wonder if I'm fasting too. Of course, it doesn't help that they ask these same questions of children they meet on the street: "How many days have you fasted?" they like to ask. So then when they ask me, I feel like they're treating me as a child. I find myself wanting to respond, "I'm not a child! I'm fully capable of fasting!" But really, I don't care to talk about fasting. I'd rather talk about the why-- what are they hoping to gain? Do they realize that all their hard work is in vain, and that the hard work has already be...

This last week I traveled back to Clove Island. It involved only 4 planes this time, but partway through the trip I was delayed, waiting for a storm to pass. Delayed two days. Now, I didn't know at first that it would be a two-day delay. At first, I only knew that my next flight was cancelled and I'd been rebooked on a flight the following day. The airline gave me a complimentary hotel and meals, so I headed off to sleep off some of the travel exhaustion. There were islanders at my hotel, but I greeted them in English, not the island language, because I wanted to rest. I was still on my own, and enjoying it. The next morning, while waiting for the shuttle back to the airport, I was looking at my phone when I heard a lady greet me: "Bweni Abby!" Uh oh. No more peace and privacy for me. I'm now officially back in Africa. It was an old neighbor/friend/student, who was traveling back from China. She proceeded to talk with me in the island language, while all the...

As I was considering what to write about, it occurred to me that I've never told the eyebrows story on my blog. "Eyebrow story?" you ask, with raised brows. Yep. Here we go: It was probably a month into my time on Clove Island. I'd learned some language, but not a lot, and I depended a lot on my neighbors to make sure I was properly dressed as I left the house. This one lady in particular seemed to enjoy checking on my language progress, often proclaiming to a nearby friend, "She doesn't understand AT ALL!" I suppose this was fascinating for her. Well, one day I was heading out of my neighborhood, to see a teammate on the other side of town, when this particular neighbor stopped me and called me over. "Woman, come here!"  I came over. "Closer!" I moved in closer. And the next thing I knew, she had an eyebrow pencil out and was greasing my face with big, beautiful eyebrows. She pulled out a hand mirror and gave it to me...

I'm a list maker. Sometimes when I'm thinking about things I just start making a list to see what I think. Or I make a list just to get things done. Or I make a list because... well... I don't want to actually get things done. That also works. So instead of a story or thought point today, I'm give you some lists... 5 Things I've been doing: 1. Working on spelling corrections for a word list 2. Spending time with significant people 3. Drinking coffee 4. Writing emails 5. And this week-- hanging with my sister and nephews 5 Places I've been frequenting: 1. Riverfronts 2. Hilltops 3. Coffee shops 4. The piano bench 5. My computer screen 5 Songs I've been listening to: 1. A Million Dreams - The Greatest Showman 2. We Will Not Be Shaken - Bethel 3. Delta (full album) - Mumford and Sons 4. Nyora Mbili - Goulam 5. The Power of the Cross - Keith and Kristyn Getty 5 things online I've appreciated: 1. Looking for balance and c...

The other day I was chatting with a friend (hey Nancy!) and we ended up on the topic of making friends with immigrant neighbors. Now, for some of you, that might come easily. But for others it's difficult and hard to even know where to start. What if I say something stupid and they get offended? What if they don't want me to be nosy? What if... what if...? But maybe we just don't know where to start? After "hello" what do you say? Well I decided to write down some starting points for connecting with internationals: 1. Ask them about their background. Don't assume that you already know about them because of what their face looks like. Ask for their story. 2. Assuming their mother tongue is not English, ask them about what animals say in their native language. You may laugh, but animals speak differently too . 3. Learn from them about their culture. 4. Ask their perspective on things happening around you-- and don't be surprised when they have a d...

Do you like spelling? Do you like that every letter is ordered in its proper place and follows some sort of pattern or rule? Or do you find spelling a nuisance, a necessary evil? You wish that it didn't exist, that you could spell words however you wanted, according to your mood. Buht thatt mite nought bee a gud ideeuh. Spelling's important. But how is spelling determined? Who makes the rules? Who says that we have to spell things one way, and not another? In English, a typically written language, those decisions are made by the originator of terms. Their decisions are formalized by dictionaries , but the dictionary doesn't create words or spellings-- it reflects commonly accepted ways of writing. But what do you do when the dictionary is incomplete, and people are largely unaccustomed to write in their own language? Or, worse, those who have started writing in their language use a manner of writing which complicates writing words, rather than simplifying...

In a lot of ways, I think growing up in a small town prepared me well for life in Africa. How so? Well, here's a starter list: -> Getting things done is a often a more informal process, dependent on the people you know or connections they have. -> Reputations matter. -> On the same note, everyone talks about everyone. -> You might not always find exactly what you want in the stores in town. But if you can, you buy local. And you buy from your friends. -> Identifying places often relates to the history surrounding it. "You know the place that used to do street meat, next to the old Red Crescent? That's where the best pizza is." You know where so-and-so's mom lives? It's next to there... -> People know you and you might not know them. -> It's hard to run errands without running into people you know. Ten minutes to go to the store? Only if you don't get sidetracked by a long conversation...