happy 6 months, sweet jacob

Happy half-birthday, our precious little one!!

How can it possibly be that Jacob is six months old already?  I'm thankful that keeping this blog has helped me to be more mindful of how rapidly time continues to pass by.

It truly feels like just a few weeks ago that we were anticipating "baby brother's" arrival...that we were adjusting to life as a family of six...that we were learning who this wonderful new person in our midst would turn out to be.

And now, as I sit in our simple temporary home in northern Tanzania, dealing with an extremely slow internet connection that only occasionally allows me to upload pictures, I have a chance to realize the blessings that have enriched our lives since August 19, 2012.  I am filled with gratitude for sweet baby Jacob and the love and life that he brings to our family.  As I wrote to friends recently, he has turned out to be the gift that we didn't even know we needed.

His warm, engaging and endearing personality is not lost on a single person he meets.  No matter the age, ethnicity, or language of persons who cross his path, each one seems so taken with this baby and his loving attitude.  We are one lucky family to have him in our midst.


And in these six short months, what a ride he has already experienced.  From his birth in Houston, to our cross-country drive to Georgia and South Carolina, to our month in Louisiana at Christmas time, to our trans-Atlantic journey to Tanzania, Jacob hasn't missed a beat.  Without a doubt, his relaxed persona has made a big difference in making for so many great memories.





So what do I want to remember about Jacob at this age?  Well, everything, but most especially...

• how he smiles that gorgeous gummy smile when he sees one of us approaching
• how he sometimes wakes up singing in the morning, and what a beautiful a sound that is
• how he makes everyone around him feel so funny/special/loved
• how he is rolling over all the time now, and how he recently figured out that sleeping on his tummy is way more comfortable...and how wonderfully he has slept at night since making that discovery (happy dance!!)
• how he is starting to enjoy his first solids this week--"Cerelac," made by a European company and very similar to baby cereal in the U.S.--and how Madison has already asked when she will get a chance to feed him
• how he has taken to so very many changes so readily, how he rarely cries (and when he does, I know I need to pay attention), how he just is joy, all the time...and how I wonder if this is predictive of his personality later on...and how I really don't want to mess that up! 
• how his siblings still clamor for time with him, how they never tire of snuggling with him or trying to make him laugh his precious belly laugh, or how they are constantly amazed by the new things that he can do
• how he adores his daddy...and how his face lights up every time he hears Chris' voice or sees him nearby
• how he still opens his mouth wide onto my cheek, chin, shoulder, etc., so often...I don't even care if he is actually rooting for milk that he might have missed--I just love that it feels like precious, slobbery kisses to me
• how he is keeping his daddy and me young and energetic, because really, what choice do we have?  :)
• and finally, I want to remember how he reminds me, every single day, that God is so very present in my life...right here...right now

You are deeply loved, our sweet Jacob.  Thank you for being you, and for making us, us.

safari...wow

I don't really know what to say other than that...wow.  We were fifteen days into our lives here in Tanzania and we had the opportunity to go on an actual real-life safari this past weekend.  Like, in a bumpy jeep.  Down rocky gravel roads on a warm and sunshiny day.  In Africa.  I guess I figured that we'd eventually get the chance to do something like this, but I sure didn't expect it to be so soon.  Or so amazing.

Some of our fellow Kiswahili students suggested that we get a group together for a safari, and after a couple of days of indecision, we decided that this weekend would be a good a time as any to go for it.  So we gathered with a few friends early Saturday morning, loaded up the kids (yes, Jacob too, and yes, he seemed to enjoy the ride and was a total trooper the entire day), plenty of water, snacks, and a picnic lunch, as well as lots of free space on our cameras, and we were off to the Tarangire National Park.  I'm told that this park is about 90 km from our language school here, which translates to about 55 miles...which on these particular north Tanzanian roads translated to an almost three hour ride.  

But it was absolutely, positively worth it.  

I'm just going to stop talking so much now and show you some pictures.  Because, just wow.

(if you click on any picture, you can view them all in a larger size)

We loved seeing such amazing creatures in their natural, beautiful habitat.

The zebras were playful and moved so easily together as a group and as individuals. 

The antelope were as graceful and as shy as you would expect them to be, and the males, with their huge, curving horns, had a majesty about them that was hard to miss.

The lions (who, we are told, are tough to catch a glimpse of some days) were so peaceful as they rested near the water, seemingly oblivious to our jeeps and cameras and curiosities nearby.  

The baboons didn't miss a beat in their mass migration across the shallow river...even as our jeep pulled right into the middle of said river and parked there for several minutes.

 And as for these guys...well, they deserve a blog post all their own, because they are my very, very, very favorite of all.

After an almost twelve hour day on the road, we returned, exhausted, grimy, and oh-so-happy.

Going on this safari was an extraordinary and moving experience--truly, such a privilege.  Being in this gorgeous land, living among incredibly kind and loving people, and now getting the chance to see such spectacular animals...I don't know what to say.  We are richly blessed.  

There were moments that I had to actually remind myself that this was real life and that we are really, finally here.  I am grateful for the adventure that every day brings.  It is all a gift, and we are so thankful.

kiswahili school, wiki moja

So after that wonderfully relaxing week of rest in Dar es Salaam, we have just completed a whirlwind week of adjusting to a new home/awesome language classes/meeting people from around the world/putting the kids in their language school/having our brains stretched farther than they've had to stretch for quite a while/and oh yes, an absolutely spectacular safari which must be a post for another day.

Phew!  And it really has been that full and that busy, but somehow in the midst of all that newness, there has been very little stress.  We have never felt rushed, we are enjoying daily tea breaks and long, leisurely meals, we are sleeping so very well (all six of us, thankyouverymuch!),  and we are just thrilled to be here.  What is it that the developing world has figured out that we in the West seem to be missing?

Of all the fun and useful new vocabulary that we've learned in our Kiswahili course, my hands-down favorite is an expression that I hear at least four or five times a day.  I hear it when I apologize for my choppy attempts at speaking this beautiful language, or if I arrive late to class, or if the kids spill something, or when something gets lost or broken, or we forget something that we were just taught, etc.  And the single-word response is this: hamnashida.  It's pronounced /HUM-na-shee-dah/ and it essentially means "there is no problem."  I know what you're thinking--we're in the land of the Lion King, so why not "hakuna matata"?  Well, in the two weeks that we've been here, I have yet to hear that particular phrase.  Yet, the lovely "hamnashida" is spoken, really almost sung, several times every day.  And I think that what I love about it is the fact that it seems to capture what I have seen as the spirit of the Tanzanian people.  There is a welcoming nature to practically every person we have met so far--they are warm and hospitable and seem genuinely happy, both in their own lives and as hosts to the many "muzungu" (white, western) people that pass through their land.  I also think that the spirit of "no worries" in some ways reminds me of my home state of Louisiana, where this same sort of relaxed, "let it be" mentality is so readily embraced.  While I know that there are drawbacks to being laid back all the time, for now, I am grateful for the break, and I am enjoying the experience of leaning into the spirit of hamnashida.

And as for our first week of language classes, it's been fantastic.  I'm not sure what our expectations were, but whatever they might have been, they've been exceeded.  By a lot.  We are in very small classes (our beginner's class of 8 was split into two groups of 4), our teachers bring experience and patience and fun to each class, and we are enjoying some less-traditional learning methods that add an amazing new dimension to the whole experience.  The course director told us on the first day that this institution is big on "active, participatory learning," so as part of our classes we have the opportunity to learn in a number of different ways.  In just these first five days of class, in addition to learning lots of  important grammar, we've sung Kiswahili songs, played games like Bingo and Scrabble to help solidify our vocabulary, and we've spent one-on-one time with native Tanzanians to brush up on our dialogue skills.  This week we will go to a market and practice both our grasp of food vocabulary as well as our Kiswahili bargaining skills!  Be assured that we are learning a ton and being humbled--a whole lot--every day.

And those kids who were feeling a little homesick our first few days in the country?

They are doing just fine.

Joshua continues to amaze us and everyone he meets with his Kiswahili proficiency.  Our teacher said that when she sees him on campus, she speaks to him as fast as she would to a native speaker (and trust me, that is mind-bogglingly fast), and Joshua understands every word and responds like a native as well.  This weekend he's enjoyed his first soccer experience when one of our neighbors' sons stopped by and invited him over.  He said he had a great time playing ball outside with a group of boys and then enjoyed some time on his friend's Playstation.  You know, since we moved our family 8800 miles across the globe so that our boy could get in some Playstation time.  Kidding, of course.  We couldn't be happier that he is thriving on so many levels.

Madison and Caroline continue to be each other's best friends and are enjoying language classes as well.  All three big kids are in class together, but the teacher meets each one right where he or she needs to be challenged.  They are loving it.  And they, too, get cool field trips and experiences.  This week they made Masai beaded jewelry, trekked through a forest, chose what animals they will carve from wood later, hiked around a beautiful lake, and prepared (with lots of help) a delicious African meal for us and our teachers.

And our sweet baby Jacob, now 5 and half months old, is busy making friends and influencing people all over the place here at language school.  Although there are a whole lot of cultural differences that we are learning to navigate as we go, the love that people have for babies seems to cross all cultural lines.  And despite his mommy's characteristic worries (this time focused on the guilt of putting him in childcare while I attended classes), Jacob is doing remarkably well.  He has a one-on-one nanny who adores him, speaks to him in Kiswahili all day long, and brings him to me when it's time for his feeds.  So we see each other in the morning, then at our chai break at 10, again at lunch time, and then when classes are done in the afternoon.  I am most grateful that this aspect of my language school experience is going so well.  Thank God.

I have so much more to say and many more pictures to post, but it's late, and my tired brain needs to rest before we launch into another happily-jam-packed week of learning.  For now, I'll just say, asante sana for your thoughts and prayers.  Wishing much amani (peace) to all.

  


    

easing in

Well, it’s already been wiki moja (one week) since we left the U.S., and I’m happy to report that everyone seems to be handling our new environment relatively well.  We have had some bumps along the way, but all in all, our transition has been smooth.  But, as I alluded to in the title of this post, we are still enjoying some creature comforts and are hardly living life in the bush just yet.

Our first stop in Tanzania has been at a guesthouse of the Benedictine Fathers here in Dar Es Salaam.  This location serves as an entry and exit point for many missionaries and religious persons who are assigned to mission sites throughout Tanzania.  The guest master is a German Benedictine priest, and I suspect that because of his presence, the meals here have much more German than African influence.  We have enjoyed fresh salads and cheese, various meat dishes like fried chicken and sausages, and lots of delicious fruit including pineapple and watermelon.  Not quite the lean, plant-based diet we were expecting here in Africa.

Our accommodations, while modest, are clean and more than adequate.  All six of us are sleeping in a single room, but we have the luxury of a much-appreciated room air conditioner and our own bathroom.  And although we are taking weekly prophylaxis against malaria, we have also started the practice of sleeping under mosquito nets, as the mosquito population is highest from dusk until dawn.  The kids love the nets and say that they feel like they are camping.

Additionally, most people on the campus here speak English, so our Swahili knowledge has yet to be really tested.  But I will admit that trying to converse with native Kiswahili speakers has been humbling.  There is a big difference between a theoretical study of a language on Rosetta Stone and actually stumbling our way through a live exchange.  Recognizing and pronouncing the words, knowing the placement of the subjects and verbs, and the use of the appropriate tenses are a lot harder in person than on a computer screen.  Everyone here, however, has been incredibly gracious, kindly correcting our mistakes and often encouraging our enthusiasm in trying to learn this completely new language.

Though we are enjoying some creature comforts, air conditioning in the car is not one of them.  And because Tanzania is sub-equatorial, winter time here is in June-August, so we’ve arrived at the hottest time of the year.  So while everyone back in the U.S. faces brisk, sometimes freezing weather, we are surrounded by sunny, warm, humid days, without any rain since our arrival.  

Living for a week in the heat and humidity made finding this little roadside treat extra enjoyable. 

Joshua had been on the lookout for “dafu,” or fresh coconut, from which you can drink the delicious and light coconut water.  The kids all enjoyed watching the roadside vendor cut the top off of the coconut, allow us to enjoy the cool, refreshing liquid inside, and then cut out the coconut “meat” with a small knife he carved from a stick as we waited.

When it was time for lunch, we followed the recommendation of a well-meaning new acquaintance here, and found ourselves in a very touristy, American-style restaurant with a menu full of burgers, fries, and ribs, and a sound system piping Michael Bolton tunes through the speakers.  It was like Applebees had been plopped into the middle of Dar Es Salaam--not just kind of surreal, but really not at all what we had in mind for our first meal out in Africa.  So after a few uncomfortable minutes, we decided to start over.  We politely excused ourselves, asked our wonderful driver to take us to a yummy local eating establishment, and ended up here...

We ate at a plastic table behind a simple open air restaurant, where our waitress spoke almost no English and where the food took over an hour to be prepared.  We also happened to be just a few feet from the wonderfully blue Indian Ocean, from which we enjoyed a warm breeze while we dined on some of the most incredible seafood we have ever tasted.  We had fried calamari, shrimp with noodles, grilled shrimp, whole fried fish, rice, and calamari curry.

It was an amazing meal and (because what good is a blog post if I can’t learn something from it?) we were reminded of the importance of being true to what we feel called to, be it in the great, big, life-altering decisions, as well as the small (sometimes culinary), yet still important ones.

  

we made it!

Well, after making our way through 4 airports, 3 layovers, and 24 hours of almost continuous air travel, we arrived in Dar Es Salaam last night at 9:00pm.  And now, just ten hours into our life here in Africa, I’m not quite sure what to say (the massive sleep-deprivation may have something to do with that, but I suspect that it’s also just all too big to articulate just yet).  

We are feeling good--relieved, so grateful, and excited to have arrived safely and to begin this new chapter.  I am especially thankful for four incredible kids who made a rather exhausting journey seem almost easy.  Truly, the older three kids amazed Chris and me with their enjoyment of the flights and the layovers, their ability to entertain themselves and one another, and their willingness to help or to wait or to just sit when those things were asked of them.  They did enjoy some fun movies and video games on the planes, but they also paused and rested when requested.  And now, as Chris and I (having enjoyed about 3-4 hours of decent sleep) try and process all of this newness, they are sleeping soundly in their mosquito-netted beds, cooled by an unexpected and lovely room air conditioner, oblivious to the sounds of the scooters and buses and roosters and daily life in this bustling port city.  “Jet lag?” they say.  “What jet lag?”

And that sweet baby Jacob.  Oh my.  He was a champ from takeoff to landing on all four legs of our trip.  I, of course, had my many concerns--about the air pressure changes and his potential ear discomfort and nursing on a crowded plane and whether he would sleep and how the diaper changes would go and how we’d keep him entertained, and on and on.  And once again, my sweet little one reminds me to just relax, to lean into the experience and enjoy the journey...and know that all will be well.  And it was.  Jacob played happily, nursed every few hours, and slept so very well once he got into a comfy bassinet on our longest stretch, from Zurich to Dar Es Salaam.  He too, slept (and is still sleeping) so comfortably last night.  Thank God.

The toughest part of our journey was, as anticipated, the very beginning.  After having relished one entire month with my parents and sisters at home in Louisiana, separating from them was not easy.  At all.  My kids had received gourmet Indian food, undivided attention, and the chance to play many games and basketball and tennis and to enjoy bike rides and day trips and so much fun with people who love them like crazy...and that made this particular leaving especially hard.  I had had more support and help and laughter and connection and silliness than I’ve enjoyed in a long time, so my goodbyes were difficult as well.  But even as we all hugged and wept and finally spoke those things that people only say at departure points, we all (well, the adults anyway) were so reassured with the truth that the challenge of this separation is only a small part of a much larger, and very good, whole.  Chris and I have received support from so many friends and loved ones, but the whole-hearted joy that I see in my family of origin gives this entire experience a great sense of peace and goodness and contentment.  Thank you so much, Mom, Dad, Maggie and Michelle.

And so when my sweet, tender-hearted children, especially my girls, cried in New Orleans and again in Zurich and then once more in Dar Es Salaam, sharing with me their homesickness and how much they miss Amma and Appa’s presence and home and food, and how they loved sharing Kiki and Shell’s rooms with them, and how this new phase is so, well, new, I do my best to reassure them...and myself.  I remind them, and myself, that we have been called to this journey, and that God has promised to go before us, and watch over us, and stay close to us.  And I remind them, and myself, that while there is great work to be done in and through us, there is also a great adventure ahead of us.  I remind them, and myself, that just the fact that the six of us are together makes this whole experience so amazing--and that I know that there are incredible joys and fun times and fabulous days ahead.  And then I remind them, and myself, that having so much love poured out over you that it hurts to be away from it, is not such a bad problem to have.  And so it’s okay to miss the good and the familiar, and mourn the end of the extraordinary time we had these past few weeks, and we will rest in the knowledge that with the gift of time, those things that are so strange and new right now will become familiar and good and extraordinary as well.    

So now we are giving ourselves a few days to get oriented, catch up on our sleep, and become acquainted with our new surroundings.  We will be in Dar Es Salaam for about a week, and then next Friday we will travel to Arusha (near Mount Kilimanjaro) for three weeks of language classes beginning on February 4th.  And as we head towards Arusha, the majority of our stuff will be heading to Ndanda.  We all know that one of the most pleasant parts of walking out of an airport into an unfamiliar city is finding a friendly face to greet you.  We had just such an experience when, after all that travel and then visa and customs proceedings that kept us in the airport until close to 11pm, we walked out of the airport into the warm Tanzanian night to find the very friendly face of Charles, our hospital administrator waiting to welcome us.  He had traveled the 500 kilometer journey from Ndanda to receive us last night, and today he has packed up his van with 9 pieces of our luggage to take back and keep at our home in Ndanda, awaiting our arrival there in late February.  He was most supportive and patient with our many questions about our eventual home in Ndanda, and he too reassured us that, indeed, all will be well.

And so, the adventure begins :)

                     

 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:10

siku kumi

Ten days. That's what "siku kumi" means in Swahili (...I think). Ten days--that's how many days we have left until our departure to Tanzania.

Wow. Wasn't it just last week that we were saying we were still a year away from leaving? And didn't we just yesterday comment that we were still six months behind our mission formation classmates who departed to Africa last summer?

And now, all of a sudden, the time is here. We have had--and are still having--a wonderful time with our family in south Louisiana these last few weeks. Everyone seems to be acutely aware of how rare and precious it is to have this extended time of visiting and sharing space. I know that we will look back fondly on these days, where we simply enjoyed the routine of spending our days together, with a mindfulness of what a gift this time has been. But I also know that the goodbyes with my parents and sisters will be hard. We will plan regular Skype dates and emails, and they will visit us for sure, but it will not be easy, period. I am praying for the grace to walk through those goodbyes with gratitude rather than a lot of sadness.

Apart from that, however, there is much excitement about what lies ahead. This is a step that my husband and I have considered for close to two decades now. It's a move we've prayed about so very many times. Our timing has been delayed and our patience has been grown, but now it's almost time to step out onto this journey with our four sweet kiddos and see what God has in store for us. I'm certain that He won't disappoint.

And for those who might want details and want to perhaps (please!) keep our travels in your prayers, our travel will begin next Thursday, January 24th. We will arrive in Dar Es Salaam, the capital city of Tanzania, on the morning of January 26th. After spending a few days there (and hopefully recovering from our jet lag), we will fly on into Arusha, where we will attend language school for three weeks. We've heard great things about the program, as there are specific classes and activities for both adults and children. After that course is complete in late February, we will finally head onto our destination and home for the next three years, Ndanda, Tanzania.

Thanks to all who are keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. "Asante sana" (thank you very much), truly!