Aswan

Next stop, Aswan, home of the Aswan High Dam (which really didn't merit a picture). Behind it is Lake Nasser, the world's largest artificial lake (unless the Three Gorges Dam in China is going to beat it--I read somewhere that that lake will be 1/3 the size of the state of California and visible from space). It was heavily guarded as it supplies most of the electricity to the country. It's an interesting study--it has controlled flooding, increased farmable land, and provided electricity. On the other hand it has eliminated the flow of silt that has been essential to renewing the nutrients in the soil. This has led to heavy uses of artificial fertilizers and the canals are now hotbeds of parasites that cause infections.

We had a day to wander around before our cruise left. We visited the souq (market) where we got our first introduction to the Middle Eastern version of the tourist pitch (ack!) and a carriage ride. These carriages were everywhere and horses are used frequently to pull carts as well (as are donkeys, longer legged and much quicker than their Tanzanian cousins!) Ava, of course, loved seeing the horses, but was bothered by how thin and worn so many of them seemed. We had a lot of talks about "Black Beauty" and how he and his friend Ginger were treated and how we can be good caretakers of God's creatures.

Feluccas are the traditional boat on the Nile. I pictured them to look more like the dhows we see in Dar and the coast but they look more like traditional sailboats. They are beautiful! The Nile really is a lifeline through the Sahara. There is a narrow band of green on both sides, then abruptly the desert begins and stretches for as far as you can see. And where there's desert, there is really absolutely nothing but sand and rocks. It seems impossible to live anywhere but that narrow band of green.

A lot of the granite that was used in monuments in and near Cairo (although not the pyramids) came from quarries in Aswan. In one of the quarries there is an unfinished obelisk that was smoothed and finished on 3 sides before it was abandoned. Apparently there was a flaw in the base that would have prevented the obelisk from being finished and displayed. If finished it would have been the largest monument made from a single piece of rock. You can see the holes drilled along the sides where they placed plugs of sycamore wood and then soaked them with water. As the wood expanded, it split the rock and allowed the workers to cut the obelisk out. You can also see the tracks where large blocks of granite were dragged and removed for building.

This was not one of the more interesting things to see for our group. I overheard someone wonder aloud why they made a monument out of something that they weren't able to do, when there are so many extraordinary monuments they did so well! After one of those "stand around and look a bit and go 'hmmmm', we decided that making shadow pictures proved to be a lot more entertaining! Imagine, hieroglyphics thousands of years old enhanced by 21st century sillouettes!

We had some time on the boat before heading to the temple of Philae so of course our fish had to go check out the pool. The cruise boats look a lot like the paddlewheel boats on the Mississippi. We even saw one with a faux wheel. There are about 250 cruise ships that move up and down between Aswan and Luxor (a distance that takes about 2 hours by car) so everywhere we looked we saw other boats. As it turned out, the weather was a bit cool and with the breeze generated by the boat's movement, the water proved too chilly for even Noah and Ava (although they diligently tried numerous times).

Memphis (but not Elvis), Khufu, Khufre, and the Big Guy

One of the first things that struck us in Egypt was how accessible the monuments are. Touchable, in fact. In the US, everything would be behind ropes, under plexiglass, and kept safely away from fingers and breathing. Here, virtually everything is displayed in a way that doesn't encourage touching, but doesn't prevent it, either. The other thing that continually amazed us is how much has survived. Things are out in the open, in the sun, exposed to exhaust fumes and whatever else, and the detailing (like the Anubis on Amenhotep's sarcophagus (from 1290 BC) is still so clear and easy to see.

Egypt used to be divided into 2 kingdoms, Upper and Lower Egypt. When they were united in about 3100 BC, the capital was located in a place called Memphis. Most of the temples and monuments here have disappeared, but the huge statue of Ramses II (the building was built around the statue where it was found) was well worth the quick stop.

The Egyptian pharoahs did nothing on a small scale. If a statue was good, a huge statue was better. If one looked great, then 10 were 10 times more impressive. The statue of Ramses II was originally over 40 feet tall!

The first sphinx we saw was sculpted from a single piece of alabaster. The sphinx measures approximately 13 feet high and 24 feet long and weighs an estimated 80 tons. Looking at how well-preserved it is gives an idea of what the more famous Sphinx must have been like!

What is the oldest stone monument? Not Stonehenge, or the Great Wall, or even "the" pyramids. It's the Step Pyramid, built in 2650 BC. Like most of the monuments we saw, it was buried under sand until the 19th century when the French and English arrived. Saqqara, where the pyramid is located, was the site of a huge cemetary for Memphis. Originally it was about 7 km (4 miles) long. An enormous funerary complex surrounded it, part of which is still visible today.

While trying to perfect a smooth-sided pyramid, archictects began building a step-type pyramid. Partway through finishing what was going to be a 300 foot tall pyramid, the foundation began to crack. The only way to salvage the work was to reduce the angle of the pyramid. This gave the Bent pyramid its name.

It's hard to describe the feeling of standing in front of something so iconic, something you've seen thousands of times in magazines and parodied on television and in movies. Harder still to describe the massive impact the momument has on visitors. I felt absolutely dwarfed and rather insignificant. Approximately 2.5 million blocks, each weighing 2.5 tons, were used to build the largest pyramid which is 479 feet tall!

The pyramid of Khafre still has the original limestone cap, giving an idea of what they looked like when they were whole. We were able to go inside--the passage was about 3 feet wide and 4 feet tall, angling very sharply downhill, then very sharply uphill. At the end was the room where the sarcophagus was found. Because everyone knew that these monuments were for pharoahs, it was pretty easy to know where the treasure was, so nothing has been found within them of any note.

One of the highlights for Ava (ok, and me, too) was a quick jaunt on horseback around the pyramids. Anyone who thinks it's just camels has not watched enough desert movies ala Lawrence of Arabia, or read "The Black Stallion." You could ride a camel, but everyone knows the cool sheiks rode the Arabian horses. Including Ava, who made the guide eventually get off his horse so she could ride alone. The best part was that we could ride anywhere as fast or slow as we wanted, not in a nose-to-tail line. Giddyap!

The Sphinx can inspire awe. Or it can inspire people to try to take silly pictures. The Greeks gave it the name because it reminded them of the monster with the woman's head and lion's body who asked the riddles and killed anyone who couldn't answer them. Khafre had the Sphinx carved from the bedrock, rather than removing it. Considering it is one of the most identifiable sights in the world, it is one that our guide had the least to say about. It was also the most crowded site of the ones we saw in and near Cairo.

PHS Update

I haven't had much to say on the PHS front lately, have I? Students went home for the end-of-year break on December 7th. We determined that all of the students were able to go home to their families. Our social worker and headmistress met with those that had concerns and visited the families and students over the break. We expect all of them to return on January 14 for the first day of the new school year. Students will be beginning Form 1, the first year of secondary school. This brings new subjects taught by the new teachers that have been hired.

Applications have been sent out and exams are being scheduled for the next round of student selection. Those of you who have been reading know that this is a hugely important yet very time-consuming process to determine that only the neediest students are admitted to PHS. This year we will be doing the selection while operating the school, which adds a new (and now ongoing) dimension to juggling all the things that need to be done! We expect to have the selection done in time to provide a much longer "pre-Form" preparation for this next group of 120 students.

Construction--continues. December is a time when just about everything slows down as people take their annual leaves. In addition to standard holidays, Tanzanian workers are allowed 28 consecutive days off. Many are not always able to take the full 28 days at one time, but many do and often the bulk of that time is taken in December.

We continue to look forward to visitors and volunteers that bring their talents and enthusiasm to the project. Dana, a PHF board member, and his wife are joining us for a few weeks in January. We have a group visiting from Luther College (go NORSE!) this week and 3 nurses at the end of the month doing health screening and hygeine instruction. We have an ESL teacher from New Mexico for 3 days also coming the end of January or early February who will be doing some teacher training on improving English skills in content areas.

Project 640 will be returning for another week of work in February. We hope to see our good friend Brad, a retired school administrator, this spring as well for more teacher training and some help with student selection.

This summer we'll host another week of teachers as well as a few guys from Duke University who will be working on extracurricular and sports activities with the students. Pastor Bob from Peace Lutheran Church and his family will also be visiting and working this summer.

We also have several "maybes" in the works. Whew!

Gina Goodgame, Max's wife, has joined the PHS team here in Tanzania. She will be taking over the volunteer coordination. She has had considerable experience working here in TZ with volunteers with Young Life and is a terrific addition to the project here. I'll be spending more time doing things on the teaching side, assisting with administrative tasks, and continuing with work on the library. I'll stay more involved with volunteers and groups that have a specific educational focus.

As always, KARIBUNI! We'd love to have you!

Another Side to Voting

With Iowa behind and New Hampshire (and all of this year) ahead, I still haven't quite decided if I'm relieved not to be innundated with all the politics. We definitely feel out of the loop--we know what happens, but not in any real depth unless we spend considerable amounts of time trolling the internet, which is my least favorite way of getting news. The international news does provide a quick overview but nothing in depth. I get tired of the the long buildup, of primaries and soundbites so heavily impacting on the final outcomes, of conservatives and liberals telling me that I'm not a "good" Christian or a "good" American if I don't vote a certain way. I get tired of people campaigning on an image or in response to polls instead of just being honest and talking to their constituents. I get tired of candidates saying they won't run negative campaigns while they run those very campaigns. I get tired of the state of fear that many political leaders seem to want to keep us in, that we are going to be attacked or annihiliated at any moment and seem so much less concerned with some of the other problems that our country is facing.

Then Kenya had its presidential elections. In the wake of what is clearly a botched election, 300 people were killed (including an incident where a church filled with people was set on fire) and some 250,000 people have been displaced as a result of the rioting and looting. This, in a country that is often held up as a symbol of progress in East Africa.

Then Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in Pakistan. The first women leader of a Middle Eastern country died attempting to bring some form of democracy to what many call the most dangerous country in the world.

What can any of us do about these kinds of things that happen in countries all around the world? How is it that we have been able to live within a government system that works so well that a large percentage of us can't even be bothered to get out and vote? Our friends were in Nairobi over Christmas and saw lines of people that waited 8 or 9 hours to cast their vote. That's how important, how powerful, the idea of democracy is. That's how badly people hunger for a voice. How long would any of us be willing to wait in November to cast our vote?

Lord knows our own system has its considerable flaws. Yet it's the system most of the world seems to look to when they talk about democracy. How then, is it possible to be complacent? I can't change things in Pakistan or Kenya or any of the other places that experience such terrible hardships in areas we take for granted. What I can do is stop taking things for granted. I can take advantage of and appreciate and use wisely those things that I have been given. Like the ability to access information and news to make an informed decision. Like the freedom to express my opinion and vote in safety. I'm committed now to taking more time to learn about the people that claim to represent my interests. To think about those issues that are important to me and understand what the candidates have said and done in those areas to look beyond the clever soundbites and platitudes. It's the only way I can think of to respect the freedoms that I've been given and respect the efforts of those that want the same.

Rats.

Literally. We have them in the house. I know this because Ruka has dispatched 3 nice sized ones--2 upstairs in our bathrooms and one down in the dining room. What I can't figure out is where they're living. We have a storeroom full of food and no sign of the nasty buggers there or anywhere else. What we get instead is a mournful yowling in the middle of the night that announces the latest fatality.


I'm left wondering if the cat's pace is sufficient to eliminate the rats. Rats are, by all accounts, very intelligent. And Ruka is very, very, very good at what he does. Will they realize that and pick up and leave? Or am I going to have to be more involved than simply dragging myself out of bed to shut the cat up and then badgering Mark to puh-leaze get rid of the carcass before the cat disembowels it all over the room (which, sad to say, I have personal experience with and which is a lot harder to clean up).

And finally, am I supposed to be relieved that the cat is taking his job seriously? Or sincerely bothered that he's brought a potentially disgusting problem to my attention?

It's not often a person would feel the need to update a blog entry a few hours after it was written. Make that a few hours and 2 more dead rats after it was written. Seriously, I heard this terrible growling noise. First I thought someone was snoring. Nope. Then I was sure it was the dogs and had a complete burglar flashback panic attack, until I saw them snoozing under the tree. THEN, I saw the cat. He was growling that loudly over his latest prize/victim. It was another biggie. I could not get him to drop it and the idea of cleaning up shredded rat tomorrow morning was too disgusting to contemplate. I had to finally wake Mark up because the it was a race--the cat eating and Mark whacking him with a stick.

One rat = eww.
Two rats = ewwww yuck.
Three rats = where are these things coming from?!
Four + rats = OMG what is happening and why is my skin crawling?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On the plus side I have a completely amazing cat. He's not messing around. He's past amateur status and is definitely on the pro circuit now.

No, forget it. There can't be a plus side to large rats.

Ozymandias

I met a traveller from an antique land

Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone

Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,

Half sunk, a shatter'd visage lies, whose frown

And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command

Tell that its sculptor well those passions read

Which yet survive, stamp'd on these lifeless things,

The hand that mock'd them and the heart that fed.

And on the pedestal these words appear:

"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:

Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"

Nothing beside remains: round the decay

Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,

The lone and level sands stretch far away.

-Percy Bysshe Shelley, 1818

Ozymandias was another name of Ramses II. The name is a translation into Greek of a part of Ramses’ throne name. The sonnet paraphrases the inscription on the base of the statue as "King of Kings am I, Osymandias. If anyone would know how great I am and where I lie, let him surpass one of my works."

The Hillmans and the Pharoahs

Warning: Mummy pics, in case you're a bit freaked.

Ramses II (1279-1213 BC) Famous for building Abu Simbel, the giant monument that was moved several hundred yards away from Lake Nasser to preserve it after the Aswan High Dam was built. He also contributed to the temple at Luxor

For all the iconic images of Egypt, let's face it--none of it would be there if it weren't for these guys (and a gal). The Pharaonic period lasted approximately 3,000 years and the many of the surviving temples and tombs were built by these pharoahs. Standing in the tombs, looking at the paintings, walking through the temples was a feeling of...smallness. The ancient Egyptians put their belief in the afterlife above everything else and dedicated their lives to their eventual deaths. We touched hieroglyphics that were 4,000 years old and climbed on blocks cut by impossibly ancient workers. It was surreal to see the images that I've seen all my life on the pages of National Geographic and to be able to first stand in the temples built thousands of years ago, and then see the actual men (well, mummies) that were responsible for their construction. I've never been to Europe to see the cathedrals or the Sistene Chapel or the Louvre, but I am convinced that these works rival anything that has ever been accomplished by humans on earth. The size and scope of the work boggles the mind.

Amenhotep III (1390-1352 BC) His rule represented the peak of ancient Egypt's power and prestige and was marked by some of the greatest architectural achievements, including the Colossi of Memnon (probably the largest temple constructed, although only 2 statues remain) and the temple at Luxor.

We were so fortunate to be able to spend 8 days in Egypt. We flew to Cairo and saw the pyramids and the Sphinx, then headed down to Aswan to see the temple of Philae, built to honor Osiris and Isis. Then it was up the Nile to Luxor, stopping at the temples of Kom Ombo and Edfu along the way. We stopped in Esna to have some Turkish coffee and smoke shisha. In Luxor we took in the Valley of the Kings (which we all agreed was the most amazing of the sights), the Luxor and Karnak temples, and the temple of Queen Hatshepsut.

Queen Hatshepsut (died 1458 BC) married her half-brother Thutmosis II. Because the successor to the throne was too young (Thutmosis III, whose mother was another wife) she became regent and then a pharoah, ruling for 20 years.

Then it was back to Cairo to see the oldest Christian churches in Egypt. One of them is built over the place where Mary and Joseph stayed after the birth of Jesus when they were warned by the angel not to return home but go to Egypt instead. We also saw a spectacular mosque (Cairo used to be known as the City of 1,000 minarets) built in the 5th century, one that I think must rival any of Europe's cathedrals.

Thutmosis III (1479-1425 BC) was one of the first to build his tomb in the Valley of the Kings. He was considered the Napolean of ancient Egypt and expanded Egypt's empire into what is now Syria. He built the festival hall and gardens at Karnak and a chapel at the temple of Hatshepsut.

We took some final time for shopping at the Khan al-Khalili district, where the sales techniques and smooth talking were like nothing I've ever seen and eating (Pizza Hut was hands down the favorite) before heading home.

Merry Christmas!

We are especially blessed this Christmas to be able to spend it with Mark's parents, who are visiting for 6 weeks. They live in the Seattle area and are very busy and travel quite a bit with their Marriage Encounter work around the US and Europe so we don't often connect with them (they live in the Seattle area) and never at Christmas. Unfortunately, their first week posed some trouble. On the first day of their safari, Ann dislocated her hip, something that is a recurring problem since a hip replacement 6 years ago. So, instead of seeing lions, leopards, and hippos, she got an up close and personal tour of a hospital in Arusha. That was after a 2 1/2 hour ride in the back of a landcruiser on bad roads and a total of 6 hours after the dislocation happened. Ouch. Definitely not the adventure she was hoping for. Amazingly she was in pretty decent shape within a few days! They will be finishing the rest of their safari later in January.

Another special treat this Christmas was having Mark's dad give the sermon last week and today at church. He's quite a good preacher and it was fun to have him share his gifts with the community and hear him again. I've learned to be prepared, though--no story or past episode is sacred--you'll never know when you might end up in a sermon, or get called on for something! Today, he called on the congregation to share any Christmas memories they might have. We heard from people from Ghana, Cameroon, Congo, Finland, Sweden, Tanzania, Germany, and the US. Everyone talked about the foods they ate. It was interesting to hear that sharing a meal together is a focal point of celebrations around the world.

We had a wonderful (hot) Christmas, after a funky Christmas Eve. Mark and a friend from Canada and 2 boys from our church took off very early on the 24th (4 am) to climb Mount Longido. Under the threat of dire bodily harm should they be late for any Christmas Eve family activities, they climbed to the top (about 9,000 ft.) and must have kept a brisk pace, since they were home by 4:00. They had great views and saw several herds of buffalo along the way (one of the reasons you have a guide whenever you head out for a bit of hiking here). While he was trekking the bush, the kids and I made some Christmas cookies, a rare treat as I really don't like baking much! Lots of butter, sugar, and mess turned out a great batch of colorful shortbread cookies!

A couple days before a tree branch came down on the power line to the house and things had been wonky since then. On the 23rd we had very erratic power and very low--finally, the fluorescent lights wouldn't light, the power would blink on and off rapidly for 20 minutes, then go off for a half hour, then on for 10 minutes or so, then off again. Normally, this would be maisha ya Tanzania (life in Tanzania) and something that is on the order of the day. However, when you're preparing to head out on a trip for 9 days and you're trying to wash clothes (remembering to leave time to air dry on the line, except when it rains, which it did most afternoons this week) and you have some concerns about the food in your freezer because it's already starting to soften...well, then you start paying a bit more attention to the ramifications. Without a washing machine, Mark took to the yard to get the job done, a sight that, when combined with me wandering out to open the gate, horrified our garbage man. He couldn't believe we didn't have "people" and that a man was doing laundry. Given that this was happeing around 4:30 and everyone had left work about 2:00, it wasn't all that strange. Actually, on any given day, it's not that strange to find us actually working at our house! Later, we were attempting to iron clothes in a house where the rooms were almost completely dark but there was enough power to heat the iron up a bit, so it was a bit like ironing by Braille! FINALLY, after an earlier visit and a few calls to Tanesco, a truck showed up about 10:30 and tinkered with the lines and voila! Electricity! Soooo useful for washing and ironing and, I don't know, seeing. Of course, being tired by that point, we pretty much turned off the lights and went to bed!

Up until we moved to Tanzania and we all stopped sleeping in, it was not unusual for us to be able to sleep until 8 or 8:30 on Christmas morning before the kids got up. This year I was severly chastised for being in bed at 6:45! Like last year, there were no presents under the tree when the kids went to bed. They are optimistic and pretty confident that presents are coming, but not being able to see them, they really have no idea what to expect (and no expectations of anything, either). So getting up and seeing everything laying out is quite a treat! The kids loved their books and movies (I'm a bit embarrassed at buying more movies here than I'd ever have imagined!) They included Calvin and Hobbes comics, books in the Peter and the Star Catcher series (great for the pre-teen set), 2 seasons of M*A*S*H, a season of the Dukes of Hazzard (that one's for Noah and his dad), and the new Harry Potter. Santa brought them each lots of candy and a magic wand, so we spent much of the morning being hexed and jinxed and narrowly avoiding a poke in the eye! Because of the power issue and the laundry crunch I dropped plans for a more interesting breakfast than the usual toast and cereal and we opened presents and headed off to church, something that we don't normally do on Christmas Day.

In our previous lives, we usually spent Christmas Day with just us. We visit our extended family in the summer when we have more time and the weather is better for traveling. So spending Christmas with a big group is something new for us. We had a fabulous ham dinner with LOTS of potatoes and terrific pie and wonderful company. Our friends Tom and Sally hosted with their daughter and her husband and their 2 friends, as well our friends Mike and Maguy (lately from Alberta) and her mother from the Congo. Last year we spent Christmas with Tom and Sally and her other daughter and her family, so I guess we're slowly getting to know the whole clan. They live in Seward, Alaska, in a house with no running water, no plumbing, and no electricity. Hmmmmm, that sounds vaguely like some place I know! Ava found a coloring buddy, and the boys disappeared to spend some rare time playing Wii (although I did notice a few older "children" heading back for a game or two as well). There was definitely something for everyone and it was wonderful to be able to share Christmas with old and new friends and family all together.

We spent some time on Christmas Eve reflecting on those blessings after a few days of trying to get meals done, laundry done, bathing done (no electricity means no hot water) by Christmas morning! The fact that we have access to electricity is really a blessing when so many don't. My housekeeper, for example, has not had electricity for many months due to a glitch with Tanesco (we paid to connect it, the guys did but pocketed the money and didn't turn in the hookup to Tanesco, and now everyone in the neighborhood is being punished by not having it reconnected, which will eventually cost $500, which is an impossible sum) and has not had water for almost a month for no explainable reason.

Often, when people come to visit for a week or so, stay in hotels or with us, .and enjoy the good restaurants here, they are struck by two things. One is that poverty is everywhere. The other is that Arusha is very modern in many ways and has quite a few amenities for the missionary/expat crowd and for those others that can afford them. When my mother and sister visited in May and June, we were on a 3 week struggle with having any water at our house. This week with Mark's parents we struggled with getting electricity. Suddenly, all the things you count on to be efficient and accomplish the task of the day are not available. Even after almost 2 years, it wears on you more than you think it would. I'm told that after 10 years, it wears on you more than you think it would. It's hard for "outsiders" to understand. We laugh (or sometimes wince) when we hear that we are living in the lap of luxury. There's no doubt that we are in a privileged class compared to most Tanzanians. Everything else aside, our education and access to information and resources is something that most people here will not ever have. We continue to be surprised by being overwhelmed and adjusting after 2 years!

Maisha ya Tanzania. It's what you say when things aren't going the way you want them to and there's nothing you can do about it. It's a reminder that you can't fight most of those things and that you have to figure out how to deal with it if you're going to be able to live here. Today we were happy to say "maisha ya Tanzania ni nzuri sana." Today life in Tanzania is very good! We are so thankful for so many good things that have come our way, for the support we have received during the hard times, and for friends and family near and far. We are looking forward to a very special trip to Egypt, truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and the chance to share that with Mark's parents. We will be spending a week there and will be back on the 3rd, so tune in for updates on events from there. Then, it's back to work and life!

We wish all of you the very best Christmas, one of peace and blessings and reminders of the most precious gift that was given to us on this day so long ago. Here's to an uneventful and blessed 2008!

Signs of Christmas

The signs of Christmas are out--but maybe not what you'd expect if you live in places like Minnesota or Montana. Here in Tanzania we know Christmas is coming because we have the end of term swim gala! With sweltering temps. in the 80s, no ads, no malls, no decorations, we sure don't feel the same urgency that I'm sure is gripping so many of you right about now!

Cameron's class had "Why move?" as their guiding question this term. Topics included electricity (currents and circuits), pre-algebra properties, dance, running/physical fitness, Islamic art, and the book Holes. All of them having themes or connections to movement. FOr their final project they studied refugees, which included a boat race. They had 10 minutes to design and 1 hour to build a "raft" and sail to freedom. The results, as you might expect, were hilarious. Cameron's team definitely gained points for effort, but no matter how hard they paddled, the boat didn't seem to go anywhere! He's already looking forward to next year when their project will involve spending the night in the woods Survivor-style, competing for food and water and different challenges to focus on teamwork.

Noah said this week he hated school. Except for art, maths, and swimming. I don't believe him really. His topics this term were Art Attack, in which he studied various artists and did a focus study on da Vinci, Keys to the Kingdom, focusing on the scientific classification of animals, and Archaelogy. What kid wouldn't love art, animals, and ancient stuff (including him)?! He does love to swim, though, and placed first in the crawl and in the relay. He's very competitive and loves contests and games. He's getting ready to swim the breast stroke here for his relay team.

After over a year of watching all the fun as a preschooler, Ava was absolutely thrilled to finally be able to participate on her house team. Her class swam the width of the pool using their favorite stroke. Ava did the breast stroke and was very excited to earn a point for her team. She was a little disappointed that it was more ofan exhibition instead of a proper race, but had a great time! She loves school, by the way. All of it! Ava's class focused on transportation and a unit called A Seed is a Promise, focusing on how plants grow.

Other signs of Christmas are more traditional, but they still bear a unique Tanzanian flavor. Listening to Nat King Cole and Bing Crosby is a bit surreal! We are approaching our 2 year anniversary here in Tanzania. Some days it feels like we've only just arrived; on others, our former Minnesota lives seem very vague and fuzzy. We've faced another year of challenges, some of them monumental (and hopefully once in a lifetime). I don't think we are yet at the point where we "rejoice in our sufferings." We'd rather skip ahead a couple chapters in Romans to "knowing that in all things God works for good." When we focus on God's intent for good, we stop trying to figure out why and start to look at how--as in how we can move forward and use our experiences in a way that glorifies Him. Now, if only those answers could be made painfully obvious!



Life is lived closer to the edge here and there is a greater recognition of the fraility of life and a deep appreciation for the blessings it brings. We swing wildly between the certainty we can't live here another minute and the belief that we are called to be here for a long time...sometimes in the same day, which makes getting things done a little difficult! It is so inspiring to live among people who see so much good amongst so much need. It's a powerful reminder about where we need to keep our focus.

I was never one to want to travel over Christmas, always preferring to spend it at home--and we have spent most of our Christmases away from family so for us this is not so different. But I do miss familiar things. I miss Christmas carols in all the stores, I miss the decorations at the mall (even though I hated the mall between Thanksgiving and Christmas), I miss renting Christmas movies every weekend, I miss the Hollidazzle Parade and the Dayton's/Marshall Field's/Macy's Christmas show. I miss my big evergreen tree and all my decorations. Most of all we miss all of you. We are so thankful for the friends that we have here that we will share Christmas with and for Mark's parents who are able to be here with us for the next 5 weeks. Even so, we feel far away. We wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a new year filled with the richness and blessings of all that God has to offer.