A much more detailed account of my first days in my new home….I arrived at 3:30 am after a delayed flight from London that sat on the runway for nearly two hours before taking off. Of course, right before boarding the plane, I emailed the people picking me up at the airport (jeff and margie with the company and cathy with the school) to let them know the plane was leaving on time and then I could not get back in touch with them to let them know we were going to be late. They were very understanding and wonderful to meet me there. I am beginning to learn that is kind of the way things go around here…a drive may take ten minutes or an hour and a half depending on traffic and how many goats (or various other animals) are in the road, the internet is painfully slow and often does not work at all so emails have been hard to read and send, you better grab what you want at the store when you see it because it probably will not be there next time, and nothing ever seems to go the way it was planned to.
After arriving, going through customs, and collecting all my luggage, we went out of the airport and my first view of the city was filled with colored lights left over from the new year’s celebration a few weeks ago and it was cold (with the high altitude it gets quite chilly in the city….not quite what you expect in africa). The city was completely empty and they tried to point out key landmarks to me as I drove through, yes it was dark and I remember very little from the drive. Many of the roads are torn up and not paved so it was certainly a bumpy ride to school. The school gates appear out of place up a small driveway in the middle of the market. All of the houses and buildings have walls (complete with razor wire on top), gates, and guards….its just part of the culture. I then walked into my temporary apartment and there was a big sign to welcome me and one of my roomies even woke up to say hello and we ended up talking for quite a while after my welcome team had left.
In the morning I woke up to the sound of alleluias and amens being shouted from somewhere. My temporary roommate, Amanda, mentioned something about the kids having chapel in the morning and my first thought was what kind of chapel is that?!?!? But I quickly learned the shouting was coming from the african church next door that holds service almost everyday and at all times of the day, especially Friday when it is drive out the demons day apparently. After that wonderful alarm clock, I went to tea (a morning snack time/recess), met the faculty (all amazing and so welcoming…many have had me over to dinner), took a tour of the school, and read over orientation material. I had also arrived at on the first day of the dry season (after three straight months of rain) so they all claimed that I had brought the sun with me. At the end of the first day I felt quite overwhelmed with everything new, but that night the single girls all met for bible study (there is nothing else we would want to be doing in the city on a Friday night) and it was wonderful to be able to meet and spend time with the girls.
Saturday I went with a large group to the biggest outdoor market in the entire country and was overwhelmed by the sights, smells, and sounds of the city. The poverty which stands in stark contrast to the wealth of some, the beggars with little clothing walking the same streets as men in three piece suits, a building under construction surrounded by wooden scaffolding right next to a skyscraper, goats walking in between blue and white taxis all over the streets. It is a lot to take in. Needless to say the day was exhausting and I quickly learned I know nothing. Despite the dire conditions of most, the people are wonderful. I long for the day I can communicate with them in their language and tell them of where lasting hope comes from. And I long to understand the city and am able to get around.
Sunday I was supposed to go to an early church service with one of my roommates, but because of a slight miscommunication about when the vans were leaving, we went by taxi to get coffee and then walked to the church for second service. We ended up sitting with people from my company that I had not met yet so it was truly a blessing to get to meet them. We then returned to the compound and spent the rest of the day talking and hanging out with new friends. That night however as I lay down to sleep, the weight of what had been going on in my life hit me. Longing for something normal, something easy, to be in a routine, to be settled in my own apartment, to have a day when I still didn’t have to worry about eight hundred details that I did not know how to get done. But as I lay there, I felt arms surround me and I went to sleep thanking the Father for His love and faithfulness.
Monday morning I was supposed to go and get my driver’s license, but I did not have my passport (jeff had taken it to get me a visa for an upcoming trip) and for one step in the extended process of getting a license you must go to get the embassy to verify your current and then new license. Who knew? Fortunately no one else had their passports either because they were at their company's headquarters on the other side of town. Again it is just the way things go around here…This turned out to be a tremendous blessing form above because I got to visit all my classes and my fears of the night before were instantly released as I realized there will be one thing that is stable…students are students and teaching is still teaching. Observing math classes was especially calming as I was finally hearing something I could completely understand and I even was able to teach a class at the end of the day which felt like the most natural thing, it was wonderfulJ. He is so faithful and He is in control even when I feel completely overwhelmed by the world that surrounds me.
Tuesday I went out to meet all of the women who are part of the company in the city and it was so good to meet all of them, including some I had talked to through email. They are so encouraging and it was great to hear of their successes and struggles in their time in the city. It is neat to be a part of both the family of the company and also the community at school. After meeting with all of them, margie took me on my first trip to the grocery store, in fact all of the ones in the city because you have to in order to get everything on your list and she had a long list in preparation for our trip to a neighboring country next week.
In my first few days here the resounding theme is one of our Fathers unending love and faithfulness towards His children. He is incredible and it is such a blessing to feel Him near to me during this time of change.
I am working on pics they are coming soon (i hope)....
