May 27 - A week to remember

Hi All!

Thanks to those of you who've commented or sent emails - WAY fun! It seriously is like being handed a surprise sunflower or lilac or rose (all of which are flowers I really like!) when I get on and see that someone has responded! :-) Silly, maybe, but... you probably already knew that about me!

So, as promised, I'll try to actually give a more detailed update on this entry of what exactly I did this past week. If you don't like details, stop now... that's your warning!

To accurately sum up the experience, I think I need to compare it to the famous Moroccan mint tea... a small shot (only a week), very sweet (wonderful times of building friendships and hanging out), and completely unique (certainly nothing like being home!).

Saturday night I drove out with a young couple and their little guy (I have a photo, but it's only showing up as the "http://gibberish" stuff for about 20 lines, and I'm doing the same thing as I've done in the past... anyone have any ideas how to fix this problem?) about 2 hours out of the city I now call "home." They left me with some of the native people (only one of them spoke English and he was guy, which means less communication is appropriate) because they don't live in that house. They came back for me the next day mid-morning, and took me to a suhk (spelling?), which is basically a weekly market for the villagers. They had EVERYTHING there - seriously, from cell phones to batteries to goat heads to FRESH poultry (as in, they killed it right there for you) to underwear to bras to shoes to hats to jeans and other clothing to q-tips to fresh produce to fresh fish... yeah, you get the picture! The rule is, though, that if you see something you want, you better get it because otherwise you'll never find it again! :-)

I went for a walk in the afternoon - covered my head up and wore a long skirt and long-sleeve shirt. I didn't have any problems that day, and the rolling countryside was just gorgeous. I could have walked for hours and just soaked up the scenery, but since I didn't have a cell or anything, I had promised to be back by a certain time.

We were expecting three different groups to come in over the week - one was 4 guys who have lived in teh house for various amounts of time and head up the construction crew. Another was a team of people from the states who came to work for 2 weeks on whatever needed to be done - white washing and construction and what not. The third was a family that was visiting one of the people who lives there, they had two young boys, which provided ample opportunity for amusement!

Sunday and most of the day Monday were pretty quiet and slow and relaxing, but then things picked up on Monday. The guy in charge of the construction (part of the couple I'd ridden out with on Saturday) had me drive home a pickup from the closest town where it was getting serviced... QUITE the experience! There were people and donkeys and dogs and trash and more people and - of course - other cars to dodge around while I was driving through the narrow little streets. Oh man, though, you should have seen the look on the mechanics face when they were told I was the one that was going to drive the pickup home... they literall laughed out loud! I don't know if it was because I'm American, or a woman, or if the truck was really just bad... they never had that translated for me! But it was funny!

I got home with the truck, and some older guy walked by and practically proposed marriage (well, he offered a candy bar...) while I was filling up some barrels outside the gate - one of the gals I was living with who doesn't speak any English saw the exchange and we had a good laugh about it. Then I ended up getting a call on someone else's cell phone (side note: EVERYONE here has cell phones, even if they're dirt poor! Weird class of cultures, I guess.) and it was the head construction guy asking if I'd come rescue him in the pickup I'd driven home in with the spare tire that I had to sign language to someone else about getting. That tire ended up being flat, so we had to stop and fill it up on the way - fortunately the guy I was with is not only really smart, but he also could understand more English than I'd initially realized (so... maybe my sign language isn't all that good, then!), so we had that covered pretty painlessly. He navigated and I drove and it worked well! We rescued the other truck and then I ended up bringing ANOTHER truck home because one of the other people was heading home and stopped to see what was happening when they saw the two trucks on the side of the road. Somehow this whole scenarious sounded stragely familar to what could (or HAS) happened at my own house with our various farm vehicles! :-) I told you I enjoyed the country... I felt right at home!

Anyhow, so Monday picked up, then when the 4 guys trickled in, and the family of 4 arrived it got a bit more interesting, and I had people to converse with in English in plentiful amounts. The next morning I joined the family and two of the guys working out on a house hauling rocks to build the foundation. It was interesting doing it in my head scarf, but I did go ahead and wear pants... with a shirt tied around my waist. It got muggy, but then it started to rain, so we went into a canvas tent that is set up where the house is being built. This family actually were still living in a semi-permanent structure while their new house was being constructed, but it wasn't uncommon for people to still be living in big canvas tents - even after several years since the earthquake. Some of these people are REALLY poor - they can't even think about building a new house, they need to just get food in their stomaches.

The team from the states came on Tuesday night and things really got lively about then! There is a Moroccan pastry - called "thousand papers" - that we had as a going-away thing for one of the 4 guys who had finished up his term here. There is a group that these guys have started called "the 1000 paper group" and you can join the group if you're initiated into it... *grin* To be initiated, you have to have someone that is already in the group smear your forehead with the frosting glaze on top, then you have to eat the remainder of the piece that was slathered on your forehead. Those of us that weren't members became members that night... whether we wanted to or not, I think! :-) (again, I have pictures, but they aren't working... grr!)

For the rest of the week I sort of settled into a groove of working in the house - doing dishes after breakfast and lunch because everyone else was working on construction stuff - and doing laundry and organzing and cleaning out the store room, and helping with the food prep. My early mornings before breakfast were open, and I usually spent them on the roof taking in the atmosphere and environment, and then I was busy until after the lunch dishes. I usually had a project or two to kind of work on over the afternoon, but I also usually had a little time to myself before tea time about 5PM and the various crews and teams came back from their various working spots throughout the countryside to chat and hang out. I got to lay out on teh roof a couple times in my shorts and tank top - there was a half wall so people outside of the roof couldn't see me, and as long as I waited until I got upstairs to take off my scarf and long sleeve shirt and long skirt, no one was the wiser!

I'd usually get a walk or run in the afternoon, too, with the mom from the family of four. Actually, I'd gone out walking by myself on Monday afternoon, and had a group of teenage guys on bikes give me a hard time. I seriously could NOT have been any better at ignoring them if I'd been a local. But they wised up to the fact that I couldn't speak Arabic, so they were practicing all their pick up lines in French and Spanish and English on me. Here I've gotten good at never looking guys in the eyes - you just avert your gaze to the sides or down at the ground or up at the sky. One of the guys was DETERMINED to have me look directly at him - he got off his bike and walked beside me, when that didn't work, he pulled his bike right in front of me so I had to go around him. The frusterating part for me was just knowing that I couldn't really do anything about it - if I tried to say anything he'd take it as a reason to keep trying. If I didn't say anything, he'd just keep trying harder. So I just kept walking - fast - and got into the gate as soon as possible. After that I decided I wasn't going out by myself! And actually, we ended up finding a totally alternative route to run later on.

Oh, speaking of running, we took off away from the settlement out into the pastures and hills around. We ran through barley fields, past sheep and goat herds, and through ploughed fields and along the bottom of dried creek beds... The hill tops provided absolutely stunning panoramas of the countryside. One thing I thought of over and over was how these people are so poor, yet they have one of the most amazing views I've ever seen - I guess maybe it was balancing things a bit!

I spent a morning on my hands and knees scrubbing the kitchen floor, I also went into the nearby town a couple times, and went grocery shopping which was kinda fun (more pictures... IF I could put them up!). All the labels are in Arabic, which makes for a fun experience trying to guess what things are! I also pulled my baking skills out of the bag and made up a couple tasty dishes to use up some bananas that were turning brown (banana bread) and apples that were getting mushy (apple cake). It was a bit exciting trying to track down everything I needed in a kitchen when no english speakers were around one afternoon... but sign language is good! And searching through cupboards! The oven also has no temperature setting, so you just kind of guess - and there isn't a timer, so you have to stay on top of watching whatever is in the oven too. And the door doesn't close too well, so you kind of have to prop it shut sometimes. And there are always different types of bugs crawling in and out of the fridge... :-) I learned that cleanliness and refrigeration are really overrated sometimes.

Oh, and the bathrooms... They were normal toilets (yay!), but their wasn't a shower stall, per se, just a shower on teh side of the wall. So you had to make sure you put the toilet paper up and out of the way. Along with your towel and any clothes you wanted to keep dry. THe hot water lasted for about 30 seconds at a time, if you were lucky. Water splashed over all the tile, no matter how hard you tried to keep it contained. It wasn't bad until you were DONE with your shower, then the floor was wet and slippery for the next 45 minutes or so until it evaporated. And you had to make sure you remembered to close the window or else anyone on the porch would see you... It was fun!

Again, though, overall I really enjoyed it! I didn't like feeling so closed in all teh time, but as long as I got a chance to go running I kind of kept that feeling at bay. I did love the community feel of the house - all our meals were eaten together out of communal bowls on low tables. We used bread as a utensil to kind of scoop or dip out our food. With so many people coming and going, it was rarely quiet and you could always find someone to play cards with or chat with. Getting back here to the city is nice, but a little on the quiet side. And everything is SO nice - it didn't take much for me to adjust to always having dirt on my feet and using my skirt as a dish towel... It feels rather "civilized," - so to speak - here. But that's OK, because the beach is JUST over there (I'm pointing off to my right about now), so I'm not complaining! And there are plenty of books to read. And I can get emails again! :-) And phone calls, and go for walks by myself and run along the boardwalk... I'll adjust fast, I'm sure!

OK, so that gives you some details, I hope. Fire away on the questions if you want! THanks for reading - hope it wasn't TOO boring! Oh, if you have any tips on the picture thing, let me know. Until then, you can go to my myspace and sit through the whole slide show that pops and on the page, and pictures from this past week are on there... eventually. I also have pictures up on facebook, but I'm not quite sure how to let people outside the facebook network look at those... So if you have it, feel free to check it out! :-)

Now it's late again and I should head to bed... Salaam to all of you!

Love and Hugs,
Dani

May 18 - Making it mine

Living room in the apartment


My room in my new home


Good day!

I write this update from a corner of my apartment here in Africa. Cars are buzzing on the street beneath me since siesta is now over, pedestrians bravely (or foolishly!) dash (or crawl!) across the road, and mopeds add complete mayhem to the mix! The Mediterranean Sea is a block away, I can see it from the corner window I'm looking out as I write this, and the sand from the beach is still stuck to my feet and legs. Welcome to my new home! (I'm having issues with loading pictures again - sorry! I'll mess around with it and see what I can do later on).

I arrived safe and sound on Tuesday night after quite a long day of traveling. Rick got me to the bus station byb 5:45AM, I hopped on the 6AM bus to Heathrow, had a 35 minute wait in Heathrow before taking the shuttle to Gatwick. I checked in at Gatwick and waited for about 3 hours before my flight to Malaga. Once in Malaga I picked up my bag, checked in there (I know, I should have checked the bag all the way through, but I didn't even think about it!), waited for another 3 hours before hopping on my flight to Africa. The flight across the Med. was late - I have no idea why, the readerboard never said it was delayed or anything, it just was! - but I had my music and enjoyed watching people. You can tell an immediate difference in the atmosphere between London and Spain... Spain is much more go-with-the-flow, laid back, relaxed feeling.

I had a group of people at the airport to meet me, they put me in teh front seat on the way home so I could start learning the route. We had a delicious dinner and my hosts (B and M) were sweet about answering all my enthusiastic questions about the apartment and running it. I've been SO blessed to be living with a wonderful couple who has just taken me in and treated me like a daughter. Wednesday B and I wondered into the downtown part of the city and he showed me where he shops for produce and introduced me to a vendor he says treats him fairly. "See, now that I've introduced you, he'll think you are my daughter and he'll treat you well also. You don't have to tell him I've left already!" B told me as we were leaving the market. M, B's wife, is also wonderful! We get to chatting as we make food or wash laundry or clean dishes and we forget what we're doing - it can be really dangerous! :-)

I don't know if I can quite put into words the different environments even here in the city. One section of town feels distinctly African, and another is very much European. In the European section - where I'm living - it is quite acceptable for me to wear my Western clothes and basically live much how I would in America - I went to the beach today in my shorts and a modest tank top, and I was probably the most covered person out sunbathing! (Ah-hem, and the whitest... *sigh!*) The other day I got up and went for a run along the waterfront early in the morning and passed other joggers and walkers. But if I walk 15 minutes another direction, the modest, loose pants and large t-shirt I wore to the market felt skimpy and exposing. The men sit around outside and on the streets staring at anybody who comes through in Western gear. The women all wear jilabas and head scarves. Consequently, there are certainly areas of town I won't be going to by myself or even with Bri when she comes, I think. At least not walking and without wearing appropriate clothing!

Basically the past two days have been spent wandering around the city, trying to get a feel for the layout, and learning how to run the guesthouse here. I've already got to sweep and mop and change sheets and set out breakfast stuff, so I'm beginning to feel like I can handle the basics. Hopefully the more advanced stuff - like being brave enough to answer the phone! - will come together soon.

We've only had two guests - one each for one night - but tonight it sounds like we'll have a full house, so I'm kind of looking forward to how things work when more people are here. I've been warned that it is either really, really busy, or nothing is happening at all, there is rarely any middle ground. And it sounds like it kind of just goes on a day by day or week by week basis. The guy that stayed the first night I was here came through today to have lunch with us and he was asking me if I've learned the hard and fast rule. "What's that?" I asked. He smiled at me and said, "The rigid, unbreakable rule in this area - maybe in all of Africa! - is that you must always be flexible." I think that has kind of always been a theme in my life, but good to be reminded of it!

One of the lovely things about staying with B and M so far is that they've been really encouraging of making time for a personal quiet time. And they read a section from the Bible before lunch and dinner. The very first lunch - Wednesday's - M picked Psalm 34 to read, one of "my" chapters from the Bible. It's been encouraging to be surrounded by people who are serious about serving the Lord and making an effort to grow.

This morning I went to Bible study and caught a lesson from Daniel chapter 11. The video we were watching made a point to focus on how selfishness is the opposite of sacrifice and how we don't have to give in to temptions of "great" evil things, we only have to give in to the tempation to be selfish. Selfishness demands our rights, it demands our expectations to be met, it demands that we have things done our way, on our timelines. The pure and simple truth is that that is not being servant-minded. It was an excellent reminder for me to remember why I'm here... It isn't to enjoy living in a foreign culture - although that might be a by-product of my time - it isn't to soak up sunshine - although that might also be a by-product - my purpose for being here is to serve. Whether it be in big ways, saving a child from getting run over by a truck in the street, or simply in providing clean sheets and fresh towels for weary workers coming into the city for a break from the country. I pray that my eyes will be open to the many ways I can serve, and that I will remember to do so with a truly humble and willing attitude.

Tomorrow night I'm heading into the country for a week or so to live and work among people there. I won't be taking my laptop and don't plan on trying to find any internet connection anywhere. It sounds like this will be one of my main opportunities to live extensively in the Muslim culture, as a couple days after I get back my hosts go home and I'll take over with Bri here. We will probably be needed mostly here in the city, but it will be neat to get a first-person perspective of what is happening out there so I can relate to the teams coming through. AND, I'll get a chance to wear the long shirts and skirts I bought for the being here!

Thank you to those of you who have emailed me or left comments (well, Megan! :-) ). As much as I am coming to love the people here and the environment it is still REALLY fun and encouraging to log onto email, or here, or myspace and have a new message or comment from someone! :-)

Love and hugs to you all! Thanks for your prayers!

- Dani

May 14th - Shakein' down Shakespeare Town

Hi Everyone!

Yesterday was pretty relaxed - we hopped around on the buses in London to get to the coach station [photo at left - Caitlin and Soryn with a pile of luggage on the bus], RAN through a couple blocks hauling ALL our luggage, to finally catch the coach. It was two hours or so out to Coventry, where the Joyces picked us up and took us to their home in Nuneaton. It was a much appreciated and enjoyed relaxed day... the weather was horrible (POURING rain and wind), so we stayed inside and talked and took naps. It was great!

This morning I woke up early and went for a run (NARROW English roads with FAST speeding cars!), got a shower, ate some breakfast, and then we (Julie, Loretta, Michal, Soryn, Prentice, Caitlin, Sue, and me) drove to Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeare's birthplace. We parked the car and wandered through town. Our first stop was John Shakespeare's (Will's father) home. The garden was beautiful and the building was very cool to wander through (photo at right). It was neat to hear a little more about the lifestyle of his time period, and more about him in particular.

We walked through town some more, stopping to buy postcards and coffee, and take pictures of the home Shakespeare bought at the end of his life (photo at left). Then we stopped into a church and sang a couple different versions of "Amazing Grace" *smile*. Outside the church was a cute red phone booth (one of MANY we see!), and I thought it looked like a prime spot for a picture...

There is a beautiful city park along the Avon river, so we wandered along and admired the swans and took more pictures. (below left: swans. middle: overlooking the river. right: Loretta, Sue, and Julie.)

The tall church spire caught everyone's eye coming into town, so we wandered over there, browsing through the graveyard and admiring the sunshine coming through the windows (below left: me in the church. middle: (l-r) Soryn, Prentice, Michal, Caitlyn, and me. right: me in the church).

After the church we finished our walking tour of Stratford and got directions out to Anne Hathaway's cottage (Shakespeare's wife, not the actress!). The gardens were gorgeous (again), and the cottage was also SOOO cool to walk through and around. The floors were stone and had been laid by Anne's grandfather. During Anne's lifetime, the house expanded from 2 rooms to 9 rooms. The lady who was the tour guide had some really interesting facts and information to tell, which made it even more interesting! (photos below: left: Michal and me in the Hathaway family's garden. middle: fun angle of the garden with the pretty roses. right: Soryn with a cool car in the parking lot of the Hathaway garden.)

We closed out the cottage and came home (back to the King's Lodge) where we hung out some more, ate dinner, and eventually went over for cookies with the YWAMers after their evening service. After I finish this blog (which has been a couple hours in the making because I keep getting distracted and I'm uploading and re-sizing pictures at the same time... :-) ) I'm heading in to pack up and go to bed. I have to catch the bus tomorrow morning at 6AM, and I should eventually get to my final destination in Africa by about 7PM tomorrow night. It sounds like first thing Wednesday morning I'll be heading into the country to spend a couple days working and getting adjusted to the culture... I'm getting excited! :-)

Hope all is well with you all!

Love and hugs,

Dani

May 12 - London Locals

Hello Everyone!

I'm sitting here in our little internet cafe, with a zip drive in front of me full of pictures of the last couple days. Unforunately, I can't figure out where to plug it in to the computer to upload pictures on here... so the visual illustrations of this trip are going to have to wait until I get someplace where either my laptop links to wi-fi, or I can find the proper plug in. Sorry for my computer-illiteracy!

The past two days have been so full, I'm not sure if I can remember all the details without the aid of pictures. It's been a blast, though! Yesterday (Thursday) morning, we hit the tube to navigate around London. We wandered through Traffelgar (oh shoot... I don't remember spelling... sorry! I'll do my best, and try not to snicker too loud!) Square on our way to Westminster Abbey. [Picture at left is of Loretta and me in front of Westminster] It is supposedly the 6th largest Abbey/Cathedral thingy in the world, but unfortunately I was comparing it to St. Peter's in Rome, so it didn't seem THAT big to me. It was large, though. But it was also broken up into small sections, which took away from the general grandness, but it was still cool! I was surprise by how many statues and stuff there were - it felt a little cluttered, in fact, compared to the cathedrals I've been in before. Their are statues and coffins and monuments ALL over the place, leaving a lot of just wandering paths throughout the building. And there are plaques in the floor showing where people have been buried - various kings and queens, of course, also Winston Churchill, David Livingstone, Oliver Cromwell, Rudyard Kipling, Lord Byron, Charles Darwin, etc... quite the combo, really. The open grassy square outside the main part of the building was really pretty, with covered walkways all the way around it. I bought a sandwich at their little snack place and enjoyed lunch in the sunshine. (The sun's been patchy so far). [Picture at right: Soryn taking photos at Westminster]

We also wandered through downtown London, along the Thames, past the Parliament buildings and Big Ben [photo on left]. Eventually we made our way over to the Globe Theatre (high on my priority list!). Michal and I were the only two who stuck around for the tour - everyone else opted to go over to the Tower of London to see the crown jewels. Michal and I enjoyed the tour (It felt so small inside, it was cool. Actors were having a photoshoot on the stage too, which was both fun and sad because we weren't supposed to take pictures when they were out.), then walked towards the tower. We stopped at an internet cafe, after getting some snacks at the Globe cafeteria. After meeting up with everyone (after walking across Tower Bridge!), we decided to go to a show. I'd wanted to, and Michal was enthusiastic, as was Prentice. They ended up being REALLY expensive at the ticket agent's place, though, so everyone else opted to not go. Our top three choices were Lord of the Rings, the Lion King, or Phantom of the Opera. When it looked like we were going to have to pay £35.00 each, I was like, "Oooh, man, that's a lot of money... I don't know if I can swing that." (£ are about twice as much as American $s). But then the ticket agent suggested we go to the theatre and find out if they still had them available, and see if they had any cheaper. We made a mad dash to the tube and flew over (it was pretty late by then!). We had to stop and ask a guard outside some nice building for directions, and he was really nice (actually, most people have been really nice. Not at all like our first introduction to London a couple years ago. ANYhow...) before heading to the theatre. We ended up getting tickets for only £25.00.... YAY! I know, only a difference of £10, but still!

We opted to go to Phantom, and let me tell you, I do NOT regret it! It was absolutely spectacular! We had seats off to the left of the stage, but you could HEAR everything just as well. And that was the amazing part! The stage sets were so cool - colorful and lots of smoke machines. I was amazed by the staging for the Phantom's lair... These cool candleabra (sp?) things came up out of the floor and the "smoke" swept through... it didn't even LOOK like a hard stage. Oh, and some of the stunts were just WAY cool... people dropping through the stage and the Phantom riding down this gold statue thing from the top fo the stage. And the chandelier fell... Yeah, it was amazing! And the MUSIC! Ahhh... if watching the movie and hearing the sound track are good, LIVE and in person were just AMAZING!!!

Anyhow, after the show we headed back to the tube (the same guard saw us walking by and asked if we'd found the theatre OK. I said, "Yeah, and saw the show. It was AMAZING!") and then home. My luggage had come in during the day and Julie and Loretta had hauled it up to the room for me, so I was DELIGHTED to have a real toothbrush, my camera battery charger, and comfy boxers to sleep in! I slept really well after taking a shower and spending 20 minutes unpacking and re-packing my suitcase, trying to figure out what I was going to wear today! Pathetic, I know!

Today we walked all around Hyde Park [photo at right] (I had no idea it was so BIG! Our hotel is actually just across the street from it, which would be an ideal place to stay and have access for running.), stopped at Speaker's corner, walked along Park Lane (is that right? Park Lane? It's where the really expensive living in London is... Like, £2,500 per WEEK or more for little apartments!), saw Buckingham Palace, and then walked towards Harrods. I spotted an H&M on the way, and suggested we go in there! Two clearance shirts later and plenty of time checking out the fun summer fashions, we headed on towards Harrods. By the time we got there, we only had about 30 minutes until we wanted to meet up again, so we just had a quick breeze through. Talk about upscale... I knew it was, but somehow I hadn't really expected what I saw. Lots of ladies in all black suits looking beautiful standing at every doorway and corner, ready to help you with whatever you need. The perfume section smelled heavenly. We finally made it to the formal wear section (we were going to try on formal dresses and take pictures, but didn't have enough time...) and ended up asking for a bridal catalog (no, none of us need it YET, but the dresses are so pretty!). I think the lady thought I was getting married, because she was all like, "Congratulations!" but whatever! :-) We had to book it downstairs to our meeting place, and there was a big protest thing going on outside Harrods, all these animal rights people with signs and fliers. We sat down and were waiting for Julie and Loretta, and they started hasseling poor Caitlyn!

We were going to this place Julie wanted to go for high tea, but the circle and parts of the district lines are closed this weekend, so we started walking. We ended up walking a LONG time, and then decided to just find someplace to eat nearer the museum we wanted to go to. It started raining as we were going to the museum area, so we all got wet. Some people went to subway, some to this cute little grill, I headed to the little grocery market on the corner... It looked cheaper! I ended up with wholegrain pita bread, some yogurt, almonds, and Cranberry juice (no cheese... Sad panda), but oh well, it filled me up. In typical European fashion, there were very few tables inside, and - of course - since it was lunchtime AND raining, the 4 tables were packed at the grill. We grabbed a table outside (striking up a conversation with a group of older British guys who were laughing at our attempts to all fit under the awning) and proceeded to get SOAKED sitting there eating our lunch... but oh well! After we were re-energized by the food we took off for the British Museum. Prentice almost got run over by a van, and Michal and I waited with her on one side of the road while everyone else kept going. We didn't notice what street they turned down, though, so we spent a hilarious 5 minutes trying to keep from getting too wet while guessing which direction they took off in. Eventually we asked directions and were pointed the right way.

The British Museum was absolutely HUGE. By then we were really tired, though. After arranging a meeting point, Michal and Prentice and I found a corner to sit in and rest our feet for 20 minutes. Then I headed off to see the Egyptian exhibit, which lead to the Mesopotamian (sp?) exhibit, which lead to the Assyrian exhibit. Lots of mummies, lapis lazuli, and scrolling, rolly seal things later, I found Michal and Prentice again in the main forum (this brilliantly white room with white marble walls, floor, and glass window letting oodles of light in - photo at left). They wanted something to drink, so we hit the little cafe in the corner, and then found another empty wall to sit at. After another 30 minutes or so, we went back to meet up with everyone else.

We tromped back to our little hotel after some souvenier shopping, and now I think we're going to hang out here for the night probably. Our bus out to the Joyces leaves at 8:30AM tomorrow, so we need to be up and moving pretty early.

Monday I think we're going to do Stratford-Upon-Avon and surrounding areas, then Tuesday morning (early!) I start my trek to Spain.

Happy Mother's day to all of you who are mothers! I'll probably try to get on sometime while I'm out at the Lodge, but maybe not tomorrow.

Take care!
Love,
Dani

May 10 - I made it!

Hey all!

Many thanks for the prayers... it's been a long couple days. Lots of goodbyes over the weekend and Monday and Tuesday - probably harder for the people saying goodbye to me than for me, just because I was getting so excited! Tuesday I put in a full day of running errands and picking up last minute stuff, then I ended up with another list that accumulated throughout the day, so I never actually went to bed or slept on Tuesday night. I don't honestly think I've ever done that before... New experience! Mom and I made time for a brisk walk about 6AM, and the sunrise was glorious - a parting gift from the Northwest I love and hate all at the same time!

Mom dropped me off at the airport - her hug was a little longer than necessary, and her voice was a little scratchy. I'd held myself together pretty well until then, but that was awfully hard to walk away from! But I did, or else I'd probably STILL be sitting there at the curb with her blubbering! *smile* I went inside, realized that my lovely goal of only have two carry-ons was NOT likely, so I went and hid in a bathroom stall and sniffed and wiped a couple tears while I re-arranged to just take my backpack as a carry-on and check my suitcase. The flight was long, but I was SO tired that I don't have any recollection of the first couple hours. I actually volunteered to be bumped to a later flight, but they didn't need me (I thought the $750 voucher on any KLM airline for the next year would come in handy for my Amsterdam-Rome jaunt goign to and from school... no such luck, though!). I did end up at the front of the coach cabin, though, which was SO nice! Extra room to stretch my legs, and extra wide aisle at that particular spot, and only one seatmate.

The last three hours drug a bit, but they always do, and then I got off in Amsterdam! I speed walked to the far end of the terminal, got my boarding pass printed, then speed walked back to the gate right beside the one I'd come in at... but at least I got some exercise!

Got to London and went to pick up my bag only to realize it hadn't made it. I hoped it would be in the next flight from Amsterdam, and since I was hanging out until the Voetbergs arrived, I just waited by the baggage claim. It didn't come, though, so I filled out the lost luggage report (didn't have an address or phone number for where we were staying, though...), and set about waiting for the Voetbergs. And waited. And waited. And waited some more! I started getting a little worried 2 hours after they were supposed to have come, and their plane HAD arrived, and they HAD checked in, and I still didn't see them. I ended up sitting in the London airport from 8:45AM to 5PM, and finally rendezvoused when Michal and Soryn came in (they flew in from Uganda. Michal's been working at an orphanage for 3 months, and Soryn joined her 5 weeks ago). Julie and Prentice (supposed to arrive at noon) and Loretta and Caitlyn (sorry if I'm slaughtering spelling, ladies!) had flown in on time, not seen me, so they went and checked into the hotel figuring I'd probably been taken up on the volunteer-to-be-bumped offer. Michal spotted me while I talked with my Mom trying to figure out where I could stay for the night if I didn't run into them. It was a joyful reunion all around!

Gotta love the tube travel. It's easy to spot us Americans, we chatter up a storm, but when you haven't seen each other in over 3 months, it's kind of expected! Awkward, though, when about 30 people cram into a little tiny service elevators, and it is just dead silent for the entire duration of the 2 minute ride. Someone's armpit was in my face, and one of the bags was sitting on my toes, and because I'm tired, it all struck me as incredibly funny. I know, I know, leavin' a bad rep all over! Sorry guys!

Our room is cozy - 8 bunks and about 2 feet of floor space in teh center of it! [The picture was taken from my top bunk - from left to right, Soryn, Julie (laying down), Prentice, and Caitlyn) We've seen all of Michal and Soryn's purchases from Uganda.... WAY cool! I'm not sure what the plan is for the evening - I could really use some PJs, cuz mine are in my check bag which - when I left the airport - hadn't shown up yet. I was able to finally give the airline my address here at the hotel, though, so pray with me that it arrives tonight or tomorrow! I've got a couple short sleeve shirts and a long skirt, but it's kind of cold here. I could use more layers! Fortunately the other girls have clothes, though, so I won't freeze! *grin*

'K, sorry, this entry is a little boring. Discovery, though: I like traveling solo, I think. 'Cept for the fact that I'm SOOOOOoooooOOOOO tired! It's 6:25PM here, which means it's 10:45AM at home, and I've been up since 7:30AM Tuesday morning, other than the 3 hours on the plane and 20 minutes of sleep in the car on the way up... But I took Becky's advice and made sure to get up and walk around. And the lady who recommended the book I started to me should get a gold star... It's good!

Love you all! I'm sure I'll have something exciting to report tomorrow...

Hugs,
Dani

Packing...

I was packing the other day (I really want to get it all taken care of EARLY so I can enjoy my last couple days and not be scrambling for laundry or anything!), and I was getting bored... my room was a wreck, I had been making WAY too many decisions about what I was going to take and not take, and I spotted my camera and pulled it out and took a picture! Here it is... I kept trying on outfits too, so what I'm wearing is one set of clothes I'm taking with me... so you can envision me wearing that in the hot African sun!

My meeting location is set in London, my clothes are mostly rolled up and into my bag - my little wheeling carry on. I refuse to pack an abundance of clothes, so I'm going to make it in a carry on and a backpack - and I went shopping for, like, the travel shampoo/conditioner/lotion, etc. I think I'm pretty much set, as in I HAVE everything I need! My to-do list includes buying my ticket from Spain to Scotland and Scotland to London for when I come home, figuring out my student visa stuff for Italy and getting that process started, buying my bus ticket in the UK for when I fly to Spain, reconciling my accounts (still!), getting back to the places that have awarded me scholarships and letting them know I'm accepting their offers... and maybe getting my trip from last summer scrapbooked.... although I doubt, somehow, that that is really going to get accomplish! Ahh well, such is life!

Thank you for your continued prayers! I was getting sick this week, but after one day of feeling crummy it's turning around, so those of you who knew about that and prayed for that, THANKS! You guys continue to bless me in SO many ways as I prepare to leave. LOVE you!!!