Author: Velkommen

The rains have come, but the glimmers of sunshine are little gifts when they appear. I keep reminding myself that the sun is shining above the clouds.

Similarly, when the PhD dissertation seems gloomy sometimes because of the challenges and the chore, I remind myself how fortunate I am to have this opportunity. The match of a wonderful adviser, school, and accommodating circumstances is remarkably Providential.

I was in a bit of a slump in the middle of chapter 4, so I worked on chapter 5, drafting about 75% or more of the chapter. This is the “So what?” chapter. It is good to draft it and have plenty of time to incubate the concepts.

I didn’t get a blog posted last weekend, because my in-laws, Bill and Karen, were visiting from California. They arrived Wednesday night and left on Monday.

Anya had been sick with the flu the week before Bill and Karen arrived. The fever and vomiting kept her home from school for two days. With 3 AP classes, it is tough being away. So, one morning, she got up to get ready for school, ate breakfast, and then threw up. She wipes her mouth and says, “Can I still go to school?” I suggested she see how she felt in a couple hours, and indeed, she didn’t go in that day.

Highlights were going out for a Kenyan dinner in south Seattle with Jean and Marv, in spite of  the long wait for food (waiting over 1.5 hours reminded us of Africa!).

On Sunday, we went to hear the Stavanger Boys and Girls Choir at Pacific Lutheran University.

I was surprised to see my PhD student friend’s mother there! Tina defended her dissertation on Thursday, and her mom flew the next morning to the USA as a coordinator of the choir.  (Tina now has her earned doctorate, and the report is that she did very well. After all she is the brilliant one of Knut’s students!)

In contrast to Tina, I figure that I’ll just have to be the diligent one. This is still a challenge as I realize that this journey is for those who can rise above the 1,000 daily self doubts. In addition, the writing process is lonely one. Some may say, “Duh, what did you expect from ‘independent research’?” I am so grateful for critical support on this journey, especially at this stage the proofing from Marv and my mom. At the end of the week, I was able to attend a get-together for the Biblical Studies and Intercultural Studies faculty, students, and a few alumni. It was food for the soul. I have worked through the loss and have been able to move on, but I still cherish these people.

That was Friday, which was Eric’s birthday. He would have turned 51. Anya was fortunate to have friends to be with and enjoy a corn maze. It helps her to have something to look forward to on that day.

I’m hoping to write/draft 1,300 words every workday  for the next four weeks! Crazy!

With blessings,

Beth

 

Weekly posts mean a lot of news to review.  We’ll start with the highlights!

Anya scored a goal, the only goal at Tuesday’s home game that ended with a tie. Her school is wonderful, and she’s learning lots with wonderful teachers. Thursday night was curriculum night, so I met all but her IB/AP physics teacher who was sick. I got a peak at her first stained glass project:

This year, the Bellevue school district has provided laptops to all their high school students. This “1 to 1” initiative will give equal access to computer and filtered Internet resources for ALL. It also makes standardized testing less complicated, as students can remain in their classroom and take the tests on their laptops. This enables more instruction time and probably less stress for those with test anxiety.

This week, Anya’s AP World History class had an assignment that helped to make history “real” for each student. After thinking about historical events that have influenced each student’s heritage, they were to make a “culture box” about it to share with the class. Anya selected the Norwegian Constitution Day. This is a great way to engage students in history, especially Anya, as she enjoys creative projects.

This week I gave up on my attempts to unclog the drain in the bathroom sink and called Roto Rooter. After a $50 off coupon and $219, the serviceman was unable to clog the drain. He was unable, by company policy, to try snaking from the roof, so his advice was to cut the wall behind the cabinet to see where the pipes were going. Fortunately, Marv came by and was willing to look at it with me. With some fiddling and his $5 hand crank snake, we unclogged the drain. I’m so glad I didn’t follow the serviceman’s advice and make an invasive diagnostic process to determine it was a simple clog, but it was in a location that sent his snake up the vent instead of into the clog.

I am also now a patron of the University of Washington Library and took in a tour on Friday. The Suzzallo Library reading room is beautiful! Now, I have access to 8 million books now!

While I won’t be taking the time to enroll in the Swedish course at UW (completing my dissertation is priority), I continue to do a bit of Swedish online most every day and think about Sweden. A recent study has the cost of living in many global cities. (https://www.ubs.com/microsites/prices-earnings/edition-2015.html) So, I discovered that the cost of living in Stockholm is not too different from Los Angeles. Uppsala should be a bit cheaper. However, the taxes in Sweden are almost double while incomes are a bit lower overall. But, this study doesn’t take into account health care and educational costs. That’s where socialized health care and education makes a huge difference with access for all. Most in the Nordic countries believe this is a better system as they see the results of their taxes.

We welcome Eric’s parents this week, so you’ll hear updates next time.

With blessings,

Beth

My week consists of writing for my dissertation, taxi for Anya, and domestic engineer.

So, I believe that chapter 1 of my dissertation is fairly complete. There will be tweaks until it is submitted, but I believe I responded to the feedback of my adviser and my dear mom and friend, Marvin, who are proofreading. I got some good progress on chapter 2, as I’m over a cold and settled into a writing schedule.

Chapter 2 lays out the theoretical framework integrating the philosophical hermeneutics (the art of understanding or the philosophy of interpretation) of the German philosophy of Hans-Georg Gadamer (1900 – 2002). I incorporate his concept of “fusion of horizons” as laid out in his magnum opus, Truth and Method. Yes, pretty heady stuff, and the revisions and writing go pretty slow because it has to be accurate.

So, with all that heady Gadamer stuff, it is good to walk a path of humility–or humiliation–in my Swedish language learning.

I decided that I can’t afford the time to attend the University of Washington Swedish course, but I did get the textbooks (with special thanks to Scott who teaches at UW for a visit to the bookstore). I’ll try to get a tutor and work independently, which should me more efficient, and won’t take 2 hours of travel by bus for 1 hour of class five days a week. Even though I can read on the bus, it would be difficult to speak svenska aloud, which I try to do with all my practice.

So, I’m still working on Swedish online with free (!) Duolingo.

I’m and my virtual tutors are… ABBA! Anya and I had a great time belting out ABBA songs in svenska! Join us!

Mamma Mia in Swedish on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_joNKzgn8F8

Swedish lyrics: http://artists.letssingit.com/abba-lyrics-mamma-mia-swedish-version-q21fbjr#axzz3lluNtj8v

We remember our trip to the ABBA museum in Stockholm last May.

Speaking about Sweden, I talked with a friend from my days at Lutheran Bible Institute. It turns out that he lived for three years at Johannelund, my betrothed future employer. (We have a formal memorandum of agreement, but it isn’t a contract.) He loved the community and still has contacts in Uppsala. So, we will be welcomed by his friends as well!

Anya has quite a bit of homework, but I’m so pleased with her self-initiative and keeping on top of it. She’s often working ahead, because she knows that soccer games and youth group will take time later. If you would have seen her in 5th grade (and her penmanship!), you would be surprised to see the wonderful organization of her homework system and clear penmanship! What a great development with her own drive. Ok, I do have to make a big purchase at Staples each fall, but that’s a worthy investment in her learning!

The two soccer games this week were against very good teams. On Tuesday, Anya wasn’t feeling well and didn’t play, complicated with the fact that the last time we were at that high school stadium it was the brain cancer walk. There was a flood of memories. She played well on Thursday in a deluge of rain. There were only 2 parents for our team enduring the rain that game.

This week, one of the things I’m grateful for is the friendship of Jean and Marv, who mow my lawn! While they say they need the exercise, I know they are freeing me up for my dissertation and being mom.

With blessings,

Beth

I’ve been encouraged by a couple non-family members to keep the blog going. Well, with everything going on, it won’t be a daily post. However, I’m going to try to post once a week on the weekend with a few updates to share a bit of life.

Anya’s back in school and on the soccer team. On Thursday night, they won their first game with Anya starting and contributing a goal!

Anya’s school started on Sept. 1. Her rigorous schedule is:

1. Honors sophomore composition and literature
2. Racquet sports
3. Pre-calculus (technically an IB [International Baccalaureate] math, but she will advance with other IB maths over the next 2 years)
4. Spanish for bilingual speakrs 2
5. AP World History
6. AP/IB Physics
7. Stained Glass 1

After being a foreign student in Norway, Anya has developed a special compassion for students who are new to Interlake from other countries. So, she’s reaching out and making friends with students from Spain, Tanzania, and Colombia. Compassion is one of our core family values, so I’m pleased to see her initiative to care for others.

School started before Labor Day this year. But then we went off with several neighbor families to Cascades Camp in Yelm, which is operated by the Covenant church. This family camp has become an annual event, cherished for its great activities, programming, and food. However, this will probably be our last time together with plans to move to Sweden next year.

Since returning to the USA on Aug. 2, I have:

• moved out of my office at Trinity with the help of Jean and Marv;
• processed through the farewells and closure after 22 years as student, staff, and faculty at LBI/Trinity;
• got unpacked from travel luggage and storage of stuff while Janet moved in and held down the fort;
• sorted through 6 months of mail and deferred life-stuff (dentist appointments; got new health coverage after leaving Trinity; completed my extended taxes with a tax man’s help; registered for security hack monitoring; neglected hedge trimming, etc.)
• got Anya settled for soccer and school, which began Sept. 1;
• got back into the Tanzania mission team leadership and preparation for a 2016 trip;
• and made wonderful connections with friends I hadn’t seen for a while.

In the midst of life, I’ve been chipping away on my dissertation. Chapter 1 was revised and resubmitted. I am working on re-revisions, while moving ahead on revisions for chapter 2. Currently, I’m sick with a miserable cold, so I’m unable to be as diligent as I’d like. Pray for diligence for me. I must finish writing this calendar year! In the next few days, I have to figure out if I can manage taking the Swedish 101 course at University of Washington this fall and still progress on my dissertation. Being a student would give me better access to the UW library, which is quite good. Perhaps taking it pass/fail!?!

With blessings,

Beth

I’m so jet lagged that I won’t be putting in pictures tonight. I’ll load them soon.

On Aug. 1, we were so blessed to have the help of Elizabeth and David with our extra luggage. David dropped of our 4 rolling duffel bags stored at the Nature’s Gift Safaris office. We had a good chat about Tanzanian politics before he had to depart. It is presidential election soon, and the big news is that one of the candidates, Lowassa, was on the short-list of candidates for CCM, the ruling party, but when he wasn’t the finalist, he flipped over to the opposing party, Chadema, and vying for their presidential nominee!

Then Elizabeth picked me up, and we went to pick up the 1 rolling duffel bag I left at the Serengeti Select Safaris office. Serengeti Select and Emanyani Beach Lodge are owned by the Simonsons, so they are the experts on Emanyani, and they were kind to store the extra clothes that we didn’t need on the beach. Fortunately, their office is right next to our lunch spot where we meet Sarah, her husband, and three daughters for lunch. Anya was again “auntie” to the girls, especially the youngest.

We heard harrowing stories of a friend who went camping in Ruaha National Park with her 4 kids and another friend with her kids. Lions clawed through two tents, but they managed to all get into a car before anyone was hurt.

After lunch, I repacked the bags, and used my travel scale to get clost to 50 pounds each. I remembered to get all the liquids out of carryons, except for our 1 quart/litre plastic zip bag. However, I forgot about the knives. I had a Gerber multipurpose tool and a small Leatherman in my carryons. They both made it through TWO X-ray screenings in the Kilimanjaro International Airport, but they were caught right away when we had to go through security again at the Amsterdam airport. Now I know why they make you go through security again in Amsterdam.

On the drive to the airport, we typically stop at the game sanctuary and have a bit to eat off their lunch menu while we watch ostrich, other birds, zebra, and often eland. This place is famous for their black colobus monkeys in the trees right by the outdoor dining. However, in the 20+ times I’ve been there, I’ve never seen them. (I did see one at Pangani.) On Saturday, they showed up to send me off!

Our flight to Amsterdam was uneventful (a good thing), with one of the smoothest landings I can remember. Anya and I each watch 3 movies and got some sleep; Anya got more than I did.

It was a comfortable lay over in Amsterdam, with enough time to shop for some duty-free chocolate and go through the extra profile check/interview now required for entrance into the USA.

The flight to Seattle was again wonderfully uneventful. I got in 3 movies, and Anya succeeded in watching 4 in the 8 hour and 44 minute flight. My favorite of my 3 was Age of Adeline, about a woman who is incapable of growing older and stays at a beautiful 29 while her daughter eventually ages to look like her grandmother.

Customs went smoothly with the new touch screen kiosks instead of filling out a paper form. Jean and Marv picked us up and brought us home. HOME! It has been 6.25 months since we’ve been home.

We spent most of the afternoon unpacking and starting laundry. We did go to Chipotle for Anya’s favorite and dearly missed Mexican food and pick up a few groceries. I had emailed on Friday to have my comprehensive auto insurance reinstated for today. So, I was good to go, and the fuel additive and trickle battery charger worked perfectly. The car started right up. How slick! I did have to put a little air in one tire, but I expected that. I will get new tires for the fall, so I let a very slow leak go. The tire was low, but amazingly, not flat.

Well I’m soon to turn into a pumpkin, so I’m off to sleep. Thanks for all the prayers for this amazing journey.

With blessings,

Beth

 

 

I was awake before my alarm rang, partially due to all the thinking about the next few days of logistics, but also the early morning call to prayer from the local mosque. The Swahili coast of Eastern Tanzania is predominantly Muslim.

We were told our taxi (in a Land Cruiser, due to some bad dirt roads) would arrive at 7:00 am, but he arrived at 7:30. I was wondering if he’d be a crazy driver, trying to make up time, but it wasn’t too different from the last time. We arrived at the rendezvous place at 9:25 and waited for 1 hour for the bus from Dar es Salaam to arrive. It was hot in the sun, but at least we got to watch some laborers pack large bags with oranges.

The bus was loaded, except for 2 seats that were reserved for us. In the next hour, the driver passed on a solid line three times, had three conversations on his in-hand cell phone, and helped one of the additional riders in the aisle-way get settled on a pillow. He was a very animated talker, and very frequently looked at the people he was talking with! After an hour, I decided that it wasn’t going to help to worry, and I stopped looking. However, I did say some prayers along the way!

After 5 hours, we were on the outskirts of Arusha. I realized that we could be dropped earlier closer to our hotel and save the hassle of being driven into the city and then pay more for a taxi to take us back. So, upon seeing taxis at the convenient intersection, we jumped out of our seats with the bags that were at our feet or on our lap, but we forgot the one small bag up top. It only had a Maasai blanket that was given to us and my old Teva sandals that were 15 years old with worn out velcro, but it did have Anya’s Chaco sandals. She only wears them in Tanzania. I’m just letting these go under the circumstances and the hassle it would take to try to retrieve them with no guarantees of success. Most likely, they are long gone. In light of all our travels, that is not too much of a loss.

Our hotel is hostel like at the back of an Ethiopian restaurant. It is also within a somewhat close range of another mosque, as the evening call to prayer informed us. However, we walked half a block to the Impala Hotel, which has my favorite Indian food, Handi Lazeez (SP?). So, for $20, we ate in a fancy hotel restaurant with fresh made-to-order food with Fanta passion sodas.

This evening, we’re catching up on emails. I have my auto insurance set to be reinstated on August 2. It looks like Anya’s cell phone was automatically reinstated after 6 months.

Now, we hope to get some good sleep before the early morning call to prayer.

With blessings,

Beth

WE HAVE A LIMITED WIFI CONNECTION. PHOTOS WILL BE ADDED LATER.

There was no need to get up early, other than breakfast ended at 9:00 am.

But we were both awake before then. The tide was way out with about 500 paces of tide flats to explore a bit before breakfast. I went out again and observed some fishermen. I chatted with a couple of them with some simple sentences in Kiswahili.

One told me about the small fish that they were catching with a net held by two men who walked chest deep and dragged it back to shore. Another speared an octopus and a small ray of some sort with intriguing colors.

Afterwards, we sat around doing whatever caught our fancy. I won the battleship game by just two pegs.

Later, Susan (from yesterday) stopped by and welcomed us to walk down the beach to their property. I joined her, while Anya stayed put. The two families from our snorkeling trip (including the father Nathan) were camping at their place. They have two large cone awnings, about 25 feet in diameter, made from poles and thatched with banana leaf “shingles.” Underneath are tents, camping chairs, and a well-equipped camping kitchen. We sat and talked for some time, catching up on the past few years and plans for the future.

One of the plans is a Great Rift Valley Walk. About 18 months ago, I woke up with a crazy idea to repeat a classic 8-day walk that the late Rev. David Simonson did with his sons, including Nathan, from Loliondo (by the Kenyan border) to Monduli. (They actually walked to Ngaramtoni, but Monduli would be a way to support the MaaSAE Girls School.) I threw out the crazy idea, and several were actually interested. Jean started talking with Nathan, and now there is some momentum to the planning. I didn’t tell Nathan today that I was the one who broached the idea to Jean, but since life is changing for me, it would be slim chances for me to be able to participate, because Nathan is suggesting a May date after the long rainy season and before the heavy tourist season.

If anyone is interested in this or know of anyone who would like an adventure which supports girls’ education, let me know. I’ll get you in contact with the right people.

I walked back for a late lunch of very nice beef samosas, and then we got ready for our kayaking trip. Nathan told me the trick is to paddle out just before the high tide mark, as the rising tide will help us get into the river with the mangrove forests. Then after high tide and our peaceful paddling among the mangroves and bird calls, then we turn around so the out-going tide helps us cross the breakers into the ocean beyond. So, Anya and I shared this adventure together.

I am one who must have descended from farming Norwegians instead of the seafaring Norwegians, because the ocean isn’t very peaceful for me. In the Old Testament, the “sea” is a metaphor for chaos. While I don’t get sea sick, I am not typically seeking out sea-related adventures. The snorkeling yesterday was a surprise for me at how much I enjoyed it, in spite of the wet and somewhat cold conditions. Perhaps this being my third trip gave me some understanding of what to expect, and really, the panorama of colorful fish was beyond what I had experienced before.

We returned to our beach lodge, showered, and I washed out our salty clothes. With the return of both power and internet, I’m able to make a post on the blog.

 

Dinner and packing will close the evening, as we leave tomorrow at 7:00 am after an early breakfast. We have a 3 hour drive to Segera, where we will be dropped at the roadside of the village. Then the bus from Dar es Salaam will pick us up and take us to Arusha. We’ll get a taxi to our hotel for the night. There is a chance we’ll see some of my former students. If it is a full night, I may not be able to get a blog post out.

Right now, we only have two more nights before we fly home. We haven’t been home since January 24, so it has been a long time.

With blessings,

Beth

Steve, the intrepid hiker, got us going early to be able to see the buffalo.

Later in the day, they go into the forests and are harder to see. So, while the heavy dew clung to every surface in our campsite, Bethany got up and brought us chai to our tents. What hospitality. She told us the story of her Indian friend’s mother, who brought them chai in bed when Bethany visited her friend. (Bethany was a missionary kid who grew up in Nepal and attended a boarding school in India.) Later, instant oatmeal packets were delivered with hot water.

Anya had a bad night’s sleep, only three hours, because of the cold. But, Steve has a way of directing the day that keeps pushing on. So, despite Anya’s initial protests, she got up and made it work.

We hid the sleeping bags, just in case some others came by, but most of our clothes stayed in the tent. We packed all our water empty water bottles and headed out to the spring, quietly whispering along the way through the waist high grass to not startle the buffalo. We were instructed that if a buffalo would charge us, we were to drop our packs (though today, only the adults were carrying them) and lie on the ground. If possible, roll to a log or into the depths of the grass. The horns of the cape buffalo are deadly when they can hook something and throw you. They are one of the most deadly animals in Africa.

Soon, we froze in a clearing and crouched down to watch a small herd of 11 or so buffalo about 100 yards from us. As they were departing into the woods, Steve started us walking toward them. However, one stood guard at the end of the herd, staring at us. In a split second, we heard hooves running, and the two girls and I hit the grass. I don’t know how long it took to get my backpack off, but it seemed like a reflex. Yet, the buffalo weren’t running toward us, they were running into the forest. Whew! I thought, I’m not sure my international travel insurance would cover any medical issues related to being out walking where dangerous animals were present! I didn’t add the “adventure rider” to my policy!

We walked on, seeing some bushbuck in the hillside, and across another clearing, we observed eland in the distance. They are very skittish from being hunted by many people. Bethany told a story of when her daughter was only 10 months old and her twin boys were older (about 7, I recall), they were up on the mountain. When her daughter was hungry, Bethany plopped down on a tuft of grass and started breast feeding. Soon, an armed hunting guide showed up with a white hunter and at least two more armed guards. A mother nursing an infant contrasted with the dangerous environment portrayed by the armed guards that hunting safari companies want to sell. People will pay more for dangerous adventures.

We made it to the spring, and the stream flowing from it. We filled our water bottles. I have a bottle with a filter, so we could drink right away. Bethany passed out water treatments pills for our drinking bottles, but Steve was not concerned and drank the water directly. It is a remote area with little human activity. He’s a doctor and knows the risks and treatments as needed.

Then, we had to hike back up to our campsite. On the way, we ended up going through several patches with lots of stinging nettles. It was impossible to avoid being stung. The sting hurts as much as a bee sting, but it doesn’t swell much but just stings for about an hour or so. This was miserable for Anya on only 3 hours of sleep, and even pushed me into frustration. When we made it back to the campsite, I put Benadryl gel on my remaining stings from later in the day. Unfortunately, the Benadryl stimulated the stings a bit and kept them buzzing way into the night. I even had to try to fall asleep with them aggravated. Fortunately, they were calmed sometime in the night.

Back to the return hike… While we were ascending to our ridge, we didn’t realize a herd of buffalo was ahead of us. They were startled by us and started stampeding down the hillside in a thunderous sound of hoof beats and breaking branches about 100 feet in front of us. We froze in our tracks, though none came our direction. That was a first for us all!

We plowed through the tall grass at the top of the hill and continued to our campsite.

For the rest of the afternoon, the females sat around, told stories, and talked. Steve was out discovering new buffalo trails, and announced that in the morning, we’d take a “short hike” on the next ridge.

Dinner was Mountain Meals beef stroganoff, which again was good for a freeze-dry meal (or perhaps we’re so hungry anything tastes good). Again, we were in our tents before sunset at 6:40 pm to snuggle into our modified sleeping bag arrangement before the cold became unbearable. We were ready for sleep.

With blessings,

Beth

We woke up to no water in the Friberg house, so we availed ourselves of the outhouse. After a hearty breakfast of oatmeal and chai, at 8:00 am we departed for the Ketumbeini mountain trail head. Fortunately, Steve chose to drive the 14 km to the trailhead instead of hiking to it. At 9:25 am, we started our hike at about 6,000 feet. Unfortunately, there are no switchbacks on the steepest parts, as much of it is up a narrow ridge. It was steep going, but fortunately, I wasn’t the slowest one. Steve kept directing us onward beyond what I would have thought was possible for me, but hiking with Steve is known as a challenge by all who have done it.

About midway, we did stop for a lunch with chai. Peanut butter and jelly on a tortilla never tasted so good. But then, Steve kept us pushing onward and upward to the top.

Around here, the shortcut for texting Ketumbeini is K2. While the Ketumbeini mountain is not as high as K2 in Pakistan, the second tallest mountain in the world, it was the tallest I have climbed at 9,000 feet, though we started two-thirds of the way up. With the thin air, I told Anya that I could email her soccer coach stating that she’s doing hypobaric conditioning in preparation for the fall season.

At the top, we stopped for a 30-minute rest, where Steve fell asleep. When he awoke, we stashed our packs and went for a hike around the top of the mountain, which included some descent to look for animals. We did see bushbuck and eland (the world’s largest antelope) in the distance.

After retrieving our packs, we walked through waist-high grass in the caldera of the mountain. It is thick grass, so thick that it sometimes hard to know where the cape buffalo trail goes right in front of you. However, it is 10 times easier to walk in a buffalo trail than try to navigate the tall grass.

Previously, Steve had scouted the mountain and found another ridge for camping on a bit of meadow which has a view of the valley 5,000 feet below. We decided upon a spot that had a clear view of the valley to set up our tents, and we placed the door setting east for the morning sunrise.

Our Mountain Meals dinner of beef stew was amazingly good for a freeze-dried package, which was washed down with hot cocoa.

We were in our tents around 6:00 pm, because as the sun goes down, it gets quite chilly. Steve said that one time they had frost in the morning.

I did get up in the night for a nature call, and with only the minimal light of a new moon, I saw a zillion stars and the milky way. As I crawled into my sleeping bag, Anya said that she had not fallen asleep yet, as she was so cold. I realized that her sleeping bag was a bit thin for this temperature, and camping with Steve means roughing it without a sleeping pad (because supposedly the grass meadow was to serve as a soft layer). So, we adjusted our bags to share both between the two of us and were able to warm up enough to sleep a bit. In retrospect, I would have gladly added the weight of a sleeping pad.

With blessings,

Beth

WE HAVE A LIMITED WIFI CONNECTION. PHOTOS WILL BE ADDED LATER.

The first cup of chai came through the hospitality of Ciwila’s thermos. I went to morning prayer and afterwards, I greeted Happy, one of the students sponsored by the Pohle family, who were part of the Cross of Christ mission team in 2012. I got choked up greeting her, because I know how meaningful this relationship has been for the Pohle’s, who have shared stories about visiting her enkang (family settlement, also known as a boma).

I hurriedly finished packing and saying farewells, as the Fribergs texted me they would arrive between 10 and 11 am. Well, they showed up a 9:55 am! On the way through Monduli, we stopped for chai (#2), and some had chapatti (like a thick tortilla fried in oil). Then it was up and over the Monduli mountains, and down into the valley below. The road is much better than it was years ago, but still at times, Steve needed 4-wheel drive to get through the rough spots and dry river beds.

Steve was carrying a bed from one of the Maasai young men from his area who was working as a guard in Arusha. When the rent of his little apartment went up, he thought it wasn’t worth it to continue working in the city. So, when we dropped of the bed, we were treated to chai (#3).

After a quick visit to a church, for which Steve and Bethany helped coordinate a work party from Luther College, we completed our drive to Ketumbeini. Bethany thought that she should first take me to visit Mama Laiser, who is a retired teacher and helps Bethany with the Napok beading mama project. She and her husband, Johanna, had two daughters in the first class of the MaaSAE Girls School, Elisipha and Enoti. While I never taught these two, I did help them get into university. Elisipha has now earned a master’s degree in community development from a university in Uganda and is seeking employment, while Enoti is one of the first Maasai women doctors in Tanzania, working at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center (KCMC) and specializing in eyes. (KCMC was founded by the father of Greg Mortenson, known for his book, Three Cups of Tea.) So, my fourth cup of chai was with a little lunch of beans on spaghetti while greeting Mama Laiser.

We talked about the development of the Napok beading mama’s project. The amazing news is that they have just secured land from the district. Maasai women are traditionally not allowed to own land or cows. (As this is a socialistic country, no one “owns” land, but those who have a 99 year lease are generally referred to as owning land. ) There is a local NGO that is working with Maasai women to help them understand their rights according to the law. Through seminars and hearing stories of the few pioneering Maasai women, slowly there has been advancement for women’s issues, such as legal recourse for domestic violence. We discussed more issues about the development of women and heard illustrative stories.

Then, Bethany and I walked the 15 minute journey over dust and rocks to their home. I’ve been here for a short visit, but now we’re overnight guests. We planned our camping trip and started our packing before dinner of spaghetti. A not too cold shower refreshed us before bedtime under mosquito nets.

With blessings,

Beth