Christmas Cooking

I am no food blogger. Though I secretly wish I could cook, eat, and get paid for it. Or better yet, travel and eat. But alas, it probably doesn't work that way anyway.

However, I have been cooking and eating recently... And paying for it in pounds...haha. I need to make a resolution this new year, but that's another story.

Baking had been good since if we #bakeitforward on social media, Food Network donates a dollar to No Kid Hungry. But this next little treat isn't baked. It is pan fried to perfection. Meet Caroline's first Ravioli:

With the help of the Ravioli cutter/squisher (or whatever that tool is called) I have to say that these were probably the tastiest and easiest things to make. The hardest thing was hand shredding the parm..but now I have extra arm muscles on that side.

Unfortunately, we don't have a recipe since my stepmom and I just love winging it in the kitchen. But this is what went in it: ricotta, mascarpone, parmesan, spiral ham my daddy slow cooked a couple days ago, spinach, black truffle salt. The dough is just water and flour, and I didn't see what went into the cream sauce other than heavy whipping cream and the nutmeg I ground to keep my arm muscles strong...haha.

But it was delicious!

O'ahu Living

Being in Hawaii with a local is awesome. I think I am seeing and doing things I wouldn't as a tourist. After stepping off the plane, my friend Kai met me with a Lei...which was something I always saw on TV and of course was overjoyed to get.

We have been to a couple different beaches, and some local eateries, as well as hikes. I got the most helpful spontaneous body-boarding lesson with her dad and caught some awesome waves that I could have never done in the Atlantic.

Also, the Honolulu marathon passes by the house at mile 22 so I have decided to take on the most run road in America and finish the last 4 miles on diamondhead volcano with team "Yoloha", (all of us former missionaries and Kai's sister).

It's really good to be here.

Prospective

It's been a while... But I will probably be saying that often. Alas...here in O'ahu, I have had the opportunity to think.

I purposely came here knowing that seeing old team members in a new light would be beneficial to processing this past year of travel and trial. But honestly, my best processing moment came from an online conversation with a teammate that couldn't make it here.

When I first left the mission field, I was so ready to be done. I was exhausted, indignant, selfish, and hurt. Each emotion building on the next. Recently, I have been reading Danny Silk's, "Keep your love on" and its been a game changer.  Looking back, I was seeing all the ways I failed at communication, love, and selflessness.

However, after this conversation...I saw. That I did the best I possibly could at the time. No 20/20 hindsight, coulda, shoulda, woulda, is gonna change that. And the lessons I am still learning from the times when I wasn't even close to doing well, are priceless.

So, in a slight jump back Mrs. Frizzle in the magic school bus, its okay to "take chances, get messy, and make mistakes." Because coming out of this on the other side is probably the most difficult and rewarding thing I have ever done.

I am so grateful, honored, and blessed.

The Photos I Promised

I finally forced myself to edit the photos from Vermont, and it turns out it was in record time.  I mean, I have only been back for perhaps a week or so.  It was such an amazing experience though, and I would love to do it again.  Moments like that inspire me to have a little art room in my future apartment, where all sorts of creative things happen.

Anyway, here are the promised photos from the paint workshop:

Landing in NE in the Fall!

The Inn

A photo from a walk of ours.

I wish I could paint everything I saw!

Mom and I getting ready for our first lesson.

Wilson Bickford's instruction on snow.

Finished Painting #1...so proud!

Finished Painting #2

Visiting the Store in Weston.

Mom, Wilson, and I with her last painting!  She did so good!

I finally feel the fall again.

Moose Crossing was my favorite sign, though snowmobile crossing was a close second.

Not Just Dust

It’s been a while since I blogged on here, but I did want a break from online sharing, so I guess I got it. But I have a couple things to share now.  The first is to say that I went on a trip to Vermont to an oil painting workshop with my current wet-on-wet idol, Wilson Bickford.  I have wanted to do this for years, and back in February, when I was struggling through Zambia.  I called mom for one of our skype dates, and she suggested that we take the trip when I returned home since there was a scheduled workshop in October.  And being in Africa, it never seemed like it would happen.  I mean, how could I justify the cost?  How could I even consider spoiling myself after seeing so much poverty?  How could I do anything back home when just living abroad was hard enough?  I couldn’t plan…I couldn’t hope.  But Mom did.  And I thank God.  Because, this past weekend was AMAZING.  I want to share more about that and photos soon.

The real reason I am writing however is because I received a letter today.  This letter was written by me back in April.  I was in Malaysia at the time and was probably in one of my darker points of the race.  But I was learning so much even in the pain.  And I wanted to share this letter.  The full disclosure is risky for me, because being open makes one vulnerable, but I think that I am not the only that can benefit from the words from that past struggle.

So here we go:

“Hello Caroline,

                Recently, things have been rough.  Rougher than Bolivia Caroline would ever know.  But death won’t be spoken over you and ‘Mara’ is not your name! 

YOUR BODY MAY BE DUST, BUT GOD BREATHED HIS SPIRIT IN YOU!  You are precious to Him and you can’t help but reflect Him.  It’s natural!  PEOPLE SEE GOD IN YOU MORE THAN YOU DO (BECAUSE YOU ARE YOUR OWN WORST CRITIC…ALWAYS HAVE BEEN… But ask anyone.  You are amazing.  And don’t waste your time on anyone who will tell you otherwise.)

AS YOU TOLD ***** [that was a private conversation], ‘Stay Strong & Stay You!’ AND PLEASE: Enjoy!  Life is too short to allow yourself to struggle with that. Release, Be, Enjoy, ______

WHO KNOWS WHAT THIS MONTH’S ROCK WILL SAY? [I collected rocks from each country and wrote a word that described my greatest lesson learned in that country.  My word for Malaysia ended up being “persevere”.]  You are His…and you look like your Father.”

Wow right!  I know this will help me out so much in the coming time and I hope that by being honest, I have helped someone else that needed to hear how awesome they are.

(Vermont Photos to Come Soon...)

Stopping to Smell the What?

I was thinking the other day about my habit of stopping to smell flowers.  I have always, ALWAYS, taken the time to sniff anything that smelled good as I passed by.  Just ask anyone who has gone on a walk with me.  They'll swear that I "stop and smell the roses" more than anyone they know.

But, it struck me hard when I thought about it.  I don't think I really "stop and smell the roses".  Once you think about it, stopping to smell the roses is more than a mindless action.  It is a worthless act without a mindset of gratitude and praise.  Because when taking a moment to sniff a rose, if there isn't appreciation for the existence of that thing, or the smell, or the moment when you don't have to think about anything but a flower....without that appreciation, it's just another motion to go through, and frankly, it would be better to save the time and not bother.

So what does this have to do with life?

As we say in Thailand, "same-same".  Reading a book, hugging a friend, going to work.  So many things that can just be part of the day, without truly being lived.  Until we intentionally use the moment we are given as a gift, we will feel like we are watching our lives go by like a movie.

What am I going to do about this?

Good question.  You can't change the way your brain functions in just a moment.  But instead, I have to begin to form a habit of choosing.  Choosing joy, choosing praise, choosing love, choosing to intentionally live each moment instead of being a victim of time.  So after submitting post, I am going to give a loved one a hug, play with a cat, and eat a chocolate.  And I will do each thing with purpose.  So yeah...let's stop and smell some...whatever.

Behind it all.

I feel like I have be behind time for the last couple weeks.  Just as I get one project done another begins.  And so I have been unable to share things that I wanted to share.  Alas, living was the goal for this year...and living means you don't always get to share it.

I was hoping the busyness would be full of knitting for newborns or painting sunsets.  But, Grad-school is a time consuming beast.  I love it though (but not all the time).

I have been introduced to Kombucha which was a fermented tea that I tried back in college but hated.  Yet recently I decided to try it again seeings how I have been working so closely with a local grocery that carries it.  I don't know if it is the live cultures or what, but GEEE  I have had energy lately to get things done.  And I can't stop now!

With that said, UPDATES:

• I prayed about getting a car.  And within a few days God provided a great deal that landed right in my price range.
• Now that I have a car, I am poor.  So I picked up odd jobs.  I work for a local farm.  I clean Semi trucks, farm equipment, the office, and garage.  The other odd job just started, but I go out for the second time tomorrow with a local photographer to assist.
• A more fun update is that I finally got a chance to play with my own photography at a lake for Labor Day.  Mom and I went out east for some R&R.  I couldn't stop thinking of Grad-work, but now I force myself to set aside recreational reading time once again for rest.

I guess I better go get some more data analysis done before I get behind again.

The Thankful List

This morning I sat down to my quite time with a bowl of Special K chocolate berry.  Yum!  And I began to write in my journal.  I noticed that I have fallen so far behind on my list of things that I am thankful for.  And just recently have I been able to write down a few scribbles.

The thankful list was a practice I started October of last year.  I was struggling to find an attitude of gratitude so I began the list.  Everyday I would sit down and write out my gratitude for the little gifts in my life.  When I first got home from the adventure that took me so long and so far, I thought that I no longer needed that list to get through.  But truly, it isn't about "getting through" any more.  It's about being thankful for what the Lord has given you.

So I put down my spoon and picked up my pen again.  "#1394.  Cold milk in my cereal!"  A couple months ago, I would have dug my journal out of my bag to write this one with a swelling heart.  I was in the land of powdered milk re-hydrated in room temp water.  This got me thinking... here in the place where I have so much to be thankful for, why is it so hard to recognize God's little gifts?

I think it is because, "familiarity breeds contempt" as my Korean church says.  These little gifts like cold milk or warm showers are no longer blessings but expectations.  Being in the land of plenty makes us expect no less...and unfortunately I have fallen into that.

My prayer is that I will be ever grateful and that I will enjoy the blessings that He intends for me.  That I will not expect the good things to happen, but instead to hope for them and praise His name when they come.  And then I will find a heart of true gratitude.

Home...

I am home now in Ohio with my Mother.  I plan to be here until around Thanksgiving, then I will go to Maryland to stay with my Dad and visit the rest of the family until New Year's.  I am in Grad-school online, I just got a phone, I am looking for a car and a job to start after the Holidays, preferably in the Parks System.

I don't really know much..other than that I am doing my first part of my Master's capstone project with a local grocery that is trying to become a Co-op while gathering local farmers and consumers together in a community based local food source interface.  My job will most likely be population opinion surveys or even distribution mapping.  But I have to do it before the holidays when I go to Maryland.

Other than that, I know that unpacking from the last 11 months is tough...especially since I don't know if I will have a house or apartment after the New Year.  I don't even know what state I will be in...or country.  God knows His plans...and I never do.  So all I can do for now, it unpack while putting my live mostly into storage.  It's the waiting game now.

With all that said, I don't know how much I will be updating everyone.  It's a long drawn-out thought process that can be found on my very last blog post with AIM: http://carolineritchey.theworldrace.org/?filename=last-blog-post

I won't be gone...  I am still going to be blogging, but I just want to tone it down a little.  Cutting down to one blog is definitely a good start..haha.  So for now, I am going to go live life (hopefully without always thinking things like, "this is a good photo opp to share...")  WISH ME LUCK!  It's like un-training your brain...haha!

Earth Expeditions Ending... To the Next Adventure

Being sick stinks… especially when you are busy, or abroad, or in my case both.  In an attempt to not sacrifice community for comfort, I have been trying extra hard to be involved.  Whether that is transecting coral reefs or dancing in a Belizean drum circle, I am always trying to plug in.

But once again, I find myself sitting in the room alone trying to recover, while the world goes on outside.  As much as I want to suck the nectar out of life, I also know that the body needs rest.  So I sit here thinking and typing.  And as our program comes to a close, I am a little saddened.  I know that I am travel weary, and nothing seems to sound as good as home, bubble-baths, ice water, air conditioner, a sofa, a kitten to snuggle, a hug from my momma….etc.  But as weary as I am, I am going to miss this nutty bunch of environmentalists that I met over the past 10 days.  I am going to miss being in a like-minded scientific community, seeing the impact a single person can have in conservation, and learning so much cool stuff.

Tonight is our last night.  The drums continue in the background as I type.  I breath in and out (still congested though…haha) and know that it’s not over.  Though half of this group is going home and I only get 3 free days with the other half… I know that I still have another 2.5 years with this nutty bunch of environmentalist.  Gotta love online communities!

The next 3 days should be fun though.  One of our leaders set up an optional cave tubing experience, and then a bunch of us are headed out to one of the Cayes to spend the last days relaxing to Reggae.  Momma always encourages me to “live while I am young”.  So as sickly as I feel… I am going to live it up.  Then sleep on the plane… A LOT… haha.

Mayan Ruins at Altun Ha after our homestay.

Snorkeling the Western Hemisphere's biggest Reef.

The Iguana that watched me doing laundry yesterday.

Belize Blog- 07/19/2015

It’s a little toasty here in Belize.  

I do look forward to heading to the comfort of home in a little over a week.  I want to be fully present and enjoy my time here, which I am.  But home is not far from my mind.  The plethora of bug bites / chemical burns from deet mixed with sunscreen aside, it is comfortable here.  We have beds and showers.  We are working constantly and learning at every moment.  It’s hard to give you the typical day since every day is different. 

But for me, I wake at about 4:30am or 5:00am every morning.  This gives me time to read my bible and pray a little.  Also it’s a good time to journal.   Breakfast is at 6:00am typically and then some sort of class discussion or activity follows.  So far as activities go, we have designed and tested a couple of experiments both at the nature center and the zoo, gone on nature walks, gone to the howler monkey sanctuary, attended a homestay, toured some Mayan ruins, and today we head off to the Cayes for our coral section of the course.  The days are long though, since we finish our last discussion at about 8:30pm or 9:00pm typically.  I am the type of person who goes to bed shortly after that if I can.  I may journal then, but usually I am too tired.

I have actually managed to catch a cold, the snotting, coughing, throaty, sneezy type.  And it has drained me.  I was blessed enough to get to skip out on one lecture though, it was a review of some of the statistics that we covered online over the past few weeks.   So it’s really cool to have such flexible leaders here. 

Anyway…with the time crunch, I am going to have to run…so, [insert lovely blog wrap-up here]. 

Musings after returning from the Caye:  http://carolineritchey.theworldrace.org/?filename=preserving-memories-in-words

Coming to You from Vietnam!

I got to Skype my friend Jill last night, and she asked me where in the world I was, because she said that she couldn't keep up with me.  I told her, I couldn't even keep up with me.  During this "down time" in Vietnam, I am so busy trying to plan out Belize and not get scammed here that I don't really think I am resting much.

I did enjoy a cruise through Halong Bay which was magnificent.  And met a couple on the boat that let me practice my Spanish with them before I have to get to using it again in Belize.  The wife was from Iowa and the husband, Colombia.  They were so kind and even suggested a better Hotel for my last couple nights.  And believe me, the switch was well worth the stress of switching.  I was upgraded to a deluxe room free of charge and they even have a real shower with hot water.

The trying not to get scammed thing is hard though.  Already I have had my card scanned multiple times for a single purchase and I also had an incident with a shoe-man.  I was walking down the street and the man comes running after me yelling for me to stop and pointing at my feet.  I thought, "OH dear me! I stepped on something important".  And I stopped.  At that point, he pulls off my shoe and begins gluing the loose parts back on.  I told him to stop.  He said "don't worry."  I said, "Stop it.  NO!  I will not pay you money.  Stop."  And he keeps saying, "don't worry."  I protest for about 2 more minutes as he sews up the sole.  I keep saying, "No!  I will not pay."  Finally, he gives it back and demands the equivalent of $10USD.  And I told him very firmly that I never wanted my shoes sown and that I told him no, but he just wasn't listening.  He began to argue with me again.  I said NO! Then I ran away....haha.

After running off, I dipped into massage parlor to lose the guy and relieve some stress.  I just need to wear nicer shoes and maybe he won't recognize me when I go back out tonight to the walking food tour and water puppet show.  Until then, I think I will just rest in my very very comfy bed.  Thank you Hanoi Holiday Gold!  :-)

Halong Bay:  View from my Cabin Window early morning.

I am not gone....

... I am not gone forever...  I am just in Korea; spending time in the land of Kimchi and cute socks.  Between catching up with old friends and my co-teacher taking me around to fun things, I haven't had much time to blog.  I have been reading some good books the Pastor gave me and processing through what in the world I just experienced the last 10 months.

I even got to play my Uke at an open mike night.  Bundles of fun!
Heading to Seoul tomorrow morning for the wedding of a friend.  But I will be back to blogging soon, I am sure.  I kinda miss sharing my adventures here.  :-P

Embracing Your Season (Erin Lee)

Because one of our ladies was sick, I was able to stay in town an extra night with her just in case I needed to take her to the clinic.  This afforded me the opportunity to listen to a New Philadelphia Church sermon by our awesome woman of God, Erin Lee.  And this was the most timely sermon I have every received, especially in my current season of physical discomfort in the bush of Cambodia.

We started by reading Ecclesiastes 3 where is talks about a season for everything.  And it was addressed that you need to know your season and live according to that season.  Picture yourself in summer but you were prepared for winter, so you just wear that big feather-filled jacket anyway.  You set yourself up to be miserable if you don't live according to the season you are in.

Then we were given some don'ts:

• DON'T FOCUS ON THE LOSS BUT FOCUS ON WHAT GOD IS CALLING YOU TO ENJOY. It's natural to be sad about our loss and daydream about a time when we had or a time we will have again, but that is not healthy.  We rob ourselves of joy at that point.
• Application for me:  Stop thinking about how little I have in the bush...chocolate and coffee will be in the world when I get back.  I don't have AirCon, or a Bed, or Comfort...but I have sunrises, coal-stoves, puppies, and intentional time with my team.
• DON'T LONG FOR THE NEXT SEASON BUT BE PRESENT WHERE YOU ARE NOW.  you can get yourself in a very bad cycle...the enemy will always make you look forward and rob you of the now.  That makes you ineffective, trains you to be discontent, and makes you want to change your season.  But you can't can't control your season and that can only frustrate you. (and if you saw the inappropriate movie "Click" then you know that you don't want to fast forward life)
• Application for me:  I have a history of either looking forward or looking back.  I seem to struggle with contentment in the moment, which I recently discovered is a cyclical mentality, that I have to choose to break (taking every thought captive).  I can't afford to focus forward to Korea or Belize or America or I will lose out now.
• DON'T WASTE YOUR SEASON.  Your season could very well be an answer to past prayers...so don't you forget that.  Each season has its purpose and sometimes we will NEVER understand (don't ask "why" instead trust).  We can't let ourselves long for the future without paralyzing our current work.  It's a fight, but if you faithfully sow into this season, you will reap in the next.
• Application for me:  I am not sure what this looks like for me yet, since I truly don't know what season this is for me.  I do know that I am not open to learning how to use this season as long as I ask, "why?" and I know that if I can learn to be content and trust Him, then there will be quite the harvest.

And as I head back into the bush of Cambodia, and find myself covered in flies and sweat, with no relief from heat and no comfortable place to rest...I must keep this in mind.  I must be open to my season and live accordingly, then I will find contentment.

Musings and Random Quotes from the week:

“Sometimes I picture myself in a sweater dress, jeggings, and my fake uggs…then I tear up.”

“I have a wall that only coffee can break down.”

 “We shouldn’t cry when the grace of the old season is lifted, we don’t want last season’s fruit anyway…”

 “Pain is contextualized by the Victory!”

“There are too many Spanish names on this paper to cite it in APA.”

 “I could have fit a piglet in my bag…”

“We are never more weary than we are near the finish-line.  But we are closer to the finish-line than we were when we felt good at the start.”

“There is a progression to our pain/struggle and we are in a process. That's a revelation right there! One of Satan's lies is that if we are struggling then we are failing. But, no! We are growing. Maturity in Christ doesn't mean we will not struggle. We will struggle till we die if we are doing it right.”

“Baloney, craft cheese square, and Mayo on white bread… I want it so bad!  I would give my left pinky toenail for it!”

“It’s been two weeks since I showered…and the water came back on for a minute.  We learned about this is Undergrad.  It’s the ‘tragedy of the commons’…there’s a limited resource…so Imma get it!”

“We were told to bring carry-ons…and I am going to show up to my field study in my 55 liter pack, and budging daypack with my Ukulele shouting, ‘LET’S HAVE AN ADVENTURE!’…yeah someone will stand out in all the photos.”

“Confession isn’t because God needs to hear it, it’s because we do.  What we bring to the light cannot remain dark.”

Images from X-Life

Below I have put a photo blog from my time in a Karen Hilltribe Village.  The family stole my heart, and I wish to never forget them.  I pray we were at least 1/2 the blessing to them, that they were to us.  Enjoy the photos, and check out my mission blog for more on the village.

OUR LITTLE FARM HOUSE

ONE OF MANY OF THE WALKS WE TOOK

RICE FIELDS FOR DAYS

SWEEPING AWAY THE BUG WINGS EVERY MORNING

PLANTING YAMS WITH OUR HOUSE DAD

OUR LITTLE 4-DAY-OLD PIGLETS

SHELLING PEANUTS TO PLANT

Also, we learned a Karen recipe when we were helping cook one night.  I put it below since everyone needs to know it.  It is quite delicious.

PORK SQUASH SOUP

Heat oil and garlic in a pot.

Add chopped pork and brown.

Add squash cut small and mix.

Add water to make it soup (keep some on hand for evaporation)

Add salt and bouillon to taste.

Let cook for 20mins or until squash is soft. (covered)

Add Yellow Curry toward the end.

Serve with rice. (wild rice is most similar to Karen Rice)

My Life is a Joke...

Today I was participating in the "Monk Chat" ministry.  I enjoyed getting to talk with the monk I like to call "My friend from Mumbai".  He has been practicing his English by using a really old joke book.  We took a peek inside and saw that most jokes don't translate culturally.  He then asked us for a joke.

I told him one I found quite humorous about a pirate with a hook, bird poop, and an eye patch.  All together it is a funny joke...I think.  But after the punch line gets me tickled I look up from laughing to see my monk friend looking a little too sober for my liking.

On the walk home, my teammate and I talked about how odd our lives are.  I mean, really...we just spent the last fifteen minutes telling jokes to a monk and finally got him to laugh.  

At that point, I told my teammate that our lives are jokes right now.  Using the slurred words of the drunk American who wouldn't leave us alone during bar ministry, and shifting them into joke form when combined with our dear bartender's words: "Two religious fanatics and a Canadian walked into a Ladyboy Bar....(insert some joke story here)....and the bartender says, "I traded my lemons for coconuts!)  [THIS IS ALL BASED ON WHAT WAS ACTUALLY HAPPENED THAT NIGHT...no words are originally mine...man life is crazy!]

It just makes me think, what other things have happened that make my life seem like an intro to a joke.  I can't even remember.  Something about chickens eating Cheetos in our Haitian Church.  Basically everything about transportation in Africa.  Anything that happened in the oxygen deprived area above 16,000 ft in Bolivia.  Rounding up cattle to loud Indian music and a moped, and the time I went to the market for ice cream and came back with a packet of hair weave instead.  And pretty much anything that happened on a bus could probably be a joke in itself.  

The best part is all the odd and amazing people we have met.  I have cringed at all the awkward moments, but now I have laughter for years.  I will end my blog this way, "One more time for Kris Jenna!"

To see how you can pray this month, check out my prayer newsletter at the link here.

New Ministry

Our Ministry this month is quite interesting!  We are only one day in on a three day orientation, but I can already tell, it is going to be a good month.  We are in Chiang Mai working with Lighthouse in Action.  They have three main ministries to work with, and we will also be helping around the complex as needed.  I might get to paint a little this month if I am lucky.

The three main ministries are as follows:
Love Acts: This ministry comes down to showing God's love to people through relationships.

• Bar ministry- making friends with the working girls in the bars, showing the love of Christ, being a listening ear, and a lot of praying and interceding.
• Monk Chat- going to temples just to talk with monks.  Listening to them, asking questions, sharing our beliefs as well, and overall, just building relationships.
• Slum Ministry-  I am going to request of my team that I can spend quite a bit of time with this one.  Usually it is playing with the kids in the nearby slums...they are hard affected by the Red Light District and need time to just be a kid again.  But two days before we came, a huge fire ravaged the slums.  They lost everything!  And so we are trying to raise money to get them some food and clothes and the like.

X-Life: This ministry involves going to the rural parts of Northern Thailand to work with a build relationships with the poorer families.  The more we can help them and give them options and opportunities, the less likely they will be to sell their children for food money.  We come with the Good News.  I am not certain if our team will be able to go into the rural areas, but I sure hope we do.

Zion Cafe:  Unfortunately the cafe is currently under construction.  But it is a place where rescued working girls can learn a trade in a safe environment.  Even though the cafe is closed, we still have four new ladies starting their second week here.  They cook and clean, earning a pay, until the cafe re-opens in June.  We will provide English language classes for them in the afternoons as well.

Continue to pray for our ministry this month, and please see my World Race Blog to hear more about things that are happening; debrief, ministry, person revelations, and our team Salt N Light.

Going to Penang

Part I:  Breakfast in Chinatown

With a long bus ride to Penang ahead, and the first decent night’s sleep in a long time behind me, I left the soft covers of my hostel bed to buy “bus snacks” at the 7-11.  After noticing that I was near the part of Chinatown where I last bought the steamed dumplings that I call “soft pillows of heaven”, I decided that breakfast was in order.  But upon rounding the corner, I found that the dumpling stand wasn’t open at this hour of the morning.  Cue Momentary Frowny face.

If you know me, then you know that I hate doubling back.  Whenever I hike or walk or run or bike, I find that turning back the way you came feels like undoing all the work that you just did.  So I chose to circle around in a way that was new to me but sort of lead in the right direction. 

Next thing I know, I am in the market.  The real market; passing tables that hold the entire half of a pig.  Walking cautiously to avoid hooves and mystery puddles of liquid on the ground, I began to make my way around still in search of breakfast.  My thoughts breakdown into two thought patterns in moments like this:  First,  I am the only white person here.  Second, oh that icky smell…and something about the movie “Contagion” thanks to Kai and our Peru experience.

I find myself turning out of that market and being called over to some plastic tables by an older Chinese woman who wants me to eat some traditional porridge for breakfast.  It seems harmless enough so she prepares the “8 hidden treasures” rice porridge.  I find when it comes to me that it is not entirely unlike the mush that Neo eats in the real world on the Matrix.  Inside my snotty looking substance in the bowl is found 8 different things.  Chicken, Pork, Red-bean, “Crispy Pork Inners”, Century Egg, Green Onion, and Lord knows what the other two were.  Century Egg concerned me the most (I have had enough animal intestine at this point that I don’t care when something is labeled “inners”).  What concerns me the most is that I am pretty sure that it is just a fancy name for a rotten egg.  I don’t truly think the thing is 100 years old, but I think that eggs shouldn’t be that color…and surely not that flavor.  After two bites of egg, I decided to push it to the side and just around it.  The porridge, as texturally unpleasing as it was, warmed my belly.

Part II: The Angry Driver

All Packed and Ready for Another Bus

Then I was off to the hostel to pack and catch the bus.  Let me tell you a little about this bus.  I am actually typing on it right now.  I was sitting behind a “young hoodlum” as my nana would say.  Sunglasses on, hat to the side, no observation of the world around him…you know the type, they live around the world.  The bus was late, and once we got on it, it continued to be late as we sat waiting for our driver to sort out all the things that seemed to be upsetting him.  At the moment that I was drifting off, it was something about tickets.

I was almost to sleep land and the seat in front of me smacks my knees.  This kid just reclined as far as he could to make himself at home.  I re-adjust and think that that is that.  Drifting slowly as the bus begins to move and to my surprise, the seat he is in can go further back.  Ouch, and no!  He has now pinned the neck of my Uke to the arm rest.  I wiggle it out and toss it into the overhead storage.  I don’t think pleasant thoughts of the young man, because really, it’s a five hour ride, you don’t need to be horizontal.

Slowly drifting again…and I awake to shouting.  The driver has been informed that the young man in front of me is eating.  And since he doesn’t seem to want to put it away, the driver continuing his rant pulls the bus over and storms down the aisle.  The boy quickly hides the goods and promises not to touch them. (At least that is my take on the situation…it was all in Malay and Chinese).  The driver paces the aisle a couple more times lecturing the bus and occasionally throwing in the English, “No Eating, No Drinking.”  I think about the chocolate filled doughnut I bought on impulse at the station and how it sits in my purse begging me to eat it.

Two hours of fitful sleep with my restricted leg room and my negative thoughts and we pull up to a rest stop.  The driver yells, “Four Minutes” and that is all.  So I run off to the bathroom, use it, and then run out so that I can have time with my doughnut.  I want to enjoy every chocolatey bite.  Two bites in and I see them unloading the bus. O.o

I walk over and the chocolate starts to go everywhere.  Apparently they are switching buses and just decided not to tell us.  As I try to down the pastry just to ride myself of the mess (meanwhile kicking myself because this is not how I wanted such a lovely doughnut to go) a teammate hops off the bus with my bag.  BUT ALAS, the Uke is still above the seat thanks to the hoodlum.  She runs on again since my mess of a melty chocolate nightmare is in no state to get it.  She’s a gem.

Upon loading the second bus they found that they couldn’t Tetris the under-bus storage like before and now two of our 60-80 liter packs are riding in seats.  The driver asked before we pulled out, “This bus is going directly to Penang.  Any bad words? OKAY!”  Whatever that means…But now I have leg room (and lap room!) so I am pleased.  And I got to type this blog up since the elderly man I am currently sitting behind has no need to crush the Americans so that he can feel like he is in a bus bed.  So yay!

Adventures in Singapore

Monday: After a Bus to Kuala Lumpur to catch the train to Singapore, I was tired…but couldn’t possibly go to bed and sacrifice those precious first hours in a new city.  I dragged a teammate outside to walk around the little mixture of Chinese and India shops and restaurants near our hostel.  And then when sleepiness got the best of me, I returned to a hot shower and cool bedroom (with a real bed!)

Tuesday: We woke and had continental breakfast (cereal and milk, possible toast) and headed down to the metro to find our way to the Marina Bay Sands structure.  That is the large building made of three towers supporting a ship on top.  We got ourselves up to the top for photo purposes, then split off into two groups.  We walked around the bay area for a bit before going into one of my old favorite coffee places from my time in Korea; “The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf”.  We found ourselves in the historic district after that to tour buildings and a fireman’s museum.  Our wanderings took us to the University, where I was more than happy to buy Kimchi Jjigae for “linner”.  We then rushed off to the Singapore Flyer, the tallest observation wheel in the world (The London Eye comes in 3^rd.)  However, it was closed temporarily for poor weather.  So to pass the time, we ate very delicious gelatos and got fish pedicures.  When that form of ticklish-torture was over, the flyer was running again.  While we were up it, we got to enjoy not only the sights of the city, but also the lightshow that takes place in the botanical garden.  Then it was time to wander back to the metro for our trip back to the hostel.

Wednesday: The theme of today was shopping!  Everyone in my little group bought a dress, or shoes, or shorts. But I did not. I have to be sold on something hardcore to buy it.  And there was only one object that did that for me…but it was too expensive for what it was.  From the shops at Orchard Rd., we went on to Sentosa Island and Boardwalk on our long walk to the beach.  I swam a bit, and hopped into a beachside pool for fun…but then the rains came.  With my beach nap put on hold, I split nachos with some of the girls and then we took off for our next little stop.  We were told by another guest at our hostel that the best views, better than the Flyer, could be found at Singapore’s (and possibly S.E. Asia’s) highest alfresco bar.  It was ladies night so they waved the $30 cover charge and we dressed in our finest clothes (missionary rags compared to the other’s in queue).  Unfortunately due to the weather, the rooftop was closed so they only took us to the 61^st level.  The view was good, but the music loud, the floor crowded, and the lights flashy, and we couldn’t spend more than 20 mins up there taking photos before we ran off to Starbucks.  That’s more my speed even if the view isn’t as good.  :-P

Overall, this was an expensive endeavor, but hopefully, this experience has given me a little bit of the comforts of home.  Good food, touring time, and getting to play in shopping malls…though I hope to actually buy something one day…

That was the adventure that was Singapore.  Now back to teaching.

Singapore at Night from the Flyer (highest observation tower in the world)

Two Days with a Sikh

As we stepped off the bus coming back to Kuala Lipis from our little vacation in the highlands, we parted ways to run our various errands.  I headed straight home while others went to the market to buy produce.  When they returned home, they told me about an Indian man they met. Apparently, he makes friends with foreign teachers who come here and his son lives across the street from us.

Next thing I know, the man is outside our gate telling us that he is a Sikh and that it’s his new year so we should celebrate with him.  (Sikhs are the religious group from northern India; you know the ones with the turbans.)  So of course we join him, and he treats us to a FEAST of naan and tandoori chicken, curry chicken, chapatti, and more.  During dinner we discover that he pretty much owns this town.  Literally everyone knows him, and he is an independent contractor in Public Works.  He showed us his corporate rental property and we met all of the owners of his stores and restaurants.  After he received a call saying his cows were out, we took a little bit of time to wrangle his cattle in the car with loud Indian music (a first cattle roundup for me). Then he took us to his home that he built on one of the tallest hills in the city.  He showed us the view from up there, the gold jewelry from his wedding, and many photos.  Later that night he drove us home and told us that he would be in touch.

After our “corporate dental hygiene session” aka going to the dentist with friends, our good Sikh friend pulled up in his car and asked if we would join him.  Then the busiest day in ages ensued.  Iced Milo at his restaurant, accompanying him on work errands, a walk around the pond in the forest reserve (jungle), and another visit to his home where the view was even better in the day.

Next thing I know, it is time to move the cattle again.  His son took two of our girls in his truck, and I jumped on the back of his motorbike and we set off into the winding paths of his 46 acres.  Like modern day cowboys we rustled the cattle through the palm plantation to another grazing spot by motorbike.  (anytime I saw the turban dip down ,I knew it was time to duck from the oncoming branches elsewise I would be whacked in the head and have the little spiders fall on me again…boo!)

Then onto lunch at his restaurant, a look from the highest point in K.Lipis, touring around the rubber tree plantation, a visit to the Clifford school to read about Hugh Clifford who made this area what it is during the British reign, a visit to Clifford’s old house, and back home (at least I think this all we did after lunch…but I did fall asleep in the car.)

I don’t know what else this man has planned, but once again, we left with the knowledge that he would be in touch.  And I am fairly sure that it will be a good thing to stay in touch with the man who basically owns this town.  Who knows what will happen with another two days with a Sikh?

Malaysia

I was happy to fly again.  I had my fair share of buses lately and I was overjoyed for hot towels, food items, and plane movies.  And after an uneventful 8 hours to Dubai for our layover, I ended up buying a postcard for my brother, taking a picture of the tallest building in the world, and eating at McDonalds, all from the airport.  (Gross right!  I don't typically crave McDonalds...but I hadn't had it in 7 months, so there you have it.)

We took another 8 hours to get ourselves to Malaysia on another plane.  Landing in Kuala Lumpur at 11:00pm got us on a bus for the hostel for the night.  At 12:00am, one of our boys screamed, "There's a snake on the bus!" and pointed down as we all hopped on top our seats.  Once the screaming stopped, he yelled, "April Fool's"!

That was a good one... And as I finally placed my feet on the ground, I thought about April.  Wow!  We are in the Spring in America..and I left in the fall.  But those things mean nothing as I travel, other than marking the time I am gone.  And knowing that my family's lives have gone on another winter without me.

We stayed in a hostel with no windows and the comfiest beds and hot showers any poor African Missionary could ask for.  And I had the best night of sleep that I have had in months. (Plus there was Air-Conditioner which made  big difference too!)

Then a bus ride to Kuala Lipis where we are now staying at the Center we will teach in.  We sleep in the classrooms and will move our things out every time we teach.  But don't worry, we don't seem to have much teaching time.  So I am looking forward to seeing a little more of the country as we have a little more free-time this month.

I am happy to be back in Asia.  I missed this place.  But I am also struggling with some things and could use prayers.  I need God's strength because I often am just so tired and lonely that I want to give up.  But I can't quit...I won't quit.  But I can't do it on my own.  Please pray for a fresh wind, joy, and a better relationship with my team.

The Un-Settling…

Today I was reminded of the reason I cannot seem to get ahead these days.  All of this moving around leaves you feeling very unsettled, and that is unsettling.  I am consistently feeling like I am not at home (because really I am not), and I can’t seem to find rest since I am always walking on egg shells…trying not to impose or annoy both our hosts and my team.

Before coming on this trip, I thought I was prepared.  I moved around as a kid, I haven’t lived with family for almost 8 years now, and I lived internationally for a year.  But nothing could prepare me for the unsettling feeling of being unsettled.  We have moved every month, and sometimes more often than that.

Just yesterday we were approached at our host’s home by moving men and the sheriff.  They had a court order to evict all of us (host and guest alike) due to some legal matter with our host.  So we packed our bags as the men threw all of the family’s possessions onto the street.  Our Spirits were still high as we ate all the perishables on the curbside until the Pastor (our contact) showed up and rushed us away before the media could get there.  We are currently staying at his house, eight people in one little room, until our host gets things sorted.  Though, we are most likely here at Pastor’s home until the end of our stay here.

Laura and I eating the perishables wondering what eviction day will hold.

Last night I lay in my mosquito net, aware of the roaches, ants, and that HUGE spider that crawled on my leg right before bed.  I lay in a house that gets water once a week.  I lay in a home with my 7 teammates plus the 11 people that lived there to begin with.  I lay there and mourn the feeling that I was finally settling into our first home in Zimbabwe only to lose it.  I lay there and mourn the feeling of entitlement that I have to constantly replace with gratitude.  I lay there and mourn the Zim-family I will probably not see again, knowing that I didn’t get to say goodbye.  And I can only stop the crying when I am tired enough to believe that it will be better in the morning.

AND as always, it truly is better in the morning.

I am blessed to be in the home with Pastor, Mama Pastor, and the 9 others including a couple little ones.  The baby cries when any of the white people get too close, but I know I will hold her before our time here is up.

And over breakfast, I had a heart to heart with a teammate about how exhausting it is to be a guest for a year, and how unsettled I feel.  She had advice on being open to have God show me what it means to be at home in Him.  And to learn to refresh, rest, and be free in a place that isn’t my own.

There is so much to learn, but I know that God has good plans for these next couple months.  As my stress levels seem to skyrocket, I just need to know that it’s okay.

(PS.  As I type this, one of the little ones, a three year old boy named courage, plopped down next to me and is splitting my headphones with me.  As he listens to my indie music he tries to speak to me in Shona (not knowing that I haven’t a clue what he is saying), and I am limited to saying; hi, thanks, yes, no, and porridge.  He does get excited when I say porridge.  And sometimes he tries to sing along with the music.  Gosh, he is so cute.  Gosh, I am so blessed)

To see my Fundraiser Flyer see: http://carolineritchey.theworldrace.org/?filename=fundraiser-flyer-and-birthday-photo

These Days…

It’s hard to say what I am doing these days since it seems that I am always waiting.  African Time is in full force here in Zimbabwe, so we spend hours wondering if we are actually going to do ministry that day.  It’s not anyone’s fault, since there are many unexpected things that come up, mainly in form of meetings, work, or broken vehicles (our contact is down two cars now…and the one he is currently borrowing sounds like it is on it’s deathbed.)

So, these days, we mainly lead bible studies, youth group, and do home visits.  We will be doing outreach next week to spread news of the new church plant.  And we just had a meeting with the Scripture Union about leading their bible clubs in the Public School.  They are the only ones permitted by the committee on education to enter schools with the word.  So if we want in, we go through them.

Last night, my teammate Vashti led the bible study on the outskirts of town.  I planned a lesson, but 45 minutes before we left, they handed us a huge packet and said that this was the curriculum that we were to teach.  The planner in me panicked, and Vashti took over…thank God.

We drove across country roads that would have been better left unpaved since the sporadic tarmac made the ride much bumpier than gravel would.  Our contact bought us some grilled maize on the cob from the men on the street who cook it over old barrels.  Well after dark we arrived to a darkened house, and 15 people eagerly sitting around candles waiting for the word.  By candlelight we sang songs in Shona and English, and Vashti brought the word.

That day I had joy.  And I didn’t have to work for it.  I just had it.  I was so grateful!  But when that happens, it makes the Devil a little nervous…and all today has been a struggle to keep that joy.  I have it still, but it hasn’t been easy.  And as I tire of fighting, I just want to lie in bed and not think.  That’s a wee bit unhealthy so instead I have been keeping busy; cleaning now that we have water again, watching movies on my computer now that we have the power back, and writing this blog.

This morning I was on babysitting duty for our host’s little girl.  She is special needs, but God has been healing her.  She recently began walking and talking, so please keep her development in your prayers.  During my time with her, we colored in my journal with crayons, sang twinkle little stars and an Irish song I taught her that reminded me of home, and I told her the story of Daniel in the Lion’s Den.  Later when I was reading Tozer on my computer, she walked in, boop-ed me on the nose with one finger, waited for me to return the sign of affection, smiled when I did, and walked on.

And that’s what is happening these days.  I have a feeling that ministry is so fluctuating and intermittent because God has things to do with me in this down time.  And I have to fight the mental fatigue and let Him work.  So… that’s that.  Oh Zimbabwe…

Another African Bus

I woke to the sound of people packing far too early in the morning.  But alas, we had to be ready and out the door at 5am.  Loaded into minibuses and shipped to the border, the sun began to rise.  We had our exit visas for Zambia and had to cross by foot over the Zambezi River to Zimbabwe.  From the bridge, we could catch glimpses of Victoria Falls…but I will be kicking myself for weeks for not taking a photo.  It was gorgeous but at the moment all I could think was “this is a long 2k to the border” and “this bag is heavy”.  Perhaps someone thought to snap one…but alas.

We got another full page Visa to enter Zimbabwe which gets me nervously close to a full passport.  I might have to add pages soon.   If I don’t count the one page I will need for my Cambodian full pager entry visa, then I have two blank ones left.  So….yeah.

Anyway, on to van with a trailer for our packs, where we are informed that the route we were going to take up to Harare, the capital, is a washed out dirt road so we have to go the long way.  For the sake of ease, I am in Van 2.  Van 1 in front pulls over with an axil on the trailer messing up.  They tie it up and search for a welder.  Many stops…no welder, no electricity, no help.  Then we see the other side of Van 1’s axil bite it and smoke starts to billow with a horrid burning tire smell.  Tied it up better this time since we used the jack.

Finally we stop for a couple hours to get the whole axil welded back on.  By this time it is 2:30pm.  We and you have to remember the hour we left that morning.  However we only traveled perhaps 200k or like 120miles.  We continued onward, getting stopped every twenty or thirty minutes to pay off the corrupt cops at the road blocks.  Then cue Van 2’s engine trouble.  The noise started a while ago…but we tried to ignore it.  Then the smell followed, and the fact that we kept losing gas.  So another couple hour stop happened to fix that.

We drove through the night, with a poor food-poisoned Squadmate having to run off into the bush every so often.  And of course the road blocks with the corrupt cops.  Misunderstandings with our drivers added to the time lost and we found ourselves here in Harare at 7:30am.

An 8 hour bus ride…taking over 24hrs…with only 3 cans of juice and 4 chip bags to get me through.  But God did it.

Our new contact so nicely offered to let us have this first day off since we traveled all night, and we will discuss later with him what we will be doing all month.  He mentioned something about a church plant here in the city, but we will see.  Happy to be here though.

I Never Thought I Would Be in Botswana...

...but that is where I ended up on a Safari.  We are having two off days while we leave Zambia and head to a new Ministry in Zimbabwe.  And my friends invited me to go to Botswana for a Safari...so I couldn't help but agree.  Next thing you know I am seeing the most amazing animals.

We only had one hiccup when our guide tried to take us over the border to Zimbabwe by accident, but we sorted that and got a visa extension for Zambia since our single entry expired as we left.  (we were at the four corners so to speak...where Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia meet at the Zambezi River.)

So without further ado...PHOTOS!

Feeling More Like a Family

One of the benefits of living with a family here in Zambia is the joy that comes with doing family-like things.  It was slow going at first which is to be expected when seven foreign 20-somethings suddenly start living in your home.  I have been able to help when possible with the baby or laundry; however I haven’t done much other than that.  But recently, I have been blessed by our hosts.

Two days ago we invited the family to a meal.  Kaycie our fearless culinary leader made chili, rice, and lentils.  They politely accepted the food but I could tell that it was far spicier than they were used to.  We had a little bit of awkward dinner conversation and then parted ways for cleaning dishes.

This I believe opened the door for more.  I have lingered more in the kitchen asking cooking questions (and I am so going to try that recipe for steamed pumpkin leaves when I get back to the States!) and I have made more small talk with the niece who lives here.  Our host’s wife, Miriam, and her niece sat with me and a teammate to play an interesting version of Crazy Eights…which I lost at quite often.  And Miriam gave us fresh baked scones.

This morning I was washing clothes in my bucket when Miriam came out in exercise gear (a blue velvet sweat suit) and asked me to walk with her for exercise.  We ended up going down to the market which was full of vendors and fresh veggies.  While buying she spoke in Bemba (the language of the copper belt…here they speak a different dialect) with a vendor who was very impressed that as a white person I had such nice hips.  Later Miriam told us about her conversation and said that it was good that I was larger.  Ha ha…I never considered that to be a good thing, but I will take it.

On our walk today, we discussed many things.  Later I will be showing Miriam how to thread her sowing machine and perhaps she will let me hem my Chitenge wrap.  I am just so happy to be with a family these days.  I don’t know what the next few weeks will hold but I am happy.

Below are some photos of my time here in Zambia:

Miriam Showing us How to Wrap the Chitenge

My Students and Me

Teaching my class.  Bishop Alec came in to take this Photo.

The Discomfort of Traveling to Zambia

I slept on the porch of our hostel since my mosquito net (which I am repeatedly reminded by rain is not a tent) flooded and held a nice amount of mud.  Lights on, people talking, I fell into an intermittent sleep at about 1:30am. Then awoke at 5:00am to pack.

No worries, I tell myself.  I can sleep on the bus to Zambia.  But that was before I realized that God wasn't done with growing me through discomfort yet.  After getting on the bus and going through multiple police check points that won't allow sleep since they must ALL see your passport, we got to the border.  This was a trial of its own since Malawians kept cutting us in the visa line with the excuse "you are so many".  Yes we were many but because of them cutting us it took 45 mins for our team  to get process after arriving at the window (that is not counting time spent in line...just time that we were being "helped").

After the border crossing I finally thought I would sleep on the bus.  I had a good aisle seat to spread out a little and I took a Dramamine to help with the sickness and lull me to sleep.  BANG!  Beside me a stood is slammed down beside me in the aisle and a man placed upon it. I now am squished between too people...and stool man of course is uncomfortably fidgeting the whole time.  His cheap, rough, suit rubbing my arm raw.  And his body forcing mine to lean away in a position that later cause such pain on the left side of my spine that I was brought to tears.  THIS WAS A LONG BUS RIDE!

We stopped at the side of the road so men could get off to pee.  As stool man was off, I slid his stool back just enough that he wouldn't have to touch me so much.  It was easy to do since everyone was tripping over it to get off the bus anyway.  When he got back on, he moved his stool back into alignment with my seat.  SO MAD.

Then our bus found itself debating whether to roll through a closed off road that was under construction or to take the detour through the mud.  For fear of being stuck they chose the closed road.  To make this happen they had to move the road block, which happened to be giant boulders on the street. This took many men and much time.  They would always try to avoid more work by just picking one large boulder to move and hoping we would fit through...when in reality it would have been better to move two smaller boulders a little to the left and right and slip in...but they do what they think is best.  We scratched by the rocks and proceeded.  This occurred 3 more times before our bus driver said "screw it" and drove down a bank to the little dirt detour road that we spent the last hour trying to avoid.

We also had a five minute stop at some shacks they called a rest stop.  There was a fee toilet and I figured it was getting time to go.  But I didn't have Zambian Kwatcha to pay the fee.  They lectured me about that, a lot, saying that it was dumb to travel without the money.  But I had no intention of paying for a toilet even if I had money, so I started around to the back of the building to pee there.  The lecturer yells to me that there is a fine for peeing outside.  To which I respond, "I cannot pee inside, I cannot pee outside.  Am I supposed to pee on myself?"  I left off the part I want to say, "Is there a fine or fee for that?"

Because this isn't my first time threatening to pee myself in public, and I am shameless about it, they let me in to the toilet without paying a fee.  But with all the lost time, the bus was done waiting and was honking to pull out of the lot.  Not feeling a good first impression of Zambia.

Night began to fall, and as impressed as I was by the mix of African Music Videos and Backstreet Boys, Brandy, and Usher, my gaze went outside to the sunset.  They full day of miserable travel weight heavy, especially on my left side where stool man was still leaning. (Seriously...there are 69 other people on this bus...couldn't he at least take turns sitting next to people.)  But with this sunset, I promised myself, that I wouldn't let this be a repeat of Malawi.  That I would let the end of this day be the begin of a new, better one.  And that I was going to be okay.

So, here's to a new country and a better season.