Thursday, January 14, 2010
7:06pm
Had a fun day today hitting the road on my bicycle (why does Queen always jump into my head when I write that :-P). I had a meeting scheduled with the main World Vision office in Matsenjeni today. Actually, this was the rescheduled meeting, since they cancelled last week when we were originally going to meet. I decided to travel the approximately 17 km by taking my awesome red and white bicycle. For those who know my biking history, I miss 5speed. :( My Swazi bike is quite cantankerous. I think it should change gears… it does not and loudly protests when I try. This made the rolling hills that make up the terrain of this lovely area a bit more difficult and strenuous. The tires also decided they have the right to refuse to be completely full at any one time. Humph!
I got about five minutes from Brandon and Laura’s hut (they were also attending this meeting) and was informed via text that the office cancelled yet again! So, I had a nice visit with my friends, turned my bike around, and ventured back home… in the mid-day sun. That was quite a toasty ride. No worries, I had loads of sunscreen and water on board. :)
The planning, organizing, scheduling parts of my personality are going frickin’ nuts in Africa! Lately, my Franklin Planner has laughed at me as I write plans that will NEVER actually fall out the way they are originally intended. Time is a highly flexible, sometimes non-existent, social structure here. If a meeting is called at 10am, it is usually completely acceptable to show up sometime within the hour between 10 and 11am. I am taking deep breaths, always bringing reading material to meetings, and laughing at what I know consider being a “productive day”.
Anyway, have a meeting with MSF (Doctors Without Borders) tomorrow in Nhlangano to discuss community survey tools, and to hopefully improve the ones currently being used. After that I am heading into Mbabane to help with Baylor’s Teen Club. This is a teenage support group in which all of our campers were chosen from. They meet once a month, and I was asked to come up and help out with it. :) I am amazed by the power of play! Back to site on Sunday… but then again, since these are the plans, they are probably the LAST things that could possibly happen! Africa is anything but boring! :)
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sounds like i would get along just fine...time being a 'suggestion' and all...actually, maybe not so much anymore...it's amazing what a staunch school bell, loaded schedule, and teach-by-example attitude will do to a person...even the most stubborn, eternally tardy, procrastinator around....maybe you and i are actually meeting somewhere in the middle :)
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm glad to hear time is not of the essence in Africa because today is January 28, 2010 and (ready?)"Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!". There is a Christmas present still under construction which I'm hoping to send in February. Perhaps holidays are also delayed in Africa, so Christmas in February might be timely? On a less merry note, we miss Aunt Betty something terrible. She was very proud of you as we all are. I'll end with another Grandpa Giggle: Your mother and I were showing grandpa photos of us at the Minnesota Zoo. He asks, "and where was this?" I said, "the Minnesota Zoo". He says, "and they let you out!" Love, Aunt Mainey
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