well...the Lord Jesus was humbled too. I wonder if he ever had to wash clothes?

January 17, 2009

Well I think out of any day I’ve been here, today has to have been the most humbling. Saturdays around here are a day of relaxing and catching up with the chores around the house. We all got up for mass in the morning for 7:30am and afterwards everyone came back for breakfast.

I knew that today I was going to attempt at washing my clothes but like I said…I didn’t realize it would be such a humbling experience. In the late morning all the girls from the hostel were washing their clothes and I knew before coming to Africa that they don’t wash in a washing machine like we do at home. But I still didn’t realize what I was about to witness. I sat down by the girls and as we were talking I was watching them wash their clothes. They take three buckets – one for washing the clothes, another for washing the clothes and rinsing and another for just rinsing. They have this really neat technique where instead of rubbing the clothes together they just swish the water through when rubbing. I know some of you are saying, we used to do that not that long ago but I have not yet and as interesting as it was, it was embarrassing not knowing how to do it. While I was watching them they all said to me, “are you going to come and wash your clothes?” and all I’m trying to think is how am I going to do this without looking like a foolish little spoiled girl whose had her clothes washed by a machine for 24 years. I just said, “yes, when you’re finished.” And of course, since all of them share everything and do everything together, Edwina says to me, “no, you go and bring your clothes and we’ll wash together.” So after getting my clothes and walking the road of shame – realizing that the spot light is going to be on me, I sat down beside them and one asked me, “have you ever washed your clothes like this?” of course I hadn’t! I said, “no”, and they all began to laugh saying, “who washed your clothes? Your mother?” As if it wasn’t embarrassing enough, they all thought my mom still washed my clothes. They must think I’m some little rich girl. After I explained that we use washing machines in Canada and that no…I do wash my own clothes, I felt a little bit at ease realizing for myself that it was ok, since thats just how we do things at home. And, I thought, “well, may as well make the most of this experience and learn from them.” So Edwina helped me wash my clothes. One cool thing I learnt was that when the wash white clothes they use what they call “Blue” and it almost stains the colors a blue tint and when you hang them to dry, they dry this bright white color. It’s amazing.

You know…it’s not the fact of learning something new, because I’m all for that. I realize that we have it easy in Canada and I would like to learn how to do the things that we have been convenienced with. I think I was just coming to terms with the idea that these 14, 15 and 15 year old girls had it worse than me and they knew how to do all of these house hold chores by doing it the hard way and I don’t. I can assure you that these young girls all know how to do the every day chores that we do BUT trust me, they don’t have the conveniences that we do at home. After we washed clothes, I thought it would get better but trust me it didn’t. I want you to get a picture in your mind about this. An African kitchen. If anyone of you have seen this, you’ll understand where I’m coming from. The African kitchen is something like an outside kitchen where food is prepared and cooked. They don’t have a stove, it’s like a counter with a hole in the side to make a fire and you put a big pot in the top ) which there is a big circle cut out that just fits a pot. It has a tiny little sink – and if they’re lucky there’s running water in it. Another thing I’m amazed at is how they prepared their food. It’s not like if we want to eat fish where we go to the store and buy a filleted fish that is packaged and wrapped, and go to the vegetable isle and get fresh veggies and take them home and cook them. They go to the garden and pick and clean their food, if they want fish they either have go to the market and buy fish or possibly their family has to go and catch it, fillet it themselves and cook it after making the fire and heating the pot. I know I know, people did this a while ago and its not new news but it’s so behind the times. And I’m amazed at how this is normal life for these people. Especially these young girls. I cleaned rice with Sr. Catherine today and as we were doing that we were talking to Sr. Odile about planting potatoes. I guess they wouldn’t eat much potatoes if it wasn’t for Sr. Cecile because they prefer rice instead. But Sr. Odile was wondering if I knew how to plant potatoes and I said “yes, my family plants lots of potatoes”. So she asked me how we do it and after explaining it to her she thought that she might attempt at trying to grow potatoes in the garden. I think it would be great. They have a wonderful garden here. Since it’s always warm here they get the opportunity to have a growing season all the time. They plant cucumbers, peas, tomatoes, peppers, spinach, and quite a few other things that I have no idea what they are. It’s really nice. And that’s not even including all the fruit trees they have. Sr. Cecile loves fruit trees so she plants them everywhere. I mean everywhere. It’s great! I wish we could do that at home.

Today was a really windy day and when it’s really windy usually we get a lot of dust (either from a storm from the North or from the Sahara Desert). About an hour after all the cleaning was done there was a layer of dust on everything again. I forgot to close the windows in my room and I noticed on all my books and things by the windows had a layer of dust on all of them. I have curtains so that shielded my room from most of the dust, but I imagine it would get frustrating after a while. The sisters said that it doesn’t happen very often but it happens more than anyone would like.

As I’m sitting here writing this, it’s Saturday night and I can hear a lot of music playing. I asked Sr. Bernadette what people do here on a Saturday night and she said that they just walk around the streets and visit with people. It’s actually quite noisy compared to regular weekday evenings where it’s really quite. I hear drums and African music. I sure hope I can sleep tonight….I’ve got to get up early to go out to the villages with Sr. Cecile and Sr. Sue then off to mass and we’ll be visiting with the Billington’s (the couple from England) again.

I hope everyone has a great weekend. Talk to you soon

In Jesus and Mary,

Jen

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Almost a week in the Gambia

January 15, 2009

Hi everyone! How are all of you? I hope you are all doing well!

Today I started showing my first signs of a tan from the African sun….my feet. You know…I never thought the weather would be like this in the Gambia. It’s cool in the mornings and really hot at around 2 or 3 and then when the sun goes down it gets really cold again. It’s really weird. I know you’re probably thinking, “well Jen, it gets like that in Canada too.” But the weird part about it is that it’s like a cold fall day in the mornings and evenings and Hawaii weather in the afternoons. Today was a very cool day and the sun didn’t come out until almost 2pm. Apparently when this happens EVERYONE is in a bad mood for the whole day and they blame everything on the weather. I wore Capri pants and a t-shirt and I also wore a long sleeve shirt and I was just right, that’s why only my feet have the only signs of being in the sun. They say that when a day like this comes, all the kids are late for school and people don’t open their shops until really late in the day ( really late would be around 9am since people open they’re little roadside vending shops at around 6am).

Today I went out with Sr. Cecile and Sr. Sue to sell eggs again. And they along with the rest of the Gambian’s today were very out of sorts because of the weather, so we had full intentions of getting back to the house early to rest. Full intentions are nice to have but it didn’t happen. I didn’t mind thought because I was able to spend more time looking at all the people in the streets. We went out to the market and BOY was it busy! I don’t know if anyone who hasn’t come from an environment like this can ever get used to it. But I do understand why Sr. Cecile used to say when she would come home, “where are all the people?!” Because most people back home spend their time in their house or yard where as the people here spend their time at the market or on the streets.

We met up with Mike, the other Saskatchewanian from Moose Jaw again today, and I was able to visit with him some more about what he does. Apparently Mike when to school for Economic Development and after school he volunteered for VICS, which is an organization where you volunteer for 2 years in a designated spot where there is a need. This is his 3^rd volunteer site and he seems to really enjoy the program. He spent his previous 2 volunteer jobs in South America and on a few islands near Hawaii. This time he works in the Gambia doing some accounting for the Catholic missions office. It was nice to visit with him because obviously coming from rural Saskatchewan to a country where people are everywhere and there is never any silence he understood where I was coming from when I said, “it’s taking some getting used to.” He mentioned to me that after the 7 months are up and I head back home, I won’t only be a changed person but I will come back with a different perspective of my view of home. What he meant by that was that I will take things from this culture and wonder why home is not the same way. I then realized that in some way, I feel I’m holding back from really immersing myself into the culture because I still want to come home the same person as when I left. I’m not sure if I will ever let go of that fear, since the cultures are so very different. But my prayer is that the Lord will always provide for me and allow my heart to be changed in the way that He wants.

When we arrived back at the house I helped Sr. Sue make supper. Spaghetti was on the menu. I’m not sure why, but there ended up being mini hot dogs in the sauce. The other sisters enjoyed it but for myself, I just took the noodles. I try to try everything once, and for the most part I’ve liked most of the food, but there are a few things that I’ve left of my plate. Dessert was a custard that Sr. Sue had made and it was very good.

Just before supper, the sisters had their community meeting and so I went to pray with the girls in the hostel. I’m definitely starting to see big differences in each of them and I’m slowly starting to learn their names. Tonight I got out and paper and pencil and wrote down all of their names, so that I could understand them better. Turns out that most of the names are common names I’ve heard before. I just didn’t realize it because they all say it with an accent. The girls names are: Fatoubintou (fat-too-bin-too), Nancy, Susan, Antonette, Therese, Harriet, Cathrine, Princess, Edibis (Ed-ee-bis), Edwina, Betty, Fatima, Lucinda, Rita, Zenita, Marian, and Marie. Not so hard after all. I know some of the girls a bit better than the rest now, since they seem to be around a bit more. Slowly but surely I’ll get them all.

After supper, everyone went to bed early. Today I started to feel a cold coming on and I think it’s partly due to the dust and the drastic change in temperature throughout the day. So I took a shower and relaxed in my room for a bit before I went to bed. For the most part the house and living with the sisters is pretty quiet and I enjoy that since it’s SO loud everywhere else. I enjoy the time I get to spend with the sisters although I also enjoy the time I get to spend alone too. Half the time I don’t understand what people are saying and the other half I never know what to say.

January 16, 2009

Wow was today an interesting day. I woke up at 6am to get ready for mass and then we went to the school for the school day. Even though mass was at 7am everyone was rushing to get ready and then we realized that the truck wouldn’t start. The sisters have been having trouble with it all week and today it finally gave out. Well…it just wouldn’t start. So we took the big purple bus to mass. The church is really beautiful. It doesn’t look like much from the outside but it sure it nice on the inside. Almost all buildings have walls around them with a gate because there are animals roaming around all over. So when you pull up into the compound (inside the walls) you come up to an older building which used to be the church until they built the new one and they now use for a hall. Then beside the hall is the new church. I doesn’t look like a normal church, like with pillars or a steeple it just looks like an ordinary building. They have two statue fountains (that are not running), one of the Sacred Heart and the other of Mary. When you walk into the church they have the altar at the front of the church, and pews down the middle and sides. The pews are dark wood and the kneelers are just a piece of wood. The altar and tabernacle are covered with beautiful linens (at the moment white) that seem to almost billow off of the top. I’ve never seen anything like it. There are beautiful pink flowers that stand beside the altar.

After mass Fr. Anthony drove us to the school because Sr. Cecile took the bus back to see if she could get the truck fixed. The whole truck business kinda threw a wrench in the whole day since Fridays at the school are for an assembly, religious studies and then the kids play a bit until around 11:30. They stop school on Fridays at 11:30 because the Muslims pray at 2:00pm since it’s their day of prayer. The Gambia, if I haven’t mentioned already, is 90% muslim. It’s been a bit interesting seeing the customs first hand. I studied Islam in College but seeing it up close is something else. Many men have more than one wife, at every prayer hour (5 times a day…I think) they start praying on a loud speaker, and many women wear the traditional full headdress and dress. As much as the country is almost entirely Muslim, they respect Christianity since many of the Muslim children are educated in the Catholic schools. That is actually the story for the President of the Gambia. He grew up a Muslim and wasn’t going to school so one of the sisters (sister Mary Alice) went to his father to ask if he would put him in school and because of it he joined the Military after he finished school and took the country over when he was 27 years old. To this day he respects and supports the Catholic schools in the country. That obviously is a really good advantage, and because of it the country is very peaceful since both religions get along very well together.

At the end of the school day Sr. had asked me if I wanted to take the girls and teach them how to play volleyball. I was so excited! There was only one problem. About 100 girls….and only one ball. J And all of them want to touch it at the same time! I think I’m going to have to come up with something different next time. Maybe split them in to smaller groups. Since none of them know anything about playing I just started out by teaching the basics of passing….and we didn’t get past that since there was so many girls. But we’re going to work on it and who knows maybe we’ll get a few teams out of it. After we were finished playing volleyball I joined in with the group that was playing “football” – to us soccer. It was really fun and the kids love when older people play with them. The kids are absolutely adorable. They know I’m a stranger to them and obviously I don’t look like them so at first I get a scared stare and when they see me smile at them their faces light up with this bright smile. They’re all so cute.

Everyone took naps in the afternoon and around 5:00pm I went with Sr. Cecile and Sr. Sue to their Catechism or First communion class. I just watch everything because Sr. knows how to address them and they have a translator who translates into mandinka.

My cold has been getting worse and who knows what it’s from. I imagine it is partly due to the weather, but also because there are so many plants that I’ve never been in contact with before and it’s probably adding to the problem…never mind all the dust around. Hopefully it’ll get a bit better within the next few days.

Please continue to pray for me…

In Jesus and Mary,

Jen

pictures

Hi everyone!
I'm attempting to add some pictures but I'm having trouble. So if anyone has any suggestions I would greatly appreciate any! If not...just be patient and I will add some sooner or later!

In Jesus and Mary,

Jen

"can Jennifa come out to pray...?"

January 14, 2009

Hello everyone! I hope everyone is well at home and is enjoying the cold weather! I hear from a friend that it was -39 the other day?! Wow…I guess it hasn’t warmed up since I left?

Today was warmer day. It’s funny because during the winter season (dry season – January to May/June) it gets cool in the mornings and evenings and gets very hot in the afternoon. Last night the sisters were laughing at me because after supper I put on my sweater. And yes embarrassingly enough I along with Sr. Josaphine were the only ones wearing sweaters. They laughed and said “Ah…look at her…the poor Canadian has to put on a sweater!” Yes, I can imagine I’m never going to live it down.

I ended my last post at yesterday afternoon so I will continue from there. I’m not sure if I will be able to keep up with writing something for ever day but I will at least try to keep up with week to week.

When we had gotten home from the school there were a few girls watering the plants in the yard (the girls from the hostel). From what I’ve gathered so far, each of the girls has a chore to do for the day. Each of the girls go to school either in the morning from 8 -1 or 1-5. When we began talking with the two girls (Princess and FatouBintou) Sr. Cecile mentioned to them that she would like me to lead the girls in prayer. The girls got really excited and said, “we like Jennifa (to me everything with and –er sounds like “a” ) and we would like ha to pray wit ous”. I thought that it would take some time for them to ask me or for sister to have me go and pray with them but just after supper the girls came knocking on the door saying “Can Jennifa come and pray wit ous?” I was glad to go. For the first time I just sat back and watched. I’m amazed at the faith of these young women. They pray with such meaning. They pray for the sisters and are grateful for the sisters hospitality. They pray for themselves, thanking God for the gift of LIFE. That’s the thing that most amazed me…they All pray for the gift of LIFE. It’s amazing to me. One thing about Africans is that they Love to sing, so they sing everything! (even if they don’t have a good voice…haha…I find it kind of funny) After anyone prays they sing a verse from a song and after prayer was all done they started singing “Stand up and tell somebody that you love them!” and they all stand up and hug one another and sing! It’s such a sight to see! These girls all come from different places in the Gambia and they all get along. I’m just amazed at these young girls and what I’m grateful for is being able to spend time with them. They enjoy my company and I really enjoy theirs. I can relate with their young and longing hearts and I think I will get to know them well for the time I am here. After prayers they all wanted to see pictures from home since Sr. Cecile had told them I was a triplet. So ran to get my pictures in the house and when I came back they were all sitting in a circle waiting for me. They passed the pictures around and then when the pictures were al shown they took out theirs and began to show me. You can tell how proud they are of their families. Once all the pictures were shown they all surrounded me and began to ask me a million questions. They don’t know much about Canada and they wanted to know what it was like. One girl actually had a Toronto Blue Jays shirt on and she didn’t even know what it was. So I pointed out to her that it was a Canadian baseball team. They all loved that. It was so funny…they were all talking at once and I already have a hard time understanding their English that I was just looking at them and they’re all trying to translate for each other. Eventually we all were on the same page. For some reason, black women like to have fair skin so there is some sort of pill you can take to make your skin a lighter color and the women around here like that. Obviously not very many women can afford it but while the girls were all standing around me one started and said, “ I like your nose” and another, “I like your skin”, “I like your eyes, and your hair!” it was never ending. I only say this story because I find it funny how the grass is always greener on the other side. I think the black people here are absolutely beautiful and black people think that the white people are beautiful. Wouldn’t it be amazing if we actually appreciated who we were ourselves and not wished we were someone else? I think the African people deal with this better since most of them don’t have much. They are ok with not wearing make up or the best clothes. They are just happy people. After all the talking was done, I tried to learn all of their names but even if they are a common name like Therese, the way they say it always makes me wonder what they are saying. So the girls all had to say their names 5 times each. Haha…I’m sure they think I’m stupid. I left the room that night with so many smiles and waves that it was hard not to laugh and be grateful for each and everyone of them. I’m going to enjoy spending more times with them over these next months.

Back in the house, I heated some water on the stove for my shower and then I took a warm shower. It’s very refreshing and actually having to work for it makes it rewarding. I appreciate it. After my shower I was able to get on the internet to check my email and see some of the posts. Thank you to everyone who sent me emails. Seriously, I’ve always appreciated mail but it’s more than overwhelming when you’re out of the country and cant talk to someone whenever you want. I think out of anything, that is the thing that is going to make the 7 months long. But THANK YOU to everyone for your emails. I love getting them! So keep them coming!

I’m slowly getting used to the time difference but I hate to be a bother when everyone else is getting up at 6:00am. Most of you know me…I’m more of a night owl than an early bird so I’m thinking that getting up early over the next months is going to be my purgatory. Oh Lord…If I have to suffer, please make it somewhat bearable. J I guess with the way the sun is (it rises at 6:30 am and sets at 7:00pm every day – no change) it’s a little bit easier going to bed in the evening. I guess my college days really produced a bad habit out of my schedule. I used to START studying at around 9:00 pm, so here because all the sisters go to bed early I think it’s such a waste of the rest of the night. But I guess once I get into a good routine it wont be so bad.

I was able to sleep in today again and once I was up I had breakfast (seems to be pretty similar as all mornings) we got ready and Kabia took Sr. Sue and I to deliver some eggs and run some errands. Kabia is a contractor and he actually put up the school that I am working in. He does a lot of different jobs but I think he mainly works for the sisters since there is always work to do and Sr. Cecile always has new plans and things to build. I had only met Kabia once before and it was only an introduction. But today Sr. Sue and I spent the majority of the day with him. I really appreciated it. The only thing…..only thing….He speaks Pigeon English too. Oh no. Well to say the least by the end of the day, I not only knew that his first name was NOT Kabia, but Abraham Kabia but I also knew how to pick up Pigeon English. WOW…can they talk fast! It’s like their talking another language. I spent most of the day sitting in the front seat watching Kabia weave in and out of small streets and listen to him and Sr. Sue talk pigeon English. We spent the day in Serrekunda, where I got to see Sr. Madeline and Sr. Marie live, one of the nursery schools, and also meet Sr. Bibian and Sr. Ruth. I’m sorry for all of the names, but I say it more for myself. Its good to write them down so that I can remember them. So I apologize. After Serrekunda we went up to the capital, Banjul to check out the market and see the Arch. Apparently when the president took over by a coup they built this arch to signify the change. It’s very historical…I guess. I definitely enjoyed my day today. Every day I get to know Sr. Sue a little bit better and I really enjoy her company. I’m not sure if I mentioned, but the first day I spent with Sr. Sue I was convinced that she could not be very old because she looks so young. So….I asked her. J She made me guess of course and I guessed that she was in her 30s. She laughed and said, no. Turns out she is 52. I couldn’t believe it. I’m not saying 52 is old, but the women here look SO young for their age. I had to ask her her secret to looking so young since they live in such a dry climate. Of course her answer was that the Lord granted her good skin. I left it at that. I am often caught off guard by her loud talk. When I hear the women around here talk to one another I always think they are yelling at one another. Today I saw one women “yelling” at the other and so I asked Sr. Cecile if she was yelling since she was talking in Wollof, and sister laughed and said, ;’oh no, they just like to emphasize what they are saying.” I had to laugh. Sr. Sue definetly talks like that and sometimes I think she is yelling at me or Sr. Cecile and it catches me off guard.

On our way home, we went back through all of the small villages and I enjoy doing this because it gives me time to look around and get used to seeing all the people around. I asked Kabia where all the people were going and what they were doing since there is SO many people in the streets all the time. Just think of this…..driving down the highway and seeing goats and sheep and people crossing the roads….ALL THE TIME. It’s like it never stops. There are people on the sides of the roads and cars weaving in and out of the paths of other cars. I’m glad they don’t want me to drive because I might develop a bad habit of road rage. Kabia said that people are in the streets because most of the people sell their good in the streets. They just sit there and hope that they will go home with 100 dallasis. That’s not even 5 Canadian dollars. It would barely buy a bag of nuts. There are boys in the streets whose prized possession is their wheel barrow because they offer to carry peoples loads of oranges, or wood, etc in exchange for some money. They are the ones that make the most money in the streets because everyone needs help carrying their goods, so they get paid pretty good if they are fast enough. So, next time you look at your wheel barrow and think “oh this is too much work”, think of the little boys in the streets whose only way to make some extra money for their family is that wheel barrow.

I knew that Kabia has a family so on the way home I asked him how many children he has. He has 3 kids. The oldest is a girl, 7, next is a boy, 5 and the youngest is a girl, 3. I think he does very well with is trade as a contractor and I’m sure his family is pretty well off. When we left the car he said to me, “Well Jennifa, we will have many conversations since you are here for a while.” I appreciated his comment because I didn’t know if he was annoyed by all my questions and his comment allowed me to know that he appreciated being asked. I enjoyed my day with him.

When we got home, the maids had cleaned 20 chickens – for selling- and Sr. odile was making sugar coated ground nuts (otherwise known as sugar coated peanuts) in the back of the house. The young girls were in the back watering the flowers, and making supper for themselves, and washing up. I went to visit with Sr. Cecile on the veranda and she explained to me the Lectio reading for that day. Every Wednesday the sisters have adoration with an hour of Lectio Divina (a reflection on the gospel) beforehand. It was nice to be able to finally have some time to sit in the chapel and pray. We ended with evening prayers. Supper was on our own and then the sisters have the rest of the night in silence. I went out and spent some time with the girls in the hostel and then I went to shower. I’m now about to go to bed.

How is everything at home? It’s hard for me to imagine that it’s so cold at home since it’s so nice here. I hope it’s not too cold! I’m thinking of all of you and I know it’s only been a couple days but I’m excited to see your faces when I return. I never thought I’d miss the familiarities of home, like I do. I have to keep reminding myself that this is my home for the next 7 months. Things are good, and because I’m spending so much time busy with the daily duties I’m asking the Lord to speak to me through my experiences of meeting people and seeing places. One thing I’m grateful for is my home. I am continually reminded that I’m only here for so long and then I get to come home, but these people are here for good. I thought today, “oh I’m going to love taking a hot shower where all I have to do is turn on the taps and not heat the water on the stove” And then I thought, wow….the sisters will do this for the rest of their lives. I need to remind myself that that might be my way to heaven….as it is in some way for the sisters.

Continue to pray for me! It’s been a challenge here! You’re in my prayers!

In Jesus and Mary,

Jen

The gambian way of Life...sort of

January 13, 2009,

Today is another beautiful day in the Gambia. I’m sure I’m going to need a new headline soon since it’s always beautiful here! I’m sure I wont see a rainy day until June when the rainy season comes.
Today I slept in again, this time until almost 10 am. I’m almost embarrassed! I had a very hard time falling asleep last night and I woke up a lot during the night. When I woke up Sr. Suzanne said…”oh…someone’s up.” I’m sure they all were up at 5 am. But it’s going to take me a while to get used to the time difference and I’m grateful that the sisters understand that.
I woke up and ate breakfast…the same as yesterday. And we got ready and went to the bank. The money here is very different. They measure it in Dallasis. For one Canadian dollar you get around 20 dallasis. After we finished at the bank we went to a grocery store to look at some of the things you could buy. You can buy almost anything that you need. I was actually surprised. A carton of juice (1L) was around 40 dallasis. And the sisters said that it wasn’t that expensive. I even saw the Dove soap that I use…Although it’s supposedly expensive. They have chips, pop, powdered milk, toothpaste, water, etc for sale. Really anything that you need is there.
We stopped by the house before we went to visit the schools. Sister Cecile and I drove out to the schools – which is south of Brikama. It’s still in the town but it’s kind of in a field outside of the town. When we arrived the students were all in their classes. It’s so funny because when the students see Sr. Cecile- they just love her! They all wave and turn to look saying “Sister! Sister Cecilia!” I was her side kick since she was showing everything to me. So when they teachers noticed that we were in the doorways every class would get out of their chairs and say “Good Afternoon Sister, Good Afternoon Friend.” Hahah…it was so cute! It guess it’s their greeting for anyone who comes to visit. The children all have they’re own uniform that is mauve (this is the school that I will be in, but the nursery students all wear blue and white uniforms, and the secondary school students wear green shorts and a pink and white shirt.) I was able to meet the teachers as well that I will be working with. I forget some of their names but there are 3 men (Paul is one of the names I remember and 1 women (Anna). Sr. Odile runs this school. They all seem very nice and very welcoming. That’s the one thing I love about Africans….they welcome you like you are their own family. Everyone shakes your hand, asks your name, introduced themselves and then says “Welcome…we are glad to have you here in the Gambia.” Very different from the hospitality from Canada that’s for sure.
The school yard is HUGE! They have a lot of land that will in the future be put to great use and will have a lot of shade for the kids to play in. Right now because the trees are very small it’s very hot in the playground. Sister has an orchard at the far end of the school yard and banana trees that line the walls. She hopes to have a drive way for the bus that is lined with Orange trees. The trees are already planted, they are just very small.
I’m so amazed to see what Sr. Cecile and the other sisters had done here. It’s like living a dream and then it happens. They dream of making a school and its done. The Lord has provided so much for them and it’s amazing to see. I’m continually reminded of the Lord generosity. It’s wonderful to see the great work they have done and how everyone appreciates them.
People waved them down on the street and they sometimes give young kids rides to where they need. They just wave them down and hop into the back of the truck and then tap the window when they want to get out.
The sisters had a couple come in to visit from England. They lost their daughter about 10 years ago and since then have put a fund together to give to the sisters for the Gambia. So I guess the couple decided to come and visit so we went to the airport today to pick them up. They are an older couple and they (like I did) dressed in warm clothes and were very hot when they arrived! They are staying in Fajara- at Shalom – the retreat house where Pope John Paul II stayed while in the Gambia. It’s beautiful there! I forgot to mention that we went there yesterday to see it. The ocean is gorgeous and I can’t wait to go to stay there. They have 4 postulants staying there and it is run by sister Mary and Sister Sarian. I have yet to meet Sister Mary but she called me the night I arrived to say hello but Sister Sarian I have met a few times already and I really enjoy her laughter. She is like Sr. Suzanne – a Native and both of them remind me of the way Fr. Ephraim used to laugh. Very hearty and contagious…even if they are laughing at me! J I have obviously spent a lot of time with Sr. Cecile and Sr. Suzanne so I am getting to know them a lot better than the rest. I really enjoy both of their company.
As for right now, I’m just taking a rest this afternoon and I will hopefully be able to write soon! I hope all is well around home! I miss everyone!!

In Jesus and Mary,

Jen

Flights, Friends, and a new found World

January 10-12, 2009

Well here I am….in The Gambia West Africa! Praise be to God! I can’t even believe it myself. I still feel like I’m going to wake up and this is all going to be a dream. But yes…I really am here. Wow.
My flight left Saskatoon at around 7:15 am on Saturday morning after a series of very hard good byes. I have always had a hard time leaving home but this time was obviously different. Knowing that I was going to be away from home for almost 7 months straight saying good by to my family and friends was very difficult. I was able to travel with my cousin Alex and his girlfriend Lauren to Calgary. They were going back to Thomas Aquinas College in California for school. So after we got off the plane in Calgary my next flight to Toronto was quickly leaving so they walked me to my next gate and we said our good byes. I sure hope they made it back to California safely – I haven’t heard from anyone yet to say they arrived. My flight to Toronto was good. I had three seats to myself so knowing that I probably wasn’t going to get much sleep over the next couple days, I laid down and slept for the 3 hours to Toronto. I was fortunate enough to not have any trouble with any of my flights and the people I sat next to on the plane rides were great. On my way to Brussels I sat next to Dejana (pronounced Dee-anna) who was from Serbia now living in Canada. She was heading on a trip to Spain to meet up with a friend to travel for a bit. We had a whole 6 and half hours to laugh and get to know one another and she was really great! When I arrived in Brussels I had planned on meeting up with a friend, Marcel from Oosterhout, the Netherlands - who my sisters and I had met when we played softball in the Netherlands. When I got through the exit gate he and his friend were waiting for me. It was so great to see him! We haven’t seen each other for almost 8 years so it was really great to see each other!
As if seeing a friend from almost 8 years wasn’t exciting enough, there was so much anticipation on my flight from Brussels to Dakar (the capital of Senegal –which is the surrounding country around The Gambia) and then to Banjul (the capital of The Gambia)! The plane landed and we had to take the stairs off the plane and walk on the tarmac to a bus that took us into the airport. I think everyone on the plane – including myself - felt like celebrities since there were so many people waiting for us to arrive! They only fly into Banjul 2 days out of the week, so I think that explains why there were so many people. My first impression = hospitality. Right from the moment we got off the bus there were men helping anyone who needed assistance – like women with children or elderly people. I guess my second impression of the country is how behind it is from Canada. The airport was very small and something you would think of in a movie. After I went through customs and got both my bags (yes my bags made it safely all the way there – thank the Lord! I was so worried!) I was in the middle of a ton of people and all of a sudden I saw Sister Cecile! Although she didn’t see me right away I waved her down and with a HUGE smile she greeted me! She helped me with my bags and led me to where the other sisters were waiting. I met 4 of the sisters there – Sr. Suzanne, Sr. Bernadette, Sr. Katherine, Sr. Odile. Their welcoming smiles and beautiful faces were exactly what I needed to see. They took my bags and we walked out of the airport to the truck. I thought it was going to be overwhelmingly hot when I got there but the temperature was around 25 degrees. A lot warmer than home but still not as hot as I thought. I was still wearing a long sleeve shirt and long pants and I wasn’t uncomfortable – which was a relief! While we were walking to the truck there were women on the side of the streets and walk ways selling fruit.
The sisters live only about 10 minutes away from the airport so we didn’t have along drive. Sr. Suzanne drove and I was introduced to my first taste of African driving. J YIKES! Is all I’m going to say! I hope they don’t expect me to drive very soon because I’ll be sure to hit a goat or someone walking on the street! The sisters say that all of the animals have the right of way and you have to stop for them. And I wouldn’t want to hit one because you’ll surely have an angry Gambian on your case. Sr. Suzanne is a great driver, it wasn’t her I was afraid of, it’s the others! Sr. Suzanne is a Native African so she knows her way around and she’s not afraid of the other drivers.
I’m sure that everything that I say over the next few weeks will be a lot of my “firsts” here because EVERYTHING is so new to me. While we were driving I was overwhelmed at the poverty. It looks like in a movie or what you see on tv. I think we had to drive through 2 different towns to get to Brikama – the village I stay in. When we arrived at the sisters home we pulled up through a road lined with bushes of beautiful flowers and were greeted by their 2 dogs and puppies! I’m not even sure how many there are but it looks like there are around 5 sandy brown puppies. I guess if I can say anything it would be that the pictures don’t do any justice as to what it is like here. It’s gorgeous. I had not yet met Sr. Josephine who was waiting at the sisters because she had made supper. Also when we arrived, Sr. Madeline and Sr. Teresa had come from Serrekunda to welcome me. They only stayed for a few minutes and then had to go back because it was getting dark. The sisters are wonderful – SO full of life and you can see that there is a joy that is in their hearts. One thing I will say is that I CAN NOT understand them. Sister Cecile jokes saying that Sr. Suzanne speaks with “pigeon English” (which is broken English) and seriously….she holds whole conversations with other Gambians. I now know what it is like for my grandma – to hear sounds but to have no clue as to what people are saying. It’s really quite hilarious. I have a feeling that I will get into a bad habit of being in my own little world around them and I’m sure I’ll get frustrated after a while too. The worst is when they talk talk talk and then laugh. I feel so stupid not knowing what they are saying! Are they laughing at me?! At this weird Canadian?! I must be very different to them since Sister Cecile is one of them because she’s been here so long. They also speak a few different native languages (there are 5 in the Gambia). Wolof and Mandinka are the two that I’ve heard the sisters speak so far. It’s amazing to hear actually and I hope I will learn some words – but to learn very much, I think I would have to stay for 40 years like Sr. Cecile. J
Before supper I met the girls who stay in the house right next door. It is the hostile for girls who go to school from very far and cannot go home. There are 17 of them and each one of them greeted me with a hand shake and a hug. They all stared at me – as I did them and I said to them that it would take me a while to learn all of their names.
My first African meal was chicken, salad, and a twist to scalped potatoes. Not much different from home! I think it’s just the spices that make it different. They even had pop for me – which was in the old glass style “coke” bottles. For desert we had fresh fruit salad. The peaches were from a can but they added fresh bananas and orange juice. The meal was wonderful.
After supper I had a shower. …..a cold one. It was very refreshing though and it reminded me of how much I’m going to appreciate a hot one when I get home. My room is wonderful. It’s big enough for me and my things. The sisters decorated it and gave me things that I’m sure they do not have in their rooms. I feel so grateful. They gave me a little fridge so that I can keep water and food in my room if I get sick of their food. I still have yet to go to the market and get food. The sisters drink their own tap water but they have given me my own supply of bottled water because they know that I probably wouldn’t do very well with it right off the bat.
My first night was good although I woke up around 4 in the morning and I was wide awake. I’m sure that will happen for a few days with trying to get used to the time change. The time change is 6 hours from home. I slept with my widows open and I could hear frogs or crickets or something. And as sister warned me I even heard something running on the roof. She said that they may be rats or something. The sisters let me sleep until I got up –which was around 9:00am. We got up and I had breakfast which was fresh French bread with jam, hot water and bananas. I helped Sr. Suzanne in the kitchen afterwards making some lunch for us for the day. I squeezed fresh oranges for orange juice! The sisters have a lot of plants around the house – mostly to keep out the sun- and most of them happen to be fruit trees. Tons of oranges, mangoes, papayas, and bananas. So I’m sure I’ll have my share with in these next months. After I got ready Sr. Cecile, Sr. Suzanne and my self all went to the neighboring towns to sell eggs! The sisters have a poultry farm (around 2 thousand chickens) and they try to sell the eggs 2 days out of the week. Because it’s the tourist season at the moment there is a shortage of eggs and every hotel wants- NEEDS eggs. So today I got to see a lot of the villages and cities. I got to see the hotels and wow…Its amazing. There are quite a few tourists and it was actually surprising to me to see how many people actually come here for vacation. I guess the sun and beaches attract a lot of people. I’m amazed at the huge trees and how many different types of plants there are. All different colors of flowers and tons of fruit trees all over. There are women who walk with baskets on their heads, people who ride bikes, no one follows rules on the road – well at least Canadian rules- and there are SO many people in the streets selling their things (fruits, goods, fish, etc). the taxis are yellow with a green stripe down the middle and the buildings are all cement that are whitewashed and painted really bright colors. We stopped by the Catholic Missions place – where the Bishop works – to get my papers ready so I can stay. While were we there I met another Canadian, actually he’s from Moose Jaw, Sask. He works for the Catholic missions and he is becoming a Gambian. We stopped by a few shops to have our lunch, ran a few errands and then came home for a rest. That’s one thing I love about here…the people know how to rest. I guess in some ways it can be a bad thing because the African way is very slow. You’d think that when people say they are in a rush, they would run or hurry somewhere…nope not around here. They take their time and enjoy what they are doing. I took a nap in the later part of the afternoon and I woke up just before supper and evening prayers. The sisters don’t expect me to be a part of their “schedule” but I enjoy spending time with them. We ate a light supper since we were all a bit full from eating a late lunch (which was – oh I forget the name of it, I tell you when I ask sister what it is- it’s fish with onions and sauce and then rice. It’s supposed to be cooked all in one pot.) Supper consisted of potatoes and eggs, with salad and then fruit salad (cut up papaya in orange juice….so far it’s my favorite)
I was able to take a warmer shower tonight and I have to admit…I enjoy that much better! Because we don’t have hot water in the house, Sr. Odile boiled water for me and put it in a basin in the shower. I let the cold water run and it cooled off the hot water a little bit and then I scooped out the water with a container and that was my shower. It’s very different from what I’m used to but it’s rewarding in a way. Everyone went to bed early and here I am writing this in my room. It’s so quite around here. We do live in a compound just off of the road so you can still hear cars going by but I think all the trees muffle most of the noise. It’s so beautiful here. VERY different but beautiful. I’m sure the time will pass by very quickly but I’m trying to take every little part of it in. I think that the sisters forget that they have to explain every little thing to me – I hope they don’t get frustrated with me. I just don’t know the customs yet and how things are done but I hope I can get the hang of it soon.
I hope everyone at home is doing well and that they’re not too cold from the snow! Sr. Cecile said that the Gambia was welcoming me today because it was a cooler day than normal. She said that since she’s come back from Canada she hasn’t seen such a cool day. I thought that it was warm but not hot. But I’m sure I’ll be in for more hot days to come. I’m thinking of all of you and I hope that you are thinking and praying for me too.
I’ll send a message soon!

In Jesus and Mary,

Jen

The start of an incredible African Journey...

If someone would've said to me - even 5 years ago - that my life was going to head in this direction, I would've called them crazy. I'm going to be honest and say that I never wanted to do mission work. For some strange reason I didn't understand in what way doing mission work would fulfill such a desire in someone's heart. And don't get me wrong, I used to look at lives like Mother Teresa and Sister Cecile and see such generosity and love but I still couldn't grasp the concept of how giving up their lives would fulfill their hearts so much....so, I asked the Lord to change my heart. And change my heart He did.

About 3 years ago I met up with Sr. Cecile Lanovaz (whom I have known since I was a child) at the St. Laurent Shrine while she was home for a visit and that's when the Lord began to stir in my heart. As we were taking a walk, Sr. linked her arm in mine and we began catching up on the previous years events. She was telling me about what she was doing in the Gambia - how lives were being changed and how she was fulfilling the Lord's call in her life - and my heart was drawn to The Gambia for some strange reason. At the time i didn't know why i wanted to go but I found myself blurting out "I would love to come and help!" I was still finishing my last year of College and Sr. knowing that said to me, "your vocation at the moment is to be a student - finish your last year of school and if you still want to come after you graduate - the Lord will work it all out." So as I left that day, I said to the Lord that if the Gambia was where He was calling me, then He would have to keep that burning desire on my heart until i actually was able to go. So that began a long road of discernment as to IF the Lord was really calling me to the Gambia and if that would fulfill my hearts desire. In some funny way, I can now relate with Mother Teresa and Sister Cecile. I can see how when we give the Lord our lives, when we allow Him to guide us and show us what our own true desires really are - He will not only show us but He will fulfill them too. It's in realizing what THE LORD wants us to do that makes it all worthwhile. We just have to ask.....
We have a loving, bold and generous God at our side - should we not have the courage to ask Him to move mountains?

In two days I will be leaving to volunteer in The Gambia, West Africa for 7 months. I never thought this day would come. But if there is anything I can say to sum up what I'm feeling it's that I'm SO EXCITED to go. I've said this to a few people before, but it's not the fact that I am excited to go on some sort of "trip", the excitement comes from knowing that I'm doing the right thing - the thing that the Lord has intended for me at this particular stage in my life. I don't have one doubt in my mind that this is what I'm supposed to be doing and for me, i know that that peacefulness will carry me through out the tough times I will be away from home.

I'm hoping to keep this blog up while I'm away, mostly for my family and friends who want to keep up with me. So please stay tuned... I'm expecting to see the Lord move Mountains

Please keep me in your prayers....as you all are in mine.

In Jesus and Mary,

Jen