Adventures in Life

I have been in Chad for a month now and I have to tell you the honeymoon is over. Reality has definitely set in and I have to tell you at this moment it is not so fun. I am in the capital city of Ndjamena and I have been here a week now and it is definitely testing my patience. It is not all bad but at the moment as I continue getting settled and discovering how to function here I would say this motto WAWA – West Africa Wins Again!- says it all. I believe very strongly that it is important to celebrate every victory, big or small but I have to be honest. Lately there have been very few victories for me to celebrate. But let me get there in a bit. The first thing I need to explain is that even though Chad is geographically in Central Africa, it is culturally French West African. What this means is a petty bureaucratic approach to education and administration where it is more about giving people position and power than getting things done. So, things are done over and over, and over in t

Many people have told me they could never do what I do or they recognize the sacrifices I make to live and serve in Africa- some point out the fact that I have left behind dear family and friends others seem more humbled by the comforts and conveniences I have chosen to go without. To those people I say there may be great sacrifice from your perspective but from my perspective I have simply been doing what I believe I have been equipped and called by God to do and in doing so I am gaining so much (not losing). Also, I try to share the incredible benefits gained from my time in Africa. There are many! Certainly there are challenges and struggles I face in Africa that I would not typically face in the US but it is worth it for the many lessons learned, the deep relationships formed and the incredible memories made. Some day I hope to share more about this as I believe much of who I am today is thanks to the time spent here in Africa. But for now, know it is these relationships and rich l

This past week I was so proud as our staff facilitated a couple of project fairs which are part of our Cash for Work and Food for Work Programs. This is something I have heard a lot about while in Kenya but I’d never actually attended one. My staff did a great job! They are seasoned veterans at this as we have done many. Let me explain (and show you through the pics which run in order of the process) how it works and why I love it so much. To begin, together with the chiefs and community committee we identify those beneficiaries that will participate in the program. Most of the beneficiaries will then work in a variety of projects we select around their camp. Projects include digging water pans to collect rain water which is needed in such an arid area; planting trees and caring for them as part of our reforestation program; digging demi lunes or building contour lines which helps slow rain run off and thus slows erosion and environmental degradation. As workers clock a certain amount

It has been an interesting weekend and I mean that in all sincerity. I have been in Goz Bëida one month and so far and other than the party we hosted for our staff last weekend there has been very little ‘spontaneity’ and though I find many ‘creative’ ways to entertain and enjoy myself there is not a lot of what we would call traditional FUN. Considering where we are it makes sense and to be honest I never had any grand expectations when coming here. That is not why I am here. However, this weekend things changed a bit and now a whole new world is opening up to me in little Goz Bëida. First, on Friday at the weekly coordination meeting we (our expat crew) were invited to a party. It seems each of the NGO’s and UN bodies take turns throwing a bash and all are invited. This is the first one I have heard of since arriving but it seems they can be pretty frequent. As sun was setting we set off for the party hosted by Oxfam. Once the party got going there were about 30 or so people havin

No red hearts, no chocolate, no cards, no gushy commercials or pressure to do anything really. Valentines Day as an event was not at all on the radar for most residents of Goz Bëida, however our staff were sure not to let it go unnoticed. A few weeks ago when I proposed we do a staff day of fun to bond as a team they picked the date- February 14th! One of the guys mentioned it was Valentine’s Day some American holiday he had heard about. I took the time to briefly explain what it was about and said it was a great idea, we would have our own Day Of Love – a day to just be together outside the office, playing games, enjoying music, eating a meal and just lovin’ on each other. So, our Day of Love finally came and it was a great day! Around lunch time people started showing up. First the committee that was in charge of the day and then the rest of the staff. A few of us were playing UNO, a favorite card game of mine from my youth, and college, and Narok…. Little did I know that the game of

6:00 Wake up, it’s still a bit dark, there is no power so I turn on my headlamp for light 6:05 Go check to see if the ‘city’ water is on yet- not yet- 6:10 Go boil water for morning tea for me and the guys 6:15 Check again to see if water is on – not yet…. 6:15 Breakfast! Tea + bread and jam or cereal with powdered milk or perhaps an omelet! 6:25 Read My Upmost for His Highest my favorite devotional book and from Bible 6:40 Water is on! Wash up and get ready for the day 6:55 Pack up and leave for the office in one of the land cruisers, 2 blocks away 7:05 Arrive at office hearing the sound of our staff singing French choruses for devotions 7:35 Devotions end and short staff meeting starts 8:00 Meeting ends, greet staff with my poor French, they laugh and I keep trying 8:05 The generator goes on, office is buzzing as field staff prep to go to the field 9:00 Field staff leaves, office gets a bit quiet, managers and admin remain at office 9-12 Work on reports, reply to emails (offline), re

I left Nairobi exactly a week ago and today I had the honor of going to church for the first time in Chad. My options were few as there is only one Protestant and one Catholic church in Goz Beida -but in some ways that is already more than I expected. I went to the Protestant service which was to start at 8 and there was an added perk in that my colleague was to be the speaker. Due to this he went on before me. I was dropped by our driver just after 8 and saw that no one was going in the building so I just waiting for the appropriate cues to know when to enter (as I don’t speak French and couldn’t ask what was going on). As the service started there were only about 10 or 15 of us but it didn’t take long for the church to fill up. By the time we finished 2 hours later more than 200 people had come to worship. Though I didn’t understand the words I was able to follow much of the service as it was familiar enough. I could read from my neighbors’ hymn book and struggle through the French p

My alarm went off after just a few hours sleep and I found my way around my bags and managed to get ready for my meeting. We (John, a consultant hired by WC and I) met with the Project’s Supervisor for French Development in Tchad as well as a representative of the local government’s Agriculture Department. The meeting was all in French and lasted about 2 hours. It went well and we gained a much better idea of what would be expected of us if we collaborated in future projects. As we left the office building John offered to take me out for breakfast, an offer that was sweeter than usual since I had not been organized enough in the morning to get breakfast and had since worked up a big appetite. He took me to a little café where I enjoyed a pot of tea, fresh juice, some fresh yoghurt and my favorite - a nice French croissant. While there I had the chance to see something I had heard about in Kenya- the French military. What makes them interesting is what they wear or don’t wear. Part

Around 3:30 in the afternoon on Sunday the 18th a taxi came to pick me up to begin my long journey to Goz Beida, Tchad- my home for the next 2 months. My first flight was to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where I had a brief layover and then continued to the capital city of N’djamena. Two things to note from my time in the Addis airport- first, I have never seen such a rush for the Duty Free zone- people were excited and literally buying out the place. These shoppers were skilled and strategic and they meant business! Second, there was a strange behavior among those that were on my flight to Chad. There was a noticeable difference in how they responded to the airline staff and to each other. Chaos is the only way to explain it. People were in a frenzy and not really following any rules but somehow it worked. With the two flights, the layover and crossing a few time zones I finally arrived just after 1am on the 19th of January- which happened to be my birthday. I was pretty beat but was all a

“It is nearly 6pm here in Chad. I am sitting here in the bar of a hotel in the capital city, N’djamena because our guest house has no TV. Many of us, from many nations have gathered together, watching the inauguration of President Obama. It is fitting that I am sitting here with a Kenyan, our accountant working in Goz Beida (our field site) as well as a fellow American, Mary from our HQ in Seattle. The broadcast is live but since I am in French speaking Chad it is via France24, a broadcast originating in France, and therefore it is in French! Not my best language! I am thousands of miles away from US soil and listening in an unknown language, yet through the distance and language barrier I still feel greatly tied to what is happening. I feel a sense of hope, excitement and pride as Aretha sings and Biden and Obama take their oaths, as Obama gives his first presidential address and the choir sings the National Anthem. This is a special time. I am struck by the actual mass of those who

Last year I celebrated my birthday in a special way. I was working with World Concern's Kenya team in Narok and due to the Post Election Violence from earlier in the year there were many displaced people living in camps which we were managing. Together with my staff I was able to do a late night distribution of blankets and other basic household goods to a few hundred families in one of the camps we were serving. It was great being in a position where I was able to give gifts on my birthday. For me, giving is always better than receiving. This year made for yet another interesting birthday in Africa as I was in the country of Chad which will be my home for the next 2 months. Chad is one of the poorest and most corrupt countries in the world ranked by the UN as the 5th poorest country in the world, with 80% of the population living below the poverty line. Recently, the Darfur crisis in Sudan has spilt over the border and destabilized the nation, with hundreds of thousands of Sudane

On the 2nd of January I joined a party that was memorable. My housemate, friend and colleague Diane invited me to join her family for a safari. They were tired upon arrival from jet lag but after their 2 weeks of adventure in Kenya they will be tired from too much fun and adventure! I was honored to be able to join in their adventure for the first week and what a week it was. We started by heading towards Narok. As we dipped deeper into the Rift Valley giraffes were spotted as well as zebras and antelopes. Once arriving in Narok town we checked into the Chambai Hotel (basic but cozy and familiar) and got some much needed rest. The next day we went to our office to greet the staff, introduce the visitors, participate in their devotions, hold a staff meeting and Diane held a separate baraza (an opportunity to share and listen to issues that are not necessarily attached to an agenda) which is always a great time for the leadership to gain a feeling or pulse from the staff. After the mee