Adventures in Life

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...