Hello Everyone,
Wow it is so good to finally be getting these posts up, and
to be getting some emails about family news etc. Hooray for communication!
Today was a surprisingly big tough day for my French class.
I think maybe we all hit that moment where the adrenaline is kind of fading out
and things start adding up a bit. First Heidi called to tell me she wouldn’t be
in class in the morning because she is sick. Then when Aurelian, our
facilitator arrived he mentioned that /he/ has been under the weather with a
fever. Bethany, our newest addition to the class was a half hour late. She had
taken her bike and the commute which she thought would be 20 minutes was
actually an hour. An hour on the bike! Needless to say when she did arrive she
was feeling pretty stressed out. Aurelian was pretty good about changing the
plan for the day so that we could walk and talk a bit. What a morning!
Heidi joined us in the afternoon but she thinks she will
probably go to Cotonou Tomorrow to visit the doctor. She said she has had a
sore throat, a low fever, and some achey tiredness. I hope she’s ok. It seems
like she is definitely on the defense against whatever she has, so hopefully
she will be back at full health soon.
In the evening I helped my host mama prepare chicken for
dinner. That was quite an experience. Fortunately the chickens were already a
little prepared (i.e. not alive) when they got home, but there was still some
work to be done which required a strong stomach. Still, I was really glad that
she let me help out. Petit a petit, as they say here, little by little. It was
also encouraging to be present all three times that the birds were thoroughly
washed.
Tomorrow more language class, this time at Songhai. We will
see how it goes!
Thanks for reading!
Lauren
Hi Lauren! Thoroughly enjoying all the great posts and glimpses into life in your world. So glad that your host family is a good fit - they sound kind and gentle. You mentioned the children don't have many toys.... perhaps you can tie the ends of a piece of yarn together and teach them games like cats cradle or jacob's ladder or the games where you lace the yarn on your hands and the other person takes it off at where the yarn crosses? Something fun they may not have ever seen. I hope your stomach is feeling better and getting used to the new food choices. It had been very hot and humid here but we are getting a little break (from the humidity) and summer is flying past. I have some flowers on the back porch that my hummingbird is enjoying. I planted a few tomatoes and pepper plants and am looking forward to picking something soon. Cory will start driver's training in a couple of weeks and is anxious to be able to pass his driver's test. The younger brother of the little girl I mentor had been very ill battling leukemia and he died last weekend. I will be going to the visitation this evening and the funeral tomorrow. Prayers for that family are very appreciated and for me as I reach out to help them. Very difficult situation. I am participating in a 5K for Sarcoma Research this weekend for my friend Linda. She calls our team "Sarcoma Smack-Down Squad". I pray that will be true for her. It will be fun for all of us to be together and rally around her. I keep checking the Clark U website for the fall baseball schedule :) Wanting to go see one of Kev's games! Blessings on you Laur. Sending love and prayers. xo
ReplyDeleteHi Aunt Julie! Thanks for reading the blog and commenting! :) Sorry for the delayed response, it's weirdly difficult for me to respond on here, email is a little faster if that's easy for you. Good thought about Cat's cradle. String activities are definitely a good option and could work for both the boys and the girls. So sorry to hear about younger brother of the little girl. I will certainly be praying for the family. That is too sad. Cory's drivers ed is exciting, I hope that is going well. Driver's ed is a challenge for sure, but it does pay off! I hope your hummingbird and vegetables are continuing to do well. That sounds like a good scene.
DeleteThanks again for reading and for writing!
Love, Lauren