This is Africa: 4th of July

Yes, we can even celebrate American holidays in Africa. Thanks to the US Embassy and the American school for a fabulous 4th of July party!

I haven't seen so much red, white and blue in a VERY long time.

There were flags in flower pots.

Uncle Sam with a face that looks a lot like mine, saying, "We want you!"

We met up with the wonderful Whitlocks.

Had some fun at the face painting booth.

Then came the games. Tug-of-war.

Volleyball.

All in all, it was a great celebration. It put us in a great mood to return to our homeland for a few weeks. God bless America. Land that we love.

What did you do this 4th of July?

Adventures in Africa: Road Trip!

 Kenyon and I recently took a road trip in Mozambique. I wanted to share with you some of the photos from that adventure.

Taken from the car on my little point and shoot camera. I took this photo to show the people walking in the road. For some reason there are always people walking in the road in Africa. It is quite the obstacle and rather dangerous at night when visibility is low.

There are obstacles beyond the people. On the left is feet of dirt pile up, ready for grading someday. I am told this road has been under construction for years. There are sticks every few feet to keep people from driving on the left side of the road. You should be able to recognize what is coming at us on the right. We fit between the two, but I still wonder how.

This is another common site. People piled in the back of a pick-up. They drive like this for hours. Many commuting to places like Maputo (the city we live in) or South Africa for work.

So far, all of our road trips have been taken with the Whitlocks. Usually in their 13-passenger van - though it is often driven like it's a much smaller, more agile vehicle. I have decided we are too soft on our vehicles in the States. Vehicles in America lead a very cushy, sheltered life!

This trip, we really pushed the van to it's limits on the sandy terrain. Four wheel drive vehicles, like the one we drive, can rise above the sinking sand. The Whitlock van wasn't so lucky.

Thankfully, there was a good samaritan willing to help. He gave it the best he had and nearly burnt the clutch on his vehicle trying. In the end, they had to send a tractor to dig the van out of it's hole.

These are the events memories are made of!

dragon breath

I've had a hacking cough for something like four weeks. It drained me of energy. It made me irritable. I wanted it to end. One of my colleagues at work gave me a concoction to eat to "help with the cough." Everyone at work probably was tired of hearing it and worried it was contagious.

It was onions, garlic, lemon juice and some sugar. Wow, it was potent! I was supposed to take a bite every 30 minutes or so. It did clear up the cough, which was interesting to me. But, it had a side effect that I titled "dragon breath." I didn't want to speak with anyone as I was sure the odor coming out of my mouth was something horrific.

Home remedies, what are yours?

NOTE: the next day I also had a strange odor coming out of my skin. I guess it can act as a cough remedy and repellent - a two for one!

Portuguese + Spanish (Espanol) = Portanol

We have started language lessons. We are currently in the basic greeting stage of learning.

Hello. How are you? Where are you from? or what is your nationality? What is your profession? I speak English. I am from America. I am the Deputy Country Director. I am a student of Portuguese. I am well, thank you.

These are the things we can now say and understand in Portuguese. I am finding this Spanish connection more difficult than expected. Spanish words come out when I don't mean them to. My teacher said there are people who end up speaking Portanol - a combination of Portuguese and Spanish (Espanol). I am coming to believe that I will be one of those people.

In New Mexico, most speak a combination of Spanish and English - known as Spanglish.

I wonder if I can put these hybrid languages on a resume? I am not really fluent in anything, just a hodge-podge of a few languages.

What languages do you speak?

Obituary: Ernestina Roybal Rodriguez

The funeral for my great grandma came and went...and I couldn't be there. That doesn't mean I am not grieving. Here is a link to her obituary if you want to read it. Below is an excerpt:

Ernestina recently had a grand celebration on her 100th birthday with 250 in attendance, which provided everyone a chance to greet her personally. Her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren number 158. Ernestina was a beautiful, hard-working, generous, loving lady that devoted her life to her husband, family, and faith.

I am part of her legacy. Now, if only I could learn to make home-made tortillas like she did! My tia Anita (featured in the picture below) has given me all the tools and instructions I need to accomplish this. I tried twice. They were good, but the work didn't seem worth it at the time when there were decent store-bought varieties. I keep contemplating trying it again now that I am living in a place with a serious lack of tortillas. I must go to South Africa and make a special order in advance if I want some. Deep sigh!

On my last visit we took this photo. It isn't fantastic. I think it was taken with a cell phone. It features me, my mom, my tia Anita and my tia Carmen. Grandma is in the middle. I was hoping to see her again on our upcoming visit and get a picture with this small, but incredibly strong woman. Our plane leaves in seven days to the US. New Mexico is our first stop. I am so sad a stop at Grandma's house to spend some time with her will not be possible.

In case you haven't figured it out already, it is the people who matter most in life...not the abundance of your possessions.