A Week in the Life of Rachel

Sunday: Church.  Ladies' meeting after church.  Shopping, around the house stuff, and getting ready for the week.

 

Monday: Class 1:30-5:30.  After class, ladies' hang-out at the mission.

 

That was fun. :)  Jen wanted to get together with the ladies before she moved.  We ordered pizza and I made brownies.  (Yes, I'm clearly on a pizza-and-brownie kick.)  We chatted and played Pit and took pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(We were having a hard time getting our act together for pictures, clearly.)

 

Tuesday: Class 10:30-12:30, 1:30-5:30.  After class, went to J&A's.

 

Wednesday: Class 10:30-12:30, 1:30-5:30.  Meeting after class.  Directly after meeting, met up with some friends at the mall.

 

Jen had texted me to see if I wanted to get ice cream and watch the sunset with them.  Sunsets are my one weakness, so I said yes.  I'm glad I did.  It was another fun evening.

 

We got some ice cream and then went up on the...roof?...to watch the sunset.  It was really windy, as evidenced by the hair going everywhere.

 

 

(What is wrong with my face there?!)

 

 

 

 

 

Again, getting decent pictures isn't a piece of cake.   The wind kept whipping our hair into our faces, and getting three people to not blink at the same time...well, yeah.

 

Cousins. :)

 

 

 

Pictures never do a sunset justice, but all the same, here you go.

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

Lights at dusk.  (Jen took those three pictures, I think.)

 

 

 

Ah, Jen.  I'm going to miss you.  A lot.

 

 

After the sun went down, we decided it was best to head back to where Jen was staying (some areas just aren't that great after dark, you know).  Michi said she needed to get back.  The rest of us decided we were hungry, so we walked out with her.  She ended up coming to the restaurant with us and we talked for a couple hours.

 

Hurray for friends and yummy food and unhurried conversations!

 

Thursday: Class 10:30-12:30, 1:30-5:30.  Prayer meeting after class.  J&A's after prayer meeting.

 

Friday: Cleaning, etc., to get the house ready for Susie.  Class 1:30-5:30.  Swung by the store.  Had Susie waiting for me when I got home.

 

We made pizza (see?  Pizza kick.) and chatted until midnight.

 

Saturday: Run errands with an NTM couple - shots for Susie and some shopping downtown.  Went to visit a lady we both knew.  Came back and visited at my place for a while.

 

 

 

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday it was so dusty here.  We were driving along the beach here, and you can't even see the two normally-visible islands.

 

 

 

For you, Sarah: an old fire truck.

 

 

(I should probably state for the record that those flowers weren't for Susie.  She was just holding them.) 

 

 

 

Here we are, driving past the "Saturday market".  I've heard it stretches on for nearly a mile.

 

I don't have pictures of our visit with Vicky, but we got there around noon.  It was a quintessentially African experience.  We showed up, and she was like, "You'll stay for the meal, right?"

 

...The meal which she had just started.  I'm not sure if you know this about African meals, but they tend to take a while.  Like, sometimes three hours or more.  So we looked at each other and said, "Okay, sure."  (My vote was in as soon as I found out it was mafé.)

She had just moved, so there were boxes and bags to rearrange.  We helped with what we could - dusting, sweeping, and a few random kitchen tasks.  Her water wasn't running, so we carried filled up five-liter bottles at the clinic across the street.

 

And we waited.  My stomach may not have learned the art of patience yet, but my mind, at least, is slowly adjusting to the rhythm of life here.  Things happen when they happen.  There are some things you can't rush, and you don't try to.  You just take things as they come.

 

We moved the gas can from the windy courtyard to the room, so they fire would burn better.  As we waited, we chatted.  Vicky's elderly dad lay on the single-wide bed, her cousin (who was sick) lay on the same bed - curled up against the wall - and then there were two more of us sitting on the corners of the bed.  (Have you noticed personal space isn't a top priority here?  And yeah, I'm learning to be okay with that.)

 

The gas finished before the rice was cooked, which of course necessitated a trip to the boutique to get a full gas can.  By the time all was said and done, lunch was ready around 4:00.

 

She piled the platter with rice and poured the sauce over top.  "That looks like a lot," Susie whispered in English.  It did - but between the six of us, we managed to finish it all.  And it was worth the wait.

Susie and I left after that...tired, but well-fed.

 

I'm so glad we had time together.  She's a great friend.

 

 

 

 

 

By the way, I think Saturday was the only day last week that I was in bed before midnight.  I usually don't do that for a whole week.  Last week was rather exceptional, I s'ppose. :)

And there you have it.  A week in the life of Rachel, with pictures!  Until next time, people.