Thoughts so far

Life lately has felt like a roller coaster. One minute we are really excited about being here and the adventure and new experiences and friendships being made. The next minute we are frustrated, homesick, and exhausted. Life here takes work. Even just going to the store can be work and exhausting, physically and emotionally. Christi's sister Trina came for a visit. It was really great to see her. She stayed at our place on Saturday night before going home on Sunday. We were kind of down after saying goodbye. We decided to play a super cheesy game called "I like, you like." I said something I liked about being here and Christi said something she liked. It actually made me realize that there are a lot of great things here and it will take time to adjust. I'm still really enjoying teaching. I have a new student coming next week, and three more by February. This will make 17. An amazing number for teaching these days. However, my class can barely fit 14 kids as it is. It will be crowded, but we'll be okay. Maybe I'll group all the desks together and when we do carpet time I will put it over all the desks and they can sit on top. I'll have to think about that one. We are getting to meet some really great people here. Our other house mate arrives tomorrow. It has been really nice being able to share expenses. Kigali is a really expensive place to live. Most things cost as much or more than they do in the States. Christi priced hairspray at $25 a bottle. God has provided amazingly for us. I got to talk to my brother and parents on the phone, and Christi got to talk to her parents. We were using skype so it wasn't the best connection, but it was good to hear their voices. Last Saturday was Umaganda. Once a month the city shuts down from 8-12 and you gather with your neighbors and do a service project. We weren't sure where our neighbors were so we picked up the garbage in the field across the street. There are some fun random things here such as having a water tower in our yard for when the water goes out, sleeping under mosquito nets, and eating authentic African food most nights of the week. Thank you all for your prayers and support.