Today, Fr. Donnie celebrated his 84th birthday. In his typical self-less fashion, he moved the “festivities” back a week, to ensure that we all had a proper send-off next Sunday (I’m still contemplating buying a cow…but I’m not sure if I can go through with the whole slaughtering part of it!). It’s pretty amazing that Fr. Donnie is back near 100% just about 2 years after his cancer diagnosis. Like I said, there isn’t a lot going on tonight to celebrate his birthday, however, he is getting a cake and he was happy to hear that the Red Sox got past King Felix last night (More importantly, he also made contact with Ruthie!).
As the time is drawing to an end, I’m beginning to transition into the “re-entry” phase of this experience. I’m not sure whether or not I’ll freak out or something when I see white people walking down the street or tall buildings, but I’m definitely expecting that it will be an adjustment. All I know is that I’ve gained a lot of appreciation for what I used to take for granted (seeing people who live in mud huts function normally kind of makes things like the NFL labor mess look silly…but seriously, I better have football back when I get home!). Ok, enough with the life lessons and stupid clichés, I’ve got better things to do…
Due to the fact that my internet package expires tomorrow, this could very well be my last post until I come home. If this the final time that I communicate with the rest of civilization, I’d like to sincerely thank everybody for keeping me sane over the last 6 months (you were the reason I was able to slowly crawl out of the fetal position those first few weeks!).
P.S. Cya on the 20th (Yes, even you, weird Malyasian dude who always reads this thing! You’re absolutely expected to be in attendance!)
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Monday, July 18, 2011
A Little Bit of Everything!
The Proposal:-
Remember Charles (the crazy guy with the uncomfortably high pitched voice)? Well, he re-appeared on Sunday night…and he attempted to buy Stephanie into wifehood (Sorry, I still can’t think of a way to make the dowry sound normal). So Charles, who had his game-face on throughout the whole negotiation, set the price at 2 cows (I’d like to add that he was wearing a 7-11 hat(probably trying to save cash up for a Big Gulp). As you can probably guess, Charles’ asking price wasn’t exactly met with the reaction that he was hoping for…
Wataturu Visit:
-Last Wednesday, we traveled to the the Wataturu land and camped out overnight. As I was setting up my tent, I discovered a holes in the lining. Although I wasn’t thrilled with the prospect of snakes, ect… crawling in while I was asleep, I didn’t really have another option, so I popped a couple Tylenol PMs and cranked up my IPOD. Fr. Michael woke us up to watch the sunrise, which was really cool. All in all, a good adventure!
-Crazy Pentacostals:
The day after Chris and Garrett arrived, a large RangeRover pulled into the village. Just as we were sitting down for breakfast, out marched this GUY named Torrie (never trust a guy with a girl’s name…who also has an uncanny resemblance to the lead singer from the Fray). Torrie, the self-proclaimed “leader” of a group of Pentacostals, based out of California, approached the house with Bible in hand. As he began introducing his posse to us (shooting out scriptural references left and right...), I noticed that they kept this African woman in the back of the car. When Torrie finally did take a breath, I asked him why she wasn’t outside with all of us (I was secretly hoping he’d turn around in her direction and yell back “Where were you?”…if ya don’t get, you’re old). He told me that she didn’t feel comfortable to come out with us….blah blah blah… Although we’ll never know what her deal was, I think it was symbolic of what sometimes goes on over here. Without going into too much more detail, there’s a lot of people who go into these areas in an attempt to make a quick buck…also, a major reason why East Africa hasn’t really been able to get on its feet. It just gives me a greater appreciation for Fr. Donnie’s work.
“Shoulda Gone to Yale!”:
-By now, I think everybody knows that my IQ is about half of Stephanie’s. For example, she’s picked up more of the language in a couple months than I have in four. This week, however, I think we reached a new level…With the internet being essentially dead, Steph discovered that Minesweeper came with my computer. A couple days ago, I gave the game a try after lunch and lost (just like EVERYONE else…one interesting note: the explosions…WHEN YOU LOSE…are way cooler in the updated version).
Unfortunately, I made the mistake of leaving my laptop in Stephanie’s house that afternoon. After our nightly prayer (clearly my favorite evening activity…), she attempted to teach me how to play because “it’s really easy and all you need to do is use logic and common sense…” Lo and behold, I never got past EASY and even the EXPERT Minesweeper got frustrated with my lack of logic and common sense (For what it’s worth she also does ADULT puzzle books for fun...Probably gonna get in trouble for this...cyaaaaa)
Remember Charles (the crazy guy with the uncomfortably high pitched voice)? Well, he re-appeared on Sunday night…and he attempted to buy Stephanie into wifehood (Sorry, I still can’t think of a way to make the dowry sound normal). So Charles, who had his game-face on throughout the whole negotiation, set the price at 2 cows (I’d like to add that he was wearing a 7-11 hat(probably trying to save cash up for a Big Gulp). As you can probably guess, Charles’ asking price wasn’t exactly met with the reaction that he was hoping for…
Wataturu Visit:
-Last Wednesday, we traveled to the the Wataturu land and camped out overnight. As I was setting up my tent, I discovered a holes in the lining. Although I wasn’t thrilled with the prospect of snakes, ect… crawling in while I was asleep, I didn’t really have another option, so I popped a couple Tylenol PMs and cranked up my IPOD. Fr. Michael woke us up to watch the sunrise, which was really cool. All in all, a good adventure!
-Crazy Pentacostals:
The day after Chris and Garrett arrived, a large RangeRover pulled into the village. Just as we were sitting down for breakfast, out marched this GUY named Torrie (never trust a guy with a girl’s name…who also has an uncanny resemblance to the lead singer from the Fray). Torrie, the self-proclaimed “leader” of a group of Pentacostals, based out of California, approached the house with Bible in hand. As he began introducing his posse to us (shooting out scriptural references left and right...), I noticed that they kept this African woman in the back of the car. When Torrie finally did take a breath, I asked him why she wasn’t outside with all of us (I was secretly hoping he’d turn around in her direction and yell back “Where were you?”…if ya don’t get, you’re old). He told me that she didn’t feel comfortable to come out with us….blah blah blah… Although we’ll never know what her deal was, I think it was symbolic of what sometimes goes on over here. Without going into too much more detail, there’s a lot of people who go into these areas in an attempt to make a quick buck…also, a major reason why East Africa hasn’t really been able to get on its feet. It just gives me a greater appreciation for Fr. Donnie’s work.
“Shoulda Gone to Yale!”:
-By now, I think everybody knows that my IQ is about half of Stephanie’s. For example, she’s picked up more of the language in a couple months than I have in four. This week, however, I think we reached a new level…With the internet being essentially dead, Steph discovered that Minesweeper came with my computer. A couple days ago, I gave the game a try after lunch and lost (just like EVERYONE else…one interesting note: the explosions…WHEN YOU LOSE…are way cooler in the updated version).
Unfortunately, I made the mistake of leaving my laptop in Stephanie’s house that afternoon. After our nightly prayer (clearly my favorite evening activity…), she attempted to teach me how to play because “it’s really easy and all you need to do is use logic and common sense…” Lo and behold, I never got past EASY and even the EXPERT Minesweeper got frustrated with my lack of logic and common sense (For what it’s worth she also does ADULT puzzle books for fun...Probably gonna get in trouble for this...cyaaaaa)
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Get Ready to OD on Religiousness!
-The Decision-
Sooooo… I just made a big mistake. A couple days ago, I noticed that the Pope joined Twitter. Naturally, I thought that it would be funny to follow him. However, now Ratz is hooked and has been tweeting nonstop about a bunch of stupid stuff. Thus, I’ve unintentionally arrived at the following ethical dilemma: Can I just “Unfollow” the Pope? I mean, the dude’s bragging about where he’s spending his extravagant vacations while I’m barely eating enough rice to get through the night!
-Sad News…
I’m no longer the biggest, most intimidating looking white guy in the village! The two seminarians, Garrett and Chris, arrived in Ndolelejii yesterday (They are studying in Rome and have just finished up their 2nd year in the seminary). Prior to seeing them in person, I pictured these guys to be nerdy...Well I wrongggg…Chris has an eerie resemblance to how I’ve always imagined Paul Bunyan would look. Garrett, also a mid-western, corn-fed white boy (that one’s for Nick T…and for everyone else: i know, it's like calling the kettle black, or in my case, white! But, ya Garrett is from Montana. Interestingly, Garrett didn’t know who Drew Bledsoe was. What else is there to know about Montana other than that?!
- Fr. Donnie Drank Kerosene during Mass and Showered in it too!
The headline says it all! I mean, I always knew Fr. Donnie was a lot tougher than most people. Sure, a bunch of 83 year-olds hang out in Africa...after surviving cancer...but this just solidifies his legacy. Can you seriously find anything on the list of “Chuck Norris-isms” that would trump Fr. Donnie’s weekly activities? Good luck with that, ‘ cause it ain’t happenin!
Sooooo… I just made a big mistake. A couple days ago, I noticed that the Pope joined Twitter. Naturally, I thought that it would be funny to follow him. However, now Ratz is hooked and has been tweeting nonstop about a bunch of stupid stuff. Thus, I’ve unintentionally arrived at the following ethical dilemma: Can I just “Unfollow” the Pope? I mean, the dude’s bragging about where he’s spending his extravagant vacations while I’m barely eating enough rice to get through the night!
-Sad News…
I’m no longer the biggest, most intimidating looking white guy in the village! The two seminarians, Garrett and Chris, arrived in Ndolelejii yesterday (They are studying in Rome and have just finished up their 2nd year in the seminary). Prior to seeing them in person, I pictured these guys to be nerdy...Well I wrongggg…Chris has an eerie resemblance to how I’ve always imagined Paul Bunyan would look. Garrett, also a mid-western, corn-fed white boy (that one’s for Nick T…and for everyone else: i know, it's like calling the kettle black, or in my case, white! But, ya Garrett is from Montana. Interestingly, Garrett didn’t know who Drew Bledsoe was. What else is there to know about Montana other than that?!
- Fr. Donnie Drank Kerosene during Mass and Showered in it too!
The headline says it all! I mean, I always knew Fr. Donnie was a lot tougher than most people. Sure, a bunch of 83 year-olds hang out in Africa...after surviving cancer...but this just solidifies his legacy. Can you seriously find anything on the list of “Chuck Norris-isms” that would trump Fr. Donnie’s weekly activities? Good luck with that, ‘ cause it ain’t happenin!
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