Not happy right now.

This is the marshmellow roaster we ordered for our wedding, and THAT is the box it came in. GB America.

Birthday 2009

This past summer, I got to celebrate my birthday in a foreign land.

There's something to be said for experiencing something new on your birthday. Every year, we commemorate our genesis on this Earth, and shoot, why do it in the same way, with the same people, and in the same place?

Sure, it was hard to be away from family and friends on that day. But why not use that day as an opportunity to make new friends?

Take this moto driver I met that day:



This guy had no idea it was my birthday. I actually tried to explain it to him as I got on the moto, but I soon realized that wasn't gonna happen. He knew like 3 words in English, and I only knew this song in Swahili -- the only two vocal languages we "shared." But he loved it. And I did, too.

My point is this:

We're only here for so long. Get out of your comfort zone. Meet some new people. Travel to a distant land. Find out how much you have in common. Do something crazy. Take a moto taxi.

Hakuna matata, right?

Target rues our visits

Oh, it's just Suzie being Suzie. What a gem.

How to Write about Africa

read this

My days are numbered...

So I have a little over a week left in Rwanda, and I wanted to get a
few thoughts down before I leave.

I already know this will not be the last time, as I know thoughts and
memories of the beautiful people and scenery will stay with me for
quite some time.

The Third World has been my home for the last few months.

Third World people have fed me, housed me, laughed with me (sometimes
at me, with good reason), and inspired me. They have confided in me,
shared experiences to which I've have had nothing to say to console,
and taught me more about life than I could have ever learned at home
in the First World.

Faces.

These are the first things we overlook when we hear about issues and
conflicts in these parts of the world. We forget about the people, the
families, the jobs, and the lives. Everything gets lumped into the
abstract, impersonal terms that we use to describe other nations'
problems.

Third World.

I don't think this is intentional. We don't mean to avoid or minimize
these problems, or diminish their validity.

But their faces find no home in our vague terms and there is no room
in our ambiguity for individuals.

I really don't mean to bring up the past, or accuse anybody of
anything other than what I myself am also guilty. It's just easy
for us to get comfortable in our own little spheres and forget or
ignore things that are happening to other people that are just like
us.

I saw an Rwandan kid the other day that looked just like me. I mean,
serious. Other than the beard and the obvious skin color, he could've
been my twin.

Good looking kid, I might add.

It made me think about who I am. What would my life have been like if
I hadn't been born under the circumstances that I was? Am I more
deserving of attention, or more important because of the fact that I
was born at Great Plains Regional Hospital in North Platte, Nebraska,
instead of Le Hopital de Gisenyi-Rubavu?

These are purely thought-provoking questions and subject matter, more
for myself than anyone. However, we can all find truth in these words,
and apply it in some arena of our lives.

Give it a try. Bet you don't have to come to Rwanda to see a difference.

But I know quite a few people here who would love it if you did.

Utah State University article

http://usu.edu/ust/index.cfm?article=38067