On the Fourth Day of Christmas

'Tis the fourth day of Christmas and I hope it is going well for all of you! I am currently watching a movie with a cup of chai tea by my side (compliments of the wonderful Medlyn family), a belly full of pizza, and an adventurous weekend ahead of me! Tomorrow Karissa, Sarah, and I (also maybe Katelyn) are going to ride the horses - a four-hour ride! - up to Sabba Njowra! And then spend a few days with Fadi and Maimu's family before coming back for New Year's. And theeeennnnnn we are headed off to the beach! Yay!! Finally!

It's been a nice couple of days, full of food and sleeping in and shopping and playing with the puppies! They're getting so big and fluffy and fat - the biggest one, Bilbo, is even walking around and wagging his tail. Today Katelyn and Carol gave them a bath for the first time, and they were so cute running around the yard drying out in the sun! And tonight we had pizza and movie night for the first time in much too long, with Audrey and a new friend we made, Christy, who works in the Mbingo hospital. So happy almost New Year to you all! Ta ta for now!

Making Memories!

Puppies! 3 weeks old now

Christmas skit!

The Fulani kids opening their stockings!

Yaya sporting his new glasses

And Unusa wearing his

Happy Christmas!

Mowa and Usufu

Maimu! 

Sisters :)

Sabba Njowra - lovely even in dry season!

They are the cutest kids

Hope you got a taste of our Christmas here! It was so very different from any Christmas I have had or will have, and therefore quite unforgettable. This whole year has earned that title! This year's been all over the place, but mostly I have just been blessed over and over. And many of you reading this right now were the blessings! And now we are finishing it off with all the best things - horses, food, outings, and each other. :) This next year, I'm sure, will bring another myriad of adventures, and I am so excited for all of them!

Christmas, Africa Style

Oh goodness, where to start? Since getting back from Yaounde everything has been snowballing with Christmas and busyness and frenetic scrambling around and, of course, an ever-present soundtrack of Michael Buble in the background. :) On Sunday, Lum went to her mother's house in Bafut for the day for a party, so the rest of us (just a small group now, only Chris, Karen, Karissa, Katelyn, Sarah, and I!) went to Calvary Chapel for church, a church not too far away where practically everyone we know goes. It was a really nice morning; half Cameroonian, like the songs and the dancing and the general happy, celebratory, informal atmosphere, and half white/English, like the sermon for example. Mr. Schilinski (I finally found out how they spell it) gave the message, speaking a bit about their furlough as well, and the most interesting part was that he had a French interpreter. Every phrase or sentence he would pause and the Cameroonian man next to him repeated it in French. Everything, even the announcements and prayers, were done this way, and I thought it was pretty cool. We all went for schwarma sandwiches afterward at Imagine Bakery, and then home.

The rest of Sunday we devoted to making and decorating Christmas cookies for our neighbors, and then Katelyn, Sarah, Karissa and I went riding! It was simply glorious. Always. A dinner of road food, a visit from Derick - who had heard Karissa was back and immediately came to see her - watching The Holiday, and then skyping my family finished off a lovely day. Then came Christmas Eve!

The Jacksons have a huge Christmas Eve party every year, with nearly all the local missionaries and half of Sabba Njowra invited. This year we had over 50 people! It was a huge, crazy fun party, with food and singing and presents and laughter galore. We spent the entire day Monday preparing, but it was totally worth it. From 3 to about 8:30, people were here for dinner, fellowship, dancing, putting on a skit, seeing the puppies, a white elephant gift exchange, singing carols, dessert, and all sorts of festivities. I mostly enjoyed just hanging out and watching all the kids, most of whom were simply delirious with excitement! Haha but I completely understand; Christmas is pretty much my favorite time of year. It's definitely been interesting having Christmas here. I miss my family like none other, and didn't really feel like it was even the holidays  until last night, but I know it is one Christmas I will never forget!

Most of the guests went home after we did advent, and then we spent a few hours cleaning up (you wouldn't believe the amount of dishes!), and fell into our beds. This morning I didn't need to remind myself that it's Christmas; all those from Fadi and Maimu's village Sabba Njowra stayed the night, and the kids were so excited! Fadi and Maimu's entire family came (Yaya, Mowa, Yunu, Yusufu, and baby Isatu!), plus an aunt and several girls around Maimu's age and younger. We have stockings with their names on them from last year, and filled them with small things like candy, toothbrushes and toothpaste, balloons, bracelet-making kits, funny glasses, notebooks, crayons, etc. When they opened them it was chaos! The good kind, of course. :D Everyone dumped their stockings upside down on the floor and spent the next hour going through their small gifts with the happiness of someone getting a new car! Giving gifts is the coolest thing; it really is. Especially to those, like these Fulani kids, who got  their first coloring book or ring pop today! And it doesn't even take a lot on our part. Love it.

We'll have our own Christmas later to give gifts to each other, and sometime today or tomorrow go over to orphanage to give them their gifts. Yay Christmas! Happy Christmas to you all from the land of Cameroon, I wish you every joy and happiness on this fine morning! More pictures coming, I promise :)

Balloon Season

While there is a lack of Christmas season in Cameroon, there is actually a "balloon season" here around just this time of year! Yes, balloon season. Many of the people walking around selling buckets or shoes or groundnuts have now switched to balloons, and usually these cool twirly ones, the likes of which I've never seen anywhere else! I must get some just because they're so cool! The only signs of the impending Christmas holiday are people wearing Santa hats and those who walk around carrying fake Christmas trees and the prices going up on everything. But I've gotten everybody's Christmas presents and I can't believe it's just days away!

Also, we're in Yaounde! And we're leaving early tomorrow morning for the sweet, non-humid land of Bamenda, thank goodness. Usually I like trips to Yaounde, and I've enjoyed this one, but it is just so hot and sticky. We spent the past few days here going to the Reading Room and getting books and reading them, doing a bit of shopping, and then tonight we went to the airport and got Karissa! She's here until mid or late January, plenty of time for fun and games and general jolliness. All right well happy almost Christmas! Until next time...

Sunday

Back from Bambalang! The village was lovely, albeit dusty, but one can't really expect to get away from our "African snow" in dry season! Chris, Karen, and I (a somewhat smaller party than last week) drove out to the Ndop plain to do the third teacher training. We're planning another one, but not until after New Years. I took loads of pictures to give you an idea of what the day looked like, so here you are!

On the road out to Bambalang

Chris teaching

There are always kids who come to see what the
white people are doing!

Chris and Karen teaching! They're phenomenal!

The teachers practicing how to use the flipbook - in Chrambo!

The sun setting over the Ndop plain!

Goodbye Bambalang!

A Penny/Five Francs For Your Thoughts

A few things on my mind tonight... I hope you don't mind the nonsensical juxtapose of trivial and meditative... [or all the big words I love too much to forego]

Happy belated anniversary to Tim and Paige! It's been three years and one day since their lovely wedding, almost two years since Ellie was born, and six months since I've seen them (and two-ish months till their new baby comes!). Miss them a lot, they're some of the coolest people I know.

(Imagine Tim in there too)

Watched Footloose for the first time tonight - such great music! Soundtrack is definitely going on my list for someday when I have lots of money, haha. [Also, I can't imagine the new one living up to such a classic... but I could be wrong, who's seen it?]

TOBY I MISS YOU. You've heard it a thousand times, I know, but I always mean it more than I did before. You're exceptional, and life just isn't the same.

Went on another lovely ride today, on one of our new horses! We have them for awhile, anyway. It's so much nicer (and faster) when everyone has their own horse upon which to gallop into the sunset! The new bay I've been riding is so cute and quite speedy :D But he hasn't got a name, so he'll have to be temporarily christened soon! Any suggestions? Brego, Sebastian, Bilius?

Struggling to be content. [Warning, a rare personal musing from a introvert ahead! Be inspired, so I won't regret it later!] I'm forever looking forward and pinning all my hopes on the future - "someday" is undoubtedly one of my favorite and too-often-used words. But life has taught me this is not the solution; soon enough the future will become the present, and I will still be unsatisfied. Plans and dreams are important, and spark the imagination, and give life to everyday drudgery, but sometimes we just have to make our peace with that drudgery. Enjoy it, even. "I have come so that they may have life, and have it more abundantly." [John 10:10] Abundance of life is not just for my future, it's for right now. Which is completely possible, even for all you pessimists out there. [While I highly value looking at the sunny side of life, I confess to defecting to your side once or twice... a day...] 

Oh, and by the way, Chris has been in Yaounde for meetings the past couple of days, but he's coming back tomorrow, and he's bringing all the packages that were in the sea shipment with him! Which means chocolate is headed my way! A very good thing, too, because tonight I ate the last Hersheys bar from my hidden cache of candy, gum, and pringles. Weh. 

Apparently there's also an awesome meteor shower taking place tonight that I shall have to miss, unfortunately being on the wrong side of the globe. 

Books are magic. I've read two in the past five days. Next week we get to go back to the Reading Room at the CTC in Yaounde (when we pick up Karissa) and get moooore! And speaking of magic, music. 

 

Just before leaving the States for Cameroon, life was an emotional rollercoaster. Silly me, I thought the ride would smooth out a bit after nearly five months, BUT NO. Apparently the ups and downs that occur every hour or so make for teachable moments and character building and all that rot. Who knew?

Goodnight, my friends. I hope some of this made sense... forgive the rambling and the long-windedness. A lot of what I do here is sleep, eat, and overthink things. 

Puppy Pictures

Puppies, Mbatu, Dust, Africa.

HELLO. So. It's been such a long weekend! And it went by so very speedily! Goodness. I was planning on updating my blog days ago, but an alternating lack of electricity and internet thwarted my lovely plans. So here I am, with loads of information to bestow upon you all, whether you wish it or not! 

First of all, PUPPIES! Five of them! They were born Thursday night, just after we started to finally decorate for Christmas (all of which was unceremoniously left in disarray as we all went running for the backyard when Maimu came and told us Autumn had already had one puppy), and we even got to see the second one be born! Yuck, but cool. No worse (better, actually) than seeing a horse give birth, I can tell you that. By Friday morning all five of Autumn's babies were born and healthy and noisy, four boys and one girl. I can't wait until they grow old enough to run about and play! 

Then Friday night we went to the Dibbets' for Bible study, partly because we ran out of cheese and couldn't do pizza and movie night, and partly because the Schalinskys are back from furlough and were sharing their adventures. Then Saturday Sarah and I met Darcie in town to get some limes, tomatoes, and pineapple, and then off to Mbatu we went! 

Darcie lives on the edge of her village, and so we spent most of the afternoon and evening at her house, talking and playing with her crazy and adorable cat Boots and making a delicious Mexican dinner! It was a short visit, just yesterday and this morning, but we had a really great time with Darcie and plan to do it again soon! The ride back was an adventure in itself; we were trying to hurry back to the Jackson Village in time to leave for our second teacher training, but being Sunday, it took quite a bit of waiting by the road for an available taxi. These are bush taxies, mind you, and so there are officially four spots in front, including the driver, and four in back. When we finally got one, Sarah squished up front, literally sitting in the driver's seat, and I crammed myself in the back with three other adults (none of them on the small side) and actually got a kink in my neck from my head being shoved against the ceiling. Fun, fun. TIA! Thankfully Mbatu is only four kilometers out of Bamenda, and the drive wasn't long. From there we got a taxi back to Mile 3, and were back with plenty of time to spare. 

Our second teacher training in Bambalang was a success, if I do say so myself. We met the Groves and the other family (can't remember their names, weh) and all of us (including Anna, who stayed with us this weekend, and Christy Watkins who is visiting the Jacksons as well. I met her last yeah while I was here, but she lives in Nigeria now) went to the same small church as last time. Over thirty people came this time! And Delphine even taught a whole lesson in Chrambo as an example. The whole thing lasted all afternoon and we didn't get back till seven, but it was a nice, full, exhausting day. I was quite literally coated in dust from head to foot; dry season has struck again. It also didn't help that Anna and I rode out to Bambalang on top of the truck! The result was unbelievably tangled hair and light brown clothing, but who cares! It was so fun! Alas, I still have no pictures of the beautiful grassland we drive through on the way, but the next training is next week, so never fear. I did get a lovely shot of the sky when we were at the Groves' house, which I leave with all of you, along with my wishes for the happiest of Sundays! 

Day 142

"I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see." -John Burroughs

Good afternoon! Or rather, good-very-early-morning to all those of you stateside. It's a nice day here in Bamenda - we just got back from doing a bit of Christmas shopping, there's a nice breeze, Queen is playing, and we are looking forward to a busy weekend. A missionary family, the Schalinskys (just a guess on spelling), are back from their furlough and are sharing their experiences at the Bible study tomorrow, so we're going to that, and then Saturday Sarah and I are going to visit Darcie and stay the night in her village, Mbatu. And on Sunday we're doing the teacher training round 2! 

Some Bamenda news: To usher in the dry season, meningitis shots are being given to everyone in the country, I'm pretty sure. Everywhere we go in town, on the side of the road, in main market, there are lines of people lining up to get their shot; Maimu and Fadi got them at their school, and apparently it's one of the more painful ones. Ouch! Also Carol found a house in Bamenda - actually just down the hill a bit - and moved in this week! She isn't planning to live in Bamenda long-term, but it's nice for her to have her own place for awhile. Another bit of exciting news is that Autumn is going to have her puppies soon! We've been waiting for weeks, and it was just last night that she went into labor! Everyone took bets on when Autumn would give birth and how many puppies she'll have, and most people are out of the running, but I guessed it would be around this Sunday or Monday... although we are all hoping they will come long before then! 

Aaaaaand... only fifteen days until Karissa comes, and nineteen till Christmas! Yaaaaay. I can't believe nearly half the year is gone by already. Geesh. Until next time ~

Once Upon A December

Good evening, and happy December! I keep hearing about torrents of rain and major storms in Grass Valley and California in general, and I hope you are all either keeping dry and warm or out dancing in the rain getting wonderfully drenched. :) Here, on the other hand, we have all been taking blankets off our beds, pulling out the fans, and avoiding going out in the middle of the day. Welcome to dry season! The days are muggy, the nights are hot, and worst of all, everyone is getting sick, myself included. :P Bleh. Apparently this is usual for dry season, but that doesn't make it any less unpleasant. I for one, am having trouble believing December has come! It could not feel any less like the holidays. But soon we are going to pull out the Christmas decorations; that, along with the Christmas music pervading the house and Christmas movies every weekend, should improve the festive atmosphere, I should think.

Our pizza and movie night was wonderful; Anne and Birte, the two German girls, came, as well as Nelly, Unu, Emmanuel (a friend of the Jacksons from Mamfe, who stayed with us for a few days two weeks ago and again this week), and Darcie, who spent the night. And Mother, you will be proud to hear that along with Anne and Birte and the occasional helpful tip from Lum, I made six whole delicious pizzas! I know they were delicious because I ate eight or nine pieces, and then a lot of brownies. Yum. Needless to say I didn't feel like eating again until Saturday afternoon, haha!

And then today.... dun dun dun... we went driving! Chris took Katelyn, Simon, Sarah, and I out to a small parking lot (which was actually paved!) where we practiced starting and stopping... my first time ever driving stick shift, and it was great fun! Tricky, but fun. We then went out to the actual highway and practiced switching gears and everything, whilst dodging potholes, people, cows, bikes, and taxis. I never thought I would have the gumption to drive in Cameroon, but it actually wasn't that bad! Quite fun, once you get going. And it was so nice driving again; it's definitely something I've missed these past four and a half months. So take pleasure in the small things, people, and have a marvelous Sunday.

Oh, P.S. - Please pray for Sarah's finances! She needs about $1500 to continue funding her African adventure here with us, and your prayers for that would be greatly appreciated! Thank you all so much!

I Can See Clearly Now the Rain Has Gone

"For the Lord God is a sun and a shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly." -Psalm 84:11

Good morning, Cameroon! My mother shared this verse with me a bit ago and I hope you are encouraged as much as I was! Tomorrow is the last day of November, which has for me disappeared from right under my nose. Time usually goes fast, but this month especially seems to have galloped away without so much as a by-your-leave. Good grief. I had a dream last night where it was the end of the year and I was packing to leave... and when I woke up I was glad to realize that I still have another 6 months left! While I miss everyone at home, I know that my time here is not finished yet, and there are wonderful things coming my way. (They're coming your way, too - just read that verse again!)

We've had a rather nice week. First of all, I got my contacts - finally! I feel as if everything has come into focus. Africa is beautiful. :) And yesterday we went to the orphanage to have Bible club there, and brought the neighborhood kids along with us. They are always so excited to ride in the car, they sing and shout at the top of their lungs and scream every time we go over an especially big bump. I think they look forward to the 7-minute car ride there more than anything else! Haha. But this week Katelyn, Sarah and I took the horses, and Maimu rode with Katelyn and I back home afterwards. :)

Another reason I'm thankful this morning is that I was finally able to register for my classes for next semester! Scheduling classes and figuring out which ones I need to take are some of my least favorite things to do. Ever. In the world. But it is done, and the only other tricky feat I must accomplish is buying and getting my books here by January! Weh. 

Bambalang

Happy Sunday, everyone! I would wish you happy weekend, like they do here, but Monday is nearly upon us again! Today was quite full, for us anyway - we had church here, like always, then Chris, Karen, Sarah, I, and Elsie, a missionary woman here in Bamenda who's been helping us with the lessons, all went out to Bambalang. There we did a teacher training for our lessons in Luke! Bambalang is where the Groves live and work, and where Chrambo is the mother tongue; today was the first day in the training series, and we'll continue it in two weeks.

We first drove out to the Groves' house, which was quite a ways away, but on a road that went through miles and miles of grassland... lion country! Used to be, anyway. Apparently there also used to be elephants, giraffes, gazelles, and other animals there, a long time ago! It looks just like the Africa you see in pictures and movies. Oh so beautiful. As always, the roads weren't so great... especially the paved ones haha! They were so riddled with potholes that the dirt road we took part of the way was actually much better... though extremely dusty! Dry season has come. 

The training itself was really interesting; Chris and Karen switched off teaching, and Elsie and Annette, another missionary in Bambalang, got up and told stories now and then. We also sang some songs (including "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" in Chrambo!), but the bulk of it was teaching the Sunday school teachers who came (over twenty in all!) to teach the lessons we're writing, and how best to teach children. After finishing up we drove back and had road food for dinner. :D I tried bobolo for the first time tonight - it's a white, sticky paste-like food, encased in long stalks and leaves. Very good, actually! I didn't think I'd like it because of its odd appearance, but it's actually kind of sweet. Sorry I have no pictures (of either the training or the food); both my computer and phone died this morning, and it's Sunday, so no power!  It had come on by the time we returned, though, so here I am! And now I shall go, so have a lovely day, everyone!

Goodbyes

Today was a sad day - we had to say goodbye to Brittany! :( She is leaving for Yaounde early tomorrow morning, then leaving for America a few days after that. Two years it's been for her! I can't imagine what it would be like... what it will be like, come May or June, when it's me saying goodbye and boarding that plane! Eeek. But we are all going to miss Brittany so very much. She's been quite a part of our family for these four months!

Despite it all, it was a lovely Saturday, and so Katelyn and I went out riding! We had a grand time running along back roads in the sunshine, and exploring a bit... we may have gotten lost, and temporarily stuck in a marsh, but I enjoyed it all, and eventually we made our way back. :)

That's our hill! You can't see the house, but it's on the top to the right

Into the bush!

We don't know where we are going!.....

Bon Appetit!

Happy day-after-Thanksgiving to everyone! I hope you aren't in a comatose state from eating too much, or have been trampled to death by shoppers this morning! I don't envy those who were among the black Friday crowds. That's one thing to be thankful for - the whole concept of the "holiday season" is nonexistent here. When a holiday comes, it comes, and when it's over, it is over. So today we are just back to doing school and eating leftovers... leftovers of a dinner that was fantastic!

Turkey is hard to come by, even in Yaounde, so we made 3 chickens instead, and mashed potatoes, and green bean casserole, sparkling apple and grape juice (Sprite and apple/grape juice put together) and yams with marshmallows (real ones! We found them in the American store) and rolls and fake cranberry sauce, consisting of red jello and mashed up dried cranberries! Haha. And then we had pumpkin pie, apple pie, and cheesecake that Brittany brought! SO MUCH FOOOOD. 

Besides the food, it was a great day. We girls watched some Pride & Prejudice (just an installment, since it was the super long version), then Bride & Prejudice, and munched on appetizers unti finally everyone came at around 4 or later. And by 5 we were eating! A whole bunch of people came, including Pa and Nicoline and Delphine and some of their families, our neighbors, and of course Simon and Brittany and Darcie. It was rather tight, but what is Thanksgiving without tight tables and tight pants? Haha. We also sang, and did a bit of square/line/contra dancing that was quite fun and also in cramped quarters as well as a load of fun! After everyone left and we cleaned up, we finished off the night with homemade apple cider and Elf! All in all it was the strangest Thanksgiving ever, but wonderful nonetheless. :) I got to talk to Toby and hopefully I'll be able to talk with my family soon - definitely missing them! Though I'm sure next year I'll be home and reminiscing about our Cameroonian Thanksgiving! 

Today I also had the singular experience of eating a grasshopper! Yes. I actually did. Tis the season for grasshoppers. We've seen people with buckets of them, selling them in the market, and today Sarah and I actually got up the gumption to eat one along with lunch. They were a bit burnt, and very crunchy, and I didn't like them much... not that I was expecting to! But I can now say I've eaten a grasshopper. Yay me.

Climb Every Mountain

 Good day to all of you lovely people! This has been a fabulous weekend in the Jackson Village. Lum's party was a smashing success! After a morning of failed decorations and failed attempts at cake-making, it finally came together and turned out lovely, after all. Her family from Bafut came, as well as a bunch of her friends from around here, and then afterward all the girls stayed overnight and watched the Avengers! (And there was much rejoicing - yaaaay)

Tissue paper flowers we made to decorate!

Lum's cake! All credit goes to Katelyn and Carol

And today, after having church here with Brittany and Laura and the rest of us here, we all went out hiking! Someplace up past Door Market (the turnoff to Sabba Njowra) and then out on a dirt road into the hills. It was wonderful! There are wildflowers all over, yellow and purple and red ones, and we also saw several horses with their foals! So adorable :) On the way back we climbed up and rode on the back of the truck, as always - sure to have a few bruises tomorrow, but you can't enjoy a road like that without a few purple knees afterwards, haha. I had an altogether lovely time!

Maimu! Love her smile :)

"Simbaaaa......You are my son and the one true king...."

Horses <3

Change

"It was November – the month of crimson sunsets, parting birds, sad hymns of the sea, passionate wind-songs in the pines. Anne roamed through the pineland alleys in the park and, as she said, let that great sweeping wind blow the fogs out of her soul." ~L.M. Montgomery

A friend shared this quote on facebook and I loved it so much I had to share it with all of you! It fits November so perfectly, even here in Africa. There are indeed great sweeping winds that have replaced the rains and are slowly ushering in dry season, but November so far has been rather in-between. The mud is gone, the dust has yet to come, so it's altogether lovely, and perfect for afternoon rides out in the sunshine! The other day Sarah, Katelyn and I rode the horses to the orphanage for Bible club. Riding is one of those small things that make every day so much better – blows all the fog and cobwebs straight out, and clears things up a bit. I hope each and every one of you has something that does that for you, because it's one of the most peaceful, refreshing things in the world!

Thank the Lord for little things, right? Like peanut butter cookies and buying presents for someone else and flowers and making messes! Jolly good stuff, right there. It all made this week grand in spite of its uneventfulness. Plus it was exactly four months ago today that we left for Cameroon! It feels like it's been so much longer than that, yet at the same time a bit like we just arrived. It's been a crazy weird fun four months, that's for sure. I'd like to say that I've changed since leaving America, but I couldn't tell you anything more specific or important than how I now like bananas and cook a lot more than I ever did. I mean, that's something, but as to major soul-searching life decisions and such, you'll have to wait and see for yourselves upon my return. 

Goin' to the Chapel

Greetings from Bamenda this lovely Monday morning! I hope your weekend was marvelous; mine was! After Lum's family birthday dinner Friday night, then came the wedding, pizza and movie night, and a nice restful Sunday. The wedding was beautiful! And quite long. But fun! It was Nelly's sister Victorine who got married, just down the road at Menda Baptist Church (which, by the way, is shaped like a hexagon. I found that pretty cool). The service started at 10, and we got there a little late, which was still early compared to everyone else. Guests were still arriving nearly halfway through the service! TIA. The bridesmaids and groomsmen came down the aisle together, then the bride, and after some songs everyone sat down while the preacher talked for a very long time. And then another song and another preacher! He didn't talk for nearly as long, but when they finally stood up to say their vows and exchange the rings, I think it was after 12. There was some more singing, talking, and praying, and finally they were pronounced man and wife!

My favorite part came after that, when the bride and groom (both in white) stood at the front of the church while music began and everyone got up with their gifts. Then began a huge receiving line/giving of gifts/dance party thing, where everyone came down the aisle and gave their gifts to the couple, whilst singing and dancing. The music was extremely loud, and it went on for over 30 minutes! My ears were ringing by the time it ended, but it was all great fun. What an experience! Everyone crowded outside to take "snapshots" with the bride and groom, and then we headed home at around 2 o'clock to nap and watch Downton Abbey :) and make pizza!

A whole bunch of people came for pizza and movie night; the Dibbets, two German girls we met at the wedding who are here for a year working at the Baptist center, one lady whose name I forget but she comes her every time she's in Bamenda, Janelle from the office, Chris's friend Paul, and of course Simon and Yunusa and Carolin. 'Twas a full house! So it was nice to have a quiet Sunday, having church at home and then napping and eating and all that rot. Chris took the girls out driving, like he usually does on the weekends; slowly but surely they are learning to drive! I don't even want to try it here, what with the craziness of the roads and motor taxis and dreadful roads and having to learn to drive stick shift, to name a few reasons.... haha. But I hear they're doing wonderfully; even Fadi has started learning!

This week we are back at it, with Bible club at the orphanage, French class, Lum's birthday, and getting ready for Thanksgiving! I am so very excited!! Food food food. It's always been one of my favorite holidays. It will definitely be different from any Thanksgiving I've ever experienced, but it will still be grand, I'm sure! And so very delicious.

It's a Jolly Holiday

Wonderful, long day today! It began with me waking up and coming out to a birthday-decorated house for Lum's sixteenth birthday, and is ending now at 2:30 am after watching endless episodes of Downton Abbey and singing to myself whilst doing dishes. We are throwing Lum a real party next weekend, but today was filled with cinnamon rolls, presents, and schwarma, so of course it couldn't help but be special. :) With Carolin and Brittany here, we had a lovely family celebration, complete with the Jackson tradition of hiding the presents for the birthday girl to search for, and a four-verse-long birthday song. Makes me excited for my birthday! I love celebrating things. Sarah, Katelyn, and Lum are the same way, and so these few months we've grabbed at any excuse to throw a party - if only for us. Still so fun. It's less than two weeks till Thanksgiving, and then it will be December and CHRISTMAS! Somewhere in there the shipment from the US is supposed to arrive, so there's a whole slough of jolliness headed our way! Homesickness too, undoubtedly. I can just imagine Sarah and I wandering about the house clutching our things from America and from our families, alternately sobbing and stuffing our faces with delicious unhealthy food (well, that part's mostly just me...) I'm excited for the holidays, but I'm sure it won't be pretty at times. It will most definitely be a bump in the emotional road trip I've been on. But bumps are part of life, and life isn't any less exciting because of them. In a few hours we are going to get up and go to Nelly's sister's wedding! And then probably spend the rest of the weekend sleeping and watching as much Downton Abbey as we possibly can before Monday pops up again. I hope you all have a likewise lovely weekend! Waka fine!

No Shave November

Four days into No Shave November, and I'm considering leaving it to those of the male persuasion and who retain the capacity to grow facial hair, as my legs are much furrier than I had anticipated... Perhaps this trend isn't for me. Thoughts? Questions? Shall we vote on it?

The main reason of this post isn't to inform you of my stunning leg-hair-growing abilities, but of something I forgot to mention all week long. Last Sunday after the naming ceremony for Isatu, Fadi and Maimu's new little sister, they brought back Mariamu, a girl from Sabba Njowra because she had horrible pain in her mouth. Monday Chris took her to the dentist and it turns out she needed something crazy like 7 fillings and four teeth pulled! So both Monday and Thursday she had to go through hours of orthodontry with nothing to numb the pain or anything. Ouch! But with the help of some pills and brushing her teeth, her mouth has been healing quickly, and Maimu has certainly enjoyed having Mariamu around! From when she comes home from school to late in the evening we can hear them talking and laughing from across the house.

Also, the horses are back! They have been camping out at a compound down the road where they can eat all day and night and get fat for dry season, and where Prince's leg can heal from his boil. Which it did, but they came back yesterday, and surprise! Macchiato now has a boil and swelling on his leg.... :( So riding is out of the question yet again. Wie schade. In other news, Carolin had malaria but is now healed; Lum's sixteenth birthday is next Friday and we are planning her birthday party! Yay! And the day after that, Nelly's sister is getting married and we are invited! I'm so excited to go to a Cameroonian wedding. So be warned, you may be reading quite the novel about it the next day.

Happy November!

Halloween

Well, it has been a week of parties and candy galore! Wednesday night Sarah, Katelyn and I decorated the house with paper bats and ghosts made out of sheets and a whole bunch of pumpkins! (they're green instead of orange here.) Lum, Fadi, and Maimu thought it was quite absurd, of course, just one more bizarre thing we crazy white people think is fun! But it was very fun; Brittany came over and we carved our pumpkins and had dinner and lots of candy, then Lum's beautiful apple pie! It was her first one, and of course it looked like it came out of a magazine, and tasted even better! The only downer is that there isn't any vanilla ice cream here to go with it! :(

Then Thursday we did Halloween round 2! A missionary couple, the Lexes, came over for dinner and so did the Newburns and Samuel Dibbet, a missionary kid who lives on the same hill we do. They couldn't do it Wednesday, so we left up the decorations and saved the apples to make caramel apples! Wunderbar! We all dressed up, and the girls even got into it once they saw we enjoyed it so. :) The crowning moment was when Mama and Papa Karissa came out dressed up as each other! Bahaha. Maimu ran away screaming at first, then laughing so hard she fell down.

After so much excitement and fun, it was nice to have a quiet pizza and movie night to ourselves last night. And now the house is full of people again, like it usually is on the weekends, with Carol back, Yunu staying till Sunday, and Simon, Nelly, and Rashi popping in and out. Some of us (me included, I admit) didn't get very much work done this week with all the festivities and such, so I've spent the morning doing school and figuring out which classes I need to take next semester and beyond... oh so fun. But it must be done! And I hope all of you are well and happy and having a beautiful Saturday! Ta ta for now!

Before...

And after!