Another post, so soon? Don’t worry, it’s only about a tenth of the size of the last one.

School let out on Friday afternoon at 12:00 for Christmas Break. Since then, I have spent my time sitting. Blatantly said, it’s agony.  I’m so tired of sitting. I do occasionally hobble to the bathroom but that’s about it. I sit upstairs on my bed and read or write or do something semi-productive, and if I’m in need of a change of scenery, then I go downstairs and sit on the couch. I’ve only been on vacation for five days, and I’m already tired of it…

I was supposed to get this cast off either this afternoon or Thursday morning, but the orthopedic/physio-therapist thinks that my foot needs at least another week in the cast. My family and I are going to Kibagora (a southern location on Lake Kivu) the week after Christmas, and when she (the physio-therapist) heard this, she said that it would probably be best if I just kept the cast on until we came back, which would mean that my leg would be in this cast for a total of three weeks. It’s very disappointing to hear, but I think it’s ultimately for the best, because I am still experiencing quite a bit of pain and I’ve had three different mishaps in the past few days. I have a hard enough time keeping my balance as it is, but try taking away a leg and adding in a pair of crutches…bad news. On Friday my mom was leaning over the couch, and she lost her balance and fell on my leg. On Sunday I was walking behind my dad and my foot hit the back of his foot and bent my foot up towards me. (Being in a back-slab cast, and not a full cast, means that it has a little bit of flexibility, allowing my foot to be able to be bent upwards by the slightest bit. This is not a good thing.) On Monday I was getting out of the shower and my left foot was still wet. A wet foot, crutches, and tile floors are like oil and water, they don’t mix. In the process of attempting to save myself from falling I whammed my right foot into the door which just sent me right back to where I was the day before: in pain. I was in a lot of pain yesterday (Tuesday) and so I decided to double up on medication. So, I guess you could say, I’m advancing in the wrong direction. I’m not sure how much longer I'll be like this, but God does, and I do know that I will get my foot out of this thing one day.

I’m going to try to brave the market sometime this week. That will be an experience. And you can be sure that I will inform you all of the exciting event. One good thing that has come out of this current state is the compassion from the Rwandans. Each Rwandan that I pass eagerly calls out “Sorry!” Considering the fact that I live in Rwanda, I hear “Sorry!” a lot. The funny thing is, it doesn’t sound like “sorry”; it sounds more like “sawdy” The conversation goes something like this:

“Ooo sawdy! What happened?”

“I was playing football”

“Oh football! That is good. You will get better soon.”

I did get out of the house for a couple hours yesterday…I went and got my hair cut. The man that cut my hair has actually studied in Dubai, so I felt pretty confident that he knew what he was doing. People have always been fascinated with my hair. Even as a baby, complete strangers used to stop my mom in the grocery store and ask if my hair was natural or if it was a perm. People love to touch my hair…I really do not understand why. Anyway, Frank (the guy that cut my hair) could not get over my hair. When I first took it out of the pony-tail he said, “Your hair, is incredible!” He was meaning incredible more in a negative sense… “Your hair is incredibly thick, and I’m not sure where to start.” A little while later he said, “Your hair…it’s too much. It’s hard on the eyes.” Great, thanks. I know that he wasn’t trying to offend me, it was pretty funny. My hair cut was a success all in all. It falls right at my shoulders when it is straight and it’s just under my chin when it’s curly. I will be posting some pictures on facebook of my birthday and Christmas, so you will be able to get a better idea of the “new do” then.

My schedule received a drastic change. Up until last Friday, my life has been a constant flow of school and activities, leaving me little to no free time. I now spend the majority of my day sitting with ample time on my hands. Therefore, you can expect multiple short blog posts over the next few weeks.

With only four remaining days until Christmas, I can only imagine the condition of the over-crowded stores and the congested roads, full of people wrapping up (pun intended) their Christmas shopping. Enjoy the cold temperatures, the over-priced items, and the busy stores. Eat lots of holiday treats and drink lots of Chick-fil-a peppermint milkshakes. Spend as much time as possible with your dear family and friends because you never know when God might call you to Africa, leaving you without any of the aforementioned things.