And So It Goes...

The other night I was talking to a friend of mine and during the course of our conversation I said, “This might sound a little cliché, but I actually feel closer to God over here in Africa compared to America. He's really working in my life.” And his response was, “When we get into a routine and become complacent, we limit the amount of space we let God move in our lives. When things are crazy, hectic, new, and put us out of our comfort zone...all we've got left is God.”

I do, in fact, feel much closer to God “over here”. He is teaching me all about patience, perseverance, and reliance… honestly, I am learning a multitude of things, and I’m also learning certain things that I don’t even realize I’m learning. Only after this chapter in my life ends, will I be able to look back and discover other things that the Lord has taught me. I do believe that part of the reason why my relationship with the Lord is growing is because I have moved away from the “normal” life that I was over-comfortable with and He is all that I have left. Up until four months ago, I’d never left the United States before. I had family and friends surrounding me and my life was just honky-dory. Why would I need to talk to God when I had friends to talk to? That was my biggest problem: I had my order of priorities reversed. Sure, I loved God, and I had a relationship with him, but I kept “my life” separated from my relationship with Him. Who am I supposed to talk to after a hard day at school? Oh yeah, God. Who am I supposed to talk to when I have fantastic news to share? Oh yeah, God. He has become an essential in my life. If I don’t spend time in the Word or time talking to Him each day, I end up feeling out of place. I am so thankful for the work He is doing in my life.

I’m still attempting to “be joyful always, to pray continually, and to give thanks in all circumstances”. (referring to my last blog) When God first gave me that command, I thought to myself, “Ah, piece of cake! I’m a happy person. I talk to God. I’m thankful.” And God said, “Nice try, Grace.” I had an extremely rough week at school about two weeks ago where I felt as if I didn’t have any friends or anyone to talk to. I was feeling alone, miserable, and upset, but then the Lord reminded me of 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 and immediately I felt ashamed. God was testing me and I wasn’t passing the test…at all.  I prayed and apologized to the Lord and asked Him to guide me and help me. The next morning I woke up feeling refreshed and full of joy…a joy that could only come from the Lord.  Since then, things have been looking up. I’m striving to be joyful, to pray, and to give thanks no matter what may come my way.

I’m still praying for His will, and I am still open to whatever He has in store for me.  My latest “key verse” has been Romans 12:2, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is- his good, pleasing, and perfect will.” Remember a couple blogs back when I talked about praying for God’s will and wondering why He wasn’t telling me anything? That’s because I was not ready to hear what He had to say. He’s been changing my heart so that when He reveals His ultimate plan to me, I will be accepting of it. As recent as this week, God has placed something on my heart. I’m still trying to determine if this is coming from the Lord or if this is just some idea that I thought up, and I’m also trying to understand if this is a plan for the near future or maybe it’s not supposed to happen for another seven and a half years. What I do know is that I haven’t been able to stop thinking or praying about it all week long. For those of you who do not know, the 10-40 Window is located in between 10 degrees north and 40 degrees north latitude. It is most of northern Africa and southern Asia. It consists of two-thirds of the world’s population and the primary religions are Islam Hindu, Buddhism, etc. The main point is that Christianity is practically non-existent. It’s not the safest place in the world, and it would require creative access, but those people need to hear about Jesus. I want to go to any or all of the countries located in the 10-40 Window and let those people now how much God loves them. I realize that there is a risk in speaking so assuredly about something like this, and the reason why I’m publically sharing this news is so that you can be in prayer with me as I determine if this is a part of the Lord’s plan for me.

Life in Kigali: I will never get tired of this place! There is always something going on…whether it’s interpreting what a neighbor is trying to communicate to me ( in Kinyarwanda, of course) , or staying on top of school work, or even something as simple as looking up at the sky and soaking in the beauty. Rwanda is an amazing place.

After four months of visiting churches, I think we’ve finally settled on one particular church. It took me a while to feel comfortable attending this church. I had a few issues with the service in general and I kept comparing it to my home church in North Carolina. But, a couple Sundays ago, the songs and the sermon directly applied to my life and what God has been teaching me, and I’ve felt much more open to the church ever since. In sixth grade I had a realization that I was not going to be going to the same church for the rest of my life, and in that same moment I pictured myself going to a church that was somewhat non-denominational, predominantly black people, and had plenty of lively music with lots of freedom to move and sing for the Lord. And what do you know…five years later, and that is exactly the type of church I’m attending. Just because we have started regularly attending this church doesn’t mean that we won’t occasionally visit other churches from time to time. I’m grateful to be consistently attending one church though, that way I can get plugged in and feel more connected.

Yesterday we went to a waterfall about an hour outside of the city with some friends. You really can’t leave the city and not feel like a celebrity. If you drive by a couple of kids on the side of the road they shout out “Mzungus, mzungus!!” They love it when we wave to them or shake their hands. The twelve of us “mzungus” attracted a crowd of maybe thirty to forty Rwandans. They were content to sit and watch us play in the water and attempt zip-lining. (I’ll explain in a moment) I actually pulled a muscle in my right thigh last Tuesday in P.E. and so I wasn’t able to play in the water or really do anything. I did strike up a conversation with a few of the onlookers though. They speak about as much English as I speak Kinyarwanda, so we had a fun time trying to understand what the other was saying. I was speaking to one guy in particular, Peter, and I was able to understand that he wanted water, he wanted a picture with our car, and he wanted us to give him a ride to Kigali. Another boy, Patrick, came up to me while I was doing some homework and I showed him a picture of Africa and he was fascinated. Then I showed him a picture of America and I told him that I spoke English because I was from America and he burst out laughing. (Back to the zip-lining) We tied one end of a rope to one of the cars and we strung it across the five foot wide river and attached the other end to the rocks to form a make-shift zip-line. The five kids (Adam, Miles, and the three other girls we were with) all took a turn at zip-lining. Miles, of course, had everyone is stitches just by making funny faces as he was flying through the air. Even the Rwandans were laughing at him! It was a really great afternoon. I never regret leaving the city for a couple hours. It’s always a great experience, and after today, I have an even bigger desire to learn Kinyarwanda so that I can have a decent conversation with the nationals.  

I hope you all are enjoying the start to your holiday season. We had a rather American Thanksgiving with an African touch on Thursday and we decorated our humble, four foot Christmas tree on Friday night. We sent several of our personal Christmas decorations on the container that left North Carolina last April. It’s nice to have a few decorations to remind us of home and help us get in the Christmas mood, especially since the sunny and 70 degree weather isn’t helping.

Life continues to be great. It’s not always easy, but God is always faithful. “[He] works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” This road that I’m on right now is wonderful. I’m learning and experiencing so much. I had no idea that God had this much in store for me, and the exciting thing is, He’s not finished yet.

An Update ~Spiritually

I have received a surprising amount of positive feedback on my blog. Hearing that people (friends, family, and even people that I've never met before) are actually reading my blog and liking it is so amazing to me. In my last update (approximately 8 days ago), I shared with you how God is working in me. I've been praying for His will for my life, but I have not been getting much of a response. Many of you have told me that you are praying for me, and I so appreciate (and need) your prayers. I'm typing up a quick update to let you know that your (and my) prayers are being answered. I want to offer encouragement to anyone who may need it and I want everyone to know that God is showing Himself to me one step at a time.

Yesterday I was reminded of 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, "Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." I was completely taken aback by that verse. Sure, I've heard it before, in fact I've had it memorized ever since the fourth grade, but yesterday it was presented to me in a whole new light. The words "God's will for you" stood out like a man wearing hot pink at a funeral. Here I am praying, asking, practically begging God to show me His will for my life. Whatever. Whenever. Wherever. I'll do it, Lord, just tell me what "it" is. He has given me the first step. I'm not completely sure that it's the "first step" it may be the second step or possibly the sixth, but nonetheless He has given me the next step. Right now, God's will for me is to always be joyful, to constantly pray, and give thanks no matter what happens. If I can do that, then He'll show me what's next. I am starting out small. I was planning on God giving me the whole plan in one dose, but I've learned that my plans look absolutely nothing like God's plans. In fact, I think He finds it quite humorous how I constantly come up with a plan and He has to say, "No, Grace. We're doing it my way not your way." So, we're starting small. I'm taking what God has given me and I'm running with it. I'll be joyful, I'll pray and I'll give thanks, as I wait for the next step.

Kigali to Kampala to Jinja and Back

I realize that it was been way too long since I last updated my blog. My life is a pretty steady flow: Wake up, go to school, go to student council, jazz band, drama, or Bible study (depending on the day), come home and eat dinner, do homework, go to bed, do it all again the next day. As you can see that does not leave a whole lot of free time.  I do have some exiting things to share and so I have created some time for me to sit down and update my blog.

Let me start with this: God is doing something big in my life. He is changing me. I’m still Grace Gaskill, but I’m maturing and growing and changing spiritually. I’m so glad that God called my family and me to Rwanda and life here is great, but it’s not always easy. I’ve actually been struggling lately, and I’ve had some rough days. Here’s the deal: I have been praying for about three months now that God will show me His plan for my life. I understand that I will not be truly happy and filled up unless I’m living in His will. And that’s exactly what I want. I want to go wherever and do whatever God wants me to do. When I first started praying that prayer, I expected God to tell me what He wanted…right away. I did not count on it taking this long and I did not plan on going through this whole process. Right now, I’m not ready to hear His plan. That’s why He hasn’t told me yet. I have to learn more things and go through more things in order to be ready for The Plan. He has taken away all of my desires and my own plans for life after high school. As of right now, I’ll be staying at home doing nothing for the rest of my life because I don’t have a single plan or desire. I have had some very hard days. I’ve felt like giving up, in fact, I’ve felt like I had reached rock bottom. Here I am, giving my whole life over to God and I find myself feeling alone and not having a single plan. But, God is teaching me to rely entirely on Him. If He takes everything that I know away from me, is life still good? The answer is yes. God has given me countless verses of encouragement. Jeremiah 29:11-13. Proverbs 16:3 and 16:9. Matthew 6:25-34. James 1:12. Hebrews 13:5-6…God has also given me Sara Groves. Sara Groves is a wonderful, Christian artist who has written some truly fantastic music. Her lyrics are great, and there are several songs that I feel were written specifically for me, they have been so encouraging to me. Particularly this one phrase in her song, Song for my Sons, “I can’t say that life will always go on like it should, but I can say that God is always good.” My life is definitely not going on like it should, or going on the way I wanted it to go, but God is still good. Right now I’m “in the waiting”. I’m waiting on God to tell me what He wants from me. I’m open to anything. I know that He will adequately prepare me for whatever He has in mind for my life. I realize that the roads will not always be easy…but He will be with me every step of the way.

Now, for a change of topic…My family and I just spent this past week in Uganda! We had the week off from school and so we decided to take advantage of the holiday and see a little bit more of Africa. It was quite a trip. We left Kigali on Monday morning and we arrived back into town last night. We experienced some pretty wild things during our trip, starting with the bus ride…

Yes, we rode on a bus all the way from Kigali, Rwanda to Kampala, Uganda. (Kampala is the capital of Uganda.) The bus ride was terrible. That’s really the only way to describe it. Imagine spending ten hours in a bus driving down windy, bumpy African roads. I thought I knew what it was like to be car sick, but let me tell you…Also, the bus driver played very loud music. Sometimes rap, sometimes pop, sometimes Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, but whatever it was, it was loud. So loud that I could not even carry on a conversation with my mom, who was sitting right next to me. I couldn’t read, I couldn’t talk, all I could do was sleep and day dream. Like I said, it was terrible.

We arrived in Kampala after around 8:30 on Monday night. Kampala is much different than Kigali. Kampala is not a safe as Kigali and it’s not as orderly and clean. Arriving in a foreign city, at night, and being the only mzungus (white people) at the bus station was probably not the smartest idea, but thankfully a friend in Kigali had arranged for a driver to pick us up from the bus station and take us to our guest house. If Ivan (the driver) had not come to pick us up, I have no idea what we would have done.

Kampala was not our final destination though. We were headed to Jinja, Uganda to see some good friends from our home church in North Carolina, the Greers. Technically we were headed to Good Shephard’s Fold Orphanage (GSF) which is located in the middle of a sugar cane field just outside of Jinja. We woke up on Tuesday morning and a driver came to pick us up and take us to GSF. It was about an hour and a half drive, and it was much smoother and quieter than the bus ride.  We spent the rest of Tuesday and all of Wednesday and Thursday at GSF. It was so great to see the Greers, to play with all of those sweet kids, and enjoy a change of pace. Life is much slower paced at GSF, especially compared to our life in Kigali.  Many church groups come to visit the Greers and help out at the orphanage. Our time with the GSF was a little different than most. For starters, we were already used to bumpy dirt roads, the food, sleeping under a mosquito net…etc. We did not really have to adapt ourselves too much that way.  Also, we came for more of a vacation. Yes, we did help out with a few projects and we played with the kids, but it wasn’t like we were there on a short-term mission trip. The Greers took us into Jinja on Thursday afternoon. We went on a little boat ride on the Nile River and saw some exotic birds and lizards. Chances are there were other reptiles but I, thankfully, did not see any of them.  After the boat ride, we went into downtown Jinja. There were so many things to do and see on that one little road in Jinja, it was so cool.

Our driver came to get us on Friday morning and take us back to Kampala. Kampala is a little bit more westernized than Kigali. There are more places to shop, and you can find things in Kampala that you can’t find in Kigali. We took advantage of the cheaper prices and did some shopping on Friday and Saturday. Oreos are one thing that you can find in Kampala. Let me tell you…I was one happy girl when I had my first double-stuffed Oreo in three months. You begin to appreciate little things like Oreos when you don’t have access to them anymore. There are several large shopping malls in Kampala too. I’m pretty sure we experienced culture shock when we walked into Game (a store that is similar to Wal-mart). It was crazy! The lighting, the aisles, all the stuff! I felt like I’d been out in a village for three years, but really I’ve been living in a city for three months. Another thing that we did while in Kampala is go bowling. Yes, Kampala has a real bowling alley. It was pretty fun. Kampala is much more polluted and disorganized than Kigali. Traffic is bad…very bad. Often times, in the States, people will say something like “That guy needs to get off the road; he doesn't know how to drive.” People in the States have no idea what a bad driver is. Driving in Kampala is quite the experience. It’s similar to driving in Kigali, but Kigali is not as crowded as Kampala. Also, the boda-bodas are another reason why the streets are so crowded. Boda-bodas are the equivalent to motos which are the equivalent to motorcycle taxis. Boda-bodas are much more dangerous than motos though, because you don’t wear a helmet and you can put four or five people on one boda-boda. (Remember, it’s just the size of a regular motorcycle.)

Instead of taking the bus back to Kigali on Sunday, we hired a driver. The drive was still long, and not always the smoothest, but it was much, much nicer.  On this trip, I crossed a boarder, I crossed the equator and I crossed the Nile (a small section of it, anyways). It was a great trip, but I am so glad to be back in Kigali.

Well, that’s our trip in a nutshell. We go back to school tomorrow, so the pace will pick up again. I’ll do my best to keep you updated with our life here. Thank you for your support and thank you for your prayers. We miss everyone back home, but we love life here in Kigali. 

My Heart is in Rwanda

Exactly seven weeks ago today we arrived in Kigali, Rwanda. I've seen, heard, smelled, tasted, and felt things in these past seven weeks that I never even dreamed of before. Living in Africa has opened my mind to so many things...to other possibilities and options. I absolutely love Rwanda and even if I had the choice, I honestly would not want to be anywhere else right now.


I'm staying very busy with school work and after school activities, i.e. student council, jazz band, and drama. School (academically speaking) has been a bit of a challenge, especially when it comes to math, but I'm not giving up yet. School (socially speaking) is great. I have friends...kids that I sit with at lunch and hang out with after school. It's a small school and because I'm an upperclassman everyone seems to know who I am, which is pretty cool. Being in an international school and in a foreign country means that I'm exposed to so many languages and accents. I have to focus pretty hard when I'm listening to certain people, even though they are speaking English.


Last Saturday I had the opportunity to go to an orphanage. I've never been to an orphanage before. It was pretty overwhelming, but it was so worth it. Those kids were so sweet. The just wanted to be held and played with. The smell was pretty atrocious and the kids would go to the bathroom whenever they needed to, even if you were holding them. (Let me tell you, cloth diapers leak.)  I wanted to take every single one of those kids home with me. Walking away from all of those runny noses and dirty feet, and crying babies was one of the hardest things I've done. I've wanted to adopt a little baby practically my whole life, and I'm praying that God will allow my family to adopt a little girl.


Last week we only had school on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. On Thursday the KICS teachers (and families) went to Lake Kivu for a three day retreat. It was nice to get out of the city for a few days and see more of this beautiful county that we are so privileged to be living in. Lake Kivu is probably one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. Imagine water, as far as the eye can see, and large hills rolling along the horizon and occasionally right in the water. Purely magnificent! We serve an amazing God! (I hope to post pictures of our vacation soon.)


It seems to me that about two-thirds of the Rwandan population carries items on their heads. Sometimes it's something as simple as a basket of bananas and other times it's as heavy as a sack of potatoes. I've seen a man carrying five or six piece of foam on his head, I've seen several people carrying backpacks on their heads (not their backs), but the best one so far: a man carrying six dinning room chairs on his head. Their balance and strength amazes me. 


Specific things that I really miss:
1) I miss driving
2) I miss ice cream and milkshakes
3) I miss shopping
4) I miss driving
5) I miss my friends and family 
6) I miss my youth group
7) I miss brownies and mac and cheese
8) I miss driving
9) I miss Cheez-Its


In case you couldn't tell from the above list, driving is definitively the number one thing that I miss :) Missing those things is good for me though, it makes me appreciate them all the more. I'm so thankful that my family and I moved to Rwanda seven weeks ago. I would be missing out if I had stayed in America. Life is great! 

One Month into Things

It’s my guess that a majority of you, readers, have seen the pictures that my brother, Adam, took. I hope that they give you a better idea of what it’s like here. I do my best to explain it here in my blog, but like they say “a picture is worth a thousand words.”

School is going well. The “newness” of it is beginning to wear off, but I still like it overall. I am struggling in few subjects. Sadly, French 1 is not any better the second time around. Foreign languages do not click in my head…but then again, not many things click in my head. Each class has its challenges and I must “keep my head in the game” if I wish to succeed.

Speaking of school, we did not have school yesterday (Tuesday) because it was a teacher workday. That’s okay with me; it was nice to have a little break. It’s not like I sat around and did nothing though. I worked on an instrument inventory list for my dad, and I studied for several tests and quizzes that will be coming later this week.

One of our guards at school has a very funny habit of saying “yes please”. His name is Ferdinand; he is one of the sweetest guys I know, and he has obviously worked very hard to perfect his English. I’ll often approach the gate and say “Hi Ferdinand! Can you open the gate for me?” And he’ll reply, “Yes please!” One day last week, he had fallen asleep in his chair and my mom walked up to him and gently called his name to wake him up. He abruptly stood up and said “Yes please!”

Most of the roads are paved, but there are also plenty of roads that are not. Some roads are just dirt roads that are easy to ride on, but then there are other roads that are just ridiculous. You can’t help but laugh as you go bumping down the road. There is one dirt road in particular that has speed bumps. Speed bumps on a bumpy dirt road. Absolutely hilarious!

We have found a house-helper! Her name is Margaret. She is very kind and she clearly knows what she’s doing. She cleans the house and does the laundry and ironing faster than anyone I know. She went to the Market for us on Monday. (Being a national means that she will be able to get a much better price for food compared to us, white Americans.) She bought some sugar cane upon Miles’ request. It’s quite interesting! You chew it and suck the “juice” and then you spit out the “fiber”. I’m not sure that I care for the taste; I’ll have to give it another try sometime.

I was told that after about a month of being here, I would begin to really miss “things”. And sure enough, 32 days later…I’m missing American food, and my car, and convenience, and all sorts of things that Americans take for granted.  I know one thing for sure; I’m going to have a long list of places to go and food to eat next summer!

Several of my friends gave my very thoughtful letters to read on the long airplane ride. Of course I kept them all. They have been sitting in my Converse “keep-sake box”. Tonight I decided that I would like to go through my box and read all of those sweet letters plus look at pictures and old birthday cards. Unfortunately it wasn’t a “nice little walk down memory lane”. No, quite the opposite. I miss my friends and family so much. Living thousands of miles away has made me realize that I had begun to rely on the fact that they were always around. Now that I don’t get to see these people on a regular basis, I realize how important they really are to me. 10^th grade was a significant year for me, and I think back to all of the people that were a part of my life this past year, and I thank God for each and every one of them. I can’t wait until next summer when I get to hug their necks and see their beautiful faces again!

I feel so incredibly blessed to be living in Kigali, Rwanda. How many 16 year olds get this opportunity? Sure I miss everyone like crazy, but I know, with confidence, that I will see them again one day; either here on earth or in our eternal home. I’m meeting people from all over the world, trying new things, learning new things, and experiencing life in a foreign country. God definitely wants me and my family in Rwanda right now, and I am all for following the Lord and doing His will, and so I can honestly say that I wouldn’t rather me anywhere else!

Life Continues

On Sunday morning we visited another church, CLA (Christ Life Assembly). I really enjoyed the service. We sang for about thirty minutes, and the pastor preached for a little over an hour. It was so cool to look around the room (that was about the size of a gymnasium) at the sea of black, and occasionally see a few dots of white. We sat on long wooden benches that were, frankly, less than comfortable. The congregation moved around a lot during the singing, and it was evident that God was being glorified.

On Friday night, we ate dinner at a friend’s house. While at dinner, we learned that it considered rude to have food out in public. Even if you are just carrying an apple, it needs to be in a brown paper bag, or hidden in some way. My dad and I have been eating breakfast every morning on the way to school, and everyone that we pass, stares at us. We thought that they were staring at us because we are mzungus (white people) and we get stared at all the time. Little did we know, they were staring at us because we were being rude. We were eating in front of them. Last Friday was the last time I’ll ever eat breakfast on the way to school again.

I drove in for the very first time on Sunday evening! I only drove up to the school, but hey, I drove in a foreign country! In my book, that’s a big deal.

According to the Rwandan Nationals, the rainy season has officially started. It’s about 4 weeks early. This rainy season will go until December, and then we’ll have a second rainy season for several months in the first part of the year. When it rains here, it pours. The wind is crazy! If I leave my windows open in the morning, I need to plan on sleeping in a wet bed. I will be bringing a rain jack and/or a poncho with me from now on.

Funny Fact: Some American friends of ours have a dog that only responds to commands given in Kinyarwanda (the national language).

I believe that you have not fully experienced Africa until you have taken a cold shower. Last night the whole street (and possibly the whole neighborhood) was out of hot water. I was in need of a shower, so I went for it. Not only was the water unbearably cold, it was also trickling out of the shower head. It took me a long time to shower, but at least I got clean!

School is going well, but it's taking me a little while to get adjusted to the different teaching styles. For the past three years, I’ve read all of my assignments and done all of my work at my own pace. Now, I have to figure out eight different teaching styles, and try to keep up with the fast paced lectures. It’s a challenge. It’s also a little weird to spend eight hours in school, and then come home and spend another two to four hours on…school.

Miles has been waking up with bites on his face, neck, and arms each morning for the past week and a half. At first we thought they were mosquito bites, even though he has been sleeping with a mosquito net. He tried sleeping without the mosquito net for a couple of nights, and was still waking up with the bites, so we wondered if they were bed bug bites. We put his bed, and mattress, and bedding out in the sun and sprayed if with bug repellent. He continued to wake up with the bites. We looked a little more closely at the pattern of the bites, and came to the conclusion that the bites were in the shape of a hat…or a helmet. Miles rode a motto two Thursday ago. We think that he’s probably being bitten by a bug that was in the motto helmet. The only thing that throws the theory is that I have started getting bites on the lower part of my arms and hands. They are little red dots that itch so badly! We’re still not sure what it is, or what’s causing it, but we sure do hope it goes away soon!

Life is continuing here, in Kigali. It’s crazy to think that this coming Sunday will be our one month anniversary. A whole month! Life is fun, exciting, and it keeps you on your toes. From hot water to eating in public, there’s always something to learn and experience here in Kigali.

First Week of School? Check.

Whew! I made it through the first week of school. It was...normal. I have discovered that it doesn't matter if you live in America or Africa, 11th grade is definitely your hardest year.

I start my morning off, with my favorite teacher, in Comparative Government, then I move on to American Literature. After that, I have a 10 minute "Chai break", and no, we don't actually drink Chai. (It's just a little break to help you make it through the rest of the morning.) Following Chai, I go to Algebra 2, and then I either have P.E. or Bible, depending on if it's an A or a B week. Then, I head to Chemistry. After Chemistry I have lunch...that's right, folks, 5 whole periods before lunch! After lunch I have French 1, and then downstairs to Band for 7th period. And that concludes my school day. I do like the school, so far, and like I said, it's normal. All of the teachers expect a lot out of us, and they give homework each night. Side note: You know your going to a Christian school when all of the kids have a biblical name. It's kind of humorous actually. I have not met everyone yet, but I would venture to say that at least half of the kids have a biblical name.

Because I've been spending a majority of my day on school, I haven't been into the city at all this week. So, sadly I don't have any exciting stories to share.

I did ride another motto on Tuesday afternoon. Those things are so cool! I would motto everywhere if I could. Also on Tuesday, we celebrated our first African birthday. We had some balloons from the States, so we blew up a couple balloons and made a sign that said "Happy Birthday Mom!" She felt loved and appreciated,  even though it was simple.

It has rained almost every day this week, and I'm told that it's not the rainy season yet...okay, whatever you say. Today (Friday) is actually the first warm day of the week (and it's raining right now, even though the sun is out). The rainy season is not supposed to start until mid- September, I believe.

We are still looking for a house-helper, we did try one out yesterday, but she wasn't quite right for us. There are several pros to having a house-helper. In the States, we would never dream of hiring someone to do our chores, but here, it's a very normal thing. By hiring someone to work for us, we are investing in their lives. Also, we (and when I say "we", I mean my mom) can't do the laundry, and the dishes, and the ironing, and then cleaning, and the cooking by herself. It's not as easy to do things here as it is in America.

I will do my best to keep everyone updated on how things are going here. It may get a little tricky once school really gets going, and I also won't have quite as much to say, because I'll be spending a majority of my time in school, and as much as you guys want to hear about what's going on here, I'm sure you don't want to hear about school all the time. I'll try to take chances and be a little bit risky, to make for better stories!