A Different Kind of Beautiful

We spend 10 months of each year in the main port city of a developing African nation.  These are places that many would consider dirty, ugly, unsafe, and overwhelming.  From a certain point of view they are right.  However, there is beauty there that we have not found in developed nations.  This beauty is not something that can be adequately described to someone who has not experienced it; it is visceral. 

However, this is not a post about Africa.  Though the Canary Islands are closer to Morocco by far than the European mainland, they belong to Spain and are decidedly Spanish in both culture and development.  We will spend, in total, about six weeks here while the Africa Mercy undergoes quite a lot of technical work (replacing hospital flooring, installation of a new CT scanner, new walk-in refrigerators in the galley, etc.). 

The Canary Islands are a shocking visual and cultural change from Africa, in both positive and negative ways.  As we try to do in each country we visit, we take the good and leave the rest.  The Canaries are beautiful with some wonderful architecture, cheap coffee (yeah!), cheap bread and cheese, and lots of parks (which are free - an even bigger yeah!!).

Here are some photos of our exploits so far:

Father Son Trip

Before Elijah headed off to the US with Dara for the summer he and I went on an outing to Museo Elder, an interactive science museum in Las Palmas.  Elijah loves science and has a natural gifting in that area.  It was wonderful for the two of us to be able to spend some time together doing something close to his heart. 

Overwhelmed - Reverse Culture Shock (Dara)

I was so excited to just get in the car and drive to Target to get some underwear for Elijah.  How easy we have it here in the United States; to just hop in our cars and drive 15 minutes to get what we need.   I walked into target and went to the boys section pick up some underwear.  I then take a few steps to see that there is another brands that look just like the one in my hand so I put them back and choose a different kind, proud to save the two dollars.  I take a few more step and see there is another brand that looks the same but have 5 pair instead of three so I put them back the pack in my hand to grab the other when I am suddenly overwhelmed because there are still two, no three,  no four more kinds I can choose from.  

 

A simple trip to the store, the first in 2 years since I was last in the United States, and I am overwhelmed by the amount of choices there are; overwhelmed by the amount of stuff.  I think it is just time for me to leave the store.  As I walk out I see the pet aisle and think of my West African friend who went to the United States for the first time and when he got back I asked how he liked it.  He said he was sad when they saw the pet aisle.  He said, “The pets in America have more choices than the people in West Africa”.  Now, I am a pet lover so don't get me wrong - we’ve always had pets and loved and cared for them well.  We can’t have pets on the ship and it is one of the things that we miss most and talk about frequently - but to see the pet section in Target was hard.  Blankets, beds, toys, food for old, young, fat, and skinny dogs and cats…and on and on it went - just for a pet?  It’s hard to comprehend in comparison to the poverty and sickness that we see every day in West Africa.

 

Cultural Kids

Although we spend 10 months (usually) in each nation that we serve, we do not live ashore and so do not always have opportunity to experience all of the daily aspects of life in the cultures we interact with.  The Elementary students recently got to participate in a cultural experience field trip in which they got to do just that.  They spent the day doing daily chores and activities.  It was a long, hot day but they had a great time.

Braiding Hair

Cooking

Drawing Well Water

Carrying Water

Making Bracelets

Playing Djembe (drums)

Washing Laundry

Academic Update

The Communications Department onboard recently took school pictures for the Academy.  They did an amazing job!  Here are some of the photos along with some info about the end of this school year and the plans for next year.

9th and 10th Grade with their Mentor Teacher, Miss Dunn

All of the High School students and their teachers

6th graders and their Mentor Teacher, Miss Kelly

4th and 5th grades with their teacher, Miss Remy

The Preschool class with his teacher, Miss Dara :)

Grace has finals just around the bend.  She has done very well in her first year of high school.  She will be turning sixteen in October and is ready to spread her wings.  She is still pursuing spending her 10th grade year in France.  She was accepted to her program and will head to the US this summer to interview for her student visa, which we learned must be obtained in your nation of residence. 

Grace also just learned that she was awarded a $500 scholarship for her year in France.  The scholarship covers 5% of the program cost.  There is still plenty of opportunity assist her financially if you would like!  You can see her blog to find out how. 

Elijah is finishing up 6th grade, which is the first year of junior high in the Academy.  He has done a great job adjusting to the increased workload and expectations.  He also has finals coming up.  It's not his first time because he was in 6th grade math last year, but it is the first year that he will have finals in each subject.  Eli loves science and math but these courses had to be done online this year because the Academy was short of teachers.  It was a bit disappointing to him and he's looking forward to having a 'proper' science class next year.

Elijah turns 13 this summer and will be going to the US with Dara to celebrate this huge 'coming of age' year, just as Peter brought Grace to the US for her 13th birthday.  He is looking forward to the opportunity to see family and experience many of the comforts and opportunities that are not available in the developing nations of West Africa.

Malachi is finishing 4th grade.  He continues to be a 'happy go lucky' kind of guy and takes pretty much everything in stride.  Like many boys, his favorite subjects are the 'specials': PE, music, art, etc. (not to mention break!).  Malachi loves to be active!  Finding activities for he (and Elijah) as he grows is an increasing challenge.  Please pray that we can find some ways to engage him physically with the limitations of living on a ship with a busy dock and a steel weather-deck for 'playgrounds'.

Malachi will be staying onboard over the summer with Peter while Dara, Elijah, and Grace are in the US.  The ship will be in Gran Canaria, which we are less familiar with but hope to be able to do some bike rides and trips to the park (and perhaps some other fun activities 'on the cheap').

Xavier is finishing preschool.  Dara has been homeschooling him this year since he was the only preschooler.  They have had a great time and Dara has done a phenomenal job.  He can read beginner books, write his letters, and count past 100.

He will be moving on to Kindergarten.  The shift in schedule will take some getting used to - for him and for us! He will be moving from half-day to full day. 

Xavier loves life and is holding his own with his older siblings.  He loves to run, play, and swim.  He will also be staying onboard this summer with Peter and Malachi, finding ways to take advantage of the time in the Canary Islands.  The ship will be in the shipyard, which is an industrial area so prayers for a nearby park would be appreciated.



We have had a full year with joys and challenges.  Thank you for journeying with us!  We appreciate and value your friendship and support.

Accepted!

Grace has been accepted by CIEE (Counsel for International Education Exchange) to study in France next year.  She has worked incredibly hard to get to this point and we are proud of her.  She has been placed with a host family that seems wonderful and meets many of the 'wants' that Grace had: they have three girls younger than her (she wanted little sisters), a dog (golden retriever), and they live in a cold region of France (near Calais in the north).  The picture that they sent was of the three girls and the dog in several inches of snow! 

However, she is far from finished.  She still has to obtain a visa, which is proving to be a significant challenge.  We are 'out of the box' in that we are US citizens living abroad on a ship. 

Also there is a still a significant financial commitment involved.  If you would like to contribute to this amazing opportunity for Grace, please give through our family donation page and just leave a note saying 'For Grace'. 

A Different Kind of Normal

A few weekends ago, just before I left for two weeks in Texas, we took a family overnight trip to Mamadou, a rural region about two hours from the ship. 

We had a bit of a time of just getting on the road.  The driver that had agreed to take us inland delegated the job to a 'friend' of his who argued about the price that had already been agreed on.  At any rate, we finally got underway and arrived just before lunch on a Saturday.

We stayed in a round 'hut' with two rooms that were fairly well appointed by local standards.  Each room had two beds, a flushing toilet (the girls found a frog in theirs), and a ceiling fan. 

We mostly just hung out.  We played tag, threw rocks in the stream, and walked about a bit.  We also had dinner on Saturday night and breakfast Sunday morning at the 'restaurant' on the premises.  It was actually quite nice; chicken and fries for dinner and omelets with baguettes for breakfast.

On Saturday evening we had a campfire and Smores (thanks to Dara for her logistical prowess which included packing graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate bars).  It was awesome to sit by the fire and look up at a night sky filled with brilliant stars, especially since there was no moon and no city lights.

At one point Saturday afternoon Elijah, Malachi, and I were sitting on a large rock with our legs hanging over the stream, whittling sticks.  I took note of our environment and realized that this had become 'normal' for us.  I said to them, "do you guys realize that for most kids from the US what we are doing now would be considered a huge adventure?  We are whittling sticks on the side of a stream surrounded by an African jungle".  They both just shrugged.  This is the normal they know.