This passed weekend has been so great! Me and a couple friends went camping at the hot springs a little bit more than an hour away from us. We went on a walk and saw a ton of monkeys and a huge lizard (it looked like a baby crocodile), these birds that looked like toucans and other crazy stuff! We went across the sketchiest bridge ever.. so there were a couple things a little frightening about the bridge...first the planks of wood were thin and not sturdy, second at parts of the bridge there was barbed wire on the side so you couldn't even grab onto anything. It was awesome! The springs were so beautiful...the water came from mount Kilimanjaro and it was so clear that you could easily see the bottom of the springs!
On another note...I am really starting to appreciate the things that i took advantage of before i came here. Firstly Hot water. I think in 2 weeks I have only had 2 warm showers..and it really makes me realize how blessed i was to be able to have that. majority of people do not have such a luxury. Secondly...Laundry. Oh My. Hand washing clothes i have learnt can be quite the mission. It doesn't seem that hard but when you have to wash the nice dark African dust and dirt off of all your clothes it takes a long time! Not to mention its back breaking work. Oh and of course i need to iron all my clothes because there are these lovely bugs called mango flys that lay eggs in your clothing which then hatches on you and goes into your skin. Dont think Im complaining though! I actually like it. I want to live simply..I don't want to have luxury's..i want to experience how other people live...and to be honest i like it better than how i usually live in Canada.
I think I could picture myself living in a third world country some day. I love the lifestyle and culture. So happy, layed back, so grateful for what they get and so generous with what they have. Peoples attitudes towards life here is so beautiful. Ive seen the poorest people with the biggest smiles. It shows that having material objects does nothing for your happiness..in fact i think if you get to caught up in it..it can have the opposite affect. anyways i could go on rambling...but I have a lesson plan to teach.!
Love you all!! :)
Monicaaa!
Monica I cannot believe how amazing your trip sounds, not to mention how amazing you are!!
ReplyDeleteEach one of these posts is so beautiful to read because of the passion, joy and love that you are clearly investing in these people.
I cannot wait to read more, you are in my prayers and thoughts!
love love love
Veronica
Monsie my baby, you wouldn't believe what i just did to get to the computer,....I had to wrestle your dad to the ground upon hearing that you posted another blog (Tim actually told me)and your dad was trying to beat me to it! He's not going to attempt to do that again, 'cause I will hurt him:)
ReplyDeleteI am always looking forward to hearing your stories and you have another one of those picture-rich story about you crossing a rather sketchy bridge! I could just imaging what that must be like. Did your legs and the rest of your body shake at all? The hot springs that you described must be awesome! I have had the privilege of going to a couple of hot springs in the Phil. and you're absolutely right, the water from the mountain is so fresh, clear and clean,...until it touches the surface....i wouldn't drink it if I were you, or did you??
Oh well, you must have been told umpteen times to refrain from drinking water unless they explicitly tell you that it's safe to do so.
The monkeys and lizards....hmmmm, no name-calling now dearie, they're all heavenly creatures, some more tame and less threatening than others.
We had our pastor, Fr. Yves officially installed by Archbishop Terry this morning and we had a reception after. It was a beautiful celebration. A lot of people were asking about you and many have read your blog. So keep blogging, when you can:)
You are an amazing daughter of God and I love your heart, especially your thankful heart. You are absolutely right, we are so blessed and we can never take His blessings in our lives for granted. You've only been there for two weeks and already you've been greatly impacted with what you've seen and experienced. Everything is a gift from God, amen to that!!!
Good Luck with your lesson plan, I'm sure it'll be wicked!
Miss you and praying for you everyday.
May God Bless you and keep you close to His most Sacred Heart.
Love you my monsie!
xoxo
Momsie