Tuesday, May 27, 2008
The Beautiful Prairies!
I am home in Regina living with my parents for a couple months. At the end of June I am off to Camp for 8 weeks. This is my 7th summer as staff there and i love it! After the summer i will be moving back to Calgary to finish my degree. Now many people have asked me how long i have left ..well i have about a year and a half depending on the availability of money :P I am really looking forward to my summer as staff being able to share the love of jesus with campers. Right now i am in the process of getting all my papers and odds and ends done . Life never seems to slow down but i am keeping up with it :) Thank you all so much for your prayers and your support. I am so greatful for the people that god has surrounded me with! I pray God's richest blessing on you all!
Friday, May 2, 2008
How to move on...
So i have come to my last few hours here in Cairo Egypt. What a tremendous year where God has shown himself faithful through so many people. People keep asking me what i am going to miss... the people, the friendships, the way God has shown me more of who he is in me. Am I going to be back in Egypt?? Well if God brings me back here. It has been a whirl wind last few weeks as i was in Israel for a week and then had my last four days in Cairo just running around getting everything done. All i can do is is give God all the glory and honor for this year. Thank you so much for each and every one of you who prayed and supported me financially. I cannot express how much it means to me! I am just over run with feelings of gratitude! God is So Good! Please know that i soo apreaciate you all! Please pray for safe travel for me and that my bags arrive home with no complications. I arrive home in Regina at 10:30pm. Praise the Lord for his Faithfulness!! God is Good!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Tears have already come but so has Joy...
My time here in Egypt is swiftly coming to a close. This day has seemed so far and i hadn't really spent much time thinking about what i would feel and what it would look like when i leave. But As the day for me leaving is approaching at incredible speeds i am now thinking about my time here coming to close and what that really means for me. I have spent an incredible time here in Egypt learning from amazing people and learning how to adjust and learn from this culture. Let me tell you some days i have sat down and thought " did that really happen" or " What did i say" and whatever the case i know each and every day is a new day that brings crazy new things i never expected.
Spring here has been an absolute surprise and a beautiful sites of amazing flowers and trees and shrubbery with beautiful vibrant colors! The Purple flowers is the tree right outside my little balcony! The blessing of living in the area that i live is that there is a lot of green and beautiful plants of flowers! When you see so much brown it is such a nice break to live in an area that has unusual amount of color!
I am now officially done teaching English, last day teaching was this past Tuesday. My "lasts" are coming more and more frequent now and i am finding it harder and harder to say goodbye but yet at the same time the people i left behind in Canada i am so excited to see and to be able to spend time with them. MY three brothers live in Calgary and i have been able to talk with them several times this year over Skype! It is amazing how time and and ocean apart increases my love for my family! I have three amazing brothers whom i love dearly! It has been so fun this year to phone people and chat with them.
My girls this year have been so fun to get to know them and spend time with them. I think a lot of this year was spent them laughing at me and my Arabic attempts and me smiling along cause i had no idea what they were saying! I will treasure the memories i have of this year and being to learn from each other! And the other picture is a picture of our last team meeting with the interns. It has been a fun year getting to know them and growing together and spurring each other on towards Christ. I most definitely will treasure the memories we have together and the family they have been for me this past year.
On April 21st i am heading off with a friend to go to Israel for a little over a week! I am very excited about this adventure and what it will bring! So much History in this part of the world that is so relevant to us! I even get to float in the dead sea :) !! After much gallivanting i will return back to Cairo on the 29th of April late at night. I have three days to get everything done and tie up all loose ends. Fortunately i am already packed in the sense that i have gone through everything and know exactly how much room i have and what i am leaving behind! Yay me! :) Thank you so much for all your prayers and your support! God is soo so faithful and he continues to provide for me!
Blessings!!
Spring here has been an absolute surprise and a beautiful sites of amazing flowers and trees and shrubbery with beautiful vibrant colors! The Purple flowers is the tree right outside my little balcony! The blessing of living in the area that i live is that there is a lot of green and beautiful plants of flowers! When you see so much brown it is such a nice break to live in an area that has unusual amount of color!
I am now officially done teaching English, last day teaching was this past Tuesday. My "lasts" are coming more and more frequent now and i am finding it harder and harder to say goodbye but yet at the same time the people i left behind in Canada i am so excited to see and to be able to spend time with them. MY three brothers live in Calgary and i have been able to talk with them several times this year over Skype! It is amazing how time and and ocean apart increases my love for my family! I have three amazing brothers whom i love dearly! It has been so fun this year to phone people and chat with them.
My girls this year have been so fun to get to know them and spend time with them. I think a lot of this year was spent them laughing at me and my Arabic attempts and me smiling along cause i had no idea what they were saying! I will treasure the memories i have of this year and being to learn from each other! And the other picture is a picture of our last team meeting with the interns. It has been a fun year getting to know them and growing together and spurring each other on towards Christ. I most definitely will treasure the memories we have together and the family they have been for me this past year.
On April 21st i am heading off with a friend to go to Israel for a little over a week! I am very excited about this adventure and what it will bring! So much History in this part of the world that is so relevant to us! I even get to float in the dead sea :) !! After much gallivanting i will return back to Cairo on the 29th of April late at night. I have three days to get everything done and tie up all loose ends. Fortunately i am already packed in the sense that i have gone through everything and know exactly how much room i have and what i am leaving behind! Yay me! :) Thank you so much for all your prayers and your support! God is soo so faithful and he continues to provide for me!
Blessings!!
Friday, April 4, 2008
Its official May 3!
Well I have my Flight home booked and it is official i arrive back home to Regina at 10:30pm on May 3rd. A month from yesterday! I leave early morning at 8:35am on Saturday May 3rd. Just to keep all you wonderful people back home updated. :)
Monday, March 31, 2008
The one month countdown!
I am more than a little shocked that it is the month mark before i head home! So much has happened and i need to give an update!On the 22 of march i had the awesome privileged of being able to go to Turkey with my mentors. I was there for one week and had a chance to meet some amazing people and learned a lot! One afternoon our group had the chance to go to Ephesus which was only a short 10 min drive away! It was such a neat opportunity to see the history and be where Paul was! Over all the week was amazing and i was privileged to meet wonderful people!
This week i am finishing my last 2 days of Arabic class! very strange after 7 months! We had a wonderful teacher all year and it won't easy saying goodbye! And now i am focusing more on the girls i teach and as well getting in my papers. It will be a very busy time as i am if all things turn out going to Israel for a week! Looking forward to it! After Israel i promise i am travelling no where else- except to come home! I will be arriving home the beginning of May give or take a couple days! My time is almost coming to a close and i am so very thankful for the time i have had here! god is faithful and i will cherish the memories that i have made here. Stay tuned i will try to get some pictures up soon of my adventures!
This week i am finishing my last 2 days of Arabic class! very strange after 7 months! We had a wonderful teacher all year and it won't easy saying goodbye! And now i am focusing more on the girls i teach and as well getting in my papers. It will be a very busy time as i am if all things turn out going to Israel for a week! Looking forward to it! After Israel i promise i am travelling no where else- except to come home! I will be arriving home the beginning of May give or take a couple days! My time is almost coming to a close and i am so very thankful for the time i have had here! god is faithful and i will cherish the memories that i have made here. Stay tuned i will try to get some pictures up soon of my adventures!
Monday, March 17, 2008
Bartering! Being Myself!
So i would like to start this blog of mine really just sharing how much i really enjoy toying with the shop owners and bartering my way to an Egyptian price rather than a foreigner price. So this past week a friend of mine on the same program as me was staying with me. During this time we had a opportunity to take her to the khan ( very old and well known marketplace). This was in fact my first time there and turned out to be a most enjoyable time. While walking along i heard such things from the shop owners as
" How can I take your money??" "You dropped something.....you dropped my heart" "Beautiful smile" "Just look...no price".
The sites were amazing...at one point a man on a bike rode by with a HUGE gurney looking thing on his head holding bread. These people are talented! What they can carry on their heads is amazing! The women hold their child on their shoulder with one leg in front and one leg in behind. And where ever i saw Lamps i always checked to see for a genie...although i think if i would have just given the shop owner a kiss on the cheek i could have got my lamp with the genie inside for Free! ah well i don't fly that way.
Any who i must say that was a very enjoyable experience. Although near the end of the evening a friend tried to sell my friend and i off for 20,000 camels. I was shocked when i proceeded to notify my professor that she might get a whole lot of camels and one less student, to which she replied yes that is great "pay off my loans". I tell ya the nerve of people trying to sell me off- least 75,000 camels! Well after that we spotted a really great store that we were in for quite a while. While in there i took the opportunity to banter with the owner. He was very funny and praised my Arabic..but as i opened my wallet to pay for something he caught site of my licence picture and proceeded to call me fat in Arabic! Now let me tell you something about this delightful culture...it is normal for people to tell their friends they are fat. I should have maybe been perturbed but i then proceeded to buy from him. So in the end i guess i was not offended and still bought from him. While helping my friend in another shop i was labeled a problem "mushkala" so i think it was great time. :)
On another lovely note. I leave Friday at midnight for Turkey! I am really looking forward to a time of learning from all these amazing people that will be there. As well of course all the history that is in the surrounding area. Wow opportunity!
I am so extremely thankful for my time here in Egypt. God is so faithful and desires to bless us. I have had so many opportunities to learn and grow from Godly people. Transition for me into the culture has been so smooth...not without its problems but none the less i feel like this has been a real home for me. I live with a wonderful family here that has been a huge blessing. They are a joy and pleasure to spend time with. I give God all the glory for what has has done this year to grow and stretch me! Thank you so much to all my friends and family who are praying for me and loving me from across the ocean. I love you all! I am really looking forward to getting lots and lots of hugs when i get home!! :)
" How can I take your money??" "You dropped something.....you dropped my heart" "Beautiful smile" "Just look...no price".
The sites were amazing...at one point a man on a bike rode by with a HUGE gurney looking thing on his head holding bread. These people are talented! What they can carry on their heads is amazing! The women hold their child on their shoulder with one leg in front and one leg in behind. And where ever i saw Lamps i always checked to see for a genie...although i think if i would have just given the shop owner a kiss on the cheek i could have got my lamp with the genie inside for Free! ah well i don't fly that way.
Any who i must say that was a very enjoyable experience. Although near the end of the evening a friend tried to sell my friend and i off for 20,000 camels. I was shocked when i proceeded to notify my professor that she might get a whole lot of camels and one less student, to which she replied yes that is great "pay off my loans". I tell ya the nerve of people trying to sell me off- least 75,000 camels! Well after that we spotted a really great store that we were in for quite a while. While in there i took the opportunity to banter with the owner. He was very funny and praised my Arabic..but as i opened my wallet to pay for something he caught site of my licence picture and proceeded to call me fat in Arabic! Now let me tell you something about this delightful culture...it is normal for people to tell their friends they are fat. I should have maybe been perturbed but i then proceeded to buy from him. So in the end i guess i was not offended and still bought from him. While helping my friend in another shop i was labeled a problem "mushkala" so i think it was great time. :)
On another lovely note. I leave Friday at midnight for Turkey! I am really looking forward to a time of learning from all these amazing people that will be there. As well of course all the history that is in the surrounding area. Wow opportunity!
I am so extremely thankful for my time here in Egypt. God is so faithful and desires to bless us. I have had so many opportunities to learn and grow from Godly people. Transition for me into the culture has been so smooth...not without its problems but none the less i feel like this has been a real home for me. I live with a wonderful family here that has been a huge blessing. They are a joy and pleasure to spend time with. I give God all the glory for what has has done this year to grow and stretch me! Thank you so much to all my friends and family who are praying for me and loving me from across the ocean. I love you all! I am really looking forward to getting lots and lots of hugs when i get home!! :)
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Laughter, possible game cheating, and of course food!
On Saturday March 1st my friend and I planned a an afternoon of games, food, and much conversation... and I mean English conversation. The girls that I teach English all came over plus 2 more to an afternoon planned solely to get the girls speaking in English and practising what they have learned. This was done with my Intern team. We had a lot of fun playing a game at the beginning and mingling and finding out stuff about each other.
After playing the game and talking with each other for a bit we sat them down to a good ol hamburgers ( or chicken if they preferred). Of course every single one of those girls LOVES chicken so they all ended up having chicken.. oh well. After we ate the girls taught us some games that they really play. Lots of fun..and not too many banged heads! After playing games for a little while we said our goodbyes and the girls went home.
It was such a fun afternoon, that allowed the girls a chance to practice their English with people whose first language is English. It was such a pleasure to see the girls enjoying their time and with our team. It was such a fun thing to plan and to see the way the girls really opened up more to me and allowed me to see a little bit more of who they are! These Coptic girls are a lot of fun to teach and are really opening up to us! Here is a picture of the girls and I. They have been a joy to be with this year!
After playing the game and talking with each other for a bit we sat them down to a good ol hamburgers ( or chicken if they preferred). Of course every single one of those girls LOVES chicken so they all ended up having chicken.. oh well. After we ate the girls taught us some games that they really play. Lots of fun..and not too many banged heads! After playing games for a little while we said our goodbyes and the girls went home.
It was such a fun afternoon, that allowed the girls a chance to practice their English with people whose first language is English. It was such a pleasure to see the girls enjoying their time and with our team. It was such a fun thing to plan and to see the way the girls really opened up more to me and allowed me to see a little bit more of who they are! These Coptic girls are a lot of fun to teach and are really opening up to us! Here is a picture of the girls and I. They have been a joy to be with this year!
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