Day 180 - wrapping up

Well, I've been back a few days, and I feel like I am adjusting well. I have been able to meet with my accountability team and debrief with them, and spend some time with my mom. I've also been able to connect with a few familiar faces, some planned, and some unplanned. This life, I realize, is so different, but it is home, and I am sooo happy to be here.
I am ready to dig in here, and see what God has in store for this time.
I am still talking with my friends in Cameroon about coming back, so I will keep you posted!
I am so thankful for all that God has taught me in this season; truly it feels like, in part, that He pulled me away during this time to draw me closer to Him, and to grow and mature me in Him. I am so, so grateful for it all. What a great experience, and great friends made. I am so thankful.
So now, for the next chapter.... I'm excited for this ride.

Day 177/179 - May 8th/9th (Travel so it all blended together)

Coming Home Day!
Even after staying up wayyyyyy too late, I woke up at 7am. I got to spend some time with Nandry in the morning, and we played a little Uno, and then did some beading with our beach shells. We made some fun stuff! After some lunch, it was time to face the inevitable task of the final sorting and packing, and getting ready to go to the airport. I put on some good music, and got to work, and was done in enough time to have a few minutes of calm quiet before the storm.
Then it was time to get ready to go.
Younde has public running water, but it is not always so consistent. This is Africa we are talking about, but where we were staying, the CTC (Cameroon Training Center) run by Wycliffe Bible Associates, has a backup system of cisterns. Apparently they have been relying on it heavily in recent weeks, and so it, too, was very low. By the time I went to shower, the water was only coming out in a trickle. Thankfully, the Conrods are used to planning ahead for such situations, and Nathan had filled up a bucket as a backup the day before. So I was able to do what I needed to do. And by the time I was out (not very long) there was no running water left at all. Crazy. Later I found out I could have showered at the CMF Youth Hostel that my friends, Gord and Denise, run...they are so hospitable. :-) But I was clean before my 30+ hours of travel, so it all worked out. :-)
Anyway, after praying and saying our final goodbyes, I left for the airport with Nathan, who worked his way past the airport people and was able to help me with check in and baggage and stuff. I was so glad he was there, because they only had me ticketed through Brussels, and he helped when my bag weights were a little off balance. After talking with the airline people and a phone call, they got my ticketing and luggage tags straight, and it was time for my final goodbye!
All my flights were uneventful and ran mostly on time. I met and observed interesting people. I was able to access my gmail on my kindle in Brussels, which was a first for me and really cool! I had my first pear in 6 months in Brussels, and my first latte from Starbucks.

Just seeing the Starbucks logo was like a GIANT welcome home sign. :-)

I had more ticket troubles in Brussels, and had to have my boarding passes re-issued by United, rather than use those issued by Brussels Airlines. And they subjected us to the U.S. security questions (did you pack your bag yourself, etc.).
I managed to sleep on my first flight (during the night) and to stay up for most of my eight hour trans-Atlantic flight (departing at noon and arriving at like 2:30pm, that felt weird). I listened to part of an audiobook of the book Switch, which was REALLY interesting. And I watched a really compelling movie called Machine Gun Preacher. DISCLAIMER: It is rated R and for plenty of good reasons. That said, it is very "real" and very little is gratuitous. I have actually been to Kampala in Uganda, which they talk about in the movie, which was crazy for my brain. It really was a GREAT story, and is based on the true story of Sam Childers, which you can check out here. And then we were touching down in D.C.! I was ready to kiss the ground I was so excited to be back where I don't have to think about everything that I do in order to not make some social or other flub - it was like taking a giant sigh of relief! (I didn't actually kiss the ground; I had the presence of mind that it was not THAT clean, LOL) As I approached immigration with a giant grin on my face, a lady smiled at me who works at the airport, and asked, "U.S. Citizen?" I answered, "Yes!" And she smiled more and replied, "Welcome back!" Great moment. :-)
Customs and security was a dream, and I practically waltzed through, since I was running on excitement and adrenaline. And all the sights and sounds I had forgotted about! Like the automatic flushing toilets that always flush too soon...LOL In fact, here's a quick list I made:
Food smells, especially Wendy's fries and Five Guys (right by my gate!)
Auntie Annie's Pretzels
I didn't notice the AC immediately, but it snuck up on me :-)
Do-it-yourself vs. service (even on the plane) [related: the independence]
Personal space (mentioned on the plane by flight attendants...humorous)
sarcastic, playing humor (flight attendants)
U.S. security check points (it is so lax and disorganized and inconsistent in Africa)
Moving walkways
Safety warnings everywhere and on silly things
functioning escalators (they are actually motion activated in Brussels...smart!)
signage in English
faster wi-fi!

That's about it!
Once I got my coffee fix and online fix in D.C., it was time to board.
I was almost home! I started crashing, and dozed a bit, and then we started our descent!
I was greeted with flowers and a giant stop sign (if you have known me since the days of Axel and Gadget, you might know what I am talking about :-)) and lots and lots of hugs! My accountability team, mom, and cousin Megan were all there to greet me! I felt so loved! I was so tired I was half incoherent, but they helped me gather my bags and get them to the car.
I came home to my mom's to a wonderful steak, broccoli, and sweet potato dinner. Soooooo gooooooood.
And I was out by 10, up by 5. Is this night owl trying for early bird status? STRANGE..... :-)

Day 176 – May 7th

We all woke up before 7, and headed down to the beach for a last hurrah. We made a final sandcastle attempt, which started to go terribly wrong when the sand was too wet, all on its own! But Nathan saved the day, getting the largest part out of its bucket, and then it was SOLID. We managed to build a tower about three feet high or so. It leaned slightly, so we quipped that we made a model of the Tower of Pisa. After taking some pictures, we let Asher destroy it. He ran a kicked the base, which made the top part fall, but that solid bottom part took some significant effort from him to break it down. :-)
Then we played in the water, took more pictures, went up to clean up, pack up, have breakfast, and then... it was over. Back to reality. Back on the road. Back to Younde and being connected to the rest of the world.
Back at CTC (Cameroon Training Center – where we usually stay), Asher wasn’t feeling so hot, so I taught him to play Uno, since he wasn’t up to playing outside with Boaz and other kids around (like Joey who we know from SCA). He did pretty well, and Nandry played some, too. After dinner, he went to rest, but I played for a long time with Nandry and Boaz. We all did well and won a few hands, and I had them playing cut throat (my house rules from growing up) before it was all over (stacking draw cards). They even got to stay up a little playing, since Asher was already out.
I also showed them how you can make a tornado in a large bottle as you empty it (by spinning it) and then they were so fascinated that they were practically fighting over whose turn it was to refill the water reservoir bottle! Cracks me up.
I’m glad we had that time to just play, since I leave....TOMORROW!
It feels a little real. And also not. I have to repack a bit post beach tomorrow, but otherwise I am ready! I had a GREAT refreshing time at the beach – and now I am longing for home, and all the people and places that make it that. I’ll try to post before we are airport bound tomorrow afternoon, but if not, my next post may be from the States!

Day 175 – May 6th

I actually slept in, being on vacation and all. :-)
We went back to the far tidal pools today, as there were more people on the beach, but most didn’t venture where we were, so we still had that stretch to ourselves. I saw a gushing spring pouring out of rocks by the shore; it was SO COLD, and it made a little waterfall! I dared to try some of the water, and it was definitely spring-fed, fresh and cool. All among the rocks were more springs, tidal pools, and creatures – we were able to observe and catch fish, snails, and crabs. The boys made “resorts” for them in the little pools. Nandry and I caught two little brightly striped fish by damming off part of their pool, then getting them to swim into more and more shallow water.
Later, while we bodysurfed, the ocean grew almost as calm as a pool for about 30 or 40 minutes, and we saw fish jumping up out of the water, with the sun glinting off their scales!
After we collectively demolished an entire watermelon, we made another sandcastle attempt (#3 if you are counting). And... it began to rain. We covered part of it and played in the water, which was warm compared to the cool rain. But then lightning started, so we had to abandon it, and the rain knocked down the sentry towers. And boy did it storm! The power even went out for a while, but thankfully the hot water still worked, and it soon came back on. So we watched a movie (projectors and white walls are great) and later had dinner.

Day 174 – May 5th

After a yummy omelet breakfast and an earlier start, I had some quiet time before joining the Conrods down on the beach. I listened to a song by Hillsong (United?) called “Highest,” and it embodied perfectly where I was! Here are the lyrics:

Your love O Lord is like the oceans
Deeper than endless seas
Your faithfulness is like the mountains
And Your Word never fails

Chorus:
Glory to God
Let every heart sing
Glory to God
In the highest

Let us adore
Wonderful Saviour
Crown Him
Forever our King

I could picture the creation all around me as I listened to the song. So simple, and so powerful; I just left it on repeat for a while. :-) And then I went out into God's great creation!
Today I got good pictures of the tidal pool’s springs, and other interesting things [NERD ALERT] I saw weathering and erosion at work in several different ways. I saw LOTS of volcanic rock specimens, so I took pictures of many of them, and gathered a few, too, including some pumice stones. We explored some other tidal pools which are spring-fed, and they were FULL of little creatures who call them home. I loved observing them in their own little ecosystems.
Later we made attempt two at a sandcastle, but I didn’t get a picture of it, and really I ran out of time. We went up to clean up and eat lunch, and in the afternoon, we went to a wildlife conservation center (mostly primates). Two of the small monkeys actually escaped their enclosure, and I got to see them only about six or eight feet away! They are a species who are native to the area, though they are having trouble in the wild, so I guess if they had completely escaped it wouldn’t be as bad as into an area where there is no place for them. They eventually climbed back in, but can you imagine that happening in the States! Crazy! :-)
Then we ate at a popular local restaurant called the Hot Spot. It reminds me just a little of the Conch House in St. Augustine, FL. We ate facing the ocean, and could see at least a half dozen islands, some pretty close. We could also (strange juxtaposition) see an oil rig. I had HUGE shrimp (each one was at least two bites) with grilled veggies, dodo (Cameroonian for fried sweet plantains), and a soda I like called Djino. As the sun set, what a view, so magnificent!

Day 173 – May 4th

What a fun, relaxing, exhausting day!
While waiting for breakfast, I saw some awesome birds! I saw a big brown hawk, sunning himself with wings spread, and a smaller bird looking for his breakfast. He had a vibrantly orange beak, but looked to be plain otherwise, with a white chest and neck, and mostly black wings. Then he dove down from his perch, after some breakfast. And I was in awe – his back and wingtips we electric blue! He was so beautiful! I was mesmerized as he flew from perch to perch, with his lovely ocean backdrop. It was all so wonderful.
On the beach, we started back in the tidal pool, but as the tide moved in rather quickly, we moved onto sandcastle making. Nandry and I fell to it, and Boaz later joined us. We worked on a moat and barrier wall, naively thinking that we could hold back the sea from our castle to be. We took a break, leaving that part of the beach for a bit, and our efforts were all for naught – the waves flattened our barriers and filled in our moat. At Limbe beach, the tides are pretty drastic. I will post pictures of low and high tide, but know it is like two different beaches! So the water eventually goes all the way up to the rocks near the trees at the top of the beach (it would be like the ocean in JAX going all the way up to the dunes).
During our break, I took a little rest in our lovely air conditioned room. Yes, we enjoyed AC for a few days, and it was wonderful, especially when coming off the steamy tropical beach in the middle of the day!
Later that evening, after a yummy dinner of (of course) seafood, we went on a moonlit walk on the beach, and we ran into...CRABS! Tons of them! And many we as large as my hand! The boys, of course, immediately gave chase, and managed to catch a couple in a container they found. Those crabs were tough and feisty, and had sharp barbs all over them! I tried unsuccessfully to pick one up, but I did manage to get some GREAT pictures of our little friends. We later asked if the locals eat them, because they are so big, but we didn’t end up getting a straight answer on that. And we eventually let ours go.

Day 172 – May 3rd

Today we traveled from Younde to Limbe Beach – what a cool drive it was! We went through several sizable towns, and Douala, the largest city in Cameroon! Douala is also the main port city, where containers come on ships, and many are then sent on trains elsewhere in Cameroon. This also means that if you can’t find what you are looking for at the store in Douala, you are probably not going to find it in Cameroon. We actually drove along the shipping channel, and saw much of the commercial/manufacturing area. It was really cool – cranes everywhere, and the rail crossing was not functioning which meant that the thankfully slow train got too close for comfort! We drove by countless distributors of as many varied items, and so many colors!
We later drove through plantation land, where we saw rubber trees, already tapped for their sap. We also saw corn coming up in a few places! Then we got to the Del Monte plantation, where many of your bananas come from. As the regimes (bunches) become recognizable on the trees, they cover them with large thin blue plastic bags, which stay on while the bananas grow to their full size. That is why your bananas look so clean and perfect when you buy them at the store.
Closer to Limbe, we passed an oil refinery, with a flame burning high in the sky. Then we passed the Semme (water) bottling plant and their (really nice) resort next to it. Apparently, as it is spring fed from nearby Mt Entebbe (aka little Mount Cameroon), the resort has a large spring-fed swimming hole right next to the beach. For you FL folks, think Ginny Springs or one of the others, only leading into the ocean. Pretty cool, huh? Literally, it is just as cold!
When we finally arrived at the Tsaben Beach Hotel, our final destination, we met up with the Schlinskis (from SCA), and their friends, who also were checking out SCA, and we hung out with them at the Schlinskis’ house for a game and dinner night during SCA, and also two other women around my age, one of whom is interning at the orphanage the Schlinskis run, and the other is a friend of theirs who had just arrived in the country (but has been to Africa before). Wow that was a lot. ANYWAY, we all had a blast catching up/getting to know each other. And the kids had fun in the water and digging in the sand. They stayed on for a while, but then it was time to part ways again.
We (Conrods and I) stayed down on the beach, and explored a tidal pool. We saw a sea anemone, lots of crabs, snails, mussels, barnacles, seaweed, and small COLD springs bubbling up from the bottom of the water. And when the tide comes in, it is ALL covered.
Great day!

Day 171 - May 2nd

Now writing from Younde! HOPEFULLY, before we pull out tomorrow, I will have an update out to inboxes all over. I have been organizing bits of it all afternoon, at a VERY SLOW internet speed. Like, at its fastest (for like 5 mins) it was maybe half the speed out in the bush. At least they don't turn it off!
I should remember to be thankful for it - I couldn't have had a mostly functional daily blog from the rainforest of Africa probably even five years ago.
Anyway, tomorrow night we will be at Limbe Beach, in an air conditioned room. Though, right now, it is pretty cool, actually.
So, yeah! Not much else to report! :-)
Beach tomorrow, and home ONE WEEK FROM TODAY!

Day 170 - May 1st

It is May. The month in which I leave. Okay, if it wasn't real before, it is now!
My room is empty. My bags are packed. The addition no longer looks like home.
I helped the Conrods with their preparations today, and I see even more, all the hard work they do that has made my life pretty easy! They are awesome!
One more night in my room, and from the looks of it, I'll be falling asleep to the soothing rain, one more time. :-)
I'm just glad it let up some, so the internet would work. :-)
Things I will miss from "the bush":
Hearing the rain
Walking in the orchard
The sound of the birds, bugs, and other creatures, especially right at dawn and dusk
Hearing people living around me, even when I am alone
Having limited time for internet (so I have time to read, write, and think without having to force it)
Jungle hikes (other than the one through the swamp)
The food :-)
The simplicity of life, but good harnessing of technology for some conveniences

Obviously I will miss the people, too, but this is what I think of as I listen to the thunder rumble in the distance as the rain dies down.
Beach in 2 days, home in 8 days. :-)