A gypsy scribbler's musings & ruminations
One of the (many) fun side projects I have enjoyed in the last year has been the DuoLingo Spanish app. I downloaded it last August and have spent almost a year on it. I hesitate to say that I have been "learning Spanish" only because I haven't actually been brave enough to USE any of... Continue Reading →
Okay, I know ... technically the "lockdown" hasn't started yet. At least not in South Africa. That only kicks in for real tomorrow at midnight. Even so, since we haven't seen our students since early March, since I've basically been cocooned at home since March 10th, and since we transitioned to "online learning" on the... Continue Reading →
It's hard to believe that it has not even been three weeks since I arrived. It feels like at least six - but that's what happens when every moment is packed with new experiences. Normal life doesn't usually have so much "newness" to it, so a normal three weeks feels a little more "to scale".... Continue Reading →
Where there is thankfulness, there is no room for anger or bitterness or confusion. It is the surest remedy against disappointment or disillusion; it calms the heart in the midst of pain; it clears mind fogged in by self-pity. Thankfulness forces us to look beyond what is wrong and discover what is right. There are... Continue Reading →
Sometime back in October or November, I realized that I would soon pass the 100-post mark on this blog. I thought that perhaps the 100th or 101st post would be in honor of a new year and that maybe it would be interesting to make a list of one hundred things that I am thankful... Continue Reading →
... is in knowing that, even when she is not actually in distress, she will always be helped. Car trouble? Pop the hood and fiddle with the fluid gauges, pull out the jack and start setting it up, put up those hazard triangles and see just how quickly the mechanical muscles show up. House flooded? Appliances... Continue Reading →
Nairobi may be a noisy metropolis with classy restaurants and hotels and malls and such, but it is still in Africa. There are many daily details that remind us of that fact: the red dirt that sticks to your shoes, the roadside vendors hawking wares, ugali and beef stew in the cafeteria, the sound of... Continue Reading →
"Rachel! I'm inviting myself over. Is that okay? Are you and the kids home this afternoon? I haven't seen you in ages and I finally have a free afternoon." "Come on over! We're here." "Cool - I'm leaving school in about thirty minutes." "Great! See you soon." So began my Tuesday afternoon. I sat a... Continue Reading →
Long day. No food in the fridge. Craving Indian curry and rice. Head to the nearest food court. There were only a handful of people eating dinner on the top floor of Westgate. A slow night in the mall with some of the usual types: An elderly Indian couple out with their grown children. A... Continue Reading →
As I mentioned a couple posts ago, I went to the coast with 18 high school kids in the last week of January. In many ways, it was like the trip I did last year at the same time. There were improvements since then - the logistics were smoother, the cooking was cleaner, and we... Continue Reading →
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