Feats of Strength

I cannot believe it - I can push a full-size van all by myself!

On Friday night, we decided to go out to dinner at Mario's. This is a restaurant owned by a greek man that serves steak and pizza! I ordered a supreme pizza and a coke! It was awesome! We all sat around and played cards and had fun!

However, when we went out to start the van to go home it would not start! So we decided to try and push start it. Well, I couldn't believe it when I walked over and started pushing it by myself! It was awesome!

I did get some more help though to actually get it started! In fact, it was hilarious to see us trying to push this van up the hill - so that it could roll back down the hill to start! And then to see us all running after the van as it rolled down the hill so that we could all jump in to go home! It was classic!

Wild Animals

I had my first run in with a wild animal this week here in the Congo - it was a mouse! On Friday night, Bethany and I had just settled down to go to sleep when we heard this aweful scratching on the door. I got up and opened our bedroom door hoping the animal would run out. However, the sound continued - then I realized it was locked in the bathroom. Well, we tried hitting the door with shoes to make it stop, we tried spraying the door with off. I eventually put my iPod on so that I wouldn't have to listen to it scratching and it was louder than my iPod!!!! I couldn't beleive it - needless to say we didn't get any sleep!

The next night we had left all the doors open all night hoping that we wouldn't have to deal with it again - however, the animal hadn't come out during the day it was still in there scratching on the door trying to get out - so we had another sleepless night!

Finally, the boys armed with headlamps, machetes and a broom decided they would lock themselves in the bathroom with the animal until they killed it! Luckily, it didn't take very long and they came out screaming and yelling and whooping and hollering with this tiny mouse on the end of the machete! It was hilarious!

I got a great night's sleep last night and I praise God because Bethany has been sick and didn't need to hear all that racket all night long!

Ego Check

Warning:  The following blog will cause uncomfortable silences and feelings to be had - it is not for the faint of heart - it is very vulnerable and intimate - please follow your dcotor's orders before proceeding!

God is giving me a self-esteem boost!  A couple of weeks ago, we went out to eat at this wonderful restaurant called Cafe Hellenique.  We splurged and had an amazing tomato salad, french fries, ground beef steak and a coke for lunch.  I was exceedingly happy to say the least!  On our way out the door however, the server lets Justin (our fearless team leader) know that he could pay for lunch by marrying me off.  To understand in American terms - our lunch probably cost the equivalent of a congolese month's wages.  As Momma Kassie says, "April, you wouldn't just bring in goats for the dowry - you'd bring in cows."  That's a huge compliment - which brings me to the reason for the previous warning.

It is so wild to go from the girl who is not good enough to ask out on a date in America, to being the girl who gets daily marriage proposals!  Coming from two large parents has always been looked upon as pitying in the states.  Here, the fact that I am strong yet fast (and those of you who work with me at Starbucks can attest to this) is looked at as the most valuable assest!  I can carry large amounts of water up from the stream.  I can haul the bag of charcoal for several miles.  I can carry more than one child on my hips.  These are looked at as qualities worthy of a good wife.  The women do most of the hard work around here as you can guess.

Anyone that knows me truly realizes that I have always had self-confidence - belief that I can do anything I set my mind too!  Yet I've never had good self-esteem.  All of those years of torture in school eliminated any semblance of self-worth based on my physical self.  Therefore, I retreated to the one place I could improve and be looked on as valuable by the world's standards - my mind!  No one can argue with my GPA.  However, now with all of this new stimuli coming to the forefront I am having to re-evaluate my belief system.  

Has God brought me here to help me realize that I am beautiful inside and out?  Will I be able to hold my head up a little higher in the states knowing that just because I am not the size of a toothpick, does not make me any less attractive.  Beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.  Even though I am built like a linebacker, my femininity comes through my tomboy outfit of t-shirt and jeans.  All those years of people telling me - if only you would wear more make-up and fix your hair differently you might attract a guy - could actually be wrong?  I might be right in believing that I am fearfully and wonderfully made instead of scary and grotesque!    

It's ironic to finally be saying to myself - if they think I'm attractive on the outside, wait until they meet the real April on the inside!  Furaha is my swahili name - it means joy.  I have definitely found a new joy here in the congo - a sense of self-worth!

Women's Day

March 8 was Women's Day here in the Congo. This is a very important day, because women don't have to work - and believe me. They do most of the working around here! You will see women carrying a jug of water on their head, with a baby tied on to her back, and sticks in her arms! It is amazing!

Well, on Sunday the women had a parade. The girls from UCBC all had matching outfits made and then we sing chants and songs as we march down the street. I was honored by being asked to hold the UCBC sign.

The funny thing was that we march from the round-about to the mayor's house. Once we reached the mayor's house we are introduced. I was told - make sure you dance when you get to the mayor's house. Well, dancing here is more like swinging your hips back and forth to make your dress sway. So I did that - but apprently TOO much - so everyone was laughing at me.

Everyone always stares, points, and says "MUZUNGU" when I walk by - but during the parade I got a lot of applause and thumbs up! I'll take that as a compliment!

The day was also filled with a lot of service from the guys! They made us a big breakfast of hasbrowns, eggs, and toast! Then, there was a banquet for the ladies of UCBC with speeches and a nice lunch of goat, french fries, rice, bananas, cole slaw, and cokes! Finally, the guys at our house also made us a nice barbeque dinner! We were spoiled rotten! It was super fun!

Too bad women's day isn't every day!

Kabila alifika Beni jana!

Kabila arrived in Beni yesterday!

The President of the DRC arrived in Beni yesterday. We couldn't believe it! People had been saying for a quite a while that he was coming tomorrow - but he never came. So when they said he was coming yesterday - I didn't believe them and I didn't go see him.

Justin however did. He said that Kabila got out of his car at the airport and walked through town waving like a prom queen. The people were beyond overjoyed! It was their own superstar!

It was really cool to see how it made the people of Beni feel worthy! I was glad that they received that out of the whole experience!

Virus!

HELP! Please pray for my technology! My computer got a virus this past week and it is acting up! We are praying that it can be wiped clean and still used! All technology - a blessing and a curse. Therefore, there will not be any pictures for a while - just me ranting on! Sorry!

Malaria, Monsoons, & Moto Accidents

Don't worry - I am fine. However, the month of February has been most interesting. I was diagnosed with malaria after taking some extremely expensive pills to avoid it. That was annoying. The good news is that it was a mild case because of the fact that I was taking those "preventative" pills. It was no worse than a bad cold. Yet, I had to grieve over the loss of money on the pills.
Following that incident, we had a monsoon that flooded our house. Not a real monsoon - but a super big thunderstorm that made us have to squeegie the floor of our house.
To top off the the week, I ended up having a moto accident. It was actually more funny than scary. My driver just took a dip to fast and I literally bounced off the back. It would have been alright if I hadn't have been wearing a dress that then caught in the spokes of the tire and then made him fall off the bike with me still stuck to the back via the skirt. Anyway, I laughed a lot about it - and threw a small fit about why I hate wearing dresses!
All in all it was a very eventful week. Praise God I'm ok - and now I have some really funny stories to add to my repertoire.