It’s official…I’m coming back to Africa!!!!
- Posted by under Life at Bethel
- Friday April 27th, 2007
- [13] Comments Leave a Response
WOW … That is all I can say! After school I was called in to see the super intendant and he said that all the board members including him, wanted to know if I would come back and teach 1st grade! So … I will officially be part of the Hillcrest staff. I am so excited and overwhelmed at the same time, all of it still feels very surreal to me, and it’s crazy to think that when I am home I will be buying tons of stuff to bring back with me. The blessing in all of this is that the 1st grade teacher who I am working with, is going to be the principal next year, and is leaving all her stuff in the room, which is a ton!!! Every year, she brings back about $500 worth of supplies, so I feel very fortunate. Since there is actually an oven in the room I will be bringing back lots of cooking supplies, because it’s very difficult to get things here! Anyway, I just wanted to thank those of you who have been praying. I can’t wait to be home for a month this summer before I take off again. It is a minimum 2-year contract, but who knows how long I will stay. I just know that God has placed me here and there are amazing things in store, beyond my imagination!!!!
Well, I had a great 3 day weekend, and this might be the first week since I have been here that we have a full week of school. I am proud to say that, as of Friday, I officially became part Nigerian!! I went to a tailor and am having some outfits made from some fabric I bought at the market. 
All of the women here have their clothes made from fabric, so knowing how to sew has been an economic blessing for many widows. The elections went well, praise God! So far there have not been any riots, but we will not find out any results until this week sometime. I finally started doing some teaching today, and it’s nice to not be observing anymore. I am not sure if I have mentioned it on here or not, but I applied for the 1st grade position here in Nigeria, and I will know at the end of this week whether I am staying here or not!!!! It’s so exciting, but overwhelming at the same time. I have not been worried about it all though, because I know that God will direct me where he wants me, and if it is here, then AWESOME, but if not, that is fine too. I just could not pass up an amazing opportunity that has been my dream for years. The more time goes on here, the more I love it. So many things have just “fit” in crazy ways, and it’s awesome!
Ok…the good news of the day!! Ready? I actually tried jogging today for the first time since my surgery. It was not a pretty sight to say the least, but I DID IT!!! It was more like a jog hobble. I just tightened up the brace and went after it. Even though I only went 2 laps, it felt like I just won a national title. For those who know me, I have been DYING to run again, so you can imagine how I felt! Please continue to pray for healing. Anyway, now that I am actually teaching, I have lots to do, so until next time…Saianguma!
This is for my 2nd graders at Darden!! Stanley finally made it here to Africa, and my classes said that they will take good care of him for you. My 1st graders even took him out to recess today to celebrate his safe arrival. He really loves it here, but misses you guys a lot. Maybe he will send you a letter soon! I am so glad he is here and we are going to have some great adventures, so keep checking for more pictures!!! Miss you lots….Miss Dana!
Well, so far I have been in the classroom for 4 days, hahaha, and if there is no school tomorrow or Friday, it makes for another short week. Once the elections are over things should be back to normal! I am actually splitting my time here with the 5th grade and the 1st grade, which has been awesome, and it’s nice to see so many different things. The 1st grade teacher does all hands, which is awesome, and they bake every Friday, now thats what I’m talking about - right up my alley!!!:) Well, just to inform those of you who don’t know, I may be coming back here to teach 1st grade! Nothing is final yet, but it is in the works possibly. I have left if up to God, and if this is where I am supposed to be, then this is where I will be. It’s overwhelmingly exciting to think about the possibility of a dream becoming reality, but I don’t want to get too anxious about it!!! Please pray that I make the right decision and have peace about whatever that might be!!!!
One of the maintenance guys passed away last week and many people from Hillcrest went to his village to pay respects to the family. I just wanted to post some of the pictures because they are quite amazing, and truly make you realize how blessed you are. So, if you think you are having a bad day, it’s really not that bad when you see the reality some of these people live with everyday. I hope all is well, I miss everybody, and thanks again for all of your posts. It makes my day! Lots of love from the other side of the world!!!
Some of the pictures that I wanted to post under the Nigerian wedding blog didn’t go through, so here they are! These are some amazing pictures that Mark took. ENJOY!!!
PS. You can tell from the picture that the kids absolutely loooove seeing themselves on a camara screen. It’s soooo cute!
P.S.S. The one picture with the 2 women is Beaj with her Nigerian friend. I keep writing about her, so I thought I should put a picture up. She has been the most incredible blessing since I have been here. We met at Bethel last year when she was taking some classes, and now I have the opportunity to be in Nigeria with her. She has been serving here for over 20 years, and even graduated from Hillcrest. I wish you all had the privilege of meeting this amazing woman with the most contagious spirit I have ever known. She has helped me get my feet on the ground, and never comes to my house empty-handed. She always thinks of something that I might need!!! She is truly a God-send!!!
Wow!! This was the first time that I have been away on my birthday, but the people here made me feel like it was home. I had 2 birthday parties yesterday, and it was wonderful. I had a special delivery at my door in the afternoon and it was this huge closet Stu had made for me … It’s beautiful, 6 feet tall with 2 doors. … Wow, now I can finally hang my clothes up!!! My neighbors who live next to me threw a party at their house and made cake and rootbeer floats. They even introduced me to a friend, and the first thing they said was …”Dana, this is Abrahim, and he is single and looking for a wife.” Hahaha. And then they said, “Abrahim, this is Dana,” and he said “Are you looking for a husband?” it was soooo funny, so now apparently it’s a big joke, and they keep telling him that I am worth at least 100 cows for a bride dowry. So yesterday for my birthday he brought me a whole sack of fresh apples!!! So looks like I will be sending wedding invitations out soon … KIDDIIIIING!!! Then after that party, some people picked me up and I went to Beaj’s house, and they had another party there, with a huge dinner and cake, and then I kicked their butts in Dutch Blitz!!!:):) I am telling you, I have been so blessed and surrounded by incredible people here!
The elections seem to have gone well there was no rioting, which is a huge blessing, so hopefully the presidential elections next weekend will be good as well.
Thank you all so much for posting on here. It makes my day!!!
Hi, to my 2nd graders at Darden, I miss you all tons, and look forward to hearing from you soon hopefully. Be good and finish strong…
Love
Miss Roberts!!!
I just had to post some of these amazing pictures of a traditional Nigerian wedding. Gene, who is the groom had to pay a bridal dowry of 250,000 Nairi, which is about 8,000 dollars…this is the money that goes to the bride’s family, mostly the father’s brothers. The bride is from a very unusual tribe and they actually buy the the bride. During the ceremony, they make a huge meal, and do dances with music and goats. What a different culture, and the pictures turned out awesome … ENJOY!!!
Today, I went to a potluck lunch at the youth hostel before the kids get back and it was so awesome. The food was amazing and I have never laughed so hard for three hours straight. The missionaries here are hilarious and it was great just to sit around and tell stories and laugh!
Wow, it’s been a crazy couple days even though I have only had 1 day of school this week! They declared a national holiday today and tomorrow due to the elections on Saturday, which is a no movement day for the country. They really need a good leader in power and, during the last elections, riots broke out, so we are praying that does not happen this year! I have been finding out some interesting things about Nigeria, so I thought I would share a few…
-Nigeria is the most populated country in Africa
-1 out of every 5th African is Nigerian
-Nigeria is third in the world for the most people with AIDS
-Nigeria is one of the toughest borders to cross
Anyway, just thought these were some facts that you might want to hear! hahaha.
So we did not have school today or tomorrow due to the elections this weekend. Saturday is a no movement day for the country, and this is a huge event for Nigeria, they really need a good leader in power, so please pray for that. During the last election, there was lots of riots, so we are hoping that does not happen again. The cities are crazy and people are promoting their views everywhere. Today, I went downtown to a huge market which is about 5 minutes away and bought some really cool fabric, and some Nigerian widows are making wraps and tops for me, which will be awesome! You can’t imagine some of the ways people travel here. It’s insane, so I am posting some pictures so you get an idea. You will laugh at some, and be thankful it’s not like this in the states!!!
Wow…just to warn you this might be a long post, but so much has happened and I have so many emotions right now! To start with, everything has been pretty smooth and the flight was really good. We actually had to wait a couple hours at the airport because we didn’t have a driver. Then, when he did get there, we got lost and couldn’t find the hostel. It was dark out, and it’s very dangerous to travel at night here, so we had to find another place.
The next day, we left at about 6:30 a.m. and headed for Jos. I thought I was having deja vu because it reminded me so much of Haiti while we were driving through the villages with their huts and trash everywhere with their little markets set up and hundreds of people just walking around. It’s impossible to put it into words, but you just can’t imagine their living conditions. Then, our driver got into a little brawl at the gas station and all these Nigerian boys were yelling at him and cursing him because they thought he cut them off. I was like oh my goodness. But somehow, we made it to Jos okay. Our papers were expired for the van and there were six police checks, but they didn’t check once. It was a miracle.
Once I finally got to my apartment, I was so excited just to see where I was going to be living for the next three months. There was nothing in it but a fridge, desk and bed…so I had lots of work to do. Beaj was so amazing and gave me lots of stuff from her house just to get me on my feet. I spent all day today decorating and being very creative, and now of course, it looks very cute as you can see from the pics. Ha ha! My first night was a little crazy and, of course, I could not sleep because I heard EVERY noise and all the windows are open. One of my dishes in my kitchen fell and I swore someone was breaking in, so I had to get up and go walk around. It’s easy to freak yourself out. I did get a couple hours of sleep and then woke up and did devotions and had my first meal! I had homemade yogurt with homemade granola, and powdered milk. Yum! It was actually really good! So life here is an adjustment, but I am in love with it already. I can’t wait to experience a new world and see what God has in store for me here! Until next time, thanks for your prayers. Lots of love!!!
Yesterday, Ben and I went to the oldest coal mine in Germany, which is only 10 minutes from the apartment, and got a wonderful tour. Well, not really, because of course it was all in GERMAN! It was very cool to go underground, though, and see how so many people made a living doing this dangerous job. I was thinking we were going to get in one of those little carts and get to ride through the mine, but I guess you can only do that at DisneyLand! Last night, some friends cooked an amazing meal for us, and today is it. I am leaving for my train in about one hour and then, tomorrow, a new journey begins … A F R I C A!!!
Well, my time in Germany is winding down, and I head to Africa on Thursday. My dream is quickly becoming reality and it’s so exciting. Yet at the same time, I am so curious to see where I will be living for the next 3 months … what will my apartment look like, the classroom, how will I do my laundry, what will I eat. You know, things like that! It’s a little scary when the lady who I am traveling with told me not to bring towels and bedding so I would have room to pack chocolate and other tasty treats that I will miss. Ha ha ha. How funny is that? I have a feeling that my diet will be changing rapidly:)
Yesterday, Lilly and I went to Cologne, which is a beautiful city in Germany right in the Rhine River. It was a gorgeous day and we just walked around and ate outside at a nice cafe and had coffee. Then, we went to the river which was awesome, got to see the dome in the cathedral, and then headed home. The only thing that made this perfect day bad was we missed our train stop on the way home because we both fell asleep. It was quite an adventure trying to make it back home. It took us an extra hour and a half … NO GOOD! Last night, we went to a rooftop BBQ with some friends. They live on the top floor of this complex and they have a balcony that is the whole roof overlooking the city. It’s so cool. Good food, great view, and lots of laughter. They even all spoke in English the whole night just for me, how wonderful!
Well, I made it to Witten after a 4-hour train ride! It is so nice to be with Lilly, catching up and having a blast. Today, I was with one of her friends while she was in clinic and he gave me the Witten tour to see the city and some old castle. They have these funny statues of people all over, so i tried to get photos with all of them and make a collection, haha. It is kind of a smaller city, but the university here is a great place for studying medicine and economics. It just makes me so happy to be done with projects and exams. Ahhh. What a great feeling after 5 years!!! Sunday we are heading to Cologne!
