and what i'm up against

A little excitement for our week:

the pox.

chicken pox.

from nigeria. so, nigeria pox?

It started with one case, a Titchie who was home in Nigeria over vac. He is already better and over it, but today they started dropping like flies. 3 Titchies, a Titchie teacher, and a dorm mom were all condemned to home/student health/sent away by chai time today! That's 10:00am. And by the time school was out, a senior was admitted to student health and we just got an email confirming 9 cases.

The weird thing about it is that most of the people have had chicken pox or the vaccine! So this Nigerian strain seems a bit more hardcore than the typical virus (if it even did come from Nigeria and if there is a Nigerian strain . . . speculation). I'm not really nervous, I think I'm invincible, I had SUCH a bad case in 2nd grade I think I would be reduced to Job-status of misery if I got them again. So far there are cases in 3rd, 5th, and 6th, but none in fourth. I'm most concerned about the babies on campus and pregnant women . . . that would not be good.

at least it's not swine flu.

what i'm missing

a bit of this . . .
and a little bit of this . . .

I am SO THANKFUL for modern technology . . . pingo so we can talk often and my new wireless modem that gives me slightly better internet capabilities (you noticed I'm back in blogging world!) and sometimes even skype video chat! But of course that's not the same as actually being in the same place . . . country . . . continent . . .

Just throwing that out there. It's been a Matt-less blogging world for too long. :)

A Confession

I have a confession to make: I’m planning to run a marathon. CRAZY, I know. I don't really know what I was thinking when I registered . . . it was peer pressure. My friend Linda, the one who carried me to the car after my LAST race, and her husband were the initiators. And then my friend Todd signed up. And so . . . I did, too.

It's a unique opportunity, which is why I let Linda and Phil talk me into it. Last June when we got here, we saw runners tearing through the Kenyan savannah on TV. The Safaricom Marathon is held on a wildlife conservancy in Northern Kenya. This site gives a good description of it, and has some pictures of people running with animals. It also uses some of my favorite catch phrases like "one of the ten toughest" marathon events in the world. I know, I'm reaching lunatic status . . . but our reasoning is that we are already training at 2,000 feet higher than the race and our "roads" are probably similar to what we'll be running on. Plus, who can pass up an opportunity to run with the animals? Especially since last year's race was delayed by a lion sunning itself on part of the circuit.

So, training. Being back in the states was great, I tore it up in Oklahoma, down at sea level and on sidewalks. I clocked 13 miles in Charlotte on my old stomping ground, the greenway. The weekend I got back we were supposed to do 12 . . . but the altitude! I felt all buzzy and light headed and could hardly do 7. Defeated. BUT . . . last weekend, Todd and I did 15! Which is the farthest either of us have ever run, and an accomplishment for Todd, who you'll remember . . . passed out during the half.

Today we set out to do 17. SEVENTEEN. Probably not the best idea, since I've been sick this week and spent almost every afternoon flat out on the couch instead of training. So let me just describe to you what that was like. First of all, we quit at 16. Because running that far is like aging three decads in the course of a few hours. I guess it's different for everyone, but for me . . . first, my stomach started to betray me, after 30 or 40 minutes. Then my hips started to fail. And then my knees started aching. And then the feet . . . and back and neck and butt and . . . well, everything. By the end it was all I could do to lift each foot . . . and so we quit a mile early.

Currently trying to put my body back together. Mind over matter. Tips and encouragement welcome.

blackrock '09

Rugby is the sport of 3rd term. The big rugby tournament is called Blackrock and RVA has a history of winning or at least placing very well. So spirits were high and I was psyched for my first Blackrock. I even made a t-shirt. So, the day arrived, the whole campus emptied out and made the exodus to Nairobi, with high expectations.

Well, it was a bit anticlimactic. So many teams didn't show and/or forfeited that the first time the varsity guys played, it was in the semis. They played a 20 minute match and . . . lost. So after 20 minutes of play time, we packed up and went home. Sad.

Fortunately, the season's not over yet. Rugby is a fun sport to watch.

Part of Blackrock psyche is the team-bonding activity of head shaving.
Intimidating.

fans, big and little.

Gross

It's been raining a lot this term, which is great. I left it brown and dusty and came back to GREEN! And often it rains at night, which is really perfect, because it's fun to hear and then wake up to fresh air. One drawback of the rain is the plague of flying ants we experienced one night last week. I can't really describe the sensation of seeing an entire wall full of fluttering wings. They are attracted to the light and will try to fly in at every opportunity, even squeezing under the door or through cracks in the windows. The other gross thing about them is that they lose their wings, which are long and remind me of those 'helicopter' seeds that would twirl around . . . except they aren't nice leaves, they are BUG WINGS, and I'm still finding them in my classroom. Also, I think I've mentioned before how kids and grown ups like to eat them. Not me, though.

Fortunately I had my lights off so the ants passed over my place . . . but when I got home, I did have my own visitor . . . this large, disgusting garden slug, who I assume crawled up and over the door.



Not amused. Not. Amused.

3rd Term Outreach

My first weekend back was our 3rd term outreach opportunity. I took half of my class back to Cure, the children's hospital within walking distance of the school. This time there were a few more patients and a few less students. And, as you can see from the pictures, stickers were the object of choice. The kids really enjoyed them! Well, most of them . . . a couple were scared . . . but my students did an excellent job, again, of being sweet and friendly. Not an easy task with the language barrier and other physical limitations of the patients.

Shower Power

So, I have some GREAT friends.

And by "great," I mean . . . God-given blessings. Sacrificial. Pray-ers. Supporters. The kind who will call your mom after you get engaged and freak out with her on the phone, since you all can't be together. And mail you care packages. Drive across states to see you. FLY across states to see you! Wonderful girls. Mentors. Lovelies.

I spent 2 days in Charlotte at the end of my whirlwind trip around America. It was such wonderful time visiting friends and my old school AND they planned a shower for me, so I got to see even MORE friends! So, here's are the pictures:

white flowers, with brown accents, just like the wedding, thanks to Kerry's thoughtful planning!

a quiz, based on how well you read my blog . . . obviously some are more stalkerish than others. :) (and i love you for it!)

cake balls! seriously, amazing . . . made by kelly keller

girls from second south, my wing at Taylor! 2 from Indiana, 1 from Michigan, and 1 from Tennesse! Plus a new Charlotte transplant and an old Charlotte transplant.

erica-themed food: CHOCOLATE. :)

the old charlotte roommies!

and the whole gang. 85% taylor, i'd say. :) and that's saying something!

So. I love you all. SO MUCH. It was SO good to see you all!

South Carolina

So, a few weeks ago, I was here . . .

in Beaufort, South Carolina with my parents doing some WEDDING PLANNING. Crazy times, let me tell you. But between florists and caterers and bakers and candlestick makers, it was nice to be hanging out with the parents and grandparents and checking things off the list! And of course eating at Dockside, the Port Royal classic, perched next to the shrimp docks:

Just trying to pump you up for fun times in September.

Here they are- Mom and Dad, planners, financial backers, and troopers . . . and my friend Meg. She is unfortunately moving to Bolivia this summer to teach the natives (or expatriate business kids/MKs at NICS) and won't be around for the blessed event but was such a rock star that she drove to Beaufort to accompany us on florist/church visits and we had wonderful quality time at Dataw and driving back up to Charlotte getting more car honks than ever before in my life . . .

Understandable, though.