2004

I went through the album of letters and emails Mom made me for Christmas. I think there's enough details in here for a book! Who knew?! Anyway here are some excerpts for your reading pleasure

3/29/2004

Dear Mom & Dad
Greetings from KBC. It's about 8:15 on Sunday night. It seems as though I will head to Yola tomorrow morning to pick up yet another box someone has sent me in the mail. So I am sitting in the living room typing up a couple of pre-emails on ms word. The weekend was nice and boring just the way I like 'em. It's definitely moved into the hot season. There's no where to really go to cool off except the shower and even that isn't too cold.

I am getting geared up for the Niger trip. Have you done your research yet on the country so you can be properly scared about my safety? I will email you from Kano, the town nearest the border to Niger, before we cross into Niger.

Martin, Nancy, and I went to the next village over this afternoon. We were really bored and hot. So I drove into town with them. We walked down the street for about 45 minutes looking for a chophouse that sells rice and yams...no luck. We settled on hot tea and bread for 35c all together. We people watched for over an hour. It was kinda fun. It was like an airport without the planes. Just people still going somewhere.

I have a big project scheduled for Wednesday. It's the beginning of a 3 day all church conference in my village. My 13 year old helper kid and I are going into business together. We will make about 15 gallons of different kool-aid and them sell them to the conference goers. We'll pour the juice into lil baggies and cool them in the fridge overnight and then the helper kid will sell them. I think we'll make about $20 and split the profits 50/50. This way I can reduce the size of my kool-aid stash. Not many people have access to a fridge so we think have a good piece of the market already cornered. Dad, you would just be so proud of my salesmanship!

So I guess that is all for now. Things are good here. I have been healthy and malaria free since 12/6. I am changing my malaria meds to combat the stronger strains of malaria coming in the rainy season. Don't worry my meds are paid for. My teeth are good...no problems since that double root canal.

Love,
Callie

The season that's a verb, too.

What is it about spring? Seems like this one is more spectacular than most others. I also haven't experienced a season of spring since 2001. At that point I was living in central Illinois and hadn't really been out of the seasonal loop. Since then I had a non-existent Phoenician spring, which really just two weeks of 70 degree weather before moving directly into the high 90s.

After that, I had 3 years of Nigerian spring weather. This is the equivalent of having severely humid days with clouds forming in the east every afternoon, as if giant unpopped boils in the sky were taunting me with rain. The rains came around 4pm for the month of June, always angrily and always around 4pm.

So now I'm back into the spring I know and grew up with. I like this season and this word because it's the only word of our seasons that is an action. SPRING! It's like the word is telling everything that has been in dormancy to hop to it and get moving.