Trav and Emma's pictures

I realize this has nothing to do with my "tales from Mozambique" but I need to take a moment and brag about my family. I just looked at Trav and Emma's engagement pictures and they are INCREDIBLE! I knew that Rachel, the photographer, was amazing but I was super impressed by the pictures and couldn't help but think, "Wow. My brother and future sister-in-law are remarkably attractive." The bunch of these amazing pictures are posted on Rachel's blog which you can access by clicking here and then clicking on the "blog" button and scrolling down to find Trav and Emma.

I looked at the pictures while at school and I confess I grew a bit self-conscious. Glancing down I noticed a big stain on my khaki ankle-length "missionary skirt" which makes me trip all the time. I had on my very comfortable but very uncool according to my sister, hiking sandals and was sporting the classic french braid. As I looked the model joining our family I couldn't help but think, "Crap. I am not ready for the OC again." One thing I have loved about living in Africa is the freedom from the competition and pressure to look nice that I feel in California. Some of you may be thinking- "Katie sure doesn't dress like she's trying to compete with the fashion gu-rus of the OC." And you're right- I don't try to compete but there is definitely a noticeable difference in my attitude about my appearance. It's been so freeing to be here and not care at all how I look- I haven't blow-dried my hair in over a year and I wear the same plain out-fits over and over again-it's been great. I hope this attitude sticks with me when I return to California.

Turning 26 with lions

I have truly had a remarkably blessed life. I have an amazing family and fabulous friends and therefore I've always been made to feel quite special on my birthdays. I've enjoyed many pool parties, slumber parties, toilet papering outings, and scavenger hunts. Some reoccurring items at a typical party included a pinata, banana splits AND cake, cheesy games my dad invented like "who can balance the Squeeze-It bottle on their head the longest," balloons, laughter and fun. When we first moved to Brea, I was just turning 5 and hadn't met anyone yet so my parents invited thee ENTIRE neighborhood. In 3rd grade, my friend Megan and I who is a week younger than I, planned a joint party- we skipped school, puffy painted matching teal shirts, dawned our ultra-cool fanny packs and ran around Disneyland with our moms and 2 other friends for the day. Another memorable birthday was shortly after college when my friends from Westmont called up my friends from high school and we ate an incredible meal in the kitchen of a restaurant, singing "God Bless America" at the top of our lungs. Very surreal.

This year was the first year I was not surrounded by my family on my birthday, well my blood family- I was with my brothers and sisters in Christ. The OC Mozambique team went to Johannesburg, South Africa for a long weekend in order to join the OC South Africa team in saying farewell to the Carlson family who have been the Africa Area directors for a super long time and are moving to Colorado. The Carlsons are an amazing and hilarious family who I got to know a bit in December during our retreat and I also was super excited because I got to stay with the Witherow family. I had met them at the retreat and then when I came home for Christmas, they picked me up in the sketchy bus station and let me stay with them and then took me to the airport. I bonded with their three very fun boys while bouncing on the trampoline and feel incredibly welcome and at ease in their home. I was thrilled to spend my birthday evening with them. The boys had even baked me a cake and helped me with the candles:)







I had a blast with the boys and Heather is such an encourager- I was so glad I got to spend more time with this amazing family before leaving Africa.Yes, it is May I am wearing a scarf. The seasons are opposite from the States so it is almost winter and Joburg gets FREEZING!! I can't remember a time I've been colder.

One thing I really wanted to do while in Joberg was visit the lion park. We drove through the park in a caged truck and it was absolutely amazing to see lions so close. I must admit that it wasn't the same as seeing animals in Kruger because here these are fed and not really in the "wild" so it had a bit of a zoo feeling. The lions are definitely still "wild"though- the guide pointed out the lion which a few years ago killed 2 tourists who tried to pet it. Also, in Kruger one could rarely, if ever, get so close to the lions and watch a bunch of cubs nursing so there is no way I could ever get lion pictures in Kruger like I did here. I took a ton of pictures- here are my favorites:

The first ones we saw are "White lions" and actually can't survive in the wild because of their light color. The male was recently used in a movie.




These lions were in the next area. The males have to be separated.











And I thought my cat had attitude...





Sometimes I have staring contests with random kids when their parents aren't watching. (didn't mean for that to sound so creepy) I also do this with animals sometimes. I don't really know why but I feel the need to create competition all the time. I always win these competitions. However, I chalked up my first loss with the gal on the left. She was a fierce competitor and was staring so intently and I didn't want our truck to get attack so I averted my eyes.



















Sure I prefer to be with my family on my birthday but hanging out with lions was cool too:)
Learned something new and random about lions: they like to spoon. Weird.Probably my favorite part of the journey through the park was when we went off-roading to closely observe this odd family. Although the males usually are all separated, these two are brothers and formed a "coalition" according to the guide. I admit that I'm a bit saddened that polygamy happens in the wild. The two females seem to get along great though.













We showed up just in time for family bath time.












Loved this spunky lil fella. Also, who knew that male lions grew arm pit hair? Odd.













In Kruger, it is considered a huge treat to see a lion sitting in the far distance. I've craned my neck out of cars, strained my eyes through the binoculars and have felt very lucky to even catch a glimpse of a lion sitting in the shade. So being able to park our car right next to these beautiful animals and watch them do more than sit, was a wonderful birthday present. The next picture is my favorite:Next, we were able to pet the lion cubs! Heather warned me not to touch their heads and to pet them hard because they claw you if you touch their head and might mistake your hand for a fly if you don't pet hard. Armed with my "lion-petting tips" I approached the little guy on the left and when he batted at my hand at first I confess that I jumped back and felt like a chicken. These kitties aren't exactly declawed so I feel justified in my wussy behavior.









Lastly, we dropped by to feed the giraffes. Sounds neat huh? By far thee grossest thing I have ever done. I was expecting him to eat the food out of my hand like a horse does. As I was sticking my hand out to offer the snack, a vague memory flashed in my mind of reading that giraffes have incredibly long tongues... I don't get grossed out easily- in fact I usually enjoy looking at some things that others may label as "nasty." But when the giraffe's incredibly long, rough and black tongue wrapped around my entire hand, I almost gagged. I was hoping to get cute pictures of me feeding a giraffe...It did not happen. The others had a great time laughing at me thoroughly disgusted.
This wasn't intended to be one of my "ugly faces" pictures. This is a genuine look of horror and disgust.Can you see the long string of drool stretching from his mouth to my hand? Not cool Geoffry. Not cool.

Overall, it was a wonderful birthday. When I returned to my home in Maputo, I opened the door to my room and was very confused to find the following:


My friends Lisa and Judith had broke into our house (ok, used a spare key) while we were gone to decorate my room with banners, balloons, paper chains and streamers. (aka toilet paper) I've left most of it up because it is so festive and fun. My friend Lisa reminds me a lot of my friend Lesley from home. They both are super smart, have similar mannerisms, are incredibly considerate and know how to make their friends feel special, especially on their birthday. With no way to call me, many of my friends who are very talented vocal artists, were unable to leave their usual beautiful messages. (sarcasm noted?) However, Lesley found a way around this obstacle. I highly recommend you check out her awesome performance:

Lesley's performance

I definitely felt very special and very loved on my birthday, despite being thousands of miles away from my family and "home friends." Having such wonderful friends is not only a blessing, it is a necessity to make strides in my walk with Jesus. I've been learning a lot about accountability this month. It seems to be a common theme lately and I feel like perhaps the Lord is trying to tell me something. The first mention of the importance of accountability was brought up at Bible study. We were finishing Ezra and discussing the importance of repentance and why on earth Ezra listed the names of all the men who had sinned by marrying foreign wives. Our conclusion was that it was a record for the sake of accountability. This led to a great discussion about how to hold our friends accountable and how after we repent of something to the LORD, we should also repent to a friend who can hold us accountable. We compiled a list of questions we could continually ask our friends to make sure we were on the right path. Here are a few of them:

1. Are you justifying any sins? / What justifications are you using?
2. Is there anything or anyone drawing you away from God?
3. What did God do in your life last week?
4. What did you spend most of your time thinking about today?
5. What have you been learning through the scriptures?
6. Is there anything going on in your life right now that you wouldn't want anyone to know about? / Is there anything you are trying to hide?
7. Is there anything you are placing in front of God?
8. Are you doing anything unwise?
9. Are you putting off repenting of anything?
10. Have you just lied?

Then I read a passage from Teresa of Avila about pursuing a virtuous life which reads, "...that is why it is very important for us to associate with others who are walking in the right way. Those who have drawn close to God have the ability to bring us closer to him, for in a sense they take us with them."

Next, I came across Proverbs 13:20 "He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm."

Finally, I listened to a sermon by Mike Erre about how we should live in light of our new identity in Christ. He talked about the disputable "grey areas" in life when we sincerely don't know if something is outside of God's will. (ie- movies to watch, what music we listen to, drinking, etc) He provided a grid to use when deciphering how to act in the "grey areas" which is to ask oneself the following questions:

1- Does is bring dishonor to God's name?
2- Does it compromise my witness or give the appearance of evil?
3- Will I be mastered by this? Is it enslaving?
4- Does it hinder my relationship with Jesus?
5- Does it cause another to stumble?
6- Is it true, noble, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy?

After running the questionable issue through that grid, it is essential that we are also living in community and can ask for our friends' opinions. It is incredibly easy to justify and rationalize everything in our heads which is why we must have accountability if we truly want to live a life pleasing to God.

When I think of birthdays, I will always think of my family and friends. God has showered me with incredible people who make me not only feel special, but hold me accountable and point me on towards the right way.

May Day

I've always loved the month of May. I love all the blooming flowers and the wonderful California weather and the fact that summer is just around the corner. This May has been unlike all the past Mays because I'm in Africa and winter is around the corner so on some weekends I'm wearing sweatshirts and drinking hot chocolate instead of reading by the pool getting a tan. Also, I'm going through this odd transition period of life which I haven't experienced before. It's called the "detachment stage." I didn't realize it had a name until Mada gave me a little booklet to prepare me for the mean mess of reverse culture shock coming my way in a few months. Here's a snippet of what the book says about the detachment phase:

"We now have adjusted to the job and to missionary life. Our work has become a part of us and may even become mechanical. We begin to count the days before that needed home leave. We push to finish the projects we've begun, and try not to get involved in new ones. A search begins to find someone to take up our ongoing responsibilities. Socially we don't want to make new friends, which may result in withdrawal. Because it is hard to say goodbye, we may start the process of detaching ourselves from the culture, the people and the mission. Certain factors about the culture may begin to bother us again. We can hardly wait to get on the plane for home. These months can be a confusing time if, as first-term missionaries, we struggle with guilt and rejection. Looking back we may see mistakes we've made and wish we had done many things differently. Comparing prior expectations with what actually happened we may feel a sense of loss. Feeling of guilt about leaving with no replacement nag at us. This stage can be an unsettling patch in the zone."

Unsettling is a perfect word. I read this and at first I denied that I was experiencing any of it but I am. All of it. My job is easy and mechanical for me, I am counting the days til Europe, I don't feel like starting new projects at school or making new friends. I regret that I didn't do more, invest more, be more influential and I definitely feel awful about leaving CAM in such a tumultuous time for the school with almost no new teachers on the horizon. I have been detaching myself from the culture and am easily irked by the hissing men, the constant stares, the inefficiency,the communication barrier, and that crazy obnoxious, incessant nails-on-a-chalkboard sound of sweeping around every corner. (In the mornings the night guards keep themselves entertained by sweeping the fallen leaves with the palm brooms which makes an incredibly irritating sound. Our guard was sweeping right outside my window at 5 am the other day and I yelled in fast English so he could hear but not understand, "Please stop that stupid stupid, pointless sweeping- it is driving me crazy!!!" He didn't stop.)

Do I sound a mess or what? I was so relieved to read that such feelings were normal and after the initial sense of relief, I decided to try to fight against some of these inevitable traits of the detachment phase. I've tried to limit my eye-rolling when men hiss to get my attention but I just can't- it's plain annoying. To combat becoming a recluse, I've enjoyed several fun outings with friends and even met a new Brit/Kiwi family who I enjoy so much. I met them at Judith's birthday dinner which was especially memorable when I dug out the eyeball of my fish and Rebecca ate it! The next night Henrik had a delicious Brazilian BBQ at his place with the Brit/Kiwi family, a German missionary and some Swedes. We had a hilarious conversation about how animal sounds are not always universal. For instance, in Sweden a pig says, "noff" instead of "oink," a dog says "vov vov" instead of "ruff ruff" and a rooster says "ku cke li ku" instead of "cock-a-doodle-doo." After enjoying two dinners with my new friends, I had to admit that I was disappointed because I had met them so late and will have such little time with them.

I'm still counting down the days until Europe and can't wait for home but I forced myself not to throw in the towel at school and planned two more units and accepted the job of planning all the activities for the school picnic. This turned out to be a huge blessing and the day was one of my highlights in Africa. I drove with the Bower family to the compound outside of the city where one of the missionary families lives. After some delicious BBQ, I grabbed the megaphone and the games began. Sometimes I can be incredibly introverted. I'll never forget when I told my history advisor at Westmont that I wanted to be a teacher and he said, "Reeeally?" I responded with, "It's OK Dr. Pointer. I actually do have a personality. I've just never showed it in class." Put a megaphone in my hand and the introvert goes into hibernation. Most of the kids from the school were at the picnic with their families so I put the kids all onto 4 different teams and explained the rules to the first relay. The following are a bunch of pictures from the festivities that day. I love these pictures because they capture expressions on the kids' faces other than just smiles. The first shot is a stampede of kids running for their shoes in a giant pile. I named the next relay, "CapulanaSpin" because each member had to put on a capulana which is a piece of material Mozambican women use as skirts, and then they had to spin and run around their teammate.






















Next, another classic relay: eat 2 crackers, show the judge your clean mouth, get a piece of gum and then blow a bubble. Unfortunately I bought gum that was nearly impossible to blow a bubble with but it still worked out and was hilarious to watch kids struggle to eat crackers quickly.






















Next, the relays involving water:The following pictures come from one of the funniest relays to watch. Kids had to run with their cheeks full of water and spit as much water into the pitcher their judge was holding. Neel mastered this technique as you can see in the picture.Don't these pictures just look odd?











I think the highlight of the games had to be the egg toss. I couldn't find water balloons but eggs turned out to be a perfect substitute. Look closely at all the different facial expressions and try to see the egg they're catching. In the first one Orlando has his classic look of concentration and focus. This kid is incredibly competitive at everything and is at the top of the class. His sister, Charlene, insisted on wearing the capulana to protect her clothes. Notice one of the eggs went past one of the catchers? This is one of my favorites because you can see Varita's egg breaking in her hands in the background.
Despite her cradling technique, the egg exploded in Natasha's hands when she caught it.
This might be my favorite shot from the day; egg exploding all over Stephen's face:)
After the games and prizes, we moved onto the volleyball pit and played girls vs. boys. Here I am with my lovely girls.
I am by no means a volleyball expert. In fact, on the first day of Volleyball PE class at Westmont, the coach said, "Gosh Katie, I thought you'd be better." Gee thanks for the vote of confidence coach. In my defense, basketball requires different movements and I had never really played volleyball. With my limited knowledge however, I decided to teach the girls how to bump, set and serve (we weren't quite ready for the spike) because we kept losing and my crazy competitive nature was creeping out. Here Jenny stands in ready position- doesn't she look tough? She is super sweet but can give some of the craziest dirty looks when she's mad.











I'd like to say I blocked Andrew's spike but judging by the amount of "air" I'm getting, it's doubtful.The day of the picnic also was the day of my brothers' college graduation. I was bummed I couldn't be there to support them and was thinking a lot about them- especially as I played with the hilarious twins, Ahok and Mafat.
Each brother is very different from his twin but both sets have a unique and special bond that seemingly only twins can have and they all crack me up.

Despite missing my brothers, this was one of my favorite days in Mozambique. I've come to know my students on a level that is impossible with giant classes and love hanging out with them and their families. I know that I will miss these kids dearly once I'm gone and I'm so thankful for this sort of "last whoorah" before I leave.