Hey ya'll
So one of the doctors her in Memphis asked me if I wanted to go with him on a mission trip, because I wasn't able to go to China with the other interns on account of th Hamilton wedding. OS I said yes, because he's an awesome guy and because its to Etheopia. So I have two huge prayer requests.
1) I'm at least five years younger than the second yaoungest person, and the other three people are a nurse doctor and clinic administrator, so I'm nervouse as to what I will be doing. Plus I kinda puke at the sight of blood so ya.
2) That Kris and I will be able to meet up, because I'm just kinda along for the ride with the guy who planned my trip and she's really busy with the Peace Corps. And I would feel bad if I made it all the way to Etheopia and didn't get to say hey to her.
So if ya'll could pray for that stuff it'd be cool. I miss all of ya'll alot and think you are the greatest people I've ever known.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
From Ityopp'ya
Hallo family! Or as we like to say… salaam nouw beteseb.
A few things:
A) You guys are absolutely incredible. Seriously- I cannot think of a time when I've been so thankful for you all. Dang.
B) Don't ever get your phone stolen in a country whose cell phone service is controlled by a state monopoly. It's just a hassle. Good news is- I think it's all sorted out now. So if, perchance, you find yourself bored and wealthy with nothing to do- the number to call is now: 251 913 1100 68. You may think this looks familiar and that's because it's the same number I used to have. I don't understand how it works. But if you call the other number I was using, you'll get to talk to my supervisor. Nice guy, but it'll probably cause more confusion than it's worth for all parties involved.
C) Did you know that to join the EU a country has to agree to animal-welfare rules? One of these rules is that pigs, goats, and sheep can only be killed at home for personal consumption if they are stunned with a special stunning device before their throats are cut. Apparently Romania had some issues with this one. Just thought you should know.
Miss you guys! A lot! Kris
A few things:
A) You guys are absolutely incredible. Seriously- I cannot think of a time when I've been so thankful for you all. Dang.
B) Don't ever get your phone stolen in a country whose cell phone service is controlled by a state monopoly. It's just a hassle. Good news is- I think it's all sorted out now. So if, perchance, you find yourself bored and wealthy with nothing to do- the number to call is now: 251 913 1100 68. You may think this looks familiar and that's because it's the same number I used to have. I don't understand how it works. But if you call the other number I was using, you'll get to talk to my supervisor. Nice guy, but it'll probably cause more confusion than it's worth for all parties involved.
C) Did you know that to join the EU a country has to agree to animal-welfare rules? One of these rules is that pigs, goats, and sheep can only be killed at home for personal consumption if they are stunned with a special stunning device before their throats are cut. Apparently Romania had some issues with this one. Just thought you should know.
Miss you guys! A lot! Kris
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Hi.
I have an address for you all to memorize...
A-1-6 Blk A Jalan Masjid
PJU 6A Pelangi Utama
47400 Petaling Jaya
My country
it's hot here.
love to all.
A-1-6 Blk A Jalan Masjid
PJU 6A Pelangi Utama
47400 Petaling Jaya
My country
it's hot here.
love to all.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Monday, January 7, 2008
Bangs...what a love/hate relationship
If you're a boy you can skip to the last paragraph.
I'm sure just about every girl reading this went through a stage at one time or another (for me it was second grade) where they wore their hair back in a headband everyday, put fifty bobby pins or clips in their hair, and looked in the mirror every morning to see if they still had bangs. I'm not quite sure why our mothers let us get bangs in the first place when it seems like all of us grew them back out for what seemed like yearsssss. Now, I'm not really sure how long it took to grow out those dreaded things but it seems like I have tons of pictures of me with my hair sticking up from behind the headband because my bangs weren't quite long enough to lay down....are you with me girls?
Good. So, we finally grow out our bangs and feel really cool because this is how all the fifth graders are wearing their hair (when I say we, I'm assuming some of yall went through this phase too). For a while we enjoy not having bangs...part our hair straight down the middle, giving a nice triangle shape to our forehead. (My hair was actually really big for several years....ok, it can still be really big but I didn't know how to control it back then.) But after a few years of wearing our hair slicked back in a ponytail (that's what I did through most of 6th and 7th grade) we begin to get self conscious about our big forehead and begin thinking that maybe having some bangs would make our forehead appear a bit smaller. Then we try parting the hair to the side and going for the swoop, which does make for a prettier triangle on your head. But we really want some long bangs to swoop across our forehead because that looks really cool to have hair falling in your face constantly. I tried to convince my hairdresser to cut me some for years but with no success. She claimed I'd hate them and they'd get in my way. She's probably right.
I say all of this to say, I cut myself some long bangs the other day. I don't think you can really tell...for the girls: they still tuck slightly behind my ears and I didn't really slant the cut enough. Now I'm back to waiting for them to grow out so I can cut them again...this time with a slant. So...I'll take a picture later and post it for yall to examine.
IN other news...I left AL yesterday with hopes to arrive on the other side of the world in a few hours. Unfortunately, my flight in Dallas was delayed which caused me to miss my connecting flight in LA...so the rebooked me for 24 hours later. I'm writing from the LAX Hilton. Had a real swanky breakfast and am putting a pretty penny down to write you all. So, I leave LA tonight at 11:35. From what I can see CA looks real nice, Brian. Woot.
I'm sure just about every girl reading this went through a stage at one time or another (for me it was second grade) where they wore their hair back in a headband everyday, put fifty bobby pins or clips in their hair, and looked in the mirror every morning to see if they still had bangs. I'm not quite sure why our mothers let us get bangs in the first place when it seems like all of us grew them back out for what seemed like yearsssss. Now, I'm not really sure how long it took to grow out those dreaded things but it seems like I have tons of pictures of me with my hair sticking up from behind the headband because my bangs weren't quite long enough to lay down....are you with me girls?
Good. So, we finally grow out our bangs and feel really cool because this is how all the fifth graders are wearing their hair (when I say we, I'm assuming some of yall went through this phase too). For a while we enjoy not having bangs...part our hair straight down the middle, giving a nice triangle shape to our forehead. (My hair was actually really big for several years....ok, it can still be really big but I didn't know how to control it back then.) But after a few years of wearing our hair slicked back in a ponytail (that's what I did through most of 6th and 7th grade) we begin to get self conscious about our big forehead and begin thinking that maybe having some bangs would make our forehead appear a bit smaller. Then we try parting the hair to the side and going for the swoop, which does make for a prettier triangle on your head. But we really want some long bangs to swoop across our forehead because that looks really cool to have hair falling in your face constantly. I tried to convince my hairdresser to cut me some for years but with no success. She claimed I'd hate them and they'd get in my way. She's probably right.
I say all of this to say, I cut myself some long bangs the other day. I don't think you can really tell...for the girls: they still tuck slightly behind my ears and I didn't really slant the cut enough. Now I'm back to waiting for them to grow out so I can cut them again...this time with a slant. So...I'll take a picture later and post it for yall to examine.
IN other news...I left AL yesterday with hopes to arrive on the other side of the world in a few hours. Unfortunately, my flight in Dallas was delayed which caused me to miss my connecting flight in LA...so the rebooked me for 24 hours later. I'm writing from the LAX Hilton. Had a real swanky breakfast and am putting a pretty penny down to write you all. So, I leave LA tonight at 11:35. From what I can see CA looks real nice, Brian. Woot.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Fluoridation Is The Most Monstrously Conceived and Dangerous Communist Plot
After hours and hours of delays and a long dinner with my parents and Mr. & Mrs. Eades, I stood at the end of the escalator anxiously awaiting the return of our beloved ex-patriot compatriots. My eyes tear’d over with boundless joy when I spied Dwight’s humongous halo of hair, and I charged him like a Raging Bull ready to strike the matador… or his wife (that one’s for you, Jamie). I buried my face so deeply into Dwight’s buxom chest that I failed to see Erin walk right past me. Turns out that I suck as a boyfriend- not that the past four years hadn’t proven that already…
I drove Erin home in my parents’ Lexus and was, as Keith would later describe, “giddy as a little kid” – so giddy, in fact, that I found it unreasonably difficult to keep my eyes from drifting to the pretty girl on my right. As you may know, when a driver’s eyes drift to the right, the car tends to do the same- a fact that was not lost on the officer behind me, who promptly pulled me over.
“I noticed you were swerving a little bit back there, and I just wanted to make sure that everything was okay,” announced the Fuzz.
“Sorry, I just picked up my girlfriend, and I haven’t seen her in six and a half months, so I’m a little excited,” I stammered exceptionally excitedly.
“You couldn’t wait until you got home?”
“I’m…. just…. excited…” I declared just as extraordinarily excitedly as before. After confirming that we had just come from the airport, the Man in Blue let us continue on our way, to revel in our excitement until we passed out watching Steve McQueen steal the heart of his leading lady both on and off screen (bonus points to anyone who can name the movie!).
Good tidings to you and your kin. See you in Chattanooga, but first, bring me a drink of pure grain alcohol and rain water.
I drove Erin home in my parents’ Lexus and was, as Keith would later describe, “giddy as a little kid” – so giddy, in fact, that I found it unreasonably difficult to keep my eyes from drifting to the pretty girl on my right. As you may know, when a driver’s eyes drift to the right, the car tends to do the same- a fact that was not lost on the officer behind me, who promptly pulled me over.
“I noticed you were swerving a little bit back there, and I just wanted to make sure that everything was okay,” announced the Fuzz.
“Sorry, I just picked up my girlfriend, and I haven’t seen her in six and a half months, so I’m a little excited,” I stammered exceptionally excitedly.
“You couldn’t wait until you got home?”
“I’m…. just…. excited…” I declared just as extraordinarily excitedly as before. After confirming that we had just come from the airport, the Man in Blue let us continue on our way, to revel in our excitement until we passed out watching Steve McQueen steal the heart of his leading lady both on and off screen (bonus points to anyone who can name the movie!).
Good tidings to you and your kin. See you in Chattanooga, but first, bring me a drink of pure grain alcohol and rain water.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Update from Kris
Someone (Brian) once told me- in reference to housing- "Ethiopia is such a breeze compared to the states. You have no idea." I would like to emphatically disagree based on my first night in my new Ethiopian house.
So, it had been a great night. Had dinner with the landlord family, Jen called, and I was doing some reading before bed. Out of the corner of my eye, I see something run across the floor. As it turns out, it's a massive rat. Some of you will be proud to know that I didn't scream. But I could have. Very loudly.
The night turns into an effort to get him out. I almost squashed him once by slamming the door as he was crawling along the top of it, but then chickened out. At another point I thought that he was out, only to find him back in my room a few hours later. He found a hole. Or rather, many holes. I would stuff one, only to see him coming back in through another. If I didn't see him, I heard him… or imagined that he was crawling on me in my sleep. Definitely a breeze.
But don't worry! I was ready and waiting with my Amharic dictionary opened to 'mouse' when landlord mom came out at 6am this morning! She, obviously, thought this was hilarious. But the holes have been stuffed, the mosquito net hung so it can't eat me, and the cat is sleeping with me tonight. And I'm bonding with the family. We're off to a good start.
Things really are going well. The last two weeks have been awesome as far as relationships here go. And God has been pretty cool too. I had decided that my method for getting through the holidays was going to be not to acknowledge them. I was quickly reminded that it's really not about me. Some awesome Christmas music (including It Came Upon a Midnight Clear. Weird) was forced upon me and then an Advent reading guide from Mountain Brook Community circa 2006 mysteriously appeared. I have no idea how this made it to Ethiopia, but there it was. I've been reading through it and it's been awesome to focus on the prophecy and sovereignty leading to Christ's birth.
In other news… I miss you guys! You should know that the first thing I did upon moving in was hang family pictures all over my house. You are all well-represented and often laughed at by visitors. Hope you're all having Happy Holidays and enjoying wrapping up the semester/ getting a good break from work! Hopefully I'll be talking to most of you soon…? Much love!
So, it had been a great night. Had dinner with the landlord family, Jen called, and I was doing some reading before bed. Out of the corner of my eye, I see something run across the floor. As it turns out, it's a massive rat. Some of you will be proud to know that I didn't scream. But I could have. Very loudly.
The night turns into an effort to get him out. I almost squashed him once by slamming the door as he was crawling along the top of it, but then chickened out. At another point I thought that he was out, only to find him back in my room a few hours later. He found a hole. Or rather, many holes. I would stuff one, only to see him coming back in through another. If I didn't see him, I heard him… or imagined that he was crawling on me in my sleep. Definitely a breeze.
But don't worry! I was ready and waiting with my Amharic dictionary opened to 'mouse' when landlord mom came out at 6am this morning! She, obviously, thought this was hilarious. But the holes have been stuffed, the mosquito net hung so it can't eat me, and the cat is sleeping with me tonight. And I'm bonding with the family. We're off to a good start.
Things really are going well. The last two weeks have been awesome as far as relationships here go. And God has been pretty cool too. I had decided that my method for getting through the holidays was going to be not to acknowledge them. I was quickly reminded that it's really not about me. Some awesome Christmas music (including It Came Upon a Midnight Clear. Weird) was forced upon me and then an Advent reading guide from Mountain Brook Community circa 2006 mysteriously appeared. I have no idea how this made it to Ethiopia, but there it was. I've been reading through it and it's been awesome to focus on the prophecy and sovereignty leading to Christ's birth.
In other news… I miss you guys! You should know that the first thing I did upon moving in was hang family pictures all over my house. You are all well-represented and often laughed at by visitors. Hope you're all having Happy Holidays and enjoying wrapping up the semester/ getting a good break from work! Hopefully I'll be talking to most of you soon…? Much love!
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Finally Over
While watching Man vs. Wild last night I was keenly reminded of my experience in med school this semester. Bear was attempting to climb down a waterfall and holding on to a vine for dear life while thousands of pounds of water were crashing against him threatening to send him plummeting to the rocks below. Somehow, my experience of sitting in a lecture hall while my unrelenting professors threw countless amounts of material at me seemed very familiar to Bear's situation. Fortunately, just as Bear eventually reached the bottom of the fall unscathed, I have now made it through one of the most stressful weeks of my life and am done with my first semester of med school. And despite what Brian may tell you, it actually is as hard as people make it out to be. The unfortunate part about it is they like to cram all the things that make it really hard into about 2 days and it was pretty much all I could do to keep my sanity...I think I lost it for a few hours.
In other news, I finally got a ring for Kimberly. We didn't have one until just recently because we were waiting on some details to work out with a ring that she had in her family, but that kinda fell through so we went and got one! Thought I would let you all see it.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
The Move-In: A Tale of Toil
dear friends and famil- er, friends and friends:
my dad, my grandpa, and i are driving my crap down to birmingham today, and moving it into my new place tomorrow. the offer of buying a coke or pepsi product for each or any of you as remuneration for your assistance in transferring the aforementioned crap into the aforementioned apartment (townhouse, technically, which was not aforementioned) still stands. my grandpa can't help carry stuff in because of recent back surgery, and my dad technically can, but really shouldn't, because he has a bad back (genetics? probably. woot). i know many of you have employment obligations during the days, but if you don't... help would be awesome. won't take very long at all with even 1 or 2 people helping.
sincerely indebted to the hoped-for help of you, the reader...
-brian
my dad, my grandpa, and i are driving my crap down to birmingham today, and moving it into my new place tomorrow. the offer of buying a coke or pepsi product for each or any of you as remuneration for your assistance in transferring the aforementioned crap into the aforementioned apartment (townhouse, technically, which was not aforementioned) still stands. my grandpa can't help carry stuff in because of recent back surgery, and my dad technically can, but really shouldn't, because he has a bad back (genetics? probably. woot). i know many of you have employment obligations during the days, but if you don't... help would be awesome. won't take very long at all with even 1 or 2 people helping.
sincerely indebted to the hoped-for help of you, the reader...
-brian
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
This one's for Brian
"'W00t,' a hybrid of letters and numbers used by gamers as an exclamation of happiness or triumph, topped all other terms in the Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year online poll that best sums up 2007." (Source: Express, a publication of the Washington Post)
Ohhhh. So that's what Brian's been doing - all this time, Brian has been summing up 2007!
Ohhhh. So that's what Brian's been doing - all this time, Brian has been summing up 2007!
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