Stream of Consciousness

So quick update tonight. We are all settled into our new digs. Hannah and I have our own apartment but live above a fimily. It's pretty ideal. We have our own space, but they take care of us. They even gave us Togolese names. I'm Essie and Hannah is Effie. I'm probably spelling those wrong and it took me a good day to even learn how to say them correctly. Ewe is a tonal language and for our names, you have to raise your voice on the second syllable. These names are very common here because everyone is given as one of their names a name that corrilates to the day of the week upon which they were born. Very confusing. Essie is for Sunday even though I was born on a Thursday. I almost corrected them, but then Essie was pretty easy to say and I didn't want to risk getting a harder name. Our appartment turned out great. We have electricity, an ok internet connection, running water with enough pressure to take a shower (Woohoo!!!!) and a good bed with a mosquito net. We can cook here, but often we eat with our family downstairs, or rather they cook for us and we eat later... they are even kind enough to give us forks so we can eat American style (we all know I have germs, so this makes me happy). I ate my first Fufu yesterday. I'm not even sure how to describe it... it's a big ball of goo. Literally. It's mashed up yams (but not the yams you know. these are giant yams about 1 foot long) that magically transforms into something that looks entirely unpalatable. It's really not so bad though. I'm afraid, however, that I've offended a ton of people already because I can never finish my food. Apparently it is extremely insulting to not finish ALL of the TONS of food they give you. It's rather annoying. I either feel guilty or sick. I chose guilty for now. Maybe the whole summer. But definitely now while I'm still adjusting to local cuisine. My American stomach is wondering what the heck I'm doing to it. Hannah and I ate dinner in our apartment tonight: fresh, delicious avocados, soft, sweet bread, and peanut butter and nutella for dessert. What more could a girl ask for??? (well, I could actually think of a lot of things, but we're being thankful for what we have here).


Today was a whirlwind. Hannah and I met with and interviewed seven church facilitators (they are the people, usually totally awesome, who have gone through Chalmers training and are now starting their own savings groups). It was absolutely exhausting but challenging and encouraging at the same time. When I can forget how hot and uncomfortable I am for a moment and see what God is doing in the villages, it's really amazing. We met with two men who are Muslims using the Chalmers (explicitly Christian) materials. They said that since their training, their lives have changed dramatically for the better and other Muslims are asking them why. They are still not Christians, but pray that this connection will continue to form and plant seeds in their hearts. This is a really cool opportunity. 


Despite how busy and exhausted I've been, I've been thinking a lot lately. It's hard not to be confronted with soe big questions here. I do some of my best thinking on the back of a motobike. It's my little escape. My usual things I do to recharge are non-existent here, so I try to enjoy the time I get to spend scooting around on the back of some random dude's bike (don't worry, mom, I'm always with my translator/guide and always rocking my sweet Togolese helmet). I love to people watch-I actually drove past some guy wearing a Bettis jersey yesterday. I wanted to hug him, but I was on a moto and thought that jumping off probably wasn't worth it. Determined to get a pic with him though. Adding it to my bucket list. Anyway, so I love to people watch but it's rather heartbreaking. I struggle with how people live like this. . . and why. It's just hard when the Fall smacks you over the head and you see how broken the world is. I sometimes struggle with feeling overwhelmed with it all. What can I possibly do to make a difference here? . . . But how can I not try? It's disheartening and I'm praying that God gives me a large portion of His compassion and strength to face this all. I don't have to make sense of it, I just need to figure out his will and be faithful to it. Easier said than done. 


I stumbled across an old email today that I wrote to a friend about 2 years ago. The words hit me again and became my prayer for today and this summer. I thought I would share them with you: "I've been seeking after my own happiness and fulfillment when I know that's not what I've been called to. What the heck have I been doing? I've been so concerned with MY future, MY success and what I want that I've been blind to God. I was so worried about wasting my youth and throwing away my future, but I know that this is what my youth is for. Preparing for His future work and serving now as well. So, while things may not be perfect for me, I'm content and confident as I live for His happiness, not my own." Definitely have not figured this all out and could use your prayers here as well. 


I decided to start a little tradition on my blog where I just quickly list some things I'm thankful for. Today, I am thankful for: avocados, the crystal light packets that my mom packed me, my mosquito net/safe haven, my wonderful and hard working translator without whom we would be utterly lost, and for a God who is using this time to challenge me. What are a few things you are thankful for? Make a list and post it as a comment. 

Matthew 6

So much to tell you all. . . where to begin? I think I'll save my funny story for the end of this post to keep you reading (and when I say funny, I mean one day looking back it will be funny but right now I'm not exactly laughing...)

Our research plans are well underway. For every moment I have of "oh my goodness, how on earth am I going to do this?????" There's another of appreciation for all the help we have in planning and setting up. We have been blessed beyond belief with Will, our host. He's basically Hannah and I four years from now-he went through the same programs at Covenant as I am and had his internship in Africa too. He's been such an asset to us (pun intended. . .we're researching the ASSET program. . . anyway. . . ). We expected Will to be awesome, but what's been an unexpected blessing is the help we've received from the Mobile Training Owners who work with Chalmers in Togo, Kwasi and Theo. 

They really know their stuff and are totally invested in our work. We've already had two meetings with them in which all we did was talk about our expectations, goals, methodologies and schedule. Kwasi is a big fan of his brown craft paper and insisted upon writing down everything we said as we all brainstormed. Another thing that's been cool about these meetings is trying to understand and speak French. The five of us (Hannah, Will, Theo, Kwasi and myself) all speak (or sort of speak) French and English so it's a great chance to practice--especially to practice new vocab. French classes don't tend to teach you important words like "surveys," "focus groups," or "research design" but if you need to know how to say any particular vegetable, fruit, or article of clothing...I've got you covered. So, all that to say, Hannah and I are really thankful for the way the Lord has provided for us so far. It's still really overwhelming and I have NO idea how these next three months will go, but I'm taking this all as it comes. One part overwhelmed. One part thankful. 

Speaking of being overwhelmed but thankful... Hannah and I have made a lot of unexpected plans in the last week. We will be doing most of our research in a some small villages about two hours north of Lome. This means we won't be getting to live with Becky as much as we had planned or hang out at Will and Margaret's eating her delicious food as much as we'd hoped. We went apartment hunting yesterday and it was rather stressful on the whole. We are thankful to have found a place (with the help of Kwasi) living in an apartment above a nice family and for just $40 a month each. We hadn't budgeted for a second rent so it's definitely an answer to prayer that we found such a cheap place. But... you get what you pay for and I think living there, mostly cooking really, is going to be a challenge. It's a lesson in being thankful for having what I need though, not in wishing I had what I wanted. Once we get it better furnished and a little lived in, it's gonna work out great. If any of you have some good cooking ideas for how to feed yourselves without access to a refrigerator, clean running water (we do have running water though, praise the Lord) or oven, leave a comment. We'll have a stove top burner and a kitchen sink though so we're in business. 

Once we saw the apartment and decided it was our best choice, we had to run some errands. You see, there's a balcony area on our humble abode (balcony=luxury. This is basically the Ritz) but there was no lockable door on it which our landlord seemed to think was not a problem at all. Being my father's daughter, I was not about to let that fly so we (with Theo's help) ran around the village all afternoon getting everything for the door. You'd think it would be as easy as getting a door and some locks and hinges, and it was, sort of, but it was African style. African style=long period of waiting while nothing really happens. I've been told I'll get used to it. In this particular situation, it meant making the white girls wait in the car or seek shade somewhere while the wise locals who care about us do all the work. The moment our white skin is seen, the price gets jacked up by 300%, or at least that's what Theo keeps telling us. So, there was a lot of waiting in the heat and I promised myself I would never take Home Depot for granted ever again, but we got the doors and hardware and with one final stop at the apartment to drop it off (and like 20 minutes of waiting there and talking--African style, you know) we were on the road again- the long, hot, two hour road.

So, the last 12 days (wow, 12 days so far in Africa...) have been a blur. I've been trying to figure out/asking what God is teaching me though all of this. Here's what I've got so far: My life will be SO much better and I will have WAY more peace once I just give Him control. I have a moment every now and then when I'm stressing about where we'll live in the north or how on earth we're going to get around or feed ourselves consistently, I instead think how great it is that I can give it to Him instead. Matthew 6, baby, I didn't memorize it at camp 15 years ago for nothing (shout out to my peeps at Pine Springs!). I'm calling in on those promises this summer. I would by no means say I'm close to figuring this out, let's face it, we all know I have control issues, but if all of this is getting me closer to learning what it means to actually give my Father control, then I can do this. I want to grow this summer. Growing takes work. Pray for my growth in this way. 

So, as promised, funny story. Except, seriously I don't think its funny and I'm beginning to doubt if it ever will be to me. So a few hours ago I was sleeping in my bed, minding my own business when. . . oh man, I don't know if I can bring myself to tell this story yet. Maybe it's too soon. Oh well, I'd hate to disappoint. . . when all of a sudden I wake up with a start and hopped out of bed shaking all my limbs as quickly and violently as possible. (Go ahead, you can picture it, the story is better in visuals than in words). You see, I have killer instincts and reaction times when it comes to creepy crawly things. I don't mess around. Whatever big nasty bug had been crawling up my leg (oh! gross I can't even think about it right now...) was now  flung off of me (confirmed: not a spider, whew!). . . and lurking in our room. 

Adrenaline pumping, I flicked on the lights, grabbed my heavy hiking boot (so glad I brought them if for nothing but this exact purpose) and then I froze. This is usually the part when I make my roommate Sarah kill the gross bug for me. One problem: Sarah is currently in France. Bummer. As I try to collect myself enough to function, I realize how disappointed I am in myself. You see, everyone has been questioning how I'll function in Africa with all its germs and bugs and such (I really hate germs and bugs) and I always reply to them that I'll be fine because I have what I call "camp counselor mode" in which I turn all mama-bear-esque and can handle anything. It was in this moment, holding my boot in the air that I realized that for "camp counselor mode" to kick in, I need the very real pressure of keeping 10 twelve-year-old girls from having mental breakdowns. When the options are 1) mass chaos and screaming preteens or 2) Kristin just sucks it up and kills the bug, "camp counselor mode" is very effective. I have unfortunately underestimated how vital it is to have the threat of mass chaos to motivate me, however, and I am afraid my "camp counselor mode" will be null and void this summer. Bad news bears for this girl. 

Luckily though, Hannah chose this moment to sense danger (despite the earplugs and eye mask she was wearing) and groggily woke up. As she tried to make sense of the scene, I said "don't panic" to which she responded "is it a snake?" That instantly made me feel better. That was the dose of perspective I needed. This was not a snake. PTL. Once I told her it was just a big bug, she understood that this fell under her domain (Last semester, she and I made a deal: She'll kill all the bugs and I'll protect her and her irrational fear of snakes from snakes). She valiantly took the boot as I hopped up to safety on her bed. Unfortunately, there was only one more bug sighting and a 3 second window in which to kill it before it disappeared indefinitely. We did not succeed. . .Therefore, I slept in fear on the couch all night with the light on. Logical decision in my opinion. I'm still a little shaken up by it. It was a really big bug. And if a big nasty bug like that can get to me in my nice city apartment, I don't even want to think about what might be waiting for me in our village apartment. . . And that was the story of why Kristin will never again sleep in Africa without a mosquito net of protection around her. 

Could use your prayers of protection as well. From bugs, seriously I hate them, and other things like traveling, an encouraged spirit, strength, and for a servant's heart. 

We have a lot to do today before moving into our apartment tomorrow. Pray that everything comes together in time. We'll be living in the north for 5 days to kickstart our research. Pray also that we start getting connected up there and finding ways to get our work done. Don't know yet what the internet connection will be like up there, so if I'm out of touch for awhile, don't panic. Just pray for me.

Thanks for hangin' in there. I appreciate all your prayers. Leave a comment or two so I know you're out there! 

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Since I posted this, I located the bug (not even gonna tell you what it was) I calmly informed Hannah and she killed it for me. I definitely maimed it with my suitcase first though. Sarah would be proud of me. 

How many expats does it take to hang a hammock?

This and more exciting questions will be answered in today’s blog post. So Lome is awesome. I don’t know if I can say it’s beautiful, but it’s certainly beautiful to someone who has dreamed of going to Africa ever since she saw The Lion King as a three-year-old. I love the dirt streets (hopefully soon I’ll learn not to mind all the trash laying around or the road-kill lizard I nearly stepped on yesterday), the roadside stands selling anything and everything your heart could desire, the moto rides through traffic (which is extraordinarily tame compared to Haiti) and I love the people. It’s all so interesting to me. Moms here carry their babies on their backs all strapped in just hanging out. It’s adorable to see their little feet poking out on either side as they lean back to enjoy the ride. Also, at night, there are sometimes fires around-just people burning trash or something-but it looks so cool against the dark sky. I’ll try to snap more pictures so you all can see what life here is like rather than me trying to describe it all…

So on Sunday morning, Hannah and I met in the Paris airport and had some delicious “Pain au Chocolate” and “Café au Lait” while we caught up a bit. It was so exciting to see her face amidst so many unfamiliar things. It has been SUCH a blessing to be here together and I’m so thankful God worked that one out. Our next flight was about 6 hours and it was great, we had our own row and just got to watch movies and play Who Wants to be a Millionaire in French. (I may or may not have made her drop everything to watch the first five minutes of The Lion King with me as we flew over a very pride-rock-esque area. Seriously though, it gets you pumped up...)

When we landed in Lome, we waited for a bit in customs, but had no trouble getting through or getting our bags. Will and Margaret were right there to meet us and it was so good to see them. They are pretty much the best hosts we could have asked for. We had a nice meal at their house and then went to meet our housing host, Becky. She is an Ex-pat from the UK who works for an NGO here. (By the way, an expat, or expatriate, is basically a foreigner living in a different country). She is lovely and our house is wonderful. Hannah and I have our own room with beds and a wardrobe. My favorite part of the house is the roof terrace- pictures to come. We are really blessed to be living with Becky. She’s a lot of fun and has made us feel right at home.

Will has been taking us around town getting us set up before we start our research next week. He speaks French well and has been invaluable to us. Customs are just different here so it takes some getting used to. My favorite purchase so far has been our moto helmets. Mine has a Togolese flag stamped on the front and the back- it’s ok, you can be jealous.

Hannah and I have been enjoying getting settled in and spending time with our hosts. The food and coffee are amazing. I’m probably going to eat better (and cheaper for sure) here than I would have at home. Yesterday went grocery shopping in town. They had everything you could need. It was really nice. I wanted to cry tears of joy when I saw all the good milk on the shelves. If you know me well, you know I have a thing about milk. It has to be fresh and high quality for me to get near it (really, what did you expect when I was raised on Turners quality milk?). One of my biggest fears about Africa was that the only way I’d get milk was straight out of the cow or something. So when I saw shelves of fresh, highly purified milk, I was so relieved. It’s the little things in life . . .

I also smiled when I saw this guy hanging out on a shelf. You can take a girl out of Pittsburgh, but you can’t take the pride for all things Heinz out of the girl.  A little taste of home.

After our lovely trip into town and some really good lunch with Will and Margaret, Hannah and I came home for some down time. We decided to spend some time on the terrace and wanted to try out the new two-person hammock I brought. It took us way longer than it should have to figure out how and where to hang it best, but in the end, it was a success. This is the life.

Tmorrow we’ll be travelling north where most of our research will be done. Looking forward to getting started with that and seeing a real savings group after studying about them for so long. Hannah and I are both sort of nerds when it comes to this stuff. We love research. Seeing the lock boxes in person will probably be one of the highlights of our trip. For those of you who didn’t study microfinance for a semester, don’t worry, you’ll hear all about lock boxes from me soon.

Safe and Sound

Hannah and I made it safe and sound to Lome. Everything that could go right has gone right. It's been great so far. Still adjusting to the time change and cultural norms (like not using my left-hand for anything... well sorry that I'm left-handed, everyone... just one more thing to add to the list of ways the world is unjust for left-handed people... I'll get over it...someday.) Anyway, everything is good. Longer update to come. Just wanted you to know we are here and happy and healthy. Pray for our adjusting to the culture, our language skills (it is so scary to hardly be able to communicate with an entire people group), and for grace. This is going to be a challenging summer, but hopefully challenging in all the right, growing, full-of-grace kind of ways. 


A Bientot.

Now Boarding...

Here I go. Peace out Pittsburgh.

(Love you Mom. Don't worry, I'll email you soon.)

This is Real Life

Well, this is it. I'm really going to Africa. After months of hoping and planning, I will be flying out this Saturday. 

Little-known fact about me (ok, maybe not little-known because I tell people this a lot. . . ) I was voted 'Most School Spirit' in high school as well as 'Most Likely to Move to Africa.' You may be thinking that that's a strange senior superlative to win, and you would be right. The thing is, I pretty much set myself up for the win because, as a member of yearbook staff, I got to come up with all the superlatives, and I thought this one would be fun. Most people in my class were really confused as to what it even meant though, and I then had do go around and tell everyone to vote for me. . . . So, basically, it was rigged, but still, this is an exciting time, because I am fulfilling my high school prediction at such a young age. "Most Likely to Succeed?" Who needs that? I'm all about the quickly attainable goals filled with adventure. 

So, after that brief explanation for the title of my blog, here's the relevant stuff.

In three days, I will be flying to Paris to meet Hannah Weichbrodt (See that really awesome-looking girl pointing to Togo in this blog's theme pic? Yeah, her.) and from there, we soak up as much French culture and eat as many chocolate crepes as one can during a 3 hour layover in the Charles de Gaulle airport, and then we fly together into Lome, Togo where we will be living for the summer.

I couldn't be more excited to be doing this internship with Hannah. Usually, for our Community Development internships, we have to go alone as part of the experience. Right from the beginning of this process, though, Hannah and I decided we wanted to go to the same place (French speaking Africa) and would love to be together. God just kept opening up doors for it to work and I really think he knew what he was doing. If I could design a perfect person to spend a summer with in Africa, Hannah is pretty much exactly it. She's driven, hard-working, fun, encouraging and compassionate. I'm excited to see how God challenges and teaches us through each other this summer.

In Togo, we'll be completing our Community Development research internships. As part of our major, we all go out after our junior years and conduct research for three months. Hannah and I are interns for the Chalmers Center for Economic Development and will be researching their microfinance work. Their motto is "Help the church help the poor help themselves." I don't know about all of you, but I think that is just the greatest. You can (and should) check out more about the Chalmers Center at Chalmers.org. They are doing the Lord's work in some pretty amazing ways.

Well, I should probably cut this off somewhere and go finish packing. Pray for Hannah and I as we tie things up at home (Pittsburgh for me, Houston for her). There's a ton to do in not much time and goodbyes are never fun.

You know what is fun though? Going to Africa. Bring. It. On.