EKG Me, Mr. Prophylactic

I had to go to the E.R. tonight. I've been having these weird heart-palpitations since I got back from Africa, and today they were on the rise. I was just shrugging it off as little-girl excitement over my transcontinental-skipping and my upcoming move to California.

That was until nurse Mama Rose said, "I think you should read the fine print on that Malaria prophylactic you're taking." So I did that.

It's always a good idea to listen to your nurse Mama. Especially when she says big crazy tyrannosaurus rexy words like, "prophylactic."

If you experience irregular heartbeat while taking this medication: CONTACT YOUR DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY.

I did that. (But I didn't appreciate all the SHOUTING IN CAPS.) And the doctor sent me to the Emergency Room.

It's funny the things you think about when you're young with not-extravagant health insurance. The nice ER nurses are hooking my heart up to the EKG machine, and Mama--who used to work at this hospital--reminds me that this procedure costs about $500. 12 seconds of EKGness. $500. In my calculations, that's $41.67/second. (Not bad, robot. Hope you're saving for retirement.)

EKG.......$500
I.V. dripping salt-water into my arm.......$50
Multiple blood tests.......$200
Doc saying I'm all-normal and should just stop taking my Malaria pterodactyl......Priceless.

She also said I should cut back on the caffeine. Oh dear.

I'm very thankful for health insurance. But the expense of the whole system just baffles my happy little heart.

Things I Like Abut Tanzania - Part 2

(Continued from Part 1 here)

10. Learning from Byron how to wear my Maasai blanket like a proper warrior.
11. Dala dalas mini-buses with (curious) names such as, "Pimp My Ride - Go to Church" and "Jealous People Never Win," painted extravagantly on their back windows.
12. Making friends with the geckos that sometimes chill on the interior walls of my bedroom. (Geckos eat mosquitoes for lunch, you know.)
13. Avocados 'a plenty.
14. Multiple marriage proposals in one day. (Well, I don't necessarily like that, but...)
15. Seeing ladies carrying unbelievable loads effortlessly on their heads: baskets of bananas, bundles of timber, or, my personal favorite, hot burning coals in a metal bowl. (Doesn't the Bible say something about that?)
16. The slower pace.
17. The stars in the sky. I think they might be the brightest here in Arusha. Yep.

Travel Log #03 - Arusha to Dar es Salaam

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(Soundtrack by Sia, "Breathe Me")

Tsunami Warning

Ladies and Gents, I survived my very first tsunami warning. We took a nice road-trip down to Dar es Salaam on the Tanzanian coast to visit Young Life Africa's illustrious Dyan Larmey. (Oh, I love Dyan!) It was such a nice visit.

But then late last night a guy out in the road yelled in Swahili from a scratchy megaphone that we should all be prepared for a tsunami. The Indonesian earthquake could have watery aftershocks. We were in a house only about 100 meters from the beach, so this was a pretty unnerving warning. At least for me, it was. Calmly, the rest of the house just went to bed, remembering that the African side of the Indian Ocean was barely effected by the last Tsunami warning. I sat on the couch wondering if I was the only sane person in the house! A tsunami might come and we were only armed with flashlights?

Well, said tsunami warning was then retracted, but I still stayed awake. I sort of went into I-will-rescue-the-house-from-any-gnarly-wave mode, imagining how I'd run up the stairs and wake everyone on the ground floor. Silly. I used my cataclysmic adrenaline to edit a road-trip travel log video #3, which is (slowly-by-slowly) uploading for you. Hopefully after we return from an Indian dinner feast the video robots will be done with the loading.

Check out sweet Lisa's side of the Tsunami-story right here.

Mid-morning Passions

"Karibu, dada!"

Lilian hands me a plateful of passion fruit, watermelon, and peanuts as she calls me "sister" with a smile. I like having new Tanzanian sisters. I'm sitting at the computer in Chase and Leighton's room sorting through piles of video clips of beautiful Maasai women making beaded creations. I'm getting lost in the scenes of these artisan ladies threading beads with their passionate grace.

My mid-morning snack is crunchy and tart. It is clear to Chase that I am a passion fruit-eating novice.

"You can just swallow it whole, and it won't be so crunchy, you know."

"Well, what if I like slurping my passion fruit, Chase," I retort, with a sassy-grin.

Peace, Love, and Chapatis

Things I Like About Tanzania - part 1

1. The taste of hot fried dough with milky sweet chai in the morning. (I would like a t-shirt that reads, "Peace, love, and chapatis.")
2. Raw, rich beauty streaming from the smiling hospitality of impoverished African mamas.
3. Seeing Byron come alive as he speaks Swahili.
4. The adventure of being driven over unpaved roads with insane crater-like potholes.
5. Relying on lots of lovely candles when electricity cuts out. (Candles are so nice.)
6. Drinking Coca-Cola from 350ml glass bottles with old school bottle caps.
7. Driving down the road and having to stop to watch the baby giraffes.
8. Afternoon tea-time at the Borden's.
9. The cloud of joy created by forty adolescent African voices singing to Jesus in Swahili, acapulco-style, with much clapping and dancing.

Travel Log #02: On the Way to Tanzania

Well, I arrived in Nairobi, and then took the lovely, long, beautiful (but bumpy) Impala Bus ride to Arusha, Tanzania, where the Bordens threw their arms around me.

I happened to sit on the not-as-scenic side of the bus because I missed most of Mt. Kilimangaro. But my side caught the Maasai tribe and the trees and the Kenyan skies blending into Tanzanian skies. (So there.)

So here's another 2 minutes of lo-fi adventure for you as you sit next to me.

(Thanks so much, Janers, for the camera...can you believe what great video it takes?!)

Will try to post more soon. There is so much to say, but the internet here in East Africa is shoddy, at best. The electricity has been out every other day!

(Drum circle beats by the wild men: Jesse, Trevor, Colin, Skyler, and Chase.)

Off to Africa

In just a matter of hours I'm getting on a plane to Africa. My destination: the Borden's house in Tanzania. I'll spend a couple of weeks with these dear friends who are more like family, living alongside of them, and getting a feel for what life is like working with their Wild Hope International.

I'll post as I can. This is my first trip to Africa and I'm thrilled for the adventure. But, no matter where the Bordens were in the world, I'd be excited to spend time with them. It's less about the place and more about the people, if you know what I mean.

I'm very grateful for this space in my life to do such crazy things. And for frequent flier miles. (Thanks for the help, Mama!)

A Kind Goodbye

Sunday night was my last hurrah at the church. We played CTF 5000 (Capture the Flag insane-o style) and ate too much pizza. And then the kiddos blindsided me with the sweetest surprise: thank you cupcakes. A handful of them stood up in front of the group and said things they'd miss about me, they prayed for me, and put on a cute slideshow. Then came the cupcakes.

I am very difficult to surprise. But this was such a kind goodbye.

I taught on Luke 4 and Colossians 1, about Jesus' mission and how he wants to live out that mission of love and healing mysteriously through us. How the mystery is that, "Christ lives in and through you." It was great fun.

The younger ones left and then I showed the movie Invisible Children to the more mature folk. It was good that the 24-7 prayer room was still open, because we all sort of needed to just sit in silence and pray afterward. Have you seen this incredible documentary, yet?

Invisible Children: Rough Cut Trailer

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Mommy Blogger Crosses Atlantic!

I've just nominated the legendary Lisa Borden in the Blogger's Choice Awards.

Category: Hottest Mommy Blogger.

Perfect? Perfect! Hurry up and go vote for her. Especially because, as of today, all of Lisa's posts will be from Tanzania! Where else can you get a look at the inside of a wild household migrating from Europe to Africa (via Pasadena)...one that is so wild for Jesus, and wild with Hope?

Vote for Lisa's blog here: "Let's Put the Kettle On" is Hot, Man!

Lisa's blog: Let's Put the Kettle On
And the blog of Wild Hope:
Telling African Stories As They Live Them

I also voted for:
Andrew Jones, the Tall Skinny Kiwi (Best Blog of All Time) and John Smulo, in Smulospace (Best Religious Blog)