I must say, this entire adventure has been a bunch of firsts. My first trip away from North America, my first time using pre-paid electricity (which really makes me stingy), etc. But yesterday I also had some local firsts: things that I've done for the first time in Africa.
1. I went shopping and purchased a frying pan and a pot, as well as a few dishes. This enabled me to boil water and make some noodles, onto which I put some assorted spices and consumed as dinner. While I've never claimed to be a cook by any stretch of the imagination, I must say that it was an edible, if unimaginative, dish. This was my first cooking experience in Africa, and a good supplement to the large quantities of fruit that I've been purchasing from roadside stands (food here is fairly cheap). Unfortunately, I don't have a refrigerator, so milk and cheese are not among my ingredients yet. But tonight I intend to try making some rice, and if I succeed at that, to fry it with some egg (which apparently doesn't need to be refrigerated?), soy sauce, and onion. At worst, I'll have a funny story to tell next time I blog.
I've been surprised that the food here is actually quite similar to the food I'm used to (although there is a ton more chicken used here). I think most of the food is heavily influenced by South Africa's european twist. This morning for breakfast I ate Weet-bix with peanut butter on it (again, no milk).
2. So far I've been learning how the organization works, what everyone's roll is, and the processes that we go through in day-to-day activities. Tinashe is in Kenya (at the Partners Conference) for the week, but when he gets back we're going to start working on a grant proposal. Of course, being me, I would love to be given a task that I could just dive into and defeat, but I think it's probably good that I'm learning about things here and they're learning about me.
Nevertheless, I did get to use my skills yesterday. Naomi's (Tinashe's wife) computer was periodically shutting down, and as I've spent a fair amount of time diagnosing and fixing computers, I was able to take it apart, clean it out, and restore it to a working condition. While not exactly what I was planning on, it was nice to be useful.
Between the earthquake and the Brewers newfound success, I ask you to find time to keep praying for myself and the work of Partners. There is a major conference in Kenya and another intern is preparing to leave home, so there's plenty to pray about. I'm also open to book suggestions and recipes (remember, I'm a poor cook with only a handful of ingredients).
Quote to consider:
Always assume redemptive possibility. The last word has not been spoken. And when it is, it will not be spoken by you or me. –Rob Bell
-Ben
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