Farewell from Jos...

I just wrote this on Facebook, I think it sums up things for me.

"It sure does suck to say goodbye (forever?) to the country and the friends that have shaped my life for basically the past two years. On the other hand, saying hello again to friends and family that will shape my future is pretty darn exciting... Feelings are funny."

Looking back on the past time I've spent in Africa, I've gotten to know some really great people from all over the world. Through the 6 months I was here last year, and the 10 from this year, it's been a rollercoaster of emotions. I left home in 2008 not knowing what I was getting into. Then I made a new home, and had to leave it after 6 short months. Going back to Canada was hard, as my heart was still in Africa. But God blessed me by opening doors for me to return. It's been a good 10 months, with dips up and down on the rollercoaster, but now I come to an interesting part in the ride, where I feel like I'm going up AND down. All at the same time... (which can be kinda painful).

I have to leave all the friends I've gotten to know here from the past 10 months. Canadians, Americans, Irish, English, Swiss, German, Scottish, Dutch, Nigerians (of course) and Africans from other countries like the Congo and Kenya... (did I miss anyone?) I've loved it. Getting to know people from other countries and cultures really does something to change you. By getting to know how another people groups, you realize how odd your own culture can be! Even this week when I tried to pay for my own bill at a restaurant, my Nigerian friend Safia and the other Nigerians with us were dumbfounded. I was the guest! How could I try to pay for myself?? Just shows you how little one can really learn of a culture even after a combined 16 months of living in it...

So I've had to say goodbye to a lot of these people, but as my roomie recently said "no one really says goodbye anymore. It's now 'see you on Facebook!'" Which is partly true (not everyone has joined Facebook) and echoes kinda what I'd written a bit about in my last post. Facebook makes saying "goodbye forever" a little bit easier to say since I'll be able to continue to connect with most of the friends I've met here via the virtual world.

Speaking of goodbyes, the church I've attended here had to say an unexpected and sudden goodbye the the choir leader. I didn't know him, but he's been a fixture at NKST the entire time I've been there. Apparently he'd collapsed earlier in the week and died a number of days later. I believe I posted this photo of him ealier.

As one who can't sing (without making everyone around me wish they brought earplugs), I've appreciated the choir as a great way to vicariously praise God through songs in a way I wish I could. I know he will be missed by his wife and son and it really goes to show how fragile life still is, and how lucky we in the West are. I've heard that it's thought he had suffered a heart attack, but that it's likely it wasn't diagnosed, nor was there appropriate equipment to deal with it. It made me think of my own Dad who had a heart attack a couple years ago. Thanks to a quick response of the doctors and some speedy stends, my Dad was in and out of the hospital within a matter of days. Think of the lives that could be saved across the world if only appropriate equipment and staff were available! I wish I had medical training (or the brains for it). I think I'd be working in the hospital here or somewhere else in a heartbeat. In fact, if you're of the medical profession, I highly recommend you spend some time in prayer about this. You could be used by God to save lives for people in a country without free or accessible health care, what a blessing!

I don't have a whole lot else to write today, I apologize. I've been pretty busy my last few days, saying goodbyes, packing and all that fun stuff. I'm off tomorrow morning for Abuja, then flying out tomorrow night. After about 24 hours of flights and layovers... Canada! woo! I'm pretty excited. Sucks I won't be able to get some tasty snacks like I've gotten here, like locust and dog meat... (ps, not my hand.)

Well, that's just about it from me! The next time anything gets posted on here, I'll be in Canadia! I still plan on keeping this blog updated, so check in every once and a while for some clever antidote and a photo or two! Thanks for reading, supporting and following!!

*edit*
ps! Some photos from my latest trip Farin Ruwa waterfall and to the EKA are up!

Facebook defence and an update/photos

I didn't know about Facebook until about my second or third year of college. A friend recommended it to me as a good way for me to post my photos of recent concerts we had been to. I had been a bit reluctant, but what was one more 'social networking' site? I already had a Windows Space, MySpace, Bebo, Hyves and several others whose passwords I've long forgotten.  So I signed up and became immersed in the world of Facebookery.

Ignoring the media's warning of the huge risks to sharing personal information (I like to live dangerously) I boldly displayed my personal information. (Who's going to want to pretend to be me, anyway?) Full name, age (even the year!), school and hometown were within reach of anyone looking. Bring it, identity thieves.

Several years, 392 friends (aren't I popular?), a couple videos, 357 photos tagged of me (a lot of them are from other people, I'm not THAT vain) and 82 albums later, I have a hard time thinking back to how life was in the BAF (Before the Age of Facebook). Facebook has always been keeping up-to-date, changing every few months to remain current in the interweb world. I'd say that's the main reason it hasn't gone the way of MySpace and its predecessors.

There are many who refuse to 'hop on the Facebook bandwagon'. The most common reason I've heard is that it's because it's so 'impersonal'. I disagree. While a 'poke' doesn't compare to a hug or a wall post to a conversation, Facebook is as impersonal as you make it. I have a theory that if the nay-sayers were born in Alexander Bell's time, they'd be rejecting the phone as "too impersonal".  Or going back farther, they'd have rejected letters, Morse code and smoke signals. Each has had its era, each has been of use to society during its time. Just because there is almost always a more personal way to interact with someone, doesn't make it the best. For instance, if I heard about a friend's recent engagement, a phone call is more appropriate than me giving my buddy a big ol' smack on the lips. Not only would I risk a fist to the face, I'd be sure raise some questions in his fiancée's head. Not to mention my own girlfriend's. Overall, it's not always a good idea to be more personal.

Anti-FBers are quick to follow-up with the rhetorical question of: "Why not just pick up the phone?" I can think of a couple reasons. One, the phone is about half-way up on the hierarchy of personal interaction (below handwritten letters and well above the fist pump). And as I demonstrated above, jumping levels in the hierarchy is not a good idea. If someone made a comment that me laugh, I'm not going to call them, laugh, then hang up. If it's an old classmate's birthday, I'll congratulate them on Facebook. Chances are I don't even have their number, nor do I feel like risking an awkward "so, who is this??" conversation. (Don't let my 392 friends fool you, I wasn't all that popular in High School).  Sometimes being LESS personal is better. A written "Happy Birthday" will be received well. Making a long-distance phone call to someone I haven't seen since grad to say the same two words will be received with various degrees of curiosity, confusion, creepiness and court meetings about restraining orders. The second reason I give Facebook the thumbs up instead of the phone is distance. I haven't lived in the same area code as the vast majority of my friends for more than half of each of the last two years. Not even the same continent. Phone calls are all but out of the discussion. Same with mail. It takes months for me to receive any from home. Not a good option. Facebook is easy, quick and free (always a pro for those of use from Dutch heritage).

Facebook has more pros for me than just being easier and cheaper than other forms of communication. I regularly meet a lot of other people for only short periods of time. People come in and out of the mission/volunteer world for as little as a week. I get to know them, then they're gone. Facebook lets me keep in touch with them for years after. But not only the people I meet briefly, those I'm closely connected to are readily available on Facebook. A lot of my friends, church members and family are there, (even my Grandpa!) It's been an amazing way to keep in touch with many of the people I know and have come to know. Long live Facebook!

ps, to anyone not on Facebook who has read this and would like to comment, I fully expect a phone call.

Oh, and for anyone (not just Facebook users) I've posted some photos from Kurra Falls. To reward those of you who are my dedicated blog readers (hey Mom) enjoy some photos that have yet to grace the book of face!

On Saturday, the Strydhort's invited me along with them, their oldest daughter and a bunch of her friends to a place the mission world here calls 'the causeway'. It's got this name from it's Irish counterpart called the Giant's Causeway. I visited the one in Northern Ireland on my way home last year and you can see what it's like in comparison in my Ireland photos on the right. It's a similar rock formation. Way back when there was volcanoes in Nigeria, this lava flow underwent a fairly unique cooling and ended up in pillars varying in hight, but almost each one is six-sided!

There is a river that runs through here and a few neat waterfalls. One downside is that the water is quite dirty and brown, leaving behind a lot of dirt on the formations. But still very neat to see some unique areas of God's creation!

As we were leaving, a bunch of kids saw us and followed. I was in the back near them and one sneakily held my hand the rest of the way to the car...


I also went to the EKA last week, which was very cool. I'm far too tired to give you a play-by-play right now, so you'll just have to suffer through a few of my favourite photos from the trip. This first one you may want to open up larger to see the woman carrying a bucket...

So now you have a taste of some more traditional African sights!

ps, less than 2 weeks!!