Drum Roll Please...

Please welcome our 6 pounds, 6 ounces, 19 inches long...strawberry blonde...

butternut squash.

The proud parents couldn't be any happier. Or healthier. And they are getting plenty of vitamin A.

Honestly, is this the biggest squash you've ever seen or what?

Rainy Days

This morning I woke up to the sounds of children laughing and playing outside.  Our neighbor has kids, but I don't generally hear them squealing with delight in the backyard at 7 a.m.  

So I got up to investigate - and the cause for celebration was a rainy day!  They were dancing in the rain - keep in mind that this is Phoenix, and we can count on one hand the amount of rainy (or cloudy, for that matter!) days we get every year.  It was glorious!  Generally Ron and I love west coast living, but if there's one thing I miss about back east, it's the rainy days.  I'm not crazy - I don't want it to rain all the time - but I like to have nice cozy damp days sometimes.

So today I'm taking advantage!  I dragged Ron out of bed and made him come sit with me on the back patio as we listened to it fall.  When he set off to work, I put on some Amos Lee tunes and baked some homemade bread.

I'm grateful today for the rain - and for the fact that it doesn't rain very often, so when it does it's a special treat!

Proud to Have Such Cool Friends

Some of you may remember some past posts talking about our good friend Brandon the Tree Planter.  Well, Brandon the Tree Planter is somewhat of  Renaissance man and also happens to have a talent - a serious talent - for capturing this crazy, hectic world in the most beautiful moments through photography.  

He's started an awesome web art project in which he, in Burundi, and a fellow photographer across the world in Vancouver (who happens to be a stranger), post side-by-side photographs a few times a week according to a loose theme.  The pairings are random, and I can't wait to see what happens sometimes when an unexpectedly profound coupling occurs.  The site is gorgeous and will be updated frequently.  If you're looking for something to add an unexpected moment of Zen to your morning coffee time or something, this would be it!

So bookmark it, RSS it, or just check it out!

Extra, Extra, This Just In!

Back in July our friends Terry and Becca came from New Jersey to come hang out for a week and do a few projects in Bujumbura.  Beccca took some video while they were around, so ladies and gentlemen, I bring you Ron's African Dance Extravaganza!

You'll be able to see some scenery in the background, too....beautiful.

Happy Saturday, and many thanks to Becca for sending this along!

A Few Updates!

Finally! For those faithful readers who have stuck around, I have finally taken control of this hectic, crazy, disorganized existence for a few blessed minutes to talk to the three of you (tap tap tap....is this thing on? hello?)

Anyway, the update is that Ron has indeed gotten a job at Honeywell doing some cool high-end electronics engineering. He had his first day yesterday and was pretty excited that it seems like it's going to be a great work situation. We are, as you can imagine, shocked and awed and way thrilled at how quickly this whole process went. We were afraid that transitioning back into jobs and life would be a slow process, and we are so thankful that it was so rapid.

So we signed a lease on a sweet little house that's only a few miles away from Ron's workplace. We LOVE this house already and are so excited to be here!

And look!  We even have a backyard!!!

Now all that's left is my job search!  If anyone knows of work in the editing/writing/publishing/PR world, let me know! 

Can it get better? I think not.

We are in heaven! Ron got a job offer yesterday morning for his first-choice job. He'll be engineering high-tech systems displays for the cockpits in jets. He's so excited to be doing work he finds interesting!

Since we wanted to be moved in to a new place before his start date of September 29th (so soon!), we searched high and low for a few days and decided to rent a house instead of an apartment. We signed a lease today on a gorgeous 3-bedroom in north Phoenix. It's a convenient spot, as it's only 4 miles to Ron's work and close to lots of friends and family. We move in on Friday, which also happens to be my birthday!

We are beyond excited and so ready to start settling in and finding out what the next phase holds for us!

Oh Camera Cord, Where Art Thou?

I still have more pictures I'd like to upload...once I find that little piece of electronic gold known as the camera cord.  I'm sure it's waiting patiently in the oversized and breathtakingly messy pile of general stuff that is still spilling out of our as-yet-unpacked suitcases.  Soon, soon.

As an update, however, we are adjusting just fine.  We've had cheeseburgers galore, lots of green salads and Mexican food.  We've also not yet stopped marveling at the life-affirming power of long hot showers, laundry detergent, and toilets that flush anytime you want them to.  

Ron's waist-deep in job searching, and had an interview yesterday with what is his first-choice employer, so we would be eternally grateful if you would keep your fingers crossed for us or say a prayer or just do whatever your personal method of divine intervention is.  We were told that we would know sometime next week. 

As for me, I am increasingly thinking that I should just move to Alaska and run for governor.  I heard there was an opening.

We're Baaaaack!

The G-skis are officially back in business!  Our trip back to the US was blessedly incident-free, with no delays, cancellations or lost bags.  Thank heavens!  We spent a little over a week in Maryland with Ron's family.  We had a blast visiting with them and hanging out with our nephews and baby niece. We also got to visit our old hangouts in DC and Annapolis, meet up with some friends from college, and reconnect with our favorite high school teacher.  Overall it was a great week, and we were so glad to have the opportunity to be there - thanks to Ethiopian Airlines, whose US flights are all directed through Dulles airport!

Jet lag wasn't too bad - by a Herculean effort we didn't nap at all so we were on the fast track to getting adjusted.  We were a bit afraid we would be sick from all the rich and dairy-laden foods, but we have been fine so far! Yay!

We got back to Phoenix on Thursday and spent two days with mi familia before arriving at Claude and Kelley's last night.  It's good to be back!  Although after being in humid Burundi and Maryland, my skin is practically cracking from the dryness in the air.  We'll get used to it in a couple days though I'm sure.

Once I actually locate my camera cord, I'll update some more pictures from our last days in Burundi and from our time in Maryland!  And if you are in Phoenix, make sure to email or call us and we'll get together!  We've missed everyone.

P.S.  For all those who were wondering, the answer is yes - our first meal in Phoenix was indeed In-N-Out.  It was glorious.

Leaving on a jet plane...

Ron here - I'm pinch hitting for Sarah at the moment. Today we're packing and wrapping up our summer here as we get ready to fly out tomorrow. It's a little earlier than we expected, but we're grateful for our time here, as it's been pretty transformative, and we're looking forward to getting home to more familiar territory. We'll be visiting with family and friends in Maryland for a little bit before coming all the way home to Phoenix.  

Thanks for being with us on this journey!  We'll be posting more pictures and maybe even some videos once we're back on U.S. soil, so stay tuned!

Holy Mwaro!

Today we took a day trip to a land of rolling green hills, where the banana beer is always flowing, the skies are always blue and all the children are all good-looking.  This magical land is called Mwaro, and it may be found in rural (did I  say rural?  I meant R-U-R-A-L) Burundi - and it just so happens that this is where our friend Claude was born and spent his years as a little tyke.  The highlight of our little jaunt to the countryside was definitely the time we spent with his family.  But first, we had some business to take care of! 

Here we are hanging out at Claude's property in Mwaro.  He has a cute little house built on it.  The land itself is breathtakingly beautiful.  It's cool up there in the mountains, and the air feels crisp and clean, like an apple orchard in autumn.

Then, we dropped in on the governor of Mwaro to say hello.  Incidentally, she was on her way out the door for lunch, so we joined her and got to hear about some of the neat things going on in the province.

Here is the governor - she is a good-natured, friendly kind of lady and we were glad she wanted to hang out with us.

Did I mention that it was cold in Mwaro? Here we are at lunch huddling over our hot tea to keep warm.  A nice change from tropical Bujumbura!

Next we went a few miles down the dusty road to visit Claude's family:

Saying hello to an aunt (I think?)  

One of Claude's littlest cousins - adorable!

She's a beauty, folks.

We got to spend time with various aunts and cousins, including the lovely Aunt Leoni, who is second from left.  She's been living with us this summer and hanging out with Claude and Kelley's kiddos.  She is a good Kirundi teacher and has a master's degree in keepin' it real.

Claude's uncle in the yard with a few of his cows.

....and the afternoon starts to go downhill with some homemade traditional Burundian beer.  This is the real deal, folks.  This stuff was thick and dark and was still fermenting and bubbling in the bowl.  The long straw is some sort of hollow plant branch. Men have to take a sip to be polite.  And Ron took a very, very little sip.  But still...

Driving to Mwaro involves lots of time traversing hilly, winding roads with hairpin turns at breakneak speeds.  Throw in some fermented beer in the belly and what you end up with on the ride home is a pea-green Ron.  He barely made it home in time to upchuck in the bushes.  Poor guy.

Africa Lesson: Do not mix home-brewed alcoholic beverages with Burundian driving.

Status:  Learned.

Back on Track!

I have been a bad blogger this week.  A very bad blogger.  Really, I'm embarrassed.  My face is all flushed and tingly.  I could give you all these reasons about how Ron and I came down with a nasty flu, and that we were busy having dreams of chicken soup, both of which are true, but instead I will assume preemptively that you have forgiven me.  With all that off my chest (whew!) , let's just get down to the pics!  Yesterday, finally feeling better, we ventured to the beach for some fresh air and sunshine, Burundian style. 

With my favorite guy.

Heading in! Anybody have any croc repellent?

The skirt and t-shirt is definitely not American beach wear.

Uh, Justin?  You might want to tighten the drawstring on those little trunks.

Aww.

How can you not melt at that smile?

This past week we also got to hang out a little bit with Jean Paul Samputu, who is a friend we originally met in Rwanda in May.  He's a musician who is really, really popular around these parts and who has even won some African Grammys and performed for Oprah and all that jazz.  He's been living in Canada but he was in Bujumbura and stayed at our house for a few days while stopping through.  Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of us with this cool guy, because I was feeling sick and gross and so I didn't take any.  But, you can check him out on YouTube because he is cool like that.  

Snakes and Crocs and Turkeys (Oh My!)

A few days ago we took a trip to the Musée Vivant - which, despite its lofty title, is more or less a collection of animals in a yard.  But it was neat, although there were too many snakes for my taste.  I hate snakes.  And now I have been dreaming about spitting cobras and strangle-happy pythons.  But anyway.  Thought you all might enjoy some pics!

Um. Eww.  Our friend Brandon the Tree Planter and our housemate Grace are nice people, but...this makes me suspicious of them. This one is HUGE.

You think you're so tough?

Check out the jaws on this thing.

Hey good lookin'...you look tasty.  I will see you at Thanksgiving.

In a bit of a random move, the owners of Musée Vivant thought that the one thing that could enhance their snake house was...a mockup of a traditional Burundian village!  And I agree with that choice.

Here I am contemplating the meaning of life.  Apparently squatting next to a traditional African hut is a great place to contemplate the meaning of life.  You should try it sometime.  I myself had a sudden flash of insight regarding modified Newtonian dynamics and the nonlinear field strength of gravity.

Now what the heck is this?  Ahh...a beehive holder...honey....I get it!  I'd like some honey right about now.  And some Honey Nut Cheerios. With some cinnamon on top.  Oops, tangent.

Like the shameless carnivores that we are, we topped off our day of wildlife viewing with some deliciously tender frog legs.  With lots of garlic and butter. And we all know that everything tastes pretty good when bathed in garlic and butter.  Now don't be grossed out by our amphibious cravings - trust me, these babies will make your heart sing.  When we were leaving the restaurant we heard them croaking in the grass behind the parking lot.  Doesn't get any fresher than that!  Trés bien!

(By the way, all those who are acquainted with Ron the Former Picky Eater's eating habits, rejoice - our boy chowed down on the frog legs without batting an eyelash.  He also ate a raw tomato the other day with only salt and pepper on it.  And he has been known to sneak chunks of pineapple.  I know, I know - pick yourself up off your chair, Mom G)

My wife, the future Jane Austen

For those of you who don't know, my wife is quite the talented writer, and she recently put her skills to work when she wrote an article about the Amahoro Institutes in Uganda and Burundi earlier this summer. I think it's a really good article (and I swear I'm not biased), and other people do too. Brian McLaren recently picked it up on his blog. His post was then picked up by Emergent Village. Looks like it's getting around! I think Sarah does a great job of capturing the conversation that's happening all around us here in Africa. It's very inspiring! I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.

She also wrote an article a few weeks ago about the Ugandan Institute itself. Its great as well. Check it out!

Wedding Bells!

Okay, before we get down to business today, I must state that for breakfast this morning I had a delicious, flavor-filled bowl of oatmeal.  I brought along a few (too few, sadly) packets of instant oatmeal and it's amazing the happiness those little babies can bring.  So now with my stomach full of cinnamony goodness, I feel up to the challenge of relating to you the events of the Batwa Wedding Spectacular 2008 that we attended a few days ago.

So first, a bit of background is in order, yes?  Many of you have seen my earlier post on the Batwa, including the amazing slideshow that my friend Christie made.  That was the part of the their story that was the tragedy.  This is the part that is joyful!  No matter what the circumstances of the Batwa are (and believe me, they are bad), the Batwa know how to party!

So, last Saturday, we were invited to attend a wedding in which 153 couples were to be wed at the same time. One hundred fifty three.  If you are thinking to yourself "holy moly" then you are along our same lines of thought.   I should point out that the blessed event took place in a room about the size of a typical elementary school classroom, and that it happens to be August in Africa, and that there was no air conditioning or fans.  But I digress.

As we arrived, our car was greeted by a singing and dancing troupe that were highly spirited and very agile.  We were a few minutes late (buke, buke, remember?) so we only saw the last few couples actually sign their papers, after which they posed with a framed portrait of His Honor the Excellent President Regency of Burundi, Pierre Nkurunziza (Or something like that.)  Not quite sure about the portrait thing, but hey, we pose at our weddings with pieces of cake right?  So, to each his own.

Some brides waiting their turn - dressed in their wedding finest.  Aren't the bright fabrics so fun?

After the i's were all dotted and the t's all crossed,  the dancing part of the afternoon commenced.  Many of the women, if not most, perform these quick-footed dances with babies and toddlers tied on their backs, and I am rather impressed with this feat.  Especially considering that jumping is a big choreographic element of the dances.  Yes, I said jumping.  Did I mention they had 25-pound two year olds on their backs?

Okay, up until this point we were happily watching from some chairs at the side of the room, which was next to a window, which was crucial.  But could we stay like this? No.  No no no no. We had to move on stage for the ceremonial portion of the event. Because we were guests of honor, you see. We thought it would be so awkward to sit on stage as if we were important, so we tried to squirm our way out.  We begged.  We pleaded.  We wailed and gnashed our teeth.  But they were firm.  We must sit onstage and allow everyone to marvel at our white skin or else we would not be fulfilling our duty.

Do we look like we are scoping out escape routes?  It's because we are.

Afterwards we had another duty to fulfill: posing for pictures with everyone.  Kind of like the oversized, sort-of-creepy Mickey Mouse at Disneyland.

I'm including this one just because I can.  Isn't this little princess precious?

Now, Batwa ideas of marriage are a little more flexible and fluid than those of westerners. Right after the ceremonies had taken place, Claude saw a young woman looking frantically around the crowd.  When he asked her what she was looking for, she replied breathlessly that she had lost her new husband.  "Well", Claude said pragmatically in an effort to help, "what's his name?"

She looked at him balefully.  "He hasn't told me yet."

All in all, it was a great event and we were glad to be part of it (except the awkward sitting on stage part).  Everyone was duly married and we got to be part of a little piece of Batwa life.  

Happy Birthday Claude!

So yesterday was our friend Claude's birthday.  We all felt we needed to celebrate somehow, so we had planned a little nice evening on the rooftop patio with all our housemates and one or two extra friends.  But Claude is an extrovert.  By extrovert, I mean EXTROVERT.  And that is how we unexpectedly ended up with thirty friends enjoying a rooftop dance party, old-school hip hop music, and lots o' drinks.

First, our cook Joseph prepared us a FEAST. With coleslaw. And it was muy delicioso. 

Then, after dinner and maybe a drink or two (...), a Ron vs. Claude dance-off to Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean", which most judged to be a draw but which I think Ron won handily (hey, who that has seen him dance can deny he's got moves?).

Umm...PRICELESS.  Ready for framing.

While the other ladies were envying my husband's Michael Jackson moves, I hung out with Kelley and Mireille...

And now Ron's back and flushed with victory so he graces Alice and I with his presence. If you think Ron looks a bit more svelte than you remember...he does.  In fact, right before the party, he was running up the stairs, and his shorts (which are a bit snug at home) actually fell off his skinny bum. Luckily no one was around so his dignity was saved.  But I think he will be wearing belts from now on.


Kelley with our good friend Brandon the Tree Planter, who provided the speakers for the evening. We like Brandon. A lot. Everyone likes Canadians.

Oh, what a night.  In the end much fun was had by all and I think we scored a point for white people's rhythm skills.

In the next post I will tell you about the Batwa wedding that we just attended, in which 153 couples tied the knot at the same time.  Some of them even knew each other's names. Intriguing, yes?

Photographs

In the Kibira Mountains...the last strip of forest in Burundi:

Hanging out with Miss Emma, letting our toenail polish dry:

The boys kicking around the "football" in the front yard:

Spaghetti feast the other night with care package goodies from both our sweet mamas (and Grace's mom Lois!), our rad sister Virginia, and our favorite Southerner Christie:

Umm...yeah.  No real explanation.  How did we end up in the same position?

My cool handmade crafts from a women's peace cooperative I visited yesterday.  The women have all lost husbands to tribal violence, and they get together with other women (including those from the enemy tribes) and make crafts while talking about peace and forgiveness.

Don't you love these placemats?  Hand-woven with love.  And these funky cloth napkins?  We always use cloth napkins at home instead of paper anyway since they're more eco-friendly (oops that makes us sound so granola...will you still hang out with us even though we're dorks?)

And that is all I have to say about that.