Sorry this is late- really not excuse other than I was BEAT once I got a moment to write last night...
Yesterday went something like this...
I woke up nice and late after almost 12 hours of sleep... because I could. Our orphanage trip was cancelled due to unrest, so I took advantage of the only morning ever to sleep in:) At first I was upset, then I realized what's going on in town is serious and I shouldn't be saying 'oh... I wanted to do this or that' but be praying for those whose lives are affected... humbling for sure.
I had hauled myself to the bathroom when the phone rang. I kept saying, 'please leave a message, please leave a message'. We don't have call waiting here, so there's NO way to tell if someone has called or not... unless they leave a message. Thankfully they did. It was one of the families I'm close with asking if I wanted to go shopping and out to eat and to the pool with them. At first I was like, 'Really...we're going out?', but then I remembered there is no issue close to our ship, so I gladly accepted the offer.
We first drove to the market area, where we found a dress for the mom of the family and a cute skirt for one of the girls, got the mom's shoes repaired, and a few other things. Then, we walked to one of my favorite restaurants- Africana- where they serve traditional Guinean Cuisine for a good price and the quality is excellent. On Saturdays they even have a kora player(see below for a pic of a kora- a traditional Guinean instrument). It was tons of fun. Then we headed to the Niger market where we picked up a few items.
The family needed a light-bulb and some hair products for the kiddos, and I was desperate for mangoes. Fruit has become my source of sweet and I loooove mango smoothies. And...I'm a good barterer... it was funny because my friend got on me for not using our translator friend, but I already had her down to the local price before he even started..:) Needless to say- mango smoothies are back on my menu;)
Then, we drove over to the Riviera. It's this incredible little resort where we have free admission to swim. The food is too expensive, so I don't really eat there, but it's a fun place. There I attempted to Skype my family. I was quite disappointed when I learned my skype wasn't working, but my friends was... when we realized I should use my friend's.. it was too late- the family was already gone. I did get to see Jordan for a quick moment and make faces with him, and most notably, he knew I couldn't hear him due to issues with Skype, so he put up his hands to say 'I Love You' in Sign language. I almost cried.... well... later I did. I'd had a dream that Jordan and James came to the ship and I was babysitting- James a little chunker and healthy as could be and Jordan enjoying school on board, so I woke up homesick... this didn't help any... but it was nice to see them for a minute:)
We got back and the heat was on.... it was nearly time for the FILM FESTIVAL!! I'd agreed to do the hair of the girl I directed in a film as well as a friend, so I hurried to shower an eat before they came, then they came, we did hair and makeup and I made it JUST in time to take my seat. I was surrounded by people I love- it was really amazing. The films this year were very thought out and much more intricate than I remember in years past. Ours didn't win anything, and I struggled not to be bitter, as I'd spent hours recording my parody of 'I Dreamed a Dream', but realized I should've put subtitles on it... oh well... my actress was fantastic and we had fun- a cool memory to have together for the future for sure:) After a while, I calmed down and realized how tired I was and just passed out in bed:)
Overall it was a blessed day.... it was very spontaneous, as all I had planned was to lay in bed and read that day- no lunch planned- nothing ready to have a day in. Those of you who know me know that I really like having order and a schedule and knowing what's going on, but time has changed me a bit, I suppose. Now I don't mind things going off kilter as long as it's for something cooler:)
Yesterday went something like this...
I woke up nice and late after almost 12 hours of sleep... because I could. Our orphanage trip was cancelled due to unrest, so I took advantage of the only morning ever to sleep in:) At first I was upset, then I realized what's going on in town is serious and I shouldn't be saying 'oh... I wanted to do this or that' but be praying for those whose lives are affected... humbling for sure.
I had hauled myself to the bathroom when the phone rang. I kept saying, 'please leave a message, please leave a message'. We don't have call waiting here, so there's NO way to tell if someone has called or not... unless they leave a message. Thankfully they did. It was one of the families I'm close with asking if I wanted to go shopping and out to eat and to the pool with them. At first I was like, 'Really...we're going out?', but then I remembered there is no issue close to our ship, so I gladly accepted the offer.
We first drove to the market area, where we found a dress for the mom of the family and a cute skirt for one of the girls, got the mom's shoes repaired, and a few other things. Then, we walked to one of my favorite restaurants- Africana- where they serve traditional Guinean Cuisine for a good price and the quality is excellent. On Saturdays they even have a kora player(see below for a pic of a kora- a traditional Guinean instrument). It was tons of fun. Then we headed to the Niger market where we picked up a few items.
The family needed a light-bulb and some hair products for the kiddos, and I was desperate for mangoes. Fruit has become my source of sweet and I loooove mango smoothies. And...I'm a good barterer... it was funny because my friend got on me for not using our translator friend, but I already had her down to the local price before he even started..:) Needless to say- mango smoothies are back on my menu;)
Then, we drove over to the Riviera. It's this incredible little resort where we have free admission to swim. The food is too expensive, so I don't really eat there, but it's a fun place. There I attempted to Skype my family. I was quite disappointed when I learned my skype wasn't working, but my friends was... when we realized I should use my friend's.. it was too late- the family was already gone. I did get to see Jordan for a quick moment and make faces with him, and most notably, he knew I couldn't hear him due to issues with Skype, so he put up his hands to say 'I Love You' in Sign language. I almost cried.... well... later I did. I'd had a dream that Jordan and James came to the ship and I was babysitting- James a little chunker and healthy as could be and Jordan enjoying school on board, so I woke up homesick... this didn't help any... but it was nice to see them for a minute:)
We got back and the heat was on.... it was nearly time for the FILM FESTIVAL!! I'd agreed to do the hair of the girl I directed in a film as well as a friend, so I hurried to shower an eat before they came, then they came, we did hair and makeup and I made it JUST in time to take my seat. I was surrounded by people I love- it was really amazing. The films this year were very thought out and much more intricate than I remember in years past. Ours didn't win anything, and I struggled not to be bitter, as I'd spent hours recording my parody of 'I Dreamed a Dream', but realized I should've put subtitles on it... oh well... my actress was fantastic and we had fun- a cool memory to have together for the future for sure:) After a while, I calmed down and realized how tired I was and just passed out in bed:)
Overall it was a blessed day.... it was very spontaneous, as all I had planned was to lay in bed and read that day- no lunch planned- nothing ready to have a day in. Those of you who know me know that I really like having order and a schedule and knowing what's going on, but time has changed me a bit, I suppose. Now I don't mind things going off kilter as long as it's for something cooler:)
Me and Lisa at the film fest
No comments:
Post a Comment