two months......

so far, this has been my longest "overseas relationhship." almost two months. it's about this time that i'm emerging from the first honeymoon stage (i'm sure there will be more to come). it's easy to be flexible and "roll with the punches" while everything is exciting and new. don't get me wrong, even after a year, i know excitement will be lurking behind some pyramid or under some camel....but after a year, the bruises left by some of those punches may be a bit more painful without the numbing effects of the honeymoon stage.


however, here are a few realizations:

1. after this year, i will have spent five years away from home (well, i spent one semester at home);
2. two months is not that long at all, but being two months into an eleven month program leaves nine months (i've always loved math, can you tell :);
3. a year is also not that long and will fly by, i'm sure....but there are moments when a year seems too long -- too long to be away from the ones you love, the ones you want to love, the things you love, the places you love, and yes, the FOOD you love! :) one year leads to another year...and another....soon it's five years.....ten years.....how much longer?
4. life is about balancing dreams -- grand, life-long dreams with more immediate dreams. balancing the dreams/goals and not focusing too much on either one is crucial. it's like snorkling, if you have your head under the water all the time, you'll eventually end up too far out to sea, but if you have your head out of the water all the time, you may not get lost, but you'll miss out on what's right beneath your feet.

To my dear friends and family who take the time to check in, please,please, please pray for the following:

• patience and perseverance (lots of it)
• joy and enthusiasm
• wisdom and more patience
• humility and courage
• and......i left my cell phone in the back of a taxi...it's not retriveable :( a lost quite a few contacts that i'm afraid i may not be able to get back.
• aaaaannndd...it's my birthday tomorrow. please where a tutu in honor my my two-two birthday (22....wwwhhheeeeewwwww!)

I have been learning and growing a lot (just ask my Mom, she'd be glad to share a few stories :), and I know your prayers have helped me. His guidance and faithfulness in some stressful situations have left me humbled and desiring to know Him more. There's a point where it's absolutely OBVIOUS that I cannot handle (or will not handle) a situation adequately....instead of "I told you so," I constantly hear, "Be still, wait patiently for me......" (Psalm 37). In those moments, my waiting has not proved to be in vain.

I'd be glad to share stories if you're interested. But for now, my Mom is the keeper of a few recent stories..........she likes to talk about me (and if she talks about me half as much as she'd like to talk TO me, then prepare yourself for a novel of a time :)

Thank you so much for your faithfulness to Him that has so abundantly blessed me!!! Rest assured that I am doing my best for His glory...your generosity will extend as far as He'll use me.

m3lsh (m-A-lish).....

Here's your Arabic word for the day -- m-A-lish. there's no word in the english alphabet that resembles the 'A'.....so, when writing arabic w/the english alphabet, we use 3. it's like a deep A sound that comes from the bottom of your mouth and the back of your throat.

anyway, this word transcends language into culture. my language teacher told me that language and culture are closely tied together here, and this is the a great example of this truth. what does it mean? well, let me tell you what i know and have observed.

someone drops a plate full of food on the ground - m3lish!
someone arrives an hour late -- m3lish!
someone goes out of their way to help you -- m3lish!

3la = on
mish - not
put them together - m 3la ish

essentially, this means, "it's not on your head" or "it's not on you"

"no problem," "don't worry about it," "forget it," etc. meshie? (ok?)

this is the technical term used when speaking; however, in order to demonstrate the transcendence of this word into reality and it's obvious obviousness in the Egyptian culture, i'm going to use the tern m3lishishness....meshie? m3lish-ish-ness......fantastic.

in the midst of crazy cairo traffic, horns honk, drivers weave in, out, through, or any other way they can move quickly......and then some silly person cuts him/her off. perhaps a few words and then coh-loss (finish!). if you dropped a street full of unsuspecting, western drivers in the middle of traffic here, apocalypse would ensue.........i guess, m3lish is like patience, forgiveness, and laid-back-ness incorporated into one word.

well, remember that i've only been here for about six weeks and with more time, i will learn more aspects to this word and cultural concept..........until then!

i stole this http://aprilchristeen.blogspot.com/2007/10/its-rough-sometimes.html

Autumn
The leaves are falling, falling as from far off,
as though far gardens withered in the skies;
they are falling with denying gestures.
And in the nights the heavy earth is falling
from all the stars down into loneliness.
We are all falling. This hand falls.
And look at others; it is in them all.
And yet there is One who holds this falling
endlessly gently in his hands.
Rainer Maria Rilke

you want a grape....how bout'a date, eh?

6 October work for you? it sure works for these fantastically entertaining egyptians! for those of you not familiar with this date and its significance to my new frieds, a quick google search can enlighten you to the irony of their celebration.

my weekend started on thursday when i missed my bus to school. oops. but it's really not my fault. the bus came early. no complaints here, i took advantage of this unexpected freedom. then i joined my fellow teachers in the breaking of the fast (it's ramadan). then i embarked on a journey with some friends to enjoy TCBY. trust me, it's NOT This Country's Best Yogurt!!!! at least i know for next time.

my weekend extended through sunday because saturday was a holiday. weekends can be quite confusing here. a weekend is either friday and sunday or friday and saturday....so i got it all off! sweet is an understatement :)

my social networking continues successfully to extend into various communities with people of varying perspectives on life. when someone here considers you a friend, you REALLY ARE A FRIEND....not any of this, well, "let's be friends but not friends friends (i.e. bestest buddies)." friends are friends.

i had a short conversation with one of my taxi drivers (in arabic, of course)....that was exciting. i lied...it was

VERY EXCITING!

okay, i think that's enough excitement to last awhile. i'm going to be quite the busy bee the next ten days or so......so if you don't hear from me for awhile, just wait longer! :)

oh, and dad, you'd be so proud. i went bowling and got 6 spares and 2 strikes! ok, ok...don't get too excited...it's embarassing.

until next time, blessings on you, and THANK YOU for everything....really!

burnt feet and cow chips - welcome to egypt

it all started
with a game of football.

wait, no. it started with twenty wasted matches.

light a match, push a button, hold for one minute, and wa-lah! you have heated water. twenty matches later, the starter finally, well, STARTS!!! of course, i hide the used, wasted matches at the bottom of the rubbish can so my landlady won't get mad at me for wasting her precious matches. i'll buy her new ones.

you'd think that, with the heater started, a nice hot shower follows. yeah, no! the shower consists of constant adjustments so i'm not freezing into an ice cube or frying like an egg -- the balance is delicately IMPOSSIBLE..................but not today. twenty matches later, it was perfect. which is why i didn't pack a lunch. i spent my precious lunch preparation time in the shower. which explains why, half way through my day, i'm strolling through the school's snack shop choosing between candy or chips for lunch....or a little of both.

today, i chose chips. but not just any chips. in true egyptian cousine (as i'm learning), i chose "Kebab" chips. yes, meat-flavored chips. chips bursting with cow flavor. perfect for us beef lovers who need a quick fix for those carnivourous craves. i had to try this...........i felt like i was eating fried potatoes prepared in left over roastbeef ajeu (spelling?)....who needs TGIFridays? i get my meat and potatoes in a bag. luckily for me, i grew up snacking (and on occassion, feasting) on military MREs.....this wasn't too far of a stretch...no offense chris, jared, and dad!

so how, you may ask, did i end up with burnt feet? while, it turns out that i wasn't lying when i said i was coming to egypt to play in the sand....i just didn't realize i'd be doing in barefoot. but that's what i get for selfishly spending my time in the shower this morning. not only did i steal my lunch prepartion period from myself, i managed to frivoulously spend the "rational, reasonable contemplation of what-to-wear" time.

therefore, i showed up to school in comfortable slacks with a cute shirt/dress thing, and comfortable, sassy sandals.....did i mention i'm the official PE teacher? and probably the only female PE teacher in Egypt who participates in all of my planned activities...including football.....but every rational, reasonable PE teacher doesn't come to work as cute as I obviously had...and if they do, they come prepared with PE attire. my bad. but, my cuteness didn't stop me (does it ever? ;).....shoes came off, slacks rolled up, the games began. at least football requires lots of movement, which keeps the foot to sand-covered concrete connection to a bare minimum (pardon the pun)......just wait until volleyball starts.

egypt continues to welcome me with arms wide open.......and i receive her sweet embrace!

until next time, your continued thoughts, emails, comments, and encouragment has been and continues to be very much appreciated :) i cannot emphasize how much your encouragement extends through all the excitement and exhaustion!

Dear Grandpa and Grandma,

About eight or nine years ago, I persuaded Chris to switch rooms with me. With white walls and wide windows, Chris had no problems moving into my room. Being the considerate brother that he is, he made sure that I knew he was getting the better end of the deal. Insisting that this dark-walled, smaller room would be great preparation for college, I moved downstairs.

Little did I know how this switch would change my life. As you know, I practically moved into the garden. I always knew when you, Grandpa, were picking tangerines, transplanting orchids, rearranging the gardens, or slicing slugs. But most importantly, I was always first to know that when it was dinnertime because you, Grandma, always needed to give Grandpa extra time to get ready for dinner. So, you would find Grandpa in the garden and let him know it was dinner. With my young ears, I would hear you the first time, but with ears far more experienced than mine, you would need to repeat yourself once, maybe twice before you, Grandpa, knew it was dinner; and thus, making me the first to know it was dinnertime!

Who knew that this switch would change my life?

A few years later, I moved to Seattle into what I like to call a hole (also known as a dorm room!), and all that preparation paid off. The excitement of being single in Seattle will never outweigh the greatest lesson I learned during my first few months at college. A mentor encouraged me to start listening to people’s stories. He especially insisted that I listen to those people in my life who will not be around to tell their stories in the coming years.

This is when I realized that the two people upstairs were more than just my babysitters while growing up, were more than just my grandparents; this is when you, Grandma and Grandpa, became actual people to me. This is when I realized that you both had a life before me, before my Dad, before each other. This is when I began to learn your stories.

These realizations quickly developed into a grateful appreciation for the many blessing I have – especially my family. You two have worked hard and have taken much time to ensure that we as a family take care of each other, help each other out, and be involved in each others lives.
As the stories were shared, my appreciation grew into a new respect and, eventually, into a new, deeper love for you. Your dedication to your family inspired me, and with your love and time, you established a legacy – a legacy, which I am very honored to be apart of.

You have filled my stomach with satisfaction, my mind with many wonderful memories, and my heart with great happiness. I cannot emphasize how honored I am to be apart of your family. As the youngest grandchild, I have a unique relationship bridging the generation before me and after me. I see the ones before me and play with the young ones after me. And each one of them, each one of us, will always be loved, will never be forgotten, and will always be remembered because of the legacy you have established with years of love and dedication to the generations that will continue long after you are gone. With great honor and respect, my children will know who they are and where they came from; they will know Yutaka and Sadako Ikeda.

From across the globe, to the little island I call home, I send you my love! Thank you so much for EVERYTHING you have given me – your love, your time, your stories, your memories, and all the opportunities you have helped me pursue! Thank you for your dedication before you knew I would be here and after I arrived. I thank God for you everyday and ask for His blessings on your life. Even though I’m a world away from you, I am honored to be your physical grandchild and your spiritual sister in our Lord Jesus Christ who has showered us with many blessing!

With all my heart and sincerity, I LOVE YOU, GRANDMA AND GRANDPA!!!!!

Love,
Janean