Weekend in the Mountains
Hey all,
As I said, I’m settling into somewhat of a routine here, so there’s less new and exciting things to report on. But that said, I’m sure some of you are wondering what I’m up to, so I thought I’d throw out a few details.
First, work wise, I’ve been in the midst of closing the books for year end. Some days are long, some days are challenging, some days my brain is strained trying to wrap itself around the complexities of accounting, but it’s good. I feel very useful when I realize how much little detail needs to be paid attention to, and how much I can try to do to improve the system. Accounting for about a dozen separate projects, keeping employee records straight including medical advances, housing advances, personal use (and various project use) of vehicles, photocopiers, Internet, phones, stationary, etc. Hundreds of accounts, different donor requirements, the problem of doing business in a frequently fluctuating and devaluing currency (Malawi kwacha), etc. I could go on, but you get the picture. A new piece of the puzzle seems to snap into place almost daily, and I just keep turning over rocks to see what is underneath. Records have been kept well, I just have to work out the logic and tweak a bit sometimes. But before I bore you to death with work stuff, we’ll look at what else I’ve been doing.
Church wise, I’ve been most frequently attending a church called Grace Baptist, which is a small church started by a family from the southern U.S. They are a very nice family, and it is a nice service, but I miss the vibrancy in worship and strong community of Freedomize from back in Canada. Of course it took a long time (4 years there) to build up some of the relationships and attachment, so I know this won’t happen over night. I still have pretty good contact with many people from home (thank you for that), and I have a pretty good community of coworkers who share my faith and can challenge me, so community is going fine, and I’m building other relationships as well. I also have old copies of Freedomize sermons and worship which act as good fuel for me, and as I’ve said in previous posts, I’m learning much from personal study and devotions, so I don’t feel shortchanged on the learning aspect of things. As for the worship, I found a great community 2 weeks ago (thanks to Sarah) which had a very vibrant English worship (of course the Chichewa services are vibrant and lively, but the language barrier makes it hard). It is a pentacostal church with mostly young people. I may even have a chance to play the keyboard there, though I have to brush up on some of the songs first.
Finally, the social stuff. I just got back from a weekend in the mountains, on Zomba plateau. We stayed in a place for like $6 a night which was great, and it was nice to be in the cool air. There has been a core group of us hanging out for the last week or so, every day it seems. I’ve hosted them for dinner 4 or 5 times in the last week, and we went out for a couple of the nights as well. I much prefer cooking for a group than for just myself. It’s much more social and seems to add purpose to putting in the time required to eat well. Then we’ve used a laptop and caught a few DVDs. No movies of note, but just general good times. A few of the people are heading back to their home countries over the next couple of weeks, so we’ve had many going away type events. I’ve met people from Australia, Germany, the UK, and the US so far, as well as a few fellow Canadians, doing many things around here, from medical work to researching the history of the death penalty, to researching enforcement of birthrights for widows and orphans. There’s teachers, people training teachers, fish farm workers, and all sorts of others. It’s fascinating what sorts of international careers are available.
Many of the other expats seem very frustrated at times by the slow pace and lack of technology here. Though I do miss certain things (a nice big movie screen or a good thai meal are a couple), I am generally glad for the break, and for the change of pace. It’s good to teach one to adapt. For example, the other night the power went out while we were planning to get together for dinner and a movie. Fortunately, I have a gas stove, so we made dinner by candlelight, and then the power came on as we were finishing up, just in time for the movie. You just kind of roll with things, and you’re fine. I don’t miss the high stress, rushed pace of downtown Toronto. I miss many of the people (friends and family), but it’s nice to get away from the noise. Anyhow, things are well. I likely won’t be posting here as often, so if you’re wondering how I am, just drop me an email, or a letter, or give me a call. If you write, I will reply, and if you handwrite, be sure and send your address, and I’ll handwrite back (though I never know if/when mail will arrive)
Be well.
As I said, I’m settling into somewhat of a routine here, so there’s less new and exciting things to report on. But that said, I’m sure some of you are wondering what I’m up to, so I thought I’d throw out a few details.
First, work wise, I’ve been in the midst of closing the books for year end. Some days are long, some days are challenging, some days my brain is strained trying to wrap itself around the complexities of accounting, but it’s good. I feel very useful when I realize how much little detail needs to be paid attention to, and how much I can try to do to improve the system. Accounting for about a dozen separate projects, keeping employee records straight including medical advances, housing advances, personal use (and various project use) of vehicles, photocopiers, Internet, phones, stationary, etc. Hundreds of accounts, different donor requirements, the problem of doing business in a frequently fluctuating and devaluing currency (Malawi kwacha), etc. I could go on, but you get the picture. A new piece of the puzzle seems to snap into place almost daily, and I just keep turning over rocks to see what is underneath. Records have been kept well, I just have to work out the logic and tweak a bit sometimes. But before I bore you to death with work stuff, we’ll look at what else I’ve been doing.
Church wise, I’ve been most frequently attending a church called Grace Baptist, which is a small church started by a family from the southern U.S. They are a very nice family, and it is a nice service, but I miss the vibrancy in worship and strong community of Freedomize from back in Canada. Of course it took a long time (4 years there) to build up some of the relationships and attachment, so I know this won’t happen over night. I still have pretty good contact with many people from home (thank you for that), and I have a pretty good community of coworkers who share my faith and can challenge me, so community is going fine, and I’m building other relationships as well. I also have old copies of Freedomize sermons and worship which act as good fuel for me, and as I’ve said in previous posts, I’m learning much from personal study and devotions, so I don’t feel shortchanged on the learning aspect of things. As for the worship, I found a great community 2 weeks ago (thanks to Sarah) which had a very vibrant English worship (of course the Chichewa services are vibrant and lively, but the language barrier makes it hard). It is a pentacostal church with mostly young people. I may even have a chance to play the keyboard there, though I have to brush up on some of the songs first.
Finally, the social stuff. I just got back from a weekend in the mountains, on Zomba plateau. We stayed in a place for like $6 a night which was great, and it was nice to be in the cool air. There has been a core group of us hanging out for the last week or so, every day it seems. I’ve hosted them for dinner 4 or 5 times in the last week, and we went out for a couple of the nights as well. I much prefer cooking for a group than for just myself. It’s much more social and seems to add purpose to putting in the time required to eat well. Then we’ve used a laptop and caught a few DVDs. No movies of note, but just general good times. A few of the people are heading back to their home countries over the next couple of weeks, so we’ve had many going away type events. I’ve met people from Australia, Germany, the UK, and the US so far, as well as a few fellow Canadians, doing many things around here, from medical work to researching the history of the death penalty, to researching enforcement of birthrights for widows and orphans. There’s teachers, people training teachers, fish farm workers, and all sorts of others. It’s fascinating what sorts of international careers are available.
Many of the other expats seem very frustrated at times by the slow pace and lack of technology here. Though I do miss certain things (a nice big movie screen or a good thai meal are a couple), I am generally glad for the break, and for the change of pace. It’s good to teach one to adapt. For example, the other night the power went out while we were planning to get together for dinner and a movie. Fortunately, I have a gas stove, so we made dinner by candlelight, and then the power came on as we were finishing up, just in time for the movie. You just kind of roll with things, and you’re fine. I don’t miss the high stress, rushed pace of downtown Toronto. I miss many of the people (friends and family), but it’s nice to get away from the noise. Anyhow, things are well. I likely won’t be posting here as often, so if you’re wondering how I am, just drop me an email, or a letter, or give me a call. If you write, I will reply, and if you handwrite, be sure and send your address, and I’ll handwrite back (though I never know if/when mail will arrive)
Be well.
posted by Chuck @ 10:39 PM
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