TulipGirl

During the month of Ramadan, join in loving your Muslim neighbors by praying for them.

You can look up the prayer focus each day here, or download some of the free
30 Days of Prayer resources.

There are certain things Amazon will not ship to DPO, and so they are authorized to be sent by pouch if they meet the pouch restrictions. I ordered a pair of first aid kits (one for the house, one for the truck), and I thought they were within the restrictions. I received a polite note from Amazon stating they were undeliverable and a refund. I’m not complaining — I’m posting this part of 14 FAM for easy reference for the future.

14 FAM 720 Page 26 of 28

ITEMS PROHIBITED FOR POUCH DISPATCH
(CT:LOG-81; 11-22-2010)

Known items prohibited for dispatch by diplomatic pouch include, but are not limited to:

Alcoholic beverages (e.g., beer, wine, liquor);
Ammunition (e.g., blanks, caps, shells, simulated ammo);
Animals, endangered species products;
Any device that cannot be completely disabled from emitting any noise,
signal, or vibration while in transit. Batteries must be removed or
item must be completely unwound and locked in this position (such
as clocks, watches, timers, alarms, radios, etc.);
Any items for resale;
Bulk shipments, which is either a combined piece volume of 6 cubic feet
or more or a total weight of 250 lbs or more that is destined to the
same addressee/household, unless funding has been provided to
A/LM/PMP/DPM in advance to pay pouch transportation costs. (see
14 FAM 723.3);
Cans or other items with pop tops;
Charitable donations of goods (e.g., school supplies for orphanage);
Compressed gases and aerosols (e.g., hairspray);
Controlled or illegal substances to be used without a prescription (e.g., U.S. Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual Volume 14—Logistics Management
14 FAM 720 Page 27 of 28
Dry ice;
Explosives;
Firearms and nonfirearm items, such as air rifles, water pistols, and
objects resembling weapons or dangerous objects (including video
game controllers that resemble weapons);
Flammable liquids (e.g., nail polish and remover);
Flammable solids (e.g., safety matches);
Fragile items that are broken and/or improperly packaged so as to have
the potential to cause personal injury or damage to pouch contents
(see 14 FAM 723.2, paragraph c, for packaging standards);
Human remains (e.g., cremains, organs);
Incendiary materials such as road flares, cigarette lighters, self-starting
charcoal, etc.;
Infectious substances (IATA Category A), toxins, contaminated medical
equipment, and medical specimens requiring outside markings
under IATA regulations;
Light bulbs containing hazardous material, such as compact fluorescent
lamps (CFLs);
Liquids (defined as anything that flows (i.e., any viscous substance) and
can ruin the contents of a pouch (includes lotions and peanut
butter, for example)) in a glass container;
Liquids in nonglass containers in excess of 16 ounces (no more than 16
oz. total is allowed in a single box);
Lithium batteries, metal or ion, shipped alone, are prohibited. Equipment
with no more than two metal lithium batteries (less than 2 grams)
or two ion lithium batteries (less than 100 watt hours) installed in it
is permitted;
Magnetic materials such as powerful magnets that can damage computer
software and other electrical equipment;
Oxidizers;
Perishables;
Pressurized containers (e.g., “contents under pressure”);
Private business books, goods, and materials;
Professional materials of a personal nature, except that limited personal
office and training materials are allowed (see 14 FAM 724.1-3);
Plants, seeds, bulbs, soil, fertilizer, plant food;
Poisons;
Radioactive substances; and
Weapons (e.g., knives, including kitchen knives, swords, arrows).

Today we took a day trip to walk among the animals on Crescent Island in Lake Naivasha. Crescent Island is no longer an island — after the El Nino weather pattern changes (in 1996, I believe) it became a peninsula. Yet, it is still a protected wildlife sanctuary, home to many species of animals living free from predators.

The drive there and home was. . . exciting. . . to say the least. This was our first trip out of Nairobi in our own vehicle (a 2004 Nissan Terrano, 90k African kilometers on it, standard transmission.) Shifting into fourth was a bit sticky, but Hubby finessed it just fine. But combine that with driving through the mountains, curving roads, with lots of slow moving lorries to pass? I was pretty calm, all things considered. Hubby has cat-like reflexes and is a great driver, but the situations were crazy at times.

We stopped along the way to look out over the Rift Valley. Amazing view. . .

Along the way, we saw some baboons, zebra, and had to stop for a herd of cattle and goats crossing the street.

When you visit Crescent Island, you get to walk among the animals. No fences, no pens. . . this is like a free-range zoo. While there weren’t many people there (our family and friends, and a group of adoptive parents who we only saw when we arrived), the animals are used to people enough that they don’t startle easily.

It was amazing to walk near the animals, watch them graze. I loved seeing the impalas running and jumping — it illustrated how brilliant the choreography in The Lion King musical really was, capturing the essence of the animals movements.

We also had a picnic lunch on the island, but almost as soon as we started eating, the rains came. We finished up in the truck. A monkey (not sure what kind) came up to the truck to retrieve a chip one of the boys dropped. He then scampered up a tree — but J14 got decent pictures of him.

As you can probably tell, I’ve been amazed at the birds we’ve seen here. The pelicans in the pictures don’t look as tall as they did in person — they were almost the size of C10 and R12! Besides the Great White Pelican, we also saw Yellow-Billed Storks and numerous other smaller, faster birds which I haven’t identified yet.

Probably the most exciting animals we saw, however, were the four baby giraffe. Our guide said that the youngest was 5 days old and the oldest was 2 months. We saw one mother giraffe with the babies, and in the distance another giraffe eating from the tall trees near the water.

This really was a fabulous family day, and a place we’ll be sure to bring friends and family who come visit. (hint, hint!)

For more pics, click here. We really, really need to get a better camera and lenses — Kenya is amazing!

It seems so surreal to actually be in Africa.

Even though we were told in June that we had been assigned this post, even though Hubby has been studying Swahili and I’ve been studying logistics of living in Kenya, it still seems so amazing, so bizarre.

We arrived in Nairobi late on Thursday night. Very late. Thankfully, we were met by someone and didn’t have to try to navigate immigration, customs and the way to our new home alone. They had hired two vans for us — one for our family and one for the luggage. We had packed light enough that it took only one vehicle for both us and our baggage. [Sidenote: No matter how light you think you pack, it is never light enough when you are hauling it around NYC and London. If you are flying overseas, double and triple check the luggage allowance. In spite of my research, we were charged an extra bag fee. Only one, however, because we packed light enough to shove one bag into another and reassign a checked bag to carry-on. In the future, part of my wants to pack much lighter. Another part of me wants to take as much space and weight as I can because who knows when your shipments will arrive?]

If you try to google map our address in Nairobi, you won’t find us. It’s not yet on the map. And our street name is just like a dozen other street names in our area of town. To complicate matters, there is construction and constant detours in our area of town. All the resulted in the driver of the van being unable to find our new home. A very late night call to Naoma (who is our social sponsor, and a true gift) resulted in the driver finding our house and we walked into our new home about midnight.

We had the immense blessing of having our house ready before we arrived — and readied for our arrival. I heard that workers were here almost until we unlocked the door, fixing the hot water tank, checking electricity, repairing the generator, installing furniture. . . (And Naoma and her visiting family filled our pantry with necessities and our fridge with a delicious meal!)

And so, we arrived in Nairobi and arrived home.

Home.

It still seems a bit surreal, living in someone else’s world.

I can already feel that this place will be home.

To summarize the past couple of months. . .

January:

First, we had a kajillion more appointments — doctors, dentists, chiro, immunizations. . . you name it. It seemed like every day had a new appointment, in spite of my attempts to get these all done last summer / fall.

The second week of January, the boys had the Icebreaker speech and debate tournament. Anyone who has attended one, knows how these tournaments consume your life for that week.

The third weekend, I went to New Orleans to see my grandmother and uncle. One day I need to write all about my grandmother. . . but for now, I feel like Kenya is so far away that I needed to visit as much as I could.

Then the last weekend of January was the Capital Challenge tournament, another week full of long days, fabulous speeches, good times with friends and very little sleep.

Which brings us to February. . .

In the first week, we had our walk-through for the packout, a dear friend and her two boys came to visit overnight, and we went up to Pennsylvania for one last good-bye to Hubby’s relatives.

The second week we had our pack out. Oh, wow. What a sense of RELIEF when that movers were gone and the house was (mostly) empty, save for the usual trappings of a furnished corporate apartment and what could fit in our suitcases. It no longer felt like “home” as it had for the past nine months, but just an apartment. (Moving hint — some one told me to buy little dot stickers and color-coordinate for the move. I did it and it seemed to help — green was go in the UAB, yellow was slow in the HHE, and red was stop and leave in the apartment.)

That weekend, my parents came to visit for one last farewell. (Hint to FS families — it is wonderful to have visitors AFTER pack-out! Much less stress. . .) It was such a dear time with them and the kids and was just. . . great.

Hubby’s testing date for Swahili was moved up, and so our date to leave DC was sooner than we expected. Thankfully everything was able to be expedited and appointments in various places moved up. Hubby passed his Swahili exam with flying colors on Tuesday, 2/14 and we left DC the following day.

Part of Hubby’s training included meeting with various organizations in NYC before we could leave the States. It was such a great little buffer (for me, anyway. . . not sure about Hubby) to be able to leave behind DC and have a little time to transition away before arriving in Kenya.

We had three amazing days in New York City. I had never been there before. . . A friend recommended a place to stay that was just amazing, right near Central Park. We walked all over the city, the boys and I, when Hubby was at work. Thanks to my parents, we even got to see a Broadway show — The Lion King. Very appropriate, don’t you think, for where we’re going? We had a late flight out of JFK airport, and honestly, that day was long and bitterly cold. By then, we just wanted to be on the plane.

The flight from the US to Kenya is really long — so long that we were offered a stop over in London. We decided to take a few days of leave then, as well, and so had a mini-vacation in London before the last leg of our trip to Kenya. We stayed near Paddington Station (which I recommend now) and so easily walked and took the tube everywhere. The boys were amazed at all the history they saw. We loved walking along the Thames, seeing the Tower, visiting Westminster and walking under umbrellas in the London fog and rain. We recited A. A. Milne when we went to Buckingham palace, and of course had fish and chips. We attended evensong at St. Paul’s Cathedral. While not found in the usual tour guide for London, some things our family enjoyed was watching Japanese game shows with wry English commentary and visiting charity shops for unusual t-shirts.

Soon, I hope to put pics up of all these wonderful side trips and moving memories. Still, our internet connection is slow and my blog images have been a bit wonky. We’ll have to see when that happens.

National Museum of African Art
Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC

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In 6 hours and 45 minutes, our Flag Day ceremony starts. . . the moment when we learn where and when we’ll be going. . . posts scattered around the world. On pins and needles. . .

I’ve confused friends by mentioning Flag Day, since the US holiday is June 14th, and Flag Day our date-with-destiny is June 7th. This is a great summary of what “our” Flag Day is.

I have a gut feeling about a certain African country, our daring friends have placed their bets on a place in Central America but is hoping for Asia. We have a lot of places we’d love to go, many more that would be fun, and just a couple that are. . . ummm. . . let’s just say we have our fingers crossed about one or two places where we’d rather have another family enjoy the exotic life there. But the kids are excited and I know that anywhere we are posted will be an adventure, will be a great place for our family.

You know that bubbly, anxious-happy feeling in your belly before a big event? I’ve had that lately. Not constantly, like the weeks before our wedding, but that giddy feeling has caught me by surprise throughout the past week.

And the reason for this excitement? In just a few short days we find out where around the world we’ll be moving and when. . . Africa? Asia? Europe? (Stuck a year here in DC?)

To back up a bit. . . those who know us in real life know most of the scoop. Online I’ve been a bit more circumspect. I haven’t been sure what guidelines or boundaries would be best, how up front I could be. . . how transparent I wanted to be. . . But Hubby and I have talked it over and blogging is such an important part of our our family journaling, such an important part of our support structure (especially when we are overseas) and so it’s time to share our good news.

Hubby has been hired as a Foreign Service Officer with the US Department of State. What this basically means is that he has the coolest of cool jobs, that all the bits of knowledge he’s gathered through the years are useful in an integrated way. (Did you know that the FSWE has questions on jazz?) All of this life and work experiences — military, missionary, professor — have been good preparation for this career. The gypsy life we’ve had so far has been better resume building for the foreign service than if we had carefully structured our lives as preparation. And no, to the multiple friends who have asked, Hubby is not a spy. And we get to travel! With the kids! Explore new places, new languages, new foods! The boys have been spending hours pouring over maps and atlases, reading about countries on our bid list and deciding where they want to go (and don’t want to go!)

Insert standard disclaimer here. The views and writings on this blog do not represent any governmental entity, ecclesiastical body, family member or other formal or informal group. Ideas shared, beliefs explained, observations made, and causes promoted are purely my own.

I’ve been blogging here at TulipGirl for over six years now. . . I don’t want to stop. I don’t want to hide our adventures, joys and struggles. On the other hand, my blogging can have an effect on Hubby’s career similar to when we were on the mission field. I know how to use discretion. But it was easier before when Hubby’s supervisor was someone I knew and worked with regularly myself, and not an unknown with an unclear idea of what is and isn’t unacceptable.

Yet, here we are, and here we keep track of our family.

Back to the giddy, bubbly feelings. . . We’ve been in the DC area for just over three weeks. Next Monday is a much anticipated day for those going through FSO training, Flag Day. Flag Day is when we find out both where we are going, and when it is most likely based on the training Hubby is requird to have for that particular post. On our bid list are about 10 different job categories, about 60 different countries, with the opportunity to learn about 15 languages. While Hubby has extra brownie points with State for his mad Russian language skillz, it’s not likely we’ll end up in a Russian speaking country this go around. (Next time? Almost definitely.)

So what do the kids think? I keep getting that question, and in all honesty — they are thrilled. Yet, Florida has been their home for the past five years and their memories of Ukraine and moving are faded. Moving every two to three years will be new to them. It will be challenging. I grew up nomadic, and while I loved it, I also remember it being hard. I remember being homesick (for me, “homesick” usually meant missing my Maw Maw; when we moved to Illinois, it meant missing the warmth and relaxed lifestyle of Gtmo.) We’ve gone through some TCK struggles in the past. I’m not naive, or think it will be easy for them — in spite of their current excitement. And yet. . . and yet, what I remember from my own growing up years is moving with my family every few years, new adventures, travels. . . driving across the country with laughter and singing. . . my sister being my best friend. . . lots of laughter, and always a close family. I know my kids are going to be angry-sad-cranky-struggle-frustrated. But I believe we are also going to have the strong, close family — and memories of adventures and fun.

So, this is why we are in DC, giddy and going to new places.

Woke up to roosters crowing. . .

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The boys played with their cousins. . .

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T12 restrung his guitar with the help of Uncle Pat. . .

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Amazed at how my niece looks like my sis did at that age. . .

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Sis fed gourmet meals to kids on paper plates. . .

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Washed dishes by the light of the chandelier and candles. . .

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With the help of my niece. . .

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I did homework. . .

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Didn’t get any really good pics of my sis and I together. . .

And had a wonderful, peaceful visit.

Esaie Etienne is a missionary our church supports. The interview is very moving. If you want to support the relief work in Haiti, I encourage you to visit http://tinyurl.com/HaitiMinuteman.

Our family feels especially drawn to pray for this family as they minister in Haiti because they have boys right about the same ages as our boys.

Please continue to pray and give to support relief work and mercy ministry in Haiti and among the people being evacuated from there.

The boys are off to Patriot’s Park this morning to help build a 9/11 memorial with 2,977 flags. Praying for the families who lost loved ones 8 years ago, as well as for the soldiers and families serving now.

Молитва за Україну

Моя молитва нехай лине
До Тебе, наче фіміам.
І серце лине без зупину
В чудовий Твій небесний храм.

Боже, я молю за Україну,
Боже, молю тебе за людей,
Ти їх прости,
Ти їх спаси,
І милість Твою нам яви.
Боже, я знаю,
Що Ти будеш з нами
В храмі Твоєму під небесами
Радість і мир Ти дарував,
Життя для людей віддав,
В Книгу Життя нас записав!

В Своєму Слові Живому,
Ти для людей ведіння дав,
Щоб люди всі молились Богу,
Що на Хресті за нас вмирав.

Happy Independence Day to all my Ukrainian friends!

Happy WBW!

Check out the official World Breastfeeding Week website. This year’s theme? Breastfeeding: A Vital Emergency Response

Scroll to the bottom of the WBW site to see the the winners of the photo contest, showing nursing in the midst of emergency situations. Really moving.

And from the TG archives: Breastfeeding

Now that we’re living in the States again, I often find myself losing track of what’s going on in other parts of the world. The only reason I was even aware of the Iranian election was due to a good friend who is from Iran, and his updates on the hopes for a fair election and the potential to have a level-headed, reformist president.

However, when there were outcries about a fraudulent election, I became immediately and emotionally involved. The first reports sounded too familiar, eerily like the Orange Revolution after Ukraine’s 2004 election. We were there. We saw how people peacefully poured into the streets, protesting, uniting, banding together.

It’s different for me with Iran. . . I’m not there. I don’t know what news sources to trust. I’m not intimately familiar with the people on the streets. But, I know my Iranian friends (in the US, in Ukraine) and I know they are connected with people involved in the protests and understand the nuances of the situation that I do not.

The tent city in Ukraine, the peaceful protests lasted weeks, months. There were threats of violence, but thank God that nothing happened beyond threats. No violence from the protesters. No violence from the militzia. No troops from Russia.

Sadly, the same is not the case in Iran. Already there has been a violent crackdown on the protesters. Global Voices, a trusted citizen-based news source for worldwide reporting, has gathered links and videos.

In Iran, green is the color of hope, of a spring time of change, of reform. Already this Green Revolution has been stained by the violence against the reformers. Praying for peace, for freedom, for hope. . . for the people in Iran.

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A grandmother in Iran, 2009
(photo courtesy the Atlantic)

A grandmother in Ukraine, 2004

After talking with boys about Van Gogh, I often find myself humming a song from the mid-90s.– I don’t remember whether I heard this song in concert with VoL, or whether I just remember it from the cd. This vid of Bill Mallonee playing Skin is worth watching the full 9:21 run time.

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Little Soldier

Little soldier, little child
You’re still too young to know,
The impact of the battlefield
Or how its memory lingers so.

Playing war is now a game,
Its truth you can’t conceive
Should you defend, until its end
Our freedom to believe.

In God, in man, in liberty
With rights for one and all,
Little soldier, little child,
That day you’ll stand as tall.

Written by Maureen Kuehne
Copyright 2003

Remembering.

A good midwife is a gem in the community, a woman to be treasured. I’m thankful for the women who have come alongside me, in the role of midwife, encourager, friend.

In support of the International Day of the Midwife on May 5th, I’d like to extend my personal appreciation to the following midwives and midwives-to-be. Several of them attended at the births of my children, others at my sister’s and mother’s births. A few were not physically present at those births, but nurtured me nonetheless.

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Much gratitude to Alisa Voss, Martha Breeden, Veronica Wagner, Carol Wolfson, Cheryl Hollifield, Tavish Brinton, Anne Sokol, Gurujan KhalKhasa, Stephanie, Kathy Nesper and others who have been with us, with woman. . .

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“Now if a deadly epidemic strikes, we should stay where we are, make our preparations, and take courage in the fact that we are mutually bound together . . . so that we cannot desert one another or flee from one another . . .

“When anyone is overcome by horror and repugnance in the presence of a sick person he should take courage and strength in the firm assurance that it is the devil who stirs up such abhorrence, fear, and loathing in his heart . . . Because we know that it is the devil’s game to induce such fear and dread, we should in turn minimize it, take such courage as to spite and annoy him, and send those terrors right back to him. . .”

–Martin Luther, Whether One May Flee from a Deadly Plague

(Via Dr. Jones)