Sunday, 24 January 2010

A year ago

A year ago I was off to start my adventure, I was scared and nervous and excited about what would happen when I was in the big scary continent of Africa. Up to that point the most exotic place I'd ever been was Orlando, Florida.
My adventure hasn't finished yet though, I'm almost in a similar position now actually. I'm scared, nervous and excited to see what the future holds. I submitted my application to university last week, I'm in the process of applying for student finance (and worrying about money), trying to plan a trip back to burundi this summer to visit friends (and worrying about money), praying that God will help me sort it out and give me clarity when it comes to choosing where I will study.
I really hope that He leads me to the right place and I will not just go to the one with the cheap accomodation because it's cheap or the one my mum wants because she wants it.

So now, a year after I arrived in Burundi, I am emotionally back in the same place, but then with every journey, every adventure there is this feeling. The trepidation, the excitement, but also the lulls when the terrain is mind numbingly flat and everything looks the same. It's the mountains and the valleys that are thrilling, although not easy at all.
I say, bring it all on - I look forward to continuing the journey of me.

Saturday, 9 January 2010

No one knows why

Nothing dampens the mood like a death in the family.

We came to Ireland yesterday, for my Grandmother's 80th Birthday Party. Amid the snow and ice-like conditions on the road most half of the family haven't been able to make it to Dublin for the party which has now been cancelled. We only came really because we already had the tickets and Mum wasn't wasting all that money.

So Dad went round to Nine's (my grandmother's) this morning to see her and he phoned us at my auntie's place to tell us that Uncle Dick had died in the night. Don't get me wrong, I'm sorry for the loss, but I didn't know the man.

I feel worst for Nine, she doesn't have anyone from her generation left in the family. She's lost all her siblings now and her husband. It was alright when she had someone around, it was like a sort of cameraderie between them. The sad thing is she'll probably give up now.

I say I didn't know Uncle Dick (he was my Dad's uncle), but I do know that his name wasn't Richard. Although for years everybody thought it was. His daughter even named her son Richard after her father.


His name was Kevin, no one knows why we called him Dick.