Photos from "the bush"

I thought I'd share some photos with you from my school visit yesterday. I actually made myself stop and take some photos. (I've been telling myself to do this for the last 2 years!)

Along the way I also had a mongoose (see this link for a photo if you want: http://blog.wildlife-pictures-online.com/mammals/slender-mongoose-on-tree-stump/ and a monkey (spider monkey) run in front of the car. No photos as they were too fast!

Enjoy!

It's so beautiful and amazing to see the trees flowering at this time of year. Rainy season ended in March
with a few storms in May and not a drop of rain since.  This is a flamboyant tree just starting to flower.

The upper grades (5-9, English books) half of new libraries donated by Room to Read
The one pictured is at Sikalongo Basic School.
At least 3 other schools have also been blessed with these libraries,
and they look almost identical.  I'm very excited!

The primary grades (1-4, Chitonga language books)  half of new libraries donated by Room to Read
The one pictured is at Sikalongo Basic School.
At least 3 other schools have also been blessed with these libraries,
and they look almost identical.  I'm very excited!

Turkeys sitting in the shade in the school yard at Sikalongo

I call these "cactus" trees! I still love to see them when I drive (though they
usual hide and grow up with another tree entangled with it)

More cactus trees
This is the zoomed out view of the above photo.

A path divides.  Which way would you go (to get home)?

Answer: neither! (I walked a few steps off the "main" road (though it looks
the same!) to get the photo of the cactus tree!

Termite mound. This area has so many of them there's a farm nearby
called "Anthill Farm!"

A dwelling out in the bush. There was a girl peeking over the fence at me
by the time I walked back (to the left of the photo) where I parked
the car to take the photo of the cactus tree!

It's so beautiful and amazing to see the trees flowering at this time of year. Rainy season ended in March
with a few storms in May and not a drop of rain since.  This is a flamboyant tree just starting to flower.
This is the zoomed out view of the above same photo.

This is the road I was driving on.  It looks much different than the
picture of the two paths I showed you earlier right?! :)

Another picture of my village road (between Mboole and Sikalongo schools)

Another picture of my village road (between Mboole and Sikalongo schools)
This road has some really deep sandy places.

The landscape views. It's dry and dusty season!

See the cell tower?! I have reception on my cell phone almost every place I
drive in the bush to get to my village schools. Pretty amazing!

See the cell tower?! I have reception on my cell phone almost every place I
drive in the bush to get to my village schools. Pretty amazing!
This is the zoomed out view of the above photo.

Landscape. Dry and dusty and what I see almost every day. When I
first arrived these views made me say "I'm in Africa!" every day.
Now I am used to it. :)

The road I drive on. If there was a chiropractor in town I'd keep him in business!  I am good friends with my mechanic! 

Landscape

It's so beautiful! And you can see it in dry season without the grass (in front) being 10 feet tall!

It's so beautiful! And you can see it in dry season without the grass (in front) being 10 feet tall!
This is the zoomed out view of the above photo.

I also got invited for lunch at a teacher's house and enjoyed my time with her. I am just now starting to feel the teachers are seeing me as a friend and not just a visitor who comes to the school frequently. I accepted the invitation for lunch even though she said we were having kapenta with our nshima. (Small fish - with heads on still along with the typical corn (maize) white ball that you eat it with). She also mentioned beans - which I love. And of course there was a green vegetable as well. I was also eyeing her solar and battery power equipment as I know the school has no electricity - but she was easily running her television!  We need all the advice we can get now with our power out for 8 hours a day (see post before this one for details!)

Prayer requests:
-Safety as I drive to village schools again
-Safety for Andrew as he drives workers at Chodort home at 8pm since they are working later shifts to make up for power outages
-Pray that my eye infection clears up (yep, more eye issues. I caught this one much earlier than last years so hopefully it will just be a minor annoyance)