CURE @ PLAY

I have to say that CURE is one of my favorite places here in Niamey, Niger.  Since coming back from our leave in the states, I have really enjoyed watching and helping a bit with the art therapy. So, now we are connecting with patients through various art forms! Got thinking about how unique each person is and the different ways we connect and bring joy to others. Each person brings his gifts and talents  and I think it really benefits our patients and their families….so, really the sky is the limit and I love seeing the creativity flowing. Painting, coloring, knitting, gardening, cooking, cutting, drawing, juggling, beading, singing, bubbling, talking, making silly noises/faces, balloon animals, dancing, musical instruments…okay, you get the idea. That is not an exhaustive list. I thought it was fun looking  through my pictures and decided to post a few. Enjoy CURE @ PLAY!

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We sure do a lot of laughing. I have heard it said that “laughter is the best medicine”. Many of patients need much more than laughter, but it is certainly a part of the healing process.

Some of the most recent hijinks include a unicycle and a wheel chair….. the silliness began a few weeks ago when the kids were still on break due to the flooding at the Sahel Campus. I think the pictures will tell it best.

unicycle V wheelchair

 

   

Unicycle lessons for Issafou

Will Julie get in??

Of course she will…..wheel chair powered by unicycles. Having fun and playing is something truly wonderful!!!

Post Exercise Masa

On my last stretch approaching home, after a wonderful walk, I was enthusiastically greeted by a guard that was having his mid morning snack. I don’t know his name but he faithfully greets me each time I walk by (wonderful taking walks here….I love to slow down and “smell the roses”. Any hoo…). This morning he invited me to share his Masa. He said that I was doing well exercising and I needed a treat. So. I reached my hand into the all too familiar black plastic bag (they are EVERYWHERE & should be banned, in my opinion) and selected a hot masa cake and dipped it into the pile of “piment”. MMMMM, it was crunchy, hot, greasy goodness.  These yummy little “Nigerien muffins” are prepared roadside…..ground millet (really, yes,like the millet we use for bird seed in the US, it is a staple here), salt, sugar, water; the savory ones include bits  of onion, or other veggies. The are deep fried in oil and served with ground piment (spicy powder…ground peppers & spices).  An inexpensive treat served up in a black plastic bag.

This is one of the many wonderful things that I enjoy in Niger, a snack with a stranger….his smile could sure light up a room & boy do Nigeriens know how to be hospitable!

Sunday Walks

 

My Sunday walk, such a highlight for me! This morning, it was 80 with a little breeze. Perfect for a morning walk. J called me promptly at 7 and I donned my shoes and left immediately to meet her. I have been a bit sad since returning to Niger, J was still away and then the flooding…our walk route, impassable. Oh, how I have missed it. I think that some of my sadness in the past few weeks was grieving what will not be again and thinking about so many around me that lost so much.

J and I  found a new route on Friday. It will do, but today the bridge called to us. So, we decided to walk across the bridge and take our route as far as we could. We stopped at the gate of Sahel Academy and chatted with the guard. I love his smile and have missed his morning greetings. The normal hustle and bustle there, was not. It was quiet. Houses flattened and people, gone. Gee Whiz, I am grieving a loss of leisure activity and many are grieving much more. Picking up the pieces and starting over. We could see the campus and then the road beyond it were still full of water. We turned around and went back the way we came.

Once we crossed the bridge, we decided to walk along the river using the other part of our usual route. The children on the Road to Galmkallye ran out to greet us. I think they missed us. They are so precious!  It was a delight to stop and chat with familiar faces. They assured us that they were well and that their homes were spared. Seriously, it is so amazing to walk there. So laid back and calm and the people are so happy and friendly…We walked a ways and decided not to venture all the way to the Chinese Bridge as we usually do. So, we greeted more people on the way back.  I sure missed them. There is something so peaceful about our Sunday morning walk…. very sad though, our favorite place to catch a hippo cruise, is now under the water! The poor hammocks just hanging there in the midst of the murky water.

Continuing on our way, past the National Hospital morgue, a young man pulled over to greet us. It was Souleyman, a nurse who worked with us at CURE. He has moved on to a government job at the National Hospital. Another new beginning for him. So fun, to chat and catch up. He is doing well and even though he is missed at CURE, I am glad he can use his training to hopefully better the health care here. After all, that is part of the reason we are here…

So, my day began with something truly wonderful. A Sunday morning walk with a great friend. Yes, grieving what has changed; routines & expectations, what has been lost or way laid, but LOVING new routes, adventures and even looking forward to challenging changes.  Looking forward to more walks and to the REstart of school soon…excitement is in the air!

Colorful Casts

 

 

What a delight to be at CURE this morning and see Julie in action. In July 2012, Julie Korn launched CURE Niger's Art Therapy Program. She is a quite a pioneer and Becca  and I had the privilege of assisting her today. I thought you might enjoy some pictures. Mainly cast painting.

The first little boy was so serious and just would not smile.

 

After he got in on it and started painting his own cast, he became a different boy.

He was so determined to paint all the cat he could see!  Julie had to help him hold one cast up so he could get the one beneath it. This was his first set of casts.

What a cute laugh and an absolutely beautiful smile! That was truly a highlight.

Sweet little Radiya…Oh, look at those nice white casts. Not for long!

Drew even got in on cast painting. What a team effort.

She is a pro, this is probably her 4th casting. She was determined to polka dot everything! And there is her beautiful smile…

But, it was not all painting though. There was glitter too!

Glitter brings as much delight here as I remember it did when I taught Kindergarten in the states. Oh boy, Zamir,  loves glitter…. so, glitter is quite wonderful & colorful casts & art & I think Julie is quite wonderful too!

Clouds…..

 

I love taking pictures of the sky. My kids give me such grief and make fun, but I just love clouds & storms (usually…..living here we often pray for rain in this desert nation, but now the rains have proved a bit too much!). Today, the sky is quite expressive. Hmmmm,  is that possible? I started to walk around and take different shots.  You would never think these shots were taken in a short 10 minute walk around the yard. Beautiful fluffy cumulous clouds out my back door and then murky dusty clouds as I rounded the corner of the house. Storm clouds out the front and even a cloud with a silver lining.  It even sprinkled in the front yard but not the back…is the sky a bit confused?? I know I am!

		Clouds VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

I started to think that this is really how I am feeling. All over the map, emotionally. Such devastation as the Niger River has broken it’s banks destroying homes, livelihoods and leaving Sahel Academy under water. The kids had started their last semester here with such joy and expectation and now are feeling a bit glum and uncertain about the future. My heart is heavy for the people who have lost so much. I struggle to keep perspective and not focus on my self. But these clouds are “telling”…one minute I feel like I have some good perspective (a patch of blue), I might see the silver lining but then I feel heavy, sad, uncertain, confused, upset and FULL of “rain”. I had not cried yet…well until I was in the shower a few moments ago, thinking….and as it started to pour outside,  I was able to let the tears loose. My head is spinning a bit trying to may sense of it all, I am pretty sure I will not figure it all out today though (ha ha). One day at a time and the journey/adventure continues….

I pray for restoration, good solutions and hope to shine bright. I am so thankful that God is much bigger than the weather and our current worries. The theme for school this year is “We Shine for Him”.  I know that is why I am here as well, to bring glory to God.  I am sure there will be plenty of opportunities….no matter how the sky looks! I do prefer the fluffy white clouds in a blue sky though….

RE entry

Well, today is Friday and we just got back last Friday afternoon. Coming back to this different world that I live in has many challenges. This week, I think I have met many of them head on:

Funny that in my week of re entry,  there are so many “re” words…restore, restock, repair, remember, revisit, reunited,reminisce, reset, relaxing, realizing but most of all REJOICE……so here we go, I am BACK!

reunited with Leron, he says it is a bit quite without us in the house…we sure did miss him

restored a normal sleep pattern, as I seem to have beaten jet lag quicker than expected

remembered how people drive…..have navigated crazy traffic scattered with herds of cows, goats, sheep as well as realizing that my shortcut through the dump is a big puddle filled with livestock eating trash and VERY smoky as trash burning has commenced

relaxed by the pool, love love my slower pace here…reading a lot

restocked my bare pantry (remembering that this is not one stop shopping)

returned the kids  to school

resetting schedules with realistic expectations…got back into the food prep groove (bleaching veggies, just remembering that everything just takes me a little longer here)

readjusting to a “place of MANY needs” from the “land of plenty”…still  not sure how this works out….two totally different places…..something I struggle with a lot…..who and how to help?

repaired the my kitchen sink (this is the 3rd time it has rusted through….hmmm, ya think we would be using materials that are impervious to rust) When I say it needed to be fixed, it was because any time I used it my kitchen flooded! The man came 1st thing and it was done in a jiffy.

rediscovering the wild and crazy things I get to see each day….animals in  and on vehicles, people being creative in a variety of ways, and well…I could go on, but just thought I would add a pic of a goat outside our gate stretching for the tree up above to get a fresh tasty nibble

remembering all of the beauty that is here…bougainvillea, numerous different plants, but mostly smiling faces

reminiscing…what a super summer we had

REJOICING over so so much…..safe travels, RAIN, great start to school, did I say RAIN?seeing old friends and remembering why we are here….really missed so many people! It is truly something wonderful “re”turning home!

A tough trade off

being present…..touch….so much more aware of the power of meaningful touch….hugs of family and friends who have weathered storms shared joys and pains…Niger is full of joy and pains and I am enjoying some deep and rich relationships where I enjoy a hug no matter how sweaty, but one HUGE trade off of living abroad is leaving our families/ friends and learning to love a whole new group of people and culture….while we are in the states, I have enjoyed being  with people who I have not seen…..something so powerful about seeing my 100 year old Grandma and just having her sit there and STARE in my eyes, like she is drinking in me being present….deep belly laughs, I mean laughing until I CRY with my sis in law and just laughing and laughing with great friends in our favorite cafe….something I can only truly feel the depth of being present. It just feels like when people hug me, it is longer and harder like they are string it up when I am not present. Then there is a pull, Josh posted about a recent CURE clinic in Niger and my heart was drawn there…I just love being present there too….believe me I get and give plenty of hugs in Niger whether it is from Nigerien children at the hospital or the k/1 class that I subbed in or Marie’s precious school or our CURE team (although, there are many more kisses). I am so thankful for what I am experiencing really, the joys and pains make for such a rich and rewarding life. I WILL LIVE and truly be PRESENT wherever I may go…..showing people how much they mean to me as well as Jesus…..

a stroke of the cheek …..a pat on  the head….a bear hug …..kisses on the cheeks…..tickles….. a hand shake …….looking deep into the eyes of an old woman (whether it be my Grandma or one of the my old Nigerien women I may meet)……

Means so much more than we will ever know…..valuing & loving people, in all shapes, sizes, ages, languages etc… ..