Chicken Poop for the Woman's Soul

Oh my goodness it's been a while since I have done this.

So many of you have asked for details on the Kili climb that I have delayed blogging until I could put some thoughts down about our hike, but now I realize that I might never blog again if I wait for that. Hopefully I will write about it here eventually, but until then I can only leave you with the words of a friend (who has also climbed the mounatin) which so completely capture how I also feel about the experience: "It was the greatest terrible thing I've ever done. It has made me humble and given me reason to boast. It was far too expensive and worth much more than it cost. I would do it again, in a heartbeat, but never again in this lifetime."

We have been back home for four days now, and unlike you might expect after weeks of tropical weather and mama's cooking, we are so happy to be here! Our two room cement kitchen building is finished and I cannot tell you how dramatically this has improved our quality of life. No more cooking in the sun and wind! The only probably with having no doors right now is that our chickens have a tendency to sneak inside and make a mess. We only have two chickens now instead of the original three we left. Apparently, while we were gone, a "wild mountain cat" (we suspect some kind of genet) came down from the hill, snuck into our compound a pulled a rooster out of the coop. This has apparently traumatised our two remaining fowl enough that all they seem interested in doing is cowering in our kitchen and pooping all over the place! About the tenth time I have shooed them out they give me the most offended ruffle of the feathers and march across the road to our neighbors house where they spend all day sulking.

Even so, it is good to be back. Our Arabic is a little rusty, but still seems to work; people are happy to see us and we are happy to see them; the coffee is still strong, the tea is still sweet and the sun is still hot. Just like we left it.

At the start of this new year I can't help but remember six months ago when we first came here. I told Bryan many times that I felt like I was at the beginning of a dating relationship. I was curious and interested and trying to make a good impression, but also guarded and cautious. If you don't let yourself fall in love in the first place it doesn't hurt so much when it all goes badly in the end. This is a big year for this country and people are making all sorts of predictions about what will happen and what that will mean for us. We are praying for peace and taking it all a day at a time. But coming back from a month away has made me realize the first few dates are over. I'm invested now, and not too proud to say I don't care. There is the risk of a broken heart this year. But I thinking (hoping? praying?) that instead, just maybe, this could be the beginning of something really beautiful...