Standing On Top Of The World!

Well, the African continent at least. Kristen and I summitted Kilimanjaro early Friday morning. It was the hardest thing I have ever done!

There are many different routes that make their respective ways to the summit. Some easier than others, some designed to be shorter, but harder than others. We took the Machame route. This route is completed in six days (it can be done in five, and extended to seven), and is the most popular route. The stats are as follows:

Days climbing: 6; about 4.5 up and 1.5 down

Falls: Before summit, 0. After summit, numerous.

Summit time: Friday, April 18 at 5:50 AM.

Hours climbing: About 32; around 24 uphill, and 8 down.

We are coming back to the states within a few days. There it will be much easier to upload photos and videos. We will be updating the blog next week or so.

Much love!

Casey

My Last Day as a Teacher…

My class 3. Love these kids.

Friday was my last day as a teacher at Mrupanga Primary. It was a bittersweet experience. To see how the children have grown so much over the last 3 months is an exhilarating experience. I will also miss them very much. I have attached a couple of photos from my last day, as well as a short clip featuring the nursery classroom singing a song to me. They are singing about how they don’t want me to leave, and if I do, to take them with me (I wish I could!). I plan to visit this school one more time after we climb Kilimanjaro, just to say hello – and perhaps imitate Niagra Falls again J .

Week 10, Baby

 

Our schools have been out of session for this entire week for a spring break, so a few of us decided to take a break as well! We spent five days in Zanzibar. With white sand beaches, palm trees, grass huts, and turquoise waters, Zanzibar proved to be a local paradise (pictures above). I will post up some pictures on our blog. We spent most of our time on the beach and reading or sleeping. It was a well deserved rest time, and a great reminder of God’s imagination!

We are only here for a few more weeks, if you can believe that three months have almost passed! For those of you who don’t know, Kristen and I plan to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro the week following our final week with the internship program. We are very excited to tell you all about that experience! We are booking our trip today.

The Case

5K under Kili

This first picture is of me, Kristen, and some of our best friends. (From left; Brittany, Kristen, Karen, Billy, Lindsey, and Casey)  As if we didn’t stick out like sore thumbs anyway! HAHA Look at the way these kids stare at us. Me and my best buddy Billy. We are the only two guys that have been here for 9 weeks straight. We’ve been accompanied by gentlemen, but only for a short time each.

Some pictures of Kristen and her students at Mwereni Primary. Also, a picture of pre-malaria Kristen in Zanzibar For the record, she looks just as good if not better now. *wink*

I survived an African hospital!

The day after I returned from Zanzibar, I began feeling quite ill, and by Tuesday afternoon, I was isolated to my bed.  On Tuesday evening, some of the CCS staff took me to the local hospital.  My blood pressure had dropped to 90/50, and my temperature was 102.5.  The doctor wanted to admit me immediately, but I was scared and refused to stay.  That night, my condition worsened.  I began vomiting and became very dehydrated.  The staff took me back to the hospital on Wednesday morning.  By the time I got there, I was on the verge of passing out, and two African nurses had to carry me to a bed.  They immediately began treating me for malaria.  After a day and a half of getting constant fluids and medications intravenously, I was released from the hospital this afternoon.  I am still very week and eating only soup and ice cream.  It will probably be at least a week or two before I feel at 100% again.  Casey was a tremendous support through this process.  He did not go to school and stayed by my side the whole time.  Please keep me in your prayers as go through the recovery process.

Kristen

Zanzibar

My three roommates, Brittney, Gail, and Lindsey, and I spent last weekend on the tropical island paradise of Zanzibar.  It was the most beautiful place that I have ever seen.  Zanzibar lies off the coast of Tanzania in the Indian Ocean.  The weekend consisted solely of enjoying fresh seafood, laying on the beach, and swimming in the warm ocean.  This was my first vacation ever with just “the girls.”  So, I very much enjoyed the female bonding experience.  It definitely brought the four of us closer together, and we have already began making plans to enjoy another vacation together sometime over the next year.  I have some incredible pictures of the island that I will be posting shortly, so keep an eye out for that.

Kristen

New Movie

 

Hey all! Yay I got a video to work. This is a short video of a show that was put on for our children at Mrupanga Primary.

With just a few US dollars, we were able to purchase miniature chalk boards for the nursery students. This class doesn’t have a blackboard, so this is a very big step! We are teaching to draw the number sita (six). The last picture is a picture of what we call the “Twelve-Weekers”. Kristen, Brittney, Casey, and Billy. I want you all to know who our best friends are!

Much love all. I apologize that I cannot respond to everybody’s comments due to lack of internet speed and time. Please know that all of your messages are read and loved. It’s like a little piece of home. Again, much love and thank you! Keep em comin!

 Case

Hakuna Matata

So yesterday, I went to a local soccer competition held at an international school here in Moshi. It was awesome because three of my best friends that live here played. Living, Kileo, and Amani are their names. These guys are awesome. Living’s team got eliminated, but Kileo and Amani’s team advanced to the finals! It was AWESOME! Two of the games, the quarter and semifinals, came down to golden goal time after regulation. BOTH times, Kileo assisted Amani for the winning goal. And both times we all rushed the field! Man it was a cool experience! The second golden goal in the semifinals was a corner kick. Kicked by Kileo, then a sweet SWEET header into the goal. Dude…oh man it was cool.

 

I am sad to say that I experienced racial discrimination for the first time yesterday there though. Because it is an international school, there are many wazungu that attend that school. Wazungu is the local word for white people. Anyway, long story short, one of the students had her phone and ipod stolen. So they blocked the gates when everybody was leaving and searched everyone, their bags, pockets. Everyone, except wazungu. There were over 400 people there, mostly locals. And every single one of them got searched. But when I got to the front of the search line, the woman said in a British accent “You, you’re fine. Just make sure that you hang onto your bag tight.” Implying that my bag might me raided or stolen by the locals that I was surrounded by. I was infuriated. Not only because she was proceeding in this kind of manner, but that the locals just went with it, like it wasn’t a big deal. That was an awkward experience.

And here are some more pictures!

Love, Case