Great Adventure I'm so glad your last great adventure was such a positive one. The hike sounded challenging, but not impossible, and as you stated, the view was worth the effort. How exciting to feed the monkeys right of your hands. Wow!!
I know your Mom, Dad, and the whole family will be so happy to have you back home safe and sound.
Will call your Mom's house while you're there, so I can talk to you before you head up to Vancouver.
I'm sure Victor and all your friends there will also be very happy to have you home.
Much Love, Grandma Audrey
looking forward to Sunday Hei MarMar, I'm so excited that you are soon to be home. The experience of climbing the mountain is one I would pass on due to the heat, but it sounds like it was a spectacular view. I can't wait to see the pictures! So there is a reason for the monkey and banana stereotype! Have a good flight and look forward to some pampering when you arrive :) Love, Momba
Caught Up on Your Adventures I've been busy and finally had time to read your last four blogs. I agree with you that "luxury" is relative. In reading your
blogs, it seems you have personally helped several needy people. That's what I prefer to do--help someone directly.
When you give to organizations, you're never sure how much of your gift actually goes to the needy people. Your Aunt
Monique has someone at her work who, because of a health issue and recent divorce, can't work and is in dire financial
straits. She has two sons to support. So the people at Monique's work pitched in and bought seven bags of groceries
and also gave her money. They brought her more food and cash at Thanksgiving and will do the same( plus presents)
for Christmas. So that's where I have contributed cash, because I know it goes to the persons who need it.
I think it is wonderful that you and your mom are supporting Sedi and her education for the next six years. She sounds
like a child that will make good use of the help and if she becomes a lawyer (or some other profession) she will break
the poverty cycle.
Good luck in your upcoming exam(s). It's wonderful you'll be home in two weeks.
Be safe and take care. Much Love.
Hi Hi Marla. Sorry I have not written in a while. I have been following
the saga of your malaria and I hope you are doing well.
When you get back into the states, I would very much like to get
you a good doctors appt, and get your blood checked. Malaria parasites
can hide in the liver, and I just want to be sure that you don't have any lingering
stuff..
Looking very much forward to seeing you soon. I am very, very proud of you!
love,
dad
not crocodiles! MarMar we are going to play the crocodile game here at home, so no need to "see" them in real life, OK. Take care lovey and see you soon. Love, Momba
Glafd You're Better Wow! More adventures! Wonderful that all your medical advice (boil the water, etc) is providing help and a better life for the locals. Seems like many of the children now seek you out because they trust you. Malaria sounds terrible, but by your comments seems fairly common in that location. Great they found some ice that you could put on your body for the long trotro ride. And of course, I'm very glad that you have recovered in a fairly short time.
Thanksgiving is almost here and we'll being going out to Lance and Robin's place in Redondo Beach. Robin loves to fix a big Thanksgiving Feast and we usually eat around noon and then walk on the beautiful beach (3 blocks away) to work off all the food. I always bring a few pies as my contribution. Much Love and Take Care.
cape coast!! isn't the canopy walk cool?? the boys i went with were freaking out - probably because they're taller and actually could tip over the side if they tripped - but very funny haha!
oh marla I'm so jealous, i want to travel too! but instead i have two 20-page essays that i havent started on due in under two weeks, amongst other things...... quite a shock after uni of ghana's workload :P
anyways hope you're doing well - see you've had malaria, hope you're better! i somehow avoided that one even without a mosquito net, might be because i had about a total of 10 bites during the whole semester... they don't like me..
enjoy your last weeks in the sun!! xxx
ps daughter of fortune and the time traveller's wife are two of my favooourite books :)
Marla! Hey Marla! I just have to tell you that I was at the same castles only a few short months ago in Cape Coast :) Its great to read what you are up to and I hope you feel better soon!
scary Hi from Finland again... That sounds awful!! Glad you are better or at least getting there. Will malaria be a lifetime thing for you now or can it be permanently cured? Sanna is well and coming home for xmas in just 5 weeks, can't wait...We have a bit of snow already and very cold. And so dark all the time :( Take care. Love, Tiitta
"Not fun"??!! Hey! I nearly died from malaria myself a few months ago so I really feel for you! By the sound of it mine was a bit worse than yours, plus it took me ten days to get to a hospital. And yeh, that bone pain is hottific, you're very modest if you can describe it as just "not fun"!! I wrote a blog about my experience, check it out if you like
good thing you called first... Hei MarMar,
It is a good thing that you called your mother before she had a chance to read this blog!! I am sooooo glad that you sounded good on the phone, and that you are on the mend. I will set up Dr. appts for your return to root out all of the little beasties that may be hiding in your liver and elsewhere. Love you, Momba
Book Reading Wow! You read a lot of books. You must have had a plethora of time on your hands. Several of the books seemed very interesting, especially the ones you described as "life changing". Right now my reading is devoted to my Abnormal Psych book (very detailed) and my German reading and workbook assignments. Maybe over Christmas vacation I'll have time for some "leisure" reading.
All is well here. I've talked to Brenae (in Texas) several times over the last few weeks. She's doing very well in her college classes and is enjoying her Nanny job. She's signing up for next semester's classes--Math, Social Studies,
English class, and Biology. These are classes she needs to complete the basic requirements to become a Junior
at a four year college. Right now she's at a 2-year college. She's coming here during the Christmas vacation, just
about the same dates you'll be in Wisconsin. Gosh, that's only about 6 weeks away.
Take Care! Much Love!
Hi Marla, I am sooooo enjoying your adventures, look forward to new pictures. Especially flying thru the jungle with the monkeys and the castles. What a wonderful experience you are having. Personally, I'd not be quite as enthusiastic as you are about the lack of water. The heat I could take, no water, no no no. Stay safe, we'll see you soon. By the time you return the heat will be a distant memory! Love to you, A. Michele
stayin' cool Hei MarMar,
You know how the best way to warm up when you are really cold is to do the dishes, since the veins on your wrist are so near the surface? How about applying that same priciple in reverse to stayin' cool. e.g. plunge your arms up to your elbows in cool water. Also, don't forget the cool, wet rag on the back of your neck. Thinking of you, Love Momba
Pictures? Hei MarMar,
I am still hoping for some pictures to go with this blog. I have no idea what these castles would look like, or the canopy bit. Is there quite alot of variability like in France as you move away from the sea coast, or does it stay jungle? Are you adjusting to the heat? (Will you be ready for the cold come December???) Take care, Momba
HI Rachel and Mattie! Hiya guys!!
Im having a lot of fun on my field trip!! im making lots of friends and remembering to do all of my homework for my teachers! IM sorry that it is cold in MN, it is very hot on my field trip!! just like the summer time!
I miss you guys!!
xoxoxM
Castles and Soccer The castle trip sounded a lot more reasonable and comfortable than some of your other adventures. I'm sure that most tourists don't gain full understanding and significance of a local culture's "icons". The walk on the canopy did sound a bit scary, even if supposedly safe.
You got a real sense how other cultures value a soccer team/game in comparison to the USA which has so many different sports, with football and baseball topping the list in popularity. Internationally, it is sooooooo important
for a soccer team to win as it represents the nation's identity and intergrity. You really got a taste of what that is like.
Stay safe and take care. Much Love.
Matt and Rachel say hello this is from Rachel: it has been cold lately down in MN. How are you doing? Have you had fun lately?
this is from Matt: How is your field trip doing? Did you make any friends? How cold is it?
If want to write Sheila directly to respond, her e-mail address is "shera55125@yahoo.com"...
Have a nice day!
love,
dad
good to know Do you remember in grade school when you had to take those tests, and it said that you could pursue any career that you wanted? Well, now you know that you don't want to be a mountain biker. :P haha Hope you have water and power soon. Love, Momba
hi from finland just got a letter from your mom. didn't even know that you are there or have a blog. your blog has been great to read. is it just you or do all students there have what seems to be an extremely exciting time? seems like your second exchange is a bit different from your first :) take care!!!!
hi from finland just got a letter from your mom. didn't even know that you are there or have a blog. your blog has been great to read. is it just you or do all students there have what seems to be an extremely exciting time? seems like your second exchange is a bit different from your first :) take care!!!!
share Hei MarMar,
I shared the "What Happened at Dodi" blog with the Baldwin Bulletin, and they published it in full, generously removing the typos :) I wonder if I will be stopped all over town with additional questions... I'm sending hard copies to Grampsie to keep him up to date.
Yikes, that is some green water you were swimming in, and you are extremely lucky to not get some sort of rash from it. Heard on the radio today that hook worm infection may ward off asthma and/or alergies, so well maybe I should calm down about all of the diseases/parasites you may be getting unknowingly... Always the Momba, Love, Momba
Ways to beat the heat Wow!! You came up with many more ideas than I would have. One idea would be to fan yourself using a small piece of cardboard. Better yet (but probably not available in Ghana) are those small portable battery-operated fans that you hold in your hand. Why don't you asked the college to put in misters? (Ha! Ha!)
Always enjoy reading your reports and looking at the pictures. Hope you're doing well under the circumstances.
My shoulder is soooo much better and I'm playing lots of dooubles, sometimes 3 sets (around 2 hours) of tennis a day.
This makes me a happy camper. I'm auditing an "Abnormal Psychology" class at Scripps College. Very interesting and
fascinating class, to say the least. Great professor and highly intelligent students. I'm having a lot of fun. Also I'm
continuing with my German on Saturday mornings, so lots to keep my brain busy and functioning.
Jhaline is doing great in 4th grade--she has a wonderful teacher. Of course, I don't see Marina anymore because she's in San Luis Obispo at a small Christian high school. When I've talked to her, she says she's doing well in school.
Bye for now!! Much Love.
Grandma Audrey
non-member comment
Great Adventure
I'm so glad your last great adventure was such a positive one. The hike sounded challenging, but not impossible, and as you stated, the view was worth the effort. How exciting to feed the monkeys right of your hands. Wow!! I know your Mom, Dad, and the whole family will be so happy to have you back home safe and sound. Will call your Mom's house while you're there, so I can talk to you before you head up to Vancouver. I'm sure Victor and all your friends there will also be very happy to have you home. Much Love, Grandma Audrey