"Amazing Coincindences" Continue

32. “Amazing Coincidences” Continue!

Got up this morning with the leftovers- if there is such a thing- of a terrible migraine headache from last night. (Took my medicine and I slept 11 hours!) Our new friends from South Africa – staying here at MPH -were there to meet me as I came in for Breakfast. They wanted to thank me for treating them as a “friend and guest” instead of just a client of the Hostel. Then they wanted to invite Ken and me to come to South Africa and stay at their church guest house and from there go to a Game Reserve and to Victoria Falls-that we had talked to them about doing some day. So maybe in a few years – when we save a bunch of money- (this “Volunteering stuff” is expensive!) we will get to do that. My bucket list in Africa is a Game Reserve –where to quote them “we have the big 5.” Ken’s is to see Victoria Falls again. Guess we old folks never finish our bucket lists, do we?!  It’s something to continue to dream of doing amongst the daily things we have to do! (Never thought we would get to do Congo and look at us!! So maybe!)

Son of Ken's first Nanny/Tatu

I  was sitting in my office earlier when the sentry came to tell me that there is a man here to see Ken! Tells me his last name is N’gench.  As he is brought to my office I speak to him in Tshiluba. He tears up. Then I warn him that Ken will really cry. He did!! He had heard about us from the University Administrator I visited with a couple of weeks ago. (Guess the drums still work! ;) )This man looks just like his father!! He is the son of Ken’s Nanny at Bulape. (His father also came to see us in Kentucky and Clint’s baby book has a picture of him being held by Tatu Shamba N’gench.) We visited for about an hour. He is bringing his family back to see us on Thursday afternoon. He had a horrible looking and still very swollen- almost sort of  healed now- sore on his right ankle. It has been infected off and on for months- almost a year. He had to quit his job. Says it gets better and then abscesses again. It is all swollen about 1/3 of way up from his ankle to knee. It looked feverish to me but I did not touch it. (I told Ken at lunch I think it is in the bone-but what do I know!! I was a Social Studies teacher and I did not sleep at a Holiday Inn last night!!) Ken told him that infectious disease is Clint’s specialty and he works on things like that. Ken says he did say the doctor mentioned amputation! Sad!!  This other picture is of him in his mother's arms at Bulape!                                   
It’s a small world after all!

Poor cooks are still having trouble finding stuff in the pantry and putting it back where it belongs. “Mama Lenore, Ou est..?” (Where is..?) Inge arranged it so that it can all be seen at a glance and/or read in French in alphabetical order!  And there are at least two of everything- so matching to replace should be easy! Steep learning curve!! Seems so easy! But I guess not! Things still being put where they use to be stored. Then to top it all off they did not do an exit count for a lot of the week. So when Inge went in to count  this week, it was all wrong. One cook especially does not record- he can’t read!  So she is thinking of going to a kitchen manager and only he receives and distributes all food items. He and the two of us will have the only keys and combination. Then this morning  one of the cooks plugged in the major large coffee pot without first plugging in the transformer and did to it what I did to my curling iron. Two big conferences next week and no huge coffee pot! Oh Dear! Above my pay grade- thank goodness!

Thursday is Lisa Sthreshley’s B’day and a bunch of us have been invited to go out to celebrate with her. She calls us Aunt Lenore and Uncle Ken! Fun!  (Not Aunt George-so she’s not “in the know!) We are going to Limoncello- an Italian restaurant. Ken and I have not been there yet!  He is still talking about how good the sole was last Friday. The Sthreshley kids both head back to college this next Sunday. One to Emory to continue Grad school and Michael to his sophomore year at U. of Hawaii in Hilo. So Mom and Dad will be Empty Nester's in less than a week. ;(

I’m in deep depression (and not from malaria medicine!). Football – REAL football- not this soccer stuff! (Which is like watching grass grow- takes forever!!) -started last night! For the first time in 40+years I missed the Hall of Fame game! I will have to get up at 1-2-3 AM to check scores once the seasons (NFL AND college) start!! Thank goodness for 104.3 radio in Lubbock- we can get it by App!! Just wish it carried TTU. Anyone know an App that carries TTU?

Yea! The money the deposit slip says I should have and the cash I have in the safe MATCH! So I have that awful part done. It freaks me out every Monday for fear I will do something wrong!  I’d say that is my least favorite part of this job since Math was not my thing- ever! It’s all numbers to me! ;) My guys are busy as they can be cleaning a bunch of rooms where folks checked out today. At least we started with a completely clean laundry room this morning. I washed and dried 5 loads Saturday and Sunday to get us all caught up. Have 14 checking in tomorrow – just an iddy biddy number compared to the French! ;)    I guess it really is all relative! ;) Sentry just brought another guy in. He wanted a place to stay. So I used the trick question “ Why are you in Kinshasa?” “I’m here from Matadi to work and rest.” Buzz. Wrong answer! So I then explain we are a place only for missionaries and ministers and Church groups on way in and out of country. “Well, the guy that use to run it let me stay here.” Helene backed me up and said things have changed. So he smiled and left. Humm… Thank goodness Cindy had taught me that trick question before she left for vacation! I don't know who any one is that walks in or writes an email! So get I them in if I can and don't if I can't. So I can't be accused of bias!

When we get home every meal for a month may be Mexican food or BBQ!! Miss it so!! Folks ask around the meal table what I miss the most and my answer is,"My granddaughters!" The rest is all something I'll get back to. Five months is a lot of changes in the little ones- ballgames, dance recitals,  Emery's first lost tooth,little people birthday parties and those special "not at college yet" 17th and 15th Birthdays for the older girls! Sidney will begin Driver's Ed soon and Callie may have narrowed in on a college without one single question from Gigi! Wow! How will she manage that? :)

I head to the apartment at the end of the day and open the door and all three living 1creatures jump! Ken and two cats-who were in his lap- fighting for Ken’s attention, jump. Got a picture of one- Bella  jumped just before I took the picture! The three of them talk in the AM and leave me totally out of the conversation.  “When she does this,” Ken tells me, “it means she wants you to rub her stomach!” This from the guy that has never been a cat guy but cats have always loved him!

The 14 folks are recruiting seminary students. Several are from the Kasia so we spoke Tshiluba and hugged and kissed Congo Style. They are all very quiet and respectful . Even with MPH full again it is quiet. After supper a few sat around and visited and then went to their rooms and crashed- like Ken and I do!  Last night/this morning at 1:13 my MPH phone goes nuts. It’s a text message from a pastor who wants a $27 room for 4 nights and arriving early in the AM- and he did at 7:15!!. So guess who was awake forever! Lesson learned- silence the MPH phone at night!

Today while I have been working Ken has found some pictures of their old house and Shamba and other pictures from here in Kinshasa. So I'll share those with you as I have time.The other pictures included are one from our past that we thought you would enjoy seeing. No special order. Just fun Memories.  Also at the end of the Post is the MPH Granola Recipe. It is soooo good. From what the cooks tell me - it is from Mama Flo Sthreshley. The recipe I copied was in her hand writing in French! (I did translate it for you!!)Told Inga she needs to frame it and hang it in the Dining Room!! Folks ask for it all the time!

 

 

MPH Granola

 

4 cups oatmeal

3 cups flour or whole wheat flour
1 cup grated coconut – in Congo it is fresh of course!
1 cup small unsalted peanuts – already dry roasted without skins 
 t salt
½ cup water
1 cup oil
1 cup sugar
2 t vanilla

Mix dry ingredients
Mix wet ingredients
Mix wet into dry
Spread out on cookie sheet/sheets
Bake at 150* for one hour
Cool and store in moisture proof container