Jamaica Video

This is the video report for Peter's recent Jamaica project. It talks about their work there, and shows Peter in action a few times.

October

This past month I have been way more flaky than usual. So I wanted to start off this post with an apology to the world in general for all the things I've been supposed to do that haven't gotten done. Hopefully this next month things will go better.

In the beginning of the month, my mom's mom passed away. I was able to go home for the funeral, which was really nice. My sisters, dad, and I played a few songs at the funeral and the luncheon afterwards. I saw lots of family. I was able to see my best friend's new baby in the hospital right before I left to come home. It was as nice of a trip as a funeral trip could be. Unfortunately, it also left me somewhat behind in school.

Peter also went to Jamaica for 2 weeks this month. He just got back last night, which was a miracle because he flew through JFK. They closed the airport after because of a snowstorm, but thankfully he was able to get out before they closed. We all missed him a lot, but he had a good time. I'm not sure if he took pictures or not, but if he did I'm sure he'll post some of them so we all can be jealous. :)

My sister came home from her mission in Hong Kong last week. It has been really nice to be able to talk to her whenever I want to. I'm excited to see her next month when my family comes out for Thanksgiving.

Friday night was our ward trunk or treat, and Michael and I went as lumberjacks. A little girl who was sitting at our table was very concerned that we "didn't have costumes" because I guess to her lumberjack clothes look just like regular ones. I told her that we were supposed to be lumberjacks, and she said, "oh, apple jacks! I love that cereal. We buy it sometimes." It was super cute.

Happy Halloween to everyone tomorrow!

Our Summer

Now that the summer is over and school has started again, here's what we did. We don't have any pictures (sorry) because we either forgot our camera, or we brought it and we didn't have a memory card, so it was useless. Oh well.

1. I got to participate in a dig at Fort Harmony that was a lot of fun. (Click on the link to read a news article and see pictures. I'm the one in the white hoodie looking away from the camera, and I'm not from SUU. Only one of the photos has people from SUU in it, even though 3 of them say that they do).

2. I went to Oregon for a week to visit my family, and mostly to visit my grandmother who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She's actually been doing really well, but in June we didn't know if she'd even live to the end of the summer. It was wonderful to spend time with her and with all the family.

3. Peter went whitewater rafting with the young men in our ward, and had a blast. And came back with knees so sunburned they could barely bend.

4. We were Ma and Pa of a family on our stake pioneer trek. We got to go to Martin's Cove in Wyoming and walk on the actual Oregon Trail/Mormon Trail. It was a fabulous experience, and we had the best kids in our family. No whiners, no accidents, and everybody was happy to be there. And it was really special to be learning about the pioneers, and see the actual places where the stories we heard had happened. Very cool. Martin's Cove is worth a visit if you happen to be in Wyoming.

5. Peter's youngest brother has moved in with us and is living with us and attending high school in Utah for the year. So we have a teenager before we have a baby, but that's okay. We're one week into the school year, and so far so good. We're happy to have him with us, and we'll see how things go.

6. My sister is a new freshman at BYU this year. My family was in town this past week moving her in and getting her settled. I'm really excited to have her out here and to get to see her more often.

7. Peter's sister gets married on Saturday. We have lots of visitors in town this week, and lots of wedding-related things to do. Congratulations to Elyse and Jordan!


So. Now you're caught up on everything you missed while I wasn't blogging this summer. Hopefully it won't be Christmas before my next post. :)

Forgiveness

This story inspired me. In case you aren't inclined to click on the link to read it, or better yet, listen to it, I'll summarize. It's about a woman who forgave the man who killed her son (the perpetrator was a teenager involved in gangs, drugs, etc. at the time) and who has now sort of adopted him as her own son. It amazes me and inspires me to know that people can forgive something so terrible so completely. I sometimes struggle to forgive people for rather insiginificant offenses, but I know that there is healing power that can help me (and anyone) to forgive. That healing power comes from Jesus Christ. I am thankful for His sacrifice that makes forgiveness possible, and for inspiring stories like this one that remind me that I can forgive.

Nine Mile Canyon

Before we get to nine mile canyon... here is a picture from my birthday. We went to look at the tulips on temple square, which were gorgeous, and then we went out to dinner. I had no idea that temple square had such beautiful flowers, but if you happen to be in Salt Lake in the springtime you should definitely go and check them out!



View from our campsite

This past weekend, Peter and I went camping with my friend Juli and her husband Jordan. We camped at Huntington Lake. It was beautiful. Not very crowded, although the campsites weren't as secluded as any of us had expected them to be. We were awakened Saturday morning by the kids in the campsite next to us screaming about fish. I guess they were fishing on the lake, and were really excited about it. :)


We spent most of Saturday in Nine Mile Canyon. It's just outside of Price, Utah, and the rock art is incredible. The road through the canyon was pretty horrible- it's a dirt road, but truckers use it for some reason. And it had been raining a lot during the past week, so there were some giant mud puddles that were a little scary to drive through. But the hiking was fun. A lot of Nine Mile Canyon is ranch land, and Callie had fun barking at all the cows as we drove by them. She even scared away 2 very large bulls that had decided to take a nap right in front of one of the rock art panels we wanted to look at. It was a really fun weekend, and we're excited to do more camping throughout the summer!

Come see my new exhibit!

For the past year, the students who are in the museum certificate program with me have been working on an exhibit of Mayan textiles and clothing. The exhibit opened this week, and it will be up for 2 years. It was a lot of work, and it turned out to be a really cool exhibit. It looks even better than I thought it would. Mayan clothing is really colorful and vibrant, and we covered the walls of the exhibit hall with black fabric so the pieces really pop.

So, if you happen to be in Provo for any reason, you should stop by the Museum of Peoples and Cultures to see it! The address is 700 N 100 E, the exhibit is free, and there is free parking right across the street from the museum.

Safari photos

There are hundreds more photos from Peter's safari that we could post. Here are a few. Notice all the baby animals- that's one positive about going on a safari in the springtime! Peter told me that during the most popular time to go on safari, summer, you get to see the animal migrations. He said the coolest thing about watching the migrating herds was to see the crocodiles eat as the herds crossed the rivers. I'd rather see baby animals than feasting crocodiles, personally...

Tichwa Tembo

This weekend I had the chance to go on safari at the Maasia Mara. I stayed at the Kichwa Kembo lodge, which was amazing. If any of you ever get the chance to go on safari, I highly recommend them (owned by &Beyond). I loved how all of the staff knew me by name and the guides knew right where to go. Below are just a few of the several hundred photos I shot over 4 game drives.

Maasia warrior dance.

Black Rhino

Our camp was inundated with animals: monkeys (like the one above), warthogs, and the occasional bush buck.

We got to see a bunch of lions.

Mommy and baby on a trip to the watering hole.

A couple of young elephants playing.

Cheetah - a childhood favorite. We were fortunate enough to see a lot of the cheetahs in the park, despite being fairly rare.

Karibu to Nairobi

As Rachel mentioned, I arrived here safe and sound with no complications. I've really enjoyed my time here in Nairobi so far. the city is much more developed than any of the other places I have been. There are numerous shopping malls and grocery stores with almost anything you could want. Traffic is the one downside, with no major highways, covering just 10-20 miles can easily take an hour.

Despite the tremendous wealth that exists however, the poverty is still strong in many parts of the city. We are working in Eastleigh and Huruma, and its been interesting to see how similar the East and West of Africa really are.

I am working in Nairobi as a consultant for Fairbourne Consulting to the International Rescue Committee (IRC), the same organization I consulted in Sierra Leone. Similar to our work in Sierra Leone, we are helping the IRC with their youth microfranchise programs. This project is funded by the Nike Foundation, and they keen to provide microfranchises specifically for girls. They are strong proponents of "The Girl Effect" and are doing innovative things around supporting girls around the world. Here are some videos to help explain what they are trying to do generally:

So, our project is to help girls in the slums Eastleigh and Huruma of Nairobi to join/start their own microfranchise businesses. We have received a small planning grant and right now we are simply identifying potential businesses that either already have a microfranchise business model or could easily implement one. This is different from Sierra Leone because funding is a little tight such that we can't simply start a new microfranchise business from scratch. Plus we have about half as much time here to do our research. Also, because of the girl focus, another organization, Technoserve, is working alongside of us to identify the other physical, emotional, and social needs of the girls to help ensure that not only are the business we identify ones that will work for girls, but that we know what additional support services the girls need to be successful in life.

Its been fun to walk the streets of the slums one day and meet with some of the top business leaders in Nairobi the next to discuss expanding their businesses into microfranchising. I have over 30 potential businesses on my wall with the goal to identify the top 10. All of our research will be wrapped into a big proposal to the Nike Foundation to launch the microfranchises and provide the additional support needed by the girls through different mechanisms like training programs.

So that's work. Every now and then though, I get to have some fun. Like getting a big wet one from Lara...the giraffe.

Or fostering an elephant at the orphanage in Nairobi National Park.

* I apologize the images aren't better quality - the internet connection is quite as good here as it is in the US.

Safely arrived

Peter got to Kenya around 5PM today. Thankfully there weren't any delays or problems like there were last year when he went to Sierra Leone. His hotel is "nice enough," whatever that means. I'm guessing it would be hard to top his last hotel with a view of the ocean.

Back to Africa

Hello world. I have had ambitions to blog several times over the past few months, but it hasn't happened. I could give excuses, but I don't really think they're important.

Briefly, here are a few things that have happened since my last post.

I survived my first semester of graduate school.
We had our first Christmas in our new house.
Peter's Grandma Moss passed away.
My Granddad Black passed away.

I think those are all the big things. Our grandparents died about 2 weeks apart from each other. It was quite strange to have all the family in town and a week of craziness for one funeral, and then travel to Arizona and have a week of craziness for another funeral so soon afterward. It was great to see all the family, but I wish it would have been for a happier reason.

Also, Peter is going to Kenya in a week, doing a similar project to what he did in Ghana and Sierra Leone. This time they are focusing on identifying business for young women to operate. He'll be gone for 3 weeks. He gets to go on a safari and I am jealous! He will be in warm weather while I will be here with the snow. (and he keeps reminding me it isn't for a vacation, but it will be more of a vacation than staying here to do school)

And that's all. Sorry no pictures. Hopefully my next post will not be after quite as long of a break as last time.