- Mauritius is beautiful. It's so green here, and there's the ocean, and stunning mountains.
- There's so much variety in the vegetation here, both in the shapes of leaves and plants, and in the colours of green (and yellow). I recognize a bunch of the plants 'cause they're in Australia too.
- Oh, and it smells good. All warm and jungle-y and green.
- It's warm. We're sticky and sweaty. And the Australian part in me loves it.
- We got to dip our feet in the Indian Ocean. First time for me, and Aurelie. The beach smells really good.
- Mauritius is surrounded by reefs. So there are no waves breaking on the shore, they break way further out to sea, on the reefs.
- The water here is literally turquoise coloured. I've never seen ocean water that colour.
- They drive on the left. This is messing with my team's heads. I was slightly surprised to find that it feels completely natural to me. (Shouldn't be. When I'm tired I revert back to thinking of driving Australian-style.)
- I'm still not sure if the road out the front of our house is a street or a driveway.
- There are roundabouts everywhere on the highways. (Mom, you'd love it!)
- We took a detour from the main highway, because of roadworks. It was super cool to drive through towns where ordinary people live. (As opposed to places that are obviously touristy.)
- I wish Dara was here. She would love all the birds. There was a little red bird, and there's another brown bird with a black head, black tuft on its head and white eyes. There are also a bunch of weaver bird nests in the casurina across the road.
- I love houses in warm climates, where the distinction between outside and inside is blurred. The windows here are wide open, and we have barn-style doors to the outside, so you can leave the top wide open. Our bedroom 'door' is a curtain. There's a balcony off the girls' and guys' room. And the dining table is on the back verandah.
- I'm grateful for Wifi. It's really weird, though, being on the other side of the world, and still being able to do all my usual internet things.
- Baby pineapples are super cute.
- We ate breakfast on the plane at 4:30am Mauritius time. Then we had Second Breakfast at about 10:30am. We're becoming Hobbits.
- Not packing flip-flops was a BAD idea.
Friday, 24 April 2015
Arrival in Mauritius (Pt 2 - Random Observations and Thoughts)
Here are some of my impressions, thoughts and random observations from the first day in Mauritius.
Arrival in Mauritius (Pt 1 - The Journey)
Please forgive me if this post is somewhat scatterbrained. My brain is running on little sleep and is currently jet-lagged.
April 22 was a day packed full of emotions and events. And actual packing. My finances for outreach were finally sorted out. The day before I had a bunch of money left to pay for outreach, and had no idea where it was coming from. I was stressed. Céline prayed for me, and I calmed down. God gave me incredible peace, and reassurance that I would be on the plane to Mauritius the next day. On the morning of April 22, it turned out I was doubly covered for the amount I had left to pay. So we were able to help another one of the guys who didn't have the finances for outreach. (His story is amazing. At the beginning of the day he needed $3800, the cost for the whole outreach. By the afternoon, it had all been provided for.) So at lunch there was an announcement that ALL the students had all the money they needed for outreach. Yay God!
We were also waiting on Billy's visa to arrive. Billy is part of the Mauritius team, but needed a specific visa before he could go on the plane. We were hoping it would arrive April 22, before we left at 2:30pm for the airport.
After lunch we had a time to say goodbye to everyone on the base. It made me realize how much I've come to love all the people part of my DTS and YWAM Dunham. I'll miss all the people going to Argentina and French Polynesia, and staying in Quebec. (I'll spare you the specifics of what I love about each one, 'cause they could take up a blog post on their own.) They'll have amazing stories to tell when they get back, though.
Billy had to cancel his plane ticket, because we had no word of his visa. But he still came with us to the airport. When we got to the airport, we discovered his visa had arrived. Bummer. We had to say goodbye to Billy at the airport, but we knew he would be on a flight soon after ours. Later we found out he would be on the next plane to Mauritius, and as I write this, he's waiting in the Paris airport to catch the plane here.
We flew for 7 hours from Montreal to Paris, overnight. We left as the sun was setting, and arrived early in the morning in Paris. (Time shortens when you fly east.) The ground looked like a patchwork quilt, with brown, yellow and green in irregular patches. The yellow is Canola. No fair. It's already blooming in April (in Alberta it blooms in July).
We had an 8 hour layover in Paris. We spent the first half sleeping, and the second half playing games around a table.
The evening of the 23rd we left Paris. The next flight, to Mauritius, was 12 hours long. I was at a window seat. Yay! We flew over the alps, and along the coast of Italy, so there was good scenery to see. Sunset was amazing; everything was subtle shades of pink, purple, blue and yellow. And stargazing from planes is EPIC.
We arrived in Mauritius at about 6am. So we got to see the sunrise over the Indian Ocean. After a bit of an adventure with immigration (nothing too bad, just lots of questions), we entered the country. Gary, one of the guys from YWAM Mauritus, met us at the airport. He and our leader, Ben, were both in Dunham for about a year together.
The airport is in the south part of the island, and where we're staying is in the north, so we drove for 1 1/2 hours through gorgeous, green Mauritian countryside. Then we arrived at the house. It's a largish house, in an area that's a bit more touristy. The house is owned by a lady from England (I think), who often hosts YWAMers and other people. It's a gorgeous place, and will be our home for the next two months.
After we got a bit of an introduction to our hosts and house, we unpacked. Then we went for a walk in an effort to stay awake, and went to the beach. It's right by a hotel, so there are lots of touristy things around. We came back, got to know Gary better, ate lunch, and I worked on a blog post. :)
April 22 was a day packed full of emotions and events. And actual packing. My finances for outreach were finally sorted out. The day before I had a bunch of money left to pay for outreach, and had no idea where it was coming from. I was stressed. Céline prayed for me, and I calmed down. God gave me incredible peace, and reassurance that I would be on the plane to Mauritius the next day. On the morning of April 22, it turned out I was doubly covered for the amount I had left to pay. So we were able to help another one of the guys who didn't have the finances for outreach. (His story is amazing. At the beginning of the day he needed $3800, the cost for the whole outreach. By the afternoon, it had all been provided for.) So at lunch there was an announcement that ALL the students had all the money they needed for outreach. Yay God!
We were also waiting on Billy's visa to arrive. Billy is part of the Mauritius team, but needed a specific visa before he could go on the plane. We were hoping it would arrive April 22, before we left at 2:30pm for the airport.
After lunch we had a time to say goodbye to everyone on the base. It made me realize how much I've come to love all the people part of my DTS and YWAM Dunham. I'll miss all the people going to Argentina and French Polynesia, and staying in Quebec. (I'll spare you the specifics of what I love about each one, 'cause they could take up a blog post on their own.) They'll have amazing stories to tell when they get back, though.
Billy had to cancel his plane ticket, because we had no word of his visa. But he still came with us to the airport. When we got to the airport, we discovered his visa had arrived. Bummer. We had to say goodbye to Billy at the airport, but we knew he would be on a flight soon after ours. Later we found out he would be on the next plane to Mauritius, and as I write this, he's waiting in the Paris airport to catch the plane here.
We flew for 7 hours from Montreal to Paris, overnight. We left as the sun was setting, and arrived early in the morning in Paris. (Time shortens when you fly east.) The ground looked like a patchwork quilt, with brown, yellow and green in irregular patches. The yellow is Canola. No fair. It's already blooming in April (in Alberta it blooms in July).
We had an 8 hour layover in Paris. We spent the first half sleeping, and the second half playing games around a table.
The evening of the 23rd we left Paris. The next flight, to Mauritius, was 12 hours long. I was at a window seat. Yay! We flew over the alps, and along the coast of Italy, so there was good scenery to see. Sunset was amazing; everything was subtle shades of pink, purple, blue and yellow. And stargazing from planes is EPIC.
We arrived in Mauritius at about 6am. So we got to see the sunrise over the Indian Ocean. After a bit of an adventure with immigration (nothing too bad, just lots of questions), we entered the country. Gary, one of the guys from YWAM Mauritus, met us at the airport. He and our leader, Ben, were both in Dunham for about a year together.
The airport is in the south part of the island, and where we're staying is in the north, so we drove for 1 1/2 hours through gorgeous, green Mauritian countryside. Then we arrived at the house. It's a largish house, in an area that's a bit more touristy. The house is owned by a lady from England (I think), who often hosts YWAMers and other people. It's a gorgeous place, and will be our home for the next two months.
After we got a bit of an introduction to our hosts and house, we unpacked. Then we went for a walk in an effort to stay awake, and went to the beach. It's right by a hotel, so there are lots of touristy things around. We came back, got to know Gary better, ate lunch, and I worked on a blog post. :)
Tuesday, 21 April 2015
Ottawa Outreach!
I just got back from nine amazing days of outreach in Ottawa.
After a week of outreach preparation, with lectures about different cultures, preparing material for outreach, and packing, our DTS went to Ottawa. It's a 3 1/2 hour drive. We stayed with various members from Grace Presbyterian Church, who showed us great hospitality. We would split into three teams (ArgenTEAMa, Mauritius and French Polynesia) during the day, and did all kinds of random things.
Things I Never Thought I'd Do, But Did in Ottawa:
As a team we also drew inspiring and happy things with chalk in a park, prayed with a Move-In group (more on that later), played Grounders on playground equipment, had a horrible time trying to find a Tim Horton's that actually had chairs, and toured the Parliament Buildings.
We spent a lot of time with the Move-In group. It's a bunch of people, in this case college-aged people, who move in to a poorer, rougher neighbourhood. Then they spend one night a week praying for their community, and just live their lives, build relationships, and show Jesus' love to the people who live around them. They really inspired me with their love for their neighbours, and their passion to reach out to them with the life and hope that Jesus offers.
This past week and a half was full, stretching and rewarding. I learned a lot, and was really impacted by all the people I met in Ottawa.
And now I'm back in Dunham. We have just enough time to do laundry and pack, because tomorrow I LEAVE FOR MAURITIUS!!!
I'm so excited!
After a week of outreach preparation, with lectures about different cultures, preparing material for outreach, and packing, our DTS went to Ottawa. It's a 3 1/2 hour drive. We stayed with various members from Grace Presbyterian Church, who showed us great hospitality. We would split into three teams (ArgenTEAMa, Mauritius and French Polynesia) during the day, and did all kinds of random things.
Things I Never Thought I'd Do, But Did in Ottawa:
- Lead a kids club.
- Lead another kids club (for a total of two times).
- Started conversations with random strangers on the street--and enjoy it!
- Double-Dutch skipping.
- Ate Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches that had been sitting in my backpack for some time.
- See actual artwork by M. C. Escher at the National Gallery of Canada.
- Wasn't scared of talking to homeless people.
- Handed out invitations to a church service, to students during exam week.
- Worshiped in public with a bunch of other Christians in the middle of a secular university.
- Lead a worship time with my team on Sunday morning.
- Ate a beaver tail.
As a team we also drew inspiring and happy things with chalk in a park, prayed with a Move-In group (more on that later), played Grounders on playground equipment, had a horrible time trying to find a Tim Horton's that actually had chairs, and toured the Parliament Buildings.
We spent a lot of time with the Move-In group. It's a bunch of people, in this case college-aged people, who move in to a poorer, rougher neighbourhood. Then they spend one night a week praying for their community, and just live their lives, build relationships, and show Jesus' love to the people who live around them. They really inspired me with their love for their neighbours, and their passion to reach out to them with the life and hope that Jesus offers.
This past week and a half was full, stretching and rewarding. I learned a lot, and was really impacted by all the people I met in Ottawa.
And now I'm back in Dunham. We have just enough time to do laundry and pack, because tomorrow I LEAVE FOR MAURITIUS!!!
I'm so excited!
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