I just love this photo of Keziah on her little bike (given to her by ‘Aunty’ Karen and ‘uncle’ Joel). We were on our way to the letterbox to plant the flowers (also from Karen and Joel) in the planter.
September 29th, 2006
The IF theme this week is ‘Quiet’ so here’s mine, acrylic on canvas, 60cm W (24″) x 110cm L (38″):
This is a painting I really like but when I presented it to my lecturer at uni a few years ago he said ‘oh, the lost child theme, it’s been done to death, do something else’. This isn’t the lost child so much as the lonley child and it was inspired by our vist to Africa. Too bad if it’s been done to death, I still love it!!
This is a painting I really like but when I presented it to my lecturer at uni a few years ago he said ‘oh, the lost child theme, it’s been done to death, do something else’. This isn’t the lost child so much as the lonley child and it was inspired by our vist to Africa. Too bad if it’s been done to death, I still love it!!
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September 25th, 2006
Out at the Pizzaria (us on the left)
Michael’s 26th Birthday
Me teaching art to the year 7/8 class
(by the way, that’s Keziah, our daughter’s namesake)
Making a bonfire at the Plateau
Out at the Pizzaria (us on the left)So, I was thinking about what to write about our time in Niger next and I couldn’t help but think that people will start thinking that our lifestyle there was all adventure and excitement. We were there for a year and in that time we taught at the school, we did all the normal things such as shopping, eating, socialising and the like. So what was our normal day like and what was it like socialising in Niger?
Michael’s 26th Birthday
Our normal routine went something like this:
Michael - up early, down at the school oval (field) by 7.20am for the school day to start at 7.30am for PE. Me - up not long after and down in time for preparation and my first classes depending on the day.
The day went along as a usual school day does, classes, morning tea recess, more classes, lunch, more classes, and then home again. The main differences beign that the school day started earlier at 7.30am and finished earlier at 2.30pm due to the extreme temperatures and the lack of air conditioned classrooms (try teaching history in 40C degree heat!!).
Me teaching art to the year 7/8 class(by the way, that’s Keziah, our daughter’s namesake)
Another big difference was that we usually had three showers a day because it was so hot and as soon as I walked in the door around 3pm I always seemed to fall asleep on the lounge.
There is a lot of spare time when you’re a short termer. There’s no TV, no cinema and if you can’t speak the local language you’re limited in the area of local papers etc.. I’ve never been a big reader and in my year in Niger I read 52 books which is good for me.
Socialising usually revolved around eating. Whether this was at one of the many restaruants in Niamey or at someone’s house didn’t matter as long as there was food involved. Niamey has every restaraunt under the sun including Lebanese, Chinese, Italian, French and traditional African (and more) and we tried a lot of them. Our favourite though was at a place called four corners (literally a cross road with four corners!) where the little food place called ‘Idrisi’s’ was found. This was our fast food place where we bought ‘nems’ which are a lot like spring rolls and come with a salty sauce.
We also spent time at the Plateau, a large treeless, shrubless area which was surprisingly…..a plateau! We would go there for bonfires and BBQ’s. The guys would let off somre fireworks there occassionally too.
Making a bonfire at the PlateauAnyway, as I’ve said, there was the exciting part to being a short-termer and there was the normal, everyday life and the quiet times. I’ve included a few photos of the socialising we did too and you might even agree that it looks a lot like somewhere in your own town.
Part 1 - Position Available
Part 2 - The Year was 1999
Part 3 - Red Dirt or Green Grass
Part 4 - Preparations and Going the UK
Part 5 - But I’s Dark and it’s only 4.30pm!
Part 6 - Laying Out the Fleece
Part 7 - Oh, That’s Why We’re Here!
Part 8 - Shakin in my long skirt and sandals
Part 9 - You won’t mind teaching history will you?
Part 10 - Gas Canisters on the Roof
Part 11 - The Tree Attack
Part 12 - Galmi and the Toebiters
Part 13 - Say (sigh)
Posted in All Sorts of Things |
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September 22nd, 2006
Lachanophobia- Fear of vegetables
Te he he (well, I had to make it fit the theme!)
The IF theme this week is Phobia.
Lachanophobia- Fear of vegetablesTe he he (well, I had to make it fit the theme!)
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September 22nd, 2006
PF theme this week is ‘girl’;
Photo of Keziah taken about 2 weeks ago. Our little baby is starting to look more like a little girl every day!
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September 20th, 2006
A very special quilt made by Nanna Burns
With her puppy toy
All the new toys in one place - for now! The cot they’re all in was fixed up by my Dad, it was my Mums and then mine and now it’s hers. Thanks Dad, you did a fantastic job!
Today our daughter Keziah turned one! What a year and how fast it’s gone. We got up early and after the usual bottle etc… gave her some presents and she had a great time ripping off the paper. Unlike what people told me, she didn’t just go for the paper but was more interested in what was inside once she saw there was something. We had a loooonngg day out in the city and she’s worn out tonight. Her grandparents dropped around before her tea time with their presents for her which she also loved and her other grandparents in PNG (my parents) as well as her Uncle, Aunty and Cousin phoned tonight too.
Saturday we’re having an open house style birthday party. No games but lots of party food and a cake. People can come and go as they please that way. It’s even set to be inbetween her sleeps so she won’t get too worn out (we’ll see!).
Anyway, thought I’d include these shots of her opening some presents today.
A very special quilt made by Nanna Burns
With her puppy toy
All the new toys in one place - for now! The cot they’re all in was fixed up by my Dad, it was my Mums and then mine and now it’s hers. Thanks Dad, you did a fantastic job!
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September 17th, 2006
The IF theme this week is Change.
These three paintings (from a series of about six) were from my last semester at uni when I focussed on the macro and micro world (often when we look closely at the tiny objects found in nature they appear to look very similar to an aerial photo of a landscape - a bit abstract but I found it interesting). I used rocks as my source and found that when I scanned the rocks I’d found into my computer at high res they were intricately patterned. These were my attempts to draw on that source for ‘abstract’ paintings.
How does this relate to change? I suppose an abstract relationship with the theme is appropriate for ‘abstract’ paintings. This theme really changed the way I look at the world around me, rocks have a permanency about them and yet they are formed through many changes in pressure over time so I think this is appropriate. As a Christian I see that God’s creation is so amazing and the closer I look at it the more amazed I am!
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September 15th, 2006
This is a Hoskins, PNG sunset, pic taken by my clever brother Johnathan.
The PF theme this week is ‘Bright’ so here’s my entry;
This is a Hoskins, PNG sunset, pic taken by my clever brother Johnathan.
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September 14th, 2006
Me and one of the ladies from Say
Kris and Shelley
Michael with a baby
Outside of a hut
Ladies pounding Millet
At the well
The most memorable part of the stay in Say was meeting the only Christian in the village. This is him holding the cup. This is a real village, not a tourist village, the people are real, not actors, they are also without hope.
Me and some of the ladies of the village at the well
Me and one of the ladies from SayIn the last three posts I’ve shared some of the more extreme experiences we had while in Niger. Much of those experiences involved me being a bit scared or shaken or even sad so I thought I would share a really wonderful part of our time in Niger that was probably the stand out for me.
Kris and ShelleyMany of the SIM short-termers were good friends with Kris and Shelley Riggs who work in Niger with the Southern Baptist Mission and one weekend they offered us all a wonderful opportunity. They invited us out to stay overnight in a village they were working in and meet the lovely people. The name of the village was ‘Say’ which is pronounced sigh.
Michael with a baby
Outside of a hut
Ladies pounding Millet
At the well
From memory this village was only an hour outside the city of Niamey and yet there were people there who had never been to the city. The photos here tell the story. They are very poor, they had already harvested their crops and lived with very little shelter. We were able to go to the well with the women and see how they drew water, pounded millet and take a look inside one of their huts. The men got to go off with the Fulani men and herd some goats and they also got to eat the food first while us women waited with the village women (tradition). A friend and I got to sleep inside a hut for the night.
The most memorable part of the stay in Say was meeting the only Christian in the village. This is him holding the cup. This is a real village, not a tourist village, the people are real, not actors, they are also without hope.
Me and some of the ladies of the village at the wellI’m not sure how far Kris and Shelley have come with the people of Say since our visit over 5 years ago now but Kris has a blog so perhaps you could ask him! Please pray for their work amongst the Fulani people of Niger.
Part 1 - Position Available
Part 2 - The Year was 1999
Part 3 - Red Dirt or Green Grass
Part 4 - Preparations and Going the UK
Part 5 - But I’s Dark and it’s only 4.30pm!
Part 6 - Laying Out the Fleece
Part 7 - Oh, That’s Why We’re Here!
Part 8 - Shakin in my long skirt and sandals
Part 9 - You won’t mind teaching history will you?
Part 10 - Gas Canisters on the Roof
Part 11 - The Tree Attack
Part 12 - Galmi and the Toebiters
Posted in All Sorts of Things |
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September 9th, 2006
My sister in law Candy, brother Johnathan and nephew Malachi
My parents Trevor and Estelle Burns with my nephew Malachi and friends
My sister in law Candy, brother Johnathan and nephew Malachi
My parents Trevor and Estelle Burns with my nephew Malachi and friends
I just wanted to say hello to my family - Mum, Dad, Brother, Sister-In-Law and Nephew who can now access the internet from their base in Hoskins, West New Britain, Papua New Guinea! So exciting to be able to contact you via the net now!
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