Monday, July 16, 2012

What a Norwegian Can't Do in Africa

A Norwegian can't dance with beautiful Kenyan children with rhythm – even when asked – not even a little.

A Norwegian can't sing all the songs in Kiswahili – yet.

A Norwegian can't finish all this food (even when the chapati tastes like lefse) without handing half of everything under the table to a Naumann.

A Norwegian couldn't have found a better way to view the Milky Way than during a black out in Africa by candlelight.

A Norwegian can't figure out how to make 3 ½ weeks last longer.

A Norwegian couldn't have picked a better roommate.

A Norwegian can't go three days without an animal incident – including, but not limited to: face-swelling mosquito bites, leg-munching caterpillars in her pants, and guard dogs leaping from the bushes.

A Norwegian can't take her malaria meds without a reminder from the River Jor-dahnn looking out for her (thanks, Joel).

A Norwegian can't get a single African person to pronounce her name right.

A Norwegian can't get skin cancer on the equator, or her mother would kill her.

A Norwegian can't kidnap kids – there's probably a law against such things here.

A Norwegian can't stop teaching the same powerful lesson without it impacting her first every single time.

A Norwegian can't decide if she likes her pastor's English sermons or Kenyan sermons better.

A Norwegian can't teach 3-digit addition in Kiswahili without a few bones from the 20 yr old resident teacher (but she can count to 1000).

A Norwegian can't stop praising that God.  


Kirsten Gullerud

Team Milimani, Kenya

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