Final Preparations for Teaching
This morning I get up at 5:30 am to attend the morning prayer meeting. There is a brief study in the Word of God from Nehemiah 2, and then the lights are turned off for prayer (to conserve energy – everyone should have their eyes closed anyway, right?). It is quite an experience with everyone praying out loud at once, rather than waiting for one another. Shortly after we return to our rooms Richard knocks at my door and gives me a tray with coffee and toast. What a nice way to start the day.
I put the finishing touches on my class notes and take them to Eben Yoon’s house for printing. He will get them photocopied and bound for my first class tomorrow morning. I remember that I will also have to preach at morning chapel at 8:00 am. It will be a busy morning, as my two morning classes and go from 8:40 until 10:30, and then an afternoon class 4:00 to 4:50 in the afternoon.
Richard and I are hoping that Eben will take us to Nairobi Java House for high speed connection this afternoon. I’ve called Gini and told her to be ready to get on the internet whenever I call – probably between 2-4:00 am.
Phone calls to home are about $1.60/minute, so we keep them short. The connection is remarkably clear, though. Contrast that with a call from Edmonton to here, which is only about $0.52/min, but (1) not very clear and (2) much more delayed. I forgot to mention that I picked up a cheap cell phone here, which is set up along the European model where you buy the phone and then get the service separately, on a SIM card. So it is possible to have one phone with two services in Nairobi. I am on Safaricom, which is quite reasonably priced. The great advantage is that incoming calls are free, even from Edmonton! Now all we need is a really good rate from Edmonton! I hope Telus gets online with some of this way of doing business. They are way behind the global market. Maybe I shouldn’t be too hard on them, as the whole SIM thing is fairly new to North America. I hear that there are only one or two US providers that are just beginning to offer such a service.
Richard and I are invited to the home of Pastor Lazarus and his wife Patricia again. We have pasta and a rice dish.
The trip to Nairobi Java House is cancelled. Pastor Eben Yoon had to take his wife to the hospital. I ask if there is any serious problem, and he responds that he will tell me more later. I find that she has been suffering from morning sickness, and yes, the results were positive! Although this is very good news for the Yoon family, Eben is rather weary because they had to wait for over three hours just to take this simple test – they had to queue to get a number, and then they had to wait in another queue to have their number called.
So I am quite disappointed that I will not be able to be in touch with people back home. I have added nothing to my blog since I was at Heathrow airport in London on my way here. I’m sure everyone is wondering how I’m doing. I spend the afternoon going over my notes for my first lecture tomorrow morning. Brother Eben is very apologetic that he was unable to get us to Java House, but this has all happened in the wise counsel and providence of the Lord.
Richard and I are invited to the Kim’s house for supper. We have Italian. I learn that Mrs. Kim and her daughter have spent the last couple of days receiving cooking lessons in the kitchen of Safari Park Hotel, just a little ways from the college campus. They have prepared spaghetti with cream sauce and bacon, a very rich and tasty meal. They have also prepared a pizza with home made tomato sauce. Rev. Kim longs for his Korean food – he is sure that he is too old to be experimenting with international cuisine. Rev. Kim informs me that Dr. Howard Carlson has invited me to his house for supper tomorrow evening.
I put the finishing touches on my class notes and take them to Eben Yoon’s house for printing. He will get them photocopied and bound for my first class tomorrow morning. I remember that I will also have to preach at morning chapel at 8:00 am. It will be a busy morning, as my two morning classes and go from 8:40 until 10:30, and then an afternoon class 4:00 to 4:50 in the afternoon.
Richard and I are hoping that Eben will take us to Nairobi Java House for high speed connection this afternoon. I’ve called Gini and told her to be ready to get on the internet whenever I call – probably between 2-4:00 am.
Phone calls to home are about $1.60/minute, so we keep them short. The connection is remarkably clear, though. Contrast that with a call from Edmonton to here, which is only about $0.52/min, but (1) not very clear and (2) much more delayed. I forgot to mention that I picked up a cheap cell phone here, which is set up along the European model where you buy the phone and then get the service separately, on a SIM card. So it is possible to have one phone with two services in Nairobi. I am on Safaricom, which is quite reasonably priced. The great advantage is that incoming calls are free, even from Edmonton! Now all we need is a really good rate from Edmonton! I hope Telus gets online with some of this way of doing business. They are way behind the global market. Maybe I shouldn’t be too hard on them, as the whole SIM thing is fairly new to North America. I hear that there are only one or two US providers that are just beginning to offer such a service.
Richard and I are invited to the home of Pastor Lazarus and his wife Patricia again. We have pasta and a rice dish.
The trip to Nairobi Java House is cancelled. Pastor Eben Yoon had to take his wife to the hospital. I ask if there is any serious problem, and he responds that he will tell me more later. I find that she has been suffering from morning sickness, and yes, the results were positive! Although this is very good news for the Yoon family, Eben is rather weary because they had to wait for over three hours just to take this simple test – they had to queue to get a number, and then they had to wait in another queue to have their number called.
So I am quite disappointed that I will not be able to be in touch with people back home. I have added nothing to my blog since I was at Heathrow airport in London on my way here. I’m sure everyone is wondering how I’m doing. I spend the afternoon going over my notes for my first lecture tomorrow morning. Brother Eben is very apologetic that he was unable to get us to Java House, but this has all happened in the wise counsel and providence of the Lord.
Richard and I are invited to the Kim’s house for supper. We have Italian. I learn that Mrs. Kim and her daughter have spent the last couple of days receiving cooking lessons in the kitchen of Safari Park Hotel, just a little ways from the college campus. They have prepared spaghetti with cream sauce and bacon, a very rich and tasty meal. They have also prepared a pizza with home made tomato sauce. Rev. Kim longs for his Korean food – he is sure that he is too old to be experimenting with international cuisine. Rev. Kim informs me that Dr. Howard Carlson has invited me to his house for supper tomorrow evening.
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