The Bosses, December 2008

 

An Update

A long time gone

I have time to write a quick note to say that we are alive, well, slightly overworked and a little bit cold. All in all, we are very well, though we miss our friends around the globe dearly and are especially missing you since it is now two years since we left CAR and one year since we left Florida. I don’t think I will ever know a time when I am not leaving someone loved behind.

Darren has finished classes for the semester and has two exams to write before Christmas. He loves his studies and every week sees more and more how he is being equipped for our eventual return overseas. He is picking up lots of hours at the hospital as well as weekend work at MEC. He returns to school in January and is set to graduate in May 2010 along with me.

I continue to work at MEC (Mountain Equipment Coop) in the cycling department while continuing with my online studies. I have completed nine courses so far and have three more to go before I start my year of thesis work. Time has been flying by. We are hoping that next year, when I am finished classes, we will have a little more time to enjoy the beautiful West Coast. For now, we catch ourselves gazing out the window as we long to be outside but papers and assignments keep us chained to our computers. But this we know will also pass...

Spring will be another busy time as I prepare for field work and Darren balances five computer science courses and work at the hospital. I will be leaving for Uganda in mid-April along with the rest of my class for a three week practical course assessing human security in various regions of Uganda. I have gained a lot of knew knowledge in the field of food security and am so thankful that I have been able to take this time out for valuable studies. Following my time in Uganda I will hopefully be meeting up with Darren in Cameroon for a trip to Gamboula, CAR where I hope to start my thesis work. I will either be looking at food security in the Congo or in CAR and will let you know the details as they firm up. We hope Darren will be able to spend at least two weeks in CAR getting reacquainted with friends and helping fix all the computer problems he can in those few weeks. I will stay in CAR until the end of June and return to North America in July to complete research and start the endless task of writing. It is a good thing I love writing.

It is threatening to snow today which makes it feel a lot more like Christmas. Things will be very simple for us as Darren is working straight through Christmas, including the 25^th, at the hospital so it will be very quiet around the house.

As for CAR, the nutrition garden continues to serve the community and outlying areas, as well as a large number of Fulani refugees from the violence up north. The agroforestry program was closed down this September and 10 employees were laid off due to funding shortages from a combination of factors including the truck accident this summer. Eloi, our chauffeur and my dear brother, will be in court this Monday (most likely) and we will see what the outcome will be. Please pray for all parties involved, for an end to government corruption and for a fair trial. Also, as I write this, CAR is involved in an all inclusive political dialogue in an effort to end the violence in the northern regions of the country. Insecurity in the country has affected one quarter of the population and has led to awful levels of infant/child/mother mortality, hunger and rape. I have been studying the situation in more and more detail as part of my studies and it is heartbreaking. I am more convinced than ever to continue my studies and return to CAR as soon as possible.

To follow the situation in CAR go to http://hdptcar.net

Blessings and Peace be on you,

Ange