Mauritius is a place of many religions. In fact, almost everywhere you look or listen, you are likely to see the influence of religion. Maybe you can see a small red dot on the forehead of the woman next to you, it might be a full burqa worn by the lady down the street. Perhaps it's the indication that meat is halal in the supermarket, or possibly you can hear the Muslim call to prayer coming through the window. Chances are many of the things you observe here are somehow wrapped up in some kind of religion.
Recently a fellow American, who is living in Mauritius, wrote a blog concerning legislation that is being considered in France, making the wearing of a burqa illegal. If you are not familiar, a burqa is a black dress, including full headdress that covers a woman completely from head to toe only exposing her eyes. (Think nun without the collar, and then add a face covering that exposes only a small slit for the eyes.) This type of dress can be representative of some of the more conservative and fundamentalist Muslims. When women wear a burqa, they are meant to only be recognized by their husbands and families, making them anonymous to all others. It is partially intended to keep other men from lusting after your wife... On one hand, I feel very sorry for these women who are in bondage. They are not able to express themselves to the outside world. Not to mention, that must be incredibly hot. Especially on those hot, and humid days here in Mauritius. On the other hand, I admire their submission to their husbands and to their religion. If my husband asked me to wear a burqa, would I submit to that? Chances are, I'd tell him he needed to go see a counselor to deal with his issues...
In addition to this thought, I was reminded in church yesterday that this coming Saturday is a Tamil festival called Thaipusam Cavadee. This is a Hindu festival celebrated primarily by Tamil Hindus. The largest celebrations take place in India, Singapore, Malaysia, and Mauritius. You may want to Wikipedia Thaipusam to get more information. In short, people often make a pilgrimage along a pre-determined path. While they make this pilgrimage, they carry a "burden" or make some gesture to please the god being honored on this day. In some cases they simply carry a jug of milk, but in other cases people will pierce their cheeks and tongues with small spears. They may even put a hook through the skin on their back and pull a cart... (The reason this was brought up in church is that they cancelled children's meetings on Saturday because of this festival. They didn't want to encourage children to be out on the streets while this festival was taking place.)
When I heard about this festival it broke my heart... These people are mutilating themselves to appease a god. Wow... On one hand, I am absolutely heartbroken by the religious bondage that exists here. On the other hand, I ask myself, what would I be willing to do if God asked me?
Yet another religious practice that exists on the island is the practice of voodoo. Some of you may think of voodoo as myth or fairy tale, but it is actively practiced in many places. These practices range from placing curses to human sacrifice. I myself was naive in thinking that voodoo was an antiquated idea... more folk lore than anything else, but this is not the case. Many people here live in fear because of it...
Although Mauritius is a very spiritual place, it is also a very dark place. If you are reading this blog, please take a moment to pray for the people of Mauritius. Pray that true light will shine here brightly. Pray also for the "light" that your brothers and sisters here carry each day. Pray that we will be a sweet fragrance, lingering everywhere we go.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Coins, Coke, and Customs
So first of all, let me just say that coins are such a hassle. I am faced again with the challenge of learning new currency, including coins. It didn't take me long to learn the British coins and notes, but Mauritius is posing a new challenge. I believe that there are 8 Mauritian rupee coins... In addition, there are many notes to keep track of. I know that in time, I will get this all sorted, but it's a bit overwhelming right now. While it is tempting to use my debit card everywhere, I feel the need to settle in and make this home. I need to learn my new country and I am sure that rupee by rupee, I will.
Coke- so in Mauritius during September and following the Coca-Cola plant had some issues with the machine that put the cap on the bottle. This made the bottles virtually impossible to open. I remember being here in September and struggling with more than one bottle of Diet Coke. I am glad to report that this is no longer the case. I think all of these bad bottles have been consumed and now we are back to easy opening pleasure...
I have had lots of random thoughts pass through my head in recent days and I have thought... I should blog about that. Somehow these thoughts are not nearly as interesting as they were days ago. :S
Next topic, customs... To my delight, I received the items that I shipped from London yesterday. It was like Christmas opening the bags and boxes and remembering the things I owned. I held up a dress and said, "Oh yeah, I forgot about that one." There are several things I had been anxious to get, but the other things are an added delight. I guess you don't realize how much you like your stuff until you have to go without it... But you also realize what you could have lived without.
Finally I will comment on the climate. I have to say that overall, I am pleased with the climate here. Don't get me wrong, I get hot frequently and am mopping sweat off myself more often than I'd like to admit, but the moderation of it is so pleasant. The funny thing is that to people here a 10 degree change in temperature calls for a new wardrobe. Today was a rainy day here and as I took my daily walk to the grocery store, I got more than the usual number of looks. Now, being that I am Caucasian in a non-Caucasian country gets me a fair share of looks, but evidently wearing shorts when it's 70 degrees will get you even more. All of the locals in their jeans and jackets looked at me as if they thought I were going to freeze to death. Not to mention, get a cold for not being more covered up... This made me smile. To me, this weather is a delight... Certainly not anywhere near cold...
In addition today I noticed that there is a school on the way to the local grocery store. It is a private school with lots of white kids, so I am guessing it might be a French school. The funny thing is that it was raining as I was walking and all of the kids were outside playing. Because it rains here so frequently if there were no outdoor recess in the rain, you'd hardly ever get to be outside, but it just makes you reconsider what you are used to...
Well, that's enough for today... If you are in America, eat a taco, a hamburger or an Oreo for me... I will eat another pineapple for you. :-)
Coke- so in Mauritius during September and following the Coca-Cola plant had some issues with the machine that put the cap on the bottle. This made the bottles virtually impossible to open. I remember being here in September and struggling with more than one bottle of Diet Coke. I am glad to report that this is no longer the case. I think all of these bad bottles have been consumed and now we are back to easy opening pleasure...
I have had lots of random thoughts pass through my head in recent days and I have thought... I should blog about that. Somehow these thoughts are not nearly as interesting as they were days ago. :S
Next topic, customs... To my delight, I received the items that I shipped from London yesterday. It was like Christmas opening the bags and boxes and remembering the things I owned. I held up a dress and said, "Oh yeah, I forgot about that one." There are several things I had been anxious to get, but the other things are an added delight. I guess you don't realize how much you like your stuff until you have to go without it... But you also realize what you could have lived without.
Finally I will comment on the climate. I have to say that overall, I am pleased with the climate here. Don't get me wrong, I get hot frequently and am mopping sweat off myself more often than I'd like to admit, but the moderation of it is so pleasant. The funny thing is that to people here a 10 degree change in temperature calls for a new wardrobe. Today was a rainy day here and as I took my daily walk to the grocery store, I got more than the usual number of looks. Now, being that I am Caucasian in a non-Caucasian country gets me a fair share of looks, but evidently wearing shorts when it's 70 degrees will get you even more. All of the locals in their jeans and jackets looked at me as if they thought I were going to freeze to death. Not to mention, get a cold for not being more covered up... This made me smile. To me, this weather is a delight... Certainly not anywhere near cold...
In addition today I noticed that there is a school on the way to the local grocery store. It is a private school with lots of white kids, so I am guessing it might be a French school. The funny thing is that it was raining as I was walking and all of the kids were outside playing. Because it rains here so frequently if there were no outdoor recess in the rain, you'd hardly ever get to be outside, but it just makes you reconsider what you are used to...
Well, that's enough for today... If you are in America, eat a taco, a hamburger or an Oreo for me... I will eat another pineapple for you. :-)
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Chinese in the dark
Last night my husband and I went out to dinner with a few of his work colleagues to celebrate our marriage. It was a really nice chance to meet a few of the people that he works with and their wives. Both wives were really beautiful ladies and they were very sweet as well.
Because my Mauritian is a lawyer, it follows that out of 7 people at the table, 5 were also lawyers. That makes for some funny stories, and better yet, they all speak English fluently. My first dinner party where I could actually communicate. It was so wonderfully refreshing...
At any rate, we met in Trianon to eat at the Imperial China Restaurant. First, I must say that this is a nice place. It's not over the top fancy shmancy, but it's got a nice atmosphere, it's comfortable and professional ,and the tables aren't all bunched together. We sat down and enjoyed our meal together... We had some chicken and cream corn soup, some calamari and some fried fish, some cashew chicken (real cashew chicken, not Springfield MO cashew chicken), steamed fish and a venison dish that was absolutely fabulous. I've never had venison that tasted that good. Toward the end of our meal we all heard a "crack" and the lights were out. The electricity in the building had gone. The waiters and waitresses frantically rushed around until everyone had a candle at their table. It was an unplanned candlelight dinner. Amusingly enough, everyone also pulled out their cell phones to use as flashlights.
The bad part about this experience is that when the electricity goes, so does the air conditioning and on the second floor of a building, in a restaurant, it heats up quick... Our waitress kept asking us to be patient... Poor girl. We waited for what I would guess to be about 30 minutes. Each of us carefully picking through our food in the dark.
When it came time to pay the bill, the electricity was still not on. This meant that the waitress had to try to add up our ticket the old fashioned way. Now, let's not forget that I was at a table with lawyers, and so during this excercise the negotiating began. In the end, they negoitated us a 10% discount and a free coffee. Not too shabby I'd say.
Before we left, the electricity did come back on and we were able to have our coffee in a lighted room. I had a fun time and there was no harm done (except for the customer who ate a fish bone in the dark and tried to ask for a 50% discount... Good luck Mr.).
The reason for this blackout was unknown although losing electricity in Mauritius isn't a completely unheard of phenomenon, especially during cyclone season. I suppose it's a good reminder to pick up some candles next time I am at the store and also a good memory to keep in my head. :-)
Because my Mauritian is a lawyer, it follows that out of 7 people at the table, 5 were also lawyers. That makes for some funny stories, and better yet, they all speak English fluently. My first dinner party where I could actually communicate. It was so wonderfully refreshing...
At any rate, we met in Trianon to eat at the Imperial China Restaurant. First, I must say that this is a nice place. It's not over the top fancy shmancy, but it's got a nice atmosphere, it's comfortable and professional ,and the tables aren't all bunched together. We sat down and enjoyed our meal together... We had some chicken and cream corn soup, some calamari and some fried fish, some cashew chicken (real cashew chicken, not Springfield MO cashew chicken), steamed fish and a venison dish that was absolutely fabulous. I've never had venison that tasted that good. Toward the end of our meal we all heard a "crack" and the lights were out. The electricity in the building had gone. The waiters and waitresses frantically rushed around until everyone had a candle at their table. It was an unplanned candlelight dinner. Amusingly enough, everyone also pulled out their cell phones to use as flashlights.
The bad part about this experience is that when the electricity goes, so does the air conditioning and on the second floor of a building, in a restaurant, it heats up quick... Our waitress kept asking us to be patient... Poor girl. We waited for what I would guess to be about 30 minutes. Each of us carefully picking through our food in the dark.
When it came time to pay the bill, the electricity was still not on. This meant that the waitress had to try to add up our ticket the old fashioned way. Now, let's not forget that I was at a table with lawyers, and so during this excercise the negotiating began. In the end, they negoitated us a 10% discount and a free coffee. Not too shabby I'd say.
Before we left, the electricity did come back on and we were able to have our coffee in a lighted room. I had a fun time and there was no harm done (except for the customer who ate a fish bone in the dark and tried to ask for a 50% discount... Good luck Mr.).
The reason for this blackout was unknown although losing electricity in Mauritius isn't a completely unheard of phenomenon, especially during cyclone season. I suppose it's a good reminder to pick up some candles next time I am at the store and also a good memory to keep in my head. :-)
Monday, January 4, 2010
A new year a new way
So, this year I was in Mauritius for New Year's celebrations... Last year I was able to ring in the new year in London with my friend Sarah. Although we made it an early night and were at home when the clock chimed 12, it was interesting to be in a new place. It somehow made the new year more exciting. This year again I found myself in a new place.
My husband only had to work half-day on New Year's Eve and after running some errands, he arrived home early. We had a little snack together and he let me finish my work day. We spent the evening having dinner with his parents at their house and then returned home. By the time we got home, we were both pretty tired, so it didn't take us long to crawl into bed. Don't worry though, there's no way we could have missed the New Year...
There is a custom in Mauritius that at midnight you light fire crackers to blow away the devil and bring peace to your home in the coming year. It comes from an older superstition, but people here cling very tightly to these old superstitions. Because of this, at midnight I was awakened by the pop, pop, pop of all of our neighbors lighting their fireworks. When you live in concrete buildings with no insulation, let me tell you, it was LOUD! It sounded like a war was going on outside the bedroom. A few moments later the unmistakable smell of gun powder wafted through the house and another new year had come and gone. I nudged my husband, who was still asleep, and wished him a Happy New Year. We shared a brief kiss and a cuddle and then he was sawing logs again. :-)
The following day, after going to church and taking a little nap, my husband and I spent the day cleaning the house and organizing all of the things that had left to be organized. We wanted to leave the rest of the weekend open for relaxation and having fun. We ended the evening with a movie (Disney's "Robin Hood" in case you were wondering) and then off to bed.
Saturday when we got up and out of the house, I noticed that the little papers from the fireworks were everywhere still and that no one had cleaned them up. My husband told me that because of the superstition, if you sweep away the fireworks mess, you also sweep away the protection. He also said that many people don't sweep their houses on New Year's day for the same reason. Interesting...
Another interesting fact is that here New Year's lasts the entire week. For many businesses and laborers, they continue to celebrate and have time off work to enjoy the New Year. Hair dressers, mechanics, plumbers, electricians, etc all take the extra time off for celebration. Good luck getting anything done. :-)
We rounded out our holiday weekend with a picnic at the national forest and an ice cream on the beach. (which was PACKED... absolutely chocka block full)
It was a good new year and not one I will be forgetting anytime soon.
My husband only had to work half-day on New Year's Eve and after running some errands, he arrived home early. We had a little snack together and he let me finish my work day. We spent the evening having dinner with his parents at their house and then returned home. By the time we got home, we were both pretty tired, so it didn't take us long to crawl into bed. Don't worry though, there's no way we could have missed the New Year...
There is a custom in Mauritius that at midnight you light fire crackers to blow away the devil and bring peace to your home in the coming year. It comes from an older superstition, but people here cling very tightly to these old superstitions. Because of this, at midnight I was awakened by the pop, pop, pop of all of our neighbors lighting their fireworks. When you live in concrete buildings with no insulation, let me tell you, it was LOUD! It sounded like a war was going on outside the bedroom. A few moments later the unmistakable smell of gun powder wafted through the house and another new year had come and gone. I nudged my husband, who was still asleep, and wished him a Happy New Year. We shared a brief kiss and a cuddle and then he was sawing logs again. :-)
The following day, after going to church and taking a little nap, my husband and I spent the day cleaning the house and organizing all of the things that had left to be organized. We wanted to leave the rest of the weekend open for relaxation and having fun. We ended the evening with a movie (Disney's "Robin Hood" in case you were wondering) and then off to bed.
Saturday when we got up and out of the house, I noticed that the little papers from the fireworks were everywhere still and that no one had cleaned them up. My husband told me that because of the superstition, if you sweep away the fireworks mess, you also sweep away the protection. He also said that many people don't sweep their houses on New Year's day for the same reason. Interesting...
Another interesting fact is that here New Year's lasts the entire week. For many businesses and laborers, they continue to celebrate and have time off work to enjoy the New Year. Hair dressers, mechanics, plumbers, electricians, etc all take the extra time off for celebration. Good luck getting anything done. :-)
We rounded out our holiday weekend with a picnic at the national forest and an ice cream on the beach. (which was PACKED... absolutely chocka block full)
It was a good new year and not one I will be forgetting anytime soon.
Monday, December 28, 2009
The cost of convenience
I have discovered one thing about Mauritius so far... It's not America. :-) Profound, I know.
This Christmas I took up the task of cooking a traditional American Christmas dinner in another country. Now, last year, I did this to a certain degree in England, but it's certainly not the same task in Mauritius. There are so many ingredients that are readily available in America that simply aren't sitting on the shelf of my local grocery store. Examples you say? Cream of anything soup in a can. Now, they do have cream of chicken soup, but it's a dried soup in an envelope. Not quite the same thing. Other examples? Certain seasonings like sage and thyme. There is certainly no "Stove Top" stuffing on the shelf. No canned cranberries... No "Pillsbury" crescent rolls in the whole place. Hmm... What's a girl to do? As it turns out, I was able to find another stuffing mix made by the lovely Paxo, and I am very thankful to them for this. I bought rolls to avoid any yeast disasters, and I used yogurt to give a creamy texture to my dried soup mix... In the end, it was a really yummy dinner complete with lemon pepper chicken (the first chicken I have ever baked in my life) and creamy mashed potatoes with chives.
I realized after this experience and a week of cooking meals in Mauritius, that I am simply a lazy cook. I am used to buying packets and mixes and already made ingredients that I simply reheat and voila. Here these things simply don't exist. Want Mexican? You have to mix your own taco seasoning and your own tortillas. Want spaghetti? You must make your own marinara (which I am proud to say I have mastered already). Things just aren't as "convenient" here... Food takes time. Maybe that's why they drink so much tea here... You have to fill up on something.
Now, please don't get the wrong impression. There are larger supermarkets in other places on the island. I have a feeling that a place called "Shoprite Hyper" will be one of my new favorite places... But these types of stores are much farther away and generally are more expensive than the local "Winners" supermarket. My husband will likely be taking me on dates to our fancy up class supermarket so that I can get some of my lazy conveniences, but as a whole things are taking a different shape here.
On one hand, I am proud of myself and the ingenuity I have come up with already. I am also proud of the good cooking I have been doing. (At least I think it's good). I even made a yummy curry the other night... I guess I just realize what a spoiled American I am.
I have been reading a book set in the 1800's recently and I can't help but be enticed by the "simple life". Working with your hands from sunup to sundown to supply your basic subsistence. There is something so romantic about it, at least in books, but now that I can see a bit more clearly how that really looks, I think I'll keep my washing machine and electric oven. Not to mention, the microwave we are planning to buy on Saturday. :-)
For you Americans reading this blog, hug your appliances. Eat some hamburger helper for me and thank people like Betty Crocker, Uncle Ben, Chef Boyardee, and Aunt Jemima. Convenience never tasted so good.
This Christmas I took up the task of cooking a traditional American Christmas dinner in another country. Now, last year, I did this to a certain degree in England, but it's certainly not the same task in Mauritius. There are so many ingredients that are readily available in America that simply aren't sitting on the shelf of my local grocery store. Examples you say? Cream of anything soup in a can. Now, they do have cream of chicken soup, but it's a dried soup in an envelope. Not quite the same thing. Other examples? Certain seasonings like sage and thyme. There is certainly no "Stove Top" stuffing on the shelf. No canned cranberries... No "Pillsbury" crescent rolls in the whole place. Hmm... What's a girl to do? As it turns out, I was able to find another stuffing mix made by the lovely Paxo, and I am very thankful to them for this. I bought rolls to avoid any yeast disasters, and I used yogurt to give a creamy texture to my dried soup mix... In the end, it was a really yummy dinner complete with lemon pepper chicken (the first chicken I have ever baked in my life) and creamy mashed potatoes with chives.
I realized after this experience and a week of cooking meals in Mauritius, that I am simply a lazy cook. I am used to buying packets and mixes and already made ingredients that I simply reheat and voila. Here these things simply don't exist. Want Mexican? You have to mix your own taco seasoning and your own tortillas. Want spaghetti? You must make your own marinara (which I am proud to say I have mastered already). Things just aren't as "convenient" here... Food takes time. Maybe that's why they drink so much tea here... You have to fill up on something.
Now, please don't get the wrong impression. There are larger supermarkets in other places on the island. I have a feeling that a place called "Shoprite Hyper" will be one of my new favorite places... But these types of stores are much farther away and generally are more expensive than the local "Winners" supermarket. My husband will likely be taking me on dates to our fancy up class supermarket so that I can get some of my lazy conveniences, but as a whole things are taking a different shape here.
On one hand, I am proud of myself and the ingenuity I have come up with already. I am also proud of the good cooking I have been doing. (At least I think it's good). I even made a yummy curry the other night... I guess I just realize what a spoiled American I am.
I have been reading a book set in the 1800's recently and I can't help but be enticed by the "simple life". Working with your hands from sunup to sundown to supply your basic subsistence. There is something so romantic about it, at least in books, but now that I can see a bit more clearly how that really looks, I think I'll keep my washing machine and electric oven. Not to mention, the microwave we are planning to buy on Saturday. :-)
For you Americans reading this blog, hug your appliances. Eat some hamburger helper for me and thank people like Betty Crocker, Uncle Ben, Chef Boyardee, and Aunt Jemima. Convenience never tasted so good.
Monday, December 21, 2009
A long time coming
I know that it's been forever since I have written. What can I say? Getting married got me a little busy. Now the dust is beginning to settle in my new home. I suppose I'm gonna try to do this blogging thing more regularly. Perhaps I can get some motivation from fellow bloggers who do a better job. In fact, I am recently inspired by the movie, "Julie and Julia" that I watched on the plane ride here. In addition, I stumbled across the blog of another expat living in Mauritius. She is from Minnesota and though I know nothing about her, I enjoy reading what she has to say. I can certainly understand her "American" view of things. :-)
With that said, here I go... So far, we have mostly gotten our apartment settled. There are still a few small things here and there, but nothing we can't live without... We also have the ever present list of "like to haves". These are the things we can't justify spending money on right now, but we'll keep them on the list until we either decide we truly don't need them, or simply don't want them anymore. Only the most lucky items will ultimately be acquired...
Right now I am working from the hubby's parents house. It will take a couple of weeks to get the phone and Internet lines transferred to our flat. The fact that it's Christmas time doesn't help either, because people will be on holiday. Not to mention speed in customer service isn't a priority here, so they will get to it when they get to it... Tonight we are going to discuss acquiring mobile broadband to allow me to work from home sooner and also to keep as a back up for days when the electricity goes out. No electricity = no modem = no internet. Ah, the joys of island living.
In an unrelated topic, Christmas is on Friday. How can that be? I'm wearing shorts and flip flops... I guess the closest thing to a White Christmas that I will be having will be the one I share with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye. I won't be eating turkey or stuffing, likely instead I will be eating curry or biryani... But I am convinced that after Jesus, I've gotten the best gift... a truly wonderful husband. I don't mind giving up snow and turkey if it means being with someone who truly loves me. I wouldn't trade him for all the stuffing or crescent rolls in the world. :-)
Okay... the randomness is over. Merry Christmas
With that said, here I go... So far, we have mostly gotten our apartment settled. There are still a few small things here and there, but nothing we can't live without... We also have the ever present list of "like to haves". These are the things we can't justify spending money on right now, but we'll keep them on the list until we either decide we truly don't need them, or simply don't want them anymore. Only the most lucky items will ultimately be acquired...
Right now I am working from the hubby's parents house. It will take a couple of weeks to get the phone and Internet lines transferred to our flat. The fact that it's Christmas time doesn't help either, because people will be on holiday. Not to mention speed in customer service isn't a priority here, so they will get to it when they get to it... Tonight we are going to discuss acquiring mobile broadband to allow me to work from home sooner and also to keep as a back up for days when the electricity goes out. No electricity = no modem = no internet. Ah, the joys of island living.
In an unrelated topic, Christmas is on Friday. How can that be? I'm wearing shorts and flip flops... I guess the closest thing to a White Christmas that I will be having will be the one I share with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye. I won't be eating turkey or stuffing, likely instead I will be eating curry or biryani... But I am convinced that after Jesus, I've gotten the best gift... a truly wonderful husband. I don't mind giving up snow and turkey if it means being with someone who truly loves me. I wouldn't trade him for all the stuffing or crescent rolls in the world. :-)
Okay... the randomness is over. Merry Christmas
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
I know... I am terrible at this blogging thing
So, life has been busy and I have been a bad blogger...
Lots has happened since I last wrote.
I have been to Mauritius to see my future home and meet the future in-laws. I have celebrated a birthday. I have seen "Oliver" with Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean) staring as Fagin with my mom and brother. I have queued at Wimbledon, and watch a men's doubles match. I have ordered a wedding dress and invitations for the big day... Wow, that's a lot of good stuff.
I have also struggled with being here in London, when everything I love is somewhere else. Out of this struggle, the Lord has shown me several things. The one thing that stands out concerns the fruit of the Spirit. If someone were to characterize your life, would they use words like, Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, and Self-Control? I am not talking about your friends or the people that are easy to be with... I am talking about your co-workers, your families, and the people who really get under your skin. What would they say? I have to admit that if I am honest the words they would use would probably be something along the lines of moody, impatient, frustrated, and quick tempered. That is not good fruit.
So... what kind of fruit are you producing?
Lots has happened since I last wrote.
I have been to Mauritius to see my future home and meet the future in-laws. I have celebrated a birthday. I have seen "Oliver" with Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean) staring as Fagin with my mom and brother. I have queued at Wimbledon, and watch a men's doubles match. I have ordered a wedding dress and invitations for the big day... Wow, that's a lot of good stuff.
I have also struggled with being here in London, when everything I love is somewhere else. Out of this struggle, the Lord has shown me several things. The one thing that stands out concerns the fruit of the Spirit. If someone were to characterize your life, would they use words like, Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, and Self-Control? I am not talking about your friends or the people that are easy to be with... I am talking about your co-workers, your families, and the people who really get under your skin. What would they say? I have to admit that if I am honest the words they would use would probably be something along the lines of moody, impatient, frustrated, and quick tempered. That is not good fruit.
So... what kind of fruit are you producing?
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