La Sonya

My list of 100 things I am thankful for.  It's tradition. You should make one too, it's good for the spirit. 1. Running, who'da thought I'd enjoy it so much 2. The rain  3. My friend Kimberly 4. Garden friends 5. Old university roommates 6. Good books 7. My brother, Christopher Reaves 8. My mom and her bravery 9. My dad and all his animals 10. Deli and her gift at helping me do my taxes 11. The Sierras 12. My Wawona family (even if I don't live with them anymore) 13. My Tchadian family, not a day goes by that I don't think about them 14. The ability to communicate with people in English, Spanish, French and a little bit of Kiswahili 15. Fires in the fireplace (even here in Tanzania) 16. Familiar fruit 17. Skype (sonyareaves is my skype name!) 18. Language dictionaries 19. My dog Tangawizi (yup, I got a dog and he's a beaut!) 20. Travel 21. The things I had to learn last summer 22. My summer camp families (Kulaqua, Alamisco, FLAG Camp, and Wawona)...

Thanksgiving has always been just a regular holiday until I found myself for the first time away from home, America and everything familiar. It was when I was living in Honduras that I found such a deep beauty in the holiday. I realized what the beauty of the holiday was and that the people I was surrounded with could love me like family. Thanksgiving soon became one of the most important holidays of the year (right next to the 4th of July). Thanksgiving is more than a few days off from work or school, more than cooking lots of food and more than dumb American football. It's a day where we all pause, and evaluate life, we look at what God has given us, what He has blessed us with. This morning I read in Ephesians a perfect text for tomorrow: "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think . . . be glory" Ephesians 3:20,21 Tomorrow I am going to visit with my new friends, some who aren't even from America but Germany and Canada. I am...

My grandma used to sing a song about getting milk from a cow. I loved hearing her sing it, "again Grandma!" I would say, then I'd try and join in. The moo cow moo brings milk to me I don't drink coffee and I don't drink tea For milk is better for a girl like me This last week I milked a cow. I.Milked.A.Cow. Cool.

I love the smell of rain. I love how it makes things cold. I love how it fills the well with water. I love how it makes things green. I keep forgetting it’s fall where you are. I’m enjoying the spring and warm sunshine while you are getting snow. I love snow (I also love most things, it’s in my DNA to love things). I hope you are taking time to walk among the falling leaves, bundle up, wear a scarf, drink hot chocolate, sit by a fire, because fall is the time of year to slow down and be with people. I love fall. I love to bake. You can ask any friend who has lived near me in the last few years and they will verify those facts. Although flour is a bit expensive here I still buy it ($1 for 2lbs). I’ve already made some sugar cookies and cinnamon buns, which my buns are getting better and better each time. The tricky part with baking here is to I light the top of the oven or the bottom. We use kerosene and you can’t light both, so I’ve chosen the bottom. Any tips on that woul...

[ Masi child going into his hut, Tanzania by Sonya Reaves, 13/11/11.] Teach me how to love I am a child in need of strength and hope. Love me for who I am, only don’t leave me that way. I am rude and loud and think of myself I stand up front and say what I want It’s almost to late to fix what you started. Love me and correct me with strength Teach me when and where to talk How to know my place. Show me what it is like to put others first Love me with the love from your deep heart. Allow me to fall, but not stay down Do what you must to teach me how to love Love me with confidence.

Gabriel, much like his Biblical namesake, is a guardian, a messenger and a friend. I first met him the night I arrived but I remember him best my first Friday night. I had only been at home for two days and was still very new to life here. Mary was at work and I was left to open the Sabbath alone. I remember opening the door to the porch off of my room and hearing beautiful acapella singing and sitting down on the porch to enjoy it. Then Gabriel came to guard the house, he turned on the porch light and sat down next to me. We discussed the beautiful music, where it was coming from and the local fruit trees. Thus began our friendship. Gabriel was the first person to sit down with me and teach me Kiswahili, mainly because he doesn’t speak much English, but we get along well with the words I’ve learned in Kiswahili. We patched together sentences in Kiswahili and English, using my dictionary and charades. It is Gabriel’s son, Onesmo who has also joined in the force to help me learn Kiswa...

We didn't have electricity most of the second half of this week, I liked it except for the not being able to contact people I was going to call. However I embraced the quite darkness. Woke up this morning with this: Not sure what it was. I took some Benadryl and ended up sleeping all day from it. It's better now, tonight. I'm going to Sanya Juu tomorrow. I don't care if we actually see animals, I'm just excited to go to Sanya Juu. What a cool name.