Day 1 Experiences

Well, this post is long over-due. I have been meaning to make a post chronicalling what happens each day and the observations I make each day. They will be very informal and probably very scattered and bulleted.

My first full day here was spent getting acclimated to the time change and getting some groceries for my stay here as well as welcoming the rest of the building team.

-I have not seen a single American made car here yet, although I am told there have been a few Fords around. Mostly Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi, etc.

-It gets dark here earlier than the current time in the states, around 7 oclock local time its dark, and when its dark its best not to leave wherever you are.

-The roads here are scary as well as the driving. Traffic that should be on 4 lane roads with center turn lanes is contained on passable two lane roads with bikers and walkers as well on the non-existent shoulders.

-I havent been sick yet!

-I recently took one of those personality tests (are you introverted or extroverted, etc.) courtesy of a certain Jason Hall. Although there is certainly a lot that goes into my personality, the tagline on my personality type is ``willing to try anything once.`` This should hopefully serve me well here as Im attempting to try anything and everything that I have the opportunity to.

-There are only roundabouts here and its left side of the road only driving. I certainly hate that. That also means steering wheel is on the right side and I have gotten in on the wrong side several times now because of that. I think this is probably another one of those heritages from the times as a British colony, of which there are still many, such as a love of tea and coffee.

-Every building that is worth anything and not in center city (although some there too) and not on a strip shop is surrounded by walls with barbed wire or some other form of keeping people out (like shards of glass sticking out of the top of the concrete wall). All these buildings or compounds have guards controlling the gate (including the compound Im staying at). Many times with residences there are multiple housing spots inside one compound.

-I saw the Luther Rose (the seal of Martin Luther, a rose, with a heart inside it, and a cross inside that) on the windshield of Pastor Winterles car. It made me think about the universality of the gospel. God came for all mankind in the form of Jesus. For everyone! Regardless of culture, color, language, geographical area, age, height, weight, etc. Jesus died for all our sins so we might have life in him! How great that is, and I keep being reminded of it, and I think our presence (many we have met have never seen ``color-less`` people) shows these people that the same is true from the other side because they are meeting fellow brothers and sisters in Christ!

-People like to dress up here. Even when very hot at the work place it was not proper for us to wear shorts. Granted its not as hot for them because on several occasions I would have felt great(and thankful because I know those hot humid Missouri summers!) in shorts and a t-shirt, and the locals around me were bundling up as if for winter, no joke, full winter coats on some of them!

Well, thats it for day 1, Im going to try to start working on day 2 since I have a little time to work tonight.