Through the Seasons

Now that I know we’re having a boy I’ve been thinking about how much I know about boys.  Um.  Which is nothing.  Yikes.    But I’ll learn.  I don’t really have a choice.  What I’m happy about is that our son will have a good role model of a father.  This gives me a great deal of relief.  Our boy will learn a lot of what he knows about men (and their relation to women) from Jonathan.  What I love about Jonathan (just a few of the many things, of course) is that he can be a man and a leader while still being sensitive and treating me with love and respect.  And that’s how it should be really anyway.  I’m not putting him on a pedestal or anything but I do think it’s good that he can treat his wife well without being spineless.  He really takes care of me, especially when I’m sick, scared, or see a bug.  He has even agreed to paint my toenails for me now that my tummy is in the way.  That doesn’t make him less of a man at all.  I told him some men wouldn’t do that because they’re too “manly”.  He said, “What?!  I’m not painting MY toenails.”  LOL!  And that is, in a nutshell, what I’m talking about. 

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Well, I finally had my first bus ride here in Tanzania.  Thankfully, I didn’t get sick on the bus.  That happened during the taxi ride on the way to the bus station.  In fact, the taxi driver wanted to take us to the hospital.  But we made it to the bus station and on the bus with no problems. 

The bus looked well-maintained and the driver looked sane… as far as I could tell… so I was thankful for that.  We sat on the second row and there wasn’t a seat in front of Jonathan so he had plenty of leg room.  The ride is 7 hours long with 2 stops where you get off the bus so that’s really too long to sit at one time but it didn’t end up really bothering us much at all.  The ride really wasn’t as bumpy as it was in the car on the way down.  (The roads aren’t always great.)  The curves still got me (curvy roads have always turned my stomach) and I had to change seats with Jonathan but that was only the last hour and a half of the trip.  Now by then our bodies were really tired of sitting on that bus and I found myself changing sitting positions about every 5 minutes.  I noticed at our last stop of the trip that my feet had swollen a bit too so I loosened my shoes and moved my legs and feet as much as I could.  The swelling went right back down and I ended up being fine. 

The bathrooms here are a bit different but I’m more used to them now so they didn’t bother me.  There are stalls like usual but in each is a hole with porcelein around it that you stand on…hence why they’re called squat toilets.  Then they either flush or there is water you pour into the hole.  There is never, ever toilet paper.  Ever.  So I always travel with a roll.  Always.    The bathrooms sound so different that you may cringe at it (I know I did at first) but they use a similar concept in Europe too apparently and the good thing is that you don’t touch anything.  I really like that part.  Sometimes the bathrooms are very clean and then others are kind of smelly (so you just make it quick).  I have seen bathrooms that were just disgustingly dirty and that really does gross me out (many public bathrooms in America have grossed me out as well) but I used the bathroom at the bus station and at our two stops and all three were clean. 

On the way down we only stopped once and that was on the side of the road.  This was one of my biggest aprehensions when moving here.  And when I did go I kept saying, “This is horrible.”  But I have to say it really wasn’t.  I had a big skirt on that became my bathroom stall walls (and I was far from the road with Jonathan looking out for me).  Also, we were outside so it wasn’t smelly at all and I had my trusty toilet paper with me so really I was all set.  As far as washing my hands…whether at a public bathroom or outside I had to use hand sanitizer until I could get somewhere to wash my hands with soap.  (The public restrooms have sinks but not many have soap.  I have no idea what the point is of simply running water over your hands.) 

One funny thing about culture here is if you’re visiting people at their homes and ask to use the bathroom they’ll ask if you have a big or small intention (like asking if it’s number 1 or number 2).  If it’s small they give you a small cup of water and if it’s big they’ll give you a big bowl/bucket of water.  I’ve never done this but have only heard about it.  I have no idea what these bathrooms are like but the water is apparently to wash things down when finished.  Outside of that I haven’t had that experience yet. 

And now that I’m thinking of culture I have so many things to mention.  But I’ll save it for the future.  Where was I on this bus story?

On the way to Dar we saw impala, baboons, zebra, and giraffe – and got some great photos.  On the bus trip back we were going much faster and the windows are horrible to look out of with the openings being kind of small and blocked by seats but we did see impala, baboons, zebra, giraffe, elephants, and warthogs.  The pictures of those though are few.  It’s crazy to just see these animals doing their thing in the wild.  It makes me think I’m at the zoo.  I want to see hippos but they generally stay in the water and we didn’t pass many water holes close up.  Some have seen lions and cheetahs on the drive from Dar to Iringa but that’s extremely rare – and harder to spot.  Baboons are the easiest as they’re everywhere along the sides of the road – and sometimes in the road.

So that was the extent of our excitement.  The journey was overall very good and we even made it back to the campsite for dinner.  My first bus ride was pretty uneventful…and that’s just fine with me!!

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We have been registered for our baby’s needs at Babies R Us and Target.  We have registered for items we either can’t find at all here or can’t find in good quality.  We have friends who are going to send us a lot of baby clothes so there are very few of those type things registered for.  Our greatest needs are the ones on the lists.  You can find a list at each store and/or online at their websites:  www.babiesrus.com and www.target.com.  We are registered under “Jonathan and Dana McCall” and the state is “NC”.

Please send shipments to us at:
Jonathan and Dana McCall
c/o SIL-UTB
PO Box 60368
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

It may help to cut down on shipping costs if groups of people send things together.  (Not necessary but merely a suggestion.)  Let us know via email if you have any problems with shipping.  Items that arrive in Tanzania before February 5th are duty free for us so getting things before then will help us out tremendously.  Please allow 4 weeks for delivery (no matter what the U.S. Post Office estimate is).  And just a reminder, if we haven’t mentioned it, our due date is March 1st.
As you will see on the registration lists, there are very few big items.  Those things, such as stroller, car seat, crib, etc, are going to be sent to us from a friend.  This is a huge blessing but with it comes a big need.  The cost of shipping these items will be approximately $1,500.  If you would like to contribute to this need, please send a contribution into Wycliffe by mailing a check made payable to:  Wycliffe Bible Translators.  Their mailing address is:  Wycliffe Bible Translators, PO Box 628200, Orlando, FL 32862-8200.  Please include a separate note saying, “For the ministry of Jonathan and Dana McCall”.  Any “one-time” gifts we see come through in the near future we will tag for “baby needs”.  You can also email us to let us know what you plan to send in so we will know to be expecting it.

In summary, there are 2 main ways you can help us:
- If you’d like to bless us with needed items for our new arrival, we are registered at Babies R Us and Target.
- If you’d like to help us ship the big items being given to us, please send a contribution into Wycliffe specifying that it is for “Jonathan and Dana McCall”.

Thank you all for your love and concern for us.  We appreciate all the help you’ve given us as we’ve transitioned to life in Africa.  We love you all!

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Jonathan and I had three ultrasounds before the one where we found out the gender of the baby.  Each time it was really cool to see the baby but for us it was still hard to make everything out.  This last ultrasound was so incredibly detailed that we had no trouble and could really see what he was up to in there.  On top of that, to find out the baby is a boy has made a huge difference in how I feel.  It’s hard to explain why.  Now, in my mind, he’s a real, unique person with an identity all his own.  He was wiggling around, rubbing his eyes, and drinking.  It’s wild to think all that’s going on in my body while I’m moving through my day normally.  I feel so bonded with the baby all of the sudden.  I love him and want to hold him and protect him.  Sometimes I even think, “He’s such a sweet little boy.”  Haha…  I figured this was a woman/mother thing so I asked Jonathan if he felt any different and he said, “Oh yeah.”  He echoed most of my sentiments and said he also feels connected with our son more than he had before.  I never expected such a rush of emotions just from finding out the gender.  I thought I was doing it mainly so I could register for baby stuff…and I was at the time…but I’m so much more excited about being pregnant now (not being sick helps a lot with that too) and now that I saw him drinking so much I’m more aware that I’m already taking care of him.  I want to be even more diligent in taking care of myself so he remains healthy.  After all, he is our sweet little boy. 

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Jonathan and I have had a wonderful time in Dar es Salaam.  I always tend to give you the down side of things as well as the positive so I’ll go ahead and get those out of the way.  It is HOT and STICKY in Dar and the mosquitoes are BRUTAL.  (Oh and the traffic is horrendous too.)  Otherwise…

Jonathan and I went on a DATE while we were here.  We went to a Western style movie theater where we saw No Reservations.  We ate popcorn and Jonathan had a slurpee.  We had a great time.  (I even wore make-up for the first time since leaving the States.  Oh la la.)  While in Dar we’ve shopped at the Western style stores to pick up a few small things that you can only get in Dar.  I even treated myself to pink nail polish so I can keep my feet pretty. 

The night we arrived in Dar we went to an Indian restaurant with some friends.  The restaurant made us forget we were in Africa, the prices more than reasonable, and the food was delicious!  Yum, yum!

We planned originally to stay in the SIL guest house but friends of ours (fellow SIL members) invited us to stay with them and it’s just been wonderful.  It’s a lot different than being in a banda on a campsite so we’ve enjoyed the break.  And although our hostess says she doesn’t like to cook she does a fabulous job at it so we’ve enjoyed that aspect as well.  (And we’ve actually sat on a couch and accessed internet anytime we want it – except when the service is down – so that’s been a huge treat!)

We’ve also used a lot of our Swahili which has been greatly encouraging.  We really haven’t had any trouble doing the basic communication around town.  We can really see our progress better now that we’ve gotten away from the classroom and just used what we know.  It’s been great…

…and overall a great trip.  (And I’ll never complain about a dry 80 degrees in Iringa again…) 

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…apparently.  Because we’re having a BOY and boy have I been sick. 

Yes, that’s my feeble attempt at a unique way to announce that today we found out that we are having a baby boy.  The doctor we went to had specialized ultrasound equipment where she could look at the baby in detail.  We got the best look at our baby yet and he’s the prettiest baby we’ve ever seen. 

She checked out each and every organ to make sure everything was going well.  The brain, spine, kidneys, and bladder were all great.  She examined the four chambers of the heart, the vessels coming out, and the blood flow.  Everything was perfect, as well as my blood flow to him.  The feet, face, and all measurements (head, waist, legs, arms, baby in total) were also normal.  We watched the baby drink and drink and drink (and could even see his tongue).  Then we saw the stomach working on what he had consumed.  She even counted to make sure he had 10 fingers.  He became very, very active during the ultrasound so we really got to see him in action.  He even waved (well, sort of).  We couldn’t get over how cute his little feet were either.  The appointment was an overall success.

As far as mommy is concerned, I’m doing well.  She gave me better vitamins to take than the ones I’ve had up until now.  My iron was a touch on the low side so I’m now taking an extra supplement for that.  Otherwise, everything else was normal and a healthy pregnancy is progressing right along.  Praise God because it’s amazing what all I’ve gone through in the first trimester.  It’s wonderful to know we’re both doing well.  Then there’s the weight gain.  I’ve been concerned that I’ve gained too much since my tummy is so big (haha) but I haven’t gained weight at all.  The doctor said that I’m perfectly healthy and the baby is growing beautifully so not to worry about the lack of weight gain at this point.  She attributed it to the morning sickness along with my drastic change in both diet and activity level.  So I’m actually glad that I haven’t put on excessive “I’m eating for two” weight. 

So that’s our exciting news!  We’re having the prettiest baby boy in the whole world. 

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We have a break from language school next week so Jonathan and I are going out of town for a few days.  We leave Saturday morning for Dar es Salaam and return Tuesday.  We plan to buy a few things that can only be purchased in Dar (it’s a much bigger city than Iringa).  We also have an appointment on Monday morning for a prenatal checkup and an ultrasound to find out the gender of the baby. 

I’ll keep you posted!  (Pray the baby’s legs won’t be crossed…haha…)

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In our time here we’ve learned that people (in general) don’t like to give negative responses…even if that’s the truthful answer.  Sometimes it’s confusing and other times it’s plain frustrating although most of the time it’s kind of endearing because (and when) you realize the intention behind it.

What do I mean by negative responses?

One morning at breakfast Jonathan and I asked for pancakes and they said “okay”.  We waited for 20 minutes before finding out that they weren’t making pancakes any longer that day.  Why not just say that in the first place?  But they tend to be so accomodating without thinking that in the very near future we’re going to learn the truth.

Another way we see this is when we ask for favors at the campsite.  They will go out of their way to give you what you ask for.  We will ask for something and they will say “no problem” when in actuality it’s a huge problem and inconvenience for them – but they put our request above the effort they’ll have to put forth to fulfill it.  Now that we realize this we’re more careful to ask for anything. 

One of our teachers has a portable DVD player that is broken.  She said she can’t take it to town because they’ll say they can fix it when they really can’t. 

One of our classmates said if you’re looking for a ride somewhere and ask someone if they can drive they’ll say “of course” even if they can’t.  (So something to be really careful of because they’ll try to drive you where you want to go.)  I’ve heard the same goes with directions.  You don’t get many people saying “I don’t know” even when they don’t.

This is definitely a cultural difference that can cause problems and will take a while to adjust to (as much as we can get used to it).

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