Birthday Party

It is tough to have your birthday so close to Christmas. Nora's birthday was nice, small and nice. It was even smaller than normal because we decided to separate her birthday into a friends birthday and a family birthday. Today was her family birthday. I made a pretty good rendition of Madeline for her cake. It has been something of a challenge for me to keep up with the kids cakes as they get older. We never buy them cakes. Jen makes one from scratch and I decorate it.... actually, I am kind of proud of this one.

Nora has been a little over excited. Its funny, its like she doesn't know how to deal with herself. She has been doing things that are out of her character. She was very very excited for today. She is deciding how to act like a six year old. She is so different from Henry, she is very aware of who she is. Henry can be kind of clueless as to what his responsibilities are and...well... the world around him in general. Nora is the complete opposite.

She was really happy to be turning six, for the simple reason that she knew that getting older and what would come with that. Smart.

After the party our friend Anna came over for a visit. This is a rare treat. Anna is a linguist working with the Cameroon people of Africa. She is mapping out the Ipoulo language for the first time so she can translate the gospel into their own language. Their language is completely unwritten... so it is a big challenge. Jen was great friends with Anna in high school and it came as a surprise to all of us that this became her lot in life. She wasn't prone to things like this at all. She has been gone for four years and just came back for a year of schooling and rest. She will go back for another three or four year period after and will continue in this method... well, I guess until she is done.

It is beyond interesting talking to her. She lives a kind of transitory life style, living with various people in their mud-brick huts and facing myriad difficulties, from the obvious lack of electricity and modern amenities to the difficulties of living in a culture that is completely foreign and, by our standards, very sexist. She is unmarried and white and unskilled as far they are concerned and because of this, they don't know what to make of her. She is unable to farm because she is unable to own land and is therefor reliant on other people to give her food. Fortunately, the Cameroon people are part of a very generous culture and sharing the small sustenance they have is a normal part of their life.

Anna is strong and very smart, but she still struggles with loneliness and culture clash. I know that both Jenny and I miss her a lot and feel for her in dealing with her difficulties. She works with Wycliff Translators and takes in donations to keep her going. Please contact me if you are inclined to give to her. I will hook you up with her contacts at Wycliff. She also loves getting mail of any type (a four hour walk to town). She used to be an elementary teacher and loves to receive and respond to letters from children. I am looking forward to her visit again in June, before she returns to Africa.

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