Six Weeks in Tenerife

The past six weeks seem a bit of a blur. We had a nice time in Tenerife, but it was not particularly restful. In some ways it was. Being in a place where there was lots to do was very nice. We could go to the parks with the kids and not feel like we had to be on guard. There are still a lot of cultural differences between the U.S. and Tenerife, not to mention the fact that Tenerife is part of Spain and English is seldom spoken there, so we had a few hurdles along the way. Despite that, though, it was so nice just to stroll around or watch the kids play and feel safe and carefree. Quite a contrast to the constant tension we have felt in Africa. We haven't felt particularly worried in Africa, but there is an underlying tension there knowing how volitile things can be just walking around town.

Well, mostly our time in Tenerife was very, very busy. Jenny worked just as hard as she had in Liberia. Most of her co-workers went away for vacation, so she spent a lot of time sorting out things for the upcoming field service in Benin - working on supply issues, O.R. equipment maintenance issues, human resources issues, etc. I didn't do very much work for the Communications Department, but instead focused on taking care of the children as they were out of school for 5 out of the 6 weeks we were in Tenerife. One week we were in and out of a local hopital as one of our very good friends on the ship became ill and had to have surgery. We are grateful that all went well with the surgery and she has recovered well. We are very happy, to say the least, that she is still with us on the ship. During our time in Tenerife, I also looked after the household and trying to make sure we took care of the shopping that needed to be done before heading to Benin. We were sure to get all the kids at least 2 pairs of shoes (the ones we got in Africa were not good quality - Bethany's were literally falling off her feet 5 days after we bought them). Shopping in Tenerife was not without it's challenges, though. Questions like: "How do you figure out where to go to get what you need at a reasonable price?" and "How do I ask for that size shoe in Spanish? And what size is a 47 anyway?" and "How much is that 50 Euro blanket really going to cost me in dollars? (only $70 or so - OUCH!)" were abundant. That said, all worked out pretty well. We got what we needed and had a bit of an adventure doing it. Jenny's parents, of course, came to visit. We had a great time with them, but wore them, and ourselves out. We really tried to make the most of our time in Tenerife too by trying to get out and see some of it. In reality, we are pretty much completely exhausted now, so I'm hoping we can get some rest now while we sail. I'm catching up too on things like blogging, along with a myriad of other things, which have been neglected for over a month now. So I guess the fact that I am writing this now means that I am making some progress - yea!

Well with wonderful European dairy products and fruits, and fresh, perfectly cooked meats mostly behind us now, except for what we could fit in our tiny fridge, we are on our way back to Africa. We will miss Tenerife and got a bit teary as we left the port in Santa Cruz. The same fellow who played the trumpet for us when we arrived in Tenerife was there on the dock playing as we left along with a group of folks with a banner that read, among other things, "We love you". What a tremendous blessing!!

John