Sunday, September 7, 2008

Some Fun Stuff

We're in the office for just a few minutes before we leave for a conference this whole week, but I thought it would be fun to share a couple of photos from a trip we took this weekend. We had worked hard all week, so to reward ourselves, we went to a place called Kitengela Glass. They make stained glass, blown glass and glass jewelry there, and the woman who started it years ago has trained locals to make all of the products which are beautiful. Besides beautiful things to purchase, all over the campus, there were these crazy sculptures and buildings the woman had designed. Camels and donkeys were running around, they had the most ornate outhouse I've ever seen, and really every time you turned a corner there was something new and bizarre to take in. (During the car trip there, we also saw baboons in the road and zebras in the distance - fun!) On the right is a photo of some of the girls that I went with. I'm staying with three of the girls in the photo, and the other two are friends of another girl. The picture of the tall man on the left is just one of many crazy statues we saw. In all seriousness though, it really was a neat place and a lot of locals have benefited from the training and jobs they've received. It was also great to see so much creativity. One thing I'm realizing as I'm traveling is how thankful I am that I was raised in an environment that encourages creativity. I'll write more about this later.
A couple other fun things I've learned on my trip:
I was told that Ugandan Air only has one plane and makes only one flight a day. Interesting.
When you try and go into Rwanda, you have to leave all your plastic bags at the border. The government is tired of so much trash/so many plastic bags all over the place, so when you get to the border, you have to empty all your plastic bags and leave them behind.
I have a few more, but that's all for now. Thanks for reading! - Kristen

7 comments:

eveapple said...

Hey Nowicki!

I'm at Eve's house, and wanted to say "hi"!!! We are praying for you every night, and miss you a lot. I love our blog stories, you didn't disappoint. We are all doing good. Loving Kindergarten! Talk later.

Love,
Thomas'

Chef Mayhem said...

I like the way you model the glass. You could be the next Vanna.

di ruiz said...

Hello Kristen my long lost friend. Glad to hear that it sounds like you are doing well. Our prayers are with you & for you. Thank you for your very descriptive stories. We love ya lots & miss you tons!!!!
Di & family

Anonymous said...

Kristen!! No way!! I am trippin!! I am so proud of you and really can't express my admiration/envy/awe....I don't know. It is so cool.
I can see your face going through all these experiences in a few short weeks and think of you walking through the gates at Elmwood with that "concerned" look on your face....I am cracking-up :) After this experience, I can see you looking at the world in a whole new way. I love your writing, it is really good and we can envision what you're doing along with the tiny pics. All is well here and I am praying for you always. GOD's LOVE ALWAYS. Scott
P.S. I hear Ugandan Coke works well as a insect repellant - just rub some on the soles of your feet!!

Anonymous said...

Hey Kristen - It's Joni Keller - Long time no see! Your mom gave me your blog address so I had to at least say hi!

Glad to see you're doing great things as always! I miss seeing you. Know you're in my thoughts. Joni

Anonymous said...

Hey Kristen Nowicki -

Just catching up on your exploits... Wow!! God is using you, girl!! Seems as if you are gathering a lifetime of stories. While we're back here at CotC endeavoring to Just Walk Across the Room, you've walked across the world to demonstrate the love of God in very tangible ways.

I'm proud of you, and continue to keep you in my prayers.

Tom

rubyslipperlady said...

HEy, I'm one of those girls in that picture! heehee

It was so great having you here both times. Hope to see you Stateside sometime. When I figure out where I'll be I'll let you know.

And, so tell me, did you try the coke on your feet. With all the mosquitoes, I might actually be tempted, although I think I prefer the arbor oils.