Dear Friends-
It has been waaayyyyyy too long since I last posted. Life happens when you are not serious about your blog.
A few updates:
- My brother Scott came to visit for about a week in Late May. He lives
in Abu Dhabi, and is a graphic design/electronic media assistant
professor at an all female school there. He has been there for 4 years.
It seemed like we were always traveling somewhere: Eastern Province for
work for me and then a safari, back to Butare, then back to Kigali. He
loved it, and is even thinking of coming back.
- The academic year ended in late June. I was in Kigali for 2 straight weeks helping to give exams to the graduating medical students and residents. It was a long 2 weeks, filled with some disappointments and successes. Somehow we survived. It was interesting to be in Kigali for longer than 3 days, as I was able to enjoy some of the Mzungu events around town: trivia night at one of the pizza joints (My team won, and had to create the quiz for the next week!), dirt/"beach" volleyball, eating out at some of the really good restaurants, and meeting new people who live and work in Kigali. Needless to say, I was happy about getting back to my life in Butare in late June.
- I traveled to Uganda for a long 5 day weekend to visit friends there. July 1 is Rwandan Independence day, July 4 is the End of 100 days of Genocide commemoration, and July 5 or 6 was the End of Ramadan. So, I took an overnight bus from Kigali to Kampala, and joined Laura Corcoran, Mike Wilbanks, and Chad Simpson at Miryante (the orphanage where I sponsor a child and volunteer sometimes.) Mike and Chad took some of the older children on safari at Queen Elizabeth Park while I traveled back to Rwanda (See another post about my 12 hour journey back on public transit). The 3 of them then joined me in Butare for a few days, then we all headed out to various destinations, me back to the US for 2 weeks of leave.
- I returned in late July from a 2 week end of contract visit to the USA. While not officially the end of my contract (mine ends Aug 11), one of my best friends from Residency at Ohio State, Andrew Norris, was getting married, so I was able to negotiate an earlier trip home. I saw my amazing family, and I was a first time groomsman in Columbus! The whole trip was busy from start to finish, but it was good to be back in the US, albeit briefly. My Dad was recently hospitalized for weird leg spasms, for which we still dont have a diagnosis. My Mom is doing well, thankfully. My sister just got a job working at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, and has an amazing apartment in Downtown Cleveland, right near everything. My brother was home as well. The wedding was fantastic, and I had a blast catching up with old friends. Sometimes, I miss my life in Columbus and Ohio in general, and realize what a special thing I had there. But, God has brought me here, to teach and to serve others. And I am happy with that!
I am happy to say that i signed on for another year working for HRH. I have learned a lot, and can’t wait to see what the upcoming year will bring.
And so, my friends, Love life, Enjoy liberty, Be happy,
Craiger
Saturday, August 13, 2016
A pirate looks at 40… (I turned 40 on April 13.)
(yes, I borrowed a line from a Jimmy Buffet song, but he was looking at 50)
40. Over the Hill. The 5th decade. The best years of your life. It all goes down from here.
I have heard it all. Surprisingly, I was not as spooked about turning 40 as I was turning 30. When I was 30, looking ahead, I thought I would be married, have a few kids, working as a physician somewhere overseas. Well, at least I got the overseas part right!
Every year on my birthday, I go for a long walk, alone, and think about the year, lessons learned, and where I want to go. This year, was an especially long walk, on the beach in Diani, in a light mist. I gained some insight into where I have been, and where I have yet to go. I will share some of them now (but not all…)
First, I am one lucky guy. I have so many incredible things in my life. My family, good friends, my health, a great job, and a sense of peace and happiness I have not had for a long time. For some reason, God gave me the opportunity to serve by becoming a physician, and now I am doing that here in Africa.
Second, I have heard that the older you get, you start to lose that idealism that you had when you were younger. I find that I am still the same idealistic person I was in my 20s. I doubt I will lose that any time soon!
Third, I don’t feel old. I still feel the same way as when I was 30. But, now I have more insight, able to manage my emotions better, and feel like I am more in control of who I am than before. I have noticed that it is a little harder to get out of bed in the in AM (part of that could be due to the fact that I have the most comfortable bed in the world, thanks to the last person in the house, Jim Little, and some ingenuity on my part!)
I have no idea where life will take me in the years ahead. I have learned over the past few years to not have too many expectations. I can’t wait to see what life will throw at me. My 40s will be the best ever!
Amohoro,
Craiger
(yes, I borrowed a line from a Jimmy Buffet song, but he was looking at 50)
40. Over the Hill. The 5th decade. The best years of your life. It all goes down from here.
I have heard it all. Surprisingly, I was not as spooked about turning 40 as I was turning 30. When I was 30, looking ahead, I thought I would be married, have a few kids, working as a physician somewhere overseas. Well, at least I got the overseas part right!
Every year on my birthday, I go for a long walk, alone, and think about the year, lessons learned, and where I want to go. This year, was an especially long walk, on the beach in Diani, in a light mist. I gained some insight into where I have been, and where I have yet to go. I will share some of them now (but not all…)
First, I am one lucky guy. I have so many incredible things in my life. My family, good friends, my health, a great job, and a sense of peace and happiness I have not had for a long time. For some reason, God gave me the opportunity to serve by becoming a physician, and now I am doing that here in Africa.
Second, I have heard that the older you get, you start to lose that idealism that you had when you were younger. I find that I am still the same idealistic person I was in my 20s. I doubt I will lose that any time soon!
Third, I don’t feel old. I still feel the same way as when I was 30. But, now I have more insight, able to manage my emotions better, and feel like I am more in control of who I am than before. I have noticed that it is a little harder to get out of bed in the in AM (part of that could be due to the fact that I have the most comfortable bed in the world, thanks to the last person in the house, Jim Little, and some ingenuity on my part!)
I have no idea where life will take me in the years ahead. I have learned over the past few years to not have too many expectations. I can’t wait to see what life will throw at me. My 40s will be the best ever!
Amohoro,
Craiger
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