Taryn: Returns to Rolla tomorrow. Her eye is looking much better. There's still a stitch or two left, the others have either dissolved or she rubbed them out. The blood around her pupil is beginning to recede. Makes me happy; not sure how much more of that I could take!! The dr was pleased with the results. The surgery should also help her in classes now that her eyes are working properly again. Taryn also finished the battery of tests and appts at the Neuro's. The results there indicate that ADHD is definitely the correct diagnosis - she continues to be not just a little impaired but significantly impaired. The good news is that her high IQ has offset the effects of her ADHD and enabled her to compensate and do well. College life has unevened the scales a bit though and so her medication will be changed. She is starting an ADHD patch today. We are praying the patch works for her, with changes in both the dosage and the distribution into her system. The patch has the advantage of being something she can physically check that she hasn't forgot it, and she can carry one in her backpack if she did, which is something she can't safely do on campus with pills. Her new dr's also sent to student services new requirements for her disability: longer testing time, private or quiet testing location, breaks during tests, and no tests given after 5 pm. That should make a world of difference. She has some new technology to assist her as well - a Smartpen. The dr feels her sleep patterns have not been doing her any favors and that her sleep has been too interrupted so her brain is not functioning at its best. He suggested she have a set bedtime every night and get at least 8 hrs of sleep. No napping! She hated hearing that! Now that Taryn has been armored once more, she is off to college to hit the ground running for summer classes. It will be a good test run to see if the new adjustments work well.
Gib: Goes backpacking this weekend. Getting in shape for Hawaii. We outfitted him for his continued backpacking and scouting needs during the Memorial Day sale at REI. He is equipped with lightweight and dry weave clothing, hiking socks, a new tent, polarized sunglasses with straps so they don't fall off when he's looking over the edge of a volcano.... I did my best to think of everything. Hmmm, I wonder if his boots have good enough traction? Haha just kidding. I'm sure he will be fine. I'm not that worried about Gib - that boy has excellent survival instincts. Gib and a friend of his have nicknamed Mariah "Gib Jr" and he said he will make sure it sticks for her freshman year at high school. What a good brother.
Mariah: Cleaned out her closet and is starting to think ahead for her trip to France. She has been going down to the pool alot but got a skin reaction to probably the sunscreen, but it could have been a touch of heat rash. She is taking a couple days off so she can go boating Friday with the youth group. She, along with Taryn and Grammy, helped me out a ton yesterday - we had 40 t-shirts to rubberband and get ready for tie-dying for Vacation Bible School. I volunteered to do the bible story to the group each day and help with preparations. Mariah was my mix-master with the dye powders. We set everything up outside on the grass and wouldn't you know it, the weather changed on a dime. Right in the middle of everyone arriving and eating, we had to grab everything and high tail it down to the garage. We worked in the humidity of a sudden summer thunderstorm. It all went well, and she was crucial to the success of our tie-dye party. Later today we will hose off, rinse and untie all the shirts. I can't wait to see them!!!
Indie: We have received a couple of emails from the group via a professor's wife who has accompanied the group. She reports that their flights were great, customs no problem and everyone accounted for and well. This morning there was another email saying they visited an early childhood intervention school in the kibera slum click on little rock school for more information. Taken from their website: Kibera is the largest informal settlement (slum) in sub- Saharan Africa. 70%of Nairobi‘s population lives in the slums. Kibera is the biggest slum in Kenya with a population of a proximately one million, surviving on less than one dollar a day.
Afterwards they had lunch in an elaborate mall - they noted what a huge contrast that was. She said everyone is learning, experiencing, and having a good time. Next up was a giraffe park. They are making their way to the village but it is quite a distance away.
2023
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Deja Vu....
Africa Take III....Kenya Take II....
Mercer on Mission. Crossing Cultures. Changing Lives.
It is rare in that a student participating in Mercer On Mission has the opportunity to return to the exact same community that was the focus of a previous mission trip. Indy will have that opportunity this summer. Her first Mercer on Mission trip, in 2010, featured interaction with the Sisit community in West Pokot, Kenya, centered around water and sanitation.
Installation of a water turbine unit for pumping water over 1.2 km (and 400 feet up!) from a river source and construction of bio sand filters with the community were the focus of this mission.
A common challenge in Kenya is access to clean water. The Sisit community, located in the mountains above the Wei Wei river is no exception. Previous to the installation of the water turbine, the people of Sisit had to climb down to the river daily and carry water back up the steep slopes to their houses. Women spent a good portion of each day hauling heavy containers of water from the river.
While access to water is a challenge for the Sisit community, access to clean water is an even greater challenge. Thus, during the installation of the water turbine pump system, students were busy building bio-sand filters for each family benefiting from the water project. AquaClara, a Michigan based charity organization, designed a bio-sand water filtration system that can be built and maintained using materials available to most rural people. While these filters are extremely labor intensive they are cost effective and maintainable in rural areas. Built out of layers of gravel, coarse sand, and fine sand they develop their own biological layer and are very effective at filtering out any biological contaminants. Mercer students spent days collecting, sieving, washing sand and gravel. Together with members of the community they hauled the sand and filter containers up the mountain to each of the houses where they assembled the filters. Each filter produces 20 liters of clean drinking water daily, enough to meet the WHO standards for each family.
The 2012 Mercer on Mission to Kenya will again feature interaction with the Sisit community in West Pokot, Kenya, centered around water and sanitation.
Mercer on Mission - Kenya
Academic Courses
ENP 390: Environmental Studies and Policy - Special Topics: Water, Sanitation, Energy, and Appropriate Development in Sub-Saharan Africa
AFR 490: Supervised Practical Research - Kutana: Traditional Societies and Contemporary Issues in the Kenyan Context
Faculty
Dr. Loren Sumner, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Dr. Laura Lackey, Professor, Department of Environmental Engineering
Program Highlights
The service project will focus on providing improved drinking water to a community in the West Pokot District near Sigor, Kenya. We will work with Sam Harrell, a CBF missionary that founded and operates Africa Exchange. Visit his website to learn more about Sam and Africa Exchange. The focus of our efforts will be to build and install (up to 50) small water-filtration units appropriate for households using locally available, and relatively cheap materials. The mission will involve some hard physical labor, but the main requirement is a willingness to contribute. This experience will transform your life.
Living conditions will be rudimentary during the majority of our journey. Accommodations while performing service tentatively include Robert’s Camp on Lake Baringo and Marich Pass Field Studies Centre. Several days of relaxation will be enjoyed after concluding our work. Tentative relaxation locations include The Rondo Retreat in the Kakamega Rain Forest and at the Sekenani Camp in the Maasai Mara.
Travel Dates: May 27 – June 19, 2012
Classroom Studies:
May 14 - May 25, 2012
Mercer University, Macon Campus
Map:
A: Nairobi
B: Roberts Camp, Lake Baringo
C: Marich Pass
D: Rondo Retreat, Kakamega Rain Forrest
E: Sekenani Camp, Masai Mara
Mercer on Mission. Crossing Cultures. Changing Lives.
It is rare in that a student participating in Mercer On Mission has the opportunity to return to the exact same community that was the focus of a previous mission trip. Indy will have that opportunity this summer. Her first Mercer on Mission trip, in 2010, featured interaction with the Sisit community in West Pokot, Kenya, centered around water and sanitation.
Installation of a water turbine unit for pumping water over 1.2 km (and 400 feet up!) from a river source and construction of bio sand filters with the community were the focus of this mission.
A common challenge in Kenya is access to clean water. The Sisit community, located in the mountains above the Wei Wei river is no exception. Previous to the installation of the water turbine, the people of Sisit had to climb down to the river daily and carry water back up the steep slopes to their houses. Women spent a good portion of each day hauling heavy containers of water from the river.
While access to water is a challenge for the Sisit community, access to clean water is an even greater challenge. Thus, during the installation of the water turbine pump system, students were busy building bio-sand filters for each family benefiting from the water project. AquaClara, a Michigan based charity organization, designed a bio-sand water filtration system that can be built and maintained using materials available to most rural people. While these filters are extremely labor intensive they are cost effective and maintainable in rural areas. Built out of layers of gravel, coarse sand, and fine sand they develop their own biological layer and are very effective at filtering out any biological contaminants. Mercer students spent days collecting, sieving, washing sand and gravel. Together with members of the community they hauled the sand and filter containers up the mountain to each of the houses where they assembled the filters. Each filter produces 20 liters of clean drinking water daily, enough to meet the WHO standards for each family.
The 2012 Mercer on Mission to Kenya will again feature interaction with the Sisit community in West Pokot, Kenya, centered around water and sanitation.
Mercer on Mission - Kenya
Academic Courses
ENP 390: Environmental Studies and Policy - Special Topics: Water, Sanitation, Energy, and Appropriate Development in Sub-Saharan Africa
AFR 490: Supervised Practical Research - Kutana: Traditional Societies and Contemporary Issues in the Kenyan Context
Faculty
Dr. Loren Sumner, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Dr. Laura Lackey, Professor, Department of Environmental Engineering
Program Highlights
The service project will focus on providing improved drinking water to a community in the West Pokot District near Sigor, Kenya. We will work with Sam Harrell, a CBF missionary that founded and operates Africa Exchange. Visit his website to learn more about Sam and Africa Exchange. The focus of our efforts will be to build and install (up to 50) small water-filtration units appropriate for households using locally available, and relatively cheap materials. The mission will involve some hard physical labor, but the main requirement is a willingness to contribute. This experience will transform your life.
Living conditions will be rudimentary during the majority of our journey. Accommodations while performing service tentatively include Robert’s Camp on Lake Baringo and Marich Pass Field Studies Centre. Several days of relaxation will be enjoyed after concluding our work. Tentative relaxation locations include The Rondo Retreat in the Kakamega Rain Forest and at the Sekenani Camp in the Maasai Mara.
Travel Dates: May 27 – June 19, 2012
Classroom Studies:
May 14 - May 25, 2012
Mercer University, Macon Campus
Map:
A: Nairobi
B: Roberts Camp, Lake Baringo
C: Marich Pass
D: Rondo Retreat, Kakamega Rain Forrest
E: Sekenani Camp, Masai Mara
Friday, May 18, 2012
Time Flies
Wow it's been a long time since the blog was updated. Mike and I took our anniversary cruise and it was wonderful. He decided to put the photos up on facebook instead of here because it was easier. I hope you saw them. So not alot of cruise blogging to be found. We had a great trip though, despite a couple of rainy days. It was a much needed vacation for just the two of us.
Mariah, Gib and Grammy did a great job holding down the fort, going to school, getting to their activities, feeding the cats, and taking out the trash. What more can you ask for?!
Upon arriving home from our cruise, Mike left almost immediately to retrieve Taryn from Rolla. Taryn came home to appointment after appointment! We squeezed in more dr appts than should be possible for one person to stay sane with prior to her eye surgery. After a little recovery time, she has a few more appointments and then returns to Rolla on June 1. The surgery went well. Recovery is going well too. I think the pain is moving more toward itching now which you always hear is a sign of healing. We have made dozens of snack size ice bags since the surgery! I'm pretty sure she is done with icing the eye. I'm sure she's sick of having a frozen face. Yesterday she asked to try heat. It always feels so good to switch from ice to heat after wisdom teeth surgery, but I don't think it felt all that great on the eye. I expect she will be weaning off the pain pills soon and move to extra strength Tylenol.
Taryn found out she is A+ blood type, all her blood work came back normal, and we will shortly be informed of her IQ and everything brain related. How cool is that?!?! She took a battery of tests ordered by my neuro to reassess her ADHD. We're told the evaluation is practically a book. I wanted to ensure that Taryn is correctly diagnosed, and her current treatment is the most effective for her.
Indie was here briefly too. She arrived the day after Taryn. We got to hang out as a family for a few days before she had to return to campus in preparation for another Kenya trip. Indie, Taryn and I enjoyed having a lunch with just us girls and running a couple of errands. Sadly, Mariah was in school during all this. I didn't get one pic of her on my iphone while she was here! Indie is taking our camera with her to Africa this time since every trip she has the worst luck with being able to take photos. She is appointing herself Mission Photographer. Her dad couldn't be happier. She barely endured her Junior year of college. Being Chief Justice is running her ragged. I think Kenya will be a breeze in comparison. Despite it all, she is in line to graduate 2013, a double major with magna cum laude (possibly summa cum laude) distinction. She hopes to get an on campus job this fall to help with finances since she will have a lighter class load - finally!
Volleyball has ended. Mariah's team did well, and she loved playing with good friends on her team this time. They got knocked out in the first game of the tournament on Monday. Which was really OK with us because we had plans for the rest of the week! Can you tell we are not the most hardcore or what?! This will be the last rec volleyball team for Mariah because they don't have any teams for over 14 yrs of age. But Mariah leaves proud, knowing she has a mean underhanded serve which can get a good 4 points off the other team! And I'm sure she can hold her own in a pick up game of volleyball. Since she has possibly stopped growing at 5'4" dreams of going further are about half a foot shy of reality.
Mariah has been super busy with Chorus stuff. They put on another performance and all the 8th graders, while they liked the music and being the first ensemble ever to perform it, felt having to do so vs. having a spring break trip to Disney was a gyp. Can't blame them for that. Mariah has helped her teacher the past 2 days with performance auditions for the next 8th grade chorus. She was sought after as a mentor to some 7th graders, talked some into trying out, and helped a number of students prepare and sing for their audition. She said she stood next to some of the more nervous ones while they sang. It isn't easy singing solo in an audition the first time. What a friend! Isn't she awesome?!
Gib is in final exam mode. He has had two AP exams too which exempt him from a couple of finals. Luckily for him he gets 3 mornings off from testing! Both AP classes have morning tests and his study hall period was scheduled for a morning exam too. Technically he might have to be at school, but seriously what is he going to do for 3 hours until the next exam? Nobody goes if they don't have to.
Last Saturday, Gib gave blood for the first time! I was so proud of him for being willing to do it. I suspect part of that willingness is a desire to know HIS bloodtype. It's such a great family tradition and for some reason there's a competition amongst the kids to see what type of blood they are. Indie is O+, the rest of us A+. Indie hopes to stay the original and says stats are on her side. We need Taryn to join the ranks now. If she hadn't just given a bunch of blood for tests I might have tried to get her in, even with her slightly less desirable A+ blood.
While the rest of us were giving blood, Taryn and Mariah amused themselves at the Spring Fling slide and face painting the kids. Good thing Mariah still was going strong after a great day of volleyball. The guys left to work at the ballpark concession stand for the Scout trip fundraising. Free food, fun and service. It was a good Saturday even though it was so jammed packed it left us dizzy.
Here's a pic from early Saturday morning. The tree got cut down by a local arborist, and the guys had another Eagle project workday taking care of the debris. They stacked logs for the firepit and took the rest to a nearby landfill that is kind of tired of seeing our truck. They are a 1 truckload a day kind of place and having seen our truck twice on a couple of weekends, it will be good to lay low for awhile.
Mariah, Gib and Grammy did a great job holding down the fort, going to school, getting to their activities, feeding the cats, and taking out the trash. What more can you ask for?!
Upon arriving home from our cruise, Mike left almost immediately to retrieve Taryn from Rolla. Taryn came home to appointment after appointment! We squeezed in more dr appts than should be possible for one person to stay sane with prior to her eye surgery. After a little recovery time, she has a few more appointments and then returns to Rolla on June 1. The surgery went well. Recovery is going well too. I think the pain is moving more toward itching now which you always hear is a sign of healing. We have made dozens of snack size ice bags since the surgery! I'm pretty sure she is done with icing the eye. I'm sure she's sick of having a frozen face. Yesterday she asked to try heat. It always feels so good to switch from ice to heat after wisdom teeth surgery, but I don't think it felt all that great on the eye. I expect she will be weaning off the pain pills soon and move to extra strength Tylenol.
Taryn found out she is A+ blood type, all her blood work came back normal, and we will shortly be informed of her IQ and everything brain related. How cool is that?!?! She took a battery of tests ordered by my neuro to reassess her ADHD. We're told the evaluation is practically a book. I wanted to ensure that Taryn is correctly diagnosed, and her current treatment is the most effective for her.
Indie was here briefly too. She arrived the day after Taryn. We got to hang out as a family for a few days before she had to return to campus in preparation for another Kenya trip. Indie, Taryn and I enjoyed having a lunch with just us girls and running a couple of errands. Sadly, Mariah was in school during all this. I didn't get one pic of her on my iphone while she was here! Indie is taking our camera with her to Africa this time since every trip she has the worst luck with being able to take photos. She is appointing herself Mission Photographer. Her dad couldn't be happier. She barely endured her Junior year of college. Being Chief Justice is running her ragged. I think Kenya will be a breeze in comparison. Despite it all, she is in line to graduate 2013, a double major with magna cum laude (possibly summa cum laude) distinction. She hopes to get an on campus job this fall to help with finances since she will have a lighter class load - finally!
Volleyball has ended. Mariah's team did well, and she loved playing with good friends on her team this time. They got knocked out in the first game of the tournament on Monday. Which was really OK with us because we had plans for the rest of the week! Can you tell we are not the most hardcore or what?! This will be the last rec volleyball team for Mariah because they don't have any teams for over 14 yrs of age. But Mariah leaves proud, knowing she has a mean underhanded serve which can get a good 4 points off the other team! And I'm sure she can hold her own in a pick up game of volleyball. Since she has possibly stopped growing at 5'4" dreams of going further are about half a foot shy of reality.
Mariah has been super busy with Chorus stuff. They put on another performance and all the 8th graders, while they liked the music and being the first ensemble ever to perform it, felt having to do so vs. having a spring break trip to Disney was a gyp. Can't blame them for that. Mariah has helped her teacher the past 2 days with performance auditions for the next 8th grade chorus. She was sought after as a mentor to some 7th graders, talked some into trying out, and helped a number of students prepare and sing for their audition. She said she stood next to some of the more nervous ones while they sang. It isn't easy singing solo in an audition the first time. What a friend! Isn't she awesome?!
Gib is in final exam mode. He has had two AP exams too which exempt him from a couple of finals. Luckily for him he gets 3 mornings off from testing! Both AP classes have morning tests and his study hall period was scheduled for a morning exam too. Technically he might have to be at school, but seriously what is he going to do for 3 hours until the next exam? Nobody goes if they don't have to.
Last Saturday, Gib gave blood for the first time! I was so proud of him for being willing to do it. I suspect part of that willingness is a desire to know HIS bloodtype. It's such a great family tradition and for some reason there's a competition amongst the kids to see what type of blood they are. Indie is O+, the rest of us A+. Indie hopes to stay the original and says stats are on her side. We need Taryn to join the ranks now. If she hadn't just given a bunch of blood for tests I might have tried to get her in, even with her slightly less desirable A+ blood.
While the rest of us were giving blood, Taryn and Mariah amused themselves at the Spring Fling slide and face painting the kids. Good thing Mariah still was going strong after a great day of volleyball. The guys left to work at the ballpark concession stand for the Scout trip fundraising. Free food, fun and service. It was a good Saturday even though it was so jammed packed it left us dizzy.
Here's a pic from early Saturday morning. The tree got cut down by a local arborist, and the guys had another Eagle project workday taking care of the debris. They stacked logs for the firepit and took the rest to a nearby landfill that is kind of tired of seeing our truck. They are a 1 truckload a day kind of place and having seen our truck twice on a couple of weekends, it will be good to lay low for awhile.
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