Milwaukee

Hello from Wisconsin! I hope all is well with everyone. This discernment trip has been enlightening. I spent two very good days in Chicago, Illinois and then made my way here to Milwaukee to see my Aunts Chello, Susan, and Jenny. We have had a rather enjoyable few days and have seen a great deal: Marquette University, Gesu Church, the Milwaukee Art Museum, the Titanic Exhibit and IMAX film that is visiting, Lake Michigan, and of course eachother. Today we are headed to another university and maybe we'll see a few more sights before I return on Sunday.

My poor aunt Jenny hurt her leg while we were at the IMAX theater and so all I want is for her to feel better and rest. I will tell you all about it when I return.

Anyway, I hope that fair New Mexico is a happy place to be now, and I will return in a few days. God bless you all!

-Chris

Chicago!

Well, for those of you who periodically read my blog in the far reaching outskirts of the vast entity that is the Internet, here is an update of what is new since I returned from Zambia some 23 days ago:


KLM (Joburg to Amsterdam)

I have been looking for opportunities to volunteer and have been so far successful with one group the Salesian Lay Missioners. I have made a lot of progress in the application process over last weeks and things look positive. I will be headed to Chicago at the end of the month for an event they are holding to see if I am a good fit for their organization and to discern if God is calling me to this particular mission. The event is only two days long and because I will be close to Wisconsin where some of my family resides I will be visiting there for a few days before returning to New Mexico. Provided everything stays well with the Salesians I should have an idea of where I will be serving once I have submitted the last few documents and have had a phone interview. Of the places they serve and what they do in those places I think it is most likely that I will be going to India or China. Africa is still a possibility but I qualify less for their missions in South Africa and Sierra Leone. I would love to return to Africa, but I'll leave the decision up to God and go wherever I will be most helpful.


Chicago, Illinois

Once again please pray for me, I will need it to make wise decisions and try to fulfill God's will for my life. And please pray for all of my friends in Peace Corps Zambia that they all have safe and fulfilling terms of service. They are all wonderful people and I'm sure each of them will do great things.

I will keep you informed. Have a great day, and in the second most prominent language in Zambia, Nyanja:

Tsilani Bwino! (Stay well)

Heading Home

Well, since my last post things in Zambia have been great! I really love this country and the people. Unfortunately though, I've lost maybe 20 pounds since I arrived even though I have made an effort to eat a lot. And truly, I have eaten more here than I usaully do at home. However, I don't think it is wise for me to remain here if I am losing 10 pounds a week! I know the trend is likely not to continue at that rate, but it is not a good choice to take the risk when overall health is concerned. The day before yesterday I was able to pull my pants off without unzipping or un-buttoning them, and I can see my pelvis showing where it didn't before.

So, I am here in Lusaka at Peace Corps headquarters squaring things away... I should be on my way home in the next couple of days. I am really sad to be leaving Zambia and I'm not sure what my next move in life is going to be when I return. I think I might just go back to school and work on a Master's degree. I've already looked at a few Universities that sent me offers before I left and possible employment in the areas around those universities. We'll see... please pray for me, this will be a challenging and disorienting time.

See you soon.

From the Zambian Capital,

Chris

Hello From Lusaka!

Hey there! I'm in Zambia! This will be a short post because I don't have a lot of time on here... I had to pay for internet here at a cafe and it was Kw6000 for 30 minutes of time. Not too bad... that is like $1.20 for 30 minutes...

Things are great here in Zambia, it is hot and humid and the rains come occasionally. The whole area is very green and the birds are beautiful. I can't even begin to describe how interesting Zambia is... I will write to you all soon via mail, but this is the last internet I may have for 1 month or more. So be patient.

I will share more with you later and maybe post some photos.

Have a great day and God Bless you all from ZAMBIA!!!

Not Much Time Left

About six days to be exact... (no I'm not writing in complete sentences!) Anyway, there isn't much time left for me to enjoy the company of family and friends or to keep blogging for that matter. So this might be the last message I post here before I'm either in Washington D.C. or in Zambia. Once I am in Zambia, there won't be very frequent posts to this page, but rest assured that I will make the effort to write something here for you to scan over every once in a while. Similarly I will likely not have access to e-mail on a regular basis. So if you send me an e-mail be patient with me and I will be sure to send a reply your way!

Mail takes around 4-6 weeks to travel between Zambia and the United States, and an additional amount of time to be delivered on either end; so if you send me a letter now on 2/10/09, it will make it to Zambia maybe on 3/10/09 and into my hands by the end of March perhaps? Likewise when I reply to your letters it will take the same time to slide its way over into your hands from Africa so if you were to write to me today you might expect a letter back by some time in April or May...

If you visit this site looking for an update on my status you might be rewarded with some information. However if not, keeping in mind what is written above, send me a letter at the following address:

Christopher Rodriguez, PCV
U.S. Peace Corps/Zambia
P.O. Box 50707
Lusaka, Zambia, Africa

*Be advised I will have a different address once I am posted to a site in early May so keep a look out for that on here then. However, be aware too that the above address will be valid for the entire duration of time that I am in Zambia.

Well, I guess that does it for now... So as much as it pains me to say: this is Good Bye for now :(

God Bless you all and may the Peace of His Son Jesus abide with you always.