My Top 10 for 2010

I don’t know about you but I always enjoy the end of the year lists (does that make me a geek? Probably). “Top 10 News Worthy Stories.” “2010 Year in Medical Breakthroughs.” “10 Great Political Moments in 2010.” So for my annual Christmas letter this year, I decided I would make my own “Top 10 in 2010” (and why they make me thankful): 

1. Eleven Flat Tires on Our Trip to Mozambique - 2010 was another fun filled year of travel, learning and adventure. In January, we ventured off through Zimbabwe with a stop at the Great Zimbabwean ruins on our way to Mozambique for some fun in the sun on the Eastern coast of Africa. Despite the eleven flat tires in our two week trip, we had a great time enjoying our little A-frame chalet overlooking the turquoise blue ocean in Vilanculos. We especially liked the snorkeling near Bazaruta Island and the parrot fish chomping on the coral reef! I include the eleven flat tires in my top ten list because it is evidence of Paul’s never failing patience.
   
   
2. Crossing of the Limpopo River – Our drive back to Botswana from Mozambique included a crossing of the Limpopo River near the Parfue Border Crossing into South Africa. This harrowing crossing, where water came up over the Land Cruiser hood and we floated for a while only to catch traction before we floated down the river, was exciting and terrifying all at the same time.
   
   
3. My Laptop Theft in Cape Town - In February I met a group of twenty Furman students to direct, for the second time, Furman’s Study Away trip to Southern Africa. Traveling for nine weeks across South Africa, Namibia and Botswana we faced some challenges when my laptop and several thousand dollars of cash were stolen from my guest house room in Cape Town (we won’t be staying there again this year)! The laptop theft reminded me of the tremendous gap between the rich and the poor in this region of the world. While inconvenient for me (and my record keeping of the budget), I was reminded by a friend that anything that can be replaced by a purchase is really not that important.
   
   
4. Improving Lives at Megameno House - Some of the highlights of the Furman trip included: a visit to Kimberly Diamond Mines in South Africa so the historian on the trip could explore migrant labor issues;  several visits to Megameno orphanage in Namibia to see the progress of the kids and gather data about the effects of poverty on child development for the psychology class; and a day trip to Victoria Falls where, despite my best efforts to safeguard the students’ passports, they all got soaked from the mist of the falls (which can be like a torrential downpour)! Besides that the trip was a great success and we saw lots, learned lots and did lots  --  a great way of being in the world. I’m always thankful to see how well the kids are doing at Megameno House and encouraged by the reality that even small donations can make huge differences.
   
   
5. Visit to New England to Introduce Paul to Family and Friends - In April I returned to the States to finish off the semester and Paul joined me for a quick visit up to New England to attend a conference on Global Health at Yale and visit family and friends (many of whom had never met him before). It was great to have friends (Kathy, Karen and Kevin) and family (from my grandmother down to my nieces) finally meet Paul and get to know him a bit. We even got to celebrate my niece Nikki's 21st birthday and my niece Becca's high school graduation (early) and visit the campus of Bay Path College that she began attending in the fall. Shortly thereafter we returned to Botswana for my summer break (which is “winter” in Botswana – the best time to be there – the heat is tolerable, the bugs fewer and the rains absent!). 
   
   
6. Star Shows at Luxury Lodges - We had lots of opportunities to travel and explore with visitors from the States in June. We camped at some of our favorite locations in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR), Moremi and Savute. In July, Paul had the opportunity to do some stars shows with his portable telescope for guests at a luxury lodge, Savute Elephant Camp, Mogotlho, Meno A Kwena and Zarafa (back in January).  It’s fun being an amateur astronomer’s wife!. In August, we led an interesting trans-Kalahari safari and saw lions and cheetahs and had the opportunity to interact with bushman who are currently living in the CKGR.
   
   
7. Teaching the Sociological Imagination - In August I returned for the fall semester where I taught two sections of Introduction to Sociology and one of Sociology of Gender. I always enjoy introducing students to the discipline  in SOC 101 and prompting them to examine the many ways that we “do gender” in our day to day lives in the gender class.
   
   
8. Celebrating Paul's Birthday - Paul came to visit for a month around mid-September and we had a nice trip down to the coast to spend the night on our friends’ boat, another night at a friend’s creek house outside of Edisto and a day at the Shrimp Festival in Buford, SC- delicious!  We also took several trips up to the mountains on Paul’s Honda Goldwing motorcycle. Finally, we celebrated Paul's birthday early before his departure with cake and kids at Old Oaks Farms (where I rent a small cottage).They really liked all the animals - goats, horses, chickens, dogs! Fun!
   
   
9. Music with Friends – My time without Paul in the Fall was filled with friends, food, music and just enjoying being back in the States for a bit. The symphony, chamber music, Emmy Lou Harris, Delbert McClinton – you name it, I listened to it. Great fun with friends. My sister also made a trip down to Greenville for a weekend (something she hasn't done in probably a decade!) and we had some good sister time catching up! I also went to Florida for Thanksgiving to see my parents and we had a nice day trip to Busch Gardens.
   
   
10. My Dog Shelby - Finally, I'm thankful for my dog Shelby, now 13 years old. She is almost completely deaf but still as sweet as ever. She enjoys her time at Old Oaks Farms and I know she’s in good hands (under the careful watch of my dog sitter Jeff and land lords Martha and David) even when I’m out of the country.
    
    Wishing you all a very Happy New Year!