2012 in Review

Paul and I Christmas Day Makgadikgadi Pan

Festive Greetings from Botswana! We’ve just returned from a Christmas camping trip and are in town to do some laundry and restock supplies before we head off again for another few days of camping over New Years. Just thought I’d take this opportunity to write my annual letter to look at 2012 in review.

2012 brought many interesting travel adventures and visitors to our “new” house in Greenville. We rang in the New Year with a camping trip to Zimbabwe for the holidays. While we saw more wildlife on the roads of Botswana leading to Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe (there are serious poaching problems in the Zim parks due to the desperate situation of many of the locals under their current government), we especially enjoyed the beauty of Sinamentella campground perched up on the edge of a plateau overlooking a lush green valley. Breathtaking!

Splashing Elly in Hwange

 Paul’s visit to the States in February and March centered mostly on shopping for and moving into our “new” house (“new” in quotes because this 1930s bungalow is far from new and we’ve owned it since 2008 but never lived in it) but also included a quick trip to Florida to celebrate my Dad’s 70^th birthday. My sister was down from Massachusetts for her winter break and Paul and I decided to join them all for a weekend in celebration of my Dad’s entry into the next decade! We even took a day trip to Kennedy Space Center which, as you can imagine, Paul loved (as he has secretly always wanted to be an astronaut!).

Mom, Kelley, Dad and Paul at Kennedy Space Center

Kelley, Dad, Me and Mom - Celebrating Dad's 70th

Paul's Ikea Assembly Extravaganza

The move to the bungalow meant leaving “Old Oak Farms” which was bitter sweet. I lived five wonderful years at the farm surrounded by goats, horses, dogs, cats, and chickens and supported by the best landlords (and dear friends) anyone could ever ask for. The move also meant totally outfitting a house – my first purchase a washer/dryer – no more Laundromat for me! And, as if I didn’t already know this, my husband is a saint for his patience during multiple Ikea trips and hours of assembly upon the arrival of 35 boxes of new furniture (all in pieces!).

But all that effort has its rewards as moving in meant several visitors from afar. My sister Kelley came for Easter in what turned into a decorating, painting, wall papering with maps extravaganza! My friend Kathy came in September and cooked up a storm for a party for my friends and packed my freezer with delicious meals that lasted for weeks! Paul’s brother, sister-in-law and sister visited in early November for a mini-“sibling reunion”. We had a nice time hanging out on the front porch, exploring Greenville and taking a motorbike ride up to the mountains for an afternoon to one of our favorite little mountain towns – Saluda, NC.

Kelley cuts maps for wallpapering in April

Kathy's visit in September with David

Tom, Connie and Paul - Sibling Reunion

Speaking of family, we also welcomed the newest member, Paul’s grandson Arthur in December 2011, and had the opportunity to visit with him in June of 2012 in Copenhagen. Clearly the sweetest and most mild-mannered little guy we enjoyed swimming with him at the public pool, going for a boat ride through the waterways of Copenhagen and reading him bedtime stories. 

Arthur loves to jump

Grandpa Paul whispers secrets

Arthur at Six Months Old

My study away activities included two new adventures this year. First, I participated in the Latin America Study Away program and had the opportunity to go to Cuba for two weeks in March to study their health care system. A fascinating and intriguing experience that I hope to do again soon. I also developed a new study away trip exclusively to Botswana for our “May X” term (a 3 week, 2 credit hour experience). A colleague and I took 19 students and a staff person from the office of Study Away and International Education for a two week trip to study culture factors and HIV/AIDS in Botswana.

Spring Semester Group in Cuba

May X Group in Botswana

I returned to the “new” house in August to (finally) settle in and teach for the fall semester. My emotional energies, however, were focused on my Dad who was diagnosed with bladder cancer in August and has had a heck of a fall. My sister, brother and I all were able to go down a separate times to Florida to help out (including an emergency trip down for me on a moment’s notice due to a scary complication that resulted in another major surgery and unexpected week in the hospital). Five surgeries later and several hospitalizations, fortunately, he is on the slow road to recovery.

Here’s wishing you and yours a merry “festive season” and the happiest and healthiest of New Years.

Cheers,

Kristy