time for an update

It's been over a month since I last posted. Unlike Chelsey, my absence from blogging was not because I have big news to share (and can't bear keeping the truth from you). Rather, I just haven't been inspired to write anything as of late. It also seems kind of weird to update while at home, since most of my reasoning for blogging is to keep in touch with the people back at home. Now, being back at home, it just feels kind of strange to continue posting. But, I think that I will try my best to frequently post this summer, especially while in Zambia.

I arrived home on the evening of April 30, and headed into work the next morning. I am working for May and June at Dutch Growers, the same place that I worked at last summer. It has made slipping back into working mode easier, since I already knew mostly what was going on. I still get lots of questions about trees and plants that I have no idea about, but I'm getting better - and I'm getting really good at something they told us would be important in Optometry school. REFER! I always just point them in the direction of the person that they should be talking to. Mostly I work in the gift shop area, and cover the fertilizer/seeds/dry goods area as well. I enjoy all the other workers - so it has been a pretty good job. But, I am already looking forward to being done at the end of June. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I'll be heading off to AFRICA at that time though!

As for school, there is part of me that really misses it. Studying was my main focus for 8 months - and to now have none of it to do, feels really weird. Plus, I just like learning. I know - I'm such a dork. Don't get me wrong though - it feels so good to have no work to do, and to have free evenings. And to have time to spend with friends and doing things that I want to do! I think by September though, I will be ready to get back to the books again. Four months is a long time - and I'm kind of scared that I will have forgotten everything by the time I go back in September. It's not likely to happen though - especially since I keep every single note/test/assignment.

Spare time has been spent doing prep work for Zambia. Slowly things are starting to come together - but there is still so much to do. We have a mountain of things in our dining room that are ready to go to Zambia with us. Lots to take with us. We are also trying to raise money for the textbooks that we would like to purchase for the schools that we will be working in. Things are definitely going well for that, and we trust that all will come in. Concrete details are being set into place for our holiday before hand as well. The Slywka family will leave Regina on July 9, flying into London, where we will spend three days. We will then meet up with the Krogsgaards and Matt Goud, and will take the Chunnel into Belgium, where we will spend a couple days, before travelling back to London, and going on to Zambia. It's pretty exciting - especially since that is in just over 1 month!

In other news, I cut about 7 inches off my hair last week. It is nice to have it shorter again - and it will work well for getting it braided while in Zambia (should I have the chance to do that). Maybe I'll post pictures on that soon . . . but first I am going to post pictures and an update from my time in Ontario with Jonathan!

Hope everyone's summer is going well!