Polly

My eulogy for the funeral yesterday, 6/9/09, 4pm.

Her obituary in the Pensacola News Journal:

MARY ALICE "POLLY" SHERRILL BARANCO
1923-2009
Polly Baranco died peacefully in her sleep surrounded by her family on June 5, 2009.
She was born in Pensacola, FL on October 28, 1923 to Mary Alice and John Hall Sherrill. She graduated from Pensacola High School, attended Randolph Macon Women's College her first two years and graduated from the University of Alabama. She was married to the late Dr. Paul F. Baranco. Polly was devoted to her family, friends and to her community and spent the majority of her life in volunteer endeavors. She was a charter member of the Junior League of Pensacola and a former president of the league as well as receiving one of its highest awards, the Joan B. Gonzalez Award for volunteer work at the Pensacola Public Library. Polly was an active member of the Friends of the Library, the Escambia County Medical Auxiliary, having served as president, and she and her late husband were Founding Board Members at Azalea Trace. Polly was a life-time member of the First Presbyterian Church and a loyal member of the Calvin Sunday School Class.
She is survived by her daughter Fran Hartley (Ted) and her son Paul Francis "Speed" Baranco, Jr. (Sian), four grandchildren, Thomas Bryan Hartley (Gina), Robert Paul Hartley (Danielle), Nicholas Paul Baranco, and Matthew Patrick Baranco, one great grandchild Taylor Ashlyn Hartley, a sister-in-law Joe Sherrill, and many nieces and nephews, great nieces and great nephews who loved her dearly.
She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, her sister Peggy Bach, and her brothers Frontis W. Sherrill, John Hall Sherrill, Jr., and Alan Prather Sherrill.
A memorial service will be held at the First Presbyterian Church on Tuesday, June 9, 2009, at 4:00 PM followed by visitation in the church parlor.
Memorials, if desired, may be made to Friends of the Library; Covenant Hospice, 5041 N. 12th Ave. Pensacola, FL or to a charity of your choice.
Harper-Morris Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements. Published in the Pensacola News Journal on 6/9/2009

Wife update

Danielle (wife) has some great news. No, she is not pregnant with triplets (that we know of), but it is her birthday on Tuesday (Feb 3) and, more directly, she just got a job!

So far, Danielle has been volunteering with HOPE and also with a local orphanage, and she helps direct the children's ministry at church. Now, she can add to the list working for World Relief Rwanda. She will be supporting the Office of the Country Director as well as the Programs Department. Her work will be research and communications related to HIV/AIDS and community/economic development, marketing and church engagement, and support for their 3-year strategic plan. Great for Danielle's experience and talents, and also it will be 25-35 hours per week. This is perfect for what she has been wanting for the rest of our short time here in Rwanda, and we really like the people and the mission of World Relief.

First assignment: pictures and stories from the WR child survival program in Cyangugu. If you'll note my travel schedule from my last blog, I'm going to Cyangugu next week. It's all very perfect.

She'll be able to work from home a lot and continue her volunteer work. She'll get incredible experience doing exactly what she likes with an organization we both admire. (Side-note: World Relief is also a partner with HOPE in our microfinance institution here in Rwanda, Urwego Opportunity Bank). We can honestly say that this opportunity fits every criteria Danielle was looking for, and the country director is looking into free World Relief caps and/or shirts for Danielle's husband. Very good.

The cobbler

So I'm in Africa, and my shoe starts to burst from the seams and a piece of rubber is extending out to the side.

We drive down dirt roads by new construction into somewhat of a city center. We find a concrete megaplex of shops and people. We walk towards the back where it opens up to a great view of the mountains. Then, in the corner, I see old tires, scraps of rubber, and stalls of men with piles of old shoes and shoe parts. This is where the cobblers work.

I was first quoted 100 RWF. That's about 18 cents USD at my last exchange rate. The quote was for him to crazy glue my shoe. I'm not crazy, that's not going to work. I'm going to need a much more expensive fix. I go up to 500 RWF and have him sew it up with the aid of some fancy shoeing tool. Now we're talking 88 cents USD, but believe me, it was well worth it. My shoes are now fit for dancing.

U.S. History Update

Far away from home, yet I feel happily American. Regardless of politics, there is something symbolic to the inauguration of our 44th U.S. president, Barack Obama.

The Washington Post quotes a boy speaking before the Obama family and the Nineteenth Street Baptist Church:

Rosa Parks sat so that Martin Luther King Jr. could walk. Martin Luther King walked so that Barack Obama could run. Barack Obama ran so that all children can fly.

I'm listening to the live broadcast on Voice of America radio, and an interviewer asks an older woman why she is there in D.C. for the inauguration. She replies:

Because there was a time I wasn't allowed in restaurants and office buildings and laundromats.

We can visibly see in Kigali that this presidential inauguration is an international event. There is talk in the streets, movement and whir, and many are gathered now to follow along live at the U.S. embassy.

Our world is not at peace. Our president faces great challenges. But today, the symbol outweighs the doubts. Symbolically, for the world, the greater hope of our new president is the fact that we have chosen him, we are willing to change, though we may fail.

Change is not always good, and hope is not certainty; but overcoming, persevering, giving, trying, and believing ... that is American.

cODE

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Thank you

Danielle and I have received cards and gifts and know of more on the way, and without naming names we just want to say thank you. Thank you also to the friends and family who've mailed or emailed their Christmas pictures; they make us feel like we are sharing the Christmas season with you. Thanks also to Rodney who deposits my paychecks in Rwanda, and a special thanks to a group of people who don't know us but have sent us gifts and encouragement anyway.

I want to thank you publicly since I requested pictures and Christmas stories publicly, and I want to share with our family back home how supported we feel by them, our friends, and friends we haven't met.

I hope you all have a great new year's celebration!

Christmas movie ranking

Because I can't help myself, one last Christmas post: Christmas movies – top 20 according to IMDB rankings with my top 10 in bold.

It's a Wonderful Life (1946, 8.6)
A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965, 8.4)
The Snowman (1982, 8.3)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966, 8.3)
Scrooge (1951, 8.1)
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993, 8.0)
A Christmas Story (1983, 8.0)
Miracle on 34th Street (1947, 8.0)
Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964, 7.9)
The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974, 7.9)
Santa Claus is Comin' to Town (1970, 7.8)
Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983, 7.7)
A Christmas Carol (1984, 7.7)
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992, 7.4)
Christmas Vacation (1989, 7.3)
Frosty the Snowman (1969, 7.3)
White Christmas (1954, 7.2)
Elf (2003, 6.8)
Home Alone (1990, 6.8)
Scrooged (1988, 6.7)

Merry Christmas!

They're singing Deck the Halls, but it's not like Christmas at all, as I remember when you were here and all the fun we had last year ...

Christmas in Kigali



Christmas Eve was crossword puzzles, last minute gift shopping, remoulade and olive dips, candlelight service at Christ's Church, last minute grocery shopping for ham, calamari, and chocolate at Nakumatt, Christmas music and dancing at home, dinner while watching Elf, and going to bed.

Christmas Day is singing "Once in Royal David's City" in the St. Etienne's adult Christmas choir during morning service, Danielle directing the children's Christmas play [picture below], coming home and eating, listening to more music, playing Scrabble and Skipbo, maybe visiting with a few friends in the area, and talking to family on Skype.



The Christmas menu today includes French toast flavored with ginger, cinnamon, and caramel extract, and accompanied with local honey and local oranges that also taste like lime. We also enjoyed the best coffee from Kivu region near the lake in West Rwanda. In addition, Cadbury has introduced me to what I now consider to be what Christmas tastes like, the Grand Seville: a subtle blend of milk and plain chocolate with raisins, orange oil & orange liqueur flavour.

Danielle is wearing new, silver, dangling fish earrings and I am perusing the current Economist and Newsweek magazines.

Have a very merry Christmas!

Better than a Christmas tree

I just saw a picture of my parents' Christmas tree tonight on video Skype, it was beautiful. We don't have a Christmas tree, but what we do have is Christmas cards on the buffet right next to a beautifully Rwandan hand-carved nativity scene. Thanks to Brenna for both of our two Christmas cards, she was our house guest and the namesake of the O'Brien room upstairs. Danielle got a card, I got a card, very nice.



Can't say we're not nostalgic for a Christmas tree, but our Christmas is different this year, and we appreciate that. This year, it's us and our nativity scene … and some woven Christmas ball ornaments and Brenna's two cards.

Note: Nostalgia is not Christmas, but that doesn't mean we won't vicariously enjoy pictures of your Christmas trees and presents and parties. Please send pictures. Email us if you have the address, post comments to picture links, otherwise, but we'd love to share your Christmas by seeing your pictures. You know we'll share ours.

Tatum’s 100

My friend Jason Tatum has lost 100 lbs this year! I have shared that story with some friends and family because I am so proud of the tremendous accomplishment, but here are the pictures to prove it and here is a story to boot.

Your first thoughts: camera tricks and a haircut. The truth is that I have read everything he's eaten and every time he's exercised for the last year. Actually, hundreds of people have read everything he's eaten and every time he's exercised for the last year. I am one of many who receive the Tatum Daily Update.

Jason is losing this weight to become mission-field-ready in order to join the campus ministry startup in Birmingham, England (a ministry with a fantastic start, so far). To me, the weight loss is the side story; the main story is an incredible young man leaning on community and pursuing his dreams. Mr. Tatum is very talented, and his mind is endlessly focused on others, on ministry, on justice, on stories, on grace … he has limitless creativity and it's all focused on being a light in the world.

Losing weight is more than an exercise; it is a spiritual journey of identity, fear, and discovery. The discovery for those of us who support him in his future ministry is what calling and purpose await after such a difficult road.

[Note: today we are at a negative 108.2 lbs. As Tatum would say, "fist pump." Also, I think I hear that he'll be working at CCF some while fundraising, that's great.]

Google Earth view of our Kigali neighborhood

Interested in exploring our Kigali map on Google?

This is our neighborhood: Biryogo. We are in the province of Kigali, district of Nyarunge, city of Kigali (Kigali-ville), and then the neighborhood of Biryogo. Some will want to say that I live in Kiyovu but that's where the president lives, we're Biryogo people.

Let's begin with the Anglican guest house compound. We first lived in Mercy House, small bedroom, shared bath, breakfast included (thanks Janet). Now we live in Hope House, 2 floors, 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, living/dining room, kitchen, it's wonderful. Hope House is the closest to the street of two apartments in the same building shared with Shalom House. Our neighbors in Shalom, David and Liz, return from England in January/February to work with Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST). Mercy House is where we enjoyed the porch with the amazing view. It's rocking chairs looked out over a sizable garden and then a vast hillscape of neighborhoods and lights. The right-side boundary of the compound is where the hill starts sloping down away from Avenue Paul VI, sloping toward the Gikondo neighborhood and sloping back up beyond that to far areas with houses and fields and lights.

Across the street is the Anglican Church compound with the church labeled and slightly up and to the right is the main hall where we do some of our trainings.

Left out of our gate heads toward the Muslim Quarter and some shops where I buy airtime for my mobile phone. Right out of our gates goes toward downtown - 30 minutes walk/short drive: Urwego Opportunity Bank, hotels, restaurants, shops. Within close walking distance is New Cactus, a casual French/continental with free Internet and a great view and lounge chairs in the grass by the hillcrest.

We love our location and it's easy to reference by KIST or St. Etienne's. Now you know where to drop by, but don't come unannounced, Lazarus the guard dog is very protective.

Babies for Christmas

I love Christmas, so Christmas is what I'm writing about once a day until the day. Today, it's babies and Christmas. That's what Danielle wants, but I was thinking a necklace or something. Seems like all of our friends are having babies, at least two of them (who blog about it):

jesse & keight plus one. Does Keight spell Kate like "K" and the number 8? Yes. Keight is what I consider a Christian with Turret's syndrome, so I expect wildly blunt and overly detailed descriptions of what pregnancy looks like. Hilarious.

The Del Angel Family. Tiffany posts monthly mug shots of her belly. I particularly like the sonogram of Madison throwing up the peace sign. They should soon be getting a pink baby blanket on the way from Rwanda via Pennsylvania.

Danielle is not getting a baby for Christmas this year, maybe on layaway. But what I can do is preview some potential Hartley baby names. Also, feel free to use these names, I have no problem with our children having the same exact names and growing up best friends. I think that's great. Merry Christmas Danielle [revised 12/27/2008]:

Elijah Paul (Eli)
Frederick Norris (Rick)
Joseph Elliot (Zeph)
John Francis (Jack)
Moses Oliver (Moses)
Luke Thomas (Luke)

Emma Catherine (Lucy)
Eleanora Mae (Nora)
Mary Alice (Alice)
Gabriella Ruth (Gabby)
Margaret Ansley (Maggie)
Evelyn Esther (Evie)

Danielle over Heaven any night

Give me the choice: Danielle or Heaven? Danielle … any night of the week.

I've been to Heaven, and I love it – great view – but now that our kitchen is up and running, I'd rather eat in. Did I mention Heaven is the best restaurant in Kigali? Well, Indian Khazana was the best restaurant in Kigali, but until they pay their taxes, our Christmas dinner plans will be elsewhere.

So anyway, we've moved into the Hope House after a month in the Mercy House, and we now have our own kitchen, pantry, refrigerator, stove, microwave, toaster, coffee maker. Mmhh, this is nice. Danielle prepared our first meal recently: beef and tomatoes with pasta, cheese, bread, and avocado. We have had tea and coffee in the morning, snacks when we want them. It's a nice welcome home to settle in and stock up on groceries and eat when you want.

A Heaven side story: I ran across Heaven's co-owner Josh Ruxin on Nicholas Kristof's New York Times blog recently. He guest writes. Interesting. We met Josh at Heaven; he insisted we try his strawberry ice cream on the house. It was fantastic.

Our Christmas playlist, what's yours?

Thanks to Krista Greiner, I recovered my Christmas playlist that we made for our Christmas wedding 2 years ago. That makes Danielle and me pretty happy to hear those songs in that order. It also makes me happy to hear that Krista and also Marisa/Justin are still listening to those songs in that order.

Being far away from home, we would love to know what Christmas music you are listening to. Here is our list:

All I Want for Christmas is You - Mariah Carey
Sleigh Ride - The Ronettes
Run Rudolph Run - Chuck Berry
Jingle Bell Rock - Bobby Helms
Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree - Brenda Lee
This Christmas - Donny Hathaway
Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - Darlene Love
Merry Christmas, I Love You - James Brown
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Barenaked Ladies
Please Come Home for Christmas - Eagles
Winter Wonderland - Bing Crosby
The Christmas Song - Nat King Cole
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Lou Rawls
It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year - Andy Williams
Baby, It's Cold Outside - Dean Martin
Carol of the Bells - Mormon Tabernacle Choir

Christmas present suggestions

What do you get someone who has everything? A mug. That question is much easier than most people make it out to be. Get him a mug.

If you're shopping for me, I would like a polo and some books. I have an Amazon wish list that takes care of all of my book needs, but where on earth (or online) can you find both a mug and a polo?

Besides alleviating world poverty, HOPE International has now solved the Christmas crisis. Mug? Polo? Same place: HOPE International >> Get Gear. Note: I would be proud to have friends wear HOPE, and though the detail on the polo is hard to see, I definitely want one. I'm not sure how it works, do HOPE employees get to pick out one piece of gear for Christmas?



Disclaimer: Please don't ship me that polo (or at least post in the comments that you are going to so I don't get 20 polos). I once said "please send socks" and now I'm getting socks, but really, I can buy them here for much less than you can ship them. It was rhetorical. But, yes, I do need socks, so thank you who've sent them.

2nd Anniversary

Day 731



Our second anniversary. I surprised Danielle with flowers I bought downtown (at $0.09 a stem) and a long anniversary note on a Joyeux Anniversaire card. Tonight, we go for pizza and beer at Sole Luna, supposedly the best pizza in town and about 50 varieties.

Wedding season

Two big wedding announcements: my cousin Nicholas Baranco & fellow CCF intern alumna Malissa Jones are getting married.

Not to each other, though that would cut down on gifts and travel for me.

Nicholas & Ellie

Malissa & Winfield

This is wedding season in Rwanda, too. Every week in church there are 6 to 10 wedding announcements, but sometimes they are announcing the same wedding. I found out last Sunday that if you want to be married in St. Etienne's (which a lot of people do, it's big and beautiful), then you must be announced three Sundays in a row. These announcements give the church opportunity to speak now or forever hold our peace; we are encouraged to speak with a pastor privately if we have reason they should not be married. Every week couples are announced, they stand, and we all check them out. I try to decide if they look good together and would make good babies, but so far I have not had reason to speak with the pastors.

This is my final announcement for the weddings above. I hope you approve.

DIY African paper bead necklace

Interested in making your own African jewelry? I know my mom is. Here are the steps to Doing It Yourself.

Materials: colorful magazine pages, scissors, toothpicks, and glue.

Step 1

Cut colorful magazine pages into long triangles.

Step 2

Apply glue to one side of the triangle.

Step 3

Roll the triangle around a tooth pick, starting with the base.

Remove the toothpick once it is rolled, and now you should have yourself one bead, African jewelry style. This is the beginnings of a beautiful necklace if you keep going and thread the beads together. You may add some finishing touches like some kind of sealant and some accent beads. Here is what the final product should look like:

African paper bead necklaces: 3500 RWF, $6.26 USD each

Part of being rich

Money is one part of being rich, perhaps just a small part, though.

When Danielle and I lived in East Point, we were both fulltime graduate students. Not rich. At least, we did not have much money. What we did have was two cars and lots of options.

If I needed socks, for instance, I could get in the car and drive to Wal*mart and have any kind of sock I desired. Fancy socks, maybe argyle. Duke Blue Devil socks. Whatever socks I wanted, I could buy, and I could buy them very cheaply. Wal*mart stocks a lot of socks.

I need socks. Some things fall in priority when you get a new job and move to Rwanda, so I left America with old socks that have holes in them (not to mention the smell). Part of my problem now is that I don't know where to go to get the cheapest socks of the best quality. The other part of my problem is that, relatively, America is richer than Rwanda. Sometimes richer means more options for cheap goods at low transaction costs.

Please send socks.

Things we buy

Danielle and I decided to go ahead and pick up some Rwandan things as we see them and enjoy them here and now. Here's some local products:

Vase, 5000 RWF, $8.94 USD

Bowl, 4000 RWF, $7.33 USD

Baskets, 2000 RWF, $3.67 USD (each)

Feel free to place your order with us online. I'll be honest, though, shipping and handling is where we get you.