Thanksgiving and then some

It is frightening just how quickly this semester has passed by. These last few weeks since Thanksgiving even more so than the beginning of the school year. This last holiday was really nice and relaxing. I don't believe I have ever had such a quiet Thanksgiving. Just Dirk, Mom, Dad, and I spent Thanksgiving day together. We did our best to make a dent in the huge (and delicious I might add:) meal my mom prepared - I think she is still used to cooking for an army:) What was particularly difficult for me to comprehend is that two children is the average size for an American family. Don't get me wrong, we did spend time with Brett & Amanda, other family members, and lots of friends. My mom completely crushed us all with her Farming Game prowess (which was to continue in Scrabble and pinochle...I just couldn't win:). However, once Dad and the boys left to go hunting (late Thanksgiving Day) it was just me and my mom for the rest of the vacation. We shopped, watched movies, spent time with friends, and even attended a pinochle party! Good times;) Once I returned to Missoula (with only two weeks left before finals) I had to get myself in gear for the madness that was to come. I did my best to balance all of my papers to be written, my classes to teach (with papers to grade), my time with friends (and boyfriend), and my quiet times with the Lord. Now, on the eve of finals I find that I am surprisingly - and perhaps concernedly (if that is a word) - calm. I believe that I am more than ready to turn in my papers and do my presentations next week. More than that, I am ready for Christmas break! This promises to be a very interesting holiday and I will surely write about the crazy times at the Aune and Lorang Christmas parties. However, I must always take a step back this time of year and remind myself of what this holiday is truly about. May the true joy of this Noel be with you and your family and may His grace and mercy overwhelm you this holiday:)

Kristy, Weston, Jenn, and I at my house in Missoula

(They drove up from Bozeman for the weekend:)

Salsa dancing fun with Brian

P.S. Am hoping to get a new camera for Christmas so many more fun pictures to come...

Fall in the Garden City

As much as I sense the impending doom of the bitter winter ahead, I cannot help but revel in the beauty of autumn in Missoula. This truly is 'the garden city', and the wild colors of both the spring and the fall here make my daily walks to school seriously enjoyable. I actually feel sorry for those hapless folks driving around without the time or inclination to slow down and soak up the beauty of God's creation all around them. Those moments are what keep me sane in this race towards the end of my graduate program. Don't get me wrong, I love linguistics even more now than I did when I began. There are just times when I wish my life would slow down and let me catch up. However, despite the major projects looming over my head, I have found time to enjoy my friends and family. One of my most recent highlights was my dad's retirement/birthday bash a week ago. Jeni and Eli flew down from Minnesota, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins came from all over Montana and Wyoming, and numerous family friends showed up to share in my dad's retirement. It was a sweet time of fellowship and rememberance of all the crazy times in my dad's life and work. There were wild tales of bears, bison, and mountain lions, and even a few interesting revelations about my dad that I didn't even know...something having to do with freshman initiation and a bachelor party...I didn't ask for details:-). With so many family and friends united in one place my parents used that opportunity to host a BBQ to celebrate Brett's recent engagement to Amanda. It was fun to get to know her family and welcome them into the Aune clan. She has proven herself to be a strong woman... :-) It was sad to say goodbye and come back to my 'real life' here in Missoula, but considering how quickly my time here is passing, before I know it I'll be back in the Bozone for Thanksgiving. Meanwhile, I have more than enough work and play to keep me occupied; Blackfoot language studies, defining my Master's Thesis, teaching an English class on campus, playing soccer on a rec. team, hiking as much as the weather allows, cheering on the Grizzlies at their football games ( Don't worry I am still a Bobcat at heart...really), and generally trying to take full advantage of every opportunity given me while I remain in limbo here "100 miles from Montana."

My nephew Eli and I

The family at Dad's retirement (Missing: Brother-in-law Bill)

Brian and I enjoying the natural hotsprings of Jerry Johnson in Idaho

Back To School

So, it is that time of year again. The smoke is rolling in from fires all around the Northwest, the rivers are getting low, the sun is still hot, and many of us are heading back to school. Yes, it does feel wierd at times to be back in classes with the new freshman looking so young I have a hard time believing they can drive cars no less live on their own here on campus. I suppose this means I no longer fit in with the young college crowd...I guess I am O.K. with that. I am, however, really looking forward to this year. If all goes well this should be the last of my two years working towards my Masters degree in Linguistics. Right now I am taking classes and, teaching a class of my own as well. My students are going to be tons of fun and I can't wait to get to know them better. Most of them are from Saudi Arabia and Japan, but I do have a Mexican and a guy from Sweden. What kind of a class am I teaching you may ask? It is EASL 251 which is English as an Academic Second Language. In other words, I am teaching students that are already enrolled in UM (which means they have already proven themselves proficient in English) how to analyze materials and present their opinions in a clear and academically acceptable fashion - according to the American style of education. As far as my own classes are concerned, the class that I am the most excited about is my Blackfoot Seminar. I am learning how to speak some basic Blackfoot while analyzing the the grammatical and phonological structure of the language. Good times. My favorite word so far is "kitakitamatsinopowow" which means "see you later". On that note. I will have to write again and post some more pictures of my summer fun - because I will not let school interrupt that:).

Pictures of Summer Fun

Brian and I during our 16 mile hike to a parking lot...

long story :)

'Fourth of July' waterfall in the Bitterroot Mountains

My nephew Eli and I at a cabin outside Yellowstone

Phil, Nicole, Christine, Amanda and I at Silverwood

We really enjoyed getting soaked on such a hot day!

Jamie and I "hanging out" on Mount Sentinel (cheesy...I know:)

Guadalajara

Choong Sil at Tlaquepaque (outside Guadalajara)

Some of my 'students' Marisol and Lucero

Bonnie, "Bob", and I at Tacos Bobs

About 8 hours after I returned from Guinea I was re-packed, refreshed – kind of – and ready to head out to Mexico. Or so I thought. It is amazing to me that after 8 flights to and from Africa without cancellations or missing luggage I expected the same on my little jaunt down to Guadalajara. How silly of me. In any case, I did end up making it to Guadalajara after a night stuck in Denver – it was just an added bonus to visit my aunt and uncle. It was also nothing short of miraculous that my friend, Choong Sil, was there to pick me up considering that she did not know my airline, flight number, or the city that I was flying out of… and I was a day late. I guess Mexican officials can be sweet talked into giving out flight information on people if you look desperate enoughJ. Now, it would not be completely crazy to be asking why in the world I would plan two ‘overseas’ trips back to back. Well, not only was it easier for me to talk my boss into giving me a large chunk of time off, I was also planning the Mexican part of the trip around the Lincoln School graduation. My French class was graduating and I thought it would be a wonderful opportunity to see some of my old students as well as co-workers and other friends still living in Guad. I was a bit concerned that it would be difficult physically – considering I was still really sick from Guinea – as well as linguistically. However, the laid back atmosphere and delicious Mexican food cured me of any sickness I may have picked up in Africa, and the language part was difficult at first – with my mind still in French translation mode – but I was quickly able to get back in the swing of things. Being as how this trip was not for tourism, I cannot expound on great travels in and around Guadalajara – although I was able to get out of the city a little bit. What I can say is that my expectations for food and fellowship were all met, and I am considering making Mexico my buffer country for any major African adventures in the futureJ. I had almost forgotten how much I love Mexico. The people, the language, the music, and of course the food. Guadalajara is not really a tourist destination, and I love that. I was able to spend most of my time just relaxing with people that I love and catching up on ‘old times’. I even had a surprise encounter with a great friend, Bonnie, at my favorite taco place. She had just flown in to Guadalajara that day and heard that I was around and she showed up at Tacos Bobs knowing that I would be there. Considering it was one of our favorite hangouts, it was a sweet moment. It was also really encouraging to see what has happened to some of my students after high school. Some of them are studying to become doctors, teachers, engineers, psychologists and more. But more importantly, it makes me so happy to see the men and women that they are becoming. I pray for them continuously and look forward to seeing where they will all be five or ten years from now.
Well, eventually, I had to say goodbye to everyone in Guadalajara and make my way back to the ‘real world’ – if that even exists. I flew in about midnight on Friday night, worked Saturday morning, and then drove to Bozeman to put on a baby shower for my friend Kristy. It also happened to be Father’s Day that weekend, so I was able to celebrate two things in one trip. Now that I am back in Missoula I have continued working at the bank, and am doing my best to enjoy this summer as much as I can. I love summer activities and have done my best to enjoy them all; floating, bonfires, hiking to waterfalls, waterskiing, camping, barbeques, picnics, and much much more - not to mention the record breaking temperatures in the 100's for a week now:). It will make it all the more difficult for me to get back in the academic mindset come Fall semester. However, the summer is not over yet and there is still a lot to do. I am really looking forward to seeing my sister, my brother-in-law, and my little nephew Eli, since I haven’t seen them since Christmas. I am also excited to see my roommate, Jamie, again after her summer in Venezuela.

Oh yeah, my camera is on the fritz and so it only let me take pictures every once in a while...I suppose I will have to deal with mostly mental pictures:)

Melissa, Heidi, Kristy, Jenn, and I at Kristy's baby shower

Guinea

Some of my students and me

Just a few months ago I was seriously doubting the possibility of my going to Guinea, West Africa with a team from my church. Now, looking back, it is difficult to believe it even happened. It was such a whirlwind adventure - about 10 days in all- with a back-to-back trip to Guadalajara, Mexico right afterwards. The Guinea team consisted of 2 guys and 6 gals (including myself) from the College and Career group in the Missoula Alliance Church. The majority of the team went with the idea of putting on a volleyball camp in a village on the outskirts of Conakry. I went with the intention of teaching ESL to kids and translating for the group whenever needed. Guinea, like Senegal, is a primarily Islamic country with bits of Animism mixed in. There are very few Guinean believers. The Susu people, that we went to minister to - are very much an unreached people group. There are about 6 Susu believers in Conakry (The capital city). Our team began our trip in Casablanca, Morocco. It was so much fun for me to share a little bit of a country that I love with friends from Montana. We explored the medina (or old part of the city), ate Moroccan tajine, visited the Hassan II mosque, and spent time just enjoying the atmosphere while sipping mint tea. Good times. We then flew to Conakry to begin our West African adventure. The "kids" that I had been planning on teaching turned out to be 25 young men from the age of 18 to 30 years old. We still had fun playing games like Simon Says :). I was really proud of how much my students learned in just three hours a day for a week. At least, I was proud until I said hello to one of them and they said "I am fine, thank you!" I believe the volleyball team saw a lot of improvement in the high schoolers as well. I know for a fact that they all had lots of fun. More importantly, we all made some wonderful relationships with our students and the 6 members of the Susu church in Hafia. According to one member of my team, I even met my future husband - A Brazilian working in a village in Guinea.

Some of my highlights include:

• Passing out candy to children on the streets and having them teach me Susu.
• Sitting down with random families in the village and chatting with them and eating crazy fruits I have never seen before.
• Watching grown men fight over whether or not they got 'out' at Simon Says.
• Braving the roads of Guinea to get to a village a few hours outside Conakry.
• Listening to the Susu men worship.
• Discovering a new place and culture with friends from Montana.
• Just being back in Africa.:)
  

Some of my least favorite things were:

• Eating plain rice day after day because the sauce had seafood in it.
• The suffocating heat combined with the humidity.
• Getting sick from fish and/or malaria pills and/or unclean food/water.
• Trash...everywhere.
• Not being able to help so many people that I saw in need.
  

The Susu church at Hafia

Eating rice and sauce...with our hands

Jeremy, the master at eating with his hands.

The children just love seeing themselves on the camera

Women getting the water for the day at the well

Just another curious observer of the Fotes (White People)

African women are incredible and can carry many things on their heads, in their arms, on their backs...

A family in a village...they gave me a crazy fruit that I've never seen before. Yummy!

Spring Fever

I am finding how much more I enjoy the spring after a long winter. Oh how I have missed the spring these last three years...the new leaves and grass...the sunshine...the refreshing rains...and, my personal favorite, the lilacs! I am loving every moment. I have been spending my time taking hikes up Mt. Sentinel and the surrounding area, playing volleyball with friends, recapturing the fun of a swing and a playground, and having picnics down by the river. My roomate and I have also begun taking long walks around the neighborhood after dinner. We catch up on our days and pray for each other, but I am continually amazed at the beauty of creation around me. I don't believe I have ever enjoyed a season like this spring...

A little less than a month ago my mind was filled with the anxieties of my future. The 'remote' possibility of going to Guinea in June, and applying for a teaching assistantship in my Grad program - without which I might not be able to finish my Masters in a timely fashion. Here I am now, a week away from flying out to Guinea, and having the TAship to start in the fall. I am amazed at how little faith I actually have in the Lord's goodness. It seems that time after time I am faced with trials and I begin to wonder whether or not His grace is sufficient... May this act as just one more reminder of God's faithfulness; even when my faith is small. Why so downcast oh my soul? You will yet praise the Lord!

Weddings, Concerts etc.

Kristy, Melissa, and I at Jenn's wedding
Jenn and Mark Allen

It is crazy and a bit scary to think that I have only two months left in my spring semester. These past couple months have been mainly filled with work at the bank and studying phonology, morphology, and typology - what I call the ologies. They are just fancy names for studying sounds of languages, meaning in languages, and different types of languages. However, I find that in the academic world nobody wants to use easily understandable titles, and so, if there is no fancy namefor something, they make one up:). Despite this pretentious labeling, I really do love studying linguistics. At the moment I am doing my best to study Hindi for my typology seminar, and believe me, it is a lot more complicated than I first thought. Anyway, I realize that not everybody is as enthralled with languages as I am so I will move on to other things... The highlights of these past couple months have been salsa dancing, a Jars of Clay concert, and watching my friend Jenn get married (and attempting to throw a semi-scandalous bachelorette party for her). Spring is in the air here in Missoula and I can hardly contain my excitment for the lilacs; oh how I have missed them. I am also in the process of figuring out my two adventures for this summer (around my work schedule of course). I am planning on joining my college and career group - which is really only 'career' people - on a trip to Guinea. I wasn't planning on going because I just got back from a year in Africa, but not-surprisingly, they talked me into it once they said that they needed a French translater... That and the fact that they are traveling by way of Morocco solidified the deal. Due to the recent political issues in Guinea our trip is not completely set in stone, but I am praying that we will be able to go and serve the people there. My other adventure is my return to Guadalajara, Mexico to visit some friends. I also get to watch some students of mine graduate, and I am really looking forward to that. The funny thing about my two trips is that they will be back to back. I will return from Guinea and then the next day fly out for Guadalajara. I suppose that this way I will lose less time at work and be able to pay for these trips:) More updates to come as details are finalized...
Some of my Missoula friends at Jars of Clay

Jamie and I at the "M" overlooking Missoula

The Holidays 2006

Despite the exorbitant amount of time given for the winter break by the University of Montana (5 whole weeks!), this holiday season flashed by with barely enough time to relax and definitely no time for boredom. However, the time spent with family and friends was, as always, a blessing and made for a memorable Christmastime. Right after finishing my finals in December I took off for Boise, ID. Although Boise was not exactly on my list of places I must visit during my lifetime, Choong Sil, a great friend from Mexico, was a sufficient enough attraction for me to make the 8 hour trip down to spend some time with her. It is not often that we are on the same continent anymore, much less to be within a day’s drive of one another. I had to take advantage of that opportunity. Much too soon, though, I was headed to Bozeman in time to meet up with my family. It was so wonderful to have the whole family together for Christmas! It has been years, and I see that as we “children” are growing older and moving off to other places, it becomes increasingly more difficult for us all to be together for the holidays. Jeni and Bill came from Minnesota – toting along the best Christmas present of all - my new nephew Eli. My uncle Ernie drove up from Memphis (Because they canceled his flight through Denver), my grandparents came up from Wyoming with enough food to feed us for monthsJ, and Brett and Dirk were there giving my parents a very full house. With plenty of time playing pinochle, eating Grandma’s food, and fighting over who could hold the baby, we had a very enjoyable Christmas. Just a day later Jeni, Bill, Eli, and I head up to the Great Falls area to visit other family; the Aunes in Dutton, and the Lorangs in Great Falls. Eli again stole the show, and I enjoyed every minute of showing off my nephew…and visiting the family. I am so blessed to have 5 grandparents alive and healthy. I have learned so much by watching the way that they have lived and loved. Very inspirational. Back in Bozeman, I was able to spend a couple days with friends catching up, watching movies, having bonfires, dancing, and ringing in the New Year with some of my most cherished friends. I quickly had to return to Missoula, however, to search for a job. I have decided to only take two classes this semester in hopes of getting an assistantship next year and letting the University flip the bill for the credits. Therefore, I should be using this semester to work and, if possible, save up a bit of money for important things…like travelingJ. Thankfully, I found a job working as a bank teller which works perfectly with my school schedule. I am also tutoring a high schooler from Spain with his English conversation skills. I love both jobs so far and am looking forward to what the Lord has in store for me this semester….

.

Elishua (Eli) David Rannow, my nephew! Born September 24th

The Fruits Reunited

"The Fruits" reunited for a weekend of fun in Helena.